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  Report of the Portland Fraternity, for the Year 1874

  Portland Fraternity

  Introduction

  At the end of another year of labor and of its rewards, it devolves upon me to call your attention to what has been done, and to point out as I may be able to do so, the condition ard the needs of our worthy cause at this time.

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  Knowles' Bangor Business Almanac for 1875 with Historical Sketches of Bangor and Its Business Enterprises

  C. P. Roberts

  Presents a history of Bangor to 1875. The highlight of this pamphlet, however, are the multi-paragraph histories and descriptions of Bangor businesses during that era.

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  Annual Report of the Bangor Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

  Bangor Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

  Annual reports for the Bangor Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from 1874 to 1875.

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  The Lost Child: A True Tradition of Wachusett

  William T. Harlow

  This short piece is an account from the March 7th, 1874, issue of the Clinton Courant newspaper about the 1755 disappearance of four-year-old Lucy Keyes from Princeton, Massachusetts.

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  Genealogy of the Wells family, of Wells, Maine

  Charles Kimball Wells

  Introduction:

  The Wells, or Welles, family, in England is of very ancient origin, clearly traceable back, it is claimed, to the time of the Norman conquest. About 1635 several families of that name (which was then sometimes spelt Wells, but oftener Welles) emigrated from England to Massachusetts. Some of these families remained in the eastern part of that State, others went to Rhode Island, others to Hartford and other towns in Connecticut, and still others to Hatfield and Hadley, in the western part of Massachusetts. So that we find at a very early day -- before 1660 -- persons bearing that name in many towns of New England. It is probable that (1) Thomas Wells of Ipswich was the earliest emigrant of that name who settled in this country. He came as early as 1635, and perhaps a year earlier. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary of New England, states that he came in 1635, on the "Susan and Ellen," from London, with young Richard Saltonstall, when thirty years of age. Mr. D. W. Hoyt, of Providence, R. I., has published the genealogy of his third son, Thomas (N. E. Gen. Register, vol. 12, page 157), and I have endeavored in these pages to trace as well as I could, especially through the earlier generations, the descendants of his second son, John; and I hope some other person will do the same in regard to the descendants of his eldest son, Nathaniel.

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  Annual Report of the Secretary of the Board of Trade and Manufactures of the Port of Bangor for the Year 1872

  Secretary of the Board of Trade and Manufactures of the Port of Bangor

  Provides a brief history of Bangor to that point. The most compelling section of this, however, begins on page 13. This section is called "Observation on the Foregoing." These paragraphs speak ill of those in banking and positions of wealth who "will not engage themselves ... to any industrial undertaking" for the benefit of anyone but themselves.

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  The Centennial Celebration of the Settlement of Bangor. September 30, 1869

  Bangor, Maine

  September 30, 1869:

  The dawn of our Centennial Anniversary was announced by the ringing of bells, and soon after the streets and squares began to fill with people prepared to enjoy the long expected holiday. By railroads, steamers, stages, and other available conveyances, crowds of visitors came into the city lo join in the festivities of the day; the movements of those seeking favorable points for viewing the procession, of the different companies, schools, and societies, rnarching to the rendezvous appointed for its various divisions, the reception of companies from other towns, the music by the almost ubiquitous bands, the beautifully decorated buildings, and the flags waving everywhere in the bright sunlight, all together gave the place an unwonted air of rejoicing.

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  Autobiography: Temperance vs. intemperance.The story of a man who has experienced the life of a drunkard

  James Woodbury

  Preface:

  It is with much reluctance that I present to the public a history of my life; and unlike most other autobiographers, I do not by any means place myself as an example to be followed by the reader, for it may well be said that the best of my life has not only been thrown away, but has passed to the advantage of immorality; for, behold the man in a state of intoxication, a patron of the most degrading ten-penny rum-shops, with an innocent, poorly clad and half-starved family of children at home crying for bread, and he spending his last penny in one of those hellish dungeons for the intoxicating beverage. It was thus that many years of my life was passed. When I was brought to see my position in society, the disgrace I was bringing upon myself and friends, the foul air I was breathing; when by magic as it were, the past was laid before me, with a realization of the future, then I put on a new armor, fought under new colors, with Faith, Hope and Charity as my emblems, and Temperance, Virtue and Integrity as my mottoes. And God being my helper, I will ever support them.

