This is a Work in Progress

Please take note, before you read on in this blog that this is definitely a work in process. It is hard enough to find data on ancestors in colonial period of this country or earlier; let alone to "prove" or "disprove" that data.

A case in point is whether or not Capt. Philip Hubbard and the 30th. (Massachusetts) Regiment of Foot served at the battle of Bunker Hill that followed on the heels the action at Lexington and Concord. Several historians of note have reported differently on this subject. One story is that they did serve and the other is that they were assigned by Gen. Washington to patroll duty at Cambridge.

Until I can find irrefutable evidence that they did not serve at that battle; I will continue to assume they did. It certainly has to be acknowledged that the captain and six of his sons did enlist in Scamman's 30th. in May and June of 1776 and did serve long after that date. Also, it appears that two of his sons-in-law served with him. Immagine; a father and six of his eight sons and two of his daughter's husbands enlisting and marching off together to war and to who knows where and to what fate.

Immagine the consternation of the wives and children left back at the garrison house in Berwick. That, in an age without radios, telegraph, telephones and TV with imbeded journalists tracking and reporting live their every movement on an hourly basis, ad infinitem.

Fort McClary

Fort. McClary

Built before the Revolutionary War, this fort was orginally called Fort William & Mary for the english monarchs. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, it was re-named Fort McClarey after a local hero of that battle.

This fort sits on Kittery Point, above Pepperel Cove and overlooking the entrance to the Piscataqua River. Together with Fort Constitution on the Portsmouth side it provided much needed to protection to the shipyards and docks upriver which were crucial to the newly declared nation's survival. In the forground of the picture is the fort's western-most blockhouse. Next to the storage building to it's left is a pile of cannon balls and in the background lies Pierce Island and the Portsmouth shore.

The Fort is now open to the public but parking is quite limited and it is best to visit on a weekday, especially during tourist season

Hubbardstown Plantation

Settled in 1776, Hubbardstown Plantation was named in honor of Capt. Philip Hubbard one of the original principal proprietors. Several of his relatives settled there. The plantation was part of a much larger tract of land in Southeastern Maine that was purchased in 1661 by Francis Small from Chief Sunday of the Newichawannock Tribe. First settlers were Benjamin Kines, Clement Steele and John York - all from York, ME and the settlement was at what is now known as Acton Corners.

The picture on left is dam on Salmon Falls River in Acton.

In 1785 Hubbardstown Plantation was incorporated as a town and given the name Shapleigh after another of the early proprietors. In 1828 Shapleigh was divided into two townships. One retained the name Shapleigh and the second to the west was incorporated as the town of Acton. Many descendants of Capt. Philip Hubbard live in the area today. (from "A Brief History of Acton, Maine" by Olive M. Treadwell, Lorraine Yeaton, Virginia B. Davies, Rita Cahill and Paul Farland)

Colonial Maine - Dynamic Lands

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Siege of Louisburg, 1757

Joseph Hubbard, 1721 - 1795

Joseph was Philip Hubbard's brother. He served at the Battle of Louisberg in 1757 in the Blue Troop of Horse under in Sir. William Pepperell's Regiment.

He is burried in the Hubbard burying ground on

Old Fields Road in So. Berwick

More at: http://www.obhs.net/Seige.htm

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The Hubbard Garrison

The Hubbard Garrison stood on the north side of Old Fields Roadin South Berwick, just across the street from the Hubbard Burying Ground which is on the slight hillside on the south side. I will write more about the garrison and the burying ground later. There is a marble monument dedicated to Capt. Phillip Hubbard in the center of, dominating the grounds and overlooking the road.

Josie Hubbard's 1933 sketch of the garrison house is shown here,
It is not known if she drew the sketch from a photo or from childhood memory. She was born in Acton, Maine the daughter of Jonathon Augustus Hubbard and later lived and died in Gloucester, Massachusetts. As a child she visited the site of the Garrison in South Berwick.

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Capt. Philip Hubbard's Revolutionary War Service

Capt. Philip Hubbard lived in South Berwick and was born in 1718. He married in 1740, Hannah Plummer, by whom he had fourteen children, namely: Philip, Jr., Benjamin, Mrs. Elizabeth Neal, Moses, Aaron, Mrs. Sarah Goodwin, Richard, Jonathan, Eben, Ichabod and Stephen. His home was that of his father and grandfather, and after him came his two sons, John and Ichabod. At least seven generations of his family have lived in that neighborhood.

