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Lucinda Allen Oak: the widow the will trusted

Lucinda Allen was born in the old town of Bloomfield, on the Kennebec opposite Skowhegan, Maine, and lived to be ninety-five. Her husband's will left everything to her. The papers of her last years show a sharp mind, a good hand with a pen and a town that counted her birthdays.

Newspaper portrait of an elderly woman in a dark dress with a brooch at the collar, captioned The Late Mrs. Lucinda Oak, under the heading Mrs. Lucinda (Allen) Oak
Lucinda (Allen) Oak, from her obituary portrait in The Independent-Reporter, Skowhegan, 24 August 1916, p. 3 (Library of Congress, Chronicling America).

Bloomfield and the church

Lucinda celebrated her birthday on 28 September, and the ages given in the papers point to 1820. She was born in Bloomfield, "on what is now called the Back road"; Bloomfield became part of Skowhegan in 1861. Likely Her 1916 notice calls her the daughter of Ansel and Sarah (Lander) Allen, and an 1886 will leaves money to "my wife's sister, Sarah Allen," and to Lucinda Oak, "my wife's niece." Likely

The Baptist church's own historical sketch, published in 1903, records that she joined in January 1838, when she was about seventeen (later birthday reports said fifteen or sixteen); she remained a member for seventy-eight years and was its oldest member by 1912. Likely

Teacher, farm wife and mother

A 1918 local history of "The Old Red Schoolhouse at Larone," written from an old resident's memories, lists "Miss Lucinda Allen who married Samuel Oak of Skowhegan" among its teachers. It is the only record of her teaching and gives no dates. Likely

She married Samuel Oak, a farmer. They lived for a few years in his home town of Exeter, where their first two children were born, and were back in Bloomfield by 1860. Likely For a long time their home was a farm in the Bigelow Hill neighbourhood. Likely She bore six children, and three of them died before her. Likely

The will

On 27 January 1896 Samuel signed a short will. Confirmed It reads, in part:

First, I give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife, Lucinda Oak, all my estate, real, personal and mixed, of which I may die seized or possessed … Second. To my son Charles A. Oak, and to my daughters Lizzie S. Jewett, Mary Withee and Nina E. Steward, I give nothing by this will believing that my said wife will deal justly by them, should she survive me.

Will of Samuel Oak, transcribed from the Somerset County probate register, vol. 94, p. 303.

The clause records Samuel's trust in Lucinda. It is not evidence of any quarrel with the children, and nothing found suggests one. Samuel died on 7 January 1900, aged 83, and the will was filed two days later. Confirmed Five months after that, on 15 June 1900, their son Charles died at 51. Confirmed

Sixteen years a widow

From 1900 Lucinda lived with her youngest daughter, Nina, and Nina's husband, Nahum S. Steward, first on Pleasant Street and then on Water Street in Skowhegan. Likely The local papers kept track of her. At ninety-two she was "able to see, to read and write, being a very good penman," and still helped "considerably in the duties of the household"; that birthday brought her postcards from friends across the country. At ninety-four she received callers "with keen wit and kindly greetings." Confirmed When she died she was called the oldest woman in Skowhegan. Confirmed

In August 1916 she fell twice, and she died on the night of 17 August 1916 at the Stewards' home, aged 95. Confirmed The papers put her death down to a broken hip. Likely Her funeral was held there on 20 August, conducted by the pastor of the First Baptist Church, and she was buried in Southside Cemetery with Samuel. Likely

What is not known

What became of the Bigelow Hill farm and the rest of Samuel's estate after 1900 is not known: no inventory, sale or division has been found, and no probate estate of her own. The deed indexes that could answer it are online but have not yet been read. Unconfirmed Two newspaper items of 1912 and 1913 name her husband as "Nathaniel Oak"; his will and death notice show he was Samuel.

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