Portage Lake Indoor Yard Sale this weekend
ASHLAND NEWS
by Susan Feeney Hopkins
The Portage Lake ATV Club will be hosting an Indoor Yard Sale at the Portage Lake Town Hall during the weekend of April 30th and May 1st. Tables to sell your goods will cost $10 each with the proceeds going to the ATV Club.
“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” as they say, so come on out to Portage Lake and find your treasure! It’s also a great place to begin your yard sale season while supporting a local ATV club.
Ashland Area PTO meeting
There will be an Ashland Area PTO meeting tonight Wednesday, April 27th at the Ashland District School at 6 p.m. They will be meeting in the King-Thomas Conference Room.
The PTO is still in need of parent participation and volunteers. No amount of time you can help is considered too little and it’s never too late to show your support for our school!
Portage Lake Civil War participants
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Portage Lake Historical Society has gathered information about their residents enlisted in the Civil War. Their history of course is quite interesting and worthy of mention.
It is never too late to honor our military and war veterans, past or present. They are the reason we all enjoy the freedoms we have in this country.
As some of you may remember from American History class, the Civil War was a war within the United States fought between our own countrymen, sometimes referred to as the “war between the states”. Fought between 11 southern “slave” states (ie: supported slavery), known as “the Confederacy” or “Rebels”, and 20 (mostly) northern “free” states (ie; opposed slavery) and five “border” states known as “the Union” or “Yankees.” The battle between the states began over slavery and the states’ increasingly opposing views on the matter. The Confederacy declared their succession from the “United States” and formed the “Confederate States of America.” The Union was made up of the “United States” supporters.
Hostilities began on April 12, 1861 when the Confederate forces attacked United States military at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Over the next four years, the Civil War became the deadliest war in American history with 620,000 soldiers killed and an undetermined number of civilian casualties. Ten percent of all Northern males between the ages of 20 and 45 died and 30 percent of Southern (white) males between the ages of 18 and 40 were killed. Ponder that for a moment.
The history surrounding the Civil War is very interesting and worth your time to read up on. There are so many books and journals available offering detailed and first hand accounts of the battles and the soldiers who fought in them. Of course, to gain knowledge of the comprehensive history about why this war began and how it shaped and changed our country is of the most significant importance. I find it incredible that to this day some hostility between “the states” remains. You can still find people, 150 years later, residents of the North and South, who are adversaries, all because the Civil War.
On April 9, 1865 the Confederacy surrendered and slavery was outlawed everywhere in the nation.
There is record of 13 men from Portage Lake who enlisted in the Civil War, plus one man in question. He appears to have been enlisted twice with discrepancies in his name and country of enlistment (*see below). Many of the men still have ancestors living in the town. There is speculation about others enlisted, but there is no confirmation of their enlistment.
The soldiers of record from Portage Lake are:
Joseph G. Brown, 29. Enlisted 10/04/1861. “D” company Maine 10th Infantry. On May 31, 1864 he was transferred to Maine’s Company D 29th Infantry. He was discharged on October 4, 1864 as his term expired. Promotions: Corporal, 1863 and Sergeant in 1863.
David Currie, 30. Enlisted 11/01/1861. “L” company Maine 1st Calvary. He re-enlisted on December 28, 1863. He was mustered out on August 1, 1865 at Petersburg, Va.
David Dow, 21. Enlisted 4/16/1864. Private, Company D, Maine 10th Infantry.
Friend Drake, 24. Enlisted 9/21/1861. Private. “G” Company Maine 9th Infantry. “Sick in quarters”. Died from disease July 25, 1862.
George W. Goss, 31. Enlisted 12/14/1861. Private. January 3, 1862 in to “E” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Discharged on June 15, 1863.
Daniel C. Hasty, 28. Enlisted 12/14/1861. Private. January 3, 1862 in to “E” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Discharged April 25, 1862 at Augusta.
John H. Hasty. No age listed. Enlisted 12/9/1861. Sergeant. December 9, 1861 in to “C” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Mustered out February 17, 1865. Listed as “sick in quarters” 1862. Promotions: First Lieutenant, 1862 Captain, 1864.
Christopher McDonald, 35. Enlisted 11/1/1861. Private. “C” Company Maine 1st Calvary. Re-enlisted December 28, 1863. Mustered out August 1, 1865 at Petersburg, Va. Promotions: Saddler June 1, 1863.
George Sutherland, 29. Enlisted 12/9/1861. Private. “C” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Mustered out January 19, 1865.
Abiel N. Sylvester, 32. Enlisted 12/14/1861. Private. “D” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Dies May 14, 1862 at Ship Island, Ms.
Howard Taggert, 21. Enlisted 10/4/1861. Private. “D” Company Maine 10th Infantry. Re-enlisted 2/18/1864. Transferred May 31, 1864 to “D” Company Maine 29th Infantry. Mustered out June 21, 1866. Promotions: Corporal 1863 and Sergeant 1865.
Robert Thompson, 20. Enlisted 4/16/1864. Private. “D” Company Maine 29th Infantry. Listed as absent/sick 1865.
William Thompson, 22. Enlisted 5/16/1864. Private. “D” Company Maine 29th Infantry. Died of disease on August 3, 1864 at New Orleans, La. Buried at Chalmette National Cemetery, Chalmette, La.
The information the historical society has about the “enlisted resident of question” is as follows (note the spelling of his name and place of residence): * Octavia St. Peter, 21, Portage Lake, Canada. Enlisted on 11/2/1861 as a Private into “K” Company Maine 1st Cavalry. Never joined regiment. There is also an enlistment as Octave St. Peter, 21, Portage Lake, Maine. Enlisted 12/23/1861. Private. “D” Company Maine 15th Infantry. Re-enlisted 1/25/1864. Absent, sick on July 5, 1866. (Absent at MO of Regt). Listed as sick, Augusta, Maine 1864.
Special word of thanks to Sarah Brooks and Corrine Routhier of the Portage Lake Historical Society for all of this wonderful information. Also to Jerry Desmond, the executive director of the Birmingham Historical Center who has been communicating with Sarah Brooks and helping to gather the information about the town’s Civil War veterans.
As a reminder, in an effort to honor and update their military Honor Roll, the town of Portage Lake is asking readers and community members to submit the names of Portage Lake community members who have served in (any branch) of the military. Names of the veterans will be included on the town square veterans Honor Roll memorial.
Also, they are requesting any changes that need to be made to the current list of veterans be submitted at this time also. Please submit names and/or changes as soon as possible. The plan is to have this completed by the summer. Please contact Corrine Routhier at 435-6854/arouthier@roadrunner.com or Sarah Brooks at 551-6471.
‘Voices’ to perform
“Aroostook River Voices” will hold their third concert presentation at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 15th at the Ashland District School auditorium. The chorus is made up of more than 80 residents, young and old; community members and students. The only prerequisite is a love of singing and music.
There will also be a presentation by the Ashland middle school chorus and an “Into the Woods” musical selection. Admission is by donation. The concert is sponsored by the Ashland Alumni Association.
Gym Show highlights
Ashland District School recently held their 27th annual “Gym Show”. Bill Nemer is the organizer of this fun and healthy event held for the first time in the new school. Parents and students alike enjoyed the show. 93 percent of the student body performed to a full house! Way to go kids!
Susan Feeney-Hopkins is the correspondent for Ashland, Portage Lake, Oxbow, Masardis, Garfield, Nashville Plantation and the surrounding areas. She can be reached at 435-8232 or Feenhop@aol.com.
