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A DOZEN OR SO CONTINUE TO
EXIST IN 2003
Here is how to discover them.
The Township of Liverpool had been
created IN 1760 and made available to persons wishing a new start in life.
100,000 acres were set-aside on the banks of two very interesting rivers, now
called the Medway and Mersey Rivers. These were potential power sources for a
lumber industry. Virgin forests existed on the banks of these streams. The
timber could be sawn into lumber and other building products and used for
another potential industry, that of shipbuilding. (Wooden Ships; Iron Men).
The new residents also found the
rivers teeming with fish. Atlantic Salmon migrated to these waters for spawning
in the spring of the year. Millions of Alewives (kyacks) (gaspereau) also used
the rivers for the same purpose. The Atlantic Ocean off coast was loaded with
cod and haddock.
These new settlers came equipped to
build sawmills and produce lumber for housing. Elisha Freeman and his
sons knew how to make waterwheels and dams, and had sawmill machinery
to produce lumber. Quickly three sawmills were constructed and made
operational. That site was here at Liverpool Falls where natural power sources
existed. It was time to build homes.
1765
A good place to start is at the home of Jean and
George Turner’s at 303 Highway 8 in Milton, NS. This area has been
called Milton Corner for 150 years. It was in 1760 Liverpool Falls. Mayflower
descendants came here in 1760. Elisha Freeman was one; he was from the
Watertown Ma. Freeman Line. He was a widower with many sons and daughters; his
wife had also been a Freeman from the Sandwich Ma. Freeman Line.
Elisha’s oldest son, Simeon, 2,
(1732-1777)(Simeon, 2, Elisha, 1) had been married in New England to
Patience Wood in 1757, and had children. This family was chosen to have the
first house built. This of course was a Cape Cod House; the same design used
back home in N.E. 303 Highway 8 exists in 2003, as a well maintained, since modified
Cape Cod house.
(Simeon,
2, and Patience (Wood) Freeman had 9 children.)
Simeon, 3, (Simeon, 3,
Simeon, 2. Elisha, 1) was the first white child born in this new
settlement. His father died in 1777, and Simeon, 3,became the heir to live in
his father’s house. He married later; in fact he married four times. Simeon,
3 , (1762-1847) marriage (1) occurred in 1785 to Experience Ford.
This couple had 10 children. Lumbering was the chief passion of this family;
some sons and daughters later branched into farming in North Queen’s County,
twenty or thirty miles inland.
Simeon,
3, married the second time in 1810 to Abigail (Freeman) Slocum.
Their three sons left a heritage of three great houses that exist in 2003.
(William Henry F.; James Augustus F.; and Edward Hiram F.)
Simeon, 3, married a third
time in 1828, to Lovefry (Parker) Bent and they had one son, Joseph Bent
Freeman who built the Victoria Hotel. That home was demolished years ago.(Cecil
and Betty Dean lived there)
Simeon, 3, married for the
fourth time at age 74 to Lucy (Dunlop) Hayes in 1836; curiously no
children resulted with this final marriage.
BEFORE 1800 OTHER FREEMANS BUILT A NUMBER OF HOUSES.
1774
Elisha’s youngest son was Zoeth,2,
(1749-1824) (Zoeth, 2,Elisha,
1). Zoeth, 2, learned the trade under
the tutorage of his brothers; and is often mentioned in Simeon Perkins Journal
as a sawyer at sawmills. He married in 1774 to Jane Harlow and the house
they built at 339 Highway 8 exists
today, now the home of Sue and Howard Berringer. Zoeth and Jane were childless.
The house became a Modified Cape Cod House under the ownership of his great
nephew Jabez Freeman who acquired the property about 1850/60.
A beautiful Dutch oven of original design exists
here, in the back ell.
Zoeth,2, Freeman owned all the land to today’s
Forest Street. The nickname for years for this road was Penny Lane, reputed was
that Zoeth charged a fee to haul logs to the river over his land, a toll.
Sons of Simeon,2. (1732-1777) built homes
before 1800 Those of Nelson and Samuel Freeman are well maintained in 2003.
