Genealogical and Family History
of the
STATE OF MAINE

Compiled under the editorial supervision of George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D.

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY
New York
1909.

[Please see Index page for full citation.]

[Transcribed by Coralynn Brown]

[Many families included in these genealogical records had their beginnings in Massachusetts.]

MUDGETT Thomas Mudgett, immigrant ancestor, was probably born in England. The surname is not found in the works on English surnames, however, but, like many others of which the spelling varies greatly, the name may be an ancient English name. It is spelled Mugat, Muggitt, Mughitt and a multitude of other ways in the early records. A Mudgett, whose first name is uniknown, died May, 1663, at Salisbury, and there is reason to believe he was the father of Thomas (1), though nothing more appears concerning him on the records of Salisbury, where Thomas first settled. Thomas Mudgett is given the title of "Mr.," indicating that he was a man of education or noble birth. He was a shipwright. He was a soldier in King Philip's war in 1675. The constables of Lynn and other towns were charged with billeting the three Norfolk (county) soldiers, John Dickinson, Richard Currier and Thomas Mudget, for Abraham Merrill till they come to Salisbury on their way home. (Massachusetts Archives). Mudgett was a householder in Salisbury in 1677, was admitted a freeman in 1690 and died about 1700, or later. Papers are on record showing arbitration between Thomas Mudgett and Thomas Barnard respecting certain mills on the Powow river, 1688 to 1697, when Thomas Mudgett sold two-thirds of a fulling-mill and one-half of a sawmill. He married, Oct. 8, 1665, at Salisbury, widow of Abraham Merrill. She was admitted to the Salisbury church in 1687, and died in August, 1694, though her estate was administered Jan. 31, 1704. She was the daughter of Robert Clement, of Haverhill, born in England, 1590. Mudgett married (second) in 1695-96, Ann (French) Long, born March 10, 1659, widow of Richard Long, daughter of Joseph French, of Salisbury, and wife Susanna, granddaughter of Edward French, of Salisbury, the immigrant. Children of 1st wife: 1. Mary, born April 30, 1667, at Salisbury. 2. Temperance, born Oct. 10, 1670. Children of 2d wife (b. Salisbury): 3. William, born Oct. 16, 1696, baptized Dec. 18, 1698; married Dinah, daughter of Stephen Davis; he died 1730 and his administrator was appointed June 15, 1730; children: Ebenezer and John, baptized Jan. 11, 1729-30; John Clement, of Haverhill, appointed their guardian 1733. Widow Dinah married (second) James Heath. 4. Thomas, born Jan. 2, 1698-99, baptized Feb. 26, 1698-99. 5. John, mentioned below. (II) John, son of Thomas Mudgett, was born in Salisbury, Mass., Dec. 17, 1700. The town records give his name Thomas, evidently repeating the father's name, but the church records have the name John, baptized March 16, 1700-01. He was an early settler at Brentwood, a parish of Exeter, New Hampshire, before the parish was set off from Exeter. He signed several petitions in relation to the parish about 1740. Brentwood was set off as Brintwood June 26, 1742. (See State Papers of New Hampshire). He was one of eight men who had liberty to attned the church at Exeter free of taxes and rates if not otherwise provided for. He was one of the propreitors of Gilmanton, where several of his sons settled among the first. He married Susan Scribner. Children, b. at Brentwood, formerly Exeter: 1. John, started with his brother Benjamin to settle in Gilmanton, where they had made a clearing in 1761, and arrived a day later, Dec. 27, 1761, being the second permanent settler of the town. 2. Joseph, probably settled in Maine. 