A Living Archive
Our volunteers research and preserve the service records of Vassalboro residents. Vassalboro Community School students have visited to learn about the Civil War and what local veterans carried, ate, and endured. Curator Susan Reidy and board member Dawn Cates led the way.
Gold Star Mothers
Pearly LaChance shares the story of the pilgrimage Vassalboro mothers made to Europe to visit their sons' and husbands' graves after WWI, one of many stories preserved through our archive and video series.
Edward G. Poulin
A memorial shadow box honoring Edward G. Poulin's service: his flag, photo, and medals kept together as part of our ongoing veterans archive.
Faces From Our Collection
These portraits come from our archive, spanning several eras of service. Many are still waiting to be identified. If you recognize someone, we'd love to hear from you.
Recognize Someone?
A few of these photos are still missing names or dates. If you recognize someone (a parent, a grandparent, yourself), please reach out. Use the submission form below, or email us directly at vhspresident@gmail.com.
Stories From the Archive
Spec 5 Henry “Hank” Pooler
Served one year in Germany, September 1968–September 1969. Deployed with the 66th MP Company to Phu Tai, South Vietnam, September 1969–October 1970. Returned home and served with HQ Company, 10th Special Forces (Green Berets), November 1970–September 1971, where he was promoted to Spec 5.
Herbert John Ferran 1923–1985
Served during WWII. “He left as a naive boy and came back as a man with memories no man should have. The memories of the war affected him in deep, emotional ways that lasted his lifetime.”
Pam Ferran Perro
Robert R. Penney
“My Dad sent this picture to my Mom when he was on a minesweeper off South America during WWII.”
Kathy Penney Eastman
Their Stories
Fuller records for the veterans pictured above: newspaper articles, obituaries, service dates, and family notes held in our archive. If you have information to add about any of these Vassalboro-connected servicemembers, please contact us.
Cpl. Benjamin Dube
Vassalboro native and Erskine Academy graduate. U.S. Marines, Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 (MWSS-371). Featured in The Town Line, May 2009, as an expeditionary airfield technician helping build a 1.9-million-square-foot aircraft parking expansion at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Creighton Hemphill
Vassalboro-connected servicemember, U.S. Army. Portrait held in the Society’s archive (see photo above).
Elbridge Jackson 1815–?
Born Windsor, Maine, 1815; photograph taken about 1862. Father of Isaac C. Jackson of Vassalboro (1839–1915, buried Union Cemetery). Grandfather of George, Eben, Olan, Flora, and James Jackson.
Herman K. Seamans 1909–1989
Vassalboro veteran. Portrait held in the Society’s archive.
Hugh Brown
U.S. Navy. Lived on Maple Street, North Vassalboro. Postcard photograph in Navy uniform held in the Society’s archive.
James J. Dougherty c.1892–?
Corporal, Company B, 336th Field Artillery, WWI. Buried in North Vassalboro Village Cemetery. Photographs of Annie Dougherty and Jim Dougherty preserved with the record.
James Gray
Vassalboro, Maine. Enlisted December 4, 1942; served with the 3rd Armored Division (“Spearhead”) in the European Theater: France, Belgium, Germany. Awarded 5 Battle Stars.
Jennifer Sanborn Gordy
Grew up on Getchell’s Corner Road (then known as Hussey Hill Rd). Attended Riverside School, Carl B. Lord, and Winslow High. Joined the U.S. Air Force right out of high school. Served 1991–1995 as an Aircrew Life Support Technician on B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers at Loring AFB (Limestone, Maine), then on F-15 fighters at Seymour-Johnson AFB (Goldsboro, North Carolina). Boot camp photo from Lackland AFB, August 1991.
Captain Laura M. Jones
U.S. Air Force, Intelligence Officer with the Joint Task Force North, stationed at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. Enlisted February 18, 1998. Parents: Carleton and Maetta Jones.
Lt. Thomas A. Maxfield c.1833–1864
Company D, 21st Maine Volunteers. Enlisted as 1st Lieutenant on October 13, 1862 at age 29; mustered out August 25, 1863 at Augusta. Lived at the Factory Boarding House in North Vassalboro with his wife Mary G. (Hussey) Maxfield. Died May 6, 1864, age 31. Buried at North Vassalboro Village Cemetery alongside their infant daughter Ella (d. March 29, 1857, aged 1 month).
Margaret Annette Lampson Davis 1915–2006
Technical Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. WWII service August 1943–December 1945; recalled for the Korean Conflict January 1949–February 1957. Later, donor of H.O. Lampson’s Harness Shop to our Heritage Village.
Lt. Mary Edna Farr Heeg b. 1913
U.S. Army Medical Corps, 110th Hospital Battalion (Johns Hopkins University), WWII. Served in Sydney, Australia; Papua, New Guinea; and the Philippines.
Senior Chief Paul R. Bourgoin
Machinist’s Mate (Surface Warfare), U.S. Navy. Born August 27, 1959 in Vassalboro; Waterville High School class of 1978. Entered the Navy November 30, 1977, trained at Naval Training Center Great Lakes, Illinois. Served aboard the USS Simon Lake (AS-33), the FBM Submarine Tender based in Charleston, South Carolina and later Kings Bay, Georgia.
PFC Louis Denis Dutil
Drafted into the U.S. Army January 15, 1951 during the Korean War. Private First Class, 278th Regimental Combat Team. Stationed at Fort Devens, Camp Drum, and Keflavik, Iceland. Discharged December 16, 1952.
Pvt. Samuel R. Foshay b. 1986
Joined the U.S. Army September 2006; based at Fort Lewis, Washington. Served in Iraq with A Company, 2/3 Infantry.
Specialist Steven Shawn Whittemore
Vassalboro, Maine. Army National Guard, 152nd out of Augusta. Served in Iraq April 2005–April 2006.
Cpl. Timothy E. Foshay 1984–2006
U.S. Marines, October 2002–August 2006, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Three tours in Iraq; final tour July 2005–February 2006 with 2/2 H&S Co.
Van. T. Gilbert
Vassalboro. Photograph from around 1865 shows him with the tuba he played; the Society has since acquired that very tuba. Buried in a Vassalboro cemetery.
Gerald Robbins U.S. Navy, 1943
Full-length WWII-era portrait, standing at attention before an American flag with the caption “These Colors Won’t Run.” Held in the Society’s archive.
Wallace Robbins U.S. Air Force, 1947
Post-war portrait, dress uniform. Held in the Society’s archive.
American Legion, North Vassalboro ca. 1960s
Group photograph at the American Legion Hall, North Vassalboro. Front row: Carleton Fournier, Alcide Poulin, Harold Tobey, Jasper Shorey, James Gratto. Back row includes Alton Rancourt, Arthur Gilbert, Clyde Gilbert, and John Smedberg (of Winslow).
Have more information about any of these veterans? Please reach out. We'd love to enrich each record.