Sylvester Moulton

The second story gives some family history of the house in which I grew up. However, our young minds probably didn’t look at it from that perspective. We simply thought it was a cool story to repeat to our friends—in the day and age of all those creepy Stephen King novels and such.

— Rebecca Kashmer Davis (Eliot, Maine)

Sylvester Moulton

Sylvester Moulton was a seventh-generation descendant of Thomas Moulton. He was born in 1819 and married Mercy Hammond. Together, Sylvester and Mercy built an eight-room home between 1843 and 1844 and raised seven children while making a living farming the land.

Mercy died in 1887, and Sylvester passed away in 1899 from a heart attack. Following his death, a public viewing of his coffin took place inside the home—a common practice at the time, allowing neighbors and community members to pay their respects.

Sylvester’s Home Became Mine

Sylvester’s home is the same house in which I grew up. It is located on Goodwin Road in Eliot, Maine, excluding an addition built around 1905. According to family recollection, the room used for Sylvester’s public viewing may have been what we would today call a mudroom.

In 1905, Sylvester left the house to his youngest son, Everett, and Everett’s wife, Mary Forbes. They raised the structure and added a lower level. As a result, the room where Sylvester’s coffin had once been displayed eventually became the main bathroom on the second floor of the home.

The Cemetery

Sylvester Moulton is buried in the Hammond Moulton Family Cemetery, located just up the road from the farm. In the early 1900s, a substantial iron fence was erected around the cemetery, serving as both protection and a symbol of respect.

During the 2010s, the rise in metal, copper, and iron scrapping led to a tragic loss. The fence fell victim to theft, removed under the cover of night by individuals who showed no regard for the historical or moral weight of their actions.