Asa Payson

• Military enlistment:

                           Colonel of War of 1812. died 1878 in mod. hand                        

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Feb 27 2024, 17:40:41 UTC

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https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67318281/asa_payson
Col Asa Payson
BIRTH
2 Mar 1784
Friendship, Knox County, Maine, USA
DEATH
26 Aug 1878 (aged 94)
Hope, Knox County, Maine, USA
BURIAL
Hope Grove Cemetery
Hope, Knox County, Maine, USA
MEMORIAL ID

67318281 · View Source

MEMORIAL
PHOTOS 2
FLOWERS 2

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Asa came to Hope, ME, with his parents (Ephraim and Hannah (Wentworth) Payson) when he was about 5 years old. At some point in time, perhaps after his marriage, Asa, a shoe maker, moved to Hope Corner to set up his shop. In 1814, he served in the local militia company being a sergeant in Captain Weed's Company, Lt. Col., Foot's Regiment. In 1825 and 1826, he was elected major. In 1827, 1828, and 1829, he was elected colonel. He served as town clerk for 2 years in 1836 and was among the original pew holders in the church which was dedicated in 1861.

Asa became postmaster in 1834, succeeding Wade Sweetland, at which time he built his large home with the third floor having a large enough space for dancing and parties. Some of his family letters indicate that his descendants speculated that the large space for parties was created so that he could keep his stern parental eye on his many daughters and sons and their young guests. This house is still standing as of 2011.

Asa and his wife Hannah (Hewett) Payson had sixteen children, all born in Hope, ME:

•Samuel Hewett, b. 15 July 1810; m. (1) Mary Boynton; m. (2) Ellen Billington.
•Mary Dakin, b. 26 Feb. 1812; m. John Fogler of Union, ME.
•Martha Reeves, b. 26 Feb. 1812; d. 1895; buried as was her husband in The Hope Grove Cemetery, Hope, ME; m. in Hope, ME, 14 Sept. 1834, Lyman Smith, b. in Candia, NH, 1811, d. in Camden, ME in 1847. "After Lyman Smith passed away...leaving Aunt Martha with four children...she separated her children and Mary (her daughter) was supposed to live with Mrs. Cotton who lived in the house across from father's store. She was sister Mary's age and did not like Mrs. Cotton's home as much as she did our house and she lived with us most of her young days." Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 4. "Aunt Martha taught school many years. In her first teaching, Freeman (her son) was one of her pupils. When Freeman grew to manhood he taught school and Aunt Martha, wanting to know more in one study, went to school to Freeman. Lyman (another son of Martha's) was a smart scholar in school. His first and only position was a teacher of drawing and penmanship in the public schools of Hartford, Conn. He taught 45 years, he could speak four different languages fluently...he was good company socially and quite a joker."Spear, Letter, 1942, p. 5.
•Orinda Bartlett, b. 9 March 1814; m. James St. Clair. "Mother's sister Orinda was a seamstress and she used to go into different families and make the men's coats, vests, and pants. Every stitch was sewed by hand as there were no sewing machines in those days. Mother said if she (Orinda) sewed in the evening they allowed her two candles. She was smart and she worked hard and worked in her own home long after she was married." Spear, Letter 1943, p. 3
•Jesse Wentworth, b. 15 Nov. 1815; d. in Hyde Park, MA, 17 Sept. 1889; m. (1) Abigail Hawes; m. (2) Cordelia Callamore. Jesse was educated in the Hope, ME, schools and The Waterville Institute, ME. He lived in Union, ME, where he was postmaster from 1845-49, constable in 1849, and played E flat bugle in the "Union Brass Band" until about 1851 when his residence was listed at Hyde Park, MA. Hewett, William Hewett and his Descendants, p. 103. From a paper written and read by E. Payson True at a Payson-Fogler Family reunion, we have the following information about Jesse: "Hyde Park, MA, in Jesse's day, was a rather small community on the banks of the Neponset River which divided the town in half, and all the inhabitants lived on the eastern side of the river where the land was flat. On the other side, the land rose up in a steep hill which was called Fairmount Hill. In 1856, twenty men got together and formed an informal group calling themselves the 'Twenty Associates,' and each of them agreed to build a house on Fairmount Hill. Jesse Payson was one of the group and he built his house right on the top of the hill. I (E. Payson True) found in the year book of the Hyde Park Historical Society for 1908, an article about Jesse which shows that he was a fairly important man in his day, as an author of writing books (penmanship books), his name became a household word in this country. He it was who first gave to students a scientific analysis of script writing, and he originated the lithograph copy for common school writing books. He was the author of a popular series of works on bookkeeping, and was called as an expert to adjust accounts in important cases. His skill in writing brought him many medals, including one given him at the Centennial in Philadelphia...He was the originator of penmanship books used in the public schools and a member of the old publishing house of Dunton and Payson.'"
•Olive King, b. 28 October 1817; m. Edward True, Jr.
•Hannah Elizabeth, b. 18 Oct. 1819; m. Lewis Waterman of Appleton, ME. "...in Camden (ME), there was once a paper mill. When mother and Aunt Hannah were perhaps 14 and 16 years old, they worked this mill cutting rags with shears. I think they walked from Hope to the mill every morning and back at night. They probably had one dress (each) and material (for the dresses) grandmother wove from yarn she had spun." Spear, Letter 1943, p. 3.
•Asa Addison, b. 6 Feb 1822; m. Clara Clark.
•Madan King, b. 18 March 1824; place and date of death unknown; m. Abigail A. Hills who died in Portland, ME, 3 Sept. 1886, AE 64 years, buried in Union, ME.
•Leonora H., b. 6 Sept. 1826; marriage intentions published in Hope ME 30 Nov. 1845; married date unknown, Guilford St. Clair.
•Milton, b. 17 Feb. 1829; d. in Hope, ME, 27 or 28 April 1829 (age 3 months on gravestone.)
•George Orrington, b. 7 May 1830; m. (1) Vesta Bills; m. (2) Lavina Greeley.
•Frances Ellen, b. 5 Feb. 1833; d. in Natick, MA, 10 March 1850, age 17 years 1 month.
•Aura Ann, b. 10 Feb. 1835; m. Thomas Spear of Rockport, ME.
•Harriet, b. 2 Aug. 1837; d. 3 Aug. 1837, age 1 day.
•Oraville Amanda, b. 21 Jan. 1839; m. Chester McLain. This couple had eight children.

Family Members
Parents

Ephraim Payson
1754–1834
Spouse

Hannah Hewett Payson
1793–1868 (m. 1809)
Siblings

Hannah Payson Lamb
1787–1871

Ephraim Payson
1792–1881

Sion Wentworth Payson
1794–1867

Sarah Payson Lassell
1802–1857

Anna Payson Leathers
1806–1896

Samuel Payson
1808–1865
Children

Martha Reeves Payson Smith
1812–1895

Mary Dakin Payson Fogler
1812–1899

Orinda Bartlett Payson St. Clair
1814–1880

Olive King Payson True
1817–1886

Asa Addison Payson
1821–1894

George Orington Payson
1830–1902

Orraville Amanda Payson McLain
1839–1924
Flowers • 2