Article 30

HISTORY OF ELIHU5 BOWERMAN

(Benjamin^4,3, Thomas ^2,1)

by Glenn G. Lukos

The following personal history, was written by Elihu⁵ Bowerman (date unknown), copied by Mrs. M.W. Muier** of Augusta ME on 20 Nov 1903, and recopied by Mrs. Esther E. (Smith) Lukos^A in the 1960's. The copy in my possession is a transcript of a transcript of the original. As a result, errors may have been incorporated by the various transcribers as they attempted to correct what they took to be errors. I, also, have made corrections to Spellings and punctuation where I thought necessary.

I, Elihu Bowerman^B, was born in Falmouth MA in Aug 1757. In 1777 my father died^C leaving nine children (five sons and four daughters)^D. I, being the oldest child, took care of the family until the spring of 1781. I, with my wife and two brothers, Harper^E and Zacheus^F, moved to Kennebec [ME]. When we got to Waterville [ME] I hired a room for my wife^g, where she stayed until fall.

I, with my brothers, went up to North Fairfield, then a wilderness. When we got  there we had neither meat nor bread, nor fish to live upon except what we had to pay for in labor, we had only 25 cents left. Through the summer we worked out two thirds of  the time to pay for food. The rest of  the time we felled trees and prepared to build a log house. When fall came we built a log house, covered it with bark, and had bark for a floor. After we got the house fixed a little, my wife moved up. All the furniture we had could of been hauled on a hand sled at four times.

Through the summer we raised a few potatoes on Remington Hobbs** farm in Vassalborough, and put them in his cellar, where they all froze. About this time we built a chimney in our house. Our provisions were nearly all gone and nothing left to purchase more. I soon met a man in Winslow [ME] who let me have some corn with about 25 pounds of pork, and some smoked herring, which, with the frozen potatoes, was all the provision we had for the winter. We got our corn ground by carrying it 17 miles on our backs. Then got our frozen potatoes home, mixed them with our meal and baked the bread by our fire. This was the best bread we had for 16 months.

Sometime before making maple sweet, we hauled about 700 feet of boards 4 miles on our hand sled. We placed some of them over head and some for floors. We had no nails to nail the floors. We had not a square of glass in the house for 2 years. Our tea was made of box‑berries without sweetening or milk.

In the spring after sugar making we got two cows. They ran in the woods and I often went miles into the woods after them, without shoes on my feet.

We now have plenty of milk, sugar, and butter which added much to our comfort.

January 3, 1783 our first child was born. His name was Alden^H. In the spring of this year we burned a juice of felled trees and planted it with with corn, potatoes, and beans. In the fall of this year we raised a good crop of corn, rye, and wheat, so that we had some to sell. And, while I write these things, I feel very thankful to kind Providence for the many blessings so liberally showered down upon us.

1784 in the winter went back to the west and concluded [illegible] have the property sold and moved to Fairfield [ME]. We sold for $700.00 and divided with my mother^I and nine children.

In the spring we all took passage by water to Kennebec [ME] and then came up to North Fairfield [ME].

When mother first came in siqht of the house she said it looked more like a hovel than a house. My brothers and sisters all settled in this vicinity. One brother^J afterwards moved to New York.

As regards our attending religious meetings^K we had to go on foot to Vassalborough [ME]. Our women have often gone in the morning and back at night a distance of 14 miles and when the water was high in the Kennebec and Sabasticook [Rivers] it was some times bad crossing.

In about 10 years after we came to Fairfield [ME] we had a meeting house set up among us which we held in a log house. At one time I subscribed $6.00 to help build a meeting house and worked out in the hay harvest at 4 shilling a day to get the money.

When we got a meeting house of our own I paid $40.00 towards it. I lived to see eight generations.

FOOTNOTES:

**.   THE EDITOR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THESE NAMES. READERS WHO RECOGNIZE THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE URGED TO SEND THAT DATA TO THE NEWSLETTER FOR FUTURE PUBLICATION.

A.    MOTHER OF THE AUTHOR.

B.    SEE ARTICLE 15, ISSUE 1.

C.    BENJAMIN (4) BOWERMAN, SEE ARTICLE 11, ISSUE 1, NOTE THE DISCREPANCIES IN THE DATES OF DEATH.

D.    ELIHU, HARPER, ZACHEUS, BENJAMIN, SAMUEL, HANNAH, ELIZABETH, ANNA, REST.

E.    HARPER (5) BOWERMAN, SEE ARTICLE 16, ISSUE 1.

F.    ZACHEUS (5) BOWERMAN, SEE ARTICLE 12, ISSUE 1.

g.    ANNEY ALLEN.

H.   SEE FAMILY SHEET IN THIS ISSUE. MY COPY OF THIS HISTORY HAS A FOOTNOTE WHICH STATES "ALDEN WAS MRS. ALMIRA TIBBET'S FATHER."

I.    ELIZABETH GIFFORD.

J.    HARPER BOWERMAN, SEE ARTICLES 2 AND 16 IN ISSUE 1.

K.   SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS).