PRESENT AT STATEHOOD - 1820 Parsonsfield, Part 2 – Rufus McIntire

Rufus McIntire, our next featured resident of Parsonsfield at the time of statehood, was born the third son of Micum and Rhoda (Allen) McIntire on December 19, 1784 in York, Maine.  A relatively newcomer to Parsonsfield in 1820 he would play an important role not only in the town but in the state. 

In a piece by his eldest daughter, Miss Mary Rolfe McIntire, appearing in the History of Parsonsfield written in 1888, she writes this of her father:

In the publication The War of 1812 in Person: Fifteen Accounts by  United States Army Regulars, Volunteers and Militiamen edited by John C. Fredriksen, letters from Captain McIntire (written to John Holmes with whom he had studied law in Alfred) relate his experiences during the war from July 1813 – March 1815 at Sackets Harbor, New York.  In the last published letter dated March 4, 1815 he writes…

"The army will probably in a month or two be disposed of when I  shall be at liberty to look out for a stand and at my age you know it will be necessary to do it immediately, but the great question is, where?  I have it in contemplation to visit the western country as far as the Indiana or Illinois territories and satisfy myself of the prospects there before I return to Maine… Is the prospect in the District of Maine sufficiently encouraging as ought to destroy all thoughts in me of immigrating into the western woods? ...I have an idea that, at present, law business in Maine must be small and lawyers plenty in general, tho’ perhaps some particular openings may offer where a beginner might with advantage commence.  Do you know of any such?”

 Continuing his daughter’s account:

Perhaps timing was everything.  In the year of McIntire’s arrival in Parsonsfield, 1817, Reverend Benjamin Rolfe (1^st settled minister for the Congregational Church) died, his widow, Mary, returned to Massachusetts, and the parsonage was purchased by newly arrived Rufus.

Built in 1795 the house was located on Middle Road at the intersection of Merrill Hill Road and, according to the Congregational Church records, was “40 feet long, 30 feet wide, 2 stories high with clapboards and shingles”.  This picture was taken in 1917, then the Weeman homestead.  According to the 1856 map below, Mr. McIntire had a store nearby.  The house and store no longer exist.

In 1819 he married Nancy Hannaford of Parsonsfield.  At the time of the 1820 census his household consisted of:

               1 male 10-15 years of age

               1 male 16-44 years of age

               1 female under 10 years of age

               1 female 16-25 years of age 

               1 female 26-44 years of age

Rufus (age 35 or 36), his wife Nancy (age 24) and their first child, Mary Rolfe McIntire (born September 1819) account for 3 of the above 5 enumerated.  Who the other 2 are is unknown except that the census listed one person in the household as “Foreigner, Not Naturalized” which we would assume is the older female, perhaps domestic help.  

We learn, in the History of Parsonsfield, that on April 3, 1820 the town was called “to choose a Representative to the First Legislature of Maine to convene at Portland on the last Monday of May.”  Reverend John Buzzell received the most votes, but declined the honor, and a second town meeting was called on the 20^th of the same month for the same purpose.  The honor this time went to none other than Rufus McIntire. 

In all Rufus and Nancy would have 8 children before her death in 1830 at the age of 34:

               Mary Rolfe, born 1819

               Annette, born 1821

               James Otis, born 1822

               Alonzo, born 1822 and died 1823

               Eveline, born 1825

               Malcolm, born 1826 and died 1829

               Rufus Jr, born 1828

               Malcolm, born 1829 or 30 and died in infancy 

In 1832 Rufus married his late wife’s younger sister, Mary.  She bore him two more children before her death in 1838 at the age of 30.  They were Malcolm, born 1835, and Nancy Hannaford McIntire, born before 1838. 

