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.]

PIKE The family of Pike was very early established in Massachusetts, and had numerous distinguished representatives there and in New Hampshire. Among the most noted early representatives probably was the Rev. John Pike, whose diary of events has afforded very much of value to the historian and genealogist. (I) John Pike, immigrant ancestor, came from Landford, England, in the ship "James" in 1635, and probably resided for a time at Ipswich, Mass. He soon settled in Newbury and afterward resided in Salisbury, where he died May 26, 1654. His will was made two days before his death and proved Oct. 3 of the same year. Children: John, Robert (mentioned below), Dorothy, Israel, Ann. (II) Robert, son of John Pike, was born about 1615 and settled with his father in Salisbury. He married there, April 3, 1641, Sarah Sanders, born about 1622, died Nov. 1, 1679, probably daughter of John Sanders, of Weeks, Downton parish, England, and a sister of John Sanders, of Salisbury and Newbury, Mass. It is supposed that her mother was Alice Cole, a sister of John Cole, of Salisbury. Robert Pike married (second) in Salisbury, Oct. 30, 1684, Martha (Moyce) Goldwyer, widow of George Goldwyer. He received land in the first division of Salisbury and in 1640-41-42-54. A depositon on record shows that he visited England in 1650 and 1651. In 1650 his name succeeds the ministers at the head of the list of commoners. He paid the largest taxes in 1652. His name and that of his wife appear first on the list of members of the Salisbury church in 1687, and he was the most prominent citizen in that town during the last half of the seventeenth century. He died Dec. 12, 1706, and his wife survived him, dying Feb. 26, 1713. He was called major in all the records. He was admitted a freeman May 17, 1637; was deputy to the general court in 1648 and for several years following; assistant to the governor from 1682 to 1692; member of the council for many years down to 1696, and justice of the peace the greater part of his active life. He was liberal in thought, much in advance of his times, and was very decided in his opinions. He naturally had difficulties with other members of the Salisbury church because of this fact, and this condition extended over at least a quarter of a century. He has been syled by writers "the first and strongest representative of the right of petition," and the "power which squelched the witchcraft delusion." Because of his insistence on the right of petition, he was fined and disfrachised, and many of his neighbors were called before the general court for reprimand, because they had petitioned for the remission of his fine. This was paid and his disfranchisement was removed in 1657. In the following year he was again elected to the general court. Children: Sarah, Mary (died young), Dorothy, Mary, Elizabeth, John, Robert, Moses (mentioned below). (III) Moses, son of Major Robert Pike, was born March 15, 1658, in Salisbury, and resided there, where he was still living in 1714. He took the oath of allegiance and fidelity in 1677 and was one of the signers of a petition in 1680. He married Susanna, born Dec. 29, 1671, daughter of Timothy and Susanna Worcester. She was admited to the Salisbury church Feb. 5, 1690. Children: Moses, Elias, Mary, Sarah, Timothy, John, Joseph (mentioned below), Dorothy. (IV) Joseph, son of Moses Pike, was born Sept. 1, 1707, in Salisbury, and was baptized Oct. 12 following. He died Jan. 22, 1 764, in Kensington, N. H., where he resided many years. His will was dated Aug. 17, 1763, and proved Feb. 23, following. He married Sarah Thompson. Children: Joseph, Moses (mentioned below), Sarah, Judith, married _____Fitts, Lois, Eunice, Hope, Keturah, Robert. (V) Moses (2), son of Joseph Pike, married Naomi Harrison and settled in Plaistow, N. H. Children: Hannah (died young), Mehitable, Susanna, Moses, John, Hannah, Sarah. (VI) Moses (3), son or nephew of Moses (2) Pike, was born Feb. 21, 1782. He married, at Salisbury, Mass., 1805, Sophia Dearfield, daughter of Capt. Simon Marston and granddaughter of Major Daniel Marston. He settled in Lubec, Maine. Children: 1. Sarah, born March 11, 1806. 2. Jacob, born Jan. 15, 1809, was master of the ship "Columbia" of Boston and died in Calcutta in 1852. 3. Mary F., born Dec. 21, 1812, died in San Francisco, California about 1896, widow of Capt. John Brasner. 4. David Wedgewood, born Dec. 1, 1814, died Sept. 17, 1890. 5. Asa, born Dec., 1818. 6. Sophia, born Dec. 19, 1819, married Capt. John Brown. 7. Frederick, born Feb. 14, 1822. 8. Jabez M., born Aug. 15, 1824 (mentioned below). 9. Elias, born April 16, 1828, died in San Francisco, California, 1893. (VII) Jabez M., son of Moses (3) Pike, was born at Lubec, Maine, Aug. 15, 1824, died April 24, 1905. He was educated in the public schools. His early occupation was fishing and farming; latterly butcher and proprietor of a meat market, having for many years the only meat market in Lubec. In religion he was connected with First Christian Church. In politics Republican, filled some of the local offices. He married (first), Persis Ann Rice. Children: Emily S. and Olivia (deceased). He married (second), Dianna, daughter of Joseph and Susannah (Swett) Clark; she was born at North Lubec, Jan. 9, 1822, died Jan. 22, 1895. Children; 1. Jacob C., of Lubec, collector of custome. 2. Bion M., mentioned below. 3. Mary F. 4. Susie F., wife of A. W. French, of San Jose, California. 5. Jabez M., of Lubec, grocer. 6. Chester L., Lubec, sardine merchant and farmer. 