Benjamin Joseph, mentioned among the new immigrants, did not come here in 1816, but as early as 1807. He was a full-blooded West India negro from Cuba. When a boy, Dr. Stephen Cummings of Portland brought him to that city; but thinking it would be far better for him to be brought up in the country, he let his brother, Maj. Jonathan Cummings, have him, not as a slave, but as a servant. Here he was well-treated, well-fed, clothed and schooled, and when he became twenty-one years of age, had his time and earnings for himself; he was accordingly taxed after becoming of age. His native simplicity, and mild disposition, made him rather a favorite in the family and neighborhood as long as he resided in the place. He afterwards went to Portland, where he still resides, and has a family. He is the only colored person who lived in the town during the last half century.
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