MAINE-L Archives

From: "BBFFRRPP" <>
Subject: [MAINE] ..WILKINS Families in Aroostook County, ME, and York County, NB (and KIDDER)
Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2002 09:22:25 -0400

Good morning,

I am still trying to find out where Samuel WILKINS was born (in Maine in
1775-1780) and whom his parents were. I'd also like to know the maiden
name of his wife, Mrs. Electa "Leeta" Wilkins.

In previous postings I have mentioned that Samuel and "Leeta" Wilkins had at
least four children, and possibly six children. Because of the ages of
the children, they were probably married in Maine .. around 1795 ... which
means that the ..suggested birthyear of Samuel .. might have been off by 5
years or so... I am thinking he may have been born around 1775. And,
there has been a suggestion he might have been born in Vassalboro.

An 1810 Census of Unity, ME, showed Samuel and Leeta living there with two
sons and two daughters. (probably Samuel, Jr., b1804, and Almon, b1805, and
Mary and ??, born between 1810 and 1820.
(sons might have been born in Vassalborough, ME ??)
An 1820 Census in Unity.. showed them there with three sons and two
daughters. The third son would have been George, born between 1810 and
1820ish. Two more daughters might have been born between 1810 and 1820. ??

In the 1830 Census, they were living in Amity, ME, and there were ten people
living in the household. (Possibly Samuel, Jr., and his wife, Jane, were
included.)
(Almon Wilkins was living on his own in the 10th Township of Washington
County, ME, in 1830.)

In the 1840 Census, they were still living in Amity. Samuel (Age 60-70)
and Leeta (Age 50-60) were there with one male Age 30-40 and two females Age
15-20. (Might have been Almon living with them.)
Also there in separate household was Samuel, Jr., and his wife, Jane (?),
both Age 30-40, and a son and a daughter, Age 0-5 (possibly Thomas and
Melissa)..
Also there in separate household was George F. (Age20-30) and his wife, Mary
Ann (NEAL) Wilkins (Age 15-20?), with one son (Age 0-5), probably George
Freeman Wilkins.

In the 1850 Census in Amity, George (30) and Mary (30?) were listed with
their children: "Freeman" (12), Juliet (10), Clovina (8), and John
(0/12). This family moved to York County, NB, before 1854, the year
Aurelia was born. They had more children born to them in Canterbury, NB.

Also in Amity in the 1850 Census were Samuel (70) and Leeta (65), and
probably a granddaughter, Laura (6).
Almon (40) was listed with Mary (19) and William (4).
Samuel (39) and Jane (40) were living with children: Thomas (15), Melissa
(8), and Richard (5). (They might have had another daughter.)

(In 1860 in Monticello, ME, Thomas (21) was working as a farm laborer. In
the 1860's he might have married in Monticello .. Mary STOKOE. Although a
Thomas Wilkins married in Houlton, ME, in 1866: Carrie HUTCHINSON)

The 1860 Census for Amity showed: Samuel (56) and Jane (56) with their
children: Melissa (18) and Richard (15). (Jane seems to have been born
in Ireland (1804?).
Also residing there were Almon (55) and Judith (40). (Possibility that
Almon's first wife had died and Judith was his second wife.)

The 1870 Census for Amity showed: Almon (68) and Judy (57) living there as
"paupers."
Also in 1870, Richard Wilkins (21) was listed as HoH with other people
living in his home: Jane Wilkins (68), his mother, and Abe (?) (70?),
Melissa (?) (26), probably Richard's older sister. (surname HARRIS
appears ???) (Melissa's married name and father-in-law ???)

The 1880 Census in Amity showed Judith Wilkins (58?) living with ESTABROOK
family.

The 1861 Census for Canterbury, York Co., NB, showed George and Mary Ann
(NEAL) Wilkins living there with their children: Clarissa (13), Sanford
(10), Mary (9), Aurelia (6?) (prob. born CAN), Harriett (5?), and Susan
(3?).
George "Freeman" (22) and Sarah (DICKINSON) (22) Wilkins were listed
separately. (Other older children of George and Mary not mentioned:
Juliet (Julia?), John, and Clovina.)
(Susan Wilkins might have married Hiram BRACKET of Maine in 1891.)

"Freeman" and Sarah Wilkins went on to have a son and daughter, Theodore and
Sephronia Wilkins. (Theodore and Ada (DOW) Wilkins had a son, Freeman
Wilkins.) (Sephronia Wilkins married Chester TRENHOLM.) (Also seems to be
an Octavia Wilkins and Norris ESTEY marrying in Canterbury, NB, and a John
Wilkins marrying Lillian WALKER in York County, NB.) (Freeman and Sarah
Wilkins are buried in Marne Cemetary in NB.)

George and Mary Wilkins continued to live in Canterbury through the 1860's,
and was listed as a farmer.
Through the rest of the 1800's, other Wilkins living in Canterbury were:
George A., Theodore, Sarah, and Levi.

In summary, this extended WILKINS family had descendants continuing to live
in the area between Amity and Princeton, ME, into the early 1900's. And,
their descendants through son, George, remained in York County, NB, into the
early 1900's.

(Most of this information was gathered by my "distant cousin," Kim-Stacey
Kidder.) Her great-grandfather, Frank KIDDER, and my great-grandfather,
"Sanford" KIDDER, were sons of Joseph KIDDER and Clarissa (WILKINS) KIDDER
(daughter of George). This past winter, we discovered that George's
sister, Mary Jane WILKINS had married J. Calvin KIDDER in Amity, ME, in
1834. ("Calvin" born in St. Stephen, NB, in 1799, and living in Calais,
ME, in 1830.) .. Thus Joseph Kidder and Clarissa Wilkins were
first-cousins.)

J. Calvin and Mary Jane (WILKINS) KIDDER had 6-7 children: Jonathan,
Charles, Joseph, J. Calvin, Jr., Mary, Mercy, and Thompson?.

(FYI: Maine Archives lists the following marriages in same timeframe:
Nettie Wilkins and Charles GREENLAW of Princeton, ME,
Bessie Wilkins and Fred MERCIER of Princeton, ME,
Beatrice Wilkins and Henry McLAUGHLIN of Princeton, ME.)

(FYI: There was another Samuel Wilkins in 1810 Maine .. in Vassalborough.
There was a William Wilkins in Pittston, ME, in 1781. And, there was a
Daniel Wilkins in Kennebec County in 1800. In 1810, there was a Daniel
and Samuel Wilkins in Kennebec County. There was an Aaron Wilkins in
Temple, ME, in the 1820's.)

There is more information available .. from different sources .. about
WILKINS families living in the ME/NB border towns .. during the entire
1800's (and in Maine from 1770's on). But, I don't think anyone has
connected up all these families .. to common ancestors. And, it appears
that some of the Wilkins families ..especially in NB .. came from ENGLAND in
the early 1800's.

(FYI: Other Wilkins men in Maine from 1780 to 1810 include: William,
David, Darius, Edward, Daniel, Elias, John, Luke.)
(Much information was received from Diane, a long-time Wilkins researcher.)

....Even though I have been provided many other bits and pieces of WILKINS
information during the past year or two .. I think I have provided enough
for this morning.

The answer I am looking for is .. who was the father of Samuel WILKINS born
around 1775 in MAINE.

Thank you for your time.

Betty (near Lowell, MA)

P.S. For the Wilkins families who were in the U.S. in the 1700's, most can
probably be traced to the patriarch, BRAY WILKINS, of 1600's Salem and
Middleton, MA.

This thread:

• [MAINE] ..WILKINS Families in Aroostook County, ME, and York County, NB (and KIDDER) by "BBFFRRPP" <>