Eastman, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1800-1894

Benjamin F. Eastman was born 15 Nov. 1800, in Mt. Vernon, Me., and died 10 Feb. 1894, in Portland, Me., the son of Benjamin Eastman and Ann Baker Eastman. He worked as a clerk in his brother Samuel's store in Strong, Me., attended Framingham Academy in 1821 and taught at Freeman Ridge school among others. He also taught in Ohio. He returned to Strong, Me., in 1825 and engaged in local businesses, some with his brother-in-law, John Dyar, until 1860, when he opened B.F. Eastman & Company in Strong, Me., with his son, Briceno Mendez Eastman. In 1865, B.F. Eastman retired from active business and his sons, Briceno M. Eastman and Ermon D. Eastman, moved to Portland, Me., and opened Eastman Bros. Benjamin F. Eastman moved to Portland, Me., in 1874 and remained there until his death in 1894 as the city's oldest living resident.

Benjamin F. Eastman was active throughout his life in the state militia, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party in Strong, Me., at one time serving as a senator the state legislature. He was an associate of prominent national politicians such as vice president Hannibal Hamlin and James G. Blaine, U.S. Secretary of State. He married Elizabeth Dyar in 1826. She was born 14 Feb. 1806 in Malden, Mass. and died 5 Jan. 1874 in Strong, Me.

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