Franklin Lafayette Carney was born August 19, 1824 a son of Daniel and Mary Wheeler Carney. (Daniel had been born in Pownalboro in 1765 but moved to Boston.) Daniel returned to Sheepscot where he was appointed postmaster there on April 14, 1830. He would hold that position for nineteen years.
When Franklin grew up he had a general store at Sheepscot. His store was the gathering place for people in the neighborhood, a center for swapping news, gossip and any information. Some years ago Marjorie Doe Huntley asked me if I would like Franklin Carney’s record books. Marjorie was his granddaughter through her mother Iva Carney. Marjorie’s father was Arthur Doe.
These record books had been kept in her barn. There are eleven large, hard covered record books. I accepted them readily for our Museum and they are fascinating to read. Some of these books are in good condition but several are in poor repair. Some pages are missing and one has childish scribbling on some of its pages. Remember, they were kept in a barn for many years, where generations of children, probably, played. Some still have hay-chaff between the pages.
They are dated from 1816 to 1876, which leaves me with a dilemma. As Franklin Carney was born in 1824 he certainly wasn’t keeping store records in 1816. I checked to see what I could find. The book with the beginning date of 1816 appears to be a record kept by Daniel Howard. Each entry begins with a person’s name to Daniel Howard. (Example: Thomas Cunningham to Daniel Howard; Thomas Kennedy to Daniel Howard: Ezekel Averill to Daniel Howard.)
There are items listed, for, mending sleigh, rudder iron, calf skin, one sleigh, making a field post bed, 1 martintgal for horse, 1 sleigh harness and bells, repairing small gondola and going to Donnells yd & Puddle Dock after lunch. He also sold household items. One item of the Town of Alna to Daniel, 1825, reads, “Bridget Regan’s board from Nov. 26 to April 11, 1826, 42 cents.
Daniel Howard was an active resident in Sheepscot. In the Record Book for the Proprietors of Sheepscot River Bridge & Real Estate, Nov. 9, 1809, it reads, “July 23, 1824. Voted that Daniel Howard be general Agent for the ensuing year, with power to lease the Bridge to yearly passers, and to do what necessary repairs may be wanting.” Again on July 23, 1828, “Daniel C. Howard chosen Clerk and Treasurer for the Corporation of Sheepscot River Toll Bridge.”
He also had an account with the Sheepscot Mill Owners.
I have not found Howard’s birth and death dates but there is a note in the Cemeteries of Newcastle, Maine 1758 – 2004: “William A. son of Daniel C. & Theodocia, d. Aug. 12, 1825, a. 4 yr. 4 mo.”
It still is unclear why Howard’s record books were kept with Carney’s.
Franklin Carney bought his store from Mary T. Rundlett. Her deed dated Dec. 31, 1855, reads, in part: “In consideration of the sum of five hundred dollars paid by Franklin L. Carney, Newcastle, Trader…near Sheepscot Bridge, together with the Store, described in a deed from my father Richard H. Tucker.”
On April 18, 1855, Richard H. Tucker, Mariner, had deeded to Mary T. Rundlett, wife of Oaks Rundlett, a “piece of land situated in Newcastle …near Sheepscot Bridge being the land on which my Store now sits near said Bridge, together with the Store thereon standing.” Mary was Tucker’s daughter.
On Jan. 4, 1848 Oaks Rundlett, yoeman, had deeded the Store and property to Richard H. Tucker, his father-in-law, “being the land on which my Store now stands.”
Franklin married Celia A. Mahoney on Oct. 16, 1856. She was born Jan. 13, 1839 and died Jan. 27, 1890. They had three children: Franklin Irving born in 1858, Iva Ardell born in 1861 and Clarence Edgar born in 1868,
According to the Rev. David Quimby Cushman in his “The History of Ancient Sheepscot and Newcastle” Franklin took over as postmaster from his father on April 9, 1849 but, because of the “spoil system,” was eased out of the job on Jan. 9, 1850. (Millard Fillmore was president from 1850 – 1853.) With the election of Franklin Pierce in 1853, Carney was re-appointed postmaster on June 16, 1853.
This led to other activities such as toll collector at the bridge, justice of the peace, selectman, overseer of the poor and director of First National Bank in Wiscasset. He was elected to the state House of Representatives for Newcastle and later to the senate from Lincoln County. He was active in the church in Sheepscot and the Nobleboro camp meetings.
Franklin Carney had a business in lumbering and milling and ventured into shipbuilding. In 1880, he began building vessels, building and owning in part the following: the three-masted schooners George W. Jewett, Annie B. Chase and the Isaac Osheton, barks F. L. Carney, Pleiades, Isaac Rich, Elwood Cooper, and R. Murray, Jr. He owned an interest in others.
In one book, dated 1856 & 1857, when Franklin Carney was 32 years old, he tells how he built his house. The last three pages in this account book are titled “House Account.” Paul Hanley drafted the house plan. Details are written of the materials used. He bought the house lot, bought pine & spruce, sheathing, clapboards, brick, plaster, lime, lead for chimney, nails, linseed oil, putty, etc. It also appears he built a barn at the same time. There are notations for barn hinges and shingles for barn (later referred to as a stable.) This house was on the King’s Highway.
Unfortunately this house burned March 23, 1877. “There was a serious fire at Newcastle at four o’clock Friday morning. Hon. F. L. Carney’s house and stable, most of the household furniture, horse, carriage, cow, nine sheep, farming tools, etc., and a house and stable owned by the Larabee heirs, and occupied by Edwin Flye, were burned. Mr. Clifford’s house was saved by wet blankets.”
May 5, 1877, the record continues, apparently this part written by Franklin Carney. “Today I commenced work for Stable foundation having decided to build on my old lot. A main house 32 x 40 feet, Ell 17 x 26 feet, woodshed 17 x 20 feet, Stable 32 x 40 feet.” Carney, then, built for a second time.
Franklin Carney ran a successful store for 50 years at the edge of the Sheepscot River.
He carried a wide variety of goods in his store, including such items as calico $1.00, flour $1.85, nails $.02, tea $ .45, furniture $13.75, coffee $ .43, candy $ .18, tobacco $ .08, salt $ .25, gaiters $1.25, boots $1.25, sundries $2.29.
He, apparently, decided to give up his store when he was 80. In the Registry of Deeds, Book 315, page 568, Franklin L. Carney deeds his land near the Sheepscot Bridge together with the buildings thereon, to Charles E. McKenney. The Sheepscot Echo for March 25, 1905 reads, “Chas. McKenney has bought the Carney store and is moving his stock of goods from S. Newcastle station where he has been in trade for the past year.”
Unfortunately for McKenney, the store burned in 1906-’07.
Franklin L. Carney died at the home of his son, June 5, 1915, at the age of 90 years, 9 months and 17 days. He is buried in the Sheepscot cemetery. The picture of Carney’s store was taken on the occasion of the celebration of “freeing the bridge” from tolls. It is dated June 22, 1894. My thanks to George Weston for his information on Carney and his store.
