Biographical Sketches Early Westbrook Maine Families

VALENTINE: Leander Valentine was born in the village of Saccarappa, town of Westbrook (then Stroudwater) on March 14, 1814, and is descended from an old family in the parish of Eccles, England:

John Valentine: first generation in America. Free man in Boston, Massachusetts, May 12, 1675. Married Mary Lynde, April 16, 1702. Had seven children.

Thomas Valentine: son of John and Mary (Lynde). Removed to Hopkinton, Massachusetts about 1730. Married Elizabeth Gooch, July 17, 1735. Had six sons and five daughters.

William Valentine: son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Gooch). Born November 2, 1750 at Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Married Elizabeth Jones, about 1770. Had eleven sons and five daughters.

William Valentine: son of William and Elizabeth (Jones). Born April 14, 1773. Married Abigail Spring of Northboro’, Massachusetts. In 1803 removed to Westbrook (then Falmouth), where he engaged in the manufacture of nails and carried on a grocery trade. In 1815, he turned his attention to farming. He died in Westbrook on April 16, 1845; and his wife, Abigail died January 27, 1861. Had eleven children, including Albert, Caroline and Leander (the subject of this sketch).

PENNELL: William L. Pennell was born in the town of Gray, Maine, on April 15, 1821. The family descends:

Clement Pennell: one of three brothers who emigrated from the Isle of Jersey and settled in Deering (then Falmouth), Maine. He married Ruth Riggs on January 10, 1742.

Joseph Pennell: son of Clement and Ruth (Riggs). Married as his first wife, Hannah Ward, by whom he had eight children. He took as his second wife, Charlotte Nash, by whom he also had eight children.

Joseph Pennell: second child of Joseph and Hannah (Ward). He was born in the town of Gray on August 7, 1778. He married Elizabeth Stone of Kennebunk, Maine, on October 29, 1779. Their children were:

1. Dixey S., born in Minot, Maine.
2. Susannah, born in Minot, Maine.
3. Jeremiah, born in Minot, Maine.
4. Robert B., born in Minot, Maine.
5. Hannah W., born in Minot, Maine.
6. Luther, born in Gray, Maine.
7. James, born in Gray, Maine.
8. William L., born in Gray, Maine (the subject of this sketch).
9. Luther, born in Gray, Maine.

JORDAN: Samuel Jordan, was born in the town of Raymond (now the Town of Casco) on June 5, 1805. He is a descendant of:

1. Rev. Robert Jordan of the English Episcopal Church. Robert emigrated from England about 1640, settled at Richmond’s Island (Cape Elizabeth) and married Sarah Winter, the only daughter of Capt. John Winter. Robert died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1679.
2. Dominicus, third son of Robert, married Hannah Tristram of Saco, Maine. They settled and lived in Spurwink and had six children.
3. Dominicus, eldest son of Dominicus and Hannah (Tristram), married Catherine Maxwell and lived for a time at Cape Elizabeth, Maine. About 1774 they moved to Raymond. Their children were: William, Ezekiel, Nathaniel, Hannah, Mary, Elizabeth and Martha
4. William, eldest son of Dominicus and Catherine, married Anna Leach and settled in the northern part of Raymond. Their children were: Mark, Catharine, Peggy, Dominicus, William, Peter, Martha, Asa, Samuel (the subject of this biography), Elizabeth and Asa 2nd. None of the children survived, except Samuel
5. Samuel, son of William and Anna (Leach), came to the town of Westbrook (Deering) at the age of fifteen, shortly after his father’s death. For two years he was employed by Elisha North. The next two years he spent at Hebron Academy, where he pursued a course of study with a view to entering West Point.