WHO WAS DR. WILLIAM TEG?

 Anyone who has been interested in the history of Porter, Brownfield or Hiram has probably come across histories of those towns written by William Teg.  But do you know anything about him? Here is his interesting story.

William Teg was born in 1891 in Minnesota where his Swedish father was one of the first white settlers.  He attributed some of his keen interest in rocks to the fact that there were hardly any around his boyhood home.  At age 16 he studied commercial telegraphy at Fargo, North Dakota.  That seems to have started a life of continual study and research.  

Dr. William Teg presenting a copy of the History of Porter to Evelyn Watkins in 1957.

He was a historian and writer and authored histories of Brownfield, Hiram and Porter as well as Vikings and Vagabonds (an autobiography of sorts of his travels abroad), and Almuthicoitt – Land of the Little Dog.  

He was also an archeologist, paleographer, anthropologist and geologist.  He studied theology but gave up the idea of being a missionary. He studied and could speak several languages including Hebrew and Greek and the Norse languages of Scandinavia.   He received a doctorate in physiological therapeutics at University of Chicago, and a doctorate in osteopathy in New York City.  Later he taught anatomy and physiology in New York City.

Teg served in the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I as a stretcher bearer in the ambulance corps and as a nurse in a field hospital.  After the war he taught physical education in various therapeutic institutions in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  And he took courses at the Dickson School of Memory and studied violin and music at the National Academy of Music in Chicago.  

In 1921 he married Greta B. Bage, a recent immigrant from Finland and they had two children, William B. Teg, Jr., and Ruth (Teg) Sligh.  They lived in New Rochelle, NY.  In 1924 they moved to Hiram, ME, restored an old homestead and established a summer home called “Solitude”.    It consisted of 60 acres between the areas in Hiram called  Durgin Town and Tripptown in the shadow of Bill Merrill Mountain.  They lived there for 5 months of the year, returning to NY in late fall, then full time in later years.  It was a retreat that provided him with an ideal workshop in which to pursue his varied studies away from interruptions.  And its remoteness made it ideal for a wildlife sanctuary.

As a geologist and mineralogist he combed the hills of northern York and southern Oxford counties. He insisted that there were valuable minerals including uranium in the hills of Newfield.  

Both Mr. and Mrs. Teg were active members of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society and he spent years compiling information for his History of Porter which he published in 1957 for the historical society in time for  Porter’s Sesquicentennial.

Mr. Teg died at a Bridgton hospital November 5, 1977 survived by his wife,  son, daughter and 2 grandchildren.

We would be remiss if we ignored Mrs. Teg who also had an interesting life and was at her husband’s side for nearly 56 years.

  

Greta B. Teg was born in Kristinestad, Finland, a daughter of Henrick and Ina Damasere Bage, and attended schools there.  Her parents had escaped from France at the time of the Revolution and settled in Finland.  The film, Dr. Zhivago was filmed at her family’s homestead in Kristinestad.  

After training at a Helsinki hospital, Greta served as a doctor on the Russian Front during the Finnish Civil War of 1917, and in 1918 was decorated for her service (cited for valor) by General Carl G. Mannheim, Finland’s national hero.  

Mrs. Teg came to America in 1920 and married Dr. William Teg the following year.  

For 36 years the Tegs spent summers at their home in Hiram, returning to New Rochelle, NY where she took private nursing cases in a local hospital.  

She passed away at a Lewiston nursing home May 7, 1985, nearly eight years after her husband.  Both are interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Kezar Falls, ME.

LEVI LIBBY COOK and the Cook families of Porter

 The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society recently received a copy of a “History of Porter, Maine” by Thomas Moulton, from a relative of the Cook family living in California.  There was an inscription in the book by its former owner, Ralph Eugene Cook –  “If this book is not wanted please send it to the Porter Historical Society, Porter, Maine.  Being the last one “Cook” to be born in the Town of Porter, February 3, 1896 to Herbert E. Cook and Clara E. Towle Cook.”  Also included was a letter written to Ralph from his cousin, Levi L. Cook, January 15, 1939 with some family genealogy.  Knowing a little about Levi Cook, this prompted some research of the Cook family in Porter.

 According to Levi’s letter, the first Cooks in the Town of Porter from whom all of the local Cooks descended were three brothers from Farmington, New Hampshire.  Jonathan, Abraham and Nathaniel Cook came to the Territory of Porterfield in April 1796 and took up homesteads years before the town was incorporated.  They settled on the east side of Colcord Pond.  Many are buried in the Porter Village cemetery and are listed in Porter Vital Statistics.

