My Maine Heritage - June 2023 - Person Sheet
My Maine Heritage - June 2023 - Person Sheet
NameAbigail Keen 
Birth Date20 Aug 1798
Birth PlaceSumner, Oxford Co., ME
Memoalt date: Aug 1798; alt loc: Buckfield, ME
Death Date4 Oct 1856 Age: 58
Death PlaceSumner, Oxford Co., ME
Memoalt date: Sep 1856
Burial PlaceRedding Rd. Cem., Sumner, Oxford Co., ME
OccupationMayflower descendant from Richard Warren (2)
FatherZadoc Zadock John Keen (1776-1866)
MotherRebecca Rebeckah Marthers Mathews Matthews (~1781-~1800)
Misc. Notes
Birthdate calculated from tombstone.
Via e-mail from Chris Dunham, 11/16/01:
Kathrine,
The marriage of Perez Andrews and Abigail Keene was recorded in Sumner.
They married Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin
Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions, dated Mar. 6, 1820,
say that he was "of No 2 or Usher's Grant."
There were a few Keene/Keen families living in Sumner at that time, but I
haven't been able to place Abigail in any of them.
Chris
Note: Abigail’s name was spelled with the final e in her marriage record.
Abigail’s parentage has been difficult to trace; I began looking for Keen families in Sumner (from where she was noted as being from in her marriage record) with a daughter b. Aug. 1798. Meshack Keen’s family was one guess. He has a daughter, “Keziah” b. 15 Aug 1798, but she married someone else, so this is not our Abigail.
Let’s think about this: if Abigial were born abt. 1798, her parents must have been born around the 1770s...
Update: 8 Oct 2014:
I decided to take a thorough inventory of Keen families in the Sumner area between 1800 and 1820 when Abigail married Peres. I eliminated a few families and then I came to Zadoc Keen. He married his first wife in 1797 and married again about 1802. That was a tantalizing window. But I couldn’t find any other information about the first marriage or whether his first wife, “Rebecca Marthers” died. I posted on Chris Dunham’s Maine Genealogy site, and a few hours later Chris worked his magic:
“It's rare that I can find one document that proves several hard-to-establish links at once, but I think I have.
If you go here (https://i2a.uslandrecords.com/ME/OxfordEast/D/Default.aspx), change the Search Criteria to "Early Books" and search for volume 14, page 396 you'll find an agreement dated 23 Aug. 1804 between John Mathews of Buckfield and Zadock Keen of Sumner. For the consideration of one yoke of oxen, Mathews agreed to keep Nancy Keen, the daughter of Zadock, until she was 18 years old, which would be on 5 April 1815. Mathews was "Also to deliver to the said Nancy & Abigail Keen all the clothes & household goods in his possession at the end of such term, that belonged to their Mother Rebeckah Keen of Sumner deceased.
“So it appears that Zadoc and Rebecca (Mathews) Keen had at least two children: Nancy, born 5 April 1797; and Abigail. Abigail (Keen) Andrews is buried in Redding Cemetery in Sumner. She died 4 Oct. 1856, aged 58 years, 1 month, 14 days, which puts her date of birth at about 20 Aug. 1798. Her sister was quite possibly the Nancy Keen who married Nathaniel Robbins, Jr., 9 Mar. 1823 in Sumner. Both were of Plantation No. 2, also called Franklin Plantation, which then adjoined Sumner.
“I transcribed early Turner marriage records several years ago, and according to my notes Zadock Keen of Hebron and Rebeca Marthers of Buckfield married 19 July 1796. Rebecca was evidently the daughter of John and Hannah Mathews of Buckfield, though she is not listed among their children in the History of Buckfield (probably because she died at a fairly young age):
“John Matthews, a Revolutionary soldier, with wife, Hannah, settled in the s. e. part of the town before 1800. They came here from the vicinity of Portland. We have no dates of their deaths, children all born before coming here: Valentine, b. Sept. 3, 1767, m. Sarah Coburn ; Hannah, b. Mar. 9, 1770, m. Jonas Coburn; Lucy, b. Aug. 15, 1773; John, Jr., b. Aug. 23, 1777; Samuel, b. June 22, 1779 ; Caroline, b. Aug. 7, 1782 ; Wm. b. Mar. 29, 1784, m. Eliza Buck.”
Thanks again, Chris!
Abigail Keen has Scottish ancestry through George Darling, who was in the Battle of Dunbar.
Via e-mail from Chris Dunham, 11/16/01:
Kathrine,
The marriage of Perez Andrews and Abigail Keene was recorded in Sumner.
