Silence Howard, born October 13, 1741, of noble and distinguished ancestry, married Josiah Hayden of Braintree, Massachusetts, on March 15, 1763. In the Revolution he commanded a company of Minute Men, and served as Major until the needs of his family and the depreciation of currency caused him to retire.
Silence Howard's father, Daniel, one of the six original proprietors, was granted 18,200 acres of land on the east side of the Kennebec by the Plymouth Company. At the death of her father, she received a thousand acres. The family moved from Milton to the wilderness and chose a location two miles south of Fort Halifax.
Her oldest boy, Charles, nineteen years old, helped his father establish a sawmill and gristmill, while the daughters learned necessary pioneer arts: carding, spinning, weaving, candlemaking, etc. Judging from the ladylike manners of her daughters, Silence was throughly a lady, and possessed a fine sense of humor. Her hands were slender and very beautiful.
She was a gracious hostess, and her home became a popular stopping place for the travelers up and down the river. She was noted for making excellent cheese and being a fine housekeeper.
Her husband, Josiah, conducted a singing school; and besides filling important positions in the community and church, found time to write several books with very liberal views for those times. His stone bears the inscription: "A friend to justice and humanity."
Seven of their eight children married, and many of their descendants are or have been members of the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
