The Westford Wardsman, November, 1905
November 11, 1905
Forge Village
News Items. Chas. Nichols and wife with friends spent a short time at their cottage on the shore of Forge pond preparatory to closing for the winter this week. Nearly all the other cottages are closed for the winter.
Work on the building for the electric road is now under way, the brick having come and business is progressing
The family of Mr. Collins, the new superintendent of the mill, are now settled here.
The Vote in Westford for governor: Gould 188, Bartlett 106; lt.-gov. Draper 18, Whitney 109; senator, Clark 205, O’Brien 84; representative Hill 199, Prouty 87.
Ayer
News Items. Mr. Cornellier, who has been with his brother in the Union cash market here, has opened a meat market in Graniteville.
Ground was broken Thursday on Main st. for the laying of the iron for the Lowell and Fitchburg street railway.
November 18, 1905
Forge Village
News Items. Wednesday, Nov. 8, there was an entertainment in the gymnasium of the mission house. Mr. Lyon of Leominster gave an exhibition of bicycle riding, Miss Theresa Lowther sang a pretty English song, “The path we trod;” the Misses Normington and Sweatt played the piano. Owing to an entertainment at the Abbot hall, there were not so many in attendance as was hoped for.
The ladies’ circle met with Mrs. W. E. Parsons on Thursday afternoon, with a good number. Much interest is expressed and all are busily working for the coming fair, which will be held sometime the first of December.
There was a dance Friday night at Abbot’s hall under the auspices of I.O.O.F., M.U. An orchestra from Clinton furnished music and the hall was well filled with those who enjoy the social dance. An excellent supper was served by the ladies.
Mrs. H. E. Randall and Miss Grace Lawrence attended the funeral of their uncle, Benjamin Lawrence of Lowell, on Monday morning. He was seventy-eight years old and succumbed to heart trouble [angina pectoris, per his death certificate] quite suddenly.
Daniel Handley is on the sick list, but improving.
The man employed by the new electric road company to light the lanterns placed in dangerous places, was very badly burned this week.
Rev. Dr. Peabody and the vestrymen of St. Andrew’s parish [Ayer] will be guests at a special parish banquet in Forge mission house, Thursday evening, Nov. 23. Following the supper speeches will be made by the visitors relating to various lines of parish ideals and opportunities. Music will intervene between the speeches. This is intended to be an annual event in each mission of the parish.
Graniteville. News Items. Kzyclos Weyerenoski and Miss Julia Klepaerwizski, two well-known Polish people of this village, were married at St. Anthony’s church, Lowell, Saturday, Nov. 11. A wedding reception was held here on Saturday evening at the bride’s home on Maple st., and was very largely attended. Dancing was enjoyed during the evening, the music being furnished by a string orchestra of Lowell. The sideboard was well laden and light refreshments were served throughout the evening. Songs and recitations were given by several of the guests and a very good time was enjoyed by all.
The services of the M.E. [Methodist Episcopal] church were very largely attended on last Sunday evening and were conducted by Rev. George W. Bent of Hubbardston, a former resident of this village. Mr. Bent met many of his friends after the services were over who were very much pleased to find him among them once more, if it was only for a short time.
Wm. J. Charlton of this village is now in Philadelphia on a business trip and will be absent for several weeks.
Joe Wall, the well-known house painter will lay aside the brush for a few weeks as he is now serving on the jury in Lowell.
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Harrington have welcomed a baby boy at their home on Cross St. Mother and child are getting along finely. His name is Henry [b. Nov. 8] and he looks like his “dad.”
The Old Folks’ concert, which is to be given under the direction of Miss Harriet C. Sargent in the vestry of the M.E. church in the near future, promises to be a grand event as several of the best singers in this village have been selected for solos. The chorus work is said to be particularly good and the several members are now busily engaged in rehearsing the different parts.
Frank J. Loftus, a well-known young man of this village, has left the C. G. Sargent’s Sons Co. here and accepted a lucrative position with the Silver & Gay Machine Co. of North Chelmsford. We are not going to lose him, however, for Frank rides to and from his work on the steam cars. We say steam cars for the new electric road is far from being finished as yet.
Edward Quinn, formerly of this village, is now employed with the Davis & Furber Co. of North Andover.
Frank McLenna of Sanford, Me., spent a few days visiting relatives in this village this week.
Frank McLenna of Sanford, Me., spent a few days visiting relatives in this village this week.