They married Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin
Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions, dated Mar. 6, 1820,
say that he was "of No 2 or Usher's Grant."
There were a few Keene/Keen families living in Sumner at that time, but I
haven't been able to place Abigail in any of them.
Chris
Note: Abigail’s name was spelled with the final e in her marriage record.
Abigail’s parentage has been difficult to trace; I began looking for Keen families in Sumner (from where she was noted as being from in her marriage record) with a daughter b. Aug. 1798. Meshack Keen’s family was one guess. He has a daughter, “Keziah” b. 15 Aug 1798, but she married someone else, so this is not our Abigail.
Let’s think about this: if Abigial were born abt. 1798, her parents must have been born around the 1770s...
Update: 8 Oct 2014:
I decided to take a thorough inventory of Keen families in the Sumner area between 1800 and 1820 when Abigail married Peres. I eliminated a few families and then I came to Zadoc Keen. He married his first wife in 1797 and married again about 1802. That was a tantalizing window. But I couldn’t find any other information about the first marriage or whether his first wife, “Rebecca Marthers” died. I posted on Chris Dunham’s Maine Genealogy site, and a few hours later Chris worked his magic:
“It's rare that I can find one document that proves several hard-to-establish links at once, but I think I have.
If you go here (https://i2a.uslandrecords.com/ME/OxfordEast/D/Default.aspx), change the Search Criteria to "Early Books" and search for volume 14, page 396 you'll find an agreement dated 23 Aug. 1804 between John Mathews of Buckfield and Zadock Keen of Sumner. For the consideration of one yoke of oxen, Mathews agreed to keep Nancy Keen, the daughter of Zadock, until she was 18 years old, which would be on 5 April 1815. Mathews was "Also to deliver to the said Nancy & Abigail Keen all the clothes & household goods in his possession at the end of such term, that belonged to their Mother Rebeckah Keen of Sumner deceased.
“So it appears that Zadoc and Rebecca (Mathews) Keen had at least two children: Nancy, born 5 April 1797; and Abigail. Abigail (Keen) Andrews is buried in Redding Cemetery in Sumner. She died 4 Oct. 1856, aged 58 years, 1 month, 14 days, which puts her date of birth at about 20 Aug. 1798. Her sister was quite possibly the Nancy Keen who married Nathaniel Robbins, Jr., 9 Mar. 1823 in Sumner. Both were of Plantation No. 2, also called Franklin Plantation, which then adjoined Sumner.
“I transcribed early Turner marriage records several years ago, and according to my notes Zadock Keen of Hebron and Rebeca Marthers of Buckfield married 19 July 1796. Rebecca was evidently the daughter of John and Hannah Mathews of Buckfield, though she is not listed among their children in the History of Buckfield (probably because she died at a fairly young age):
“John Matthews, a Revolutionary soldier, with wife, Hannah, settled in the s. e. part of the town before 1800. They came here from the vicinity of Portland. We have no dates of their deaths, children all born before coming here: Valentine, b. Sept. 3, 1767, m. Sarah Coburn ; Hannah, b. Mar. 9, 1770, m. Jonas Coburn; Lucy, b. Aug. 15, 1773; John, Jr., b. Aug. 23, 1777; Samuel, b. June 22, 1779 ; Caroline, b. Aug. 7, 1782 ; Wm. b. Mar. 29, 1784, m. Eliza Buck.”
Thanks again, Chris!
Abigail Keen has Scottish ancestry through George Darling, who was in the Battle of Dunbar.
Spouses
Birth Dateabt Jun 1797
Birth PlaceBoston, Suffolk Co., MA
Memoalt date: 1792
Death Date17 Sep 1889 Age: 92
Death PlaceRedding, Sumner, Oxford Co., ME
MemoTombstone says 11 Sep 1889.
Burial PlaceRedding Rd. Cem., Sumner, Oxford Co., ME
Occupationfarmer
ReligionBaptist
FatherDarius Andrews (~1771-<1847)
MotherKezia Keziah Caswell (1775-~1825)
Misc. Notes
Peres Andrews (name also variously spelled Perez, Paris, Peris)
b. 1797 (per tombstone) in “MA” (per census info)
m. 1) Abigail Keene Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions (in Sumner records), dated Mar. 6, 1820, say that he was "of No. 2 or Usher's Grant." Abigail died in 1856. Father, Darius Andrews, is listed as being from “No. II (2) South of Rumford” on 1820 USC.
m. 2) Mary “Polly” Shurtleff Allen. They married 10 Oct. 1859 per Oxford Co. marriage records.
d. 1889 (per tombstone, as indicated in Sumner town records, and as noted in obituary notice [see below]).
