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Introductory Material:
Preface
Chapter 1
The Edwards Coat of Arms

Family Records:
John 1
John 2
John 3
Richard 3
Jonathan 3
Samuel 3
Nathaniel 3
William 3

Other
Timeline
The Crockett Connection
Edwards and the Civil War
Cemeteries
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Our Immigrant Ancestors
1906 Census

Family Fun
Mayberry Hill Chronicles
This Old House
Justin Edwards had a Farm
Letters from Henry

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Comments:

Family located: Otisfield ME
Occupation: Farmer

The records of the War Dept. show that Nathaniel Edwards served as a Private in Capt. Asa Ingall's Co., Col. Joseph E. Foxcroft's Regt., Mass. Militia, detached for the defense of Portland, Me., War of 1812. His service was from Sept. 13, 1814 to Sept. 24, 1814.

Nathaniel Edwards and his wife lived for two years with his parents, during which time their first child was born. Expecting that this would be his permanent residence he expended two hundred dollars in repairs upon the buildings and made many improvements upon the farm as well.

As family difficulties arose, they moved in the spring of 1814 to the home of Mr. Thomas Hancock where they remained about six months, and received for their labor one-quarter of the products of the farm.

Oct. 5, 1814 He purchased from "James Stone of Thompson Pond Plantation in the County of Cumberland, yeoman, in consideration of eight dollars . . . . . right title and interest in and to a certain sixty acre lot of land situate in said Thompson Pond Plantation, being lot No. four and now homestead of the same James Stone." This deed from James Stone who was by occupation a hunter and trapper was a quit claim one. No money was actually paid over in the transaction; but instead for the log house and whatever right Mr. Stone may have had to the land upon which it stood Nathaniel gave one of his two cows which was valued as indicated. A son, in relating the above, referred to this cow as "father's cow" and to the other as "mother's cow," so that it appears that Nathaniel gave his only cow for a home which he actually purchased the following Dec. 25th. from "Grinfill Blake of Otisfield in the County of Cumberland and the State of Massachusetts, esquire, in consideration of one hundred and twenty five dollars." This was a warrantee deed and conveyed "all right, title, and interest in and to forty three and a half acres of land situate in said Plantation being a part of lot No. four and the same that was set off from George Pierson to Timothy Boston. Later the State of Massachusetts conveyed to him right and title to the entire area of lot No. 4.

The log house above referred to was located on an old logging road at a distance of about a mile, through woods, from the home of any other settler. Over the rough stony surface of this road Nathaniel hauled in a short ox cart all his family possessions. The household effects of these pioneer families consisted at best of only bare necessities; and in this particular case two red painted wooden chests, three basket bottomed wooden chairs, one bedstead, quilts, blankets, and a few cooking and eating utensils comprised the list. The family used one of the wooden chests as a table. The first table which the family possessed had a top surface area, 40 inches x 26 inches, which was made of a single board. This table and the chest which served as its predecessor are now in the possession of Nathaniel's son, Dominicus J. Edwards.

The old log house was small. It was lighted by three windows, two of which were produced by hinged or sliding board blinds, the third consisted of a sash containing six lights of seven inch by nine inch glass. It served as the home of the family for twelve and a half years, at the end of which time a house twenty feet by thirty feet, one and one half stories high, was built and occupied. Prior to the building of the new house a barn thirty feet by thirty-six feet was built. The latter was not completed at the time of its erection; during the first year only one end of the frame was boarded over, and even after the entire frame was covered, the roof covering was somewhat temporary, slabs being laid over the cracks between the boards.

It is of interest to note that in this barn, previous to 1832, a summer school was taught; probably one of the first, if not actually the first term of school taught in the southern portion of the then Otisfield Plantation. This school was composed of the children of five families.

The common mode of travel was on horseback, and in consequence of this the logging road referred to was not replaced by a public highway until 1837.

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Mary Gammon (sister of Eunice Gammon) was a descendant of Joseph Gammon (Joseph 1st., David 2nd., Mary 3rd.), who, when very young came with his brother, Philip, from England to America. They first settled at Cape Elizabeth, ME., but later (1757) moved to Gorham ME., where he held for several years the office of constable and tax collector.

David Gammon served in the Revolution in Capt. Samuel Whitmore's Co., 3rd, Cumberland County Regt. of Militia under command of Col. Reuben Fogg of Scarborough, Me. This company with that of Capt. Benjamin Larrabee started to march to Peekskill, N. Y., Dec. 25, 1777. they were allowed a penny for each mile traveled, receiving for three hundred and ninty-two miles the sum of one pound, twelve shillings, and eight pence.

Samuel, a brother of David, also a soldier in the Revolution, signed with David Ray, Benjamin Patch, Joseph Hancock, and Jonathan Moors an application to the Proprietors of Otisfield Plantation for the warrant of the first meeting in that plantation. This meeting was held Apr. 23, 1787, at which time not more than thirty families had settled in the plantation.

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