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William Willis Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SpC MS 1053-sc

Scope and Contents Note

Papers of a lawyer and his partners in Portland, Maine in the 1830's and 1840's. Included are deeds, records of the purchase of land by Deering and Willis, settlements of stumpage, timber permits, financial startments, receipts, and state tax receipts for land in Aroostook County from 1841 to 1843. Included in the folio folder are 6 deeds from 1833 to 1845.

Dates

  • Creation: 1833-1845

Creator

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Use Restrictions

Information on literary rights available in the repository.

Biographical Note : William Willis

William Willis was born in Haverhill, Mass., Aug. 31, 1794, and was the second child of Benjamin and Mary (McKinstry) Willis. In 1803 the family moved to Portland, Maine. William attended Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated at Harvard in 1813. He studied law in Boston and was admitted to the Suffolk bar in 1817 in which year he opened a law office in Boston. He became a law partner with Prentice Mellen until 1820. In Portland he then practiced by himself until 1835 when he became a partner with William Pitt Fessenden, with whom he practiced continuously for twenty years. He died in Portland on Feb. 17, 1870.

Biographical Note : Nathaniel Deering

Nathaniel Deering was born in 1791 and died in 1881. Like William Willis he attended Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Harvard. He settled in Portland, Maine and worked for merchant Asa Clapp but then became a lawyer. He moved to Skowhegan but later returned to Portland. He was also known locally for his interests in poetry and drama along with William Willis and William Pitt Fessenden.

Biographical Note : William Pitt Fessenden

William Pitt Fessenden was born in 1806 and died in 1869, He studied law with Charles S. Daveis, of Portland and in 1835 entered into a law partnership with William Willis, an established attorney some ten years his senior. He later served in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and was appointed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1864 to 1865.

Extent

1 folder (62 items)

1 folio folder (6 items)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Papers of a lawyer and his partners in Portland, Maine in the 1830s and 1840s. Included are deeds, records of the purchase of land by Deering and Willis, settlements of stumpage, timber permits, financial startments, receipts, and state tax receipts for land in Aroostook County from 1841 to 1843. Included in the folio folder are 6 deeds from 1833 to 1845.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Dan Casavant, Waterville, Maine, in June 2002.

General

No finding aid - see Special Collections librarian for assistance.

Title
Guide to the William Willis Papers
Status
No Additional Box Or Folder List For This Small Collection
Date
2012
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English.

Repository Details

Part of the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207-581-1686