SOME MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ABOUT "BETH'S FANCY" IN PRETTY MARSH by J. H. Harlow, March 1970 On December 22, 1964 Beth and I bought from Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln Dodge the old Smith Homestead which is located in Pretty Marsh in the fork of the Bartlett's Island road and the Town Hill road on Mt Desert Island in Maine. After settlement was completed, Mr Edwin Smith, now Judge Smith, who was the lawyer handling the arrangements, happened to remark that we now had what was reputed to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, still standing houses on the Island. Mr. Dodge had previously told us that Mr. Alan Smith, his father-in-law, and others in the Smith family had said that the house dated from 1754 and that the original family to permanently occupy it were squatters. During the few years that we have owned this house, I have enjoyed making an effort, at the Court House in Ellsworth, to verify this date. I have not been able to find mention of buildings at this location prior to 1801 although there is what seems to me to be adequate evidence to show that the family which owned it in 1801 was there in 1784 and probably even earlier in 1778. To begin wint the 1801 date: On March 28, 1801, as recorded in Book, 88 Page 154, one Ephraim Pray conveyed to his two sons, Ephraim Jr. and Abisha a "certain tract of land situated lying and being in Pretty Marsh together with the buildings thereon and one eighth part of the Saw mill and one half part of the Grist mill standing on said Pretty Marsh Falls 11 The next significant paper which I found was a map of the western half of Mt, Desert Island drawn by Salem Towne in 1808. A very old copy of this map is in the Mt. Desert museum in Somesville. I have blue pant a part of a copy, apparantly of an original, made in 1887 and recopied in 1947. This map shows 102 A. at Pretty Marsh under the name of Ephraim Pray which obviously includes thelland on which our house stands. It also shows the saw and grist mill which no doubt was a tidal mill the utilizing the ebb and flow of the tide into the cove at this location. raq A portion of the abutments of the dam is still visable. On November 26, 1821, one Daniel Smith acquired from the estate of Ephraim Pray or his son Abisha an interest in the property. This is recorded in Book 42, Page 496 in part as follows; "I, John Brier acting in the capacity of guardian and agent of Nancy Pray minor and daughter of Abisha Pray deceased have remissed, released the right, title and interest which Nancy Pray has to Daniel Smith Beth's Fancy-? of Mt. Desert. On September 24, 1828, as recorded in Book 61, Page 326, Salem Towne as attorney for the executors of the estate of Ward N. Boylston of Worcester Mass. conveyed the interest of Mr. Boylston to Daniel Smith. Dr. George E. Street in his book "Mount Desert a History" records on page 132 how Mr. Boylston had acquired the Sir Francis Barnard interest in the Island. Mr. Boylston then, it appears, had engaged Salem Towne to represent him and to sell to the residents of the island clear title to the land they were already occupying, a title which many of them probably thought they had. Mr. Boylston apparantly died during these negotiations but his executors, who were John Quincy Adams, Alicia Boylston and Nathaniel Curtis, continued the arranrement. This assignment was madeoon May 8, 1822 and is recorded in Book 4v, Page 437. and B51 P419 That these documents, namely; the Salem Towne map of 1808, the purchase from Nancy Pray in 1821 and the settlement with Mr Boylston in 1828aall apply to the same parcel of land is attested by Daniel Smith's deed of the property to his son Richmond Smith dated August 5, 1863 and recorded in Book 119, Page 148. Now, to push the date of the house to earlier than 1801 there is the following evidence: 1. On April 23, 1799 (book 9, Page 1) Ephraim Pray sold to Ephraim Blaisdell of Portsmouth "three quarters of a certain Double Saw Mill and privilege situate and being in Pretty Marsh in Mt. Desert with one quarter of an acre of land S. Easterly adjoining the same." This sale was concured in by his wife, Margaret. Besides advancing the date of the Pray involvment in the Pretty Marsh property two years, this establishes Mrs. Pray's name. "Margaret) 2. In Dr. Street's book on the history of Mt. Desert on page 193, there is a voters list of residents of the Island for 1790. Both Ephraim Pray and Ephraim Pray Jr. are included in this list. 3. On page 150 of the same book, Dr. Street states that Ephraim Pray was in Pretty Marsh in 1784. 