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BROWNVILLE - Bill Sawtell is well known
throughout the Penquis region as a prolific
author of local histories, and he has hit the
mark again with his latest book, Old Sebec
Uolume II. The new book tells the story of the
people and events which shaped Sebec's history,
from its earliest settlers to more recent
residents and activities. But it's the people
which form the heart of the soft cover book.
Beginning with the Mallett
family, Sawtell lets David Mallett, and
internationally recognized songwriter and
singer, tell the story of how the family came to
Sebec in the early 1800s. The family lineage is
augmented with many antiquarian photographs from
the family. Sawtell notes, "A highly skilled
songsmith, Mallett has consistently captured the
cold winds and warm hearts of northern New
England and the simple life of rural America
through his songs."
Sawtell then moves on the
Taylor family, telling how a marker come to be
placed on a rock in Massachusetts marking a
Taylor family event in about 1639 (you'll have
to read the book to learn the facts). There is
much information about the Taylor family in
Sebec as well as photographs of the Taylor farm
and other family photographs.
Additional family histories
include the Henry Green family of New Brunswick,
who moved to Sebec after being early residents
of the upper Miramichi. There's the story of the
Hassell family, the Livermores, Ramona Smart
Hamlin, Bob Stone, the Ames family, Ruth and
Harry Taylor (he was a school bus driver in the
World War II era), the Varnums, and countless
others.
But the book is not all
family histories. There are interesting
samplings, or vignettes, of life in days gone
by. There are stories of snows and floods, Main
Street life and the old dams. There are census
figures, and even mysteries. And there are
scores of old photographs showing life as it
used to be in this tiny Piscataquis County town.
Bill Sawtell has gathered a large basket of
stories and tales to compile into this very
readable book, published by Moosehead
Communications, Inc. of Greenville. Dedicated to
Bea and Rex Varnum, it is the story of small
town life, told by the people who lived it.
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