When trying to sort the wives of my ancestor, Constant Southworth (the surname appears as Southard in later records, which the family adopted), I was surprised to see how his second wife became a pauper in the Town Records of Corinna, Maine. I was also surprised to learn how towns dealt with their poor in the early 19th century before town farms were the common way for towns to maintain their poor, disabled, and metally challenged individuals.
Lucy Perry was born on December 28, 1760 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, the daughter of Zachariah and Hannah (Blish) Perry. Her family eventually leaving Massachusetts and settling in Wayne, Maine before 1800. Below is the family records from the Viatl Records of Sandwich, Massachusetts.
In 1798, at the age of being considered for marriage and labeled a "spinster" Lucy Perry married Constant Southworth of " Conner" Maine. He was actually of Corinna, Maine and had also been widowed by his first wife, Lucy Ford. Constant Southworth had been born in Duxbury, Massachusetts on August 20, 1764 and had been a Revolutionary soldier who was granted land in Maine for his service in the War. He had married his first wife in 1785 in Marshfield, Massachusetts and they had 7 children children.
He had arrived in Fayette, Maine about 1786 where through records you see the surname change from Southworth in Massachusetts to Constant Southword on the 1790 census and Constant Southward on the 1800 census and then he appears in Corinna, Maine as Constant Southard. He may have known the Perry family from his time living in the nearby towns of Fayette and later part of Readfield, Maine.
A 1916 article on the town of Corinna's 100th Anniversary, stated Constant was the first settler of the town in 1807. His name is not on the petition for incorporation of the town, he was at the first Town meeting in 1817 where he was elected as a selectman, assessor and an overseer of the Poor. From the begininng of the town of Corinna, there were people in need of assistance. The town being incorporated in 1816, the year known as "The Year without a Summer." 1816 was a bad year world wide due to the Volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815, which affected the climate and caused snow to fall in June of 1816 and destroyed crops for the year as the ground remained frozen most of the year. If anyone was on the verge of poverty in 1815, 1816 would have pushed them over the edge.
It would appear that Constant and his family weathered through 1816, although, Constant did apply for a pension in 1818 "due to his reduced circumstances." He died on November 26, 1826 in Corinna, Maine. He was buried in a field behind his house.
Constant’s widow, Lucy later also applied for a pension in 1835 which is included in the records with his application as follows. It appears her pension application was rejected because of the issue with the spelling of the surname of Southard.
I do here certify that the foregoing pages number from one to four are truly copied from the originals on file in the Pension Office, War Department.
Henry S. Addison
And I do further certify that it appears from a List of final Settlement Certificates issued by John Pierce Esquire pay Master General and Commissioner of the Army Accounts of the United States deposited in said Office that Constant Southworth received three certificates for $17. 23 due January 1st 1783. for $80 due January 1st 1783. And for $57.50 due January 1st 1783 the name of Constant Southard does not appear thereon.
Henry S. Addison
Lucy B. Southard applied for land, on May 29, 1835 and her application was examined and rejected on July 17, 1835 stating her husband did not serve 3 years. Her Attorney was Robert C. Vose of Augusta. Lucy B. Southard, widow of Constant Southard, applied again for a land grant on March 24, 1836 with a new attorney, George W. Morton of Augusta. It does not appear she was successful with her second appeal. The last correspondence in the file is from her lawyer:
Augusta June 5, 1837
“Dear Sir,
I have received a package from you containing Abigail Roust, Wm Hardy, Martha True, Oliver Hartwell, Lydia Richardson, Mercy Holmes, Betsey Ewer, Lydia Pratt certificates under Resolve of Legislature of Maine of March 24, 1836. I believe in the application made by Lucy B. Southard for land under Resolve of March 17, 1835 which was rejected by reason of her husband’s service being less than three years, is a certificate of the Judge of Probate, was the cause of my not getting another rejected claim is presumed to be upon your files where the Judge’s certificates will be found. Should it not be found please inform me and I will furnish one immediately.