4. On October 12, 1778, Ephraim Pray and Margaret Pray sold to Edward Beal for thirty pounds "one lot of land on the East side of Union River begining at a fence betwixt Solomon Jordan and Ephraim Pray on the River side" The lot was 80 rods north and south by one and one quarter miles east and west. This is recorded In Book 24, Page 449. It was recorded on August 5, 1808. The fact that the records of Hancock Beth's Fancy- 3 County at Ellsworth were begun only in 1790 probably explains why this document was not recorded sooner. This record contains, in connection with the date, a statement of considerable interest relative to the character and attitude of the people of Maine, and the Prays in particular, at that date concerning the war for independence. It is this 11 It being the second year of American Independence". This note not only makes sure the fact that there is no error in copying the date in the record, but also emphasizes the revolutionary attitude of the people in this area and their willingness to put it down in black and white. The war was only two years old at the time, a long way from being settled. Their necks were way out. When Ephraim and Margaret Pray sold this Property on the Union (The house we now River they had to go somewhere. I believe they occupied the house, oor own then some part of the house which may have been standing at Pretty Marsh in 1778. Ephraim might very well have been among those in the mainland The this would account for the legard is gardin squalty ling first raiding parties which molested the islanders and which were the subect has of a letter of 1768 from some of the islanders to Governor Barnard. The mainlanders were stealing salt hay and other things from the island and hay, in particular, was vital for the cattle being raised in the island. Likely as not Ephraim saw the building and decided to take it over. The letter is quoted by Dr. Street on page 141. Ephraim Pray's name does not appear among the signers of the letter. This would seem to indicate that he was not here at the time because Pretty Marsh was one of the best locations for harvesrting salt hay. Surely, therefore, if he had been here he would have been among the protesters. I have found no recorded evidence by whichtto carry the date of our house in Pretty Marsh ahead of this time. This is not to say, however, that the date of 1754 is impossible. Dr. Street records a very consider- able amount of coming and going on the island prior to 1778. England and France vigorously contested for this country untl Wolfe's victory on the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759. (page 103). Governor Francis Barnard tried hard to encourage settlement of the island and even laid out a town in the vicinity of what is now Southwest Harbor. (page 107 and 119). And prior to this there were many excursions by the Massachusetts colonials as far east as Mount Desert. (page 95). The ship "Grand Design" was wrecked on Mt. Desert Island in 1740 and was able to find shelter in a cove which is now called "Ship Harbor". (page 96). To add excitement and speculation to the trail to the earliest date applicable to the house at Beth's Fancy, Mr. Dodge told me that and eyes your map is in the Hoslind Sr. in Smoodle Thatther Bitch we well arway of this location every is attented of by a Butish Admission may of 1776 a which who grow to me by Dich Dushan duy the vaste of 1973-14 st always this loalor in accided detail a smoking of em of the water in and and Mt Dent Deland There is also the Gatting that some results often Ride Nany cere ats Patty March harbon dury the Was if 1812 to refluted this supplies There is n don't about lten fact ltat this area nos dana to them and could well have been and in The may The hadition eser your Author to state that in orging provided ltu water for Uni water barrella Beth's Fancy- 4 some years ago, but within his memory, two small canon balls and a British coin were turned up while plowing in the field in front of the house about where the lupinenow grows. I have not seen any of this evidence but one cannot help but speculate. Could this mean that this was the site of a minor British military outpost and that the house might have been quarters for the troops? The lay of the land overlooking Pretty Marsh Harbor, the proximity of the spring, the availability of timber, etc. could have made it attractive for this purpose. If so, it would possibly add justification to the assumption that Ephraim Pray found it and moved in in 1778 after he sold the property on the Union River. A very fanciful but intrigueing surmise. In addition to these statistical and fanciful datings, the house itself bears evidence of its considerable age. Only a superficial examination of the floors, the