3. Benjamin, the first settler in Gilmanton, N. H.; with brother John had lot 3, third range, first division of the hundred-acre lots northwest of the site of district No. 1 schoolhouse; after a journey of twelve miles on show-shoes, from Epsom, N. H., he and his wife arrived in Gilmanton, Dec. 26, 1761, utterly exhausted; in fact, the wife is said to have sunk to the ground saying "I may as well die here as anywhere; if I attempt to go farther it will kill me, and if I stop here I shall but die." Yet she continued, and lived to a ripe old age, being the first white woman to set foot in the town, and mother of Samuel, born Feb. 15, 1764, the first boy born in the town; she was a daughter of Joshua Bean; married Dec. 1, 1761, the same month in which she made the perilous trip into the wilderness. 4. Simeon, mentioned below. 5. William. 6. Samuel. 7. Edward Scribner, born 1746, died Feb. 4, 1826; married Nov. 10, 1770, Sarah Smith, born June 21, 1749; children: Susan, Polly, Edward, Samuel, Richard, Sally, John, Joseph, Betsey, William. 8. Susanna, married Gilman Lougee. (III) Simeon (1), son of John Mudgett, was born in Brentwood, N. H., about 1735-40. He followed his two elder brothers and settled in Gilmanton, N. H. He was the only one of the name the head of a family in Gilmanton when the federal census was taken in 1790. He had then two sons under sixteen and five females in his family. His son Simeon and perhaps others had already gone to Maine. The Maine census shows that John was in Parsonsfield and had two males over sixteen and two females in his family; one of the males being probably a brother. Jeremiah and Joseph were also in Parsonsfield and had young families. John, John Jr., Joseph, Thomas and Ensign David Mugett were revolutionary soldiers from New Hampshire. Children: 1. Simeon, born at Gilmanton, Jan. 7, 1768, mentioned below. Perhaps also the following: 2. John, was in Parsonville in 1790 and had a wife and daughter. 3. Joseph, born March 27, 1786, married Sarah Rumery, of Biddeford, and had three daughters in 1790; children: Mary, Susanna, Joseph, Jemima and John, born between 1709 and 1806; the father Joseph died May 8, 1811, in Parsonsfield. 4. Jeremiah, married Molly Hilton, March 27, 1786; had two sons and a daughter in 1790. Abraham, Nathaniel and David, who appear on the Parsonsfield records about this time, were nearly related, but perhaps not sons of Simeon. (IV) Simeon (2), son of Simeon (1) Mudgett, was born in Gilmanton, N. H., Jan. 7, 1768. He settled before 1790 in Parsonsfield, Maine, and lived at first apparently with one of his brothers or uncles. He was the only one of his generation who remained and left posterity behind him in Parsonsfield; the others moved elsewhere or died before 1811. He was a farmer and an active and useful citizen. He married, Nov. 26, 1789, Dorothy Edgerly, born Feb. 28, 1769, died March 14, 1852, at an advanced age. He died at Parsonsfield, Nov. 26, 1815. Children, b. at Paronsfield: 1. Sally, born July 3, 1791, married Elliot Fernald and died in 1882. 2. David, born May 18, 1794, mentioned below. 3. John, born April 21, 1796, married Zipporah, daughter of Capt. Jacon Dearborn; he died in 1866, an upright and honored citizen, representative to the legislatuer in 1843-44; children: i. Simeon D., married Rebecca Trueworthy; ii. Mary E., married Eben Day, of Limerick, Maine; iii. Jacob D., married Dorcas Young; resides at Lynn; iv. John, married Lydia Eliot and lived at Paronsfield; v. Dorothy, married Tracy Hewes, of Saco; vi. Ada A. married ____ Fogg 4. Judith, born 1800, died young. 5. Dorothy, born Feb. 7, 1804, married July 9, 1840, Joseph Sanborn, of Waterborough, Maine; children: Mary E. and John F. Sanborn. 6. Mary, married Daniel Gilman; resided at Newport, Maine; children: Simeon, Sarah, John, David T. and Viola Gilman. (V) David, son of Simeon (2) Mudgett, was born in Parsonsville, Maine, May 18, 1794, died Feb. 14, 1879. He was a well-to-do farmer, of great industry and much public spirit. The Parsonsfield history says of him and his brother John: "Both settled in Parsonsfield and followed farming, both were men who were esteemed and respected for their uprightness and true manliness." He married, March 12, 1818, Salome, born 1800, in Parsonsfield, daughter of Hardy Merrill, a farmer of that town. Children, b. in Parsonsfield: 1. Dr. Simeon, born Feb. 22, 1819, mentioned below. 