Dorothy Florence (Bezanson) Burleigh went home to her Lord and Savior, Aug. 31, 2002. She was born April 8, 1922, in Hartford, Conn., the daughter of Grace (Cross) and Ralph Bezanson. She graduated in 1940 from Bristol High School, Bristol, Conn., and was a graduate of Julius Hart Conservatory of Music in Hartford, Conn. She received a full scholarship to New York's Juilliard School of Music and became an accomplished operatic soprano. Mother married my father, Thomas Popham and moved to Charleston. She was very active with her musical gift and participated in many theatrical productions during the early 1950s, as well as organizing and screening contestants for Bangor Talent Shows. You would also find her singing for special occasions to the accompaniment of Norman Lambert. She was a soloist and former member of The Silver Leaf Chapter of O.E.S.; a member of the Corinth United Methodist Church and for many years directed the church adult and youth choirs. A business woman at best, she joined C. Everett Page, a local Bangor businessman, who started a teacher's employment agency. Mother lobbied in Augusta to allow employment agencies in Maine to represent all aspects of employment, and charge fees for their services, thus resulting in Page Employment Agency. Sunset Industries, a fabric weaving company, employing only the elderly for the purpose of therapy, was established under my Mother's management. Jointly with Mr. Page, they started the Bangor Letter Shop, a mail advertising and off-set printing business. She purchased the Bangor Letter Shop from Mr. Page and became the first independent business woman in the Bangor area representing this type of profession. She sold the Bangor Letter Shop in 1964 and Mom and I moved to California. She accepted a position as administrative assistant for Geo-Data, a Nevada geological mining company based in California and she worked as a copy editor and a computer instructor for Per-Tech, a division of Volkswagen. After the untimely death of her second husband, William Burleigh, she returned to Maine and did volunteer librarian work at the local middle school. For many years she was the volunteer secretary at the Corinth United Methodist Church and also enjoyed cooking at the church for the "Meals for Friends" program. My Mother fell victim to cardiovascular disease 27 years ago. Her love of life and people was so strong she never complained and always lived by positive thinking with a laugh and smile. Mother is survived by her best friend and only child, myself, Wendy Popham Valenzuela of Corinth. Grandma Dode will be missed by her three grandsons and their friends, Michael Valenzuela of California, Seth Strout and Tristan Strout of Corinth; a sister, Beverly Ingraham of Connecticut; an aunt, Beatrice Fletcher of Connecticut; a cousin, Susan Floridio of Connecticut; a cousin, Clayton Potts and his wife, Ida of New York; brother-in-law, Glenn Burleigh of Stetson; brother-in-law, Clarence Burleigh and his wife, Marie of Brewer; plus several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her loving husband, William Burleigh; and her brother, Richard Bezanson. She will be remembered with love by her many close friends and I wish to thank all of you for your friendship and support during our very difficult time of sickness and loss. I would like to express my appreciation to all of the caregivers at EMMC and I sincerely thank the following EMMC in-care physicians for their dedication, personal contributions and their love for my mother as their patient and friend; Dr. Nora Kirschner, Dr. Tu Nguyen, and Dr. Mailan Ferencei. I have great respect and admiration for these members of our medical community. In memory of my Mother, a music scholarship will be given to a graduating student from Central High School, who will be furthering his or her education in a music career. My Mother leaves me with many gifts and I shall pass these gifts of love and laughter on to my children and friends. She lived her life by 1 Corinthians 13. "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love." Thank you for being my Mom. Lovingly your daughter, Wendy (Obituary written for the Bangor Daily News by her daughter Wendy (Popham) Valenzuela.)