doors, the plaster, the door sills, the old hardware, the beams to be seen in the basement and the general impression of the whole place make a study unnecessary. However, after studying the place, I am of the opinion that it was built in at least may be three stages. The low middle section is probably the oldest. Mr. Dodge agrees with this view. This part was apparantly built around a large central chimney with two fireplaces one toward each room, and with brick ovens. Unfortunately, the chimney was improved" some years ago and was replaced by the present one and We added the wood paneling and side cabinets after we came in 1967. Mr. Dodge, who helped Mr. Smith with the rebuilding, told me that the original foundation was not itdid removed and is still in place and supports the present chimney as well as the old one. He said that the foundation is made of tan colored brick of irregular size but about 1½" x4" x7" which he supposes were imported from England. He said that such bricks were sometimes used as ballast. This part of the house is built on a frame of heavy hewn timbers about seven or eight inches square and about twenty five feet long by fifteen feet wide by seven feet high. The several beams of the frame are mortised and tenoned together with dowels. The frame is close to the ground and rests on a stone foundation. piety. might even beolder The one and ond half story wing to the west was probably built next. How much later is not evident, but probably not too long afterward. It is the only part of the house to have a basement. It also has a frame made of hewn timbers which appear to have been used in a prior structure insofar as there are unoccupied mortises and tenons. The top course of the stone foundation is made of beautifully dressed granite stones. 1761 shows present nd A was cast later void end picture as boulding a garage (about which and replaced wood shed. the barn a Beth's Fancy-5 The wing to the east is the Latest to have been built In its p sitty present form it is probably not over twenty years old. Edna Hysom gave us a photo dating from about 1915 which showes a large barn largertthan Kending almost to the highway the present structure, at this end of the house. Some of the foundation for this barn seems to be in the area of the rock garden. There are many reused hewn timbers in this recent construction which likely once were part of the old barn. Some structural features of the old middle sections are quite interesting. For example, when Allen Smith and Lincoln Dodge were making some alterations to the kitchen wall some time ago they found that the wall was insulated with sea weed and that the walls were covered with birch bark under the clapboard in the place where tar paper would be used today. Under the birch bark the sheating was stained dark brown by seal oil which was used in this vicinity many years ago as a preserv- ative. ? It is said that clam shells were crushed and burned to make the have ford smallar coaling stare paint has buled the west work lime for the plaster. There are many very wide flooring boards which were probably sawed in the old tidal saw and grist mill the remains of which can still be seen at Pretty Marsh Falls, about a quarter of a mile from the house. Many of these boards are over a foot wide and a few are as much as fifteen inches. It is reported that a lot of these boards are quite untrue being much thicker on one side than the other. A couple of the old doors have playing card devices cut through the top presumeably for the purpose of ventilation. The plantings around the house are also of interest especially the obviously very ancient lilac bushes to the west. They are twisted and knarled but continue to bloom on schedule each spring. Allen Smith is reported to have said that these bushes were like that when he was a boy. There are various bulbs on the south side of the house which are reported to be over one hundred years old. As recordedepreviously, Ephraim and Margaret Pray, on April 23, 1799 sold part of their interest in a saw and grist mill at Pretty Marsh Falls. The site of this mill is indicated on Salem Towne's map of 1808, loods and the abutmenrs are quite visible, at low tide in the narrows where the cove spills into Pretty Marsh Harbor. A history of this mill, if available would indeed be interesting. It is said that there were many such mills on the Island fifty or a hundred years ago. Very probably they were all much like the one at Seal Cove which is pictured opposite page 150 in Dr. Street's history of Mt. Desert. On Saturday, March 10, 1973, Beth had the "Gray" folks here for lunch. They were Mrs. Edna Gray, Mrs Celia Gray