Capt. Hubbard was the eldest son of Philip Hubbard and Elizabeth Roberts. His father died in 1723 and was supposed to have been killed by the indians. His mother came from Dover, New Hampshire and was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Roberts. His paternal grandparents were Philip Hubert, as the name was then written, and Elizabeth Goodwin. She was a daughter of Daniel Goodwin of Kittery. His grandfather Hubert was the emigrant to what has since become South Berwick , the locality is about a mile from what is now the Eliot line. and, he was the son of Jean Hubert of the Parish of St.Savoirs in the Isle of Jersey. The family was Norman French.

Philip Hubert, the emigrant, was granted 20 acres of land in old Kittery, May 16, 1694, fifty acres May 24, 1694 and 50 acres May 10, 1703. The twenty acres were laid out to him January 10, 1710 at the “Beaver Dam” and the one hundred acres laid out to him November 21, 1706 at “ye Great Lot Nine Notches”. The Hubbard log house was called “Hubbard’s Garrison”, and was standing as late as 1826 when it was taken down and a frame house built in the rear of the site of the garrison. The family burying ground where Capt. Hubbard was buried in 1792, at the age of seventy-four years is in the field opposite where the old garrison stood. This was also the farm of the emigrant Philip Hubert, or Hubbard which he bought of James Emery, January 25, 1697, for L120 and was described as forty acres, more or less with buildings, fruit trees and all other appurtenances.

Capt. Philip Hubbard Made his will November 13, 1787 in which he said, “Being in sound health”, etc. which was probated September 8, 1792. His sons, John and Ichabod were the executors. He left an estate of L 1,031. 18s.,8d. in which were a gun and bayonet valued at 20 shillings, and old sword at 4 shillings and a cartouche box 2 shillings. He owned land also in the town of Shapleigh. Thirteen children were named in his will, but. Evidently Philip, Jr. and Eben died before it was probated.

Capt. Hubbard was a prominent man in his town, serving as moderator and as selectman, also on important committees. A marble monument has lately been erected at his grave but, the original split stone with his initials cut upon it was left as his most fitting memorial. His life work was such that his “memory is held in the greatest respect by all his descendants”, as one of his posterity writes, “Who can hope to do more”.

Scamman's 30th. Maine Regiment of Foot

Capt. Philip Hubbard was commissioned June 2, 1775, in Col. Scamman’s regiment, and the commission is still in existence. His Continental Army commission was signed by John Hancock. Besides that service, he was the captain of a seacoast company at Kittery Point and York in 1776. When he joined Scamman’s 30th. Regiment of Foot he was about fifty-seven years of age and had no doubt seen service in the French and Indian Wars. Note too that six of his sons answered the call and marched off to war with him in the 30th. regiment to meet the british at Bunker Hill.

Philip Hubbard, Jr. and Eben shipped out on a Privateer and were never heard from again.

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“Muster Roll of the Company under the command of Capt. Philip Hubbard in Col Scammans 30th. Reg.of Foot to August 1775 - All from Berwick except as noted."

Philip Hubbard - Capt.
Jedideah Goodwin -1st.Lt.
James Roberts - 2nd.Lt.
Simeon Lord - Sgt.
Joshua Nason -Sgt.
Richard Plummer- Sgt.
Tristram Fall - Sgt.
Samuel Hubbard - Corp.
Freethy Spencer - Corp.
Samuel Worster - Corp
Joseph Hubbard - Corp.
Samuel Stevens - Drummer -Lebanon

Privates
Moses Hubbard
Aaron Goodwin
Moses Spencer
John Shorey
Benjamin Row(e)
Daniel Lord
Stephen Wood
Daniel Hubbard
Jeremiah Lord
William Stone
Daniel Grant - Rochester
James Wentworth
Richard Pirkins - Lebanon
Benjamin Horsham
Elisha James - Lebanon
William Davis
James Grant
Daniel Wadlen
Bartholomew Nason
Ichabod Smith
Abel Getchell
Walter Abbott
Morrel Hobbs
Benjamin Weymouth
Simeon Lord, Jr.
Aaron Hubbard
Moses Conson - Lebanon
Dodefer Garland - Rochester
Jonathan Garland
Nathaniel Blewet
Daniel Hodsden
Moses How(e)
John Davis
Ralph Farnum - Lebanon
Thomas Downs
Landras Hearst
John Pugsley
James Pierce
James Smith
Ichabod Downs
John Conson - Lebanon
Jonathan Burrows
Paul Welch
John Pierce
Joseph Goodwin
Gilbert Perkins - Lebanon
Silas White - Lebanon
Moses Lord
Philip Hubbard, Jr.

