Happy Birthday Thomas Nov 20

Today is Judge Thomas Ruggles' 242nd birthday. He was born in 1770 in Rochester Massachusetts, a small town south of Boston and near New Bedford.
The first record of Thomas's activities in Columbia is in 1796 when he served on a committee to organize the Town of Columbia out of townships 12 and 13. He was elected as one of the first three selectmen for the town.

A major purchase (Sept 27)

September 27, 1797... Thomas Ruggles' first recorded land purchase in Maine.  He purchased 100 acres with a dwelling house, barn and outbuildings for $750.  A year later, September 1798,  Thomas and his brother Benjamin jointly purchased a dwelling house, work house and half a barn for $150. The house may have served as the first home of Thomas Ruggles.

Happy Anniversary April 6

Thomas Ruggles married Ruth Clapp in Rochester, Mass. April 6, 1797

Happy Birthday Frederick Augustus

Today is the 211th  birthday of Frederick Augustus Ruggles. Born January 8, 1801, Frederick was the third son and third child of Thomas and Ruth Ruggles. He was born in Columbia (now Columbia Falls) in the first house the family owned in town. He would have moved into the "new" house- the one we know as The Ruggles House- with his 6 brothers and sisters at the age of 19.

Frederick was a farmer and the agricultural census data from 1850 shows him owning 15 improved acres and 35 unimproved acres. That year he produced 23 pounds of wool, 3 bushels of peas & beans, 220 bushels of potatoes, 220 pounds of butter and 12 tons of hay.

Frederick and his brother George had jointly inherited a property called the "Patten Farm", but he apparently lived in the Ruggles House with his mother and sister Lucy. After Ruth Ruggles' death, in 1859, Lucy and Frederick shared ownership of the house. Each owned half of the house and had joint ownership of the front door and staircase. Eventually Frederick acquired the whole house. 

In 1847 Frederick married Caroline Stone Bucknam, a local girl 12 years his junior. They had two daughters, Emily, born in 1850 and Lizzie born in 1852.

This picture of Frederick in his militia uniform is a charcoal drawing done by one of his daughters.

He died in 1890 at the age of 89.

Hello Irene

Since there is a rather unwelcome visitor headed to town this weekend, we are battening down the hatches here at The Ruggles House and will be closed Sunday and Monday.

Look for an update on Tuesday.

Be safe everyone

I scream, You scream...

We all scream for Ice Cream!

Visit the Ruggles House this Sunday from 1-3 for an old fashioned Ice Cream Social. Free house tours and ice cream under the tent on the lawn. What could be better on a summer day? Check out the herb garden, or just sit on the porch and watch the world go by.

Pretend it's Spring

Even if it doesn't feel like Spring here in downeast Maine, you can pretend this Saturday at the annual plant sale. There will be vegetables seedlings, annuals and perennials. See you there.