PotpourrEMAIL

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PotpourrEMAIL

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Vol. 3, No.12- 1 June 2002. 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; From Readers;
Learning the Spanish System of Surnames;
"The History of Boylston 1642-1741"; 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 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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From Our Readers

Deane Mann & Family - DMann@blairtech.com
"Just a quick note to say thank you for including me on the distribution
list for PotpourrEMAIL. It's a great way for us to stay connected to
our roots. When I read the description of the old Bay Path ... I could
actually see the path again, having walked it many times in my
younger days.
Thanks again, and keep up the good work!"
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* Editor's Note: My niece is married to a boy whose family is
from El Salvador. When I asked him to write down his full name,
DOB, etc. for my database, he wrote....Walter Rosa Soriano.
I was confused and said to my sister, " I thought Walter's last name
was Rosa...why did he write Soriano?" She didn't know, nobody
in my family knew. With the wedding and all I didn't want to bother
Walter with it so I just entered him into my database as
Walter[ given name] Soriano [ middle name] and Rosa [ last name.]
When I read the article below....I had an "ah-ha" moment....now I understand!
This is a nifty system...try it out on your surnames! - Betty
---------------------------------------------
Learning the Spanish System of Surnames
By Jos� Casas y S�nchez pepecasas@prodigy.net.mx
Chapala, Mexico

For time immemorial in Spain the Catholic church and the civil
government (since the middle of the 19th century), have been using the
same system for registering and ordering the last names of a given
individual, its use extending to Latin America, since the Colonial Days.
The high number of last names a person may use, four, eight or more,
does not make that person an aristocrat or more elegant or a member of
the nobility, it only shows that the ancestors are known to that family
or that individual in particular -- it is basic genealogy. In the titled
families these records are very carefully kept and most of the nobility
knows by heart the cadency of their "illustrious" last names.

As most of us are Catholic, we have been baptized in our local parishes
and also have been registered in the Civil Registry offices of our towns
or cities, and both the baptism certificate and the civil birth
certificate clearly states the two last names of father and mother and
sometimes also the two last names of the four grandparents, that is, if
the priest of that particular parish or the civil servant of the
registry office was more or less educated and did not make a mistake
during the registry of the names. In the larger parishes of the cities,
like cathedrals or basilicas, the errors were much less frequent than in
the small town parishes, so if you are lucky, in your baptism
certificate you have your first eight last names. You only need to get
the baptism or civil certificate of your four grandparents, and with
much luck, Bingo! You have your 16 last names.

The system is simplicity in itself, let's see it through a living
example, this way it will be easier to understand: I have 16 last names,
which are:
Casas-S�nchez-Casta�os-Loaeza-Domenech-D�az-Echeverr�a-Escobedo-Tarrago-
Gil-Morera-Barreiro-Bazosabal-Caldelas-Yspizua-Ortiz

The order or cadency of the last names goes by relationship:
1-Father ........................... Casas
2-Mother ........................... S�nchez
3-Paternal Grandmother ............. Casta�os
4-Maternal Grandmother ............. Loaeza
5-Paternal Maternal Grandmother .... Domenech
6-Maternal Maternal Grandmother .... D�az
And so on.

How did I get my 16 last names? Examining the baptism and the civil
certificates of each and every one of my ancestors, that is, beginning
with father, then mother and so on, I wrote down all of their last
names, then to follow the correct order or cadency of the mentioned last
names one has to intercalate them, male-father, female-mother, male-
grandfather, female-grandmother, etc. The certificates showed the
following:
J. Casas father's eight last names:
Casas-Casta�os-Domenech-Echeverr�a-Tarrago-Bazosabal-Morera-Yspizua.
J. Casas mother's eight last names:
S�nchez-Loaeza-D�az-Escobedo-Gil-Caldelas-Barreiro-Ortiz

This system is logical, practical, simple and effective. It is less hard
to make mistakes when investigating the family history, doing
genealogical research and quartering the blazons in family heraldry.
One of the most important aspects in the Spanish system for last names
is that the women never, ever lose their last names. They have exactly
the same last names of their brothers. When the woman marries she only
adds the last name or names of her husband, for example:

My wife's name is Ana East Sans, when she married me, she became: Ana
East Sans de Casas, (of) for practical reasons she only uses Ana East de
Casas. If she was a widow, (not yet) she would be: Ana East viuda de
Casas, (widow of.) If she was divorced (not yet) she would return to use
her original name Ana East Sans.