It is at this point in his life that Rufus McIntire would become involved in a little known conflict which resulted in the Maine we know today.   In her book, State O’ Maine, by Louise Dickinson Rich she writes, 

“Early in her statehood, Maine was faced with an emergency rising out of the highly ambiguous Treaty  of Versailles of 1783.  This was the Aroostook War.  Very few histories mention this little war at all, and yet it was a real and serious matter that nearly plunged the United States and Great Britain into full-scale conflict.  The bone of contention was the boundary line between what were at the time of the treaty Nova Scotia and Massachusetts, but what became New Brunswick and Maine….It was perhaps only a question of definition, but over twelve thousand square miles of the richest stands of yellow pine in the world were involved, a treasure that neither country would willingly sacrifice.” 

The following account of the Aroostook War is from a CD entitled, Maine: An Encyclopedia, Research and Education Edition by Jim Henderson as part of the 150th celebration of Maine Statehood in 1970.  Rufus had just recently been appointed State Land Agent in 1839 when hostilities heightened. 

“The nation's only war declared by a state and the nation's only bloodless war. It began in 1837 when New Brunswick officials arrested a Maine state land surveyor who was conducting a census in the northeastern regions of the state which were also claimed by New Brunswick.

Maine citizens were outraged. Because the federal government took no action, the Maine legislature authorized $10,000 for the defense of the disputed territories.  A military road was authorized to aid in the movement of troops from Bangor to Houlton.  Another, later to be known as the Airline, was authorized to link Bangor with Calais, but was never completed. 

An expedition of 200 men led by state land agent Rufus McIntire arrested several Canadians, including the New Brunswick warden of the disputed territories, James McLaughlin.  New Brunswick officials were now upset and arrested several of the Maine volunteers including McIntire.

In 1839 the Maine legislature, furious over the arrest of McIntire, then appropriated $800,000 and raised a militia of 10,000 men to defend the northern territories. Patriotism and flag waving swept the entire state, and other states were promising support. No longer able to ignore the dispute, Congress authorized $10 million and raised a 50,000-man militia to defend Maine's land claims.

The only fighting of this war occurred in a Houlton barroom where both British and American troops were drinking.  When someone offered a toast to Maine's success, a brawl broke out that resulted in several black eyes and bloody noses.

Battle was avoided when Daniel Webster negotiated a peaceful withdrawal and new boundary with Alexander Baring, Lord Ashburton.  The treaty became known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty and established Maine's current northeastern boundary in 1842. "

The four daughters of Rufus, all unmarried, remained in the home caring for their father until his death on April 28, 1866.  He is interred in the Middle Road Cemetery along with his two wives.

Present At Statehood - Porter, Maine

At the time Maine gained statehood, two of the three original settlers were counted in the 1820 census, brothers Meshach and Stephen Libby, along with their families.  Their father John and his wife had died previously, both in 1804.

In an address given by John’s great, great grandson on the fourth of July, 1910 and reprinted in the 7/14/1910 issue of the Ossipee Valley Weekly, Levi Cook gave the locations of the settlers’ original settlements as follows,

In 1792 Meshach sold his original settlement to another early settler, David Moulton, and bought the home of his brother, Stephen, shown as T.C. Libby on the 1875 map of Porter below.  After having disposed of his farm, Stephen bought several tracts of land adjacent to his original lot and established himself on the northern slope of Libby Hill where he and his family resided for many years.  None of these homes exist today.

The census of 1820 recorded only two people in the Meshach Libby household:  One male over 45 (Meshach, aged 70) and one female over 45 (Meshach’s second wife, Hannah Cram Elkins).  Meshach and his first wife, Deborah Ely who died in 1795,  had 6 children, 4 of whom were born before the move to Porter (daughters Sarah, Mary, and Elsy who came with them to Porter and a son, Meshach Jr. who came to Porterfield in 1793 but did not settle permanently).  Two more children were added to the family after their move to Porter, daughters Elizabeth and Eunice.  Elizabeth was the first female child of European descent born within Porter sometime between 1781 and 1786.  She died in childhood and was buried upon the border of her father’s farm.  Meshach died in March 1829 and is interred in a family plot located on what is now known as the Mason Road (the north to south road noted by red arrow above).  Within the cemetery are markers of quarried stone with no inscriptions for Meshach and 10 of his family members, presumably including his wives and some of his children.