Jonathan Cook – (Born 1763. Died ?) was the line that included both Ralph and Levi.

(He was Ralph’s great great-grandfather and Levi’s great-grandfather.)  He married Susan Hayes of Farmington, NH and they had 6 children: Abigail, Louisa, Mary, Jonathan 2nd, William and Spencer.

Jonathan Cook 2nd - Born 5/27/1805 in Porter. Died 11/26/1877.  (He was Ralph’s great-grandfather and Levi’s grandfather.)  He married Mary Ann Brooks (1809-1891) in Porter.  They had 10 children:

Sarah Ann – Born 12/11/1827

Jonathan Woodman (Ralph’s grandfather) – Born 2/4/1830

Horace – Born 3/29/1832.  Died 3/4/1909.

George – Born 3/11/1835.  Died 11/5/1911.

Rose Ann – Born 6/18/1837.  Died 7/26/1854.

Lorenzo D. (Levi’s father) – Born 9/30/1839.  Died 8/17/1905.

Arsenath – Born 9/4/1841.  Died 3/16/1868.

Eliza Jane – Born 9/24/1843.  Died 1/24/1916.

Mary Ann – Born 1848.  Died 8/9/1854

Lydia F. – Born ?  Died ? 

Jonathan Woodman was born in Porter 2/4/1830 and died in North Conway 12/13/1891.  He married Margaret-Jane Peary.  They had 7 children: Lewis, George, Mary, Emerson, Ada, Charles and Herbert E.

Herbert E. Cook (Ralph’s father) – Born ?  in Porter.  Died ?

Herbert married Clara E. Towle – Born 2/22/1877.  Died in Porter 5/2/1941.  The number of children born to them is unknown except for 3 boys: Herbert, Ivan and Ralph – Born in Porter 2/3/1896.  Died in California after 1961 but date unknown.

It appears that several of the Cook family moved west.  Ralph’s family ended up in California and his Uncle Horace’s family was in South Dakota, Iowa and California. Lorenzo’s family remained in Maine.

Lorenzo D. Cook ( Levi’s father) – Born in Porter 9/30/1839. Died in 1905 in Cornish. He married Elzira Libby.  Levi’s obituary states that Levi L. Cook was their only son.  No record was found of any daughters.  Quite a bit was learned about Levi. 

Levi Libby Cook – Born in Porter 8/5/1866.  He married Eunice F. Durgin  (photo) on 4/6/1886. She was the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Ridlon) Durgin.  They had 4 daughters who all died in childhood.

Levi grew up in Porter and was educated here.  He attended the Porterfield schools about which he wrote a poem in later years. Levi moved his family to Cornish and his name was listed in the “York County Directory of 1897-1898” as an insurance agent.  The family lived in the former Thomas Richardson farm.  According to “A History of the Town of Cornish, Maine” published in 1994, the farm was located on outer Maple Street toward Kezar Falls.  Later the buildings burned and by 1993 Pumpkinville had been built on that location.  His father Lorenzo died in 1905.

The “1905 Town Register for Cornish” listed in the census:  Levi L. Cook – carpenter, Eunice F. (Durgin) Cook – [wife], Elzira B. (Libby) Cook – [mother] and Josephine Cook – mill operator [sister or cousin?]

Levi’s wife Eunice died 10/7/1912.  His mother Elzira Cook died in 1927.  Levi remarried in October of that year to Annie (Pinkham) Crockett.

Levi apparently had several occupations – insurance agent, carpenter and farmer.  He wrote articles for the Ossipee Valley Weekly newspaper and he wrote poetry.  PPHS has several of his handwritten poems in our collection including the one published in booklet form – “Reminiscences of School Days”.

Mr. Cook was active and held an office in several local organizations; Cornish Townsend Club, Ossipee Valley Oddfellows Lodge No. 54, Greenleaf Masonic Lodge No. 117, Cornish Grange No. 163, Kezar Falls Fish and Game Assn. and was a leader of the Cornish Boy Scouts.

Levi L Cook died from a stroke at his cousin’s home in Cornish on August 3, 1939.  He left his widow, Annie (Pinkham) Cook who later moved to Porter and lived until 1977.

Levi and Eunice Cook with a daughter (?)