This Portland pastor helped keep widows’ fires burning in the winter

Reverend William Reese, Founder of the Widow’s Wood Society
Died 1834 at age 35

All this month, I’m resurrecting the memory of folks who’ve crossed over to the other side. I’m posting a video each day, telling the tale of one, interesting “permanent Portlander.”

This tall, marble obelisk points skyward in the Eastern Cemetery in honor of Rev. William Reese, founder of the Widow's Wood Society, a charity providing winter firewood to widows. The Universalist pastor died young, age 35, in 1834. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Grave of Rev. William Reese. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

A large white obelisk looms over Funeral Lane, by the flag pole, in Portland’s Eastern Cemetery. It marks the final resting place of Rev. William Reese.

Reese is remembered founding the Widow’s Wood Society, a charity organized to provide fuel to widows during the cold Maine winters. He was also the third pastor of the Universalist Society in Portland.

The marker indicates that he was a “friend of mankind.” That must have been true. Just before he died, he turned up in Buffalo, New York, caring for cholera patients. That’s where he shuffled off to meet his maker at the age of 35 in 1834.

He was still remembered in Portland 25 years later, when his impressive, marble spire appeared in the cemetery. It was commissioned by Francis O.J. Smith, a former U.S. Congressman and apparent fan of the good reverend.

Special thanks today to the folks at Spirits Alive who take care of the Eastern Cemetery and educate the public through outreach and walking tours.

Disclaimer: I’m not a historian. I owe everything I know to the dedicated research of those who have come before me. These character sketches are assembled from multiple (often antique) sources and sprinkled with my own conjecture.

This tall, marble obelisk points skyward in the Eastern Cemetery in honor of Rev. William Reese, founder of the Widow's Wood Society, a charity providing winter firewood to widows. The Universalist pastor died young, age 35, in 1834. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

A tall, marble obelisk points skyward in the Eastern Cemetery in honor of Rev. William Reese, founder of the Widow’s Wood Society, a charity providing winter firewood to widows. The Universalist pastor died young, age 35, in 1834. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Troy R. Bennett

About Troy R. Bennett

Troy R. Bennett is a Buxton native and longtime Portland resident whose photojournalism has appeared in media outlets all over the world.