Currier, Micajah – d. 1818

Micajah Currier was a merchant. His store may have been situated in the building known in the 19 th century as the Brown Store. It is still standing in Central Square at 12 Portland Street where the Portland Street Grill is located today. Currier's sister Deborah married William Burleigh, who became the first Congressman from this district.

In March, 1817, Micajah Currier, in writing his will, bequeathed that his executors “purchase a good bell of size and weight” to be inscribed with Currier's name, and erect it for the use of South Berwick's residents, provided they furnish a building within two years of his death to hand in which to hang it.

This bell has not been found, but Currier had another important legacy. His will provides funds for the creation of a new burying ground “for the inhabitants of Berwick and South Berwick,” and Currier's tomb was the first to be placed there in 1818. This was how the Portland Street Cemetery began. It was named Portland Street, as Agamenticus Road would have been a country lane without a name during that time period.

Jewett, Dearborn (1766-1854) d. age 88 years

Dearborn was the patriarch of the Jewett Family. He moved to South Berwick from Rochester, New Hampshire. . The Jewett's became one of South Berwick's most prominent and wealthiest families.

Dearborn and his wife Mary (d. 1837) had three sons:

Capt. Theodore F. Jewett Thomas Jewett Benjamin Jewett

Jewett, Capt. Theodore F. (1787-1860) d. age 72

Captain Theodore F. Jewett (Sarah Orne Jewett's grandfather).

As a young boy, Theodore Jewett ran away from an apprenticeship to sail on a whaling ship in the Pacific and was left, with two companions, for almost a year on an uninhabited island to guard ship stores and hunt seals. At twenty-four, as a ship's captain, he defied the Act of 1809 against shipping to English and French ports and was captured by an English privateer and confined in the infamous Dartmoor prison. After the War of 1812 ended, he settled in South Berwick, became a ship owner and a merchant and married four times. His partner in the shipping industry was his brother Thomas and the ships they built sailed all over the world. One of his sons was lost at sea on the ship Berwick. Another son, Henry, died of tuberculosis. Capt. Jewett keenly felt the loss of his two sons. Dr. Theodore & William Jewett were left to carry on the family name

Capt. Jewett's first wife was Sarah Orne (1791-1819) d. age 28. She was the first of four Sarah Orne Jewetts. (She is likely buried in Portsmouth, N.H. where the family was living at the time.) Sarah Orne Jewett, the author, found letters in the attic that indicated there was a brief romance between “Sally” and a Frenchman who had sailed into Portsmouth on a captured French Ship during the French & Indian Wars. There was a note that begged the “charming Sally” to think of “poor Ribere” who would never forget her. Presumably, he sailed home when he was freed at wars' end. There were also love letters from Capt. Theodore that he had written while at sea. Sarah Orne Jewett was said to have been captivated by her “romantic” grandmother and perhaps seemed to most identify with her even though she had died years before her birth.

His second wife was Olive Jewett (1790-1826) who died at the age of 36 years. Her son was the lost sea captain, Samuel.

The third wife was Mary Rice Jewett (1785-1854) who died at the age of 69. Sarah Orne Jewett described this step-grandmother as a “proud & solemn woman” and found her to be stern and intimidating.

The fourth wife was Eliza Jewett (1793-1870), who died at the age of 77. Capt. Theodore was 69 years of age when he married her. Sarah Orne Jewett had a closer relationship with Eliza than with her predecessor. Sarah would visit her to receive treats of fresh baked cookies and enjoyed her grandmother's stories.

William Jewett (1813-1887) was the brother of Dr. Theodore Jewett and was Sarah Orne's uncle. He ran the family store known as the West Indies Store. Eventually, he left the store and dabbled in banking & real estate in addition to managing a drugstore. In 1855, William married Augusta. Sarah Orne Jewett became very attached to her lively new aunt but sadly she died in 1857.

Jewett, Capt. Samuel (1823-1846) d. age 23

Capt. Samuel W. Jewett was the son of Theodore & Olive Jewett. He was lost in the ship Berwick east of Capt of Good Hope, in 1846. It was thought that the Berwick had been run down during the night by a Danish ship. All hands on board perished.

