College Accomplishments of Rebecca Williamson Carter

My great-aunt, Rebecca Williamson "Becky" Carter, was named for her grandmother, Rebecca Williamson. In 1933, Aunt Becky graduated from Bates College with a degree in English. Her biography in the yearbook notes her activities and includes a little statement about her. "A delightful imagination in her creative writing and excellent debating ability combine to make Becky a puzzler to the professors. A good sport, a lover of literature, Becky is a delightful person to know."

I love the little blurb about her at the end! 

Her activities included the debate team, women's student government, Junior Exhibition, Ivy Day speaker, chairman of the Y.W.C.A. Bazaar and a member of the Class Day Committee. Becky also was part of the theater group known as 4-A. She was inducted into the Forensic Honor Society, Delta Sigma Rho. 

Becky is seated second from the left

Becky gave the prophecy. She is seated in the 5th seat from the left.

Rebecca Williamson Carter married Bruce B. Bailey in 1942. They lived on a beautiful farm that they called "Skyfields." She was my grandfather's only sister.

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

A Barn Fire

Another great find from Chris Dunham, of The Maine Genealogy Network! If you have Maine ancestors, this site is a great resource. Chris has helped me several times before and is always willing to help brainstorm a genealogy conundrum. This snippet in the newspaper, The Oxford Democrat, published on May 20, 1864, describes a barn fire at the home of my third great-grandfather, Elias Mellen (E. M.) Carter.

Two barns with hay, grain, and farming implements were lost for a total estimated loss of $2000. One inflation calculator estimates that would be $30, 260 in today's dollars. The article says the fire was spotted by his son who spotted the light from the fire. There were several sons in the family. It could not have been my second great-grandfather, Augustus, because he was serving in the Civil War in 1864. It could have been Edward, age 20, Timothy, age18, or more unlikely, John, age 10. The Carters lived in Bethel, Maine in a section by the Androscoggin River, known as Middle Intervale.

The Oxford Democrat, May 20, 1864

In September 1861, the family lost five daughters in seventeen days to diphtheria.

Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

A Carter Family Portrait

I've written a number of times about my 3X great-grandfather, Elias Mellen Carter and his family. Here is a picture of Elias and his wife, Rebecca (Williamson) Carter and their eleven children. Rebecca was from Ireland and is my most recent immigrant ancestor. The Williamsons came to Maine sometime around 1820 so they were not part of the potato famine migration.  

In the front from left to right are children: Julia Elizabeth, Emily Jane, Timothy Cullen, William Lawson, Sarah Lillie, Helen Louise, and her twin, John Herbert.
In the back from left to right are children: Mary Elizabeth, Frances Ann, Augustus Mellen, and Anna Grace (in her mother's arms) and parents, Rebecca (Williamson) & Elias Mellen Carter.

Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Other posts about the family:
Five Daughters Suddenly Gone
The Carter Farm - 1860 & 1880
The Carter Farm 1860
Rebecca Williamson - Fearless Female
Squire of the Little Village
We Consider Her Very Dangerous
Thanksgiving in Paris
Letters Found on E-Bay
Close Call

1862 Bethel Business Men

Is your ancestor on this list? My 3rd great-grandfather, Elias M. Carter, appears on the left as a farmer in Middle Intervale. Other families are related to me by marriage or as distant cousins.

Handwritten on Title Page: J. P. Boyd January 1862

A Business Directory of the Subscribers to the Map of Maine, with a brief history and description of the state, prepared by William Willis; Also Valuable Statistics and Advertisements.

Portland: Published by J. Chace, Jr. & Co.; Sanborn & Carter, 55 Exchange Street; Bailey & Noyes, 56 and 58 Exchange Street.

Printed by B. Thurston, Steam Book, Job, and Card Printer, proprietor of Commercial News Room, Publisher of "Portland Price-Current" and "Maine Teacher," 79 Middle Street, Portland.

