The Mystery of the Three Ladies

As I was poking around my dad's basement the other day, I came upon an awesome find that he had tucked in a drawer of my grandfather's old roll top desk. Slipped inside one of those plastic covers that used to protect savings passbooks, was a little tin frame. I had to pick it up, and when I did an image of three women appeared. I was excited, but the all too familiar question arose - who were they?  No names, nothing.

Pulling Maureen Taylor's Preserving Your Family Photographs book off the bookshelf, it would seem this little gem is a daguerreotype. It is in a case. It has a shiny, mirror-like surface. And it has to be held at a certain angle in order to see the image.  Holding straight on one can make out faint faces, but it has to be tipped for the facial details and dresses to appear. The case itself has the familiar gold-faced framed, a fairly thick piece of glass, and a tin (or some such metal) backing. And overall, it's dimensions fit the size for a typical sixth-plate daguerreotype.

Based on the review, that would date this particular photo from 1840-about 1855, when ambrotype and tintype photos rose in popularity

I was able, after a few attempts, to capture the image digitally. The reflective nature of the polished metal and glass did add a little challenge.  So, I now have a great image of these three ladies to work with.  But alas, there's that mystery of who were they?  Sisters? Cousins? Friends?  Where they relations on my family tree and if so, which of my paternal lines? Mower? Vickery? Richardson? Eastman? Dexter? Gibbs? Gould?  I unfortunately do not see any family resemblances to aid.

So for now, I'll just treasure and enjoy the photo of the three mysterious ladies.

The Mystery of the Three Ladies

1940 Fire at the George Mower farm

From the Scrapbook

Credit to Bangor Daily News

For many of us, the current barn at the former Mower homestead on Pushaw Road is the only one we know, but it was not the original barn.  On 31 March 1940, every farmer's nightmare played out the Mower farm - a raging fire.  It had been just a little over a decade since my grandfather had taken over the farm following his father's death, and now he faced this catastrophic setback.

It was mid-morning. An overheated stove in the milk room seems to have caused the fire as it was reported as originating nearby.  The fire consumed the barn, while also devouring 30 tons of hay, 10 tons of straw, 6 tons of lime, 60 bushels of oats and a ton of fertilizer.  Various pieces of modern dairy and farming equipment were also lost.  All total, the damage was placed at $15,000 (about $275,000 in today's dollar).

A brook flows behind the buildings, providing water and allowing the fire department to have three hoses pumping.

Fortunately the house was saved, despite a strong wind that was blowing in that direction.  The house was connected via a small shed to the milk room and the barn beyond. It was reported in the local newspaper that "fireman placed boards in front of themselves to shield them from the terrific heat and chopped the shed." By good fortune, this saved the house.

George R. Mower, Mail Carrier

From the Archives

My grandfather was well known for many years as a dependable and well-respected mail carrier in addition to his farming responsibilities. The timing of this appointment comes shortly after the early death of his father at the age of 52 and a little over a year before his marriage. So at a time when he would have been needed to help carry on the family farm, perhaps it is an indication that farming was not his first choice of a career. A life of farming may have been pursued more out of a sense of family duty than intention.  Even with the burden of carrying on with the farm, my grandfather served as mail carrier for over 30 years, retiring in 1958.  The added income would surely have been welcomed to support his growing family.

The appointment letter from H. R. Nichols, Acting Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, dated August 4, 1927, was among the paperwork long held at the farm. It provides an interesting glimpse into this time of my grandfather's life.

The appointment to Route No. 4 was effective August 1, 1927, carried a six month probationary term.  The annual salary was $1,950 (that would be equivalent to about $28,000 in today's dollar).

It was the carrier's duty to provide himself with an appropriate vehicle "to enable you to handle all mail that may be intrusted to you and protect it from adverse weather conditions."