Ferguson, Timothy (1788-1839)

Timothy Ferguson was a shipping merchant who partnered in the firm of Ferguson & Leigh. With partner Isaac P. Yeaton, he also built a woolen mill in 1837. This mill burned down in 1843 or 1844.

Timothy Ferguson was a member of the generation of prosperous merchants & ship builders who called themselves “The River Society” and saw South Berwick grow during the period before the War of 1812. He and his wife were considered to be people of refinement and culture and entertained at their beautiful home with elegance and hospitality.

This is a description from Quamphegan Landing that vividly portrays this:

“Mr. Ferguson built and owned a home on the road to the Landing, which was noted as one of the most hospitable homes in the village. With its wide hall, large rooms, and dancing hall in the top story it was a favorite place for all the young people of the region, and the fine garden was noted for its well-kept borders and delicious fruits.”

Mr. Ferguson and Captain Theodore Jewett built several vessels of fair size to use for carrying away the freights from this region. Although they made their fortune in the shipping trade, it was a dangerous venture. One ship, called the Marion, sailed to Europe, the West Indies and the South and was wrecked off Key West in 1843. Another was called the “Olive & Eliza” and ran aground in 1846 in Dry Tortugas after sailing throughout the Atlantic to the Far East.

This was written of Timothy Ferguson on his death:

“He was an active and enterprising merchant, one of the first movers of the various manufacturing establishments of the place and a liberal supporter of religion and education. His death to us, the cause of so much sorrow, has, we trust, removed him to a more exalted sphere of action beyond the grave.”

Jenkins, Jedediah (1767-1852) & Jerusha Parks Jenkins (1763-1855)

Jedediah Jenkins was married to Jerusha Parks. Her brothers owned the Parks Store on Main Street. It is believed that Jenkins' occupation was that of a cider distiller as there is prominent mention of his orchards in documents. His property included a garden and a “very superior orchard,” as well as 5 3/4 acres of fields. After their deaths, the house passed to Jerusha's brother, Samuel Parks, as there were no surviving children.

(See Samuel Parks) Their home still stands today on Portland Street.

Cushing, John – (1743-1822)

Born January 23, 1743, he was a native of Scituate, Mass., and was a merchant in Boston. He served as a Colonel in the 2nd Plymouth County Regiment during the Revolutionary War. He died in South Berwick in 1822.

Madame Olive Wallingford Cushing – (1758 –1853) d. age 95

Mrs. Cushing lived in the "Madame Cushing House" (now site of Central School). Her brother, Samuel Wallingford, was killed in a naval battle during the Revolutionary War while acting as Lieutenant of Marines on the “Ranger”, commanded by John Paul Jones. Sarah Orne Jewett used him as the inspiration for her character “Roger Wallingford” in her famous novel, “The Tory Lover”.

Madame Cushing had a fascinating history. Mrs. Cushing resided in Boston during the whole period of the Revolution, and for a number of years afterwards. Her personal reminiscences of those stirring times were most interesting. She saw the wounded British officers and men carried by her house in carts during the progress of the battle of Bunker Hill, and particularly noticed one young officer whose uniform was deeply stained with his blood. During the night when the city was evacuated by the English Garrison, she was aroused by the rumble of the artillery and baggage wagons, “and the measured tread of the grenadiers marching down to their boats on the shore.” Opening an upper window, she called out “What's the matter?” The reply came up from the street in a laughing voice “The Yankees are after us.”

“During the commencement of the siege, when the city was being bombarded by the American batteries on Dorchester Heights, a cannon ball passed through an out-house of her residence and, its force being spent, lodged in the ground in the back yard. This ball Mrs. Cushing brought to South Berwick when she moved here, and is a perfectly authentic relic of the Revolution.” Unfortunately, we no longer know where this cannon ball is located.

During the visit of General Lafayette to this country in 1824, he passed through South Berwick on his way from Boston to Portland. He was met at the Landing Bridge (the State Line) by government officials of Maine, together with a reception committee of the leading citizens, and a general parade of the townspeople and school children. Having remembered meeting her in Boston, the General made a personal visit to Madame Cushing who served him current wine and a frosted plum cake.

