Hon. William Lithgow ( – 20 December 1798) was a judge for the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

of Lincoln County, when

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

was under the jurisdiction of the

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. Lithgow also served in the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia for twenty years before and during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

Biography

William Lithgow's family, emigrated from

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, Ireland, after leaving Scotland due to the fallout from the

Jacobite rising of 1689 The Jacobite rising of 1689 was a conflict fought primarily in the Scottish Highlands, whose objective was to put James II of England, James VII back on the throne, following his deposition by the November 1688 Glorious Revolution. Named after ...

. They arrived in

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on the ship "''Olive''", chartered by Robert Temple. William was just three years old when he and his family came to the Americas. From Boston, the Lithgows traveled north to present day Maine, at the mouth of the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 natural river within the U.S. state of Ma ...

near

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, where William's father, Robert, prospected land in Topsham territory around 1720. However, due to incessant Indian attacks, the Lithgow family was forced to flee, seeking refuge at Fort George in Brunswick, about four miles distance. Like his father, William joined the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia when he was about 19. He was attached to the garrison of Fort George, and then promoted to command

Fort Richmond Fort Richmond is a provincial electoral division in the southern suburban part of Winnipeg in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was formed by redistribution in 2008 out of parts of the electoral divisions of St. Norbert and Fort Garry. ...

on the Kennebec. In 1746, Lithgow settled in Georgetown, where he married Sarah Noble, the daughter of Lt. Col. Arthur Noble, who fought to the death against the French Canadians at the ''

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'' in

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. In 1748-54 was in command at Fort Richmond, Lithgow was commission Colonel and in 1754 was appointed by Gov. William Shirley to command the garrison at Fort Halifax, established near the junction of the

Sebasticook The Sebasticook River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river in the central part of Maine, in the United States. From its source () in Dexter, the upper ...

and Kennebec Rivers. In 1752, the local Indians reported, "Capt. Lithgow of Richmond is a good-natured and faithful Man in his posts: He takes a tender care of our young men when they are drunk, and rude to him." After a few years, Lithgow became a justice of the peace and then appointed as a judge for the court of Common Pleas, in Lincoln County. In 1791, he ran for

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Ma ...

, losing to incumbent

George Thatcher George Thatcher (sometimes spelled Thacher; April 12, 1754 – April 6, 1824) was an American lawyer, jurist, and statesman from the Maine district of Massachusetts. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress in 1787 and 17 ...

. He died 20 December 1798, and it was spoken of him that "he was a cultivated and courteous gentleman, as well as an energetic and faithful officer."Bridge, 1884 p.79

Sources

* Descendants of John Bridge, by William Frederick Bridge, 1884
"The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record" Vol.XXIX, 1898, ''The Lithgow Family''
* The Maine historical and genealogical recorder, Volume 7, By Stephen Marion Watson, 1893, p. 236 * Maine and its role in American art, 1740-1963 By Gertrud A. Mellon, 1963

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lithgow, William People from County Londonderry 1710s births 1798 deaths Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War People of Maine in the French and Indian War People from colonial Massachusetts 18th-century American judges People of Maine in the American Revolution People from Lincoln County, Maine People from pre-statehood Maine American judges People from Georgetown, Maine Candidates in the 1790–1791 United States elections

Biography

See also

Sources

References