Peres, Abigail and Polly are buried at the Redding Rd. cemetery in the Redding section of Sumner along with Peres and Abigail's children, Greenleaf and George; Thomas Jefferson is buried in the West Sumner cemetery (in the Canwell lot) along with his brother James; sister Arvilla married 1) George Canwell and 2) Addison Bowker.
Thomas Jefferson Andrews m. Evelyn May Canwell and my line carries forward from there.
Peres lists his father (and mother) as being born in Mass in both 1860 and 1880 USC. Since Maine was part of Mass until 1820, does this make any difference?
Where were either of the Peres/Perez Andrewses for the 1810 USC??
Per MaineGenealogy.net: “Note that a large part of this county's [Oxford’s] census schedule has been lost. The state recapitulation indicates that the lost schedules were for Paris, Buckfield, Hebron, Sumner, Plantation No. 3 (later Woodstock), Plantation No. 4 (later Greenwood), Fryeburg, Waterford, Norway, Denmark, Brownfield, Lovell, Hiram, and Porter.” – Well, that’s a bummer…
Our Peres (2) would have been 13 in 1810.
1820 USC for Buckfield: Perez Andrews : 1 m 10-15 (Hiram), 1 m 16-18 (Marshall), 1 m 16-25 (Ebenezer), 1 m 45< (Perez); 1 f <10 (Phoebe), 1f 10-15 (Sarah2), 1f 45< (Sarah); household total = 6); Samuel Andrews is listed separately as a neighbor.
Our Peres (2) married Abigail Keene in Sumner in 1820. Per Chris Dunham: “The marriage of Perez Andrews and Abigail Keene was recorded in Sumner. They married Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions, dated Mar. 6, 1820, say that he was "of No 2 or Usher's Grant." I have seen this entry in the Sumner records.
Per New Pennacook Folks, Stuart Martin, 1980. Township Number Two was a gore of land between Rumford, Peru, Sumner and Woodstock. Settlers were here by 1820 [“Usher’s Grant?] and a “general settlement” was established by 1830. Part of Number Two was set off to Sumner, Maine in 1838. Number Two was organized for election purposes on 23 Oct 1840 and became Franklin Plantation in 1841. After the paper mill started in Rumford Falls, however, “there were thoughts of disorganizing the plantation,” and it was abolished in 1899. Parts were annexed by Rumford and Peru.
Peres was 23 at marriage; Abigail was 22. Peres is not listed as a head of household in the 1820 USC for Sumner, Buckfield, Paris, Greenwood, or No. 2; therefore, he was likely still living with relatives at the time the census was enumerated in this area in Aug. of 1820. So one clue to find who Peres' parents/relatives are is to search for Andrewses in the USC for 1820 with at least two people aged 16-25 in the household with whom they could be living.
1830 US Census for Plantation No. 2 (later Franklin Plt.) lists Peres Andrews, JR. – Household: 1 male under 5 (James); 2 males 5-9 (Greenleaf & George); 1 male 30-39 (Peres); 1 female under 5 (who??); 1 female 20-29 (Abigail); household total = 6. This is our Peres. [Note: Abigail b. 1798 would be 32 in Aug. 1830, so there is a slight discrepancy here. Also there is also no record of a young daughter--Arvilla wasn’t born until Oct. 1830; is this a mistake? An unknown daughter who died?] [NOTE: it isn’t uncommon in early censuses to list people of similar names in the same region as Sr. (older) and Jr. (younger).]
1837 US Census of Number Two Township, Oxford Co., Maine:
First Name| Head of Household| Persons under 4 |Persons 4 to 21 |Persons over 21|Total
Darius Andrew 1 2 2 5
Paris [sic] Andrew 1 4 2 7
Aaron Andrews 0 2 2 4
Solomon Andrews 1 2 2 5
This census fits the household of OUR Peres: Two persons over 21=Peres and Abigail; four persons 4-21=Greenleaf (1820), George (1822), James (1826), and Arvilla (1830); one person under 4=Thomas Jefferson (1835).
Solomon is reputed to be a brother of Peres. He was born 1804 and married Clarissa “Clara” Redding in 1826. At time of the 1837 census Solomon would be 33, Clarissa would be about 40. His household= two persons over 21=Solomon and Clara; two persons 4-21=Serena (1829) and John (1833), and one person under 4=Almon (1835).
Who are these other Andrewses? We can assume relatives, but specific relationship identification is only speculation at this point.