and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Doe. Mrs. Doe was Josephine Gray. The other two ladies had married sisters of Josephine. Josephine and the husbands of the others were children of Aunt Hattie, a sister of Allen Smith, and referred to earlier as the family historian and the authority, via Lincoln Dodge, for the date of 1754 for our house. During the course of their visit, I engaged them in conversation about this house with two objectives. First, I wanted to know anything they could tell and, second, Mrs. Judy Emory, who with her husband, Benj- amin recently bought the Dodge property a quarter mile along the road to Town Hill, and who, with a friend, Mrs. Williams, had been in the house a few days ago seeking data to use in a paper for a report to an acchitecture class at the College of the Atlantic. These two young women, with their instructor, had come to the conclusion that the oldest part of the house was the wing to the West and not the low center part as I had alwys felt and been told by Linc. Dodge. The reason for their feeling is mostly the arrangement of the roof boards. On the West wing these boards are laid up and down from the ridge to the eaves. In the rest of the house they are horizontal. According to their study, the vertical arrangement is the older. Joseph Doe could not cofirm this, but she did say that her Mother had pointed out a house, accross the Cove and opposite the Cemetery, as the old "Bray House". This would tie in with the Edward Langley document better thay my theory. Later, I talked with Lewis Smallidge. He had never heard of the old Pray House, but said that there was once a house on the lane across from the Cemetery. It was in about a hundred yards and the cellar hole and a few old fruit trees are ther still. The house is gone, but I walked in a few days ago and I think I found the spot. I willfcheck for fruit blossoms in the Spring. Langley says that the Prays came from Braintree, Mass. about 1798. My surmise is that they came from Union River in 1778 after they sold their land there to Beale. In view of the fact that the recorded deeds show they sold thir mill interests in 1799, that they transferred the property to their sons in 1801 by deed which mentions buildings and that they were mentioned by Dr. Street as being here in 1784, it seems probable to me that Mr. Langley could have confused 1778 and 1798. I still have not gottentto the bottom of this mystery and will have to ask more questions. Yesterday, March 18th, we were with the John Manchesters who have been on the Island all their lives. He could not shed any light but suggested Pearl Bordeau, Cairman of the TO Board of Assessors. On Saturday, March 10, 1973, Beth had the "Gray" folks here for lunch. They were Mrs. Edna Gray, Mrs Celia Gray and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Doe. Mrs. Doe was Josephine Gray. The other two ladies had married sisters brothers of Josephine. Josephine and the husbands of the others were children of Aunt Hattie, a sister of Allen Smith, and referred to earlier as the family historian and the authority, via Lincoln Dodge, for the date of 1754 for our house. During the course of their visit, I engaged them in conversation about this house with two objectives. First, I wanted to know anything they could tell and, second, Mrs. Judy Emory, who with her husband, Benj- amin recently bought the Dodge property a quarter mile along the road to Town Hill, and who, with a friend, Mrs. Williams, had been in the house a few days ago seeking data to use in a paper for a report to an acchitecture class at the College of the Atlantic. These two young women, with their instructor, had come to the conclusion that the oldest part of the house was the wing to the West and not the low center part as I had always felt and been told by Linc. Dodge. The reason for their feeling is mostly the arrangement of the roof boards. On the West wing these boards are laid up and down from the ridge to the eaves. In the rest of the house they are horizontal. According to their study, the vertical arrangement is the older. JosephinDoe could not cofirm this, but she did say that her Mother had pointed out a house, accross the Cove and opposite the Cemetery, as the olg "Pray House". This would tie in with the Edward Langley document better thay my theory. Later, I talked with Lewis Smallidge. He had never heard of the old Pray House, but said that there was once a house on the lane across from the Cemetery. It was in about a hundred yards and the cellar hole and a few old fruit trees are there still. The house is gone, but I walked in a few days ago and I think I found the spot. I will check for fruit blossoms in the