The 1820 Federal Census for Parsonsfield enumerates the following for Gilman Lougee (listed second on the page):
Actually
Gilman Lougee Jr, he was the son of Gilman and Joanna Smith Lougee who settled
in Parsonsfield from Gilmanton, NH as early as 1779 along with Gilman’s two
brothers, John and Samuel – before Parsonsfield was even incorporated as a
town. In her book, Woven Together in
York County, Maine – A History 1865 – 1990, Madge Baker writes of the
Lougee’s move,
Unfortunately, Gilman Sr. did not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labors. The History of Parsonsfield written in 1888 relates the story that Gilman was killed by a falling stone while at work in a clay pit on September 29, 1788 at the age of 35, leaving his widow with four young children to raise alone.
Susanna, born 1781; Gilman, born 1783; Hugh Bartis, born 1785; and Joanna, born 1788.
As the eldest son Gilman Jr, age 5, became the “man of the house”. It cannot have been easy.
In
1808 Gilman Jr. built the house (photo below taken about 1885) to which he
would bring a bride two years later when he married Mary Buzzell in 1810.
The map below shows the location of the homestead (marked in red) on the north side of what is now known as North Road (Route 160) just before the intersection with what is now called Elm Street.
By the time of the 1820
Census Gilman Jr. and Mary had four children and the census counted the family
as below. The information shown in blue
has been added as only the head of household’s name was given in the census
itself.
Free White Persons – Males – Under 10: 1 Gillman III, born 1817
Free White Persons – Males – 26 thru 44: 1 Gilman Jr, age 37, head of household
Free White Persons – Females Under 10: 3 Ann, born 1815; Joanna, born 1813, and Mary, born 1811
Free White Persons – Females – 26
thru 44: 1 Mary, age 30, wife
Total All Persons – White, Slaves,
Colored, Other: 6
To their family they would add four more children: Susan, born 1821; Julia, born 1823; Albion K., born 1827; and Clarinda, born 1829
Then history repeated itself when Gilman Jr. died in 1832. He was but 49 leaving his widow and the next generation in the hands of his eldest son, Gilman the 3rd, who was 15 years old.
Madge Baker relates the
following in Woven Together in York County:
Built about 1857 the house is located at the end of Elm Street where it joins North Road. Albion lived there from 1859 to 1864 when he sold it to his brother’s daughter and her husband to pay off accumulated debts.
Tall
Gil married Almira Richardson and they had 7 children, another generation
replete with females. From The
History of Parsonsfield we get this picture and information:
And from Woven Together in York County, Maine we learn…
…and
later,
In 1886 David Gilman “Big Dave” married Myra Fogg and she moved onto the farm helping to care for her mother-in-law who was failing in health. She bore two sons, David Gilman Jr. (born 1888) and Arthur Fogg (born 1889).
In 1896 Almira died, then in 1902 Hugh Bartes fell, injured his spine and broke his arm badly. Gilman feared that Hugh would not be able to care for his family as an invalid and urged them to return to Parsonsfield where others in the family could help out. But Bartes died in March and Gilman died later that year, leaving his share of the farm to his neighbor's daughter, Louisa “Lide”. He had lived a long, industrious life and the farm was intact and productive.
That is for now.
To Be Continued…
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