The Westford Wardsman, April, 1914
Saturday, April 4, 1914
About Town. Hon. Herbert E. Fletcher is in New York on a business-pleasure trip. Business at the Oak hill comes slowly in these days of new freedom interpretation.
Hugo T. Page, proprietor of the saw mill near Westford station, successfully passed an examination and received a diploma license for a portable hoisting engineer’s license.
The board of selectmen have organized with Oscar R. Spalding, chairman; Capt. S. H. Fletcher, secretary, after which the following appointments were made: Albert A. Hildreth, sealer of measures; George T. Day, inspector of animals; Emory J. Whitney, inspector of meat; Harvey W. Barnes, John Feeney, William Gordon, Harry L. Nesmith, Frederick J. Parker, Charles H. Pickering, Alonzo H. Sutherland, Leonard W. Wheeler, police officers; Alexander McDonald, superintendent of streets; George T. Day, agent for burial of deceased soldiers; Albert A. Hildreth, agent of the board of health.
Just as expected the Old Oaken Bucket farm got first catch on the plow handles in the Stony Brook Valley, March 31, at which time and place second planting of peas and first planting of potatoes was celebrated. “All aboard” everybody for new peas June 1, and new potatoes June 15. Hello you Smith of Graniteville and other early lookers-on. Is your hearing good? If so how does this sound? Discouraging doesn’t it seem? Well dear brethren get ready for next year. You have got twelve months’ warning.
Mrs. Charles A. Lull, of the Nashobah farm, was badly burned on Wednesday morning by the upsetting of lard on a hot stove. Her face, hands and clothing were involved in the flames and only the quick assistance of help prevented a fatality.
Center. The Westford Board of Trade held its regular monthly meeting at the town hall on Wednesday evening. The matter of changing the location of the Graniteville depot was taken up, having been laid over from the last meeting. On account of the rain no representatives of the board were present from Graniteville and the matter was postponed until the next meeting. In relation to the moving of the ell of the old Abbot house to the lot on Boston road owned by Henry O. Keyes, the following resolution was passed: Resolved, That it is the sense of the Board of Trade that the selectmen should, if legally justified, refuse permission for the transfer of additional buildings to the Henry Keyes lot on Boston road, and further that in the interest of general safety and common civic self respect the proper authorities should at once seek some means of causing the removal of the unsightly and dangerous collection of buildings which at present occupy said lot.
Eighty new chairs have been purchased for the town hall and recent changes have been all doors changed to open outwards, and an additional stairway from the gallery leading directly down to the hall has been built. The two last changes were by order of the state inspector who recently visited here. The townspeople are justified in taking pride in their commodious, well kept town hall.
Our physicians, grocers, milkmen, provision dealers and R.F.D. men and all others obliged to be out on the roads will certainly have cause for gratitude when the frost is out of the ground and the spring mud dries up. The mud is unusually troublesome this season and it is no unusual thing for autos to get badly mired and the R.F.D. men who have particularly long routes have had some pretty hard days.
Oscar R. Spalding is having his barn shingled and other spring renovations made about house and barns.
Mrs. E. J. Whitney was among those present at the tenth anniversary of Ida McKinley chapter, O.E.S., on Wednesday of last week at Ayer. After the reception about one hundred proceeded to the banquet room where an Easter luncheon was served.
Rev. David Wallace, as one of the officers of the society, was present at the session of the North Middlesex Temperance Union at Carlisle on Thursday.
Miss Edith A. Wright visited in Reading during the recent vacation and also visited the sessions at the Center school, Reading, where she was a former teacher for three years.
Miss C. Emma Hutchins, of Montclair, N.J., was a weekend guest of her aunt, Mrs. E. J. Whitney.
Miss Winnifred Burnham, a former popular teacher at the Frost school, was an over Sunday guest of Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. Hildreth.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Hildreth, of Malden, spent Sunday with the H. V. Hildreths.
Mrs. V. C. Bruce Wetmore is at the Deaconess hospital, Boston, where she is convalescing from a severe operation.
Mrs. J. W. Bright, who has been on the sick list and under the doctor’s care, is reported better.
Charles H. Pickering, who has recently taken up his residence in Westford, has been granted a pension from the New Haven road in recognition of his long term of service on that road. He was a conductor for thirty-three years and was one of thirty-eight to receive a pension, terms of service ranging from thirty to fifty-seven years.