Elias M. Carter
Augustus M. Carter
Edward M. Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Aaron & Mary (Day) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Footstone of Aaron Abbott, III

Footstone of Mary (Day) Abbott - wife of Aaron Abbott, III

While exploring the Capen Cemetery in October 2015, I found two footstones for which the headstones were missing. A little sleuthing and piecing together clues and I believe these belong to Aaron Abbott, III and his wife, Mary Day. Aaron was the son of my 3X great grandparents, Aaron & Sarah "Sally" (Abbott), Abbott. The parents are also buried in the same cemetery. 

According to Findagrave, Aaron Abbott, III was born on December 20, 1802, and died on August 15, 1878, in Bethel, Maine. Mary was born on May 8, 1802, in Kennebunk, Maine, and no date is given for her death. Aaron and Mary married on August 17, 1829, in Kennebunk. Findagrave lists her parents as Moses Wentworth Day & Elizabeth Littlefield. 

Aaron Abbott, Jr. - father of Aaron III and my 3X great-grandfather
Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen
Edward Abbott Capen
Fannie M. (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Gilman C. Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Gilman C. Capen is my first cousin, 4X removed. He was the oldest son of Stephen & Nancy (Goddard), Abbott. He only lived to the age of thirteen and I know nothing about how he died. He is buried with his parents in the Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine.

Aaron Abbott, Jr.
Stephen Abbott
Gilman Abbott

Aaron Abbott, Jr.
Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen - sister of Stephen Abbott, aunt of Gilman C. Abbott
Edward Capen
Fannie (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Wordless Wednesday - Portraits of Dr. Timothy & Lydia (Russell) Carter

Dr. Timothy Carter

Lydia (Russell) Carter

Dr. Timothy Carter is my 4th great-grandfather. Lydia Russell was his second wife and not in my direct line. These portraits hang in the Brick End House in Bethel, Maine. This house was built by Dr. Timothy and is occupied by my cousin, John Carter, the 7th generation to live there. 

Dr. Timothy Carter

Elias Mellen Carter

Augustus Mellen Carter

Edward Mellen Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

The Great Debater

Rebecca Williamson "Becky" Carter was the daughter of Edward M. and Fannie May (Capen) Carter. She was my great-aunt. She was fiercely independent and self-reliant. Her father died when she was only ten and she helped her mother raise her four brothers. She not only graduated from high school; she graduated from Bates College in 1933. She would later earn a Master's degree from the University of Wyoming. She married Bruce B. Bailey on October 10, 1942 in a bright red wedding dress. They settled on a relatively isolated farm and happily lived without running water, electricity, or a telephone, cooking and heating with wood stoves for their adult lives. I remember that they even rolled their own cigarettes. Finally, after Uncle Bruce died, the family convinced Aunt Becky that she had to get a telephone in case of emergency. Although they chose to live frugally, they did indulge in the things they really enjoyed. Aunt Becky practiced her French to stay fluent and took a few trips to France. She continued to engage in educational pursuits whether it was a national institute or an adult education class. She & Uncle Bruce were avid readers and subscribed to national newspapers and owned many books. Uncle Bruce and Aunt Becky never had children, but upon her death, she set up a scholarship fund to help her great-nieces and great-nephews and their children pay for higher education. To say that she was unconventional, would be an understatement. 

Rebecca Williamson Carter - graduation photo from The Mirror, 1933

Anyone who encountered Becky or one of her brothers will attest to their ability to debate issues. Therefore, I was not surprised to find the following in the Bates yearbook, The Mirror, for 1933. Becky won awards for debating and was inducted into the forensic honor society, Delta Sigma Rho. 

Freshmen Winning Team and Best Individual Speaker Awards

Women Debaters - Becky is second from the left in the front row

National Honorary Forensic Society

 Source Information: Ancestry.com.U.S.,School Yearbooks, 1880­-2012 [database on­line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data:Various school yearbooks from across the United States. 

John & Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood - Tombstone Tuesday

John Ellingwood, son of Joseph & Sarah (Herrick) Ellingwood, was born on September 19, 1765, and died on June 19, 1847. On December 29, 1798, he married Zerviah Abbott in Andover, Massachusetts. Zerviah was the daughter of Jonathan & Mehitable (Abbott) Abbott. She was born on March 19, 1768, and died on October 18, 1847. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery, in Bethel, Maine. They are my 5X great-grandparents. 

