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PotpourrEMAIL
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Vol. 2, No. 12 - 1 June 2001. Circulation: 100 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/
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?; Tidbits;
Book of the Month; BHS News; On The Web; Humor
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Welcome to our 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??
"Names of Places" by G.L. Wright
Volume I in the Historical Series
Sarah Boston's Wigwam
On the boundary line of the lands of the old Town Farm, now
owned by Chester A. Smith, and land of George L. Wright, there
was a depression of ground about ten feet square over which
the boundary wall now stands and on the easterly side of a sheltering
ledge and near where a large chestnut tree formerly stood which
has always been claimed as the site of a wigwam or shanty used
as a temporary abode of the celebrated Sarah Boston and her
associates of the Hassanamisco Indians of Grafton in their periodical
wanderings about the country.
Sarah Boston was one of the best known of the later members
of that tribe of Indians. She was a gigantic woman well over six
feet in height, and weighing nearly three hundred pounds. She
was supposed to have been the last lineal descendant of King Philip,
the celebrated Indian Chief. Her father was Boston Philips, who
like many of the slaves married a free Indian woman to ensure the
freedom of his children. She had a brother known as Ben Boston,
who was big as herself, and with whom she lived. She wore short skirts,
jacket, and men's boots and hats, and in unusually cold weather
wore a heavy blanket, squaw fashion, thrown over all. While her
home was in Grafton, she went about the country helping the
farmers in their outdoor work and receiving her pay in cider. She
sometimes made and sold baskets, and told fortunes. Like all the
Indians of her day, she was a heavy drinker, and a favorite expression
of hers was, " The more I drink, the drier I am."
Indian fashion, she would oftentimes during her wanderings camp
where ever night, or the soothing portions of rum she had imbibed
would suggest. Upon one occasion, a party of young men returning
from a dance or party at which they had partaken very freely of
New England rum were passing the old cemetery in Grafton, where
they suggested stopping and waking the dead. Rapping upon the
gate they shouted, "Arise, ye dead and come forth to judgement."
When from a grave arose the gigantic form of Sarah exclaiming,
"I'm coming, Lord, coming." The young men were so frightened
and sobered that they drove away, and never stopped again until
they had reached home.
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Tidbits
from the BHS scrapbooks -
Jan. 24, 1944
Mrs. Liliam Hastings
Boylston, Jan 23 - The funeral of Mrs. Lillian F. [Tucker]
Hastings, widow of former Rep. George A. Hastings who
died in her home Thursday morning was held this afternoon
form her late home on Main Street.
Rev. John E. Morgan, pastor of the Boylston Congregational
Church of which she had been a member for many years, and
at one time was one of its Sunday School teachers, officiated.
Bearers were Myron S. Garfield, George E. Keogh, Royal J.
Gillander, Wilbur Larson, John J. Durkin, and Harry A. Souci.
Burial was in the family lot in Pine Grove Cemetery.
No Date
Frank J. Conforti of 10 Laurel Street, Oakdale, West Boylston,
died July 12 at his home at the age of 59 years. He was employed
as a packer at the plant of the Norton Co. ,Worcester, until 2
months ago.
He was born in Luzza, Italy the son of Stephen and Anna
[Beraldo] Conforti, and had resided, in Oakdale for 15 years.
He is survived by his wife, Maria E. [Tower] Conforti; three sons,
Frank M. Confroti, Private David T. Conforti, of the U.S. Army,
now in the Pacific, and Paul Conforti, all of Oakdale; five
daughters, Miss Muriel Conforti, Mrs. A. Geraldine Nelson,
Miss Merion E. Conforti, Miss Pauline Conforti and Miss
Nancy A. Conforti, all of Oakdale; two grandchildren,
several nieces and nephews and a sister, Mary of Worcester.
Funeral services were held at his late home, Saturday
morning, followed by a high mass of requiem in the
Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Oakdale.
Interment took place in Pine Grove Cemetery, Boylston.
1945
Hondo Army Air Field, Tex., Aug 19
Flight Officer Richard A. French of Scar Hill Rd.,
Boylston, has completed the B-29 flight engineer
course and has been awarded his wings. They are
of the new type with a centerpiece of a four-bladed
propeller. He will now go to one of the four transitional
schools for final training.
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Book of the Month
"The Furnace of Affliction" by William O. Dupuis
This third volume in the Gough series, deals with those who
sought to destroy Mr. Gough's character. Mr. Dupuis has
presented an evenhanded analysis and an in-depth
investigation of Mr. Gough's detractors.
91 pages with photos, indexed.
$15 plus shipping [if mailed]
Visit the gift shop for more info:
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm
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BHS News
ANOTHER PHOTO IDENTIFIED !
Last month we identified Kate Taylor--there was a
slight mistake--
Kate Taylor lived on Central St. with her Husband George
[not her father as stated]and her brother Harry Souci.
The photo in the paper a few weeks ago, with a man sitting
in an ornate chair an an boy standing to the left of him was
identified as George Boyden and his son David.
"Who Are They - Boylston's Unidentified Citizens"
The photos from this exhibit can be viewed in The Banner
[our local newspaper] and at the Historical Society website.
If you can identify any of the photos, please contact us!
The exhibit runs through September 2001.
This is an interactive exhibit. Each photo has a place for
viewers to leave their comments, ideas, and clues to the identity
of the people in that photo.
Museum admission: $2
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Event - Monday, May 28, 2001, 10am to 2pm
"Memorial Day Open House" Come and visit!!!
Free Museum admission
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C.A.P. CLUB
CAP [Cut and Paste] Club is a new group of volunteers that is forming to
organize the photo copies of BHS Scrapbooks into useable, indexed research
tools. CAP Club will meet on the last Thursday of each month at BHS from
10am to noon starting in June. Work will involve cutting out each
individual article, grouping them, and pasting the groups onto pages,
putting the pages into binders, and then indexing the binders. You will
have fun reminiscing, discovering, and reading all the old newspaper
articles. Coffee and tea will be served! Everyone is welcome to join in
the fun....no dues....no roll call... .Just show up!!!!
9-5ers - Take a day off from work, join us and have some fun.
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Visit the gift shop
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm
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On The Web
VERMONT NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS
from the WINDSOR VERMONT JOURNAL.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~lmfwelch/
NOTES ON MEDIVAL ENGLISH GENEALOGY
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/
Boylston Elementary School
http://www.nonprofitpages.com/bespto/
Town of Boylston
http://www.boylston.org/
Town of Boylston - Library
http://www.boylston.org/library/index.htm
Town of West Boylston - Library
http://www.ultranet.com/~beaman/
Town of West Boylston
http://www.westboylston.com/
The POORHOUSE STORY
(a clearinghouse for information about 19th-century American
poorhouses).
http://www.poorhousestory.com
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Humor
Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the
years they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures.
Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few
times a week to play cards.
One day they were playing cards when one looked at the other and
said, "Now don't get mad at me. I know we've been friends for a
long time, but I just can't think of your name. I've thought and
thought, but I can't remember it. Please tell me what your name
is."
Her friend glared at her. For several minutes she just stared
and glared at her. Finally she said, "How soon do you need to
know?"
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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. 2, No. 12 - 1 June 2001. Please visit
Boylston Historical Society and Museum's main Web page at
.
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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boyhisoc@ma.ultranet.com
508-869-2720
Boylston Historical Society
PO Box 459
Boylston, MA 01505
Web Page: http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/index.shtml
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