# 2
NATHANIEL FOORD, Sr. circa 1782
1790 Census 2-1-4-0-0
Old Kents Hill Road
Currently the home of Dennis Prescott Wight
contributed by Dennis Wight & Dale Potter Clark
Potter Photo c1945
- Nathaniel Ford, Sr. was born in Marshfield, Mass. 7-11-1731, the son of Capt.Peleg & Alice Ford, the youngest of seven children. His mother Alice died when he was 2 yrs. old, and seven years later his father remarried to Phebe. Nathaniel would later name two of his daughters after his mother and step-mother. At age 25 yrs. Nathaniel married Eunice Rogers, daughter of Timothy & Lydia (Hatch) Rogers. Their first son, Peleg, was born 4-19-1757. Over the next nineteen years there were eight more children born. Sometime around 1782 Nathaniel, Nathaniel Jr., and another son, James, moved to Readfield, Maine. The eldest son, Peleg, remained in Marshfield where he married Olive Sampson in 1781 and recorded births of six children between 1782-1792. Nathaniel, Sr. settled the southerly 1/2 of lot #197 (Joshua Packard settled the north 1/2). Nathaniel, Jr. settled lot #195, and built his house on the west side of the Old North Wayne Road (now discontinued). Both James & Nathaniel Ford, Jr. appear in Wayne on the 1790 census. War grant lots had to be settled according to the following conditions: build a house not less than 20 ft. square and 7 ft. stud; clear and bring to fit for tillage 5 acres of land within 3 years from the day of this grant, and settlers, if living, or their heirs must have lived on the property for seven years before the property was released. James Craig built a sawmill & grist mill at Factory Square on the lower dam about this time which was less than 1 mile away. In 1804, the year most settlers were finally given title, Nathaniel was deeded his 100 acres. Three years later, at age 76, Nathaniel Ford, Sr. sold 70 acres and his home to youngest son John for $200, and with conditions that he be provided with a home and care the rest of his life. He died 11 years later.
1. Peleg b.4-19-1757 m.1781 Olive Sampson in Marshfield
2. Nathaniel b.3-20-1759 m1.1780 Abigail Foord m2.1783 Lydia Simons both in Marshfield
3. Charles b.8-5-1761
4. James b.10-20-1763 m.Sybil Morrison of 30 Mile River Gore (later annexed to Readfield)
5. Eunice b.4-3-c1765
6. Else (Alice) b.9-1768 m.Capt. Dudley Haines whose property abutted Nathaniel Ford's, and whose homestead is known as the H.O Nickerson house on Nickerson Hill.
7. Lydia b.11-2-1770 m.Caleb Packard s/o Joshua & Mehitable (Allen) Packard, their neighbors to the north.
8. Febe (Phoebe) b.?-7-1773 m.Joshua Packard
9. John b.1-7-1776 m.1801 Ruthey Oldham of Fayette
10. ?Abigail who married Alexander Morrison, Sr. in 1802.
- John Ford owned, according to Readfield tax records in 1816: 82 acres, one house, and one barn joining brother-in-law Dudley Haines' property. John m.Ruthey Oldham of Fayette in 1801, and over the next 17 years she helped her husband care for his elderly parents and gave birth to 7 children. In 1826 they were listed as members of the Readfield Methodist Society. In 1841 John, as had his father before him, deeded his property to Robert Skofield with conditions they be given a home & care for the rest of their lives. In 1841 there is also mention made of the Morrison cemetery located on this property. This cemetery is no longer visible, but is located near the home of Dan Wight (1998), and tradition says there are two Morrison children buried there. Ruth died 5 years after the property transaction in 1846, at age 70 and John Ford died in 1852 at age 76 yrs.
1. David b.4-14-1801
2. Peleg b.8-25-1803 d.3-4-1824
3. John b.6-10-1805
4. Marshal b.9-4-1807
5. Rufus b.9-15-1812
6. Sybil Morrison b.8-10-1815 m.Robert G. Skofield of Barring, Maine 5-20-1842
7. Hannah b.1-31-1817
- Robert G. Skofield is recorded on Readfield records as serving in or belonging to the following: clerk for school district #8 for 6 yrs.; school moderator; a member of the Universalist Society; surveyor of highways; postmaster at Kents Hill Post Office. In 1849-50 his taxable property was valued at $866.00. March 28, 1878 Robert Skofield sold this house & 75 acres to Samuel Cunningham for $1,050.00 excepting and reserving the (Stagecoach) road running through said premises, land for which he sold to Readfield for $20.00 on December 28, 1870.