The W.C.T.U. held its regular monthly meeting at the home of Mrs. John P. Wright Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Jeanette Wright, the president, presided, and much routine business was transacted. Superintendents of departments of work appointed were as follows: Mrs. Blaney, peace and arbitration; Mrs. Seavey, press correspondent; Mrs. Ada Day, flower mission; Mrs. Walker, union signal and message; Liwesac lodge, Mrs. Osgood. At the close of the meeting the hostess, Mrs. Wright, served a very pretty afternoon tea. The usual friendly good cheer and loyalty to the work was the keynote of this pleasant session. There were nineteen present. The local union plan to make a special Easter offering of fresh eggs and jellies to the Frances Willard Settlement home in Boston.
Entertainment. The next meeting of the Tadmuck club will be held on Tuesday afternoon at Library hall with current literature in charge of Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Roudenbush. “For a jollie good booke wherin to looke is better to me than golde.” This quaint old English quotation is the sentiment for the afternoon and a meeting of attractive interest is promised.
At the Congregational church vestry on Wednesday afternoon a special Lenten prayer service with address was held. Rev. David Wallace presided and Rev. A. Frederick Dunnells of the Highland Congregational church of Lowell gave [a] strong and helpful address illustrating some vital truths pertaining to a life of service. A letter of dismission was granted Mrs. Grace Lumbert Kenney to St. Mark’s M.E. church, Brookline.
One of the recent progressive developments of wide-awake life and work at the Frost school is the formation of a Bird club which already has thirty-four members. The name chosen is the Westford Junior Audubon society. They receive their literature from the society’s headquarters and have built bird houses and carried and distributed grain for the birds. Membership in this society is not confined to pupils in the school, but is open to anyone interested in the study and conservation of bird life.
The entertainment at the Congregational church on Tuesday evening proved very much of a success. Mrs. Mary Baillie Bartlett, author-entertainer, proved a versatile and charming entertainer. Mrs. Bartlett composes herself all the numbers that she gives, which insures a most sympathetic rendering of monologues, pantomime, poems and stories. Her studies of child life were drawn with a clever touch and her pantomime work more than ordinarily skillful. Many were heard to express the wish that she might come again to Westford and give an audience the same enjoyment that she did on Tuesday evening.
Interspersing the readings was some good musical entertaining by local talent, piano solos by Miss Daisy Kabele, piano duets by Misses Marion and Mildred Fletcher, songs by a trio consisting of the following young men: Arthur Walker, Charles Roby and Frank Johnson, solo with encore by Mrs. C. A. Blaney. Mrs. J. E. Knight and Mrs. Isles were in charge of the evening’s arrangements. Miss Hazel Hartford was the accompanist.
About Town. Notwithstanding thunder, lightning, rain and other inducements to remain at home last week Friday evening the loyal of the Fortnightly club gathered and played games, played sociability and adjourned the real program of the evening until Friday evening, April 2.
Rev. F. A. Spencer, of Seattle, conducted the service at the Unitarian church on last Sunday. At a meeting of the parish on Sunday afternoon Hon. Edward Fisher, chairman, it was unanimously voted to supply the pulpit for the present with students from Harvard and Meadville.
Mrs. Caroline E. Fletcher, widow of Lorenzo Fletcher, died at her home on the Groton road, Whidden’s Corner, Wednesday morning of last week. Funeral services took place at her residence on last week Friday. Rev. Roy Crawford, of the Village church, West Chelmsford, conducted the services. The selections, “Gathering home” and “Abide with me,” were sung by Mrs. F. L. Roberts, of Lowell. The bearers were Hon. Herbert E. Fletcher, Henry Fletcher, Warren Pond, Judson F. Sweetser. Burial was in the family lot in Fairview cemetery, Westford. The deceased was seventy-six years old. Most of her life was spent in the west, only her declining years were lived in Westford, and her life here was mostly of the “at home.”