Dr. Ralph Almeran Parker

Out On A Limb - Meet a Member of My Family Tree

3^rd Cousin Twice Removed

Line of Descent: Richard Mower¹, Samuel Mower², Samuel Mower³, Jonathan Mower⁴ John Mower⁵, Pamelia Mower⁶, Sarah Parker⁷, Eliza Ann Howe⁸, Ralph Almeran Parker⁹

Photo Credit to Lewiston Evening Journal

Ralph Almeran Parker was born in Greene, Maine, on 7 January 1861, the first of four children born to Almeran Bodge Parker and Eliza Ann Howe. The Parker and Mower families were close, there being a few marriages between the families. In fact, Almeran and Eliza were 1^st cousins once removed.

Ralph grew up in Greene. The Parker homestead was a historic house, home to a tavern, located on the main road leading from Greene to Lewiston. After attending the public schools in Greene, Ralph attended Bates College, graduating in 1888, one of a class of thirty completing the four-year program that year. Like many of those graduates, Ralph entered the teaching profession. Throughout Maine he held several positions as either teacher or principal for the next twelve years –in West Lebanon, East Corinth, Westbrook and South Portland. He even held a position at the high school in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Throughout his career however, he had a yearning to enter the medical profession, cultivated from both a strong human sympathy and a sense of community service. The developing pull eventually won out. Ralph Parker attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick for his medical training, receiving his M.D. in 1904. He settled in Auburn, Maine, locating his office at the corner of Turner Street and the River Road, where he would remain for the next 10 years. He was a very popular and well-respected physician, known for his conscientiousness, honesty and compassion. He loved this profession because of the good works he could do. His work reflected this. Dr. Parker belonged to various medical societies and served on the staff of Central Maine General Hospital in Lewiston, Maine.

Around 1915, Dr. Parker and his wife (the former Marietta Merrill) moved back to his childhood home in Greene. His parents were getting along in years and could not carry on with the farm and the upkeep of the homestead without assistance. Along with farming, Dr. Parker was able to continue offering medical services in Auburn and Lewiston, as well as adding some business in Greene. In February 1918, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the home.  Dr. Parker’s aging parents moved to New York to reside with their son, Horatio. Dr. Parker and his wife began rebuilding a new home, which unfortunately he would not live to enjoy, dying a few days before they planned to move in.

On Saturday, 13 October 1918, Dr. Ralph A. Parker died suddenly of acute dilation of heart due to angina pectoris at the age of 57 in his native Greene, Maine. He is interred in the new Valley Cemetery in that town.

Ralph and his wife had two children, both born in South Portland: a stillborn boy on 31 Dec 1897 and a second son, Miles Robinson Parker on 17 August 1900. His wife survived him, passing away in 1935.

George R. & H. Elizabeth Mower

From the Photo Album



Here is a photo of my paternal grandparents, George Richardson Mower & H. Elizabeth (Vickery) Mower. 

The photo is undated, but I'm thinking in the 1970s.

If anyone has a better date, please let me know so I can update.

Frank L. Mower Property Insurance

From The Archives

Some time ago my dad gave me a shoe box filled with a variety of documents.  Among them was the insurance policy covering the Frank Lester Mower farm on Pushaw Road.  It's an interesting piece of history, particularly when looking at the values listed.

Policy No. 2541 issued by Providence Washington Insurance Company was obtained through L. C. Tyler & Sons Co., a local independent insurance agent located in Bangor, Maine.  The farm property policy had a three-year term (23 March 1915 - 23 March 1918), provided coverage for a total amount of $2,000. The premium for the term was $36.

The location of the farm owned by my great-grandfather, Frank L. Mower, of which he was the occupant, was "on the westerly side of the road leading from Bangor, Maine to Pushaw Lake known as the Glenburn Road in Bangor, Maine."

The policy is interesting as it breaks down the total coverage amount as follows:

• $400 on the 1 1/2 story, shingled roof, frame building while occupied as a private residence.
• $250 on household furniture and utensils of every description, "useful and ornamental."
• $700 on the barn.
• $100 on wagons, carriages, sleighs, and harnesses.
• $150 on horses, mules, and colts
• Nothing on sheep
• $400 on cows, heifers, oxen, bulls and calves.

It is also interesting to note that a stamp tax of eighteen cents was imposed on the premium.