 

 

Daniel Franklin Davis.  Born in Freedom, Maine in 1843.  His education in the common school took place in several communities but the larger part was obtained in Stetson.  In 1863, he enters the East Corinth Academy but after a few weeks he enlisted in the Grand Army of the Republic to fight in the Civil War.  On his return in 1865 he again attended the Academy for a year, after which he taught while he continued his studies at Kents Hill.  From 1867 to 1868, he read law with Henry Lewis Barber and began his practice in East Corinth in August 1869.  He became very active in politics and after serving in the House of Representatives in 1874 he went to the Senate in 1878.  In 1879 he became Governor of Maine and although renominated for another term the union of the Greenback and Democratic Party defeated him.  He had married Laura B. Goodwin of East Corinth and had a number of children, who at the time his biography was written, were living in that town.

 

How Daniel F. Davis was (S)Elected Governor:

1879

Whole vote:               138,806

Daniel F. Davis, Rep.    68,967

Joseph L. Smith, Nat.G.B. 47,643

Alonzo Garcelon, Dem.   21,851

Bion Bradbury, Dem          264 (Not a candidate)

Scattering                         81

 

Although, in the election of 1879, separate candidates for governor were nominated and supported by the Democratic and Greenback parties, yet these parties practically united in nominating and supporting “fusion” candidates for nearly all the subordinate offices in the state and in the various counties and towns.  By the certification of the Governor and Council, the House of Representatives was understood to stand, Republican, 61, Fusion, 78, with 12 vacancies, and the Senate, Republican, 11, and Fusion, 20.  By the appearance in both branches of the legislature, of persons holding certificates of election from the Governor and Council who, according to the subsequent opinions of the Supreme Court, dated January 3, 1880, January 16, 1880, and January 27, 1880, were not duly elected, by the non-certification by the Governor and Council of persons who appeared to be duly elected, according to the above decisions, and by the remonstrance of the Republican members in both branches of the Legislature, no legal organization was effected until January 12, seven days after the constitutional day of meeting.  There being no election of governor by the people, Daniel F. Davis of Corinth, Rep., was elected by the Legislature.  (Maine Register, May 1, 1896-May 1, 1897).

 

 

George W. Emery (1830-1909) Born in Corinth, Maine, August 13, 1830. Became Governor of the Utah Territory, 1875-80.  Died in Marshfield, Mass., July 10, 1909. Burial location unknown. Emery County, Utah is named for him.

 

 

Merritt Caldwell Fernald.  Born in South Levant, May 26, 1838.  His family had originally come from London, New Hampshire.  At the age of 10, he went to the East Corinth Academy, where he was outstanding in his abilities in mathematics.  Off and on for the next six years, he attended the Academy, going from there to the Bucksport Seminary for advanced work in Greek.  In 1867, he went to Bowdoin after which he taught in various schools in Maine, among which the Gould Academy and Foxcroft Academy.  He then went to Harvard and there took up scientific studies in which he was very outstanding.  He became interested in agricultural problems.  He was elected a professor at the State College in Orono, Maine.  He was only thirty, the youngest full professor on the staff.  In 1879, he was elected to the office of acting President of the College and held that position for three years after which he assumed the duties of President.

 

Henrietta Rowe Gould.  Born in East Corinth in 1834 where she remained until she married J. Swett Rowe of Bangor.  She contributed stories and poems to magazines and newspapers, among which were the Portland Transcript, The Youth’s Companion, Wide Awake, Golden Hours, the Art Magazine and Godey;s Fashion Magazine which was printed in England.  She also authored full-length books.

 

Arthur Robinson Gould (1857-1946) was born in East Corinth, Maine, March 16, 1857.  He attended the common schools and East Corinth Academy; moved to Presque Isle, Maine, in 1887.  At that time, he engaged in the lumber business and built power plants and an electric railroad; he was later to become president of the Aroostook Valley Railroad Co. from 1902-1946.  Furthermore, he was a member of the Maine State Senate from 1921-1922; elected on November 29, 1926, as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Bert M. Fernald and served from November 30, 1926, to March 3, 1931.  He was not, however, a candidate for renomination in 1930; he served as chairman to the Committee on Immigration (Seventy-first Congress).  Died in Presque Isle, Maine, July 24, 1946. He is laid to rest at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Bangor, Maine.

