Gazetteer of the State of Maine With Numerous Illustrations, by Geo. J. Varney

BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY B. B. RUSSELL, 57 CORNHILL. 1882. Public domain image from

THE STATE OF MAINE.    33

The “ Bangor Daily Whig ” arose from the “ Bangor Courier,” es-
tablished in 1833 to support the principles of the Whig party, then
just organized. In 1834, its founder, Mr. Wm. E. P. Rogers, estab-
lished with the “ Courier ” a daily paper, styled “ The Bangor Whig.”
Before the end of the year, the two names were joined in the daily,
forming the present title, which bids fair to continue long unchanged.
It is now published by Boutelle and Burr. “ The Gospel Banner ” was
established by Rev. Wm. A. Drew in 1835, as the representative of tbe
Universalist denomination ; which purpose it still retains. Its present
owner is Rev. George W. Quinby.

The “ Kennebec Journal ” was established in tbe autumn of 1823,
by Luther Severance and Russell Eaton. “ The Daily Kennebec
Journal was commenced in 1870, by Sprague, Owen & Nash, who
had become proprietors of the w'eekly. Both are now owned by
Sprague & Son.

The first genuine newspaper published within the limits of the
present county of Androscoggin was the “Lewiston Journal.” Wil-
liam H. Waldron was its founder; and it was edited by Dr. Alonzo
Garcelon. In 1857 tbe paper passed wholly into tbe bands of Nelson
Dingley, Jr. In 1861, Mr. Dingley, associated with F. L. Dingley, be-
gan tbe publication of the “Daily Evening Journal.” Both this and
the weekly have become models of their kind, and have steadily in-
creased in circulation.

Tbe total number of periodicals now published in the State is 114.
Of these 11 are dailies, 1 is tri-weekly, 1 semi-weekly, 79 are weeklies,
2 are semi-monthlies, 18 are monthlies and 2 are quarterlies. Mention
of these various periodicals will be made under the head of the towns
where they are published.

RELIGION.

A form of religious polity was first established by law in Maine in
1639, by the charter of the Province of Maine. Heretofore there had
been no limitations in the matter of religious faith or practice, and this
still continued to be the case, east of the Kennebec. Weymouth, the
first explorer of Maine, carrying the appearance of government author-
ity, set up crosses as a token of possession by tbe King of England and
head of the Christian church in that country. The Popliam colony,
which located at the mouth of the Kennebec, was spiritually under the
charge of Richard Seymour, a clergyman of the Church of England,
and the first minister who resided in Maine.

Though having all the right that could be derived from his govern-
ment to control public worship in his province, Gorges^ seems never
to have made any discrimination in religious opinions in respect to
property or citizenship; but tbe officers of the government he organ-
ized appear to have been adherents of the Church of England, yet not
generally strenuous in their opinions or practice. The settlement on
the Saco effected a sufficient religious organization among themselves
to choose a member of their community as an exhorter,—which suggests
that the majority of the settlers there may have been Antinomian in
their views. This is the first mention of a religious minister within
the present limits of the State,—except the Roman Catholic. Mem-
bers of one or another order of that church were frequently, if not con-

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