John Marsh

Biography

Headstone at Riverside Cemetery (Source: Find-a-Grave, #203708062)

John Marsh was born in Hopkinton (MA) on July 24, 1751. There is some dispute about his date of birth. Not much is known about his early life. By his own account, he "for a number of years resided and hunted with the Penobscot Tribe" and learned to speak Penobscot fluently. By 1775, however, he was living in Canada along the Chaudière river, before joining Arnold's Army on its way to Québec. In 1777, he settled on Arumsunkhungan (now known as Marsh Island) and in 1778, he married Sarah Colburn (1757-1841), a daughter of Jeremiah Colburn (one of the earliest Orono settlers and himself a veteran) before leaving for the war again. After the war, he returned to Marsh Island and later on claimed to have received a deed for the ownership of all of Marsh Island from the Penobscot Tribe in 1783. This claim was formalized by the tribe in 1793 and confirmed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1795. With a deed in hand, John was now able to sell off most of the island at a good price, only retaining roughly the part that is now in Orono for himself. This is when Park Holland drew up his famous map of Marsh Island. John Marsh died at the Marsh Island farm of his son-in-law Phineas Vinal on July 15, 1814. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery. Many of his descendants still live in the Orono-Old Town area.

References

• Pratt, John F. (June 1890). "Petition of John Marsh of Orono, 1793". Maine Historical Magazine.
• Washburn, Israel (1874). Centennial Celebration, and Dedication of Town Hall, Orono, Maine, March 3, 1874.
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