Spring. they an low chight Langley says that the Prays came from Braintree, Mass. about 1798. My surmise is that they came from Union River in 1778 after they sold their land there to Beale. In view of the fact that the recorded deeds show they sold thir mill interests in 1799, that they transferred the property to their sons in 1801 by deed which mentions buildings and that they were mentioned by Dr. Street as being here in 1784, it seems probable to me that Mr. Langley could have confused 1778 and 1798. I still have not gotten to the bottom of this mystery and will have to ask more questions. Yesterday, March 18th, we were with the John Manchesters who have been on the Island all their lives. He could not shed any light but suggested Pearl Bordeau, Cairman of the Board of Assessors. I have withed with him and die would not provide 00g reful exform Today, July 9, 1975, we visited the Isleford Museum with Jim and David and Robert Hepner. While there, Mrs. Liddy showed us a photograph of a portion of a British Admiralty map of 1762 which covered the part of Mt. Desert Island where Pretty Marsh now is. This map had dots to show the location of houses. There is a dot at the location of our house as nearly as can be determined. The original of the map is in the Library of Congress according to Mrs. Liddy Beth's Fancy-6 From the time Daniel Sith acquired the Pretty Marsh property in 1822 and 1828 until 1964 when we bought it, the premises were in the Smith family as follows: Daniel E. Smith (1794-1871) and Lovina, his wife (1793-1869) on August 5, 1863 to their son Richmond L. Smith. Recorded Book 119, Page148. Richmond L. Smith (1825-1919) and Nettie E. his wife (1844-1907) to their son Allen F. Smithon January 25, 1909 as recorded in Book 496, Page472. Also see Book 711, Page 422. Allen F. Smith (1875-1962) and Augusta E., his wife (1871-1932) to Hilda L. , their daughter. Book 804, PPage 526. On January 1947. Hilda L. Smith (1905-1958) married Lincoln H. Dodge (1902-19- ). She died testate on July 20, 1958. Lincoln H. Dodge acquired title by her will. Final accounting allowed by the Probate Court on March 10, 1959 Recorded Beth and I bought the place on December 22, 1944. The circumstan- ces of our finding and deciding to buy it are as follows: For many years, starting with the end of World War II, Aunt Alice and a number of her friends had leased a camp on the west side of Mt. Desert Island on the point between Goose Cove and Duck Cove and for some time she had urged Beth and me to vacation in this vicinity. We had so because of our family's interest and pleasure in taking our vacations at Fourth Lake in the Adirondacs. However, in the summer of 1964 we concluded to heed Aunt Alice's suggestionand, through her, arranged to spend about ten days at the Claremont in Southwest Harbor. We thoroughly enjoyed what we did and saw. As would be expected we cruised around the island, going down each highway to the sea as we came to them. We were traveling around in a clockwise direction And at Pretty Marsh kept left down the road to Bartletts Island landing. As we passed through Pretty Marsh, Beth remarked about how very attractive the low white house in the fork of the road was. At the landing we had to turn and retrace our path. So when we turned left again at Pretty Marsh we saw the house once more and, low and behold, a for sale sign was on the fence. Beth remarked about this but said no more at the time. We continued on our way, but before we got back to Southwest Harbor we had decided to ask the Robinson Real Estate folks to shw us inside. The rest is obvious. It was love at first sight. Beth's Fancy-7 The following data on the Pray family is of interest in connection with a history of the house at Beth's Fancy. In Edna Hysom's yard there is a small graveyard containing three or four stones. One of the stones is quite small and has fallen but it has the following marking: Ephraim Pray died May 25, 1821 ag 61 yrs Susan his wife died Jan 26, 1858 ag 88 yrs This Ephraim Pray, therefor, was born in 1760 and must have been the Ephraim Pray, Jr. in Dr. Street's list of voters on Mt. Desert in 1760 his book on page 193. If he were the first Ephraim Pray, it would not be possible for his son to have been of age to vote in 1790. Thirty years would hardly be enough to allow for the parents maturity and for the son to become twenty-one. This Ephraim Pray's father and mother, then, would have been the Ephraim and Margaret Pray who sold property on the Union River in 1778 and who are assumed in this account to have moved to Pretty Marsh at that time and to have occupied the house then. He would also have been the Ephraim: that is the