Early Vital Records of Saco and Biddeford

Source: "Early Vital Records of Saco and Biddeford, Me.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 71 (Boston, Mass.: NEHGS, 1917).

[p. 123]

EARLY VITAL RECORDS OF SACO AND BIDDEFORD, ME.
Communicated by Edgar Yates, A.B., of Boston, Mass.

Ancient Saco lay "to the Eastward," at the mouth of the Saco River. A party commanded by Richard Vines, who acted under the direction of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, spent the winter of 1616-17 at the mouth of the river, but the settlement was discontinued after it had served its main purpose of demonstrating that Englishmen could live through a New England winter.* Thirteen years later Vines and John Oldham received from the Council of Plymouth a grant of land on the west side of the Saco River, extending four miles along the coast and eight miles inland. Another patent conveyed a tract of the same extent on the east side of the river to Thomas Lewis and Richard Bonython. On 5 July 1653 sixteen leading inhabitants of Saco, as the region included in these two patents was called, signed an act of submission to the Massachusetts government, and the town of Saco was incorporated, its written records beginning on 12 July of the same year.

With the beginning of the Indian troubles in 1688 the town was practically abandoned, and for nearly thirty years no records of meetings for the transaction of town affairs are found. Then the records of the General Court show that on 14 Nov. 1718 the inhabitants there were "invested with the powers of a town according to the ancient bounds thereof," and it was provided "that the name thereof be Biddeford." In 1752 that part of the town of Biddeford lying east of the Saco River was set off as a separate parish, which in June 1762 was incorporated as the town of Pepperrellborough. On 23 Feb. 1805 the name of Pepperrellborough was changed to Saco.

There appear in the earliest part of the first town book, among the records for the period 1653-1688, the names of these persons, in such connection as to indicate that they were inhabitants:

John Abbott Andrew Alger Edward Andrews Francis Backus Nicholas Baly Nicholas Baly, Jr. George Barlow Moses Bennett Ambrose Berry Benjamin Blackman John Bonithon Robert Booth Simeon Booth John Bowden John Carter Humphrey Case [Rev.] Barnabas Chauncey

Walsingham Chilson Edward Clark Edward Colcott John Cole Richard Cummin William Curkeet William Daggett John Davis Thomas Doughty Patrick Dunmark William Dyer John Edgecomb Nicholas Edgecomb John Elson Pendleton Fletcher [Rev.] Seth Fletcher Richard Foxwell William Gale

James Gibbins James Gibbins, Jr. Thomas Haines Thomas Haley John Halicome James Harmon John Harmon John Henderson Peter Henderson Arthur Hewes Giles Hibbins Peter Hill Roger Hill Philip Hinkson Richard Hitchcock Thomas Hitchcock Christopher Hobbs, Sr. Francis Hooke

* In 1916 the inhabitants of Biddeford celebrated with pageantry the three hundredth anniversary of this "settlement" by Vines and his party.

---

[p. 124]

Phineas Hull John Leighton William Luscome Walter Marr [Rev.] Mr. Milburn James More Michael Naziter Freegrace Norton George Page Richard Peard Brian Pendleton Walter Pennell Maj. William Phillips John Presbery

Abraham Radner Richard Randall Thomas Reading John Rice Thomas Rogers John Rule Edward Sargent John Sargent Samuel Scadlock William Scadlock, Sr. William Scadlock, Jr. Humphrey Scammon John Sharp Thomas Shepard

Alexander Smith John Smith John Sparke Roger Spencer Robert Temple William Tharall Ralph Tristram Henry Waddock John Waddock John Wakefield William Warren John West Thomas Williams Arthur Wormistall

In the same part of the first book also appear these names, but they occur mostly in a single connection, that connection not being such as would necessarily imply inhabitancy. Certain of them, for instance, the Batsons, Gregory Jefery, Thomas Mills, Thomas Sanders, and Richard More, are known from other sources to have been inhabitants of Cape Porpoise, Wells, or other neighboring towns.

John Alden John Batson Stephen Batson Arthur Battine William Batting Henry Browne ______ Burnitt Robert Cook Mordecai Cravitt William Downe Robert Field

John Gray David Hamblton Henry Hatherly Gregory Jefery Morgan Lacee [sic, ? Laree] Shadrach Luscome John Mason Thomas Mills Richard More William Naziter

John Palmer George Payne Thomas Powell Richard Raser Giles Read Thomas Sanders John Snelling ______ Ward John Williams Jacob Wormwood

The few remaining names in this part of the book are those of persons who palpably never were inhabitants, and therefore they are not given here.

In a "seating" of the women in the meetinghouse, as made by the selectmen on 9 Nov. 1674, the names appear in this order:

Mistress Pendleton, Goodwives Trustrum, Woddock, Gibbins, Comins, Booth, Bouley, Hichcock, Tempell, Hill, Pennell, Rogers, Bouden, Elson, Wormstall, More, Seely, Cartter, Shargnt, Gibbins, Jr., Henderson, Rule, Sharp, Harmon, Peard, Presbere, Case, Harmon, Jr., Read, Henderson, Edgcum, Wakfield, Booth, Leighton, Frost, Peage, Hues, Worrin, Churchwell, Harney, Chelcon, Mar.

The first book of records is in a fair state of preservation, due in part, perhaps, to the fact that in 1859 a copy of it was made by a local penman for the use of the general public.* But between 1672 and 1688 there are only a few entries of vital records, and in 1688 all town records cease for nearly thirty years, until the reincorporation of the town in 1718.†

* Owing to its inaccuracies — in the vital records, at least — this copy is not of value to the genealogist.

† Much information about those named in the early records may be found in Folsom's History of Saco and Biddeford and in Hon. James Phinney Baxter's notes to his Trelawney Papers.

---

[p. 125]

Below are given the vital records contained in the earliest town book and also those in the second book down to 1741, and the publication of these records will be continued in a future number of the Register.*

A regester of y^e day of Childrens birth herein writen