Emery S. b.5-4-1843
~~~
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This photo taken by Lucinda
Cunningham, d/o Samuel and Lucinda, in mid 1920's.
Thanks to Cunningham descendant
Claire Fish for sharing this photograph.
- Samuel Cunningham was born 1-12-1835 and died 7-16-1900. He married Lucinda (Brown) Hunton who was born in Readfield 10-18-1828 the daughter of James & Celia Pitts Brown and died 8-18-1904. Both are buried in Readfield Corner Cemetery. In 1863 Samuel Cunningham was listed as liable to enrollment in Civil War militia. He was school agent for district #6 in 1865 which was near the Kents Hill/Wayne town line. On the 1879 map a Mrs. Cunningham is shown on the (now discontinued) Town Farm road near the old district #6 schoolhouse. After Samuel moved to the old Nathaniel Ford, Sr. homestead he received a receipt for working on Readfield's highways, was surveyor of roads, and in 1884 received a contract to build the Dead Stream Bridge.
1) Celia J. b.9-14-1862
2) Lucinda b.10-4-1868
- The Cunningham family takes us into the 20th century when in 1901 the property was sold to the Wadleighs who owned it until 1924. In 1924 the property was sold to the Elliots who maintained ownership until 1945. During part of this time the property was rented, and one of the tenants was Rev. William Wood, a well known Methodist minister in this area who authored poems about this area, and in 1892 wrote the Kents Hill School Hymn. William Wood and Horace Wood were brothers who came from England. Horace and Bertha Wood lived on the Hawes Road in the Larry Cushing house, and later in the bungalow across the street.
- Woodford J. Potter purchased this property in 1945. He was born in Limestone, Maine, & married to L. Marie (Cole) Potter, a Mt. Vernon native. They had lived on the Cole family farm on Bean Road, Mt. Vernon from the time of their marriage in 1922 until 1938. At that time they moved to Readfield so their children could receive secondary education at Kents Hill School. They first rented the grand old Harvey house on the Winthrop Road near Dead Stream, and then the Kent farm at the junction of routes 41 and 17 at Kents Hill until they purchased the Nathaniel Ford, Sr. homestead in 1945. They lived here until their deaths in 1969 and 1980 respectively. When "Bud" & Marie purchased this home it was in its original state with dutch ovens, pantry, attached el and barn. They made some changes gradually over the years, but the most dramatic changes were made by their grandson, Dennis Wight, after he gained ownership in the mid 1980's. The el, containing the kitchen, was torn off, and the house was moved further back from the road, and onto a new foundation. The inside was completely remodeled and modernized leaving little evidence of its historic nature to the unsuspecting eye. The land has been sub-divided over the past 50 years and deeded to Woodford & Marie Potter's children grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
1) Gertrude Potter m. Charles Brooks. Resides in Lisbon, ME
2) Henry Potter m. Evelyn Adell. They, daughter Sandra Clark & grandaughter Amanda Clark built homes on the original Ford farm property.
3) Donald Potter m. Miriam Varney of Vienna. They and daughter Sonya live on adjacent property.
4) Phyllis Potter m. Clyde Weston, Sr. of Mt. Vernon & resided in Winthrop
5) Lorin (Buster)Potter m.Geraldine Bryant of Readfield. They, daughter Belinda Burke & son Joseph Potter built homes on the orignal Ford farm property.
6) Hubert Potter m. Emily Furgeson of Windsor. Resided in Augusta & 1998 in Whitefield.
7) Maybelle Potter m1. Prescott Wight, Jr. of Vienna He d.1957 m2. Gleason Cates of Readfield. Maybelle & Gleason lived adjacent to this property as does their son Bruce. All three of Maybelle & Prescott's children Dan Wight, Sharon Wight Dunn, and Dennis Wight live on the original Ford homestead property.
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1998-2003
All Rights Reserved Dale Potter Clark