Orignal Roll is in Massachusetts Archives, Vol. XV, pg.33. Total of 64 men. All had guns, all but six supplied by Themselves. Only 24 cartridge boxes returned in the company and no bayonets

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Capt. Phillip at Fort McClary

After serving as a company comander in Scamman's 30th. Reg. of Foot at the Battle of Bunker Hill; the opening salvos of the Revolutionary War; Capt. Phillip Hubbard became second in command at Ft. McClary in Kittery Point, Me.In the old picture above, the the blockhouse, a storage shed and a pile of cannon balls is shown. Pepperal Cove Pierce Island and the Portsmouth shore are in the background.

Originally named Fort William (1715) and now called Fort McClary after a NH Revolutionary War hero, this site was originally defended by Mainers against tax duties imposed by the state of New Hampshire.The photo is a reconstruction of the original blockhouse constructed on the original foundation. The fort is a Maine State park and is open to the public though, parking is limitedPosted by Bill at 12:37 PM 1 comments

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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

From the Records of Town of Berwick

A LIST of REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERSOF BERWICK. Compiled from the Records of the Town by W. C. SPENCER. 1898. From Old South Berwick Historical Society

Berwick is destined to be a place of historical interest. The number of persons tracing their family lines within its limits is surprising, and it will not be deemed presumptuous to say, that there is hardly a person of ancient American descent in New England, who does not include in his ancestry the name of some settler or early resident of the original town of this name.
To aid those who are making historical and genealogical enquiries, this list of Revolutionarysoldiers has been prepared from the town records. A tribute to the citizen soldiers of Berwick is the following: "To their everlasting honor be it said that they have furnished as many men, according to their number of inhabitants, as any town in the country. There are but a few ancient homesteads in the town, that are not honored by the grave of some Revolutionary soldier.

During the Revolution two full companies were raised in Berwick. They were commanded by Captain Philip Hubbard and Daniel Wood. Captain Wood was soon after promoted to Major, and Ebenezer Sullivan, a brother of General John, succeeded him in command. More than one hundred from the two companies were minute men, who were enlisted May 5, 1775, and remained in the army throughout the entire struggle. The town sent sixteen soldiers to Dorchester Heights.

The spirit of the times is well illustrated by a few short extracts from the town books. Major Ichabod Goodwin, Junior, was sent as the first delegate to the Provincial Congress and by him was presented the following petition: "To the Honorable, the Delegates of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in Provincial Congress at Watertown convened: The petition of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Berwick in the county of York in town meeting convened humbly showeth:

That the harbors of York and Kittery within the saidcounty lie open to our now known enemies and the lives and properties of the inhabitants thereof and the neighboring Towns along the sea coast exposed to he ravages and depredations of the enemy and the remaining part of the inhabitants of this and the neighboring Towns labor under the disagreeable situation for a scant of arms and ammunition, of being incapable to defend themselves, wives, children and properties should a descent be made by the King's troops on this coast, which they have the greatest reason to fear will inevitably be the cost. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray this Honorable House in their great wisdom to take the premises into consideration and that they would dispatch one or more of the companies in the service of the Colony in order to guard and defend this coast and enable them by raising more troops in the service of the Colony in some measure to defend themselves.Berwick, May 31, 1775."

A later communication reads as follows: "The melancholy state of this Province, of which this town is a part, calls upon us, the inhabitants, to declare our sentiments and show how they agree with those of our brethren in this and the neighboring colonies of North American, relating to the improprieties of the Parliament of Great Britain in taxing North America. But the distance we are from the metropolis of this Province, and the little acquaintance we have with the nature of the dispute, renders it needless for us to attempt to say much upon the subject; yet as the cause is general we are in duty bound to declare our sentiments upon this important dispute, andso far as we understand it, we join with our brothers in this and the neighboring colonies in opposing the operation of those late acts of the British Parliament subjecting any article sent here from Great Britain to pay a duty for raising a revenue in North America, more especially that relative to East India teas, which we apprehend is unrighteous and unconstitutional, and has a direct tendency to destroy this and all other colonies of North America; and if the East India Company are permitted to send their teas and vend them here whilst they are subject to a duty to be paid in this Province, it will fully complete our ruin, and that speedily.

We acknowledge and profess true and faithful allegiance to our faithful sovereign, King George the Third, and are willing at all times to risk our lives and fortunes in defense of his person and his family, but at the same time must earnestly contend for those rights and liberties we are entitled to by the laws of God, Nature, and the Constitution of this Province.

Therefore, resolved, That no power on earth hath any just right to impose taxes upon us but the great and general Court of this Province, and all others are unconstitutional and not to be submitted to. That the East India Company sending their teas and vending them subject to a duty to be paid here to raise a revenue, is a high infringement upon the rights and libertiesof this people, and has a direct tendency to complete our ruin.

That we will at all times join with our brethren in all legal methods in opposing the EastIndia Company in sending their teas here subject to a duty. That the thanks of this town be presented to the people of this and the neighboring colonies for their steady and resolute conduct in opposing the landing of the teas sent by the East India Company, and that we will at all times and by all legal and constitutional measures assist to the utmost of our power in opposing suchimpositions. That they then of this town be presented to the town of Boston for their timely notice sent to this town of their proceedings in town meeting relative to the East India Company sending their teas; asking the favor that upon like occasion they will again do the same, wishing that a union of sentiment may take place in this and every colony in North America, and thatthe proceedings of this meeting be recorded and a copy sent to the Committee of orrespondence in the town of Boston."

July 1, 1776, the town instructed their representative that, "should the Honorable Congress for the safety of the colonies declare themselves independent of Great Britain, We, the inhabitants of Berwick, will solemnly engage with our lives and fortunes to support them in the measure."Berwick asked for a form of government that might "be most easy and plain to be understood by people of all denominations whereby a line may be drawn that the Rulers and the Ruled may know their duty and that Tyranny on the one hand and Monarchy on the other hand may be avoided as much as possible."Such were the sentiments of those who staked their lives and properties in a struggle for liberty. Some of those who enlisted had seen actual service in Indian Warfare and at the siege of Louisburg. At the beginning of the war all militia in town was mustered and an inventorytaken of the arms and ammunition.Several times during the Revolution horsemen were sent to Andover, Massachusetts, for lead.

Under the date of April 2l, 1776, appears an order "to Freathy Spencer for twelve shillings, it being for his time a Running Bullets for this town;" a later order to John Abbott was for oneday's work "running Bawls." Money was lavishly contributed by all patriots, both young and old, for soldiers' food, clothing and blankets. The enlisting took place at private houses. Jacob Shorey's house was used for this purpose in 1777.The town order book, from which the names of the soldiers are taken, is very ancient and uninviting in appearance; much of the writing is becoming illegible; many of its pages are soiled and worn.

In 1777 there were frequent calls for men for three years or during the war. This town's quota was thirty-five. Twenty-six names of those actually enrolled in the service are given here, and it would appear that the other nine were never supplied, on account, perhaps, of the largenumber already enlisted for shorter terms. Those who could not join for the whole time would enter the service for eight months. Capt. Thomas Hodsdon's company served at Peekskill for this period, their time expiring January 1, 1778. There was a call for men to serve eight months,from April, 1778, to January 11 17791 "to guard the passes of the Hudson."

At the same time was a demand for soldiers to serve nine months in the regular army at Providence. In 1779 there was an appeal for volunteers to serve nine months at Springfield or six months at Providenceuntil January 1, 1780. The later service is divided into two terms, one for six months "to the westward" (West Point and Peekskill), and one for three months "to the eastward" (Camden and Falmouth), until January 1, 1781.

Captain Philip Hubbard's company fought at Bunker Hill. Note Other Berwick men were in the expedition through northern Maine to Quebec. Some were at Valley Forge, at Springfield, Providence, West Point, Peekskill; others at Camden and Falmouth to protect the shipping. Many were in the hardest battles of the war. The home of Captain Thomas Hodsdon was the house now occupied as the Berwick town farm; Captain Samuel Grant lived near ConwayJunction, in what is now South Berwick; Captain William Rogers lived near Doughty's Falls, in North Berwick. The name of Sullivan is better known than that of Berwick itself, and needs no comment here.

Note: I have found conflicting historic articles as to whether or not Capt. Philips' company served at Bunker Hill. One states the company was diverted to other duty before the battle.
I am currently researching those statements.