father, who in 1801 deeded the property to his two sons, Ephraim and Abisha. A second and much larger stone is standing and has the following markings: Ephraim Pray 1806-1889 Rebecca P his wife 1817-1896 There must, therefore, have been a third Ephraim Pray. At the time of his birth his father, Ephraim Jr. would have been 46 and his mother, Susan would have been 36. He would have been a brother to Abisha and there is some evidence that Daniel Smith was his half brother. The from Edna Hysom well beture 1800 story goes that a Mr. Pray located on the Hysom property on Pretty Marsh Cove. He had a son. Mrs. Pray died while the boy was growing and Mr. Pray married a widow by the name of Smith who also had a son. When the boys reached maturity and married, each built a house. Mrs. Hysom has the Pray house and we have the Smith house. There is some doubt as to which house was built first, but it is generally felt that the Smith house is the older. This story does not agree in detail with the evidence of the Beth's Fancy-8 gravestones or to that of the Ellsworth records but it does provide a clue as to what probably did happen and a skeleton on which to hang some known facts. I would reconstruct the story as follows; on Ephraim and Margaret Pray, having sold their property the Union River and being aware of the building at Pretty Marsh and of its advantageous location, moved here with their son Ephraim Jr., then 18 years old, in 1778. When Ephraim, Jr. became of age, he married Mrs. widow Susan Smith who already had a son, Daniel. Later Ephraim, Jr. and Susan had at least two more sons, Ephraim, 3rd and Abisha. There was, therefore, a close association between Daniel Smith and the Pray family. Ephraim, Jr. died in 1821 and Abisha before, 1822. Abisha left a minor daughter named Nancy, who inherited his interests. So, when the opportunity arose it was quite reasonable for Daniel to take over the property which he did by buying Nancy's share in 1822. There must also have been an Ephraim, 4th to explain the notations on the 1887 map by Colby and Stuart and now owned by the Minctons The Capt. E. Pray could only have been Ephraim, 3rd and the other house, then, could only have been occupied by the next generation of Prays. In 1887, Ephraim, 3rd would have been 81 years of age. Andy and Ann Coulter who now own the Ephraim, 3rd house told me that they were told their house was built a couple years before Maine became a State. That would be 1818. This is entirely reasonable believe think, from what have been told, in line with any dates III have found. I think the fourth Pray, when he disposed of the Pretty Marsh house( now the Hysom house) relocated in Barnard. This fact was given to me by two ladies who were Pray descend- ants and who also stated that their Pray progenitors had built or lived in our house, the Coulter house and the Hysom house. Oct 5, 1839 Later Ephrasm Daniel Smith sold back that porticion of the property which he had obtained from Nancy to the Drays west of the Bartilett Island Road. This is the property which is now owned by the Coulters and Edna Hysom. This date would not a free with Andy Coulter understanding that his house was built Before 1820 Beth's Fancy- During the course of studying the records in the Court House at Ellsworth, I found a number of applicable and interesting, though probably not significant at this late date, references to property transfers around the Daniel Smith tract in Pretty Marsh. They are as follows: 1.- Book 139, Page 433 This is a sale by Richmond Smith to Stephen Dexter Smith in 1871 of a five sided plot in the northern cornerof the property which included about 151/2 acres. This plot is across the road from the house now , or recently, owned by the Dodges. It abuts the Edgar Foote Property to the east. Later as recorded in Book 223, Page 369 Stephen Dexter Smith sold about one half of this plot to Ansel L. Manchester. It was the higher and eastern half which was sold at this time. 2.- There were three transactions along the east line of the Daniel Smith tract; a,-Book 54, Page 550. G. Freeman sold to J. Smith a lot of land, roughly triangular in shape, on the north and east sides of Daniel Smith's land. This was on March 13 1827. b,- Book 55, Page 247. R. Freeman sold to John Smith Jr. about thirty acres of land adjoining the above mentioned lot to the south and on the east line of Daniel Smith. This sale is dated April 25, 1831. c,- Book 54, Page 552. R. Freeman sold to G. Freeman a lot of land along the east line of Daniel Smtth and apparantly next south of the property just described. The date was December 31, 1825. It is quite possible that these three descriptions, which are obviously interrelated, define the original easterly line of the Daniel Smith and, therefor, the Ephraim Pray lands. It can easily be laid out on the Salem Towne map of 1808 insuch a way, although the present line, which is the east boundary of Alice Smith, bears off to the west as one faces north. 