Happenings in Alton Maine

After marrying Joshua Sargent,
Mary Foster Butman moved to Alton, Maine
to become a farmer's wife.

Circa 1875 Alton Map

This was a big change for the young woman whose father and brother were both sea captains. We don't know how Mary's position in life as a daughter of a sea captain in Searsport prepared her for her role as a farm wife. But there is no doubt that life on the farm inland was a big change for a girl who grew up near the sea.

The picture above shows what might possibly be the Sargent Farm that Mary moved to in Alton. Herbert E. Sargent described the farm as having a large hardwood tree to the left, and this house fits that description. But later in life Herb said he didn't think this was the old Sargent homestead. It is placed here for context as a possibility.

James Butman Sargent

The building of the railroad in Alton offered some opportunities for Mary's sons, so they were not limited to farming in making a living. Stories passed through the family suggest that Mary's sons were reluctant farmers. They may have been reluctant farmers, but they were known to be extremely hard workers in difficult situations. Mary's journals support this.

In the picture above you can see
the railroad just beyond the road.

The railroad offered opportunities to send lumber to Boston for the making of boxes and spool bars to Milo to make thread spools. And so the Sargent sons owned and operated a sawmill down the road from the Sargent Farm.

In Mary's journals, she refers often to what her boys were doing in terms of work - where they were cutting, what they were cutting, where they were hauling lumber, etc.

It is the writings of a woman in her later years that give our family insight into the happenings of the Sargent men and women in the early 20th century. Mary's journals are a wealth of information about the family businesses and activities.

Mary F. Butman, front right

Stayed tuned for more information
about Mary's Journals later in the summer.