  Having no diary I am obliged to trust to memory for facts and incidents, so it must not be presumed that I am to enter into the minute details of my life, but to give but a limited account of my course, showing how easily the moderate drinker becomes the lowest inebriate.

  James Woodbury

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  Letter Written by Hon. Lewis Barker to the Hon. Wm. B. Snell, of the State Senate of Maine, January 30th, 1868

  Lewis Barker

  Lewis Barker, of Bangor, a former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, addresses the current Maine State Senator William B. Snell concerning the issue of the 5-20 bond. The specifics of this bond prove not to be entirely clear in this letter.

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  Suffrage for Women: Speech in the British Parliament, May 20, 1867

  John Stuart Mill

  Sample:

  We ought not to take advantage of the security which we feel against any such danger in the present case to refuse to a limited class of women that small amount of participation in the enactment and the improvement of our laws which this motion solicits for them, and which would enable the general feelings of women to be heard in this house through a few female representatives.

  We ought not to deny to them what we are going to accord to everybody else : a right to be consulted; the common chance of placing in the great council of the nation a few organs of their sentiments; of having what every petty trade or profession has -- a few members of the legislature, with a special call to stand up for their interests, and direct attention to the mode in which those interests are affected by the law, or by any changes in it.

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  Address delivered at the site of the Popham Colony: near the mouth of the Kennebec, in New England : before the Maine Historical Society, on the 28th August, 1863

  George Folsom

  A few words are sufficient to explain the printing of this address in England. It was delivered in the summer of 1863, by the invitation of the Historical Society of the State of Maine, and although the printing of it was called for by the Committee of the Society, it was withheld chiefly for the want of time and inclination to devote to its publication.

  Taking advantage of the leisure afforded me by a quiet winter on this lovely Island, for the benefit of the health of one of my daughters, I now give it to the press, slight as is its value as a historial document; trusting that it may prove a source of trifling gratification to those interested in the subject.

  George Folsom

  Ventnor, Isle of Wight, March 6th, 1866

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  Programs and Flyers for Concert Performances in Bangor, Maine, from the 1860s and 1870s

  Unknown

  A collection of programs and flyers for concerts, most of which were held in Bangor, primarily at Norombega Hall, City Hall, and the Universalist Church, from the 1860s and 1870s. A few of the flyers are for concerts in Boston. The concerts featured local performers, as well as visiting artists from Boston and New York. The donor of these artifacts to Bangor Public Library is not known.

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  Our Country's Claim: Oration at the Citizens' Celebration of the Eighty-fifth Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States Delivered in Norombega Hall, Bangor, July 4th, 1861

  Samuel Harris

  The present eventful time is restoring their significance to some words and usages. The celebration of this day has been an empty pageant, and Fourth of July oratory but another name for political gasconade. But when this year it seemed likely that there would be no public celebration on account of the obvious propriety of avoiding the customary expense, every one of us felt a hungering of the heart for some patriotic observance of the day.

  Samuel Harris, July 4th, 1861

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  Report of Commissioners Appointed to Settle with the Sureties of Benjamin D. Peck, Late Treasurer of Maine

  J. G. Blaine

  Report focuses on the mishandling of bonds and tax revenue by the Treasurer of the State of Maine, Benjamin D. Peck.

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  Report of Henry O. Kent, Commissioned on the Part of New Hampshire to Ascertain, Survey and Mark the Eastern Boundary of Said State, from the Town of Fryeburg to the Canada Line. A.D., 1859

  Henry O. Kent

  Closing paragraphs:

  It is believed that the line above described is now sufficiently marked and designated to afford a distinguishable and permanent dividing line, which will subserve all the purposes of the two States equally well as a more expensive system of monuments.