3.- On October 5, 1839, Daniel Smith and his wife Lovinia sold to Ephraim Pray that portion of the property which he acquired in 1822 from Nancy Pray which lies to the west of the Bartlett Island Road containing about fifteen acres. Beth's Fancy- 10. This transaction undoubtedly involves the land now occupied by the Coulter and the Hysom properties. Ronald Minctons has a map dated 1887 and copyrighted by Colby and Stuart of Mt. Desert Island wwhich would seem to close the gap between this transfer and the present owners. On this map two houses are indicated; one at the Coulter location is designated as Capt. E. Pray and the other, at the Hysom location, as E. Pray. 4. - Book 140, Page 515. Daniel Smith sold to the Mt. Desert School District #4 for $4.00 a "lot of land on which to build a school house. Said lot is bounded and situated as follows: in my pasture nearly oposite Ephraim Pray's house commenceing at a stake and stones on the line of the highway running south one hundred feet thence east 100 feet thence west 100 feet to the aforementioned bound." February 10, 1859 5.- The mill privelege at Pretty Marsh Falls was regarded as important insofar as it was mentioned by each of the testators from Daniel Smith to Richmond Smith, from Richmond Smith to Allen Smith and even as late as January 13 1947 from Allen Smith to Hilda L. Dodge. 6.- On June 6,1965 I asked Mr Dodge to show me where the Pretty Marsh property lines meet the Pretty Marsh- Somesville road. This he did and I drove two stakes under his direction. Stake #1 is on the East-Weat line between Robinson and Harlow, which intersects the road at O narrow angle at a point about 500 feet west of the US- CG&S bench mark. Stake #2 is on the North-South line between Hysom (Foote) and Harlow which intersects the road at nearly a right angle at a point about 60 feet west of the same USCG&S bench mark. This second stake was used as a beginning point by Mr. Raynes when he surveyed for Alice Smith when she bought her property from us in 1968. The location of both of these lines is now well documented by this survey. These two lines and the Pretty Marsh-SSmesville road form a small triangle of land on the south side of the road which we retained and was not included in the sale to Alice Smith. Beth's Fancy- 11 On page 4 reference is made to the possibility that this house might, at one time, have been an advanced military outpost used to protect English land claims from the French during the years before the battle at Quebec in 1759. That the English knew about Pretty Marsh and what was here seems to be attested by the following story: During the War of 1812, some ships of the British fleet anchored in Pretty Marsh harbor with the purpose of replentishing their shpplies and filling their water tanks. They are said to have coom ashore here and to have frightened the people living here. The women and children hid behind the ledge at the Flanders and the school-house while the men stood guard between them and the sailors. When they had satisfied their needs the sailors left without bothering anybody or anything. It is quite possible that they obtained water from our spring. There are variations to this story. One is that there was shooting by the residents at the British from the roof of our house. Another version is given by Mr Langley in his genealogical history recorded elsewhere in this book. In connection with the above story, the following wild specula- tion may be interesting: Each year, on Memorial Day, Nate Preston places a flag on Daniel Smith's grave in our yard. Nate's grandmother was Hattie Smith, Allen Smith's Fister brother, and was born in this house. One time III asked Nate who the flag was for and what were the circum- stances. He said he placed the flag because his grandmother said that Daniel Smith was entitled to a flag and that she knew more local history than probably any other person. She seems to have been called Aunt Hattie by most and the fact of her family and historical knowlege was well recognized by everyone. Danliedn Smith was not yet born at the time of the Revolution and was too old to take much part in the Civil War, so it might be that he participated in this engage- ment at Pretty Marsh and that this is what Aunt Hattie had in mind. Linc Bodge quoted Aunt Hattie as the authority for the date of 1754 as being applicable to our original house.