One of the things I love about this job is that everyday is different, and when I walk into work I never know what to expect. This past Monday it was a letter in our morning mail that kept me busy for part of the of the day.
It was from a woman who had recently visited Wells. An avid birdwatcher, she had brought with her on this trip a book about Maine botanist Kate Furbish. As it turned out, she was staying at a motel located near Furbish Road here in Wells, and wanted to know if the two were connected. Not knowing the answer, the first thing I did was scout out our collection of local history in our Reference section.
In "Wandering through Wells," an early history of the town compiled in 1981 by the Historic Preservation Committee of Wells I found out that Joshua Furbish and his wife Katherine were the first Furbishes in Wells, but I couldn't find out anything about Furbish Road.
I then turned to "My Name Is Wells: I Am the Town," the excellent history of the town written by Hope Shelley in 2002. There I learned that the Furbish name was used to designate a school that sat on Route One and the road that ran from that school to the beach. The Furbish homestead was on the north side of that road, and Pamela Furbish Williams, a niece of Joshua Furbish, deeded the right of way for the road.
So, that answered that part of the question, the origin of the name of Furbish Road. But, I still needed to find out if Kate Furbish was connected to that family. I couldn't find any more information here at the library, so I went to the Internet. A quick Google search for Kate Furbish provided this information:
From the Bowdoin College Library I learned that Kate Furbish was born in Exeter, New Hampshire to Benjamin and Mary Lane Furbish. At the age of 1, the family moved to Brunswick, Maine.
So, while Kate Furbish had lived in Maine, there was no definite connection to Wells. But, further down the Google results page, I found this article: "Kate Furbish and her Drakes Island Legacy". I haven't lived here long, but I do know that Drakes Island is part of Wells. And this article gave me the information I needed - Kate Furbish was the granddaughter of the aforementioned Joshua Furbish, and therefore was connected to present day Furbish Road. An email from Jane Edgecomb of the Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit confirmed my research.
I dashed off a letter to my correspondent, answering her question in the affirmative, thanking her for her question, as it afforded me the opportunity to find out more about the community. It was also a good reminder that while most of the time my questions can be answered by a quick Google search, not everything I want to know is available on the Internet. I'm glad I live in a time where information is readily available, but I'm also glad I have easy access to a wonderful collection of reference books here at the library.
So, if there's anything you want to know, just ask. I'll be happy to spend some time finding the answer for you.