Adeline (Mower) Burdick

Today we are looking at a copy of an old newspaper article entitled "Death of Mrs. Burdick."  It is from the 7 September 1849 issue of the Kalamazoo Gazette, of Kalamazoo, Michigan.  So who is Mrs. Burdick you ask - well, she was Adeline Mower, my 2nd cousin 5 times removed.

Adeline was born 26 August 1802 in Woodstock, Vermont, to Henry and Hannah (Haile) Mower.  She was the first of four children born to this couple.  Henry traces his Mower roots back to Richard Mower of Lynn, Massachusetts, with three Samuels in between he and Richard.

On 24 May 1824, Adeline married General Justus Burdick, who was born in Canaan, New Hampshire, son of John and Phoebe (Freeman) Burdick Jr.  Now, how these two came to meet presents an interesting story.  Justus had arrived in Woodstock by 1814 and as a young man was singing in the Congregational Church choir and the local singing school.  He also became a member of the Vermont Militia in Woodstock. In that town, Justus Burdick's business associate was General Lyman Mower. Now, follow this closely.  Adeline was Lyman's step-daughter.  So here is how this comes about.  Upon the death of Henry Mower, Hannah Haile married his nephew, Lyman Mower.  Lyman was a son of Henry's half-brother (having different mothers), Samuel Mower.

About 1826, the Burdicks moved from Woodstock to Burlington, Vermont.  Here Justus was involved in the lumber business. He was also active in the development of the town itself, and in April 1831, he was one of the incorporators of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  While living in Vermont, he had traveled to Detroit and Bronson, Michigan.  Liking the area, he purchased land there.  He prompted his brother to move to Michigan and oversee his interests in the area.  In 1832, they built "Kalamazoo House," a hotel.  In 1834, Justus became one of the four proprietors on Bronson.  In 1835, the Burdick family moved to Bronson, which had been renamed Kalamazoo.

Justus and Adeline Burdick had six children:

1. Henry Mower, b. 18 August 1825, d. 15 December 1825.
2. Eleanor Eliza, b. 28 January 1827, m. (1st) Burgess Goodridge, (2nd) James Walsh.
3. Edward Freeman, b. 1829, m. Harriet Goodridge.
4. George Rice, b. 1833, m. 1855 Caroline Curtis Chandler.
5. Justus Jr., b. 1836.
6. Francis Mower, b. 3 November 1842, d. abt 1867.

Now, back to the death of Mrs. Burdick.  The citizens of Kalamazoo were reportedly "greatly startled" by the news.  The evening before her death, Adeline had visited one of her neighbors, appearing in good health and spirits.  And upon going to bed that evening was animated.  The next morning however, she did not appear at breakfast.  So one of her children, aged 7, so presumably little Francis, was sent to wake her up.  He soon returned to the breakfast table crying, saying that his mother was dead.  The family laughed and told him she was not dead, but sleeping.  He stood by his story saying she always talked to him, but she didn't this morning and her eyes were open.  This gave the family and start and they ran to her room to find that she was indeed dead, having appeared to have passed peacefully.  The physicians pronounced that her death was caused by ossification of the heard. She had been a woman of "unusual powers of mind; and in her intercourse with society had won universal respect and esteem.  Her sudden exit has cast a gloom over our whole community that cannot soon be replaced."

So it was repeated sadness and grief for the children of this family.  Justus Burdick had just died on 6 July 1849, and now less than two months later, on 4 September 1849, Adeline (Mower) Burdick dies, at the young age of 47. They are buried in Mountain Home Cemetery, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Our common ancestor couple is Samuel Mower and Elizabeth Sprague. My line of descent is: [1} Samuel Mower, [2] Jonathan Mower, [3] John Mower, [4] Martin Mower, [5] George Mower, [6] Frank Lester Mower, [7] George Richardson Mower, [8] Frank Edward Mower, [9] Dale Walter Mower.  Adeline's line of descent is: [1] Samuel Mower, [2] Samuel Mower, [3] Henry Mower, [4] Adeline (Mower) Burdick.