 

          Brother Stephen was much more prolific when it came to populating the growing Town of Porter, fathering 19 children in all, 16 of whom grew up to marry and make their own contributions to the census.  Single when he initially came to Porter and built his cabin, Stephen returned to Pittsfield soon thereafter and married Mary Knowles.  Their first child, James, was born in Pittsfield on June 5, 1784.  By April 1786 they had settled in Porter where their second son, Daniel, was the first male child of European descent born in Porter.  Nine more children were born to Stephen and Mary before her death in October of 1816.  They were:

Josiah, born and died 1788;

Mary, born 1789;

Jemima, born 1791;

Stephen Jr, born 1793;

Sally, born 1795;

John, born 1797;

David, born 1799;

Aphia, born 1800; and

Olive, born 1802

 

          In January 1817 Stephen took as his second wife Nancy Mathews who was 25 years his junior.  This union produced a daughter, Lydia, born in 1817.  Nancy died soon thereafter in January of 1818 at age 30.   Two months later Stephen married her sister, Sally, age 25.  Together they had 7 children:

          A son who died in infancy;

         Daniel, born 1821 and named to honor Stephen’s earlier born son, Daniel,  who died in 1818;

          Albion, born 1823;

          Nancy;

          William T., born 1827;

          Thomas, born 1827 and died 1828; and

          Gideon, born 1830.

 

          When the 1820 census was conducted Stephen’s family consisted of 3 males (one 10-15 years old, one 16-25 years old and one 45+ years old) and 4 females (one less than 10, two 16-25 years old and one 26-44 years old).  No doubt the two oldest people are Stephen and Sally and the girls are probably Lydia, Olive and Aphia, but the identity of the two younger males are harder to determine.

 There is no doubt that Stephen was a very industrious man.  He built one of the first mills in the town on the brook about half a mile above the upper Spectacle Pond in 1805 which did a thriving business for many years.  He owned large tracts of timber and took an active part in the construction of the Old Porter Meetinghouse which was, according to the History of Porter by William Teg,  dedicated in 1820, the year of Maine statehood, though not completed until 1824.  Note the location of the “townhouse” relative to the Libby dwellings marked by the black arrow on the 1875 map above.  The west to east road from the townhouse to the residences is now known as Town Pound Road and is only maintained on either end. 

          In his book, Teg relates an “eyewitness” account of Elias Gould (1815-1910) as passed down through the ages to Levi Libby Cook (1866-1939), great great grandson of Stephen, from whom Teg got this story.  

Old Porter Meeting House - photograph by George French, 1953

61 years of age Stephen Libby may have been but he was still in the prime of his life – he had a much younger wife and would still father four more children though already a grandfather.  He would, in fact, live to the age of 92.   He is interred in what is known as the French-Gilman Cemetery located on the Gilman Road (marked with a green arrow on the map above) along with his third wife, Sally Mathews Libby, who died 1866.  Stephen’s first two wives are buried in the Moulton Cemetery on Libby Hill (off Mason Road noted by the yellow arrow on the map above).  The old stone on the left is broken and lies against the rock wall having been replaced by a new stone on the right.

PRESENT AT STATEHOOD – PARSONSFIELD, MAINE

One of those 2,355 residents of Parsonsfield counted in the 1820 census, the year in which Maine gained statehood, was Ichabod Churchill.  Born in Newmarket, NH in 1764 he purchased this farm about 1797 and moved his family to Parsonsfield where he became a prosperous farmer.

He and his first wife, Elizabeth Doe, had six children (Nicholas, Betsey, John, Thomas, Mary and Nancy).  His wife died in 1809 and he married Leah Allen in 1810.  His third son, Thomas, continued on the farm after Ichabod’s death in 1855 and was the owner when this map was drawn.  The arrow shows the location of the T. Churchill home at the top of a hill on what is now called North Road (Route 160).  Though no longer owned by the Churchill family the impressive farm remains today, easily recognized by the large barn.

