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PotpourrEMAIL
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Vol. 1, No. 5, 1 October 1999. Circulation: 70 and growing!
(C) 1999 Boylston Historical Society and Museum
7 Central St., PO Box 459, Boylston, MA 01505
boyhisoc@ma.ultranet.com
508-869-2720
Editors: Betty L. Thomas and Judith Haynes
Boylston Historical Society and Museum Web Page:
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/index.shtml
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the PotpourrEmail, or
to submit information to be included in the PotpourrEmail,
e-mail info to: boyhisoc@ma.ultranet.com
CONTENTS. Welcome; What's in a name?; From Our Readers;
Time Capsule; Story Time with Norm; Oral History;
Book of the Month; BHS NEWS; Boylston Queries;
On The Web; Humor
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Welcome to our Brand New email newsletter! For those of you who are not
members of BHS and don't receive the snailmail newsletter, it is called
The Potpourri. Sooooo, we thought the appropriate name for this version
would be PotpourrEMAIL. This email version is not meant to repeat or
copy the snailmail version, but to complement it, with the addition of
topics of interest to those with computer and web capabilities. If you
have a story to tell, information to impart,a good genealogy joke, computer
or web genealogy info, a Boylston genealogy Query, or anything that would
be of interest to our readers--please email us at:
boyhisoc@ma.ultranet.com
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What's in a name ?
>From "Names of Places" by G.L. Wright -
Boylston Historical Series Vol. I
Haunted Areas of Boylston
The extreme northerly boundary of Boylston, and on over the town line in to
Clinton, back of the Cunningham places, was a valley through which flowed a
brook which gave the water power to Cunningham's mill. This brook was
known as "Mine Swamp Brook," and through this valley at different times
were one or two houses. The region was considered an unlucky one during
the early part of the 19th century. Superstitious people believed the
place to be haunted! In this brook two young ladies named Mary and
Charlotte Sawyer were drowned. They had been visiting friends in Boylston,
and a violent storm
had arisen which had swollen the brook to a torrent. As they attempted to
ford the stream, both on one horse, the horse slipped, and both girls fell
off and were drowned.
Some time after, a stranger was found by the roadside on Burditt Hill in
Clinton suffering from smallpox. He was carried to one of the houses at
Mine Swamp Brook, where he died and was buried nearby. Certain other
events also added to the superstition connected with the place. Children
dreaded to go there after dark, and even men of candid common sense were so
wrought up that they declared that when they sat in the house they could
hear the hoofbeats of galloping horse which seemed to stop at the door, but
when the door was opened no one could be seen, and there was no sound save
the dismal
moaning of the wind.
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>From Our Readers
Your input goes here!!
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Millennium Time Capsule 1999-
Time is running out! Anyone can join in the fun!
Love History? Need a unique gift? Like to Write down your thoughts?
Boylston Historical Society will be sealing the Millennium Time Capsule on
Friday Dec. 10 at 7:30 pm. It will contain archival sheets of paper on
which will be written YOUR thoughts, views, ideas, or stories about what it
is like to live in the 20th century.
Call, write, or drop in to the Historical Society ANYTIME to purchase YOUR
archival paper. It will also be available at the Oct. and Nov. programs.
You may purchase as many archival sheets as you need (Members - $4/ sheet
Non-members - $5/ sheet). Each archival paper comes with an instruction sheet.
All Millennium Time Capsule entries must be returned to Boylston Historical
Society by WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1st.
You are invited to the sealing of the Time Capsule at a ceremony on Friday,
Dec. 10 at 7:30 with reception to follow.
The time capsule box will be stored in the Boylston Historical Society
Vault for 50 years, at which time it will be opened and the contents
examined, reboxed and resealed, for another 50 years....and so on.
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Story Time with Norm -
My name is Norman Houghton French, Boylston native, 71 years old.
What was Halloween like in the 1930's in Boylston?
On Halloween night kids divided up into "age group gangs"
(9-14,14-16,etc.). We soaped windows and threw rotten tomatoes at the
houses of people we did not like. One of those was Mrs. Donaldson's house
on Scar Hill Road! Toilet paper was put out across the streets in the
center of Boylston near the old electric light substation near Woodland
Drive. We were chased by the Chief of Police, Matt Hakala, who could never
get us as we were too savvy!!
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Oral History by Judy Haynes
We have all heard "I'm not important enough. Why bother with me" from
someone you may have approached for an interview. Fortunately, most will
be pleased with the attention and respect you give them, but there are
exceptions. First and foremost, you tell them you wouldn't be asking them
if you didn't feel they had something important to say. You may also know
that he/she is the only one in the family who "recalls the incident of..."
or "the hurricane of..." and you want to tell them that; and that it is
important to pass on to future generations. Convince them that you do feel
they are important and their contributions are valid. Be sure to tell them
that when the tape is converted to a typed form, they can edit (lightly, we
hope) and correct any mistakes made. If your prospective person does not
have a good memory, does not enjoy talking about old times, he/she may not
make a good witness to history and you should consider another person. If
you are convinced the person does know detail and could tell it, then ask
if he or she would consider a short taping to try it out. Be sure to go in
prepared with a set of questions on a particular topic so they won't feel
you are wasting their time and your time. If possible, get them to agree
to see you with your tape recorder at least once and advise that you can
turn it off if they feel uncomfortable. Most people start talking and
forget the recorder is on. With family members, you may not need or want a
legal release, but with non-family you should have one. This will be a
future topic. I mention it here because you can tell an extremely reluctant
witness that you and he/she can sign a release with conditions. For
example, that the "memoir will remain closed for x number of years
following my death."
