Searching the archives
Branscom has been a member of the Caribou Methodist Church for 60 years and has worked on their History and Records Committee for nearly eight years. She discovered her heritage while working with this committee and researching her church’s past.
“I love genealogy,” said Branscom, “and one day I was looking through the archives and came up with the name of our great-great-grandfather: Withee. That motivated me to go to the cemetery and find his stone; there was none. I talked to the people who hold the cemetery’s records and they said they could tell me the cemetery where he was buried but couldn’t tell me where the stone was, if there even was a stone.”
Motivated to find the final resting place of her ancestor, Branscom searched the cemetery on what she described as a beautiful summer day. After speaking with John Somers, caretaker of Evergreen Cemetery in Caribou, she learned of a stone that belonged to the reverend’s daughter, Sarah Withee Page, whose husband James Page was the architect for the Methodist church in Caribou. It was through Somers that Branscom learned James Withee and wife Hannah Rogers were also resting beneath Page’s stone.
Honoring Withee’s memory
Branscom started planning a proper ceremony to honor the reverend’s memory. She received a number of generous donations from relatives who also descend from Withee. Members of Branscom’s church also helped with the event.
After three years of planning, a ceremony was held on August 10, 2015 at the Evergreen Cemetery in Caribou. Richard Clark, a descendant of Withee, gave a summary of the Reverend’s life during the ceremony and Mary Lou Brown, president of the History and Records Committee at the Grant Memorial United Methodist Church, spoke about the pastor’s service at the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Caribou.
Branscom expressed gratitude for all those who helped with the ceremony, and is particularly thankful that Reverend Dr. Thomas Bentum was able to acquire a medallion for Withee’s new tombstone. An engraving of a horseback rider on the medallion signified Reverend Withee’s position as a Methodist Pastor. The tombstone itself was made by Aroostook Monuments of Presque Isle.
“Withee died in 1894,” said Branscom, “and here we were in 2015 buying him a stone. It was about 125 years later.”
The Reverend’s impact
The tremendous show of support for Withee’s ceremony is likely due to his efforts in bringing the Methodist doctrine to the Caribou region in the mid-1800s. Born on August 21, 1809 in Norridgewock, Withee received his preacher’s license in 1837 and came to Lyndon (now known as Caribou) in 1859 to spread the gospel.
Initially, Withee would meet with other Methodists at a local home in Lyndon. He then started preaching in Caribou’s first local schoolhouse, which was built where Sincock School now stands. Back then, it cost $375 to build the entire schoolhouse.
In addition to speaking at the schoolhouse, Withee helped start a church in Woodland and preached at camp meetings in Hodgdon, Caribou and Monticello.
According to the 1860 census of Lyndon, Withee lived with his wife Hannah in a house next to S.W. Collins. The 1870 census states that Withee also worked as a farmer.
A book entitled “Gleanings, Vol. 2,” published by the Caribou Historical Society in 1982, states that Withee once felled 20 acres of trees with the help of his sons Richard, James, William, Charles, Wesley and Frank. Along with confirming that Withee was one of the first Methodist ministers to preach in the area, a segment “Gleanings, Vol. 2” describes Withee as “very devout and rigid in his views on religion.”
For 60 years, Withee dedicated his life to preaching, marrying, and conducting funerals.
“Reverend Withee was also the first person up here to give a funeral to the Swedes,” added Branscom.
While there is not a wealth of information regarding Withee’s personality or demeanor, one of his sayings was recorded: “The Bible is like an old fiddle! You can play many different tunes on it.”
Sustaining the bloodline
The reverend has seven generations of descendants, and many of them still live in Maine and attend the Methodist church.
Withee’s son, Civil War Veteran Richard Withee, was the father of Grace Withee, Branscom’s grandmother. Grace was the last person in the bloodline to carry the Withee name. Her son, Adelbert Sutherland, was the father to Branscom and her sister Esther Sutherland Page. Esther is a great-grandmother to Alex and Mia Thibodeau, a grandmother to Stacy St. Pierre Thibodeau, and a mother to Sallie Page St. Pierre.
Great-great-granddaughter Betty Branscom continues to study genealogy with the Methodist church, and is thankful to Stephen Johnson of Brewer and Rodric Johnson of Milford for assisting with the research of Reverend Withee’s life.
“I go to bible study at the church every Monday, and one day we went around the table and talked about our talents. I had no idea what my talent was, but they decided I was an organizer,” Branscom laughed. “I thought that was so funny, but it is what I do.”