Update Oct 2010: The “old Greenwood records” (which are part of the Woodstock records) indeed list Darius Andrews as the father of Peres, Solomon, Almon, Filena, Serena, and Mercy. Can we trust this info?? While I'm still trying to find out more about Darius, I'm also trying to reconcile this new info with what we currently know.
For example: There is a (unconfirmed?) marriage record on FamilySearch.org for Darius Andrews and Betsy Gardiner Latherby in Sumner in 1826. There is still no other documentation to prove the Andrews-(Gardiner) Latherby/Larrabee marriage.
Darius’s household on the 1837 census: Two persons over 21=Darius and Dolly; two persons 4-21=who?? [Harriet and Almon]; and one person under 4=Mercy (1833). NOTE: Mercy’s marriage record lists her mother’s name as Dolly Moore.
“Perez Andrews” is listed on the 1840 US Census for Number Two (Oxford County, Township “Not Stated” at Ancestry.com), as are Solomon and Almon Andrews, the Canwells, and the Wings.
Members of Perez' household in Franklin Plantation in 1850 included Abigail and Greenleaf; [George] Washington, James, and Arvilla were in the neighboring household, and Thomas Jefferson Andrews is listed as living with George Canwell nearby. Perez lists his birthplace as “MA,” and his age as 53 (b. 1797). Almon and Solomon Andrews are listed on previous pages of the census.
Perez, his family, and his near relations, appear in all following US Censuses (noting deaths, etc.) and can be traced forward. So they are pretty well established as being in/around Sumner, No. 2/Franklin Plantation/Peru from 1820 forward (given the lack of the 1810 census records…).
UPDATE: 4 Oct 2010:
This image is from the CD of the old Greenwood records, which I bought and received today:
Darius Andrews son of _____________ m. ______________
Came to No. 2
s(ettled) on L(ot) 13....before 1817
Children:
Peres b m
Serena
Salmon
Filena b m. 1st Oliver Canwell, 2nd John Redding
Almon b m. Mary J Lord, 2nd Widow Damon
Mercy b m. Stephen Wing
It had been rumored that Perez was either the son of John Andrews, who also settled in No. 2 (which became Franklin Plantation, later part of Sumner and Peru) or the son of Darius Andrews, who is mentioned as being early in Paris, ME. (CHECK: Are John and Darius the same person?)
This is the FIRST DOCUMENT of any sort that lists Darius as Perez's father. This also links the other Andrews children here to both Perez and to Darius--again, this was long assumed but there was no documentation.
As noted above, Darius was listed on the 1837 census for No. 2 as living in the next house to "Paris" and other Andrewses. Perhaps we're now able to link them a bit more definitively.
Via e-mail from Chris Dunham 11/17/01: Kathrine, Given his unusual name, I assume that your Perez is somehow connected to the Perez Andrews of Bakerstown (Minot-Poland-Auburn), Maine. It is also possible that he is connected with the family of John Andrews, who lived in the Peru/Franklin Plantation area, and is said to have had children Phylinda (abt. 1805), Salmon (abt. 1807), and Almon (abt. 1816). I would suggest that you view the death records of Perez and Abigail's children at the Maine State Archives during your visit (these will be found in the state vital record returns, available since 1892). These may give the birthplaces of Perez and Abigail, which could lead you in new directions. Chris
I found the death record of James H. Andrews in the Maine State Archives in Augusta. He died in Peru, ME 8 Mar 1894 ae. 67 yrs, 6 mo. 9 days. He is listed as a farmer. Father is listed as Peres Andrews, mother as Abigail Keene. Birthplace of father listed as “Franklin, ME.” Birthplace of mother listed as Buckfield, ME. I’ll have to try to find the other children’s death records to see if I can find the REAL birthplace of Peres. Best leads for more info seem to be: Taunton, MA; New Gloucester, ME; and Bakerstown (Poland), ME. Lapham’s History of Paris, Maine indicates that these were the oldest towns and the most likely place for settlers before Paris, Buckfield, etc. Taunton, MA (and perhaps Gloucester) were towns where Andrewses originated.
From Chuck Martin via email, 11/14/2008: Info I collected regarding the Andrews family: The Andrews records burned in a fire in Taunton, Mass. Indians killed the adults and the children were orphaned. David and Darius, two of the children, came to Maine and purchased land together, and after a period of time, Darius moved to a different location.
