Edward8 Augustus Mansfield was b 6 Aug l8l7 @ Portland, d 27 Nov l894 @ Jonesport Me.) m'd l Dec l836 Lois White Sawyer (b 6 June l821 d l2 Nov l903 ) dau of Daniel Jordan and Mary (Bagley) Sawyer of Jonesport. Edward8 and Lois are b'd at Greenwood Cem. Jonesport. (GS)
From the book "Folks of Steuben, Jonesboro, Jonesport and nearby towns" by Grace Limeburner, phamphlet #l, pp l4-l7, we note the following about Edward8 Augustus Mansfield: "He met Lois Sawyer when he came to Jonesport, master of a small trading vessel. He became interested in shipping and ship building. They built a home in Jonesport, l838, later enlarged and used as a tavern or inn, known as the Moosabec House". Edward8 became the first postmaster of Jonesport, and was a selectman for several years.. The Moosabec House, previously mentioned, later became the home and dairy farm of a son, namely, Bion9 Bradbury Mansfield. This home, next to the Congregational Church, was recently pictured as an artist sketch in a Walter Cronkite book, "North by Northeast". During an early 1990 renovation, by a new owner, the Moosabec House had most of its interior destroyed by fire but has since been rebuilt as a two story home.
A story given to the authors by Mrs. Geneva (Rogers) Church, late of Jonesport, tells of Edward8 Augustus Mansfield building a summer home "up at the head of the bay", [Mason's Bay] which he would be using during haying season and fielding cattle during summer. He had a man digging out the ground for what was to become the cellar. During this time Edward8 received a call about one of his schooners being in trouble so had to leave the area. He told the man to keep on digging and that he would be right back. As it turned out Edward8 was gone for a few days and upon return found out that the digger had taken him true to his word. Edward8 ended up with a ten foot deep cellar, the deepest in Jonesport.