1785 Nelson Freeman,(1764-1819), (Nelson,3,Simeon,2,Elisha,1) was married in 1787 at
Annapolis, N,S, to Mercy Whitman. The house he built for his bride was a
Cape Cod style. Nelson proved to be a very successful lumberman and this is a
larger version of the Standard Cape Cod house. A large family was born here,
nine children, and improvements in the style resulted. This in 2003 is the home
of Dr. Jean and Rev. Fred Gordon.
Its address is 431 Highway 8, Milton, NS.
1793 SAMUEL FREEMAN, 3, (1770-1834), (Samuel, 3,Simeon, 2, Elisha, 1,) was married in 1793 to Rebecca Harlow. The house
they built is 303 Highway 8. This is a true Cape Cod design and is in
wonderful shape for the age. An immigrating Shields family from Ireland
purchased the house from the Samuel F. estate in mid 1830’s. A son, Francis
Shields eventually became owner and his family was raised here. Later in life,
Frank as a widower married Bessie (Walker) Kempton, another widow and they
lived here. Later as a widow again Bessie asked her niece Amy Arthur and husband
Harold to move in for support. Amy Arthur owns this home in 2003.
1793 WILLIAM FREEMAN, (1741-1816)
was not of
the same families of Freeman’s as covered above. He was an early resident of
Queens County, and married a daughter, Mary, of Sylvanus Cobb. He was a
sheriff, a JP, and Judge of the inferior court of public appeals. He was also
Lt-Col in the Militia, and close associate of Col. Simeon Perkins. The house
they built is a very interesting one in that it is a Half-Size Cape Cod in
beautiful condition even today. Its location is 8 Forest Street in
Milton. This house for many years was the home of the Edwin Hartlen family, and
is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Mansfield.
1800 This was built as a drill hall. Col. William Freeman had this structure
erected for training local Militia. Invaders were expected from the USA,
privateers and plunderers caused havoc on our coasts. Several battalions of
troops were given intense training, the threat was sincere, and local men were
trained here. Many years later the drill hall was used to train Militia because
of the threat of a Fenian Raid. The
drill hall became the property of carpenter and builder Francis Etherington,
and he transformed it into a residence. Its location is 15 Forest Street in
Milton, NS.
MORE FREEMAN HOUSES WERE BUILT IN THE EARLY 1800’S
1820 ZOETH FREEMAN,
(1799-1878), (Zoeth,4, Samuel,3. Simeon,2, Elisha,1). It was in 1820 that
he married a distant cousin Dorinda Freeman, and his uncle Zoeth gave them a
building lot across the street from his own home. The house they built at 344
Highway 8 was a Cape Cod 1 1/2-story structure as all other Freeman’s were
building. They raised 11 children. It was his leadership that created Milton’s
first public school, and 28 other parents joined his effort to build that
school and support it. That was 1828. He was also a leader in community
activities, in his church, and in lumbering, and was a successful businessman.
Three sons became Medical
Doctors
at the Univ. of Cincinnati. One son was a civil engineer, and provincial Land
Surveyor. His daughters married local businessmen, their children also followed
into the medical and other professions.
He became the property owner of his
Uncle Zoeth who was without children, and later the property went to his son
Jabez, his business partner and heir. This is now Killam’s B&B, and a
Heritage Property
1820 SAMUEL FREEMAN, 4,
(1795-1878), (Samuel, 4, Samuel, 3, Simeon, 2. Elisha, 1) was twice
married. Marriage #1 was to Sophia Ford in 1819. The house they built
was 384 Highway 8, another Cape Cod House. The lumber industry was very demanding and by this time Samuel
incorporated as Samuel Freeman and Sons; it included sawmills,
woodlands, wholesale and retail outlets, as well as a shipyard located where
today is Pine Grove Park. This business was one of the biggest losers when bank
foreclosures occurred in the depressed 1870’s.
Samuel, 5, (1824-1902) a son,
was of this marriage to Sophia Ford as was another son Snow Parker 5;(1828-1900)
both became business partners with others of the family.
Samuel, 4, married a second
time to Mercy Knowles, in 1827, and had a second family. Marshall Saunders the
author of children’s books evolved from that union. and was born in this house.