  All of which is respectfully submitted, John W. Wilson (on the part of Maine), Henry O. Kent (on the part of New Hampshire), Dated the 21st day of December, A.D., 1858

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  Rules and By-Laws for the Government and Discipline of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston, with a Catalogue of Officers

  William Thompson

  Sections are:

  General Rules and Regulations

  Powers and Duties of the Warden

  Duties of the Depute Warden

  Duties of the Clerk and Commissary

  Duties of the Chaplain

  Duties of the Physician

  Duties of Overseers and Turnkeys

  Duties of the Watchmen

  Officers of the Maine State Prison

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  Lights and Shadows of Western Life: A Faithful Picture, by a Resident "Sucker"

  Charles Lowell

  Opening Paragraph:

  "The following curious and highly amusing document, was handed to us by a friend, who desired to see it in print. We are informed that the questions were copied verbatim from a printed circular, signed by Charles Lowell, Esq., of Ellsworth, which was sent to several of the Postmasters in Illinois, in 1839, for the purpose of obtaining information in regard to that country. A copy of this circular falling, by chance, into the hands of a wag at Jacksonville, he returned it to Mr. Lowell with answers annexed, as given below. Mr. L. being, we presume, little pleased with the character of the answers, refused to take the document out of the Post Office, and it subsequently passed into other hands. We have been much amused with the replies of the Jacksonville wag. They contain the most admirable burlesque upon Western life that we have ever seen."

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  Report of an exploration and survey of the territory on the Aroostook River, during the spring and autumn of 1838

  Ezekiel Holmes

  To Ezekiel Holmes, Esq. of Winthrop,

  Sir : Pursuant to the above order of the Board of Internal Improvements, you are authorized and requested to select suitable assistants, and proceed as soon as practicable in the above mentioned exploration and survey, which you will finish in such a manner as in your opinion may best promote the interest of the State. You will make a reconnoisance of the Sebois River and ascertain the practicability of a water communication between this river and La Pompique, also between the Little Machias and Fish Rivers, and at such other points on the Aroostook between the St. John and Penobscot Rivers, as you may deem advisable. You will examine the geology and mineralogy of the country, and present in your Report a topographical account of the same -- describing the streams, mill sites, mountains, ponds, bogs, &c.; the growth, quality and extent of different soils, and in what direction it will be advisable to open roads and the facilities for making the same. You will notice the climate, in what it differs from the settled parts of the State -- the adaptation of that region for particular products -- the facilities for boating, and the transportation of lumber, and all such other particulars as you may deem valuable. You are requested to return specimens of minerals and soils to this office with localities designated, and interesting specimens of natural history, such as fossils, bones, horns, shells, plants, seeds, &c., when the same can be done without much inconvenience.

  Elijah L. Hamlin, Land Agent.

  May 1st, 1838

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  Three Pamphlets about the Duel of February 24, 1838, Between Jonathan Cilley of Maine and William J. Graves of Kentucky

  United States Congress

  Contemporary documents which detail the feud between United States House of Representative members Jonathan Cilley, of Maine, and William J. Graves, of Kentucky. Cilley had spoken unfavorably on the floor of the House of James Watson Webb, publisher of the New York Morning Courier and Enquirer, concerning Webb having flip-flopped (because of $52,000 payment) on the issue of whether the Second Bank of the United States should continue operation.

  Webb gave a letter to his friend, Rep. William Graves of Kentucky, demanding an explanation or an apology of Cilley. Cilley explained he had not meant to impugn Webb's reputation, but the explanation failed to satisfy either Webb or Graves. Unable to reconcile, a duel was decided upon, with Graves standing in for Webb.

  After a few rounds of firing, Cilley was struck in the leg, piercing his femoral artery. He died moments later.

  This ordeal outraged the Congress and much of the country, leading to Congress outlawing dueling in the District of Columbia in 1839 and a decision to expel from Congress any member who later took part in a duel.