Madam Cushing's son-in-law was *Hiram Hayes Hobbs ( 1802-1884) , born in North Berwick, the son of Col. Nathaniel Hobbs, who kept the tavern in that village. Mr. Hobbes was a prominent judge, school committee member and Berwick Academy trustee. He was also the defense attorney in South Berwick's 1854 murder case against William B. Smith, who was accused of murdering a drifter on Butler's Hill behind Berwick Academy. His wife, Mary very likely met Gen. Lafayette during his visit.

Their son, Charles C. Hobbs wrote an essay in 1902, which gave us a vivid portrait of the history of the Cushing-Hobbes family.

Cogswell, Northend (1762-1837) & Elizabeth (1774-1828)

Northend Cogswell was a merchant born in 1762 in Rowley, Massachusetts. He was the son of Dr. Nathaniel Cogswell and Sarah Northend. He served in a company from Rowley during the Revolutionary War. Thought to have been a merchant, Cogswell is known to have invested in a Portsmouth privateer ship, Ranger , during the War of 1812.

In 1794 he married Elizabeth Lambert, sister of William Lambert who lived nearby. The Lamberts were also from Rowley and like the Cogswells moved to South Berwick in or just before 1800. Both homes are still standing today on Portland Street. The Cogswells had at least seven children, all born here.

Among the Cogswell children who grew up here was the Hon. Charles Northend Cogswell (1797-1843). He was one of the earliest Berwick Academy graduates and an 1814 Bowdoin College graduate. He became an attorney and law partner of Judge William Allen Hayes and served as Maine state senator and representative in the 1830s and 1840s.

Another son, William Lambert Cogswell, moved to New York City according to Berwick Academy records, and is said to have been associated with Astor Library. In 1864 he started a trust fund to award prizes for the top students at Berwick Academy. Cogswell prizes are awarded to this day.

Oakes, Abner (1820-1899)

Abner Oakes was an attorney and judge who was active in local politics and presided over a spectacular local murder case.

Abner Oakes was born in Sangerville, Maine, on April 13, 1820, the grandson of a Baptist minister. His father, William Oakes, Jr., was a poor farmer who raised six boys and a girl. Abner was the eldest. Unlike most Maine parents struggling in the early 19th century, William Oakes managed to propel at least three of his sons to college. All three graduates -- became attorneys.

Toward the end of the year 1849, Abner and his brother, both in their 20s, briefly contemplated going to California during the gold rush. Abner received a letter from his younger brother, Albion, who had just graduated from Waterville College which included this statement:

“Dear Brother,

“... Your object and mine in studying and practicing law is to make money -- to get rich -- to demand an influence -- and to live easy. But, it will require years of hard study, deprivation, hard labor, troubled conscience and aching heads before we can expect even to possess a competency. If we practice law our life will be one of continued strife and litigation... If in five years from now we should have obtained our profession and become sufficiently established to pay our expenses, we shall do well -- a pleasing prospect. But should we pack up and go where money is to be had, we shall stand as good a chance of becoming rich and successful than if we staid at home and practiced law.”

“I don't know of any one that would stand a better chance in making money there than we should, for we are both young bloods strong and rugged ... we should go with the determination to … work hard, watch the chances and be ready to take the advantage of any thing. In a word we are both Yankees.”

Instead of going west, however, Abner Oakes completed his legal studies, passing the bar exam in 1851.

Abner and Susan Marcia Bennett (a young teacher) were married on October 16, 1853. They spent their honeymoon at the New York Crystal Palace Exhibition. On their return she saw South Berwick for the first time. “It is a very pretty village about five times larger than I supposed,” she wrote her parents.

Oakes also served as both town tax collector and town treasurer and in 1893 he represented South Berwick for a term in the state legislature.

Woodbury, Marcia (1865-1913)

Marcia Oakes Woodbury was one of Abner's children. She went to Berwick Academy and became an art teacher. Always a very creative artist, she traveled to Europe and is known for illustrating Sarah Orne Jewett's Deephaven in 1893. With her husband, famous painter Charles Woodbury, she had a studio in Ogunquit and founded an art colony there.