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Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Quamphegan Park by Annie Wentworth Baerx

Defining the location of first homestead and Garrison of Phillip Hubbard -An excerpt from:
Quamphegan Parkby Annie Wentworth Baer

A history of the Old Fields Road area of South Berwick, Maine, probably written early 1900s for a speech at the local "Quamphegan" amusement park on Waterside Lane.Original manuscripts of essays by Annie Wentworth Baer are at the Woodman Institute, Dover , New Hampshire .
Quamphegan Park was an amusement park in South Berwick operated by the electric railway companies of a hundred years ago to encourage leisure time trolley riders. It was located near the Salmon Falls River on Waterside Lane, not far from the Route 101 bridge of today, which then carried a trolley line. This is an undated photo from the Old Berwick Historical Society collection. Quamphegan Park is a namesake of the tract of land Sagamore Rowls reserved for his own use when he sold Humphrey Chadbourne 900 acres of land lying between the Great Works river and the Newichawannock May 10, 1643. This tract, so dear to the Sagamore's heart, he sold five years later to Thomas Spencer for five pounds and "the Grace of God." This Indian name still clings to the locality about the bridge over the Newichawannock between Rollinsford and South Berwick.

In New Hampshire, we have the Quamphegan school district, and when the writer was a child, South Berwick village was often called Quamphegan. Eleven years before this land sale between the red man and the newcomer, Sir Ferdinando Gorges’ and Capt. John Mason's men were sailing up this river, bring supplies and cattle for the little settlement nearly two miles above us. The Pied Cowe, a small sailing vessel, appeared in the river July 8, 1634, and anchored a mile north of the Eliot bridge of our time. The little ship was loaded with cattle for the settlement, and had a model of a saw mill in her cargo. The cove where the vessel anchored and discharged her load has since that time been known as Cow Cove.

The 22nd of July following, James Wall, William Chadbourne (the father of Humphrey) and James Goddard, carpenters, began to build the saw mill, the first to be run by water in New England. In Dec. 1635, John Mason died, and soon his affairs were in a sad state in the colony. The men hired to work for Capt. Mason had not been paid their wages, and they had no means of getting a living other than taking the land and tilling it as their own. This many did. In 1647, Sir Ferdinando Gorges died, and his estate in America was sadly neglected. At this stage of affairs, the new town of Kittery assumed that all land within her borders belonged to her, and could be given away to whomsoever she chose. This opinion was disputed years later, but after considerable law business, the possessors of the granted lands held them.

In 1674, Nicholas Hodsdon bought of John Wincoll a parcel of land which Wincoll had bought of John Heard in 1651. There was a dwelling house on the land when Hodsdon bought it. It was bounded on the north by "Burch brook and Cove," now known as Flynn's brook and cove. Next came Roger Plaisted's lot. This was known as the "Birches Point lot." This is the first point south of the Eliot bridge on the Maine side, and less than a hundred years ago was wearing heavy timber; today it stretches its length into the Newichawannock naked – save a few scrubby trees. Ex. Gov. Plaisted of Maine is a descendant of the family living here nearly two centuries and a half ago.

Joining the Plaisted lot on the north came James Emery's bought in 1654. Emery sold in 1696 to Philip Hubbard who married a daughter of Daniel Goodwin, who secured his lot by town grant in 1654. It is at this Park that Daniel Goodwin's numerous descendants meet each year to perpetuate his memory. Philip Hubbard came from the Parish of St. Saviour, Isle of Jersey, and was an inhabitant of Berwick in 1692.

A grandson of Philip and Elizabeth (Goodwin) Hubbard, also named Philip, born in 1718, married Hannah Plummer. He was a "Capt. in the 30th Reg. Army of the Colonies," so the inscription on the monument erected to his memory by his descendants tells us. He held many town offices, and was a man of affairs. He died in 1792.

The Hubbards owned land west of us, and perchance this Park was a part of their possessions, since the Hubbard garrison was on the spot where the Isaac Libby house stands, and Philip Hubbard of Revolutionary fame, lies a little west of the garrison site on the hillside.

NOTE: I have visited the Hubbard Burial Ground noted above. It is on the South Side of Old Fields Rd., in S.Berwick on a hillside across from a white colonial dwelling. I was last there in 2004 before moving to Cape Cod and the property has been well cared for by someone. Grass cut, flags on some stones and remains of flowers on some graves the plot is about 25'x25' and has a rail fence around it. Capt. Phillip's monument is in the center and is about 7' tall.

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