7. Matthew² Blackwood (Cpl Matr James (John)¹) (#795) was born in Dennysville, Washington, ME 14 Feb 1798.⁽¹⁰²⁾ age 53y in 1850 USC; age 62y in 1860 USC Individual flags: Twin. Matthew died 27 Feb 1868 in Pembroke, Washington, ME, at 70 years of age.⁽¹⁰³⁾ Robert Gibson says d c1860 Pembroke, ME; Fisher-Szewczyk say 27 Feb 1868

He married Hannah (Ann) Bridges in Eastport, Washington, ME, 1 Dec 1818.⁽¹⁰⁴⁾ date given was 12-1-1818; however, was that 1 December of 12 Jan of 1818? poss m 10 Oct 1818 ??? (Hannah (Ann) Bridges is #801.)

Hannah was born c1800 in Dennysville, Washington, ME.⁽¹⁰⁵⁾ age 50y in 1850 USC; age 60y in 1860 USC; age 70y in 1870 USC (enumerated with son Wm S.D.)

NOTE: It may be probable that she is the d/o Thomas and Bathsheba (Wilder) Bridges and had a sister Bathsheba; however, Carol B. Fisher and Sue Szewczyk say she is the d/o Isaac Bridges - need to verify; Robert Wylie agrees with AF and says b 2 Jul 1804 and bp 8 Jan 1808 Belper, Derby, ENG d/o William and Mercy (Bowler) Bridges - I don't have much confidence in this statement .... Hannah was the daughter of Isaac Bridges and Hannah (Bridges).

Hannah died c1870 in Pembroke, Washington, ME, at 70 years of age.⁽¹⁰⁶⁾ note: listed w/son Wm S.D. and his family on 1870 census AFNs: JNT6-8P JNT5-NM JNT6-6C

NOTE: Anyone who thinks Hannah is the d/o William Bridges and Mercy Bowler in Belper, Derby, ENG has copied their information from Ancestral File - AND IT IS WRONG !!!!!!!

Occupation: farmer.⁽¹⁰⁷⁾ He resided in Pembroke, Washington, ME 1820.⁽¹⁰⁸⁾ Abstract from Walk Through History by Pembroke Hist Society:

8. Matthew Blackwood Property - (now the Cusick house). The house was built, probably in the 1820s, by Matthew Blackwood (a son of James) on the shore side; about 1837 it was moved by oxen across the road to its present location. Matthew left the house to his son Douglas. (When she reached the top of Douglas Blackwood hill, she could see the blue water of the cove twinkling in the sun this side of Wilbur Neck (pp 121-122)). The present owner, a descendant of the original Blackwood settlers, estimates there were about 20 Blackwood families living at Young's Cove during the period covered in "Growing Up Way Downeast."

Matthew was listed as the head of a family on the 1840 Census in Pembroke, Washington, ME.⁽¹⁰⁹⁾ Matthew was listed as the head of a family on the 1850 Census in Pembroke, Washington, ME.⁽¹¹⁰⁾ Matthew was listed as the head of a family on the 1860 Census in Pembroke, Washington, ME.⁽¹¹¹⁾ Abstract from 1850 Census Pembroke, Washington, ME - originals at Machias, ME 7:29:

Blackwood, Matthew 53 " Hannah 50 " Isaac P. 18 " Edward W. 15 " Emily 12

Abstract from 1860 USC M653, p 6 Pembroke, Washington, ME (ED 19 Jun 1860 by Aaron Hobart; originals at Machias, ME 7:48):

all born ME Blackwood, Matthew 62 M farmer $800 $300 " Hannah 60 F " Wm S.D. 34 M " Emily C. 32 F " Edward W. 25 M seaman " Charles D. 11 M " Lewis P. 9 M " Joseph W. 7 M " Abba U. 2 F " Isaac N. 1 M Bridges, Jane 14 F servant girl

My Personal Observation: Matthew and Hannah getting old; son, William Stuart Douglas returns home to Pembroke with wife, Emily O. and children (Charles Davenport, Lewis Putnam, Joseph Wesley, Abigail Eudora, and Isaac Newton), to assist his parents with farm. Edward W, brother of William S.D. still in household. What relation is Jane Bridges to Hannah (w/o Matthew, whose surname is Bridges)?

