My Book Collection

Funny how I like all those black and white book/magazines about each town in the State of Maine.  I was in my book shelf today and found 3 books that might be able to help me with my genealogy research.  The first one is the black and white booklet I salvaged from some pile of books I found somewhere.  It was damaged, the soft cover was ripped and many of the pages torn out of its binding.  The book is named:  "Mirror into the Past":  Town of Passadumkeag, Maine Sesquicentennial 1835-1985. It credits:  George Websters "Passadumkeag and its People", Bangor Historical Society "Battle of Scalp Rock", Bangor Daily News, Bangor Public Library, Kay Trickey, Marion Hannemann, Arlene Parker, True Severence, and includes a special thanks to Bea Mottram "for her help and advise, and all the others too many to name them all."  It was compiled by Lillian Marquis.  I have no idea who published it.  This book seems like a good source for anyone who was descended from earlier people from that area.  Though I did highlight a few surnames, I may never find out if any are actually related to me because if they were, it would be someones sisters, daughters child, and indirect.  Mostly I do direct bloodlines and their spouses, and list their children and spouses if the information is available.  It would be a fun read for anyone from Passudumkeag as it has old photos from the town and even has school photos.

I did scan some of the photos from the book about Passadumkeag to possibly help people with their own family genealogy.  I know that for me, there is nothing as great as seeing an old photo of a relative.  I just have to remember to tag my posts.

The next book, "The Maine Coast:  Penobscot Bay Region:  Special Bicentennial Supplement Maine and the American Revolution."  The printing of this soft cover bookwas done at Maine Coast Printers.  Rockland Ads were composed at the Island Ad-Vantages Newspaper, Stonington.  Proof was read by Blanche.  This book was edited and published by Richard Baker, Ellsworth Falls, Maine.  Copyright 1975  by Richard Baker.  It has bits of history from up and down Penobscot Bay.  One of my complaints about this book is that they are telling a story about some battle or something and they leave out the names of who does what, and only add the names of the captain or maybe not even him.  I am waiting for a name drop that never happens, and it is a bit frustrating.  These people were a part of the American Revolution.  Many of these names are around and known.

On page 23 of "The Maine Coast..." , there is a description of Rockland Bog.  It doesn't say where it is.    Could be in Thomaston, Warren, Rockport or Rockland.  it talks about Bear Hill there.  Then it goes onto tell a story about one of my relatives, Dodipher Richards who was the brother of the first settler of Camden, Maine.  (They don't say who he is, but he is James Richards (Jr.).  Anyway, it says a bear killed one of Dodipher's children (doesn't say which one).  It goes on to say Dodipher fought for hours against blood thirsty wolves.  I've never heard this story of a Bear killing one of his children.  I have read a story about him taking some grain to Warren to sell (and of course he would have to hike on some trail to do this).  Says the woman at the other end was alone and she was afraid of Richards.  So Richards turns around and on his way home is confronted by a pack of wolves.  There is a book that was written in 1909 (I believe) that tells this story, but nothing about Bear Hill or his child being killed by a bear.  My husband looked it up on the internet where there was yet another story about this incident, which sounds like the person killed was not his child at all.  I got this little book from the shelves of a used bookstore in Marblehead Village, MA.

The third book I pulled from my shelf also came from the old Marblehead Village, MA.  This one is "Stories Behind the Stones".  It was written by Gail M. Potter.  Published by South Brunswick and New York:  A. S. Barnes and Company, and London: Thomas Yoseloff Ltd.  Copyright 1969.  I got it because I became enthralled by some of the stories behind these gravestone engravings.  Some told part of a long story.  The author, Potter, then goes on to tell the whole story, which in most cases is quite interested, and you get a bit of history from reading them.  It wasn't till later when I got involved with the internet's "Find a Grave" website, and I began taking pictures of family gravestones that I got the idea that maybe, just maybe that book had some family information in it!  So I am approaching this book with a new frame of mind.  I looked in the back where it has an index of names from history and some events.  It even has indexed some New England towns of historic interest.  Today, I highlighted any name, town or event that I know is related to my family history.  I will begin reading the book probably tomorrow.