 

The December 26, 1885 issue of “The Oxford County Record”, a newspaper published at Kezar Falls, has a sketch of “Father Churchill”.  Some 30 years after his death his memory lived on. 

ANECDOTES OF FATHER CHURCHILL

________

            Editor Record:  Your Cornish correspondent asks for reminiscences of Father Churchill.  I send a few which give an idea of the character of the man.

            Ichabod Churchill came to Parsonsfield as early as 1798, and cleared and lived on the farm now owned by his grandson, Nathaniel.  He was a pushing, prosperous farmer, kind and benevolent, and was noted for his peculiar religious opinions and practices.  Believing himself under the special guidance of the Holy Spirit, he obeyed every impulse promptly, without consulting reason.  Yet there was method in his vagaries.

            Being at a Quarterly Meeting he, with several others, was invited out to dinner.  One brother monopolized the time talking of himself and his good deeds.  Suddenly Father Churchill fell upon his knees and cried out:  “O Lord, take away brother G________’s pride and give him as much humility as he has got self-righteousness.

            A rich man was sick unto death, Mr. Churchill visited him and prayed that the good Lord would forgive him without requiring him to restore four-fold what he had wrongfully taken, for said he, “Thou knowest it would make a very poor man of him, and he could not do it.”

            In a neighboring town there was a bitter church quarrel, into which most of the members had been drawn.  A meeting had been called to investigate matters.  That day Mr. Churchill was hoeing in his field.  He threw aside his hoe and without coat, vest, or a word of explanation, started for the place of meeting.  Stopping in the entry he listened a while to the confused clashing of angry tongues within; then bursting the door he screamed:  “Fire! Fire!” “Fire!” “Where?” was the inquiry that came from all.  “Right here,” was his reply.  “This room is full of hell-fire and if you don’t stop this quarrelling you will all be burnt up!”  So saying he turned and left.

                                                                                                                                    H.G.O. Smith

                                                N. Parsonsfield, Dec. 16, ‘85

This rock-strewn view looking north on Churchill Hill toward Porter Village shows the ancestral homestead on the right at the top of the hill.  A portion of the family cemetery where Ichabod is interred can be seen just below the house. 

Perhaps it was this scene which prompted Ichabod’s great, great, great grandson Charles C. Churchill (1927 - 2016) to write his poem “Of Walls and Men”.

The 1901 Maine State Flag

It is Flag Day and todays post is about Maine's first official state flag.  For the first 81 years of its statehood, Maine did not have an official state flag.  The various Maine State Militia each had their own flags and they carried them into the Civil War.  

Perhaps the most famous is the 20th Maine's flag which Joshua Chamberlain fought under.

Finally, in March of 1901, Maine adopted its first flag design. "The State Flag is hereby declared to be buff charged with the emblem of the State, a pine tree proper in the center and the polar star (a mullet of five points), in blue in the upper corner.  The star to be equidistant from the hoist and upper border of the flag, the distance from the two borders to the center of the star equal to about one quarter the hoist.  This distance and size of the star being proportionate to the size of the flag." 

A flag variation.

That sounded pretty precise but flag makers of the time felt free to do their own interpretations, like this one.  The pine tree had been used on earlier flags to represent New England during the Revolution.  The star represents the North Star, which guided many Maine mariners over the centuries.  The North Star also guided many slaves north to freedom.  The Underground Railroad ran through parts of Maine providing a link to Canada.  With Maine gaining its statehood through the infamous Missouri Compromise it seems fitting.  Later, Maine would adopt the slogan "Dirigo", Latin for "I lead".  The star surely did that for hundreds of people but Dirigo might also refer to the fact that at one time Maine was the only state to hold its elections in September, leading the country in voters exercising their civic duty.  In 1957, Maine changed the law moving elections to November.

Only one existing copy of the flag from the 1900s is known to exist today. It is a small silk flag made about 1908 by the A. Kimball Co. of New York, likely made for the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition which was held in 1909. There are three known copies of this flag, one in San Francisco, Maryland, and Maine. 

The original 1901 design.

