Maj. Thomas Leigh

1. Major Thomas, b 1773, d 1831 (Chase Charts, 1858); m 7 Jan 1813 Nancy Baker of Limerick, b 24 Oct 1788, d S Berwick 22 Oct 1853 (gs, Old Fields), dau of John and Salome (Drury) Baker, 4 ch.;

Children

1. Mary Leigh, d 17 Mar 1815
2. John Leigh, d 17 Feb 1826 age 14 mos, are bur in Old Fields, unknown.
3. Mary, b ca 1773 (Chase Charts, 1858), d 12 Apr 1831, age 58 (gs), probably unm.
4. Martha, bpt Portsmouth NH 10 Jan 1780, d Furnessville IN 1863, m 25 July 1798 Capt William Furness, son of Robert (NEHGR 82:16),

From South Berwick History

As well as the plentiful plant and animal life, [17th century] settlers found old abandoned Native American fields. Hence the name of the present-day "Old Fields Road". The Newichawonnock tribe had been summering there long before whites arrived. People heard of the great opportunities in the New World and came to the settlement. The river became a highway. The center of town was Pipe Stave Landing (Leigh's Mills). The community was made up of fishermen, lumberjacks, merchants, laborers, and sailors. Many Scottish settlers inhabited Vaughan Woods. Some of the cellar holes of those homes can still be seen. Lumber was an especially prosperous business. The gigantic trees were chopped down and floated down the river and over to Portsmouth. They were called the king's pines because they were used as masts for the king's ships.

From http://www.oldberwick.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=415:old-fields-burying-ground&catid=50:cemeteries&Itemid=96 Old Fields Burying Ground (Vine Street Cemetery)

Maj. Thomas Leigh , (1773-1831) - In 1807 the Chadbourne family sold shares of Chadbourne's mills to the Leighs (Thomas's mother was the daughter of Judge Benjamin Chadbourne). The water-powered complex then included a sawmill, grist mill, hulling mill and card mill, on eight acres of land. By 1815 Maj. Leigh's journal indicates his net worth was about $30,000 and that he owned a farm and 100 acres. At his death his estate included property at Quamphegan Landing, two stores, a wharf, and land near the river.

From The Landing Mill and its time

Thomas Leigh was a business man of note; his mills were where Perley Varney saws and grinds today, and many old people speak of Leigh’s mills, while those of a generation younger would say “Yeaton’s” mills. Both owners of this property were good men and honored citizens, and their memories revered. Thomas Leigh lived on the ridge east of the Hayes house, and he was buried in the cemetery at “Old Fields”.

From Edwin L. Furness, Biography Porter County Indiana biographical sketches . . . .

The Leighs likewise are an old English-American family of distinction. Major Thomas Leigh, maternal great-uncle of Edwin Leigh Furness, of this sketch, served as a gallant officer in the War of 1812, and later became the owner and operator of large woolen mills at South Berwick, Maine, these mills having borne his name Leigh Mills. He was a citizen of wealth, influence and high standing. Mr. Furness when a mere boy used to play with this soldier's discarded sword and military uniform.

Links

• http://www.chadbourne.org/Gen5.html