Trafton, Dr. Charles (1787-1855)

Dr. Charles Trafton & his son (also named Charles) were well-respected physicians in South Berwick.

Dr. Charles Trafton was born in Georgetown, MA, according to the 1880 History of York County, and was trained in Boston, completing his medical studies in 1811 . After practicing medicine in North Berwick for a few years, he came to South Berwick in 1817. He had an extensive practice and was admired by the South Berwick people for his “sterling qualities.”

Dr. Trafton was very active in the Baptist Church, which like the Methodists was strictly against the use of “spirits.” Maine eventually passed a Prohibition Law against the use of alcohol. However, a physician was free to prescribe spirits for “medicinal” purposes.

George Washington Frosst, who grew up at the Landing in the 1830s and 1840s, recalled that Dr. Trafton “manufactured a most excellent medicine for all the diseases that mortal man ever dreamed. It was called Trafton's Buckthorne Syrup.” This heavily alcohol laced medicine played an indirect role in the violence that occurred during the Temperance movement.

One of his neighbors, Benjamin Stillings, produced and sold liquor from his basement shop. It was his livelihood and was his way of supporting his family. When Prohibition was established, Stillings was incensed that he would be put out of business while his neighbor, Dr. Trafton, was allowed to continue to sell his “medicine. This frustration eventually led to a string of arson attacks around South Berwick that terrorized the town until the culprits were caught.

Parks, Samuel (1784-1865)

The Parks family came to South Berwick from Dorchester, Massachusetts. They may have left that area to escape the turmoil of the American Revolution and to avoid the long arm of the Committee on Safety, which was enlisting young males for military service.

Two of the children, Samuel and Thomas, were energetic entrepreneurs. The two brothers operated the Park's Store, the town's first home delivery service where they were the first to send out wagons to deliver goods to houses. A brother-in-law, Job Harris, was also involved in the business. This store was located in what is now Memories Restaurant.

In 1827 Samuel Parks and Marianne Cutts (1796-1875) of Berwick were married.

Over the years, maps show the Parks brothers connected with property located all over town. Among this property was the William Lambert House on Portland Street, which they sold to Rev. Ebenezer Boyd. The Parks siblings were very involved in the early Baptist meetinghouse that stood on the corner where the monument is located today. As Rev. Boyd was a minister in this church, it was a likely event that they would sell him one of their properties.

According to the 1880 History of York County , Samuel was one of two members making up the building committee, who “used their own property so freely as to embarrass themselves.”

By 1856, however, Thomas had taken over his brother and partner's affairs because Samuel, age 72, had been found insane by the York County Court of Probate. On the morning of April 28, 1856, an auction was held for all of Samuel Parks' properties in South Berwick, in order to raise over $5000 to meet his debts. A handbill described the properties to be sold, among them “the well known large and commodious store … called the Parks store and the property of Jedediah & Jerusha Jenkins which included their house and the acres of wonderful orchards that had been so important to Jedediah.

Thomas Boylston Parks died in 1861 and Samuel Parks in 1865, followed by Samuel's son, Edward C. Parks, in 1872. And so it came to pass that the family that started with such promise was gone from South Berwick in too brief a time, as remaining members either died or moved away.

Stackpole, Alonzo (1830-1880)

Alonzo Stackpole operated a store on Main Street located in what is now known as Memories Restaurant. In 1870, Stackpole & Co. was a grocery and dry good business that offered “Groceries, Dry Goods, Crockery, etc.” An advertisement in the Cornucopia of 1871 invited the public to gi ve them a call. The ad claimed “They offer as good an assortment as can be found in this vicinity and sell cheap for Cash or Country Produce.”

NASON FAMILY:

Bartholomew Nason (1757-1822)

Bartholomew was a merchant who brought his family here from Boston when Portland Street was coming into its own as part of the Boston to Portland Turnpike. He recognized the great commercial location on the current site of the Odd Fellows Building and opened a store with his son Benjamin. When South Berwick was incorporated as a separate town in 1814, Bartholomew served on the committee and was made a town official.

