This year the city of Bangor is marking its 175th birthday as calculated by its incorporation as a city on Feb. 12, 1834.
What a great excuse to take another look at the 1882 “History of Penobscot County Maine, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches.”
I often check this book to find more about the early settlers of a particular community and their origins. It’s noteworthy that the book devotes several pages to the American Indians before getting into the arrival of white settlers, and I say that without knowledge of how accurate the American Indian history is.
The “Annals of Bangor” chapters, which are about the city’s early years, come from the writings of historian John Edwards Godfrey.
Jacob Buswell is credited with being the first settler in 1769, building a log cabin near what is now the intersection of Boyd and York streets.
Jacob was the son of John Buswell of Salisbury, Mass., and had been a soldier in the Canada Expedition of 1758.
Other early settlers in what is now Bangor included Jacob’s son Stephen and bride Lucy (Grant) Buswell; Caleb Goodwin and family; Thomas Howard; Jacob Dennet; brothers Thomas, John and Hugh Smart; Andrew Webster; Joseph Rose; David Rowell; Solomon and Silas Harthorn; and Joseph Mansel.
Many of these came from Woolwich and Brunswick, though the Harthorns were from Worcester, Mass.
Robert Treat, born in Boston, came to Fort Pownall and then to Bangor. James Dunning came from Brunswick.
Simon Crosby came from Woolwich, not far from Bath, the hometown of wife Sarah (Sewall).
Simon was the father of Gen. John Crosby of Hampden; and grandfather of James, Timothy, Jotham S., Major John and Deacon Benjamin Crosby.
But let’s jump ahead to page 760, the beginning of Bangor Biographies:
· Hannibal Hamlin, whose 200th birthday would be Aug. 27. Hamlin was best-known, of course, for being Lincoln’s first vice president. He was the grandson of Eleazar Hamlin and son of Dr. Cyrus and Anna (Livermore) Hamlin. Hamlin is related to the Hayford and Peirce families of Bangor through the Bonney line.
· Gov. Edward Kent, a New Hampshire native and son of William Austin Kent of Charlestown, Mass. His mother was a Mellen.
· Chief Justice John Appleton, Maine Supreme Court, born in Ipswich, N.H., to Jonathan and Elizabeth (Peabody) Appleton.
· Congressman George W. Ladd, born in Augusta to New Hampshire native Joseph Ladd and his wife, who was one of the Massachusetts Hamlins.
· Maine Speaker of the House Henry Lord, born in Bangor to Charles E. and Caroline (Weston) Lord.
· Capt. Charles A. Boutelle, born at Damariscotta, senior owner of the Bangor Whig and Courier newspaper. His Navy career included participating in the attack on Fort Sumter.
· Dr. William Hammond Brown, grandson of Capt. William Hammond, who was a Revolutionary War soldier and original proprietor of much of Bangor on the west side of the Kenduskeag Stream.
· Dr. Eugene Francis Sanger, born in Waterville to Zebulon and Charlotte (Wayne) Sanger. “On his mother’s side the doctor shares somewhat remotely the blood of the renowned Revolutionary general, Anthony Wayne.” Sanger was named surgeon of the Sixth Maine Regiment during the Civil War and was commissioned Brigade Surgeon by President Lincoln.
· Dr. Sumner Laughton, born in Norridgewock in 1812 to John Laughton, mother’s name not mentioned. Dr. Laughton practiced in Orono, Foxcroft and Bangor and was married to Mary Ann Parker of Hampden.
· Frederick M. Laughton, born in Foxcroft to Dr. Sumner and Mary Ann Laughton. Frederick was a prominent attorney.
Read more about prominent Bangoreans and early settlers in next week’s Family Ties.
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The Penobscot County Genealogical Society will mark the 175th birthday of Bangor with a wonderful program at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Lecture Hall at Bangor Public Library.
Bangor teacher and historian Dick Shaw will present a slide show featuring a collection of the families and events of Bangor, including 19th century timber tycoons Sam Veazie and Rufus Dwinel and the Penobscot River log drivers; the Paul Bunyan mystique; the people who fought and were displaced by the 1911 Bangor Fire; Vice President Hannibal Hamlin; 20th century personalities such as Flavius O. Beal and the Al Brady Gang; Urban Renewal, and dignitaries who visited Bangor.
Everyone is welcome to attend — you don’t have to be a member to see this presentation. Refreshments will be served.
Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.