7. Child, died in infancy. (VIII) The Hon. Jacob Clark Pike, eldest son of Capt. Jabez M. and Diana (Clark) Pike, was born in Lubec, Jan. 11, 1854, and educated in schools there. At fourteen years of ae he went to sea before the mast, as second mate, and finally rose to be captain. After seventeen years service, Capt. Pike retired from the sea and became one of the pioneers in the canning business, the sardine that made Lubec famous, or, as it is sometimes called, "the Passamaquoddy chicken." His first company was known as Parker & Pike, which was merged into the Seacoast Packing Company; after two years he became one of the organizers of the Lubec Sardine Company, of which he is at present (1908) one of the stockholders. Capt. Pike was a member of the Maine legislature in 1901 and 1903. He served on the committee on shore fisheries, of which he was made chairman in 1903. As a legislator he was very active, carefully safeguarding the intersts of the pople whom he was chosen to reprent. Capt. Pike was appointed on the joint select committee on the part of the house to count the votes for governor. He reported the bill in reference to migratory fish. He believed in lightening the burdens of taxation when consistant with progress, and when the bill was introduced to build a reformatory prison for women he opposed it on economic grounds. Another measure he reported was in the interest of sanitation, forbidding the dumping of fish offal in public waters. In the bill carrying a large appropriation for the St. Louis Purchase Exposition he was on the side of the farmers and reform, and with thirty-seven others voted against it. It passed the house, however, but the senate refused to concur, and Capt. Pike was one of the conferees on the part of the house. Capt. Pike was chairman of the board of selectmen of Lubec, and was appointed collector of the port of Eastport and Lubec by President Roosevelt, which office he now holds. He has been a leading and active Republican politician, serving as chairman of the Lubec Republican town committee for eighteen years. He is liberal in his religious views. His fraternal affiliations include membership in Lubec Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and he is a membr of the Lubec board of trade. Capt. Pike married Mary Susan, daughter of Davenport and Emily (Davis) Tucker, of Lubec, Nov. 12, 1890. Children: 1. Sumner Tucker, born Aug. 30, 1891. 2. Julius Wolff, born Feb. 10, 1893, died Sept. 7, 1895. 3. Marjory Davis, born Oct. 31, 1895. 4. Moses Bernard, born Sept. 16, 1897. 5. Alger Wayland, born Aug. 1, 1899. 6. Radcliffe Barnes, born Oct. 1, 1903. Apropos of the McNEIL line with which Captain Pike is connected, this may be said: John McNeil and wife and one child Jane, who was fifteen, came to the U. S. from Londonderry, Ireland, and settled in Machias, Maine. He served on the "Falmouth" and was the first man killed in the sea fight between that ship and the "Margaretta" in 1775 by the first shot fired by the enemy. His daughter married Capt. Daniel Swett from Gilmanton, N. H., who followed the sea and after retirement kept the Swett Tavern in Perry, Maine, a half-way house between Eastport and St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Among his children were Susannah, who married Capt. Joseph Clark, of North Lubec, at that time called Seward's Neck. Among their children was Diana, who married Capt. Jacob Clark Pike. (VIII) Hon. Bion Moses Pike, son of Jabez M. Pike, was born in Lubec, March 8, 1856. He attended the public schools of his native town and Westbrook Seminary, near Portland, Maine. He went to sea and in four years rose to the rank of mate, making a number of foreign voyages. He returned to Lubec and operated a ferry boat, sailing from Lubec to Eastport, Maine. In 1881 he engaged in the sardine canning industry in partnership with Julius Wolff and H. P. Gillise, under the firm name of the New England Sardine Company, continuing in this relation until 1899, when the busienss was bought by the Seacoast Packing Company, a corporation of which he was on the board of mangement in the manufacuring department, however until 1901. In the meantime he engaged in the fish business in partnership with his father-in-law, Capt. John Albion Davis, dealing in a general fish business at wholesale. He established himself in the business in 1891 and in 1894 admitted Capt. Davis. After retiring from the above-named company in 1901, he with others organized the Lubec Sardine Company, which is now the second largest company in the business - the output for a single year amounting to three hundred and fifty thousand cases, with an average in recent years of two hundred and fifty thousand cases a yaer, employing one thousand two hundred hands. Mr. Pike is president of this concern. In 1882 a steamboat service owned by Mr. Pike, in partnership with Mr. Wolff and Mr. Gillise, took the place of his sailing vessels on the ferry line between Lubec and Eastport, and sinc 1890 he has been the sold owner. He is a director of the new bank - the Lubec Trust and Banking Company, and director of the Ellsworth Union Trust Company of Ellsworth. He is a member of Lubec Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, of Lubec. Mr. Pike has been prominent in public life. A Republican in politics, he has held many offices of honor and trust. He was first selectman of Lubec for two years, often delegate to the state and other nominatin conventions of his party and active and influential in its councils. He was a state senator in 1903-05. He has taken part in evry movement for the betterment and advantage of his native town, and is counted among the most public-spirited citizens. He gave the lot upon one of the most sightly spots upon a beautiful eminence for the soldiers' monument recently erected, besides contributing liberally to the building fund. He was largely instrumental in erecting the wharf and buildings and securing the service of the International Steamship Company in bringing the telegraph, telephone and express companies to Lubec, in procuring an adequate water supply for the town, and was one of seven to erect the new bank building which graces the town of Lubec. He and his family attend the Christian church in Lubec. Mr. Pike's great success in business has been merited by his industry, enterprise and ability. He married, Sept. 23, 1884, Lizzie Comstock, born Feb. 6, 1862, daughter of Capt. John Albion Davis, of Lubec. Children, b. in Lubec: 1. Albion Davis, born June 17, 1886. 2. Evelyn Clark, born July 30, 1892. 3. Carlton Maxwell, born Oct. 9, 1894.