Windham Historical Society will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2017, but it was more than a dozen years ago that the Society went digital.

Hundreds of documents from Windham’s earliest days have been available “on-line” all that time, thanks to a volunteer who visited the town for a spell while her husband’s employer was finishing a project here in Maine. She joined the historical society and began to help catalog documents that had been donated.

When she found original handwritten deeds, tax records and other documents left behind by town officials in the attic of the old town house (or municipal offices), she carefully copied them and started typing. The Society didn’t yet have any computers, scanners or other electronic equipment, so digitizing began with using the digits.

Thanks to the hundreds of hours donated by volunteer Karen Ray, working under the tutelage of former Curator Bev Varney, anyone interested in Windham history can access the original, poorly spelled and sometimes humorous business papers of days gone by. For example:

April 1, 1793, Bill of Sale documents John Elder’s purchase of a horse, “stears” and cows for the sum of 44 pounds, eight shillings. Joseph Elder, the seller, gave John until August “nex” to pay the bill. The horse’s name was The Great Pacer (spelled “Grate Paser”).

On April 16, 1776, Sam Hanson of Windham had a lease agreement with James Thurlow, also of Windham. The deal? Thurlow would receive half of Hanson’s dwelling house, barn and land, plus Hanson would provide oxen to Thurlow to do half  “of all the ox work that he shall have occasion to do in farming or improving said land.” In return, Thurlow agreed to take good care of house, barn and oxen and to improve mowing land tillage and deliver yearly half of all the increase of mowing and tillage land (hay) and pay half of the taxes. The last sentence reads, “Samuel and James bind themselves each to the other in the sum of 300 pounds.”

“16 Nov 1832 – Thomas MORRELL Jr., Yeoman of Windham agrees to maintain Hanhah [sic], Mary Ann, Sarah & Benjamin MORRELL, minor children of Jacob MORRELL until they reach age 21. He will pay each girl $40 for housinfurniture when merried. Signed/sealed – Thomas MORRELL Jr. Witness signatures – Elias BAKER and Jacob MORRELL Jr. [Ref. Morrell File]”

On April 2, 1826, – John ELDER of Westbrook leased for one year to William ELDER of Westbrook, his farm located in Westbrook and Windham. Included, all stock on the farm ? cows, calves, heifer, sheep & lambs; and all “farming utentials.” In return, William is to work the farm & give John one half of the “neat proseds” [net proceeds]; provide one half of the seed; pay one half of “the taxis” [taxes]; “haul out all the dung there is next fall” and “plough as much as was plowd last fall”; leave as much hay in the barn as there was when he leased the farm.

And from the large collection of Moses Little’s papers (his office was at Windham Hill for many years) we find the following:

30 Apr 1830 – John DUSETT, Yeoman of Standish, files complaint against Desiah BLAKE, married woman of Standish, wife of Ephraim BLAKE; alleging that on 17 April 1830 “with force and arms did wilfully and malicously, passionately, brually[sic] and barbarously wound, maim and disfigure one ox the property of one Ebenezer GILMAN – being in possession of him the said John DUSETT.” Others named in complaint/warrant – Clement BLAKE; Eunice WHITMORE; Jonathan HASKELL and Caleb HODSDON, Justice of the Peace.

If readers would like to find out about land deals and trading horses in the old days, go to www.windhamhistorical.org, and “click” on Links, then Bonds, Leases, etc. in the list of available documents under “Windham Selected Historical Records”.