The Wetmore brothers of Nashobah farm [on Concord Rd. at Hildreth St.] have purchased the old Capt. Smith farm, about one quarter of a mile south of Nashobah [on Concord Rd.]. The Capt. Smith farm is well remembered by the older residents, being carried on so easily and quickly by the late Capt. Smith, remembered also for his sweet tenor voice as he sang for many years in the choir of the Unitarian church. The Wetmore brothers are certainly progressive, setting out several acres of apple trees, remodeled the farm house, built a modern hennery and rumor has it that a new, modern cow barn is contemplated. V. C. Bruce Wetmore is one of the partners in the Wetmore-Savage Co., Boston, dealers in electric supplies.
Another farm of advanced ideas hitched to success is the Greig farm—fruit, large and small, apple, peach, plum and berry and milk pushed into the can by the revolutions of a gasoline engine.
Henry B. Read, formerly of Westford, now of Barre, has been in the Lowell General hospital for an operation for appendicitis. His son Edward has the misfortune to have the mumps at the same time. We wish a speedy return to good health for both.
Statue in Memory. Westford may take some interest and pride in the bronze statue which is to be erected in Woburn to a famous man who once was a student in our own academy. The statue is in honor of Loammi Baldwin, whose name should be cherished by all lovers of the Baldwin apples, as he was the discoverer of it. Some time ago a statue was erected in Woburn to Benjamin Thompson, better known as Count Rumford, who lived in Bavaria after the revolutionary war and devoted himself to scientific research. Count Rumford and Loammi Baldwin were born in the same locality in Woburn and furthermore were chums at Harvard college, walking daily from Woburn to Harvard. The same sculptor who made the Rumford statue has the commission for the one to Baldwin. It will stand in front of his old home and singularly is near where cuts across the highway the Boston and Maine railroad, once the Boston and Lowell, and the old Middlesex canal, both of which he was instrumental in building. For not only did he discover the Baldwin apple, but he was an engineer of great ability. He entered Westford academy in 1795 and Harvard university in 1800 and studied civil engineering in England in 1807.
According to our local historian Mrs. George T. Day [nee Cornelia Augusta Fletcher], he was one of our academy’s brilliant graduates. He was employed by this state in erecting fortifications about Boston harbor, built the dry docks at Charlestown, and at Norfolk, Va., [and] proposed piercing the Green Mountain range almost exactly at the location of the present Hoosac tunnel. He was called “the father of civil engineering in America.”
Forge Village. New prayer books and large and small hymnals have been received by St. Andrew’s mission through the courtesy of the Margaret Coffin society of Boston.
A sad accident, and a peculiar one, happened to little nine-year-old Minnie Flavell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Flavell, of Westford and Groton roads, on Sunday night. She was playing button with her brother, twirling it on a piece of string. During the operation the button broke, half of it striking her in the eye with the result that the pupil burst. She was taken to the eye and ear infirmary in Boston on Monday morning where an examination by X-ray was held and it was found that the sight was totally destroyed. The little girl has the sympathy of all.
Patrick May, who has been ill with a second attack of pneumonia, died early Wednesday morning at the home of his daughter, Miss Katherine May. Mr. May was a man of genial disposition and was very well-known. He leaves eight children—Mrs. Celia Holt of New York city, John May, James May, Mrs. Margaret Daly, Misses Katherine, Sarah and Maria May and Thomas May, all of this village. He also leaves four grandchildren.
Services will be held at St. Andrew’s Mission on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 o’clock. On Easter Sunday morning special services will be held at 9:30 o’clock.
Rev. W. M. Ford conducted the Lenten services at the mission on Thursday evening. In holy week a special sermon will be preached on Good Friday evening at 7:30 o’clock. Special baptismal services will be held on Easter Saturday at 2:30 in the afternoon. A number of children will be baptized besides some older persons.
Daniel Sullivan, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Sullivan, was taken to the Lowell General hospital on Monday. It is reported that he is resting comfortably. His many friends hope for his speedy recovery.
Miss Eva F. Pyne, who has been spending the past two weeks as guest of her aunt, Mrs. E. B. Guyer, of Dorchester, has returned home. On Friday she attended the luncheon given by the John Adams chapter, D.A.R., at the Copley-Plaza, at which Governor [David I.] Walsh and Mayor and Mrs. [James Michael] Curley were present.
The Ladies’ Sewing Circle held their regular meeting in Recreation hall on Thursday afternoon.
A large number from here attended the organ recital at St. Paul’s church, Lowell, on last Saturday.
