Lincoln, Maine

Responses from four students in Mrs. Harris’ Social Studies class can be viewed below:

William Gardner
“Research your topic and summarize the ‘Who, what, when, and where’ in the form of a few paragraphs.”

• Who was important to Aaron Woodbury?
Aaron Woodbury had five sons and one daughter. He was married to Rebecca King in 1794. Rebecca died January 1, 1808. He then married Dorcas Fowler on February 25, 1813.

• Where were the places that Aaron went that had some importance to him?
He was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, on June 1, 1771. Twenty-three years later he married Rebecca King with whom he had some of his children. He then went to Orrington, Maine with four of his sons but Asa Woodbury (one of his sons) went to Enfield and drowned in the river. He made his way north in 1824 with all of his family, where on the Winn borderline he built the first construction which was the first house and first store in Lincoln. Eleven years later, in 1835, he left Lincoln and went to New York where he died and his body was then moved to Sutton, Massachusetts.

• When were the most important days in Aaron Woodburyʼs life?
He was born on June 1st, 1771 in Worcester, Massachusetts, where 23 years later in December 1794, he married his first wife Rebecca King. Fourteen years later, his wife died of natural causes. Then five years later he remarried Dorcas Fowler, who was his wife until the day he died. He took his family to Lincoln in 1824 and lived there for 11 years. Then he left and went to New York in 1835. He only lived in New York for five years when he died of natural causes on June 7, 1840.

• What happened to Aaron Woodbury in his life?
When he married Dorcas Fowler on February 25th, 1813 they had both been widowed. Then in 1822, he brought two of his sons to Orrington, where two years later he would go farther north and become a Founding Father of Lincoln. He made the first house, farm, and store in Lincoln in 1824. They were all the same building. While he was in Enfield, his fifth son, Asa, drowned in the river. Once he left his large log store and farmhouse, it was torn down by the person who purchased it. Aaron died in New York years later.

• Why is Aaron Woodbury important to Lincolnʼs history?
Since Aaron Woodbury came to Lincoln and brought his family with him, whatever they did in or around Lincoln affected other people’s lives. This was because he brought them to Lincoln and his family probably wouldn’t have traveled up here if he didn’t bring them. Also, since he owned the first house and store, people would come to buy sell and trade at his store.

Zach Leonard
“Create a ‘why’ question, research the answer, and write a response answering the
question.”

Why did Aaron Woodbury choose Lincoln to make a settlement?

Some reasons Aaron Woodbury might have come to Lincoln is that Lincoln had cheap land for him to buy and a place to build a home and get settled. Also, he could build his home, farm, and store because of all the lumber we have in Lincoln. Third, he could bathe in the rivers since it was moving water and the lakes provided fresh water. Another reason Aaron might have moved here was there was no one here, so he could get a fresh start. Also, there was pretty much no one there to tell him what he could do, and he could buy as much land as he needed. He could have used his land for anything and he could have sold the lumber. He also could have sold his vegetables that he made in his garden. That could be why Aaron Woodbury was the second person to come to Lincoln and was one of the Founding Fathers of our town.

Dustin Smith
“How does this topic connect to you in your life today?”

The topic of Aaron Woodbury connects to me in life today because I want to sell food from my mom’s garden so that I can make money and my mom won’t let me. Aaron’s mom probably didn’t let him when he was little, but when he was big he made his own garden in Lincoln because he was never able to as a kid. We would both sell vegetables from our houses because that would be more convenient than traveling everywhere we go.

Another connection between Aaron Woodbury and me is, I also want to do something in Lincoln that is important. He was the first settler in Lincoln. I would want to become the first Lincoln Major League Baseball player or in the National Basketball Association. If I was the first professional sports player, I would donate lots of my money to the town so that they could be a better town. They would have a movie theater and a town swimming pool and all that good stuff for the kids to go to and play with.

A third connection with Aaron Woodbury is, I would have wanted to see Lincoln way back then. He got to live there and he probably would like to see it now. I think that Aaron Woodbury would like what he would see if he was alive today. When Aaron Woodbury was alive he probably convinced lots people to come here and admire his work with what everybody had done. I think that would be amazing just to see what his town so long ago has changed to now. He would really be concerned about how we get around town, because he wouldn’t even know what a car is.

If I had to live in the time Aaron Woodbury lived in, I would have to invent all the things that we have now to make my life more comfortable. I had fun doing this project and I learned a lot if I could I would do it all over again. Aaron Woodbury sounds like a very cool guy; I would like to meet him, but I can’t because he’s dead, so I will have to do with what I learned.

Works Cited
Goodwin, Kathryn B. "Aaron Woodbury." Personal Glimpses of the Early Settlers of Lincoln, Maine. Maine: S.n., 1970. 5-7. Print.

Fellows, Dana Willis. History of the Town of Lincoln, Penobscot County, Maine, 1822-1928. Lewiston, Maine: Dingley, 1929. Print.

Goodwin, Beckie. "Aaron Woodbury, Founding Father." Personal interview. 6 Apr. 2010.