The current Maine State flag, adopted in 1909, shows the state seal on a blue background, very similar to 26 other state flags.  Some have made an attempt to return to the original state flag but have failed to garner legislative support for the effort.  Now, with Maine's Bicentennial, there is another swelling of support for the original design.  A Portland company is making them and you can order one.  It is a great way to support a Maine business and pay tribute to Maine history.   You can see a video of the company hand sewing the flags at this link, Maine Flag Company.

PPHS Update

Dear Members and Supporters of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society- 

We are living in times which will go down in history. Are you recording your stories of how the Covid-19 Pandemic affected you and your families? Someday our descendants may look back and wonder how we were affected by the virus and how we coped. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned. Please, for history’s sake, consider keeping a journal to share with future historians. I would like to tell you how the pandemic is affecting the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society and how we, the officers of the organization, decided to respond to the virus.

 We had begun plans to focus on Maine’s Bicentennial Celebration. A 200 year-old birthday is a momentous event!  We had plans for programs, a major exhibit, etc. etc. when it all came to a screeching halt this spring with the “STAY AT HOME’ orders from Governor Mills and it seemed the wise thing to do. But still, decisions must be made. And now, as we enter tentative stages of some businesses and organizations re-opening with many precautions and changes in services, we decided it was time to make some decisions about the activities of Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society this summer and so we met on Tuesday, May 26 to discuss our course of action.  Here is what we decided: 

Because we are concerned about the health and safety of all of you, we decided to postpone most of our planned exhibits, open houses, programs, the yard sale, the quilt raffle, etc. until next season with a few possible exceptions. The exceptions that we are considering are to continue our open houses at the Porter Meeting House and the Parsonsfield Old Town House with precautions that include face masks and regulated traffic flow in one door and out the other. We also decked out History House with bunting and Maine’s Bicentennial Flag to commemorate the state’s 200^th birthday.  Check it out!   We also decided to take advantage of the lull in activities at History House to get some much-needed repairs and renovation work done on the building.

We will remain available to respond to questions and queries as best we can. You can email us at pphs@parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org. And we would appreciate everyone renewing their membership and possibly giving a little extra if you can. Dues are $10 per person, $15 per couple, $5 for students under 18.  Checks can be sent to:

Treasurer, Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society, PO Box 250, Parsonsfield, ME 04047.

I thank you for your understanding.

Stay safe.

Lyn Sudlow, President

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society

Parsonsfield and Porter - Young Towns in 1820

In 1820 when Maine gained statehood our towns of Parsonsfield and Porter were still very young towns. The History of Parsonsfield, published in 1888, tells us that on August 5, 1771 Thomas Parsons and his associates were deeded the tract of land now known as Parsonsfield by the heirs of Mrs. Bridgett Phillips, the land being part of that property conveyed to her husband, Major William Phillips by Chief Fluellen of the Sokokis or Saco Indians. As the conveyance to Major Phillips was disputed by the heirs of Francis Small and Major Nicholas Shapleigh who held title to the same land by deed of Captain Sandy, a lesser chief, Parsons also purchased the property from them on December 23, 1774 after having the land surveyed by Joseph Cram of Exeter, New Hampshire. The boundaries then established remain unchanged.
The plan of the township was divided into 12 ranges of 220 lots, the average being 150 acres each and a territory north of the 12th range along the Ossipee river of about ¾ mile wide, called the Gore.

The deed to Parsons required him to settle 12 families from the last day of March following, each with a house eighteen feet square, and three acres of cleared land. He was to settle 40 families within 4 years and in 7 years erect and board a meeting house 30’ x 40’ and have a minister settled. The first settlers of Parsonsfield were:


1771 – Thomas Parsons, Esq. & family, from New Hampshire, settled in the southwest part;

1775 – Eben and John Moore, from Scarborough, settled in the southeast corner;

         – John and Gideon Doe, from New Hampshire, settled in the west, near Province Lake;

1776 – Jere Avery, settled on the western side of Ricker’s Mountain (left in 1806);

1778 – George Kezar, who had hunted here as early as 1766, settled near Mudgett Meadow and on Kezar Mountain;

         – Amos Blazo, from New Hampshire, settled in the northwest corner;

         – Samuel Gilman and John Lougee, from New Hampshire, settle at North Road;

1779 – Samuel Pease (purchased land in 1777 and build a home on South Road before bringing his family in November 1779).

