Monday, August 1, 2011

1829 Letter from Gleason & Houghton, Eastport,Maine; genealogy of Gleason, Jones, Houghton & Prince families



An 1829 business letter from the firm of Gleason and Houghton in Eastport, Maine, to Eveleth & Wood in Boston, Massachusetts, asking for a delivery of women's leather pegged shoes and small boys' shoes. 




Gleason & Houghton was a partnership of Jesse Gleason and Partman Houghton.


Jesse Gleason was born 4 November 1789 at Framingham, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas and Hannah (Hill, I think) Gleason.  His paternal grandparents were Phineas and Elizabeth (Pierce) Gleason of Massachusetts.  I don't have information on Hannah's parents.


In 1813, Jesse Gleason married Sophia Jones, who was born at Robbinston, Maine on 4 May 1792, the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Richards) Jones.  Her paternal grandparents were Samuel and Mercy (Trott) Jones.  Her maternal grandparents were Dr. Benjamin and Abigail (Thayer) Richards.


Although some online sources show a son Jesse for the couple, Jesse was actually their nephew, the son of John and Harriet (Gale, I think) Gleason, who settled in nearby Perry, Maine, where Gleason's Point is a favorite haunt, with its 180 degree bay views and wild strawberries in season.  


Jesse Gleason died in December of 1839 at Eastport.  Sophia (Jones) Gleason died 19 June 1872.


Partman Houghton was born 3 May 1806 in Massachusetts, the son of Eleazer and Becke (Barrett) Houghton.  His paternal grandparents were Jonas and Lucy (Johnson) Houghton.  His maternal grandparents were Oliver and Sarah (Whitcomb) Barrett.


Partman found his way to Eastport, Maine at a young age and became associated with Jesse Gleason.  On 25 June 1833 he married Olinda Ann Prince, born 19 October 1807 at Eastport, Maine, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Prince. 


Joseph and two of his children burned to death in a house fire on 24 February 1803 at Eastport.  Sarah, Olinda Ann and Joanna B. Gleason survived.  Joanna B. Gleason married Ebenezer Everett of Brunswick, Maine.  Their son Charles Carroll Everett was dean of faculty at Harvard Divinity School.


Partman and Olinda Ann (Prince) Houghton had at least two children:

  • Sarah Parker Houghton, born 14 August 1836; m. Andrew Harrington Bibber, Civil War veteran and marine painter; they moved to Orange County, California
  • Henry Prince Houghton, born 8 June 1842; d. 17 June 1842
Partman Houghton served in the Maine State Legistlature, but he is probably most remembered today for a fund he set up for the benefit of elderly widows in Eastport, Maine.  I read somewhere that a particularly grim situation caused him to set up this fund, which is still operating today.


Partman Houghton died 25 June 1833 at Eastport, Maine; his widow Olinda Ann (Prince) Houghton died 8 June 1885, also at Eastport.

If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding any of the information presented here, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

A map of Eastport, Maine


Thanks for stopping by!

No comments:

Post a Comment