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PotpourrEMAIL
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Vol. 1, No. 6, 1 November 1999. Circulation: 80 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; 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
Indians in the Diamond Hill Area
In the woods easeterly of the Davenport land there used to be an oblong
elevation, or mound-shaped hill with a level plain-like summit entirely
free from underbrush. This elevation was long known as "Mount Tom", and
tradition has it that it was once the site of the wigwam of an Indian named
Tom who hunted and fished in the woods and along the adjacent river and
streams. That this tradition is based upon fact is shown by deeds and
records being made prior to 1800.
During the construction of the Wachusett Reservoir, the finding of many
stone implements, Indian knives, arrow points, tomahawks, and axes in both
a complete and a semi-complete condition showed that the region and ledges
around Diamond Hill, and the woods and forests adjacent to it were favorite
localities of the Redmen for procuring their implements and weapons, and
many traces of their confields and granaries were found on the intervales of
the Nashua River.
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>From Our Readers
Does anyone have a good Boylston story?? We would really like to hear from
YOU!
from Fred Brown- BHS President - Pagan-Hawk@worldnet.att.net
We all say "Tahanto Regional High School." Most of us recognize the name
"Tahanto" as a Native American name. We may even wonder if the name was a
tribe or an individual. The following is taken directly from a publication
by William O. Dupuis, Society Vice President and Director. The publication
"Lives Thus Spent" was published in 1986.
"George Tahanto - Nephew of Sholan, one-time Sagamore of the Nashaway
Indians, George Tahanto lived in
the late 1600's and into the early 1700's.
He was a baptized Christian, and, in time, became Chief Sagamore of the
tribe which had its main village on the shores of the Washacum lakes.
The tribe had fallen on hard times and was greatly reduced in size. Since
his uncle had succeeded in selling the white settlers the original land for
the Lancaster settlement, George offered them yet an additional 32 square
miles for the sum of 20 pounds. The deal went through in 1701 and part of
that " additional grant" became the northwestern section of Boylston.
The towns of Boylston and Berlin honored the memory of this Indian chief
by naming their regional high school after him.
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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 to purchase YOUR
archival paper. WE are open Tuesdays - 9am to noon.
It will also be available at the Nov. program.
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 -
Recollections of a Farm Boy
My name is Norman Houghton French, Boylston native, 71 years old.
When I was about 8 years old my Dad decided to take over a farming operation
which had been in the family for many years, operated first by John T.
Andrews, my great-grandfather, until his death in 1901. It was then run by
Bob Andrews, a cousin of my father, until around 1936 when Dad took over.
The farm was on Scar Hill Road, just down from my family home.
I remember haying in the hot summer, and when I was around 10 I began
getting up at 5 a.m. to milk the cows and then drive them out to pasture.
Not so bad in the summers, when the days are long. But it sure was tough
getting up and out in the dark and cold winters. Now, cows have to eat to
produce milk, so we hayed the nearby fields, sometimes working until 9 p.m.
This was hard work, and I really didn't much like it. Milking cows, mucking
stalls, and the smell of manure were my least favorite things. But, there
were some rewards--plenty of fresh milk and eggs, a great old horse named
Nebby, learning to drive a tractor at a very young age and an occasional
trip to Jensen's Dairy in Shrewsbury for an ice cream soda after a
particularly long, hard workday.
In 1946 I joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Dad lost the last of his free labor
force. He sold off the livestock and turned the farmhouse into four
apartments. The barn burned to the ground in 1955.
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Oral History by Judy Haynes
Judy is on vaction in China!!!
She will continue the series next month.
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Book of the Month - "BOYLSTON IN THE CIVIL WAR"
by Fred Brown, W.O. Dupuis, and N.H.French
pub. 1995 by Heritage Books - 183 pages -Illustrated
This book features 99 letters from Boylston native Private John W.
Partridge to his family.
Fred Brown writes:
"When John entered the army he was assigned to the Co. D, 25th Regiment of
the Mass. Infantry and the U.S. Signal Corps. John was captured and sent to
Andersonville Prison in Georgia, where he died of disease and
malnutrition.
Because John was well educated, and a farmer, we get more than just the "I
wish I were home" type letters. He comments on all he experiences and
observes, from storms at sea while being transfered to a new post to a 26
page letter on the customs and treatment of the "black slave."
Also included in the book is an extensive glossary of military terms that
John uses and short biographies of the 80 plus men that Boylston is
credited with. The book is well illustrated with photographs, diagrams and
maps."
Only $16.95 plus shipping. For more info go here:
http://www.ultranet.com/~boyhisoc/gift.htm
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BHS NEWS -
Program - Friday, Nov. 19, 1999 at 7:30 pm.
West Boylston - The First Hundred Years
given by Frank Brown of the West Boylston Historical Society
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!
--------------------------------------------
Bill Dupuis is writing another book! This will be for children and the
young at heart and is about the boyhood of John B. Gough. Watch for updates.
--------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------
Do YOU have a few people on your holday list that are "hard to buy for"??
Your historical society can solve that problem !!!
1.Boylston (the Book)
These books would make a really GREAT Holiday Gift!!! 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.
2.Yankee Magazine subscription - $20 subscription. Look for subscription
cards at various places around town-- library, town hall, center store,
Baystate Auto, and the Historical Society!
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
3. Many unique items and books in our gift shop- open during programs and
Tuesdays 9am to noon.
4. How about a gift certificate??
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On The Web--
FREETRANSLATION.COM will automatically translate the English
content of your Web site, e-mail, documents, etc. into French,
Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese for free.
http://www.freetranslation.com
TRANSLATION SERVICE FOR GENEALOGISTS. This free translation
service now has a page in English and is available in 23
languages at: http://translation.francegenweb.org/
Massachusetts Vital Records info- birth or death certificate, divorce
http://vitalrec.com/ma.html#State
COMPUTER VIRUS HOAXES DEBUNKED
http://kumite.com/myths/
http://www.virinfo.com/
http://www.drsolomon.com/vircen/
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html
RESCUED FAMILY HISTORY ITEMS. Old family photos, Bibles, deeds,
scrapbooks, and letters rescued from flea markets and yard sales.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/7741/photo.html
WAR OF THE REBELLION. Cornell University has placed online all
volumes of the WAR OF THE REBELLION. Included are scanned images
of reports, correspondence, seizures of Southern property, etc.
sent to the War Department during the Civil War (also known as
the War of the Rebellion, the War of Northern Aggression, the
War between the States, and the War). It includes both Union
and Confederate accounts. It is in chronological order but
there is no online index. Many libraries have the index. Find
the volume and page number for your subject in the index at the
library, then read the actual pages at:
http://moa.cit.cornell.edu/MOA/MOA-JOURNALS2/WARO.html
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Humor - from Norm and Margo French
The Cookies
***********
An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony, he suddenly smelled
the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs. He
gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning
against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even
greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with
both hands. With labored breath, he leaned against the
door-frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he
would have thought himself already in heaven: there, spread out upon
newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite
chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic
love from his devoted wife,seeing to it that he left this world a happy
man? Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table,
landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched lips parted; the
wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly bringing
him back to life. The aged and withered hand shakingly made its way
to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a
spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those," she said, "they're for the funeral".
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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. 6, 1 November 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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