Some information was related to me by Ethel Quimby, gdtr of Joseph Wesley, who still resides in Machiasport (Bucks Harbor), ME.

Source for birth of Matthew and names/birthdates of his some of his children (Hannah, Elizabeth, Abigail, William, Bathesheba, and Isaac), and for son Matthew's year of death: FHL#0010828, Dennysville, ME Vital Records 1792-1892

Abstract from Pemmaquon Call, May 1999, p 8:

As I Remember by Ellen Madden. Ellen Madden is a member of the historical society and a seasonal resident of Pembroke. Her mother, Sybil (Blackwood) Cusick (b 26 Aug 1902, d 20 Dec 1979), lived at Young's Cove with her parents Israel Wallace and Ellen Mary (Johnson) Blackwood until she was 14 years old and moved to Boston. After Sybil's marriage to James E. Cusick, the Cusick family visited Young's Cove every summer, except during WW-II. Sybil returned to the Cove to live during the last ten years of her life.

When Doris Bridges and my mom [Sybil (Blackwood) Cusick] were young, the Cove was well populated - 12 houses, a church, a schoolhouse, and two small stores. One store was at Captain Mitchell's place and the other at Will Blackwood's [William Alvra Blackwood b 1840, d 1923]. The church [Holiness Church, burned 1932 - see Pemmaquon Call, Vol. V, No. 8, p 8 for story on Rev. T.W. Moses] was quite popular in Maine but no longer exists. My mother said that part of its belief was to board boats and to sail for the Holy Land, leaving all worldly goods behind. Perhaps someone has more information on this sect as I remember reading something on it.

There is a small graveyard on the old Wilbur land close to the road with two graves which are very old. There was a wharf on the Wilbur shore which was in disrepair when I was a child but according to my mother it was quite active there when she was a girl. Each year wagons arrived from town for the "herring run" at the "Head of Young's Cove." It was on the tide and often during the night, an exciting time for young children watching the men filling their barrels with herring.

In the spring Dr. Pomeroy pastured his horses on Wilbur's Neck. There is a foundation on the neck which is supposed to have been the Wilbur house and a part of the Bridges family. I can recall Doris Bridges standing at the old schoolhouse, pointing across the cove to Wilbur Neck and talking about her relatives' home.

One time I was walking with a friend, Pat Law, from Milton, Mass., when we came upon Doris and a friend. Pat Law was thrilled to recognize "Miss Bridges," her beloved teacher from Milton High School. It was quite a reunion. She told Pat that she and I were related through a Hannah Bridges [dau. Isaac] who married Matthew Blackwood [b 14 Feb 1798; Hannah and Matthew were married 27 Oct 1818].

Ghost stories were a staple in those days. Every locale had their "haunts." My mom told us about the clanking chains and weird noises that came from the upstairs bedroom window in Ben Jones' house. We had out own ghost. A relative of my grandfather's went into our cellar and was never seen again. Everyone had their own theory, but my mother thought that she was just "different."

On one of our summer visits to Pembroke, Bob Blackwood, Young's Cove's hermit, decided that my brand new husband, Mark, and I should see the "Falls." We started to walk from the "Head of Young's Cove," on what I assumed would be a pleasant stroll. We walked and walked on a partial dirt road and lots of overgronw fields. All the way to the falls, Bob pointed out old house foundations and their family history. I wish that I had recorded it all as it was a litany of familiar names and ghost stories. One old place had housed a mad woman who played a ghostly organ. Another had a disappearing child. Finally we came to the "reversing falls," which were as calm as a lake. When the new road was built and I would drive Bob Blackwood back to his log cabin after an evening with our family, I made darn sure that my kids joined us. I always felt uneasy about these ghost stories, although I'm sure Bob told them with tongue in cheek. My Aunt Mill would tell us about the horse and wagon that disappeared in the cow marsh in Ox Cove. Many farmers lost animals in the marsh or so it was said. Writing bout it now reminds me of the "little people" stories from Ireland.

