Benjamin Shattuck and Lucretia Scripture are a collateral branch of my family tree, connected by Lucretia, who is the sister of my 3X great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Scripture, who married George Rogers Tarbox and settled in Calais, Washington, Maine.

Benjamin and Lucretia married on 18 November 1858 in Robbinston, Washington, Maine, which borders Red Beach and Calais.

I believe the above photos are Benjamin and Lucretia (Scripture) Shattuck, taken at different times.

Mary Scripture Tarbox died at the young age of 39 years of an unknown cause. However, my 2X great grandmother remained close to her aunt and uncle, who also lived in Calais.

I am sure of this because I have inherited several family photos of the Shattucks and even a couple that I believe are Scripture uncles, who lived in Glenburn, Penobscot, Maine.

I’ve written about the Shattucks in the past, but only in dribs and drabs. Today, it is time to take a much closer look at Benjamin, Lucretia, their children and descendants.

Benjamin Shattuck was born on 16 February 1833 in Maine and died on 27 October 1900, in Calais. The 1900 census provided their address – 53 Shattuck Road – but it’s a rural road and Google hasn’t made it down there, so I have no idea what their home looked like. In their day, Red Beach was a small community near the “big city” of Calais. Today, it is part of Calais.

The census taker visited on 23 June 1900 and Benjamin died just 3 months later. He was enumerated as a farmer and was only 67 years old, but likely in fragile health at that time. His cause of death is listed as hepatitis in the left lung for 8 months with pneumonia as a contributory cause.

Lucretia predeceased Benjamin. She was born on 25 April 1837 in Glenburn, Penobscot, Maine, the daughter of Oliver and Mary (Bucknam) Scripture. She likely met Benjamin after her sister, Mary, married George and moved to Calais. She died on 15 September 1892, aged 55 years, of heart failure or mitral insufficiency with a note that it was possibly caused by acute rheumatism, suffered many years before.

Benjamin and Lucretia were the parents of five known children and might have lost several in childhood, based on gaps in the birth years.

This family is buried at Red Beach Cemetery, but Find-a-Grave has only 63% of it photographed.

Children:

1. Annie G., born 8 November 1858; died 16 June 1896, Calais, Washington, Maine. Annie was a teacher who didn’t marry. Cause of death was phthisis, which was tuberculosis. Note that Annie is 6 months old in 1860, enumerated with no age in 1870 and aged 11 years in 1880. I originally thought that Annie in 1860 died young and a second daughter was given the same name. However, her death certificate gives an age of 37 years, 7 months and 8 days.
2. Benjamin, born 17 August 1863; died 25 January 1929, Perry, Washington, Maine; married Minnie Noble, 26 September 1888.
3. Edgar Scripture, born 11 December 1866; died 21 January 1910, Calais, Maine; unmarried
4. William Henry, born 8 November 1872; died 1936; married Ethel Jane Johnson, 5 March 1913, Perry, Washington, Maine
5. Mary Ella, born 21 September 1877; married John A. Sprague, 1 July 1915, Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada; had no known children

Therefore, of the five known children of Benjamin and Lucretia, only two sons married and had children – Ben, Jr. and William Henry.

Ben Jr. and wife Minnie Noble had two children:

1. Benjamin Isaac, born 29 November 1894; unmarried in 1930, when he was a boarder in Pembroke, Washington, Maine and died sometime later that year.

2. Lola Noble, born 19 August 1899; died 17 February 1984; married Austin Calvin Humphries, 24 December 1912, Calais, Washington, Maine. Austin was born in 1889; died 1975.

William Henry and wife Ethel Jane Johnson were the parents of one child:

1. Leonard E., born 8 February 1916; died 24 May 1968; married Norma Isabella Diffin, 25 December 1949, Perry, Washington, Maine. Norma was born 27 February 1923; died 26 August 2017. Both are buried at Red Beach Cemetery.

Both Lola and Leonard have descendants today. I would love to get in touch with these distant cousins. 🙂