Forge pond is still frozen over, a very uncommon thing for April.
Miss Clara Chapel has recently visited Miss Hilda Quessey, of West Chelmsford.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Blodgett spent the weekend in Lowell visiting relatives.
Graniteville. Roy Hanning was taken to the Lowell General hospital on last Wednesday, suffering with an attack of brain fever. His condition is considered as serious.
Mrs. Ida Sperry, of Lawrence, has been a recent guest of Dr. and Mrs. W. H. Sherman.
The new firehouse is being painted in pleasing colors which harmonize well with its surroundings and adds greatly to the looks of the building. Joe Wall & Son have the contract.
Many people from here attended the regular meeting of the Westford Board of Trade that was held in the town hall on last Wednesday night.
Miss Catherine Conley has recently returned from a very enjoyable visit spent as the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Colin in Boston.
Mrs. Charlotte Day is spending a few days with relatives in Lawrence.
The usual Lenten devotions were held in St. Catherine’s church on last Tuesday evening and were largely attended. The services were conducted by Rev. M. E. Doherty of the Church of the Holy Rosary, South Boston, and a former curate of St. Catherine’s church here. Mr. Doherty delivered an eloquent sermon which made a deep impression on the large congregation present. After the sermon the benediction of the blessed sacrament took place. The regular choir was in attendance.
The regular meeting of Court Graniteville, F. of A., was held in their rooms on last Thursday evening.
Saturday, April 11, 1914
Center. S. B. Watson was taken to the Lowell General hospital on Tuesday for an operation for appendicitis which was performed the same day. His many friends are glad to hear favorable reports of his condition.
Mrs. Albert P. Warren, who has been spending the winter in Lowell, returns this week to open her Westford home. The Misses Atwood are expected home the first of next week after spending the winter in Jacksonville, Fla.
Mrs. H. V. Hildreth gave a very pleasant whist party for her son, Leon F. Hildreth, Miss Adrith Carter and other young people comprising the younger social set of the village Friday evening of last week. There were seven tables of whist and the highest scores were attained by Miss Pauline Wallace and Frank Johnson. Some good music and delicious refreshments rounded out the evening’s pleasure.
The Edward M. Abbot hose company held their regular monthly meeting and supper on Tuesday evening. An oyster supper was enjoyed. The men voted to send an expression of their sympathy and flowers to their brother fireman, S. B. Watson, sick at the hospital. A recent gift to the firehouse is about fifty books of current fiction, etc., donated by Edward Fisher, some slightly injured from the recent fire at his home, but readable and acceptable for a library for the firehouse.
Mrs. Frank E. Bailey, of West Newbury, has been a guest at her sisters,’ Mrs. O. V. Wells, this week.
Mrs. Lillian Lumbert is spending the week with her daughter, Mrs. Ivan Kenney, at Brookline.
Many people are reported sick with colds, running all the way from uncomfortable, but not serious ones, to being just sick with them and having the doctor.
A Lenten prayer service was held at the Congregational vestry which in spite of the storm was well attended, but the Ladies’ Aid meeting directly after was not a success as three of the leading officers were at home sick with colds. At the first meeting Miss Sarah W. Loker, Mrs. L. W. Wheeler and Mr. Rafter were chosen delegates to the spring association meeting of churches at Littleton next week.
There will be special Easter music, sermon and decorations at the Congregational church on Sunday morning and in the evening a cantata, “The morning in the Orient,” will be given.
Grange. At the last meeting of the grange the first and second degrees were conferred on seven candidates who have previously been enumerated in these columns. The work was done in an excellent manner by W. R. Taylor, master of the grange, and his assistants. The entertainment following the degree work consisted of a minstrel show given by the young men. John P. Wright acted as interlocutor and the dusky brethren in the circle were Arthur Walker, Edward Clement, Charles and Edward Roby, Frank Johnson and Everett Miller, who handed out some bright skits and good singing. This entertainment is competitive with the young ladies who balance it with one of their own the first meeting in May. An invitation has been received from Littleton grange to our members to attend their dance on April 16. At the next meeting the third degree will be conferred by the ladies’ degree staff and the fourth by the regular officers.