Children of John & Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood:

1. Sarah - born September 22, 1790
2. Ann - born March 12, 1792
3. Jacob - born February 23, 1794
4. Joseph - born July 3, 1797 (twin)
5. Benjamin - born July 3, 1797 (twin)
6. John Wesley - born June 12, 1798
7. Daniel - born July 23, 1800
8. Ebenezer - born October 20, 1804
9. George V. - born December 10, 1806

John & Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood

John Wesley Ellingwood, Jr. 

Asa Freeman Ellingwood

Nina King (Ellingwood) (Gibbs) Cotton

Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton

Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Gone Too Young - Tombstone Tuesday

Riverside Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Lewiston Evening Journal - Jun 14, 1893
A little son of Edward Capen of Bethel, eight years old, was killed Wednesday afternoon. His father was tethering his horse in the door-yard and left the horse with his little boy who tied the rope which was around the horse's neck around his wrist. The horse became frightened and ran nearly half a mile, when he was stopped by C.C. Bryant, who cut the rope, but the boy was dead.

Robert Woodbury Capen - born 1884 - buried Riverside Cemetery - Bethel

Robert is listed as Robbie W. 

Robert W. Capen was the brother of my great-grandmother, Fannie May (Capen) Carter. Edward Abbott & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen had seven children. Four of the children are buried in the same plot with the parents. Two sons who died at young ages and two daughter who never married are listed on the same stone as their parents.

Edward Abbott Capen
Fannie May (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Here is a picture of my great-grandmother, Fanny May (Capen) Carter and her five children. Fanny's husband, Edward, was killed in July 1923 and she raised her five children as a single mother with the help of extended family. 

From left to right, Stanley Capen Carter (front), Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter (back), Fanny is holding Paul Albert Carter, Rebecca" Becky" Williamson Carter, and Thomas Richard "Dick" Carter. 

I'm guessing that this photo was taken about a year before Edward was killed. 

Fanny May (Capen) Carter was born on November 7, 1878 and died on August 5, 1961.

Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter was born on August 22, 1811 and died on December 27, 1997.

Rebecca Williamson "Becky" (Carter) Bailey was born on February 22, 1913 and died on February 7, 2003.

Thomas Richard "Dick" Carter was born on November 3, 1914 and died on October 7, 2005.

Stanley Capen Carter was born on May 13, 1917 and died on May 5, 1970.

Paul Albert Carter was born on June 10, 1920 and died on December 3, 1992.

The Family of William Williamson

William Williamson is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. He is related to my 4X great-grandfather, John Williamson, and most likely they were brothers. The fact that they are immigrants from Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland and that there are other William Williamsons living in the area make it difficult to establish the relationship with certainty. It seems likely that they arrived in this country in the 1820s, well before the potato famine that began in the 1840s. William and John were shoemakers who travelled from house to house, making shoes for the entire family. William Williamson moved to the Sunday River section of Newry, across the Androscoggin River from Middle Intervale. 

William Williamson married second Eliza (Elizabeth) Stuart/Stewart. She was considerably younger. Her memorial on Findagrave lists her birthdate as 1816 and in census records her age varies but is most consistent with 1810. After the 1860 census they appear in separate households and she is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery in Newry.  She spent her final days with her son, Richard and he lived with his nephew, Dr. William Williamson in 1870 and his brother, John in 1880. 

William Williamson's family constructed from census records: 