The town bypassed the usual step of organizing as a plantation and petitioned for incorporation which was granted by the state of Massachusetts, March 9 1785.

---------------------------------------------------

          

Porter’s earliest years began ten years later than Parsonsfield’s in 1781 a few weeks after the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, (the final engagement of the Revolution War), when Meshach Libby traveled unaccompanied from Pittsfield, NH to the District of Maine to establish a home for himself and his kin. According to legend as related in the History of Porter by William Teg (1957) Meshach spent his first night near the falls where an Indian foot-bridge spanned the Ossipee River and in the morning made a “moose call” of birch bark which he blew, by some pre-arrangement, to summons none other than George Kezar who three years earlier had settled in Parsonsfield. Meshach and the great hunter/trapper spent several days roaming the pathless forests in search of a suitable place finally settling upon a spot about two miles north of what is now the village of Porter. There, on government land, Meshach decided to stay with a view to obtain title as soon as possible. After working to make a clearing and shelter Meshach returned to Pittsfield in December of that year, returning the following spring of 1782 accompanied by his wife and three of his four children. They were soon thereafter joined by Meshach’s parents, John Libby and wife, and his brother, Stephen. Next came Michael Floyd. These men were the first settlers, and since they had settled in Porter prior to the first day of January, 1784, they were entitled to receive one hundred acres of land each from the government. This right was recognized by Jeremiah Hill and his associates (including Dr. Aaron Porter of Biddeford who was the majority owner with six fifteenth shares of the plantation and for whom the town is named) who purchased the 18,600 acre tract, embodying the present town of Porter and the western section of the town of Brownfield, from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on September 24, 1793. The “settlers deed”, however, to the four settlers was dated June 16, 1792. The arrow on the plan below indicates the approximate northern limits of Porter today.

No additional settlers came until 1787 with the influx of four additional settlers, namely: Benjamin Bickford, Benjamin Bickford Jr., and Samuel Bickford from Rochester NH, and Benjamin Ellenwood from Groton, MA.

The population of Porterfield so-called stood at about 280 people when “an act to incorporate a part of Porterfield into a town by the name of Porter, passed both branches of the Legislature of Massachusetts and was duly signed by Governor Caleb Strong on the 20th day of February, 1807”.

                 ---------------------------------------------------

The 1820 federal census gives us a picture of what our towns of Parsonsfield and Porter, now joined by their shared village of Kezar Falls, looked like at the time Maine became a state. As the images below show Parsonsfield’s population in 1820 had increased to 2355 while Porter’s was still fairly low at 487.

Who were these citizens of Parsonsfield and Porter who were present at statehood? Future blogs will explore some of their stories…

Maine’s First Governor – 1820 Governor William King (1768-1852)

William King was born in Scarborough, Maine February 9, 1768 the son of Captain Richard and Mary (Black) King.  He was among the youngest of eight siblings including a much older half-brother.  His family was one of the most illustrious in Maine at the time.  His father became prosperous supplying lumber to English shipyards in Massachusetts.  By the time William was born his father had lost all his money and died when William was seven years old.  So, William was sent to work at a sawmill to help make a living for his family. 

William’s older half-brother, Rufus, had been sent to Columbia University and made a name for himself in politics.  Because of his father’s early death William did not have the educational advantages of his brothers.  He was largely self-educated by extensive reading and listening to elders.  To the end of his life he could neither spell correctly nor speak grammatically, having no time to master these refinements.  He learned arithmetic and how to save money through necessity.  But he was intelligent, ambitious and had confidence in himself.  At about the age of 21 he decided to leave home and drove his yoke of black steers (his father’s only legacy) on foot forty miles along the coast to Topsham.  There he found a job in a saw mill on the Androscoggin River. Living frugally, he amassed enough cash within six months to own the saw and within a year owned the mill.   He prospered by entrepreneurial spirit delving into a variety of businesses including significant real estate investments and shipbuilding ventures.  