  Includes:

  Report of the Committee on the Late Duel (1838)

  Discourse, Occasioned by the Recent Duel in Washington by Henry Ware Jr. (1838)

  Doctor Sprague's Sermon, Occasioned by the Late Tragical Deed at Washington (1838)

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  An Appeal to American Patriots: A Poem

  Benjamin F. Tefft

  Maine Wesleyan Seminary, Nov. 10, 1835,

  Gentlemen -- I herewith transmit to you a copy of the Poem to which you allude in your note of the 6th inst. You are aware under what pressure of other duties the Poem was thrown together; at intervals, too, when the mind is least poetical. It was designed, moreover, merely for delivery. In presenting you with this copy, I feel urged to accompany it with these remarks, hoping that you will consider it as an offering to you, rather than to the public. With sentiments of respect, I am most obediently yours.

  B.F. Tefft

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  An argument delivered before the Bangor Forensic Club on the question "ought the law requiring the opening of our post-offices and the transportation of our mails on the Christian Sabbath to be repealed?" Thursday evening, Jan. 6, 1831

  Ebenezer Mattoon Chamberlain

  Sample:

  This, sir, brings us to the shape, in which the question under consideration presents itself. It is contended that this law is an infringement of the laws of God, inasmuch as it violates the sanctity of the Christian Sabbath. Could this be proved, no conviction would sooner strike me dumb. Hence, then, the true question arises -- is the Christian Sabbath a Divine Institution? In the discussion of this momentous question, I am emboldened to proceed, only from the reflection that I rely on God's own word to prove his will. And let those beware, who would presume to prove more, by arguments drawn from other sources than those of infallible truth.

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  Proceedings of a Meeting Held at Bangor, Maine, by the Friends of the Union, on the Subject of Northern Interference with the Domestic Relations of Master and Slave at the South

  Friends of the Union, Bangor, Maine

  The citizens of Bangor, one and all, who are opposed to the measures of the Northern Abolitionists, and who are desirous publicly, and in the language of Washington "indignantly" to "frown upon the first dawning of any attempt to alienate one portion of our country from the rest; or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts;" who hold to the preservation of our national compact, in its original spirit and purity, as a sacred and inviolable duty, and as the only ark of our political salvation; -- who disclaiming for themselves, protest against the right of other citizens, of any one State, to interfere, directly or indirectly, in the domestic relations of the citizens of any other State; and who feel pledged by every obligation sacred to men of honor and freemen to support, at all hazards, that fundamental article in our sacred Constitution, that "the United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union, a Republican form of government; and shall protect each of them against invasion, and against domestic violence," -- are requested to meet at the City Hall, on Saturday evening, the 29th August, at 7 o'clock, to take into consideration the measures most proper to be adopted, to counteract the attempts now making by these individuals to create civil discord and to convey to our brethren of the South the most solemn assurance of the public reprobation of their proceedings, and the insignificance of their numbers, and their utter inability to produce any public action among the independent and intelligent citizens of Maine, inconsistent with the rights of the Southern States.

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  The First Library in Bangor: Letter Written in 1814 Proves Existence of Earliest Known Library in Bangor

  William D. Williamson

  This letter written in 1814 by Williams D. Williamson, then postmaster in Bangor, to Rev. Jedediah Morse, preacher, pamphleteer, and geographer, of Charleston, Massachusetts, contains the earliest known reference to a library in Bangor.

  The library, when opened, was called the Bangor Athenaeum. It was one of six libraries operating in Bangor in various times between 1814 and 1883 which, in the end, all merged into the Bangor Public Library, founded in 1883. In 1814 Bangor was in the District of Maine, a part of the State of Massachusetts.

  The original letter and its transcription included. Also included in an April 1955 Bangor Daily News article about the Bangor Public Library's recent acquisition of the letter.

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  Park Holland's Field Book 1797

  Park Holland

  Park Holland's Field Book 1797 of the survey of part of the lands on Penobscot river purchased of the Indians and including Settlers lots.

  This is the manuscript field book done by surveyor Park Holland in 1797. It is 37 pages on hand laid paper written with iron gall ink. The original size is: 15.7cm x 9.5cm.