1. John (age 30 in 1850 census; not living with William and Eliza in 1860, I haven't found records after 1850). He must be from a prior marriage because he's only 10 years younger than Eliza. 
2. Mary J. (age 24 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850) She is probably also from a prior marriage as Eliza would have been 16 when she was born. 
3. Sarah (age 18 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850). I believe she may be the first child of William and Eliza based on the six year gap between Mary J. and Sarah and the more frequent births after her. 
4. Margaret (age 16 in 1850; 26 in 1860; not living with William or Eliza in 1870; I haven't found records after 1860) 
5. Rebecca (age 12 in 1850; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850)
6. William Henry (called Henry age 9 in 1850; called William H. age 19 in 1860; In 1863, William is registered as eligible for the draft in Newry, Maine. In 1870, there is a William H. living in Gorham, N.H. at a hotel and farming with a wife, Jennie, who was a pastry cook. This may or may not be the same William Henry Williamson.)
7. Maria (age 6 in 1850; called Mariah age 16 in 1860; I haven't found any records after 1860)
8. Richard (age 3 in 1850; age 13 in 1860; age 22 in 1870 living with Eliza; is head of household that includes his mother, Eliza in 1880). He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. Findagrave has his birthday as June 1, 1847 and his death date as August 8, 1923. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
9. Thomas S. (age 11 in 1860) Findagrave lists his birth as June 1850 and death as January 17, 1869. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
10. George (age 6 in 1860; age 17 in 1870 living with Eliza, according the The Bethel Journals, there is gravestone in Sunday River Cemetery for a George D. who died January 30, 1927; I haven't found any records after 1870). 
11. Albert (age 5 in 1860; age 14 in 1870 living with Eliza, age 24 in 1880 and working as a druggist in Norway, Maine). In the 1900 census, he is still living in Norway with a wife, Helen, who is 18 years younger. Maine marriage records show her name was Helen Augusta Tufts. Albert died February 22, 1911 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Norway, Maine. Findagrave gives his date of birth as June 27, 1855. 

The Bethel Journals - Williamson Family - some information conflicts with original records. 

Some of my other Williamson blog posts

Luck of the Irish

Celebrating an Centenarian - John Williamson, William's brother (probably)

What's Your Story, John Williamson?  - Trying to figure out the immigration of the family

The Williamson Divorce - The Dr. William Williamson with whom William (of this post) lived in 1870. 

Stephen & Nancy (Goddard) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Stephen Abbott is my third great-granduncle and the brother of my 3X great-grandmother, Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen. He was the son of Aaron & Sarah "Sally" (Abbott) Abbott. Stephen and his wife, Nancy Goddard, and his son, Gilman, are buried in the Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine.

Children of Stephen & Nancy (Goddard) Abbott:

1. Gilman C. Abbott was born on February 5, 1843, and died on August 9, 1856. 
2. Charles Albert Francis Abbott was born on May 14, 1849, and died on March 5, 1919. He married Ella Elizabeth Davis on September 27, 1872 and they are both buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, Bethel, Maine. 
3. Flora Nancy Abbott was born in September 1856, and died on May 30, 1928. She married Charles Swan in 1874. The last record I was able to locate for this couple is the 1920 census that shows them living in Greenwood, Maine. 

Aaron Abbott, Jr. - father of Stephen Abbott

Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen - sister of Stephen Abbott

Edward Abbott Capen

Fannie (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Cold Snap!

In the winter of 1877, there was an ongoing cold snap. When I find items like this, it reminds me that lamenting the winter cold is an age-old preoccupation in Northern New England. 




Oxford
For forty-three days, beginning with the 5th of December, the thermometer has not been to the freezing point of water in Bethel. So long and so cold, a spell so early in the winter, it is believed, has never been recorded for a previous winter. 

Courtesy of Newspapers.com, Bangor Daily Whig and Courier,
Sat, Jan 27, 1877, Page 1

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen - Tombstone Tuesday

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen were my great-great-grandparents. They were first cousins. Edward, son of Timothy & Sarah (Abbott) Capen, was born on April 13, 1839, and died on December 28, 1930. Mary Jane, daughter of John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, was born on January 6, 1847, and died in 1940. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. In the same plot and on the same grave marker are four of their children, Francis, Robbie, Minnie, and Alice.

Front of stone

Back of stone

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen
Fannie May (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

John & Rachel (Barrows) Ellingwood - Tombstone Tuesday

John Wesley Ellingwood, Jr., son of John Wesley & Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood, was born on June 12, 1798, and died on January 25, 1835. He married Rachel Barrows, daughter of Asa Alden & Content (Benson) Barrows. Rachel was born on August 3, 1795, and died on May 9, 1832. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. They were my 4X great-grandparents.