If this info is indeed correct--as brief as it is--it would fill in lots of holes: 1) Family was in TAUNTON, MA, which helps A LOT: there are so many Andrews lines that having ONE CITY to focus on is significant. 2) David and Darius were (the) brothers: I have sketchy info on both David and Darius but couldn't connect them. They were both in ME for the 1790 census, and both (as I remember: I can check my research) were in the Paris, ME area. The problem is: Peres Andrews (1) is on the 1790 census, too. Is he another brother?? A son of one or the other?? How are they related to David and Darius??
Update: 8/6/11: Met Cousin Kathy Bisbee at her dad Larry’s place in Wilton. A man named (I think) Norman Mitchell dropped by with his wife and he knew all about Peres Andrews and his father Darius! Just goes to show you that there’s always someone out there who has the answers, the challenge is just to find them. He has all kinds of Rowe information that he’s promised to get to Kathy (somehow), and I might get this info at some point (somehow).
[Norman K Mitchell is a friend of Larry Bisbee’s and comments on MaineGenealogy.]
Update: 4/18/12:
From: Biographical Review: This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Oxford and Franklin Counties, Maine. Biographical Review Publishing Company: Boston, 1897, 546.
“Peres, who was born in Boston, Mass., son of Darius Andrews, settled on this farm about the year 1810. At that time the district was a wilderness and a favorite haunt of bears. Erecting a log cabin, he made a clearing, established a home, and lived here in prosperity until his death on Sept. 17, 1889, at the age of ninety-seven years [he was actually 92]. He was twice married and reared five children. The latter were: Greenleaf, now deceased; Washington, a resident of Sumner; James, also deceased; Arvilla, the wife of Addison Bowker, of Sumner; and Thomas Jefferson. In politics he was a Democrat, in religious belief a Baptist.” See full entry for “Thomas Jefferson Andrews.”
Note: I have never been able to find a birth record for Peres in any Boston documentation.
Three youngest children of Peres and Abigail recorded in old Franklin Plantation records.
In the book of Oxford County maps from 1858, P. Andrews is living at the end of the “Andrews Rd.”
Perez is listed on a reconstructed page in the old Greenwood records; the page also lists Perez’s children, a list that includes “Jeff” Andrews’s full name: Thomas Jefferson.
Book 109 pg. 99 of Oxford (East) County Deeds, lists a sale by Perez [sic] Andrews and Greenleaf Andrews “both of Franklin Plantation…yeomen,” to Jeremiah Howe of Sumner, “a certain piece of land situated in Franklin Plantation…lot number three, Usher South Grant, Range one, being the same land where Perez Andrews now lives, containing one hundred acres more or less with the buildings thereon.” Dated 19 March 1856. See also record in book 104 pg. 496. This was apparently a mortgage trade of some sort.
Death record in old Sumner records, image 310/311 (CD) and 330/333 on film 8006710 Sumner vital records on FamilySearch.org lists date as 11 Sept 1889. Peres Andrews’ death notice in the Oxford Democrat for Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1889: Vol. LVI no. 39, pg. [2] “In West Sumner, Sept. 17, Peres Andrews, aged 97 years.” [He was really 92 years, if born in 1797.]
Death cert. for Augusta S. Crockett on FamilySearch.org lists parents’ names as Perez Andrews and Mary Sampson. This threw me for a minute. But must be an error. Her surname is THOMAS, and her parents are Perez Thomas and Mary Simpson. The Thomases were from Hartford, ME.
“The intentions of marriage between Mr. Perez Andrews of Franklin Plt and Mrs. Polly Allen of Sumner is herein entered by request of said Perez Andrews on this 5th day of Oct. 1858.” Old Franklin Plantation records, image 51/181 on film 7595543 on FamilySearch.org. Certificate of marriage follows 5 days later, Oct. 10, 1858.
In Vol. 1 Plantation Returns for Franklin Plantation, organized in 1842, the names of “legal voters” are listed. Relevant names include “Perry” Andrews—indication of a nickname—Salmon Andrews, Almon Andrews, “Greenleif” Andrews, George Canwell, Jeremiah Canwell, Reuben Lovejoy, Valentine Mathews, Thomas Lord (listed twice), John “Reading,” and others. See https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic...t=plantation_returns (image 20/58).
No listing of voters for MIlton Plantation.
b. 1797 (per tombstone) in “MA” (per census info)
m. 1) Abigail Keene Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions (in Sumner records), dated Mar. 6, 1820, say that he was "of No. 2 or Usher's Grant." Abigail died in 1856. Father, Darius Andrews, is listed as being from “No. II (2) South of Rumford” on 1820 USC.
m. 2) Mary “Polly” Shurtleff Allen. They married 10 Oct. 1859 per Oxford Co. marriage records.
d. 1889 (per tombstone, as indicated in Sumner town records, and as noted in obituary notice [see below]).
