Did veterans of the American Revolution live in your town?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

How old was Luther Cary when he enlisted?

What did the army need fifers for?

What other musical instruments were necessary for military operations?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 Can you think of any unusual or experimental efforts in agriculture (or aquaculture) that are going on today?

     Luther was a veteran of the American Revolution. Like many soldiers of his time, he apparently never bothered to keep, or had somehow lost, any documentary proof of his service, such as his discharge papers. By the 1830's Maine had become a State, and now the Legislature was trying to finalize the disposition of all the public lands, or "public lots" that the State had acquired as part of the process of separation from Massachusetts. These public lots were located in the northern part of the State, in Aroostook county.

     The Legislature hit upon the idea of awarding parcels of this land as land grants or "bounty" to Maine soldiers of the Revolution, a traditional way of providing some compensation for military service in addition to the rather meager pensions awarded by the government. A series of resolves was passed by the Legislature in 1835 - 1836; and those soldiers who had no proof of their service, and who had therefore never received any pension, were allowed to go before a judge and swear out a legal deposition describing their service. They had to provide eyewitnesses to their service; and if the judge was not convinced, he could turn them down then and there. Although it must have been a nuisance for these men, we are fortunate to have their depositions, because they provide us with first-hand accounts of what these old heroes did in that long-ago war!

     Read Luther Cary's account of his Revolutionary War service. Go here for a history of Luther Cary's Revolutionary War unit.

     Here is a map showing the lot in Aroostook County granted to Luther Cary

     Here is a list of other Maine veterans who applied for Revolutionary Land Grants

     Before coming to Turner, Luther Cary had studied medicine with a Doctor James Freeland of Sutton, Massachusetts (there were few, if any, medical schools at the time). He was known by one and all in Turner as "Doctor Cary", and in addition to his medical practice, he also served as a judge of the Androscoggin Court of Common Pleas for many years. These activities did not stop him from pursuing a keen interest in experimental agriculture.

     From the 1830s on, the State had encouraged Mainers to engage in the cultivation of silkworms, hoping that the domestic production of silk might result in an industry that could compete with Chinese silk; or even the silk factories of France and England, where production of this luxury seemed to be thriving. In 1836, the Legislature had authorized the payment of bounties of 5 cents for silkworm cocoons raised and 50 cents for every pound of silk "reeled" from the cocoons, in an effort to further encourage the manufacture of silk. Unfortunately, silkworms will eat nothing but the leaves of mulberry trees; and some folks claimed to have difficulty growing mulberry trees in our cold climate. 

     Luther, his nephew Francis Cary, and two others named John Dillingham and Timothy Sudden were undaunted, however. They had successfully maintained a sizable stand of mulberry trees in Turner, and in 1841, they had a bright idea: why shouldn't the Legislature authorize a bounty on mulberry trees! That would surely encourage more people to get into the silk business! They petitioned the Legislature to do this very thing - and to get their point across, they attached a swatch of silk thread that they had manufactured from Turner silkworms. Take a look at their effort here.

      We are sorry to report that the Legislature turned them down. But you can try growing your own silkworms as a class project! You can find out how to do it here. Good luck!