James Phinney Baxter

Documentary History of the State of Maine, Containing the Baxter Manuscripts Volume IX James Phinney Baxter

Revolutionary War historians as well as genealogists seeking ancestors in Maine will devour these documents, which dates from June 1766 to July 1777. Documents are arranged chronologically and are miscellaneous in nature, concerning land grants, Indian troubles and the increasing tension between the crown and the colonies. The first two documents concern the garrisons at Fort Pownall and Castle William. The next is a petition regarding a landowner's dispute with the government of New Hampshire, which ran a township line through his property. Petitions for the establishment of towns include names of the earliest settlers. The Boston Tea Party left in its wake an anxious state of vigilance and suspicion. Letters and petitions describe the difficulties of raising militias, the distress of the people in isolated areas lacking food and other supplies, the detainment of spies and other aspects of the prevailing instability. The final documents in this volume are letters from Meschech Weare to the council of Massachusetts Bay, "confirming the unhappy affair at Ticonderoga." and urging that "some spirited measures should be immediately taken." Fans of the famous Revolutionary War novels by Kenneth Roberts will recognize the names of ships, places and leaders who took part in the defense of the coast of Maine. Several exciting reports of naval battles are included. Read the account of the capture of the king's cutter at Machias in 1775, and the list of terrible losses following the attack by the British on Falmouth.