born in Belchertown; worked on the home farm until Jan, 1800,
when a neighbor started for Maine with an ox-team; in Boston
they learned of a vessel about to sail for Belfast, Me, and took
passage; a few days out they encountered a sereve snow storm
and were obliged to land at Thoamaston, where they remained
until Spring, when Pennewill walked to Bangor; he worked at lumbering
and surveying for three years' during which time he was married;
removed to Union River, but later, returned to his old location on the
Penobscot; lived in Maine until 1850**, then removed to Minnesota, the
journey occupying just one month, and was by boat to Boston - Albany
by cars - thence by canal boat to Buffalo - by steamboat on the lakes to
Chicago - with hired teams across Illinois to the Mississippi River and by
boat to St Paul; after a few days' rest continued the journey to the Rum
River, in which locality he was the first settler and endured the hardships
of pioneer life including annoyances by the Indians; other settlers, however,
gradually came and by 1870, there was a flourishing town of some
two thousand inhabitants. He lived to be nearly 100 years old. His
death occurred at Anoka, Minn
Basic information taken from the book "Genealogy of the Shumway Family in
the United States of America." Compiled by Asahel Adams Shumway. Volume 1.
Reprinted 1972 by Maple Press, George Shumway, Publisher, York, PA. Pages
#124 - 125, Book identification #2.
Resides in Jarvis Gore, Penobscot, Maine in 1820 according to the US Census - age 40
Resides in Piscataquis Falls in the year 1835. http://www.rootsweb.com/~mepenobs/chester_1stsett.htm -
Resides in Ramsey County, Minnesota in 1850 according to the US Census - age 70
** Note: The 1850 date may be wrong as the MN 1849 Territorial Census Index indicates that
he in residing in Minnesota in 1849.
Who is this family member?