Yours with respect,
Geo. W. Morton
It does not appear that Lucy was successful in her claim. It is not known how much money she had from received from her late husband's estate if any and if there was some other extenuating reason that may have caused Lucy to need the town of Corinna's asistance. At this time, towns around New England to deal with paupers or individuals with any kind of disability or mental illness, would be set up at a public auction usually at the annual Town Meeting by the Overseer's of the Poor to be bid on by local townspeople to care for them at a certain rate of pay by the town. These venues often meant splitting up families and being huniliated by being paraded out to be bid on by the people who had been your neighbors and friends. Individuals who were young and could work to help around a farm or home would receive the lower bids because their could earn their keep or contribute to the farm or home. Sadly, individuals who who could not contribute due to age, disability or mental stability would receive the highest bids to find a person to care for them. In a case of a mental illness, a person would bid off with their cage included.
Although, it is not known positively, Lucy (Perry) Southard did not have any children possibly due to her being almost 40 when she married, but Constant's youngest daughter, Lovina (Southard) Morse could have been from the second marriage to Lucy Perry. This may explain why the Morse family often bid to care for her, even after the death of Lovina in 1826. It could be that with Lovina being so young when her real mother died and her father remarrying when she was but a toddler, Lucy Perry was the only mother Lovina ever knew and the Morse's family may have felt a strong attachment to Lucy Southard.
Lucy (Perry) Southard begins to appear in the town records of Corinna in 1837 as a pauper to be bid off by the town for care. Her husband had been one of the first overseers of the Poor for the town and now his widow would come under the overseer's care. The first entry seems to confuse the wives of Constant Southard Sr. and Constant Jr. by calling her Widow Sarah Southard. The name of Lucy Southard is used in later records. Sarah (Hicks) Southard, wife of Constant Jr. was not a widow in 1837, but Lucy Southard had been a widow for almost 11 years by 1837.
Corinna, Maine Town Records:
March 5, 1837, town voted to pay Phillip Morse four shillings per weeks for keeping “Sarah” Southard for the past year. Voted to pay $25 to Phillip Morse to keep Widow Sarah Southard the ensuing year. The vote not accepted by Phillip Morse. Voted to give Phillip Morse four shillings per week to keep widow Sarah Southard the ensuing year and free from town expense.
March 19, 1838, town voted that Eben Boyden have seventy-five cents per week for keeping Mrs. Constant Southard for the ensuing year and to help her free from any expense to the town and is to take her into his home.
Philip Morse, who married Lovina Southard and who had agreed to care for Lucy in 1837 did not bid for her in 1838. This could be explained by Philip's possible failing health as he died January 10, 1839. The cause of death is not known, but if Philip was ill previos to his death for a period of time, the family may not have been able to care him and his former mother-in-law. After Philip's death, his widow and 2nd wife, Mehitable Morse, who had no biological connection to Lucy, continued to care for her. This could be because Lucy was the only grandmother the children would ever really know or Mehitable liked Lucy and did not want to see her auctioned off to strangers.
August 26, 1839, town voted to authorize the selectman to agree with the widow Morse to support Lucy Southard from now until the next March meeting at a price not exceeding what she might be supported for on the town farm.
March 24, 1840, town voted to pay Phillip Morse’s widow twenty-five dollars to support widow Lucy Southard the ensuing years and the town to pay the said Lucy’s doctor’s bill.
March 12, 1841, town voted to Mrs. Morse twenty-five dollars to support Mrs. Southard the ensuing year.
This is the last available record at the State Archives, which end in 1843. It is assumed that Lucy continued to live her final days with with Morse family. Lucy (Perry) Southard died September 15, 1848, Corinna, Maine. She was buried with her husband in Corinna in the Constant Southworth Cemetery. With the family's poor circumstances, no gravestone was erected for Lucy.
These are two closest stones to Constant's gravestone, and one would probably be his wife and the other probably mother who came to Corinna with him.
