Joshua Christie

 

Joshua Christie is specifically very important to the development of Crouseville. Joshua was from Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick and one of his relatives, Hepzibah Clark, married Gould Crouse, the lumberman.

The Christie clan had large land holdings in Keswick Ridge and all the Christies from there were related. Joshua Christie was born in Keswick Ridge as was Hepzibah Clark. Hepzibah’s paternal grandmother was Annie Christie.

There is another Christie-Crouse connection. A personal friend of Gould Crouse was Zebulon “Zeb” Estey who lived in Stone Ridge, New Brunswick. The Keswick River flows between Stone Ridge and Keswick Ridge. Joshua Christie married Dorothy Estey, a relative of Zeb’s.

Sometime between 1842 and 1850 Gould and Hepsy Crouse moved their family a few miles from New Zealand, New Brunswick, to Keswick Ridge. Gould had made the winter trip from his home on Keswick Ridge to the Aroostook River to harvest the timber before he came to settle in 1850. He likely worked at times with his sons, Jeremiah, Abraham and William, as they grew older, as well as with Henry Russell, the future husband of Esther Crouse, Gould’s daughter. They would have lodged with Joshua’s family and likely worked an agreement to harvest timber on Joshua’s property. Their focus would have been the manufacture of cedar shakes but they probably harvested whatever timber that was in demand.

Gould’s older boys, Jeremiah, Abraham and William were starting to come into their own. Gould and Hepsy wanted to find land, timber and opportunity for them, as well as, for themselves. Joshua Dunn was willing to sell his property in 1850, and the timing seemed right for the Crouses, so Gould purchased his property.[19] Originally, Joshua Christie began the Dunn farm[20] as indicated in the 1831 field notes from John Deane and Edward Kavanagh’s visit to the area.

“[Joshua Christie also] has a clearing on the North Bank of the river which is in corn, wheat and grass.”

As mentioned before Joshua farmed this land, but didn’t live on it. His home was always on the south bank of the Aroostook River.

Gould purchased Dunn’s property, but an adequate home was needed for Gould and Hepsy’s needs and desires. So in 1850[21],[22],[23],[24] Gould, Jeremiah, Abraham and William traveled from their home in Keswick Ridge to their newly acquired property on Aroostook River, where they built a two-story frame house on what later was known as the Crouseville Flats. Nathaniel’s family was their new neighbor to the east. In the latter half of 1851,[25],[26] Gould and Hepsy moved the entire Crouse household, and the remaining seven children, from Keswick Ridge[27] to their new home. This would have been quite an adventure, traveling up the St. John River, around Grand Falls, and then at last up the Aroostook River.

[Map 2]

1855 Map of  the Crouseville area.

For Map 2 orientation, Route 164, the road which today goes from Presque Isle through Crouseville to Washburn, would pass approximately along the top of the letters “Aroostook River” written along the north bank of the river extending, of course, east and west about the same distance from the river. The Crouseville Advent Christian Church would later be located approximately just about the “k” in “Aroostook River” in Section 4, Lot 2. Today’s Crouseville Post Office would be located just across the lot line (to the east) separating Lot 1 from Lot 2, in Section 4 – between the “k” and the little creek.

Starting on the east side of the map in Section 6, Lot 1, is Nathaniel & Malinda Churchill’s 1839 homestead. Directly south is Mumford’s Island that later would be known as Churchill’s Island. The tip of Bull’s Island can be seen to the immediate southeast.

Across the Aroostook River on the south bank, Section 5, Lot 5, is the lot owned by Job & Annie (Crouse) Churchill. Job is the son of Nathaniel & Jerusha Churchill. Jerusha is Nathaniel’s first wife who died in 1833. Annie is the daughter of Gould and Hepzibah Crouse. Job & Annie were married March 18, 1855, just when this map was being constructed. Job had acquired this land from his father only within the prior 12 months.[28]

The next lot to the west, Section 5, Lot 6, and mislabeled as “J. Clark” belongs to William & Abigail Clark. William is the brother to Hepzibah Crouse, nee Clark, the wife of Gould Crouse. The Clark family came to Crouseville in the latter half of 1853,[29],[30] from Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick.