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Book of the Month -
"Never Told Tales" by William O. Dupuis
Gather your flashlight and blanket for a really spooky reading session!
This book contains 103 pages of fictionalized stories of the supernatural,
murder, and mayhem!!! These stories are based on legends, rumors and
facts in and about the town of Boooooooylston.
An Old Pot publication - 1996 - $14.95 plus shipping. For more info go
here: http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm
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BHS NEWS -
Program - Friday, Oct. 15, 1999 at 7:30 pm.
"In Defense of the Common-Wealth: Arms, Armor and Military Organization of
Seventeenth-Century New England" by Walter J. Karcheski Jr., curator of
Arms and Armor, Higgins Armory Museum of Worcester. Mr. Karcheski is a
dynamic speaker and very knowledgable about his topics.
Hope to see YOU there.
All Programs are open to the public and held at the Society (unless
otherwise noted). Donations at the door are gratefully accepted!
--------------------------------------------
A SECOND computer with monitor and keyboard has been donated to the Society
by Jim Lavallee. WE now have it all hooked up with the printer! Thank you
and Kudos to Jim!!
Now we need a few volunteers who can come in on Tuesday and/or Thursday
morning to put the new computer to good use. WE always have transcribing
to do, genealogies to enter into the genealogy software, and tons of
archive info that needs to be entered into the database. If you would like
to help us out, call or just drop by and we'll work out a schedule.
--------------------------------------------
Boylston (the Book)
News Flash /-/-/-/-/-
The book will be shipped to BHS mid-November- well before the holidays!
Get YOUR orders in NOW !!! These books would make a really GREAT
HolidayGift!!! The book is crammed full of never before seen photos of
Boylston people and places from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Reserve
several!!! $18.99 + $3 shipping.
--------------------------------------------
Send in your Yankee Magazine Subscription
Yankee pays $10.00 to the Gough Project for every $20 subscription, gift, or
renewal sold through BHS. (Subscriptions are originally $24.00) A
subscription card is provided by the magazine. Look for subscription cards
at various places around
town-- library, town hall, center store, and Baystate Auto! Or visit the
Yankee Partners Page:
http://www.newengland.com/cgi-bin/ymcp/print_partner.pl?number=183
or the subscription page
(under Benefit: don't forget to SELECT Boylston Historical Society):
http://www.newengland.com/YMCP/subscribe.html
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Boylston Genealogy Queries--
Looking for information on Zephaniah Williams and wife Damaris. Their
deaths are recorded in Boylston VR. They are the parents of Dinah Williams
who married David Hastings 25 Mar1765 in Lancaster. I have undocumented
information that Zephaniah is the son of Abraham Williams and Prudence How
of Marlborough- his birth date is given as 16 Jan 1724/25, the same date as
the death of Prudence (How) Williams. While this makes sense, I have been
unable to substantiate it. Would also love to know Damaris' surname. The
IGI gives their marriage date as 1744 in Marlborough- also makes sense, but
not in VR.
Wendy in CT
gmasselli@tekrab.net
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On The Web--
Oral History Questions
http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/oralhist.htm
What did you do in the war, Grandma?
http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women/
H-Oralhist
http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~oralhist/
New England Association of Oral History Home Page
http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~cohadm01/neaoh.html
oral and scribal history
http://www.mediahistory.com/oral.html
Compiling an Oral Family History
http://www.pgsa.org/oralhist.htm
One-Minute Guide to Oral Histories
http://library.berkeley.edu/BANC/ROHO/1minute.html
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Humor - from BarbL irishsun@ptdprolog.net
GENEALOGIST'S DISEASE
Warning: Genealogy Pox (Very contagious to adults)
Symptoms: Continual complaint as to need for names, dates, and places.
Patient has a blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and children.
Has no taste for work of any kind, except feverishly looking through
records at libraries and courthouses. Has compulsion to write letters.
Swears at mailman when he doesn't leave mail. Frequents strange places
such as cemeteries, ruins, and remote desolate country areas. Has
strange, faraway look in eyes.
NO KNOWN CURE
Treatment: Medication is useless. Disease is not fatal, but gets
progressively worse. Patient should attend genealogy workshops,
subscribe to genealogical magazines and be given a quiet corner in the
house where he or she can be alone.
Remarks: The unusual nature of this disease is the sicker the patient
gets, the more he or she enjoys it!
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PERMISSION TO REPRINT articles from PotpourrEMAIL is granted
unless specifically stated otherwise, PROVIDED: (1) the reprint
is used for non-commercial, educational purposes; and (2) the
following notice appears at the end of the article:
Written by
Previously published by PotpourrEMAIL,
PotpourrEmail, Vol. 1, No. 5, 1 October 1999. Please visit
Boylston Historical Society and Museum's main Web page at
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/index.shtml .
This newsletter is distributed monthly, on the first day of the month,
to all Boylston Historical Society members (who have email!), genealogists
and friends who have a special interest in the history of the town of
Boylston.
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