When John Martin (1823-1904) was a child, his stepfather, Solomon Raynes, moved the family to a farm on Ball Hill Cove in Hampden.

Martin, in a journal he wrote beginning in 1864 about his life and experiences, recalled the spring the year of 1832 or 1833 being early and described and drew this illustration of the fish weir that residents constructed on the Penobscot River.

The illustration appears on page 47 of the journal and Martin describes the process of installing it and of fishing. He wrote that alewives ran first and as the weather warmed enough for pear trees to bloom, shad began running in the river.

Martin, who worked as an accountant and store keeper, wrote the journal and three scrapbooks so his wife and children would know more about his life and the times in which he lived.