He moved on to Bath where he established one of the first shipyards in Bath and became the largest merchant shipping owner in Maine.  When he became frustrated dealing with Boston banks, he founded and became president of the first bank in Bath.  He acquired stores, warehouses, wharves and ship yards.  In order to fill the holds of his rapidly growing fleet, he bought up huge tracts of land and planted them to potatoes to ship to the West Indies and developed orchards to export fruit to Europe.  His shipping fleet grew, carrying goods farther afield and bringing back goods including cotton from New Orleans. In 1809 he founded the first cotton mill in Brunswick.   

In 1795 he became active in politics and represented Topsham in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1795 and 1799.  When he moved to Bath he represented that town in 1804.  He served in the Massachusetts Senate for Lincoln County 1807 – 1811. 

By age 25 he was financially secure, socially settled and a local civic leader.  At one time he owned the entire township of Kingfield in Franklin country.  His town house in Bath was one of the most elegant in the country, furnished with treasures brought home by his ships from all over the world.  Here he entertained the intellectual, political and social leaders of the new America. By this time he had married Ann Nesbeth Frazier from a well-to-do Boston family.  Through his cultivated wife, he acquired a certain degree of polish, although the cloak of manners never rested very easily on his shoulders.  They had two children, Mary Elizabeth King, born 9/28/1817 and Cyrus William King, born 12/25/1819. 

During his time in Boston serving in the Massachusetts legislature the seeds of distrust were sown which convinced him that Massachusetts would not look out for the best interests of Maine residents.  They looked at the territory of Maine as a source of revenue by extracting its natural resources and their motives were corrupt.  Agitation for secession started as early as 1785 but conflicting loyalties, depending upon one’s financial dependence to Boston and social status, kept Maine divided.  


At the beginning of the War of 1812 Massachusetts made King Major General of the militia, in charge of the Maine district.  He devoted much of his attention to coastal shipping and defenses.  He also led recruiting efforts for the regular army for which he was made a Colonel in the United States Army.  But Massachusetts gave little support to the territory of Maine and the people of Maine were left to fend for themselves in the fight against the British.  The War of 1812 changed the will of Maine people.  After the war, armed with a long list of grievances about the maltreatment of Maine by Massachusetts, William King started touring and agitating for secession and statehood. 

On July 16, 1819 King called a meeting of town officials in Portland where, after four previous unsuccessful attempts, they voted overwhelmingly to petition the United States Senate for statehood and designated William King to become the first governor.   Voters ratified the statehood petition ten days later.  William King then went to Washington at the opening of the 1820 Congressional term to lobby for Maine statehood.  His brother, Rufus, was a United States Senator from New York at the time and ushered his brother around the Capitol and introduced him. 

Meanwhile, the Missouri Territory was causing problems when it failed to win statehood several times because northern Senators feared its admission as a slave state would tilt the federal balance-of-power to the south.   If it did not get ratified as a state by the end of business on March 15, 1820, its petition would expire and Missouri would have to start petitions anew.   Within hours of the deadline, an amended bill to appease both sides was offered called The Missouri Compromise which required that one new free state be admitted for each new slave state admitted.  Senators fast-tracked the Maine petition so that it would be the free state to offset Missouri. 

William King served as governor from March 15, 1820 to May 28, 1821 at which time, President James Monroe named him as a special minister to negotiate a treaty with Spain.  King resigned as governor to take the position of U.S. commissioner.  By 1824 he had successfully negotiated a treaty that kept the U.S. from becoming embroiled in issues surrounding the Mexican struggle for independence.  He returned home and resumed private life.     

He continued as a prominent business man, investor and ship-owner.  Even though he had a very limited education he served for years as a trustee and overseer of Bowdoin College and as a trustee of Colby College. 

William died at home June 17, 1852 and is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Bath.