Town Meeting of Incorporation 1795

The town is divided into six districts. Western district begins at Benjamin Wakefield’s north line. It crosses to Samuel Stevens’s South line and includes all the inhabitants on the Tunk River below said line and on the bay, from Captain Thomas Parritt’s to Mr. Samuel Wakefield, then northwardly by said Wakefield. The eastern line to Mr. Edward Webb’s north line is eastwardly by Mr. Daniel Leighton’s south line, and north by said Leighton’s eastern line, till it makes an angle with the first mentioned line.

Dyers Bay district begins at Mr. Samuel Yeaton’s Southeast corner, where the bound of his land runs northerly on the line between said Yeaton and Mr. Tristram Pinkham’s and continues to Mr. D. Leightons. The southern line is westerly by Mr. Edward Webb’s northern line, then southerly by Mr. S. Wakefield’s eastern line, including all the inhabitants within and southward of said line.

Pinkham’s Bay district begins at the Southwest corner of Tristram Pinkham Sr.’s land and runs north on the line between said Pinkham and Samuel Yeaton’s to the northwest corner of said Pinkham’s land, then east to the line that divided the town of Steuben from the town of Harrington. Said district includes all the town’s inhabitants that lies south of the last-mentioned line.

The Tunk district includes all the inhabitants of the Tunk River above the southern line of S. Stevens’s land and the northerly line to Benjamin Wakefield’s land.

The Narraguagus upper district begins at the northern line of Mr. Wm. McKay’s land. It includes all the inhabitants on Narraguagus River from said line to the Cherryfield line, then eastward to the Harrington line.

The Narraguagus lower district includes all the inhabitants on the west side of the Narraguagus River, between the northern line of William McKey’s land and John Ward’s land.

Steuben was formerly township “No. 4, East of Union River.” The town of Cherryfield comprises No. 11, Middle Division, Bingham Purchase, and the northeastern part of what was formerly Steuben. All that part of Cherryfield lying south of the mills on the first or lower dam was, before 1826, a part of Steuben and was called Narraguagus to distinguish it from the settlement in the southwestern part, which was called “Head of the Bay.”

The inhabitants of Steuben met in the new schoolhouse on May 6, 1795, at ten o’clock.

  1. To choose a clerk
  2. To choose a moderator
  3. To choose all other necessary town officers, which towns in this commonwealth are entitled to choose.
  4. To transact and vote on any other business.

Participants included:

  • Henry Dyer – Moderator
  • Thomas Archibald – Town Clerk
  • H. Dyer
  • Leighton Jr. – Selectmen
  • John Foster
  • Jonathan Stevens – Treasurer
  • Samuel Kingsley – Constable and tax collector (His salary for one year was eight dollars)

Other officers chosen at this meeting were as follows: Committee to settle town accounts, Surveyor of Roads, Surveyor of Lumber, Fence Viewers, Fish Committee, Hog Reeves, Tithing man, Inspectors of Leather, Inspectors of Lime, and Field Drivers.

In this same meeting, they voted on a committee to provide schooling, pay one hundred pounds for road support, six shillings for labor per day, two shillings for each yoke of oxen per day, and fifteen pounds for town charges. They also voted to let swine run at large, provided they were well-yoked.

In the April meeting of the same year, they chose a moderator, a Clerk, and other officers. They voted on money for Highways, a Governor, a Lieutenant Governor, two Senators, and a County registrar. Those chosen were:

  • Governor – Samuel Adams
  • Increase Sumner
  • Gov. – Moses Gill
  • Senators – A. Campbell
  • Nathaniel Dummer
  • Isaac Parker Esq.
  • George Stillman