WINDHAM – Here in Maine, a lot is said about people “from away” but not too much about people “from across.” But that’s about to change with an upcoming series of presentations by the Windham Historical Society.

The series title, “They Came From Across,” refers to the early Windham settlers who immigrated across the Atlantic Ocean. Windham has had several waves of immigrants over the years, starting with those from the British Isles and subsequent waves from Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. Many immigrants also came from Canadian Maritime provinces as well, and the Society’s first presentation, set for Monday, July 26, will focus on two such families.

The impetus for the Society’s presentation came from the Westbrook Historical Society, which has been doing a program on immigrants for several years, said Society historian and museum curator Kay Soldier.

“It’s one of the most popular things they do. In the beginning, it started out slow there, and it’s starting out slow here, too, but I think it’ll pick up,” said Soldier, who is known for her breadth of knowledge regarding Windham history.

On July 26, the Windham Historical Society will present the histories of the Jorgensen and Timmons families who migrated to Windham.

Brief summaries, family trees and photographs that Soldier and co-presenter Penny Loura have compiled will be on display.

Soldier, born in Windham, is a descendent of Peter Jorgensen, who first migrated to New Brunswick, Canada in the 1880s and then to Windham.

“We’ll tell the story of why they came here,” Soldier said. “The Canadian government enticed Europeans to persuade young farmers to work the dense virgin forest in New Brunswick. So they came to this area and they were flabbergasted because it was totally virgin forest, which had never been cut. They dug caves basically and built a building called the Immigrant House and they all lived together.”

Eventually, many of the Jorgensens who moved to New Brunswick came to America. But some remain in New Denmark, New Brunswick, to this day, and during a visit to the area in 1987, Soldier met distant relatives who shared with her their recollections of the Jorgensen family history.

Soldier’s grandmother, Annie Jorgensen, was born in New Brunswick and moved to Webb Road in Windham, where Soldier’s mother was born.

“The thing about doing research on your family is that you’ll discover things that you have no clue about,” Soldier said. “Things that were always mysteries will sometimes eventually be solved.”

Another Jorgensen descendant, Louise Jorgensen Leighton of Westbrook, is looking forward to hearing Soldier’s presentation on the Jorgensen lineage. Leighton said she’s always known about her Denmark and Canadian roots but is looking forward to Monday night’s discussion.

“I’m curious as to what (Soldier) has found out,” she said.

The other profiled focuses on the Timmons family. According to Soldier, the Timmonses immigrated to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, from County Cork in Ireland prior to the potato famine.

In 1910, Dag Timmons and three brothers came to Windham to settle in the Swett Road area on land now owned by the Clark family. Soldier said the Timmonses were skilled farmers.

Linda Timmons Sawyer of Windham, whose father Kimball Timmons was one of the Timmons brothers who immigrated to Maine, is eagerly anticipating Monday’s program to “find out more about my family.”

Annie Jorgensen, pictured here with grandparents Hans and Dorothea Jorgensen, was one of the first Danish immigrants to settle in Windham. Annie’s parents Nils Peter and Marie Jorgensen, arrived first in New Brunswick before moving to Windham, where Annie was born in a house at the corner of Webb Road and Chute Road in South Windham. The Jorgensens will be one of two early families profiled at the July 26 presentation “They Came From Across,” at the Windham Historical Society. (Courtesy photo)