Every house had a barn and garden when my mother was a girl. My grandfather had a barn, a hen house, and a blacksmith's shop, which was a place where some of the men would gather to talk horses and animals. He was a carpenter by trade but a farmer by necessity. Will Blackwood was a railroad man but a farmer also. I knew that potatoes were grown as my mother still shuddered when recalling her job picking potato bugs. Berrying could be a chore or a favorite pastime. It depended on how much you were expected to pick. Many women enjoyed it because they got to spend time with other women and could talk about children, recipes, or anything they fancied.

Another activity that my mother recalled was the "Quilting Bee." My great-grandmother was a wonderful quilter and worked on many other women's quilts. A favorite story of mine was the fact that she would turn her quilts to the right side when the minister was due. As soon as he left they were turned over to prevent fading. For entertainment, my aunts and mother swung on a wooden swing that my grandfather hung, rolled hoops with sticks, played horse shoes, mastered stilts, picked berries for immediate consumption, and played with their eight or nine farm cats. An outing was a school picnic, sledding on homemade sleds on Wilbur's hill, a walk to the store for penny candy or sneaking up the road to the church at Dudley's just to listen to the singing and organ music. For a bit of dangerous play they would "jump ice cakes" on a frozen Young's Cove.

Occasionally a trip to West Pembroke, Pembroke or Eastport was planned. This took all day and usually meant new school clothes or trotting races at the Fairgrounds. My grandfather had a wonderful horse named Hector who was well known throughout the County. Leavitt Hatch who ran the store in West Pembroke would tell me wonderful stories about my grandfather and his beautiful horse. A few years ago, Mr. Antone from Route 1 heard my name and started to talk about "Hector" and how beautifully my grandfather handled this trotter. It was so wonderful to hear the excitement in this old man's voice telling stories that happened a lifetime ago. He is gone now as is anyone who can recall those days.

Another of my grandfather's horses was "Danger." He was a mean-spirited horse and was kept across the road in a private pasture. My Aunt Anastasia loved him and one day she and her young pal Alice Wilbur sneaked in to pet him. He reared and kicked Alice. She was carried into our house and laid on the kitchen table where Dr. [Herbert] Best operated on her. She died there in our kitchen and this became a family story that was told with great sadness to all of us as small children.

My grandfather kept a box of smoked herring in our ell and I remember hearing that it was a particular favorite of Ronald Bridges and it became a quest for him and my Uncle George to steal a few when Grampa wasn't looking. Maud Blackwood was a wonderful cook and she was well known for her mincemeat. It was kept in their cellar and, according to my mother, many raids were carefully planned and carried out for just a "handful" of Maud's mincemeat. It was a family joke that nobody's mince pie ever tasted as good as Maud's. We always teased my mother about it, insisting that Maud's mincemeat actually improved with age. My Uncle Joe Turner remembers my Granddad telling him about a barge and pulley which ran from Joe's point to Wilbur's Neck where Dr. Pomeroy kept a camp and had a pier built. There was also a water pipe that crossed from the point and was visible at low tide.

There is no beauty and so many memories for those who called Young's Cove home. It was a tight little community. Doris Bridges always visited the Cove with her guests and when her brothers, Ronald and Styles, were home they always visited my mother looking for news of her brothers and sisters.

Abstract from Pemmaquon Call, Vol. V, No. 4 (Nov 1999), p 9:

In the August issue, we published Doris Bridges' poem, "The Hornbeam Tree," which she wrote more than 50 years ago for and about Bill and John, her young nephews. Bill, now Dr. William E. Bridges, a management consultant in Mill Valley, CA, and author of several books, wrote to comment: "I remember when I was in college - an English major, who felt that his taste was a good deal better than that of his older relatives - how pained I used to be by the verse that my father's family turned out for almost any occasion. It seemed to me, back then, to be a sign of intellectual weakness and something close to aesthetic collapse. Well, time hasn't increased my estimation of its literary merit, but I must say that I enjoy it far more now. Maybe age brings a softening, not to mention a humbling. I hope so."