1849 384 Highway 8 became
the property of Samuel, 5, the son of the first marriage.(Samuel,5,
Samuel,4, Samuel,3, Simeon,2, Elisha,1). He married Charlotte Freeman in
1849, and Alice a daughter married James Hunt, who eventually owned the house.
384
Highway 8 is a fine example of a Cape Cod House Modified. Norman Fraser now
owns it.
1833 JOHN FREEMAN (1807-1880) (John,4, Enoch, 3, Nathaniel, 2, Elisha,1)
built on
Freeman Street off Milford Street. John and Nathan were twin brothers, sons
of Enoch Freeman, and well known as lumber merchants and sawmill operators.
Recently papers discovered in the eaves in an old shoebox indicated supplying
materials to Augustus Harrington for building the Milton Christian Church in
1864.
It is noteworthy that this house is
built on property of Nathaniel Freeman who was a son of Elisha. The 2003 owner
is David Freeman, son of Avery and Marguerite (Myra) Freeman, Avery was son of. Clarence and Margaret F.,
s.o. David, s.o. John the builder.(David,8,Avery,7, Clarence,6, David 5,
John,4,Enoch,3, Nathaniel,2, Elisha,1) A direct ownership exists from 1760
to 2003.
The house originally built was Cape
Cod. Some modifications have occurred. Designating it as a heritage Property
would prevent destruction of the house.
1838 WILLIAM HENRY FREEMAN, (1812-1895) (William H., 4, Simeon,
3, Simeon, 2, Elisha, 1).
This
house started out as a Cape Cod structure so common to the Freeman
builders. A cupola was an additional dress up that was used in more recent
buildings. It was 1838 that Wm. H. married 1st Cecelia Hayes, and
three children resulted before she died in 1846. His second marriage occurred
in Lahave, Lunenburg Co., Louisa F. Koch. A daughter, Louisa eventually married
Edward Hendry, who was for years the local magistrate. The property became that
of Mrs. Sadie Getson, through a second marriage of Mr. Hendry. Mr. and Mrs.
Dale Muise are present owners. The location is 379 Highway 8.
1840 EDWARD HIRAM FREEMAN (1816-1891) (Edward,4, Simeon,3, Simeon,2,
Elisha,1) He was unmarried, building
such a house one can wonder of a broken heart situation. All three brothers
built homes in this neighborhood, and all are substantial homes that exist in
2003. Ownership over the period has been: Oliver Tupper, John Lowe, Lucy and
Charles Beals, and lately Sandra and Mervyn Oickle who received a “Most
Improved Plaque” for the care and improvements they had performed. New
owners have recently purchased the home, located at 367 Highway 8.
1841 JAMES AUGUSTUS FREEMAN,
(1814-1882) (James A., 4, Simeon, 3, Simeon, 2, Elisha, 1) This home is located at 370
Highway 8. A marriage took place in 1841 between James A. and Olivia
Kempton. She was the daughter of John and Sarah (Snow) Kempton. The design of the house is quite new to the
area; The Classic Revival Style was gaining popularity and local carpenters
created several houses of this style. Many remember this house as that of Vera
and Roy Gordon.
Note: The last three houses were the creation of the
three brothers and sons of Simeon Freeman and his second wife, Abigail
(Freeman) Slocomb.
1865 SNOW PARKER FREEMAN, (1828-1900), (Samuel,4, Samuel,3,
Simeon,2, Elisha,1). He was married in 1865 to Alice Hutchinson of Salem,
Ma. The new home they built was next door to his father’s home. This design was
a departure from Cape Cod style, which had become very common. It was built
vertical to the road, yet retaining some Cape Cod features. This house is
located at 380 Highway 8 and is
owned in 2003 by Sally and Stacey Kaulback. Previous owners have included W.A.
and Fern Leaman; Arthur and Mary Wentzell; Mr. and Mrs. Rod MacDonald who used
it as a hospital when dams were constructed on the Mersey River in late 1920’s;
her father Mack Harlow had been an owner previously.