Peres, Abigail and Polly are buried at the Redding Rd. cemetery in the Redding section of Sumner along with Peres and Abigail's children, Greenleaf and George; Thomas Jefferson is buried in the West Sumner cemetery (in the Canwell lot) along with his brother James; sister Arvilla married 1) George Canwell and 2) Addison Bowker.
Thomas Jefferson Andrews m. Evelyn May Canwell and my line carries forward from there.
Peres lists his father (and mother) as being born in Mass in both 1860 and 1880 USC. Since Maine was part of Mass until 1820, does this make any difference?
Where were either of the Peres/Perez Andrewses for the 1810 USC??
Per MaineGenealogy.net: “Note that a large part of this county's [Oxford’s] census schedule has been lost. The state recapitulation indicates that the lost schedules were for Paris, Buckfield, Hebron, Sumner, Plantation No. 3 (later Woodstock), Plantation No. 4 (later Greenwood), Fryeburg, Waterford, Norway, Denmark, Brownfield, Lovell, Hiram, and Porter.” – Well, that’s a bummer…
Our Peres (2) would have been 13 in 1810.
1820 USC for Buckfield: Perez Andrews : 1 m 10-15 (Hiram), 1 m 16-18 (Marshall), 1 m 16-25 (Ebenezer), 1 m 45< (Perez); 1 f <10 (Phoebe), 1f 10-15 (Sarah2), 1f 45< (Sarah); household total = 6); Samuel Andrews is listed separately as a neighbor.
Our Peres (2) married Abigail Keene in Sumner in 1820. Per Chris Dunham: “The marriage of Perez Andrews and Abigail Keene was recorded in Sumner. They married Mar. 26, 1820, he a resident of No. 2 (later Franklin Plantation), she of Sumner. Their marriage intentions, dated Mar. 6, 1820, say that he was "of No 2 or Usher's Grant." I have seen this entry in the Sumner records.
Per New Pennacook Folks, Stuart Martin, 1980. Township Number Two was a gore of land between Rumford, Peru, Sumner and Woodstock. Settlers were here by 1820 [“Usher’s Grant?] and a “general settlement” was established by 1830. Part of Number Two was set off to Sumner, Maine in 1838. Number Two was organized for election purposes on 23 Oct 1840 and became Franklin Plantation in 1841. After the paper mill started in Rumford Falls, however, “there were thoughts of disorganizing the plantation,” and it was abolished in 1899. Parts were annexed by Rumford and Peru.
Peres was 23 at marriage; Abigail was 22. Peres is not listed as a head of household in the 1820 USC for Sumner, Buckfield, Paris, Greenwood, or No. 2; therefore, he was likely still living with relatives at the time the census was enumerated in this area in Aug. of 1820. So one clue to find who Peres' parents/relatives are is to search for Andrewses in the USC for 1820 with at least two people aged 16-25 in the household with whom they could be living.
1830 US Census for Plantation No. 2 (later Franklin Plt.) lists Peres Andrews, JR. – Household: 1 male under 5 (James); 2 males 5-9 (Greenleaf & George); 1 male 30-39 (Peres); 1 female under 5 (who??); 1 female 20-29 (Abigail); household total = 6. This is our Peres. [Note: Abigail b. 1798 would be 32 in Aug. 1830, so there is a slight discrepancy here. Also there is also no record of a young daughter--Arvilla wasn’t born until Oct. 1830; is this a mistake? An unknown daughter who died?] [NOTE: it isn’t uncommon in early censuses to list people of similar names in the same region as Sr. (older) and Jr. (younger).]
1837 US Census of Number Two Township, Oxford Co., Maine:
First Name| Head of Household| Persons under 4 |Persons 4 to 21 |Persons over 21|Total
Darius Andrew 1 2 2 5
Paris [sic] Andrew 1 4 2 7
Aaron Andrews 0 2 2 4
Solomon Andrews 1 2 2 5
This census fits the household of OUR Peres: Two persons over 21=Peres and Abigail; four persons 4-21=Greenleaf (1820), George (1822), James (1826), and Arvilla (1830); one person under 4=Thomas Jefferson (1835).
Solomon is reputed to be a brother of Peres. He was born 1804 and married Clarissa “Clara” Redding in 1826. At time of the 1837 census Solomon would be 33, Clarissa would be about 40. His household= two persons over 21=Solomon and Clara; two persons 4-21=Serena (1829) and John (1833), and one person under 4=Almon (1835).
Who are these other Andrewses? We can assume relatives, but specific relationship identification is only speculation at this point.
