Note opens door to life of Boutelle

The piece of stationery itself is small, a little less than 5 by 8 inches. The simple typeface at the top, in blue, proclaims “House of Representatives U.S., Washington, D.C.”

The very brief letter, in sweeping letters of the black ink from a fountain pen, states:

My dear Madam:

I am heartily in favor of increasing the rates for widows and dependent minor children and think it will be effected this session.

Yours truly

C.A. Boutelle

U.S. Rep. Charles Addison Boutelle of Bangor wrote the note on March 29, 1884, to a Mrs. Mary Clark in South Dover, Maine.

How it came to be in John Atwood’s family, he’s not sure. His dad, the late Paul Atwood of Brewer, did have family up Greenville way, but that doesn’t seem to be the connection.

The letter would seem to relate to widows and children of Civil War veterans, a cause which would surely be close to Boutelle’s heart.

Born Feb. 9, 1839, in Damariscotta, he became a shipmaster and served in the U.S. Navy in the Civil War.

According to “Biographical Directory of the United States Congress,” online at http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay, Boutelle took part in the capture of Mobile, Ala., and in receiving the surrender of the Confederate fleet.

Back in Bangor, he managed and then purchased the Whig and Courier in 1874, and served in Congress from 1883 to 1901, resigning but two months before his death on May 21.

Where might we find information on Boutelle, now dead more than a century?

His parentage, Charles and Lucy A. (Curtis) Boutelle, pops right up on www.familysearch.org, the International Genealogical Index posted by the Mormons, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Further information can be found on the Web page “A Salute to the Navy and All the Ships at Sea” by the Maine State Archives, www.state.me.us/sos/arc/archives/military/civilwar.

Boutelle once lived in the Samuel Smith House at 157 Broadway, a building designed by architect Charles G. Bryant. A picture of the house can be found in “Bangor, Maine 1769-1914: An Architectural History” by Deborah Thompson. The author also explains that Boutelle worked to get Congress to pay half the cost of repairing the Kenduskeag Stream Bridge after flooding.

I’d also try the Families and Individuals index in the big wooden file cabinets at the back of the Bangor Room at Bangor Public Library. I’ve used this resource, which indexes the Bangor Daily News and the Bangor Commercial for area people back into the early 1900s.

In addition, I’d recommend city directories for Bangor, and the countless Civil War resources, both in print and on the Internet.

Of course there are more, but this gives you an idea of how much information is available on people of long ago, especially the prominent ones.

John Atwood has graciously allowed Family Ties to pass on this letter to the Bangor Museum and Center for History, which we will do. A copy also will be given to the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society.

The 68th annual Robert Dunbar Family Association Reunion will begin at 10 a.m. Aug. 11 at Stony Brook State Park, Dansville, N.Y. The park and pavilion are accessible to the handicapped. Bring your favorite dish for the potluck lunch, as well as eating utensils, family information to share, photos, stories, milestones, memorabilia. For information, contact Onalee Duthee, Box 301, 6918 Hutchinson St., Pavilion, NY 14525; (716) 584-3902.

3191. ROBBINS-HILDRETH. Seeking info on Frederick Hildreth Robbins, listed as born in NH according to 1892 death certificate of his son, William. Believe FH Robbins, also known as Hildreth Robbins, was one of first settlers of Wilton and was in War of 1812. Who were his wife and children? Believe father John Robbins was md. to Sarah Hildreth, and they came from Chelmsford, Mass., to Dunstable, NH, to Farmington, Maine. Susan B. Goodwin, 1000 Ferry St., Marshfield, Mass. 02050; e-mail DGoo249076@aol.com.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail familyti@bangordailynews.net.