John & Rachel (Barrows) Ellingwood
Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Nina K. (Ellingwood) (Gibbs) Cotton
Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

John Abbott, son of Aaron & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott, was born on April 27, 1819, and died in 1902. Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, daughter of William & Deborah (Capen) Abbott, was born on January 22, 1820, and died in 1865. They are buried in a small family cemetery in Bethel, Maine. It is known as Capen Cemetery and located at the top of Capen Hill on Intervale Road. John & Sarah were my 3X great-grandparents. 

John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott
Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen
Fannie May (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather.

Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine - Wordless Wednesday

October 24, 2015

Aaron & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Aaron Jr. & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott were my 4X great-grandparents. They were second cousins. His parents were Aaron Sr. & Lydia (Abbott) Abbott. Her parents were Stephen & Mary (Gile) Abbott. The Abbotts seemed to have a quite a few cousin marriages. They are buried in a small private cemetery in Bethel, Maine, It is known as Capen Cemetery and located at the top of Capen Hill on Intervale Road. They were married on January 1, 1800. Aaron was born on April 11, 1778, and died on September 8, 1856 and Sarah was born on June 26, 1780, and died on October 23, 1853.  Included on their stone are at least two of their children, Samuel and Lydia. I have two lines of descent from the children of Aaron & Sarah.

Children of Aaron Jr. & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott:

1. Aaron III - born on December 20, 1802 and died on August 15, 1878. 
2. Sarah K - born on March 12, 1806 and died on April 14, 1874.
3. Lydia - born on July 18, 1809 and died on January 1, 1834.
4. Stephen - born on February 18, 1812.
5. Samuel - born on August 1, 1815 and died on July 18, 1823.
6. John - born on April 27, 1819 and died in 1902. 

Line #1

Sarah (Abbott) Capen

Edward Abbott Capen - married his first cousin, Mary Jane Abbott - see what I mean? 

Fannie May (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Line #2

John Abbott

Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen

Fannie May (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Five Daughters Suddenly Gone

Middle Interval Meetinghouse and Cemetery

At the beginning of September 1861, my 3rd great-grandparents, Elias & Rebecca (Williamson) Carter, had eleven children. By the end of the month, they had only six children. The household was struck by a diphtheria epidemic and five young daughters died in between September 13th and September 30th. Julia Elizabeth (age 11) died on September 13th followed by Helen Louise (age 7) who died on the 20th. Emily Jane (age 14) and Sarah Lillie (age 9) and died on the 25th and 26th, respectively. On September 30th, Anna Grace (age 4) was their youngest child and the final one to die in this household. 

The girls were buried in the family plot in the Middle Intervale Cemetery across the road from their home. 

One can only imagine what life must have been like in the household during that month. Two older daughters survived. The oldest, Frances Ann was 23 and Mary Elizabeth was 18 and surely helped care for their ailing sisters. There were four sons including my 2nd great-grandfather Augustus Mellen. He was twenty at the time and would soon be going off to fight in the Civil War. Edward Lawson was 16, Timothy Cullen was 15 and John Herbert was 7. John and Helen were twins.

"Throat distemper" is what diphtheria was often called in the death records of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was particularly lethal among children under the age of ten. In addition to local outbreaks, New England suffered a major regional outbreak between 1735-1740. Fortunately, today there are vaccines to prevent diseases like diphtheria that once took many lives each year. In the 1920s, there were about 150,000 cases with about 13,000 fatalities annually (bacteriology.net). The diphtheria vaccine became available in 1926 and has been in widespread use since the 1940s. However, recently the number of children who are not properly vaccinated has increased. Hopefully, there won't be more outbreaks in the future. 

Diphtheria under the microscope - read the description below

Diphtheria: an acute infectious disease caused by the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is spread by respiratory droplets of an infected person or someone who carries the bacteria but has no symptoms. It can also be spread by contaminated objects or foods. The bacteria most commonly infect the nose and throat. The throat infection "causes a gray to black, tough, fiber-like covering, which can block the airways...Once infected, dangerous substances called toxins, produced by the bacteria, can spread through your bloodstream to other organs, such as the heart, and cause significant damage" (PubMed Health).