Machias 'Union' - In 1777 when British war vessels threatened Machias, Me. several families moved from the settlement to Old Stream, a branch of the Machias, a dozen miles up the river and in or near what is now known as the town of Northfield. The families built camps or log houses, tilled the land, lived there some of them two years, others not so long. In 1770 some of the Old Stream pioneers went to the St. Croix. As Knowlton in his history of Calais says, they were guided through the woods by an Indian while others came by water. Daniel HILL and Samuel HILL were the first settlers of Calais and they were from the Old Stream Colony. ... Among the sons of Japhet HILL was Abner HILL who settled on the St. Stephen side. Abner married Mary (or Polly) WHITNEY d/o Joel WHITNEY, one of the first settlers of Jonesboro and sister of Capt. Ephraim WHITNEY. It is told that when Abner and Mary were married they rode from Jonesboro via No. 14 to Cooper on horseback through the woods, no roads then, to the St. Croix, and although Abner had real and personal estate, their outfit with which to commence housekeeping consisted of a few chairs, an iron tea kettle, one table and a bag of Indian meal. The sons of Abner were George HILL, John HILL, Joel HILL, Abner HILL, Daniel HILL, William HILL, Horatio N. HILL. George was well known in politicals circles in New Brunswick and Canada while Abner, Daniel and Horatio were prominent lumber manufacturers on the St. Croix. Elizabeth HILL, widow of Abner, is still living in St. Stephen. Ann PORTER, widow of John PORTER lives at Upper Mills, natives of Jonesboro, daughters of Ephraim WHITNEY. The late Beriah WHITNEY of Milltown, N.B. was a son of Ephraim Whitney of Jonesboro. Mrs. Lucy WHITNEY, widow of Beriah, now past 82 years, also a resident of Milltown, is a daughter of late Wm S. HALL of Jonesboro. Col. Joseph WHITNEY, prominent business man of Calais, 1826 to 1840, was a native of Jonesboro; also Paul WHITNEY and Joel WHITNEY, both settlers in Milltown, N.B. early as 1806-9 and brothers of Ephraim. Capt. Jonathan KNIGHT came from Machias in 1790. His friends claimed that he had fired the first shot in the battle in which the "Margaretta" was captured. Capt. O'BRIEN was in command. When they neared the British schooner Knight said 'Captain, I see their eyes'. Then said O'Brien, 'Fire' and so he did. The old Queen's Arm which Knight used, the family kept a long time. Paul KNIGHT, the oldest of Jonathan, lived at Englishman's River until 1800 when he moved to Robbinston thence to Calais where he lived the rest of his days. He married Hannah WHITNEY of Jonesboro; in their family were three pairs of twins. Calais was incorporated in 1806. Stephen BREWER of Boston came to Calais in 1800 or 1801. In 1804 he married Sophia HILL of Machias, a sister of late Obediah HILL. Subsequently Mrs. Brewer married a Mr. Knight. Their only child Nancy A. KNIGHT married William SPRING. They lived in Alexander until about 1865 when they moved to Arcata, California. A son, William O.H. SPRING, is now a resident of Arcata and prominently known in Humboldt Co. About 1818, Joseph NASH and Amaziah NASH, millwrights, sons of Isaac NASH of Columbia, the latter a native of Yarmouth, Me. and a descendant of the Nash who settled at Duxbury, Mass. from England in 1690 or 1695, came to Milltown, Calais. The brothers were intelligent mechanics. They had built some of the mills at Machias and East Machias and the fame of the growing Schona River induced them, then unmarried, to adopt the frontier for future scenes of labors. These brothers built several mills near Milltown. Joseph lived here as late as 1858 and died about this time. A son, Nelson NASH succeeded his father as millwright, but died early in life. Capt. Amaziah NASH at one time, 1840 probably, was engaged in business at Bog Brook, two or three miles below the city on the road towards Red Beach. He had a mill there. ... Mr. Nash's first home where his family were all born, was at Milltown. He resided there almost twenty years. Col. Nash in 1847 moved to the south part of Robbinston. Here he built a saw mill, a grist and lath mill, all operated by a large moveshot wheel. This was in operation as laste as 1852 or 1853. He also built vessels and superintended an extensive store trade. The depression of '56 and '57 overtook him and the property passed into other hands. In '57 or '58, Mr. Nash with his family moved to Hopkinton, Iowa where he died ten years later; a daughter having married and settled at Hopkinton in 1854 or '55. So that with a single exception, although both had families, neither Joseph nor Amaziah have children present residents on the St. Croix. Joshua NASH, a brother of Joseph and Amaziah, lived at Calais several years in Amaziah's employ... George DOWNES and Mina DOWNES, children of Mr. and Mrs. L.G. DOWNES, W.D. STONE, tin worker in Brook's store in St. Stephen, his home is in Calais; L.F. LAMBERT, trader, are natives of Machias. Trecott LAWRENCE and his son, George T. LAWRENCE, book keeper and salesman respectively in E.C. Gate's store are former residents of Machias. Mrs. A. McNICHOL, Mrs. R.J. McGARRIGLE are natives of East Machias. (see original)