Love in 1775

The year is on or around 1765 and young William Dearing and two of his friends sent off with guns and provisions for several days. They are looking for adventure, they are looking to create their life as they are fine and old enough now to break away and create names for themselves.

Crossing the Saco River, then heading towards Alfred, they spend their first night at Mast Camp. Greedily, William's two friends find and stake a claim on their first sights nearby. Patient William goes off to find something more suitable . He wants to “see” the land and notices a hill, continuing to the top of of the hill so he may get a better view of his surroundings. This hill I write of is known to us today as Ossippee Hill. Still, not yet finding the land suitable for him, he spends another night here, keeping the wolves and other animals at bay with a fire.

William finally settles on a piece of land which appears to have already been cleared by the Indians on the high part of the ridge. He eventually is bothered by the lack of water high up on this ridge and he builds a camp on the lower side, which today is known as “Deerings Ridge.”

Needing supplies and food, William travels to Biddeford on occasion. Jonathan Rummery and his family who lived in “the last house in Biddeford” became accustomed to young William. They graciously opened their doors to him, allowing him to spend nights there on his journeys back and forth. Curious, Mrs. Rummery inquired as to if he was married, and was happy to hear that he was not as their 19 year old daughter, Sarah, had taken quite a fancy to young William.

Sarah later questioned William as to how many cattle he had and made it quite clear to him that she thought that they should be married. Well, William was young and free as a bird, he wasn't so sure that marriage was quite the thing for him. William thought Sarah's proposal over and then accepted. He announced that they were to be married on his next trip to Biddeford.

William Dearing and Sarah Rummery were married on April 3, 1775, with the ceremony being performed by Rev. Peletiah Tingley, a Baptist minister. Sarah was escorted by William to his home by horseback after the ceremony. Shortly thereafter, he built them a new home of logs in her honor which was built on Deerings Ridge Road, being over Deerings Ridge.




I tell you this story today with research that was done and it is told according to family tradition. It is here, with William bringing Sarah back to his home by horseback and building her a new home of logs in her honor, where MY photographic story begins.

To be continued...but here is a teaser photo below.





Renée