 

For Further Detail:

Hall. Oliver L. The Man From East Corinth: Episodes in the Life of Arthur R. Gould, A Builder of Aroostook and Senator of the United States. Augusta, ME: Kennebec Journal Print Shop, 1941.

http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/ME/PE.html

 

 

Mark L. Hersey attended East Corinth Academy.  He was a Second Lieutenant of the 9^th Infantry when he became professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Maine from 1891 to 1895.  He graduated from West Point and saw service in the Philippines and World War I.

 

George H. Jason, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, was born September 16, 1838, married Emma C. Blanchard, daughter of John C. Blanchard, of Corinth, and settled on the old homestead, about one mile south of East Corinth, where he had always resided. They had six children, viz: Celia A., Frank, Edward E., Ralph W., Gertie May, Horace C. He had a very fine farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres. He then held the office of Selectman of the town.

Levi Merrick Stewart.  “Teacher, capitalist, lawyer and philanthropist” was born in Corinna, Maine, December 1827.  He attended the common schools of his town, later going to the academies at Hartland, East Corinth and Bloomfield.  For his more advanced work, he studied at Waterville College and Dartmouth.  In 1856, he went to Minneapolis at the suggestion of a family friend who had moved there several previously.  There, after early hardships, he became wealthy through dealing in real estate, largely due to his ability to see the future of the city far better than most.  He died May 3, 1910.

Royal A. Sweet.  In Wagner's work entitled, "Observations on the diaries of Joseph B. Wheeler" he writes that in the 1862 diary Wheeler says,"Royal Sweet enters the picture on June 30 when Wheeler "cuts sticks for shoes and sills to hog pen" and "Helps frames sills." The next day Royal helps all day and they "move hog pen with 12 oxen after supper". The following day, Royal is back again to "underpin and board pen."" Later that year he notes that on December 15 "Royal Sweet helps hew sills for woodshed".

In a subsequent work entitled, First Century on the Eastern Frontier, Wagner writes (p.141) "Royal Sweet was well known for his versatility as a blacksmith, carpenter, and stone mason. He built the Robyville covered Bridge in 1873, interlocking the granite blocks in the abutment so that it has survived high waters that have washed out bridges of similar age. He manufactured wood sleds for the Morison brothers in East Corinth for their extensive lumbering operations. Some of his sleds went as far as Bar Harbor. He said that he was tool poor, the more so since he would lend anything to anyone." --taken from an interview with John Goodwin in Oct. 1970. Royal was also responsible for the construction of the barn built in 1873 on the Skinner Settlement. The structure was erected some 90 years after the homestead was settled, and burned when it was 116 years old. (Exact date to be determined). According to people who had visited the farm, there used to be original penciled notations on the barn's rafters indicating when the building was built. (Info found in clipping from Bangor Daily News at the time of the fire in the barn) Nearby he had built himself a combined house and carriage shop where he executed his functions as a blacksmith and wood sleds maker. At the time of his father's death, Royal had sold all but two acres of the farm next to the schoolhouse to Charles Hodsdon.

N. S. White was the son of Isaac White of Dexter, Maine. Isaac married Mary Sampson of Ripley, Maine. They had nine children, five boys and four girls, all of whom, except three, were still living in 1865 when the History of Penobscot County was written, viz: Isaac G. Sullivan, Noah S., Drusilla (later Mrs. Meader of Dexter), Augusta, Mary (later Mrs. Ellis of St Albans). N. S., the subject of this sketch, was born n 1840 and married Ms. Helen Palmer, daughter of John Palmer of North Bangor. He settled on the farm where he was living in 1869. They had one child, Cora B., then nine years old. Mr. White had a valuable farm about the centre of the town of Corinth, with a good set of farm buildings. He had been engaged in agriculture.