Samuel Wildes (aft. 1739 - bef. 1788)

Born after 1739 in Arundel, Maine

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 24 Mar 1788 before age 49 in Arundel, Maine, USA

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Biography

SAMUEL WILDES (JOHN 1, EPHRAIM 2, SAMUEL 3)

b. after 1739

m. OLIVE DESHON, d. after 1818 Arundel, ME

d. before 24 Mar. 1788

Samuel was a proprietor in Arundel in 1763. On 14 Dec. 1771 Samuel sold to Thomas Wiswall, mariner, for £1/6 an acre and 100 rods of land bounded by Gideon Walker and Samuel Perkins. The deed was witnessed by James Deshon Jr. and John Lewis.^[1]

Samuel was elected field driver and hog reeve in 1771, 1772 and 1774.^[2]

Samuel was in the Revolutionary War and was drafted in Oct. 1776. He served in the 3rd Regiment of the Massachusetts Militia commanded by Col. Israel Chapin. He is listed on the muster roll for October and November 1779 at Albany, NY having re-enlisted on 15 Oct. 1779 for a term of one month and six days.^[3]

On 8 August 1782 an English brig with 18 guns and an English schooner with 10 guns came into Kennebunkport harbor and seized an American schooner and sloop owned by a man named Newbury. Samuel was outraged. He jumped into his canoe, paddled out to the side of the British brig and demanded that the English captain surrender the captured vessels and leave. Sam may have been out of his mind making such a demand but he had lost his brother John and also a son in the war. When the British mocked the wild man in his canoe and ordered him to come aboard, Samuel cursed the British and their cause and paddled away. The English shot him in the knee leaving him lame for life. When he got ashore he was unable to stand from loss of blood and he remained in critical condition for some time. While Sam had been harassing the British other citizens went to Goat Island which was in range of the British ships. The English sent a 17 man landing party to capture the rebels and the island, however the Kennebunkport men killed 16 of the 17 with a barrage of musket fire. They then brought up two cannons and commenced firing upon the British ships which were about 70 yards away, driving them out of the harbor.^[4]

The Battle of Cape Porpoise- Louis Norton

The following comes from a contemporary account of the battle as printed in the New England Chronicle for 3 Oct. 1782:

"Arundel, August 14, 1782
Mr. PRINTER,

Please to insert the following in your paper, and you'll gratify the pub'ic.

On the 8th inst. early in the morning, the enemy from the eastward appeared off Cape Porpoise harbour in a large Brig of 16 guns, and a top-sail schooner of about 12 guns. Their design seems to have been to take out a large sloop loaded with lumber, with a schooner then in the Cape harbour; and also to plunder the cattle and sheep on the nearest island. Accordingly the brig sent in her boat with about 36 to 38 men to take out said vessel. As soon as the sloop perceived their design they directly made them a present of the contents of her cannon and immediately they turned and landed upon a small island which forms the eastern chops of the cape harbour, known by the name of Goat-Island, with two pieces of cannon. The brig then came into the harbor and fired upon the sloop, which immediately returned the fire, the schooner came to the mouth of the harbor and did likewise. When the men in the sloop apprehending their efforts would be in vain, putting into the boats, quitted the sloop and went ashore. The enemy then took possession of the sloop and the schooner, the latter of which they carried out, and sent off. A southern breeze suddenly arising drove the sloop ashore on the southwesterly point of the island, and the ebbing tide rendered all means ineffectual to get her off. An alarm was immediately made in the town, and the militia collected as soon as possible on a large island near to, but separated from said Goat-Island, by a narrow channel, known by the name Trots-Island, with two pieces of cannon, within fair musket shot of the enemy, and began to fire upon them therewith. Many shots were then exchanged. The enemy perceiving the militia had cannon, began to think it would be impracticable to get out the sloop, and therefore set her on fire. The militia then thought proper to move on to Goat-Island, where the enemy had landed, and accordingly forded the channel, some to their middle and others to their arms, exposed to the whole force of the enemy's fire, which was furiously hurled in vollies of manifold death on their centre and rear, from the schooner traveling without the mouth of the harbour; which when the enemy on the island perceived, they fled precipitately to their boat.

The militia arrived just as the enemy were putting off from the shore, and poured in their fire upon them with a brisk and lavish hand, while the whole force of the enemy's artillery was levelled at them, and the cannon ball, grape shot and musquetry flew thick around them like showers of hail, which they heroickly sustained, and continued their fire with unremitting vigour and activity on the enemy for five or six hours. By reason of wind and tide against them, the brig could not go out, but by towing and warping, amidst the continual fire of the militia on the island; and did not accomplish it until just before night, and with great difficulty got under sail with the schooner without the harbour. By several of our people who were near enough to make observations, and by one whom the enemy had taken some time before, and who was on board the schooner, an eyewitness of the whole affair, we learn, that there were 14 killed in the boat, and 20 wounded, six of whom died of their wounds soon after they were carried on board the schooner; and but three of the whole crew over the gunwale of the brig unhurt; besides four or five killed in a boat carrying out the anchors to warp out the brig.

