Aurora Maine

Date: 1 Feb 1831
Location: Aurora, Hancock, Maine, United States
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies Maine Hancock_County_Maine

Back to One Place Studies Project

Aurora is a town in Hancock County, incorporated in 1831 and was first settled in 1805

• Parent Page: Hancock County
• Auora Maine Category page

Date	Designation	Note
-1534	name unknown	Wabanaki peoples - the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes
1534-1760	Nouvelle France	Under French control, no known European settlers
1760	unorganized territory Lincoln, Massachusetts Bay	France surrenders September 8, 1760, Britain officially takes control of the area
1776	unorganized territory Lincoln, Massachusetts	America's declarers independence from Britain July 4, 1776
1786	Township 26, Lincoln, Massachusetts	Land Lottery:Bingham's Purchase T27 MD BPP Township 27 Middle Division Bingham's Penobscot Purchase
1789	Township 27, Hancock, Massachusetts	Hancock County is formed June 25, 1789
1820	Township 27, Hancock, Maine	Maine becomes the 23 state March 15, 1820
1822	Plantation 27, Hancock, Maine	Plantation No. 26 formed in 1822 from T27 MD BPP
1831	Hampton, Hancock, Maine	Hampton incorporated February 1, 1831 from Plantation No. 27
1833	Aurora, Hancock, Maine	Hampton renamed Aurora February 6, 1833

Contents 1 Villages, Locations and Settlements 2 Pioneer Settlers 3 Maps 4 Stories 5 Additional Resources 6 Photos 7 Sources

Villages, Locations and Settlements

Villages, Locations and Settlements	Settler/Namesake/Note
Aurora

Pioneer Settlers

Pioneer Settler	Arrival Year
Elisha Chick (1780-1870)	1805
Benjamin Silsby (1792-1859)	1805
David Silsby (1794-1862)	1805
Roswell Silsby (1799-1883)	1805
Samuel Silsby (1755-1825)
Samuel Silsby (1785-1871)

Maps

• Aurora on Google Maps

Stories

Varney's Gazetteer of the state of Maine has the following:
      Aurora is situated on a branch of Union River, in the northern part of Hancock county. It is on the " Air Line " road, 24 miles from Ellsworth, and 25 from Bangor. The territory is six miles square, giving an area of 23,040 square miles. Its soil is a gravelly loam, and can be worked earlier in the spring than than that of any other town on Union River. Wheat is the principal crop. The prevailing rock is a coarse granite, which is decomposed by infiltration, and is used to "gravel" the highways. Spruce Mountain is the greatest eminence. In the eastern part of the town is one of those alluvial ridges known as "horsebacks," bearing the name of Whale's Back. The " Air Line " road passes over it for a distance of 3£ miles. The longest bridge in town—100 feet—is of stone. The roads run over the hardwood hills, which were principally occupied by the first settlers, and afford pleasant views. The woods are generally of pine, spruce and hemlock. The " Middle Branch Ponds " are about a mile in length by half a mile in width.

Aurora was one of the "Lottery Townships," and was organized as Plantation No. 27 in 1822, and incorporated as a town in 1831. Its name is from the mythological name for morning. Its first settlers were four brothers, Samuel, Benjamin, David and Roswell Silsby, who took up their abode in the township in 1805. Aurora furnished 27 soldiers in the war for the Union, paying bounties to the amount of $1,983. There are two public schoolhouses, one of which is of brick ; both having the value of $600. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $32,052. In 1880, it is $41,953. The rate of taxation in the latter year was 19 mills on the dollar. The population in 1870 was 212. In the census of 1880, it was 218.

Additional Resources

• Maine Genealogy Net Aurora

https://maineanencyclopedia.com/aurora/

Photos

Sources

• Varney, George J. 1886. Gazetteer of the state of Maine: with numerous illustrations.

Photo Gallery