The following article is from the Westport Island genealogist and historian, Bea Harriman. It was published on page 9 of the book, "Westport Island, Maine - Once Jeremysquam", Compiled by John and Louise Swanton, Published by Westport Community Association, 1993.

"This section of Maine was visited at a very early date by fishing vessels from Europe, but no real settlements began before the 1600's. It is recorded that John Richards bought the island of Jeremysquam in the Kennebec River in 1649 and attended a meeting of landowners to form some sort of government at Merrymeeting Bay in the following year; but no further mention of this is ever made and no early claim was based in this purchase.

After much litigation the Kennebec Proprietors kept their claims to Wiscasset and adjoining lands and Wiscasset Proprietors were able to control Jeremysquam, the original name of the island. This was divided into thirty-four 100 acre lots which sold to the settlers. At the same time squatters and others had occupied the same lands and we find such deeds to early settlers in the records at the Wiscasset Courthouse. Finally in 1815 the State of Massachusetts to which we still belonged ordered each land owner to pay about 7 1/2 cents per acre for his property and he received a deed to that effect. These lots were surveyed by Stephen Parsons, whose map giving lot number, name of owner and acreage still exists."