Benjamin Nason (1788-1875)

When young Benjamin Nason grew up, he continued his father's business and operated the Nason store at the Corner for 50 years. He may have built the Odd Fellows Building in 1845.

His interests seemed to range far and wide. According to records of 1880, Nason built a sawmill, engaged in lumbering, and owned interest in ships sailing out of Portsmouth.

Benjamin Nason married Olivia Hubbard (1794-1885), daughter of lawyer Dudley Hubbard. As many other families in South Berwick experienced, they lost two of their sons in the Civil War, Augustus killed in the battle of the Wilderness in 1864, and Charles in the naval service.

Dudley Hubbard (1816-1864), named after Olivia's father, died at the age of 48. Benjamin Jr. (1819-1858) is said to have died in San Francisco, California at the age of 39 and was interred here in 1859. Thus Benjamin and Olivia outlived many of their children.

Benjamin Nason became a bank president and retained possession of his store right thru to his death in 1875. Such stores have anchored commercial life and Portland Street for generations.

Burleigh, Hon. John (1822-1879)

John H. Burleigh attended Berwick Academy and went to sea as a deck hand at the age of 16. He sailed several times around the world and was promoted through the ranks until he became a captain of his own ship. He survived a hurricane off Bermuda, and was later ship wrecked off the Orkney Islands. On Capt. Burleigh's return, he invested in the woolen mills and by 1860 the product of Burleigh's Newichawannock Wollen Mills was valued at about $300,000 per year. This continued in operation for many years.

Like his father, Capt. Burleigh went into politics. He represented South Berwick in the state legislatures and was a Maine delegate at large at the Republican convention that nominated Lincoln and Johnson in 1864.

He died in 1879 after coming home from Rollinsford in a carriage accident on the bridge at Salmon Falls.

Nealley, John B. (1810-1886)

John B. Nealley was a member of a family of entrepreneurs in the 1830s and 1840s who had a great talent for thrift and a business ability. They were very involved in the Portsmouth Manufacturing Co. and in various business enterprises around town and especially the Landing.

John married Mary Elizabeth Jewett who was the daughter of shipping merchant Thomas Jewett. It was said that John was well versed in cotton manufacture. Nealley opened a law practice in South Berwick about five years after his marriage, in 1845. That same year he joined his neighbors and other members of the Jewett family to found the local chapter of the Odd Fellows fraternal organization and construct the Odd Fellows Block.

Among the occupations listed for Nealley in the records of that time were justice of the peace, owner of a “country store”, property owner, and Maine State Senator in 1870 and 1871.

Jewett, Thomas (1789-1864)

Thomas Jewett (1790-1860) was Sarah Orne Jewett's great uncle. He was brother and business partner of Capt. Theodore F. Jewett, helping to lead their successful shipbuilding and commercial enterprises at Pipe Stave Landing on the river near the Hamilton House, as well as their store on Main Street. His wife was Betsey Lord Jewett, a sea captain's daughter from Rollinsford, NH. The Jewetts raised seven children here. Daughter, Mary Elizabeth, married John B. Nealley. In 1860, when Thomas Jewett was the last remaining Jewett brother in his generation, he was said to be the wealthiest man in South Berwick.

Although Thomas Jewett seems never to have gone away to sea, he was immersed in the business of trading, as well as investing in property in the South Berwick area. The Jewett brothers operated a West Indies trade goods store in the village (located in the building that is now Lily's Pride). Some of the goods handled in the recorded inventories included lists of satins, velvets, silver, china and glass from England sent for before the Revolution. Great bins of coarse salt, corn, salt fish, and pins were also listed as well as neckties, great crowned beaver hats, writing paper, quill pens, hardware, medicines and more.

Jewett, Elisha (1816-1883) son of Benjamin Jewett

Elisha Jewett is mentioned in a late 19th century newspaper article as having been a lumber contractor on the USS Constitution when it was repaired at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Along with other members of the Jewett family, he was a founding member of the local Odd Fellows chapter in 1845. During 1864-65, he represented South Berwick in the Maine Senate . He married his cousin, Sarah “Sally” Orne Jewett.