Rec'd from Ralph Blackwood on 8 Dec 1999:

7. Matthew Blackwood. Born on 14 Feb 1798 in Pembroke, ME. Occupation: Farmer.2

In 1818 when Matthew was 19, he married Hannah Bridges, daughter of Isaac Bridges, in Eastport, ME.

They had the following children: 48 i. Hannah (1819-) 49 ii. Elizabeth Thompson (1821-) 50 iii. Abigail R. (1823-1895) 51 iv. Bathsheba H. (1827-) 52 v. Ann 53 vi. Emily (1833-) 54 vii. William Stuart Douglas (1825-) 55 viii. Issac P. Bridges (1829-1850) 56 ix. Edward (1834-1860):

Matthew Blackwood and Hannah (Ann) Bridges had the following children:

+ 55 i. Hannah Bridges³ Blackwood was born 4 Oct 1819.

56 ii. Matthew Blackwood Jr (#1646) was born in Pembroke, Washington, ME c1820.⁽¹¹²⁾ Matthew died 1822 in Dennysville, Washington, ME, at 2 years of age.⁽¹¹³⁾

+ 57 iii. Elizabeth Thompson Blackwood was born 23 Sep 1821.

58 iv. Abigail R. Blackwood (#802) was born in Dennysville, Washington, ME 7 Oct 1823.⁽¹¹⁴⁾ Abigail died 6 Dec 1895 in Walla Walla, Walla Walla, WA, at 72 years of age.⁽¹¹⁵⁾ age 72 years Her body was interred aft 6 Dec 1895 in Walla Walla, Walla Walla, WA, New Portland Cemetery.⁽¹¹⁶⁾ She married Charles Robinson Lichoness in Washington Co, ME.⁽¹¹⁷⁾ Ralph Blackwood says his name was William Leicheness (citing Genealogy of Pembroke Fams) (Charles Robinson Lichoness is #803.)

Charles was born c1819 in Camden, Knox, ME.⁽¹¹⁸⁾

+ 59 v. William Stuart Douglas Blackwood was born 11 Aug 1825.

60 vi. Bathesheba Ann Blackwood (#1647) was born in Dennysville, Washington, ME 20 Sep 1827.⁽¹¹⁹⁾ She married Isaac P. Bridges.⁽¹²⁰⁾ (Isaac P. Bridges is #50073.)

61 vii. Isaac Newton Bridges Blackwood (#1648) was born in Dennysville, Washington, ME 8 Nov 1829.⁽¹²¹⁾ age 18y in 1850 USC

birth records list him as Isaac P.B.; Ralph Blackwood says Isaac P.; 1850 USC says Isaac P.

Isaac died 22 Nov 1850 in At sea ?, at 21 years of age.⁽¹²²⁾ age 21 years; unmarried; lost at sea (Red Sea? Black Sea?)

Occupation: sailor.⁽¹²³⁾

+ 62 viii. Mary Ann Blackwood was born 14 Feb 1831.

+ 63 ix. Emily Blackwood was born 1833.

64 x. Edward W. Blackwood (#1651) was born in Pembroke, Washington, ME 28 Dec 1834.⁽¹²⁴⁾ age 15y in 1850 USC; age 25y (a seaman, enumerated w/parents) in 1860 USC Pembroke, Washington, ME

Edward died c1860 in China or Hong Kong, at 25 years of age.⁽¹²⁵⁾ age 25 years; unmarried; died in China or Hong Kong - exact date unknown

Occupation: seaman 1860 in Pembroke, Washington, ME.⁽¹²⁶⁾

Send email to preparer: alafl@adelphia.net

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