Item 7314
Chapter 5, page 128-134.
Obituary statistics offer insight into the average age, life expectancy, and the frequency of deaths per age group. This group of statistics is unique because it includes additional comments by the statistics collector on the results of the data.
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Item 7286
Chapter 5, page 128-129.
In early colonial Maine, land was obtained differently than it is today. The first settlers received royal charters for land or bartered for land with Indians.
It was only when much of the land was settled that property was bought and sold in the way it is today.
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Item 7284
Chapter 5, 128-134.
"The Fourth of July," written by William Allen in 1837, is a celebration of history, humanity, and the future of the fledgling United States.
Allen has a clear respect for governance and the nation's existing institutions; however, he does not agree with slavery. At the close of his essay, Allen urges readers to consider those without freedom when celebrating theirs. He wrote, "While we shout the praises of liberty let us breathe forth a prayer for the enslaved."
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Item 7198
March 19, 1808 Letter from Charles Vaughan to the Kennebec Proprietors / Maine Historical Society
Chapter 5, page 132-133.
In this 1808 letter from Charles Vaughan to the Kennebec Proprietors, Vaughan expresses concern about the squatters who have taken residence on surveyed land.
Vaughan feared violence on the frontier. As a surveyor, he often saw the anger of squatters first hand. Vaughan urges the Proprietors to settle the land deed quickly and peaceably.
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Item 7582
Chapter 5, page 132-136.
Notes from a meeting of the Kennebec Proprietors that covers the conditions of a land grant for the residents.
The Proprietors address the required dimensions for a house, the tenant's length of stay, and protocol for skirmishes with local Indians.
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Item 7283
Chapter 5, page 133.
In "Duelling," William Allen upholds the law as the only method to settle disputes.
In sparsely settled areas like Maine, justice was often served through violent practices like duelling. It was not until the mid-18th century that regimented law enforcement was wide-spread, and officials of the law were easily accessible.
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Item 7199
April 8, 1808 letter from Charles Vaughan to the Kennebec Proprietors / Maine Historical Society
Chapter 5, page 132-136.
Squatters living on Kennebec Proprietor land had the option to purchase the land they had been living on. Arrangements between squatters and the Proprietors could be ended peacefully when there was a fair deal on either side.
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Item 7200
Chapter 5, page 134-136.
Disagreements between squatters and the Proprietors over land ownership often resulted in violence.
This account written by Charles Vaughan describes a dispute between land surveyers and a group of "disguised Indians."
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Item 6036
Chapter 5, page 134-136.
This is a tool called a quadrant. In the 1800s, quadrants were used to take astronomical measurements for surveying and map making.