Jewett, Sarah “Sally” Orne (1820-1864) daughter of Thomas Jewett

This was the second of the four Sarah Orne Jewetts and was named after the wife of Capt. Theodore F. Jewett.who died the year before this Sarah was born. Sally married her cousin, Elisha, and in 1864, she passed away a few months after having given birth to a daughter that they also named Sarah Orne Jewett (in addition to the famous author). The mother-less infant herself died 10 months later and is buried near her mother.

Her death, and that of her child, is said to have had a deep affect on the young aspiring author, Sarah, who would have only been a teenager when the family tragedy occurred.

Nealley, Andrew (1815-1887)

Andrew Nealley was a member of the Nealley Family and brother to John Nealley. Andrew J. Nealley's store was located on the west side of street opposite Park Street on Main near Garland Street. He married Lydia Hodson in 1841.

Nealley, Eben (1807-1888)

Eben Nealley, yet another Nealley brother, was a tavern keeper of the Quamphegan Hotel, which still stands today on the corner of Main and Park Streets. His wife's name was Hannah.

It was a popular Hotel during the era of the Portsmouth Mfg. Co. at the Landing.

Sarah Orne Jewett (1849-1909)

Born in South Berwick in 1849, Sarah went on to become a celebrated author who is known for her books such as The Country of the Pointed Firs , Deephaven and The Tory Lover. Many of her writings and stories describe the character of the Maine countryside and seacoast with accuracy and affection and show a deep love of her local roots. She began her career as a teenager and her writings were very much affected by the local events and history. Many of the residents of South Berwick were the inspiration for the characters in her stories and books.

Sarah is remembered as being modern and independent and was an early champion of conservation and ecology with her love of nature and her beloved forests. She developed friendships with famous writers such as John Greenleaf Whittier, Celia Thaxter, Henry James and Rudyard Kipling. By the time she died in 1909, she had become an author with an international reputation and is still widely read today.

Jewett, Dr. Theodore H. (1815-1878)

Dr. Theodore Jewett was the father of Sarah Orne Jewett. He was perhaps the biggest influence on Sarah's life. In his early days, Dr. Jewett practiced medicine in Exeter with Dr. William Perry, who was an eminent physician, surgeon and community leader.

Dr. Perry also became his father-in-law, as Theodore fell in love with and married Caroline Francs Perry. Their first daughter was Mary Rice Jewett.

In South Berwick, Dr. Jewett became a very successful and highly regarded physician. He was loved for his kind heart and had a practice that took him for many carriage rides into the country, usually with young Sarah at his side. This dedication of “Country By-Ways” written to her father perhaps best illustrates the close relationship between Sarah and her father:

“To T.H.S., my dear father; my friend; the best and wisest man I ever knew; who taught me many lessons and showed me many things as we went together along the country by-ways.”

Caroline Frances Perry Jewett (1820-1891) was the wife of Dr. Theodore Jewett. Together they had three daughters. She is described as being a gracious hostess, ran a smooth household and taught her daughters impeccable Victorian manners. Two of their daughters went on to become authors.

Jewett, Mary Rice (1847-1930)

Mary Rice Jewett was the older sister of Sarah Orne Jewett. She was a published author in her own right and was the author of “South Berwick Village and the Fire of 1870”. She is remembered as being a warm and outgoing person and was generally involved in people's lives. Sarah and Mary, who lived in the Jewett House caring for their mother after the death of their father, were very close and whenever they were separated, they kept in close touch through daily letters.

Sarah is said to have expressed great appreciation of Mary's efficient management of family business affairs and dedicated “A White Heron and Other Stories” to “My Dear Sister Mary”. After Sarah's death, Mary became more and more of the Grande Dame of South Berwick. She was very involved in the affairs of the village and spent time working with a wide variety of causes and organizations that endeared her to the residents.

Eastman Family:

Caroline Jewett Eastman , the third daughter and her husband and son are also buried in this family plot. It was written that Sarah Orne Jewett had a very close and loving relationship with her younger sister. “Carrie” made her own special place in the village. She was deeply compassionate and showered gifts of food, flowers, books, fuel, and money on the ill and needy and paid them cheerful, sympathetic visits.