Update Oct 2010: The “old Greenwood records” (which are part of the Woodstock records) indeed list Darius Andrews as the father of Peres, Solomon, Almon, Filena, Serena, and Mercy. Can we trust this info?? While I'm still trying to find out more about Darius, I'm also trying to reconcile this new info with what we currently know.
For example: There is a (unconfirmed?) marriage record on FamilySearch.org for Darius Andrews and Betsy Gardiner Latherby in Sumner in 1826. There is still no other documentation to prove the Andrews-(Gardiner) Latherby/Larrabee marriage.
Darius’s household on the 1837 census: Two persons over 21=Darius and Dolly; two persons 4-21=who?? [Harriet and Almon]; and one person under 4=Mercy (1833). NOTE: Mercy’s marriage record lists her mother’s name as Dolly Moore.
“Perez Andrews” is listed on the 1840 US Census for Number Two (Oxford County, Township “Not Stated” at Ancestry.com), as are Solomon and Almon Andrews, the Canwells, and the Wings.
Members of Perez' household in Franklin Plantation in 1850 included Abigail and Greenleaf; [George] Washington, James, and Arvilla were in the neighboring household, and Thomas Jefferson Andrews is listed as living with George Canwell nearby. Perez lists his birthplace as “MA,” and his age as 53 (b. 1797). Almon and Solomon Andrews are listed on previous pages of the census.
Perez, his family, and his near relations, appear in all following US Censuses (noting deaths, etc.) and can be traced forward. So they are pretty well established as being in/around Sumner, No. 2/Franklin Plantation/Peru from 1820 forward (given the lack of the 1810 census records…).
UPDATE: 4 Oct 2010:
This image is from the CD of the old Greenwood records, which I bought and received today:
Darius Andrews son of _____________ m. ______________
Came to No. 2
s(ettled) on L(ot) 13....before 1817
Children:
Peres b m
Serena
Salmon
Filena b m. 1st Oliver Canwell, 2nd John Redding
Almon b m. Mary J Lord, 2nd Widow Damon
Mercy b m. Stephen Wing
It had been rumored that Perez was either the son of John Andrews, who also settled in No. 2 (which became Franklin Plantation, later part of Sumner and Peru) or the son of Darius Andrews, who is mentioned as being early in Paris, ME. (CHECK: Are John and Darius the same person?)
This is the FIRST DOCUMENT of any sort that lists Darius as Perez's father. This also links the other Andrews children here to both Perez and to Darius--again, this was long assumed but there was no documentation.
As noted above, Darius was listed on the 1837 census for No. 2 as living in the next house to "Paris" and other Andrewses. Perhaps we're now able to link them a bit more definitively.
Via e-mail from Chris Dunham 11/17/01: Kathrine, Given his unusual name, I assume that your Perez is somehow connected to the Perez Andrews of Bakerstown (Minot-Poland-Auburn), Maine. It is also possible that he is connected with the family of John Andrews, who lived in the Peru/Franklin Plantation area, and is said to have had children Phylinda (abt. 1805), Salmon (abt. 1807), and Almon (abt. 1816). I would suggest that you view the death records of Perez and Abigail's children at the Maine State Archives during your visit (these will be found in the state vital record returns, available since 1892). These may give the birthplaces of Perez and Abigail, which could lead you in new directions. Chris
I found the death record of James H. Andrews in the Maine State Archives in Augusta. He died in Peru, ME 8 Mar 1894 ae. 67 yrs, 6 mo. 9 days. He is listed as a farmer. Father is listed as Peres Andrews, mother as Abigail Keene. Birthplace of father listed as “Franklin, ME.” Birthplace of mother listed as Buckfield, ME. I’ll have to try to find the other children’s death records to see if I can find the REAL birthplace of Peres. Best leads for more info seem to be: Taunton, MA; New Gloucester, ME; and Bakerstown (Poland), ME. Lapham’s History of Paris, Maine indicates that these were the oldest towns and the most likely place for settlers before Paris, Buckfield, etc. Taunton, MA (and perhaps Gloucester) were towns where Andrewses originated.
From Chuck Martin via email, 11/14/2008: Info I collected regarding the Andrews family: The Andrews records burned in a fire in Taunton, Mass. Indians killed the adults and the children were orphaned. David and Darius, two of the children, came to Maine and purchased land together, and after a period of time, Darius moved to a different location.