The gracious care of divine providence through the whole day was really very remarkable, and ought to be very gratefully acknowledged, in covering the heads, and preserving the lives and limbs of many of our people, so long and so greatly exposed to the numerous and manifold [snares] of death, which flew so thick in quick succession, around them, having no intrenchment, but the sea-wall for their defense. Among 40 of the militia voluntarily appearing, and sustaining the burden of the engagement with 150 of the enemy, but one man was hurt. Captain James Burnham, about 46 years of age, was killed, in the close of the engagement, with a musquet ball through his breast, which brought on instant death. In him the town mourns the loss of a steady, judicious, faithful honest man, his aged parents of a dutiful son and his bereaved family, of an affectionate friend and patron.

The militia did honour to themselves, while they conducted with that prudent, steady, unshaken courage and resolution, which demonstrated them worthy of the free and peaceful enjoyments of those invaluable rights and privileges which Britain has feloniously endeavored to wrest from this injured country." ^[5]

At a town meeting 24 Mar. 1788 it was: "Voted that the Town Pay the taxes of Samuel Wields Estate untill Further order of the Town".^[6]

On 1 May 1808 Olive Wildes, widow of Samuel Wildes, deceased, and her living children, sold 3/4 acre in Arundel to Ebenezer Perkins, mariner for $15.00^[7]

"Know all men by these Presents that we Olive Wildes, widow of Samuel Wildes late of Arundel, deceased, Rufus Russ of said Arundel, mariner, attorney to Samuel Wildes of Georgetown... mariner, John Wildes and Jacob Wildes Jr. of said Arundel, mariners, Henry Flanders of said Arundel and Olive his wife in her right, John Rhodes Jr. and Persis his wife in her right, Benjamin Adams Jr. and Sarah his wife in her right, Hannah the wife of said John Wildes, Elizabeth the wife of said Samuel and Hannah the wife of said Jacob in consideration of one dollar to us paid by Isaac Wildes of said Arundel... lot #4", 25 Dec. 1818. The date on this deed is probably in error as Olive and Henry Flanders had died by 1808. The deed was not recorded until 3 Nov. 1849 and I suspect that the date should read 1808 instead of 1818.^[8]

Olive died before 5 June 1819 when her son John sold land adjoining to the land "set off to the widow Olive Wildes, now deceased".^[9]

Children

All children baptized in Arundel.

• I. Mehitable- bpt. 27 Mar. 1772, int. 27 Aug. 1796 Daniel Hogan, d. before 1 May 1808
• II. Samuel-344- bpt. 15 Nov. 1772 Arundel, m. 23 Sept. 1786 Georgetown, Elizabeth Wyman (b. 26 Apr. 1768 Georgetown, d. 10 May 1852 Phippsburg), ?d. 15 Jan. 1836 Phippsburg
• III. John- bpt. 15 Nov. 1772 Arundel, m.1. 14 June 1795 Hannah Deshon, 2. 1 Dec. 1836 Waterboro, Nancy Deshon, d. 1 Jan. 1845 Kennebunkport
• IV. Ephraim- bpt. 15 Nov. 1772 Arundel, d.s.p.?
• V. Persis- bpt. 19 Dec. 1774, d.s.p.
• VI. Olive- bpt. 22 Dec. 1774, m.1. 27 Dec. 1798 Arundel, John Lowland, 2. 28 Dec. 1799 Arundel, Henry Flanders (m.2. 3 Mar. 1814 Arundel, Martha Goodwin (b.c.1785, m.1. 5 Nov. 1807 Arundel, Rufus Russ, 3. int. 6 Sept. 1817 Arundel, James Young, 4. int. 15 Jan. 1820 Arundel, Thomas Huff (b.c.1778, m.1. 14 Dec. 1800 Kennebunkport, Anna Hutchins, d. 17 May 1866 Kennebunkport)), d. war of 1812)
• VII. Jacob- bpt. 3 Dec. 1775 Arundel, m.18 June 1795 Hannah Lewis, d. before 1820
• VIII. Persis-bpt. 3 Dec. 1775, m.18 Aug. 1796 Arundel, John Rhodes Jr. (b.c.1774, living in 1850)
• IX. Sarah- bpt. 3 Aug. 1777, m. 18 Dec. 1794 Benjamin Adams Jr.
• X. Isaac- bpt. 25 Oct. 1783, m. 29 Apr. 1800 Polly Chatman, (b.c.1783, living in 1860), d. 2 Mar. 1856 Kennebunkport
• XI. Jane- bpt. 25 Oct. 1783, d.s.p.?

Sources

1. ↑ York Deeds- Vol.42, p.43
2. ↑ Kennebunkport Town Records- Book II, pp.161,166,174-5
3. ↑ Military service records- National Archives, card number 37100180
4. ↑ Bradbury, Charles. History of Kennebunk Port (James K. Remich, Kennebunk, 1837) Page 170-172.
5. ↑ New England Chronicle- Vol. XV, iss. 761- p. 1
6. ↑ Kennebunkport Town Records- Book II, p.259
7. ↑ York Deeds- Vol.137, p.80
8. ↑ York Deeds- Vol. 208, p. 392
9. ↑ York Deeds- Vol.112, p.106

• The Wildes Genealogy- N.P. Apr. 1984, pp.15-6
• Essex Institute Hist. Coll.- July 1906, p.295
• Arundel V.R.
• A Wildes Genealogy, Douglas Cruger, pg 31