In November of 1878, she married a South Berwick druggist, Ned (Edwin) Eastman who was described as a handsome and popular young man-about-town. The next year they had a son who they named Theodore after Dr. Jewett, but his nickname was “Stubby”.

Stubby went on to become a well-known physician in Boston and was on the staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital. He died in 1931.

Hanson Family

Nicholas (1789-1865)

Nicholas, Jr. (1831-1904), Ebenezer (1825-1905)

Ebenezer and Nicholas Hanson, Jr. operated a pharmacy business as early as the 1850's and Ebenezer was also listed as an “ink manufacturer”. The Hanson home was located where Becker Antiques sits today. There are photos that show the Great Falls and South Berwick Railroad Branch brought huge trains very close to the house. The Hanson drugstore was destroyed by the fire of 1870, but Nicholas Jr. reestablished the business in the new Business Block in 1871. A Hanson furniture store also existed at one time.

Ferguson, Dennis – (1815-1900) Age 85

In 1852, Dennis Ferguson purchased the Lambert House and the house and property across the street. It was on this property that he set up a tannery. It is possible that the Cummings Shoe Factory may have relocated from Sanford to South Berwick due to the close proximity of the tannery to their shop on Norton Street making the materials needed for production easy to obtain.

Dennis was considered to be a prosperous businessman. . It is noted in South Berwick Village by Mary Rice Jewett that at a later time he became “the postmaster for So. Berwick and that his daughter, Mattie was the efficient clerk.”

Dennis Ferguson and his wife Mary had eight children. Sarah, the oldest, born in 1848 and her sisters Susan & Martha Ferguson could easily have been acquaintances of Sarah Orne Jewett.

It is a sad and all too common sign of the times that many of the children died at a very early age as happened with many of the other families of that era. Some have very touching engravings on the tombstones.

Nealley, George (1819-1910)

George Nealley is yet one more member of the enterprising Nealley Family. George's occupation was that of merchant.

Cheney, William Gooch (1836-1895)

Capt. Gooch Cheney was one of scores of river men who operated the flat riverboats that came to be called Gundalows. Tippecanoe is thought to have been the name of one of his gundalows; another was called Hard Chance .

In 1858 he married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sargent. Cheney worked as a laborer, according to census records of 1860, and was quite poor, with a personal estate valued at $50.

After the Civil War, he is said to have acquired the ownership of a shingle mill at Yeaton's Mills. Wood shingles were a product not just made by water power but also he carried them to market by water on Gundalows. Census records of 1870 valued Cheney's estate at $1600. The family now had three children.

By 1880, when Gooch Cheney was 44, the census lists him as a “boatman”. It was now that he is known to have officially become a Gundalow owner and operator. Cheney's son Jotham, now in his 20s, had become a boatman too.

Cheney eventually owned a large retail coal business, supplied by river Gundalows. He is also said to have owned considerable real estate in town, owned several race horses and thus may have been rather a rich man when he died in 1895.

There is this amusing story about Capt. Cheney:

One day, after reaching Portsmouth at the end of a Gundalow voyage, Capt. Cheney announced to his son and the crew “We've got potatoes and salt pork for supper. Cook it up on the shipmate stove.” Which they did! But when it was time to eat, Capt Cheney was nowhere to be seen. He came back aboard late at night, climbed into his bunk and went to sleep.

Next voyage to Portsmouth, Capt. Cheney announced “We've got potatoes and salt pork for supper. Cook it up on the shipmate stove.” But once again he wandered off toward town and came back very late without eating.

Some time later, the Gundalow docked in Portsmouth again. “We've got potatoes and salt pork for supper. Cook it up on the shipmate stove.” He announced. This time they followed him into town and found him dining in one of the finest restaurants, leaving the salt pork and potatoes for the others. It was very likely the last time he dined alone, without his crew, when the ship sailed into Portsmouth.

South Berwick Historic Cemeteries
South Berwick Village Tours
Old Berwick Historical Society Homepage