1843 MERCY (FREEMAN) CHURCHILL (1825-1893) (Mercy,5, Zoeth,4,
Simeon,3, Simeon,2, Elisha,1) Mercy
had married Albert Churchill in 1843
and they were able to purchase for $150 a building spot on Penny Lane. The home
they built is located at 7 Forest Street in Milton.
Churchill
and Wyman were business partners and another new design was presented to local
builders. Several families have considered this “ home”; the children of
the original Churchill’s, those of Thomas and Florence Lloyd, and those of
Peter and Elsie Zwicker.
1853 MARTHA (FREEMAN) WYMAN (1823-1918) (Martha, 5, Zoeth, 4,
Simeon,3, Simeon,2, Elisha,1). She had married Joseph Wyman in 1853 and the
house they built was a new type to this area. Joseph was a ship carpenter,
lumber manufacturer, and house-building contractor so it would be reasonable
for him to promote a new design. This is located at 333 Highway 8. It
was patterned after the new Gothic design. Wyman in retirement and later years
became the undertaker, and coffin maker, and one room is fitted to be the “Laying-Out
Room” with a beautiful sliding door to isolate the purpose. This family was
childless and eventually became the home of J.Wm. Wentzell and his wife Hilda.
1860 MARY ELLEN (FREEMAN) FORD (1838-xxxx) (Mary Ellen,5, Zoeth,4,
Simeon,3, Simeon,2, Elisha,1). Mary Ellen had marr. Leander Starr Ford in 1860
and the house they built is located at 15 Forest Street in Milton, NS.
Others in this family were pioneering the Gothic Design and the use of Barge
Boards and fancy trim. The Ford Brothers were carriage makers and also did
smithy work. Several of the sons of Mary and Leander also became medical
doctors, following in the footsteps of their uncles.
1860 JAMES MORTON FREEMAN (1831-1906) (James M,5, Simeon,4,
Simeon,3,Simeon 2,Elisha,1). This is a fine example of the Gothic Revival
movement that created so many fine homes on the South Shore of Nova Scotia.
This house is located at 362 Highway 8 in Milton, and is presently owned
by Richard and Marguerite (Freeman) Cole. Particularly appealing is the Barge
Boards, the window shapes and corner mouldings. The original owners married in
1860, she was Mary Ann Kempton daughter of Simeon Kempton, whose company, S.
Kempton and Sons was in competition to the Churchill/Wyman/Freeman click that
were pioneering this new design of home, be assured, it was well supervised
during construction.
1864 THE
MILTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH. A smaller chapel had been built across the street in 1834, it had been
called Mount Zion Chapel. Many members of Freeman families considered this
their place of worship, and supported the new church construction. The
contractor was George Boehner who was a well-known contractor in Liverpool, and
had recently built the Court House, and other large buildings. A partner of
Boehner’s was Mr. Hammond, whose expertise was architecture. He patterned his design
upon a recently published architectural book that had designs of the North
Street church in Boston. Many of our local persons had good knowledge of
Boston, and such a design received approval by most. It has proved to be a
landmark of this area for 150 years, and a part of our landscape.
The cost of this structure was
$7,500. Pride in this structure would be realized by having it designated as a
Heritage Property.
1875 Another house built on the property of William Freeman is located at
357 Highway 8. Old timers tell us
that a Newton Freeman lived here. His vocation was as a hostler; his teams were
employed by the early pulp mills to transport product from mill to wharves for
shipping. Early shipping to market occurred from a warehouse on Morton’s Wharf.
Many will remember this as the
property of The Milton Christian Church as a parsonage. Many weddings would
have been performed here. It is now the property of Gordon Lowe, its address is
357 Highway 8, Milton, NS.
The house is a two story structure,
the builder included new ideas, such as brackets at the roof line and bay
windows for more light into the living rooms.
Another interesting point is that
the property ran along the north side of Forest Street, and originally to the
river. The property across the street from this house was called the Cooke
Field. The Milton youth fielded a very strong baseball team, and this was the
usual field used.
Note.
The above is from the computer of Harley Walker, in Jan.,2003. My sources are
many, often from talking to and listening to others away back then.