If this info is indeed correct--as brief as it is--it would fill in lots of holes: 1) Family was in TAUNTON, MA, which helps A LOT: there are so many Andrews lines that having ONE CITY to focus on is significant. 2) David and Darius were (the) brothers: I have sketchy info on both David and Darius but couldn't connect them. They were both in ME for the 1790 census, and both (as I remember: I can check my research) were in the Paris, ME area. The problem is: Peres Andrews (1) is on the 1790 census, too. Is he another brother?? A son of one or the other?? How are they related to David and Darius??
Update: 8/6/11: Met Cousin Kathy Bisbee at her dad Larry’s place in Wilton. A man named (I think) Norman Mitchell dropped by with his wife and he knew all about Peres Andrews and his father Darius! Just goes to show you that there’s always someone out there who has the answers, the challenge is just to find them. He has all kinds of Rowe information that he’s promised to get to Kathy (somehow), and I might get this info at some point (somehow).
[Norman K Mitchell is a friend of Larry Bisbee’s and comments on MaineGenealogy.]
Update: 4/18/12:
From: Biographical Review: This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Oxford and Franklin Counties, Maine. Biographical Review Publishing Company: Boston, 1897, 546.
“Peres, who was born in Boston, Mass., son of Darius Andrews, settled on this farm about the year 1810. At that time the district was a wilderness and a favorite haunt of bears. Erecting a log cabin, he made a clearing, established a home, and lived here in prosperity until his death on Sept. 17, 1889, at the age of ninety-seven years [he was actually 92]. He was twice married and reared five children. The latter were: Greenleaf, now deceased; Washington, a resident of Sumner; James, also deceased; Arvilla, the wife of Addison Bowker, of Sumner; and Thomas Jefferson. In politics he was a Democrat, in religious belief a Baptist.” See full entry for “Thomas Jefferson Andrews.”
Note: I have never been able to find a birth record for Peres in any Boston documentation.
Three youngest children of Peres and Abigail recorded in old Franklin Plantation records.
In the book of Oxford County maps from 1858, P. Andrews is living at the end of the “Andrews Rd.”
Perez is listed on a reconstructed page in the old Greenwood records; the page also lists Perez’s children, a list that includes “Jeff” Andrews’s full name: Thomas Jefferson.
Book 109 pg. 99 of Oxford (East) County Deeds, lists a sale by Perez [sic] Andrews and Greenleaf Andrews “both of Franklin Plantation…yeomen,” to Jeremiah Howe of Sumner, “a certain piece of land situated in Franklin Plantation…lot number three, Usher South Grant, Range one, being the same land where Perez Andrews now lives, containing one hundred acres more or less with the buildings thereon.” Dated 19 March 1856. See also record in book 104 pg. 496. This was apparently a mortgage trade of some sort.
Death record in old Sumner records, image 310/311 (CD) and 330/333 on film 8006710 Sumner vital records on FamilySearch.org lists date as 11 Sept 1889. Peres Andrews’ death notice in the Oxford Democrat for Tuesday, Sept. 24, 1889: Vol. LVI no. 39, pg. [2] “In West Sumner, Sept. 17, Peres Andrews, aged 97 years.” [He was really 92 years, if born in 1797.]
Death cert. for Augusta S. Crockett on FamilySearch.org lists parents’ names as Perez Andrews and Mary Sampson. This threw me for a minute. But must be an error. Her surname is THOMAS, and her parents are Perez Thomas and Mary Simpson. The Thomases were from Hartford, ME.
“The intentions of marriage between Mr. Perez Andrews of Franklin Plt and Mrs. Polly Allen of Sumner is herein entered by request of said Perez Andrews on this 5th day of Oct. 1858.” Old Franklin Plantation records, image 51/181 on film 7595543 on FamilySearch.org. Certificate of marriage follows 5 days later, Oct. 10, 1858.
In Vol. 1 Plantation Returns for Franklin Plantation, organized in 1842, the names of “legal voters” are listed. Relevant names include “Perry” Andrews—indication of a nickname—Salmon Andrews, Almon Andrews, “Greenleif” Andrews, George Canwell, Jeremiah Canwell, Reuben Lovejoy, Valentine Mathews, Thomas Lord (listed twice), John “Reading,” and others. See https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?artic...t=plantation_returns (image 20/58).
No listing of voters for MIlton Plantation.
Marr Date26 Mar 1820
Marr PlaceSumner, Oxford Co., ME
Marr Memoalt date: 28 Mar 1820
ChildrenGreenleaf (1820-1866)
George Washington (1822-1909)
James H. (1826-1894)
Unnamed x (>1826-<1830)
Arvilla K (1830-1918)
Thomas Jefferson “Jeff” (1835-1910)