There are some family names that seem synonymous with South Portland – Willard, Loveitt, Simonton, Cushing, Dyer and Skillin, to name a few.

One interesting family that we’ve started to do some research on is the Trefethen family.

I spent the summers of my childhood years out on Peaks Island and was very aware of the Trefethen family name on the island.

The Trefethens were a large family, many of whom were involved in fishing and related endeavors. The same holds true for some of the Trefethens here in South Portland, although the first thing that comes to my mind when hearing the name is Trefethen’s Garage that used to be located on the corner of Broadway and Cottage Road (the site now occupied by Pratt-Abbott cleaners).

The Trefethens who owned and ran that car service and dealership were brothers, Meredith and Leland Trefethen. Interestingly, Meredith and Leland ended up marrying two sisters, Gladys and Amy Richardson, who happened to be grand daughters of lighthouse keeper Abbie Burgess, who was made famous in the children’s book, “Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie.”

We’ll write more about that in a future story.

The focus of today’s column is on another two Trefethen brothers – Charles Newell Trefethen and Melville W. Trefethen. These men were the sons of John W. and Mary A. Trefethen, who lived in the Ferry Village neighborhood of Cape Elizabeth/ South Portland.

The father, John, founded and ran the J.W. Trefethen & Co. fish wholesale business on Commercial Street in Portland.

Charles Newell Trefethen was born in 1865 and graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School in 1882, after which he attended Shaw’s Business College.

He followed his father’s footsteps into the business, becoming a partner in J.W. Trefethen & Co. in 1895 and, after his father’s death, took over the business.

Charles Newell became South Portland’s second mayor, succeeding Edward C. Reynolds to that position.

He served as mayor in 1901 and 1902. Charles Newell later became ill and his brother stepped up to take over the operation of the family business.

After a 14-year illness, Charles Newell Trefethen died in 1925.

Melville W. Trefethen was born in 1869. Like his brother, he graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School, took classes at Shaw’s Business College and started working in the family business.

With his brother taking the lead in the business, however, Melville tried his hand down a different path.

He became a Cumberland County deputy sheriff in 1899 and 1900 under Sheriff Oren T. Despeaux.

Melville was also active in politics and made two unsuccessful bids for the elected office of Cumberland County sheriff in 1902 and 1904.

He tried again in 1908 and won the election. He served as the Cumberland County sheriff in 1909 and 1910.

There were some interesting published news reports while Sheriff Trefethen was in office. One of which was a case in June of 1910. There was a barkentine in Portland Harbor, the “Kingdom” which was part of the Rev. Frank W. Sandford’s “Holy Ghost and Us” fleet.

The ships had just returned from a trip to the Holy Land. The passengers included Mr. A.A. Whittaker and his wife and their four children.

Apparently, Mr. Whittaker’s wife did not want to be on the ship and she had written letters to her relatives telling them that she was being held against her will.

Sheriff Trefethen, armed with a writ of habeas corpus, boarded the ship and rescued Mrs. Whittaker and her four children.

Melville Trefethen only served the two years (one term) as sheriff, as he was defeated in the 1910 election, and again in 1912.

He would spend his later years back in the family seafood wholesale business; the business was sold to Trident Fisheries in 1916, but Melville was kept on as a manager of the Trident Fisheries Company.

We are actively researching the Trefethen family in South Portland.

If you have information to share, please contact the South Portland Historical Society by phone at 767-7299 or by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com.

Note to readers: Historicial society volunteers will be conducting a clean up of the Wescott Cemetery on Marcelle Avenue on Saturday, Oct. 26, starting at 10 a.m. If you would like to help, feel free to show up with gloves and a rake.

For more information, call or email the historical society.

Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society.

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