The next lot to the west, Section 5, Lot 7, is Joshua & Deborah Christie’s 1827 farmstead. Joshua Christie is a relative to William Clark, his neighbor, and Gould Crouse’s wife, Hepzibah.

North, across the Aroostook River, in Section 5, Lot 3, is the farmstead originally owned by Silas Easler. Over the coming years the extended Easler family would establish a large presence in Crouseville and become important to its development.

Continuing on the north bank, the next lot to the west, Section 5, Lot 4, is the lot owned by Gould & Hepzibah Crouse. The lot consists of approximately 150 acres. Gould acquired the north bank farmstead recently owned by Moses Bonney, where Gould, Hepzibah and the younger children, Estry, Annie, Jesse, Gould, Jr. and Joshua lived. The farmhouse is located approximately where the “e” is in the words “Aroostook River”.

The next lot to the west, Section 4, Lot 1, is owned by Abraham Crouse, the unmarried son of Gould & Hepzibah Crouse. This lot consists of approximately 130 acres. His farmhouse is located in the very southwest corner of the lot. In about three years Abraham would marry Caroline Christie, the daughter of Joshua & Deborah Christie.

The next lot to the west, Section 4, Lot 2, is owned by Jeremiah & Esther (Christie) Crouse and consists of approximately 134.5 acres. Jeremiah is the son of Gould & Hepzibah Crouse. Esther is the daughter of Joshua & Deborah Christie.

Jeremiah & Esther’s frame house, the original Crouse home built in 1850, is located approximately just below the “k” in the words “Aroostook River”. Jeremiah also owned Lot 5 in Section 4 on the south side of the Aroostook River which he purchased from Nathaniel Churchill in 1854.[31] In 1858 Jeremiah would sell this same lot to Peter Haines.[32] Nathaniel Churchill and Jeremiah Crouse jointly owned the 22 acre Crouse Island (island No. 8). Within three years Jeremiah would own the whole island.[33]

Back on the north bank, Section 4, Lot 3, is owned by William Crouse, the unmarried son of Gould & Hepzibah Crouse. The lot contains approximately 127.5 acres. In about three years William would marry Prudence Churchill, the daughter of Nathaniel & Malinda Churchill.

When Gould Crouse brought to the Aroostook Valley his three older boys, Jeremiah, Abraham and William, their plan was for each of the Crouse boys to homestead his own property, but since they all were still under age their properties were first held jointly with their father. By 1855 the three oldest boys and Gould held contiguous properties along the Crouseville riverfront.

Together these four contiguous Crouse lots comprised over 500 acres, which consisted of ownership of all the property that would become the Crouseville town center, including the current locations for the Advent Christian Church, the Crouseville Mission Home, the Crouseville Post Office, all the Crouseville Flats, as well as many acres of farmland and timberland.

The next lot to the west, Section 4, Lot 4, is owned by Henry & Esther (Crouse) Russell. Esther is the daughter of Gould & Hepsy Crouse. In 1850 Henry, a bachelor lumberman, was lodging with Esther’s uncle and aunt, William & Abigail Clark in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick.[34] On the 1855 map William & Abigail Clark’s property is on Section 5, Lot 6.

Some time before 1855 Mr. S. Haines  and Stephen Harris settled their family in Crouseville. Their property can be located in Section 4, Lot 6, on the south side of the Aroostook River, just to the west of Crouse Island. Mr. Harris passed away about 1867.[35]

The various descendants of early Crouseville pioneer John Hickey, occupy three lots in Section 3, Lots 1 & 8 on the north bank and Lot 5 on the south bank. Hickey Island is just north of Lots 5 & 6. McLand Island is to the immediate west of Hickey Island.[36]

On the south bank, Section 3, Lot 6, is owned by John Day.

At the west end of the Crouseville area, in Section 3, several lots are owned by Estey families.