George Rogers Tarbox was born on 14 December 1818 in New Gloucester, Cumberland, Maine. New Gloucester is, and always has been, a small town best known as the home of the Shakers, who settled at Sabbathday Lake at the close of the American Revolution.

George was the eighth of eleven children born to William Tarbox and Judith Haskell. The Tarbox family was robust and healthy and, unusual for the times, all ten of George’s siblings – Hannah Dennis, Joseph Sayward, Samuel, Deborah, William, John Hubbard, John Stillman, Benjamin Franklin, Susan and Plummer Chase – grew to adulthood.

By the time George was born, New Gloucester was a thriving community, but his grandparents, Samuel and Deborah (Sayward) Tarbox, were among the early settlers in town, having arrived from Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts around 1760 when Maine was part of the Massachusetts frontier.

Like other young unmarried men and women, George lived at home with his parents and is enumerated with them in the 1820, 1830 and 1840 censuses of New Gloucester, Maine as one of the unnamed males in the household of William Tarbox.

Nothing more is known of George’s childhood, but it is certain that he would have been expected to help with farm chores and he had some schooling as he was able to read and write.

The Tarbox family doesn’t seem to have been particularly religious, but were Protestants and likely belonged to the Congregational Church, like their neighbors. The New Gloucester Congregational Church was founded on 16 January 1765 and it seems likely that George’s grandparents and parents attended weekly services. At the turn of the 20th century, George’s daughter, Nellie, was a member of the Calais, Maine Congregational Church.

Rural farming life began to change in America with the start of the Industrial Revolution. Until the 1840s, there were few businessmen; occupations were pretty much limited to farming endeavors and trades.

As with many of his peers, George decided early in life that toiling on a farm was not a life for him. Several of his brothers – Benjamin, William and Plummer and even one of his sisters, Deborah – made the decision with George to try city life. Each of them is found in Massachusetts records in the 1840s and early 1850s.

George, though, seemed to take the lead in experiencing this new way of life as he is the first to appear in Massachusetts records. By 1844, he was living in Lowell, Middlesex, Massachusetts and listed as being engaged in manufacturing in the city directory.

Life in the city of Lowell also changed drastically at the outset of the Industrial Revolution because it quickly gained fame as one of the largest manufacturing centers in the Northeast with multiple mills starting up business and George spent several years living and working there.

The typical age of first marriage for young men in New England was 25 years and for women, 21 years. Previous generations had the support of their parents when marrying and setting up their own household, but those same generations tended to live in the same town where they grew up or very close by.

George was far from his birthplace and, perhaps because of the need to establish his business life, was slightly older when he married (27) Deborah Elizabeth Grover on 8 March 1846. Deborah was also a bit older than average at 24 years, but she was also a New Gloucester young lady. George and Deborah grew up together and their families would have known each other. Interestingly, Deborah might also have left home to try city life since the couple married in Lowell, not back at home in Maine.

Sadly, their marriage was very short and no children were born to his couple as Deborah died of a “stomach inflammation” on 12 April 1847 in Lowell. George had his wife’s body sent back to Maine for burial and Deborah was interred in the Upper Gloucester Cemetery.

George was branching out as a businessman by the mid 1840s. An 1846 deed is filed in Middlesex County, Massachusetts between George and Benjamin and Deborah Tarbox, his brother and sister, all identified as residents of Lowell. There must have been a very specific purpose for which George needed cash because the deed records a loan from Benjamin and Deborah for $278.50 to George with George’s portion of a future inheritance from his father offered as security. If the loan was repaid, then the deed would become void. No evidence has been found for the need of that money.

After Deborah died in 1847, George decided to move on and next appears living in Nashua, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, working at a textile factory, when he married (2) Mary Elizabeth Scripture on 29 November 1848.

Mary was born on 2 December 1827 in Mason, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, the fourth of eleven children born to Oliver Scripture and Mary Goddard Bucknam.

How Mary came to be living in Nashua is uncertain, but might also have wanted to partake in some city life. Interestingly, none of her siblings appear in Nashua city directories in the time period, but Mason is only about 20 miles from Nashua. Mary might have been visiting relatives or friends when she met George.

Soon after George’s and Mary’s marriage, the couple moved on to Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts as George is entered in the 1849 Newburyport city directory. George was now listed as an overseer in Globe Mills, yet another textile factory.

The 10 September 1850 census of Newburyport confirms the residence of George and Mary in that town. Also at home is their infant daughter, Mary, born on 24 November 1849 in Newburyport.

Infant mortality was a fact of life for most families and just 13 days after the census taker came to George’s home, on 23 September, little Mary died of typhus fever (caused by fleas, not the same as typhoid fever).

George and Mary continued to live in Newburyport for about four more years. During that time, their second child, another daughter named Elizabeth, was born on 19 July 1851.

While in Newburyport, a city of 9,000+ citizens, George became active in community affairs. A short newspaper notice in October 1851 identifies George R. Tarbox as a Whig delegate from Ward 3 of Newburyport.

The Whig political party existed in the United States in the mid 19th century. Whigs supported more congressional power over presidential power. The party’s base of support consisted of businessmen, Protestants and the new middle class of America, which fit George’s profile perfectly.

George last appears in Newburyport in the 1853 city directory, still employed at Globe Mills and a deed dated 8 April 1854 records the sale of 39 Temple Street, Newburyport from George Tarbox to Eleazer R. Walker for $678.75 [about $27,500 in today’s dollars].

George’s former home is still standing today and is quite large for the time [images from Google maps], especially for one man, his wife and one child. George must have been doing well with his career:

The red pin, above, show the location of George’s house, about 7 long blocks from the waterfront.

George may have felt that his career in the textile industry was stalled or he may have missed Maine and wanted a change of scenery and a new start in a different business.

In any case, the young family packed their belongings and made the long trip to Calais, Washington, Maine, where George and Mary were to spend the rest of their lives.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the early years of their life in Calais.