Selected Sources

• "Death of Mrs. Burdick," Kalamazoo Gazette, 7 September 1849, p. 2; image copy, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 28 December 2011, Newspaper Archives.
• Mower, Lyman and Karen. The Ancestors and Descendants of Hannah (Haile) Mower. Durham, New Hampshire : Lyman and Karen Hoiriis Mower, 1997.

John Ham Hasey, Innkeeper

The oldest of six children born to Andrew Webster and Nancy (Johnson) Hasey, John Ham Hasey was born 1 November 1822 in Bangor, Maine.  On 30 Apr 1849, in Bangor, Mary Jane Mower.  The Rev. Nathan D. George uniting the couple in matrimony.  Mary Jane was the daughter of Martin and Mary (Underhill) Mower.  The couple had no children.  Sadly, John died young at the age of 42, on 9 April 1865 in Glenburn, Maine.

John Hasey was my first cousin 4 times removed, our most common ancestors being William and Prudence (Webster) Hasey.  And yes, if you were wondering, his wife Mary Jane is my second great grandaunt.  It's fun when ancestral families link together.

As an adult, John lived in Glenburn, Maine, where he is found on the 1850 Federal Census as an Innkeeper. (In 1860, he is listed as a Landlord).  It is apparent that he was also involved in farming as he is included on the agricultural schedules for both the 1850 and 1860 Federal Census.  He owned 112 acres of "improved" land with a value in 1860 of $4,000.  I believe his farm was located on the Pushaw Road near the intersection of Hudson Road.

His primary occupation though was Innkeeper.  In an 1851 advertisement in the Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, he is connected with the Massasoit House on the Borders of Pushaw Lake. Interestingly, in the book The Story of a Town: Glenburn, Maine 1822-1972, there is a discussion of four hotels near Pushaw Lake, however no mention of Massasoit House.  There is a reference to the Perch House, the authors noting that it was "built by a Hasey" and passed through a few hands until it burned in the early 1900s.  The Perch house was famous for its perch dinner and is mentioned in the Ben Ames Williams’ novel Strange Woman.  It is my current thinking is that the Massasoit House and the more familiarly named Perch House were one and the same.  This is further supported by a listing in A Business Directory of the Subscribers to the New Map of Maine (which is undated but appears to be from about 1861) shows J. H. Hasey with occupation of “Perch House.”

The old advertisement reads: 

Bangor Daily Whig and Courier

Friday, 25 July 185

MASSASOIT HOUSE ON THE BORDERS OF PUSHAW LAKE

JOHN H. HASEY
    Has erected a new, large and convenient Hotel on the borders of PUSHAW LAKE, one of the most desirable watering places in the State of Maine, for the accommodation of travelers, parties of pleasure, invalids, and permanent boarders. The house has been built with special reference to this business, contains a large hall, and is thorough finished and amply furnished.
    The distance from the City Hall of Bangor is seven miles over a good road. The house commands a splendid view of Pushaw Lake, with its beautiful green islands and its shores studded with the dark forest.
    Safe and swift sail-boats for the accommodation of large parties, with experienced boatmen, are connected with the house, and are furnished with all necessary fishing apparatus for taking the White Perch, Pickerel, and other lake fish, which are abundant in the waters of the lake.

    Every attention will be paid to the wants, wishes, and comfort of visitors, and parties may be assured of receiving full accommodations at any hour.

    There are very few pleasure resorts from the city of Bangor, and it is the determination of the Proprietor of the Massasoit House that the excellence of his accommodations and the variety of his means of promoting the pleasures and diversions of his guests shall compensate for variety elsewhere.

JOHN H. HASEY

Glenburn, July 16, 1851

Selected Sources

• “The Massasoit House on the Borders of Pushaw Lake,” advertisement, Bangor (Maine) Daily Whig and Courier, 25 July 1851, p. 3, col. 1.
• Berry, Clyde G. and Naida J. Gallant,The Story of a Town: Glenburn, Maine 1822-1972 (Privately Printed for Glenburn Sesquicentennial Celebration, 1972), 102.
• A Business Directory of the Subscribers to the New Map of Maine, With a Brief History and Description of the State, Prepared by William Willis; also, Valuable Statistics and Advertisements (Portland: J. Chace, Jr. & Co., n.d.), 105.