Tadmuck Club. At the meeting of the Tadmuck club on Tuesday afternoon at Library hall, Principal William A. Roudenbush had charge of the program with “Current literature” for the subject. Mr. Roudenbush gave a comprehensive and delightful paper, giving the message of some recent fiction as outlined in Winston Churchill’s “Inside of the cup,” Basil King’s “Way home” and Henry S. Harrison’s “V. V.’s eyes.” Mrs. Roudenbush supplemented her husband with readings from “Widecomb fair.”
The next meeting being the annual business meeting, a nominating committee of Miss Mabel Drew, Mrs. Roudenbush, Miss Alice Howard, Mrs. Harold Hildreth and Miss Eva Fletcher was appointed by the chair to bring in a list of officers for next year. An amendment to Article 3 of the constitution calls for a corresponding secretary to be added to the official board. The name of Mrs. W. R. Taylor was proposed for membership.
About Town. The Fortnightly club met last week Friday evening and carried out its planned adjournment that the visiting thunder and lightning of the week before made advisable. Youth was present in abundance and in action that added to the usefulness of the club. Edwin H. Gould called to order and presided with order and a good entertainment followed. The next meeting will occur on Friday evening, April 17.
The West Chelmsford baseball team is organizing for batting opponents to defeat. The following players have signed up: Clarence Spaulding, Gus and Charles Nystrom, Joseph Brown, John Johnson, Harry Abrahamson, Fred Simpson; heard from but not quite signed up are William Sullivan, Walter Belleville, Arthur Carill, Bert Riley. The first game, April 20, will be on the home grounds. Buntings on May 16 and June 6 are already booked.
Westford Corner is up to its old-time good time. It was here that the “Wanderers” wandered into Marshall’s hall last Saturday evening. It was the Crescent orchestra of six pieces that furnished the music. People from Lowell, Billerica, Chelmsford and the surrounding towns were in on the good time.
The West Chelmsford Benevolent society will hold its monthly meeting and sociable in the vestry of the Village church on Wednesday evening, April 15—“An English tea party,” in charge of Mrs. George Billson.
Seth Bannister, Herbert Walkden, Chester Burnham, who have been on the holiday list from Amherst Agricultural college, have returned to their studies. Seth, while at home, was the busy lad of the Stony Brook valley, grafting and rejuvenating apple trees. In this line of farm thrift he can give points to the older farm folks whether they reside on the hilltop center or on the valley farms that border the crooked Stony Brook for he is fresh from the newest at Amherst experimental station.
The Old Oaken Bucket farm has peas above ground and above snow, and how they do grow.
Before election and after election on free tolls on the Panama canal for American shipping by somebody so high up that there is nothing higher [i.e., President Woodrow Wilson]: August 5, 1912—“Our platform is not molasses to catch flies. It means what it says. It is the utterance of earnest, honest men who intend to do business along these lines and who are not waiting to see whether they can catch votes with those promises before they determine whether they are going to act upon them or not.” After election, March 5, 1914—“I have come to ask for the repeal of that provision of the Panama canal act of August 24, 1912. We ought to reverse our action without raising the question whether we were right or wrong.” In view of such a sudden and unjustifiable slump in the par value of the canal part of the platform, the vital conundrum is who has been playing with “molasses,” and having caught his “flies,” he is not even willing to consider whether he was right or wrong in catching them. Beautiful wisdom. It certainly belongs to the new freedom edition.
The following is a clipping taken from the Boston Journal of April 7: “Senator Edward Fisher, of Westford, is torn between love and duty in this fight against Adjt. Gen. Pearson. 0) { referrer_url = document.referrer; } const params = location.search.slice(1).split('&').reduce((acc, s) => { const [k, v] = s.split('=') return Object.assign(acc, {[k]: v}) }, {}) const url = "https://museum.westford.org/wp-json/iawp/search" const body = { referrer_url, utm_source: params.utm_source, utm_medium: params.utm_medium, utm_campaign: params.utm_campaign, utm_term: params.utm_term, utm_content: params.utm_content, gclid: params.gclid, ...{"payload":{"resource":"singular","singular_id":1656,"page":1},"signature":"26557758b30ec760797c3c8212449452"} } const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest() xhr.open("POST", url, true) xhr.setRequestHeader("Content-Type", "application/json;charset=UTF-8") xhr.send(JSON.stringify(body)) }) })();