2. Abigail, born Jan. 28, 1823, married April 5, 1843, Hardy Merrill; children: David and Hardy Lorin Merrill. 3. Hardy Merrill, born Sept. 28, 1826, married March 4, 1855, Sarah F. Chapman; children: Lewis and Lucille. 4. Harriet E., born Oct. 4, 1832, married (first) Henry Kenniston, (seond) Ira A. Philbrick, (third) B. F. Pease; child: Arthur H. Kenniston. 5. Sarah K., born Jan. 28, 1836, married June 12, 1856, Frank S. Carr; children: Fred, Nellie, Alton Carr. (VI) Dr. Simeon (3), son of David Mudgett, was born in Parsonsfield, Feb. 22, 1819, died in Dexter, Maine, Feb. 17, 1888. He attended the public schools and worked on his father's farm in his youth, and studied his profession under Dr. G. L. Bennett, and at the medical college at Castleton, Vermont, where he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in the class of 1846. He commenced to practice the following year in Bartlett, New Hampshire. After two years in that won he located at Sangerville, Maine, and afterwards at Guilford, Maine. From 1870 until the time of his death he was engaged in general practice in Dexter, Maine, with abundant success. The history of Parsonsfield says of him: "Modest and retiring, he brings to his profession work a clear intellect, a calm reason and an honesty of purpose which have commanded the respect and confidence of the communities in which his live has thus far been passed. He is closely devoted to his profession, and has a large and quite lucrative practice." He was interested in public questions and a prominent Democrat. He was appointed postmaster of Dexter by President Grover Cleveland, and held the office at the time of his death. He was a man of deep religious convictions and an earnest supporter of the Universalist church. He was a member and first master of his lodge of Free Masons, Guilford. Dr. Mudgett married, Oct. 14, 1851, Hannah Serena Dunning, born at Brunswick, Maine, Oct. 4, 1826, died at Dexter, Sept. 26, 1906, a woman of great force of character, of wonderful memory and intelligence. She was the daughter of John and Mary (Woodside) Dunning. Children: 1. Millard E., part owner of the Bangor Commercial, a daily newspaper of high standing; married Mary Remick; children: John E. and Beatrice L. 2. William Dunning, born Jan., 1859, killed in a railway accident at Kingman, Maine, Feb. 25, 1889; clerk in the railway mail service, of much ability. 3. Harriet Annis, born at Sangerviolle, April 13, 1865, resides at Guilford; married May 4, 1879, John Scales, born at Corinna, Maine, a very successful hardware dealer; children: Charles Raymond, Blanche Marion and Eugene Scales. 4. David H., mentioned below. (VII) David H., son of Dr. Simeon (3) Mudgett, was born in Guilford, May 1, 1864. He was educated in the public schools of Dexter, and learned the drug business in the store of A. M. Robinson Jr., of Bangor, Maine. He was appointed assistant postmaster when his father was postmaster of Dexter and succeeded his father in the office of postmaster, continuing for four years. He was employed on his brother's newspaper, the Bangor Commercial, for a year. From 1895 to 1901 he was the proprietor of the Bridgham drug-store in Dexter. He sold out this business to E. A. Brewster & Son, and has since then devoted all his attention to the Wassookeag Woolen Company, of Dexter, in which he had become interested in 1899. He is now treasurer and manger of the business. The company manufactures broadcloth and carriage-trimmings, and has had a flourishing business in recent years. He also has a farm and one of the finest herds of cattle in that section. He was a charter member of the Kenduskeag Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Bangor, and is now a member of Belvidere Lodge, of Dexter. In politics he was a Democrat. He married, April 13, 1888, Mary Louise, born in Dexter, a graduate of the Dexter high school, daughter of Henry Ward and Mary (Bradley) Wood.