Teacher essay among treats in Harmony history

Schoolteacher Nettie Collins Rowell Bemis was a romantic at heart. Her 1877 essay about teaching in Harmony concluded with the story of how pupils Mary Dana and Calvin Moss – competitors in the classroom – ended up getting married.

The piece is just one of the treats of the newly published “Harmony, Maine: Celebrating 200 Years.”

In case you don’t know, the Somerset County town first was settled in 1796 by Trustum (or Tristram Hurd), and named Vaughanstown after proprietor Charles Vaughan.

The Harmony Historical Society has been working on the book project since 1995, and Paul Herrick did a great job putting together this 203-page volume of material from many sources.

Among other things, the town rightly is known for the Harmony Free Fair, which my family first attended back in 1963 or so. The event was begun in 1947 by the Patriarch’s Club, one of those volunteer organizations that has done so much for its community over the years.

The early history of the town is covered in “A Sketch of the Town of Harmony from 1803 to 1903,” written by Mrs. Florence Marble. From floods to “1800 and starve to death” to the old artillery company which trained three times a year and held an annual grand muster, it’s all here.

There are pictures of homesteads and people and the train that came through Harmony a century ago. And each small essay tells a lot.

Did you ever hear about the deal the camp owners on the east side of Moose Pond signed with Sebasticook and Moosehead Railroad? In exchange for a right of way, writes George Fricke, the railroad promised “flag stops,” with the train stopping for these residents if they wanted to hop a ride for Hartland or Pittsfield, for example. The concept worked great until the conductor decided the stops were too much of a nuisance and summarily ended the stops until the superintendent corrected him.

You’d be interested, too, in Grace Lommel’s story “The Jewel.” What was it? A snowplow, of course, delivered in the winter of 1946-1947.

Did you ever hear of Arvilla Haynes? In 1930, she was possibly the oldest telephone operator in the country at 83.

And don’t overlook the chronology of the construction of the Honor Roll monument, which recognizes veterans from the Revolutionary War through Granada and the Persian Gulf.

The material on schools, from reminiscences to pictures of classes in 1909 and 1910, is fascinating.

It also was interesting to read about the businesses in town, and about Harmony being the birthplace of Congressman Clyde Smith, whose wife, Margaret Chase Smith, went on to serve in the House and the Senate. There are short pieces, too, about families such as the Downses, Chadbournes and Folsoms.

If you’d like your own copy of this history, send along $20 plus $3.33 shipping and handling to Harmony Historical Society, Box 33, Harmony, ME 04942.

Phil Getchell tells me that his genealogy class through Bangor Adult Education has been canceled because not enough people signed up. The next seven-week course will be offered in the fall, so make a note of that if you’re interested. Six of the seven classes are held at Bangor Public Library.

3211. KIRKLAND-ELDEN-WARMAN-CARVELL-JIPSON-TREADWELL. Searching for info on Rev. Charles Kirkland, b. 1841 or 1843, drowned April 15, 1912, on the Titanic. Md. 1) Rachel Peters Warman, b. 1845, d. April 24, 1896; md. 2) Nellie I. Wheeler Carvell, b. 1845, d. (?). Charles and Rachel had nine children, three of whom, Grace M., George H. and Pearl A., died as children and are buried in Mattawamkeag with their mother, Rachel Kirkland. Six surviving children: Alma, 1864-1934, md. Winslow Jipson, both buried LaGrange; Henry, 1866-1950, md. Hattie E. Henry, d. Westport, Conn.; Myrtle, 1870-1943, md. Albert E. Treadwell, 1859-1936, both buried Hillcrest Cemetery, LaGrange; Maude L. (Lizzie), 1874-1946, md. Nathan Elden, 1864-1928, both buried Williams Cemetery, Bradford; Algie L., 1882-1930, md. Nellie L. Gray, d. 1966, both buried Mt. Hope Cemetery, Bangor. Would like to hear from Jipson, Kirkland, Treadwell, Elden descendants. Also seeking info on Rev. William Kirkland, b. New Brunswick, d. May 7, 1915, aboard Lusitania. William and Charles, apparently Free Will Baptist ministers in Maine, were brothers of my great-grandmother, Emma Kirkland Withrow Richardson. Fred L. Long, 60 Woodfield Drive, Grafton, New Brunswick E7N 1PN; telephone (506) 325-2729.

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