This system allows the woman to keep forever her last names, I think it is
very fair and logical, it is hard for us to understand the American or
British system that dictates that the woman loses her last name
completely and definitely when she marries, even if she becomes a widow.
And all of this in a modern liberal women's rights society! An interesting
point to notice, is that of all the 16 surnames, only the first. "Casas", is
obtained from the male line, the rest of the 15 last names are derived
from the female line".

Another important point is that by law we have to use our first two
last names always when legal documentation is involved or when signing
legal affairs or writing bank checks of a certain amount above a limit,
etc. etc.

The custom of always of using our two first last names is quite
practical. This way we can differentiate as to our father or son when
the first or Christian name is the same, this way we do not use the
"Jr." Some people, (man or woman) use their second Christian name; this
is quite common, and in official documents it is obligatory to use it, that
is, if one has the names registered in the official birth certificate.

You will find in some, not very common cases the letter "y" between the
two last names. This is done in order to separate the two last names,
(father and mother) and not to confuse a double last name that is
composed of two words. In English this is done using a hyphen.

One thing to remember and perhaps to learn, is how to address an
Hispanic person, by word or in writing the rule is to always address
the person in question by their first last name, never by the second.
When in doubt, address the person by using both names. Lots of people,
educated ones, but ignorant of our system, keep addressing me as Mr.
Sanchez, when I am Mr. Casas, or Mr. Casas y Sanchez. But, when I must
correct the person that makes this involuntary error, I always try do it
in a diplomatic way in order not to hurt feelings.
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"The History of Boylston 1642-1741"

The following is from Vol.II of the Historical Series.
This book is no longer available for sale, but there are bound
copies of all the Historical Series books in the Museum's Fuller
Research Library, the Boylston Public Library, and the
Allen County Public Library [Fort Wayne, IN.] There are drawings,
sketches and photos in the book that we cannot include
in this Email.

"The History of Boylston 1642-1741"
A Critical Edition of the Papers of George L. Wright
by William O. Dupuis
Volume II in the Boylston Historical Series
Revised edition 1978

CHRONOLOGY
1643 - Purchase of land around Nashua River form Sholan, Sachem of the Nashaway Indians.
1653 - Incorporation of Lancaster
1655 - Davenport Grant
1659 - The Noyes Survey
1662 - Hampshire County formed, Malden Farm Grant
1664 - Quinsigamond or Haynes' Farm Grant
1675 - First Indian Raid on Lancaster, 8 killed
1676 - Lancaster Massacre, 50-55 killed, town is abandoned
1677 - Rocky Pond Grant
1679 - Lancaster is rebuilt
1686 - Rawson Farm Grant
1689-97 - King William's War
1692 - Indian raid on Lancaster, 5 killed
1695 - Indians raid Lancaster, 1 killed, Sewall Grant
1697 - Indian attack on Sawyer's Garrison, 22 killed, King William's War ends
1701 - The George Tahanto Grant of Land
1704 - Sterling area attacked by French and Indians
1705 - Indian raid on Lancaster, Thomas Sawyer, Jr., captured and brought to Canada
1707 - Indians slay two settlers in Lancaster
1708 - Indian raid on Lancaster, 1 killed
1710 - Last Indian raid on Lancaster, no casualties
1711 - Lancaster inhabitants agree to purchase Tahanto Grant
1713 - Land survey of Tahanto Grant [part of this land is now Boylston], Queen Anne's War ends
1715 - Haynes Indian Farm Grant
1716 - Land surveyed for Shrewsbury settlement [includes much of what is now Boylston]
1717 - Shrewsbury settlement begins
1718 - House lots in Shrewsbury distributed, Town name adopted
1720 - Keyes Family settles in Boylston
1721 - First Shrewsbury Meeting House built
1723 - First Shrewsbury Church gathered
1729 - Most of Boylston's first settlers established permanently
1731 - Davenport family living on Grant, Worcester County formed
1738 - First attempt to incorporate Boylston fails
1741 - Boylston area petitions for separate status as North Precinct
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Tidbits
From Rita Fuller:
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a
year! (May & October) Women always kept their hair covered while men
shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy
men could afford good wigs. The wigs couldn't be washed so to clean them,
they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell and bake it
for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term
"big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig" because
someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
******************************************************
In the late 1700s many houses consisted of a large room with only one
chair. Commonly, a long wide board was folded down from the wall and
used for dining. The "head of the household" always sat in the chair while
everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Once in a while an invited
guest, who was almost always a man, would be offered this chair during a
meal.
To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. Sitting
in the chair, one was called the "chair man." Today in business we use the
expression/title "Chairman."
******************************************************
Needless to say, personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As
a result, many women and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The
women would spread bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out
their complexions. When they were speaking to each other, if a woman began
to stare at another woman's face she was told "mind your own bee's
wax." Should the woman smile, the wax would crack, hence the term
"crack a smile." Also, when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would
melt and therefore the expression "losing face."
******************************************************
Ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front. A tightly tied
lace was worn by a proper and dignified lady as in "straight laced."
******************************************************
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax
levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "ace
of spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards
instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were
thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full
deck."
******************************************************
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what
was considered important to the people. Since there were no telephones,
TV's or radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns,
pubs and bars who were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's
conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched
at different times. "You go sip here" and "you go sip there." The two
words "go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion
and thus, we have the term "gossip."
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Book of the Month
On Sale During JUNE only
"The Boylston Book"
by William O. Dupuis
128 pages of Boylston photos with captions- a great book for
yourself or a friend! Published by Arcadia Press, 2000
was $18.99 now only $16.99 [plus shipping]
visit the on-line gift shop for more info:
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm

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BHS News

2001 - 2002 PROGRAMS and EVENTS
All Programs open to the public and
held at the Society (unless otherwise noted).
7 Central St., Boylston
Donations at the door are gratefully accepted!
-------------------------------------------
"Be Our Valentine" Exhibit -
This is a display of Victorian Valentines,
Lace from our collection, and wedding dresses
circa 1950 and 1930.
The exhibit will run through September 2002 and is
open during normal open hours and at regular
museum admission.
[Members - free Non-Members - $3]
-----------------------------------------
NEW SUMMER HOURS
The Museum will be open on Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday from 9am to Noon
June 1 to August 31
-----------------------------------------
COMING UP THIS FALL
Antiques Appraisal Day
Sat., Sept 14 - 11am to 2 pm
at the Townhouse, Main St., Boylston
$5 per item
**Sorry, coins, stamps, jewelery, and ancient artifacts
will NOT be appraised.
Paul Royka, a nationally known expert, author of two
books on antiques, and an appraiser on the PBS series
'Antiques Roadshow' for 4 seasons will help BHSM to
conduct our first ever Appraisal event --- it's not too early
to start ransacking the attic for those hidden treasures.
-------------------------------------------
Watch for more on our exciting Fall schedule of events!
-------------------------------------------
Visit the gift shop
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm

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On The Web
Antique Town Maps for Genealogy and History
http://home.gwi.net/~lkane/

Historic North American Maps - David Rumsey Collection
http://www.davidrumsey.com/

Old maps of New England and New York
http://www.oldmapsne.com/home.html

Railroad Maps Collection
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html

Japan - Old Maps of Japan
http://www.rc.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~michel/serv/eujap/maps/

The Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping
http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html

Here Be Dragons on Old Maps
http://www.maphist.nl/extra/herebedragons.html

Harvard Map Collection: Historical Maps and Globes
http://icg.harvard.edu/~maps/lnhist.htm

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Humor - Zen Thoughts
A day without sunshine is like, night.
On the other hand, you have different fingers.
I just got lost in thought. It was unfamiliar territory.
42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
Honk if you love peace and quiet.
Remember, half the people you know are below average.
He who laughs last thinks slowest.
Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.
Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your life.
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
Get a new car for your spouse. It'll be a great trade!
Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
Always try to be modest, and be proud of it!
If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hand...
OK, so what's the speed of dark?
How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink?
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
something.
When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
Everyone has a photographic memory; Some just don't have film.
If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
I used to have an open mind but my brains kept falling out.
I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

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. 3, No.12 - 1 June 2002. Please visit
Boylston Historical Society and Museum's main Web page at
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/
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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bettythomas@charter.net
My Family - http://BettyT.tripod.com
Wicks,Hammond, Heintz,Bradfield,Walbridge
Boylston Historical Society http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/
GenWeb County Coordinator for:
Genesee, NY http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygenese
Wyoming, NY http://www.rootsweb.com/~nywyomin
Worcester, MA http://www.rootsweb.com/~maworces

boyhisoc@ma.ultranet.com
508-869-2720
Boylston Historical Society
PO Box 459
Boylston, MA 01505
Web Page: http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/