The cold weather of the past few days has reminded the boys of last winter’s fun and quiet search is now being made for those skates that have been hanging in the attic all summer. The millpond was frozen over unusually early this year, and if the present weather continues we are sure to have great skating by Thanksgiving.
A Social dance to the music of a phonograph was held in Healey’s hall on last Wednesday and was fairly well attended.
Several members of Court Westford, No. 170, M.C.O.F., held an interesting meeting at the home of their chief ranger on last Monday evening, and made plans for their coming entertainment. They finally decided that they would put on a comedy drama, and as this court has several members that have a wide experience in this line of work, it is thought that this venture will be a grand success. Another meeting will be held in the near future when the play books will be given out and preparations made for the first rehearsal. The name of the play will be announced later.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. White, who were recently married and have taken up their abode in a pleasant tenement on Broadway, were serenaded by several of the young men on last Monday evening. It took Mr. White a long time before he made his bow before the large audience, but he finally came forth with a box of choice cigars, and after the crowd was satisfied on this point, several popular songs were sung by the happy boys. Three hearty cheers were then given for Mr. and Mrs. White and the crowd departed, having been highly pleased with their kind reception.
The Oddfellows’ ball, which was held in Forge Village on Friday of last week, was very largely attended by people from this village. Cartwright’s singing orchestra of Clinton furnished excellent dance music, and at intermissions a fine supper was served by the ladies in the adjoining hall. This affair proved to be a great social and financial success and a very good time was enjoyed by all.
The lecture on Yellowstone Park, that was given by Miss Kate Hamlin in the No. 9 schoolhouse at North Westford on Friday evening, Nov. 17, was very largely attended and highly appreciated by all present. This lecture was given under the auspices of the Fortnightly club, and the committee in charge deserve great credit for securing such an attraction.
November 25, 1905
Graniteville
The Electric Road. The Lowell and Fitchburg railway company have received the proper permission from the Boston and Maine people, and commenced excavating underneath the tracks of the Nashua and Acton branch last Sunday. Three gangs were busily engaged and both men and teams were doing good work. The electric road men are taking every advantage of the fine weather. The gangs that are laying the rails are now pushing things rapidly, and those started from the North Chelmsford end and the others that commenced work on the Ayer end, are now only about two miles apart, and will surely meet in about two weeks. The poles are now being erected in this vicinity and the linemen will soon follow.
It is generally understood that the new line will be in operation about Jan. 2, and it will be surely hailed with delight by all the people in Graniteville and Forge Village. Several important changes have been made in the supervising department of this railway. John Downing, who had been employed with Mr. Farnham in Sanford, Maine, has been transferred to the position made vacant by the resignation of Mr. Webb, the latter having accepted a more lucrative position with the N.Y., N.H. and H. [New York, New Haven and Hartford] railroad as a division superintendent. Mr. Downing will make his headquarters in Ayer and will have charge of the entire line from Ayer to North Chelmsford. This work will be congenial to Mr. Downing, as he was formerly employed here when the survey was made and is well accustomed to the work.
A very pretty wedding took place in North Chelmsford on last Saturday afternoon at three o’clock, when Joseph Profeta of this village and Miss Annie Brisson of Tyngsboro were married by Rev. Edmund T. Schoefield [sic] of St. Katherine’s [sic] church. The bride was attired in a blue broadcloth traveling dress of fashionable cut, and was attended by Mrs. Laura Barrett, who wore a light blue voile trimmed with white silk. Frank Barrett was best man. Immediately after the ceremony carriages were taken for the bride’s home in Tyngsboro, where [the] wedding reception was held. This affair was very largely attended by guests from Lowell, Pepperell, Dunstable, Graniteville, Tyngsboro and Salmon Falls, N.H.
The early evening hours were happily enjoyed by the younger members with music and song, while dancing was indulged in during the evening to excellent music furnished by a strong orchestra from Lowell. The elder members of the party entered into the spirit of the occasion and made things hum as merrily as if they were still boys and girls again. At 9:30 an excellent supper was served. The tables were laden with good things and the guests received every attention from Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brisson, the bride’s parents. When the entire party arose after supper to drink to the health of the bride and groom, a vote of thanks was extended to Mr. and Mrs. Brisson for their courteous hospitality. The merry party enjoyed a thoroughly good time until a late hour, when all departed, after singing “Auld lang syne” and wishing the happy couple all kinds of good luck. Both Mr. and Mrs. Profeta were the recipients of many useful and costly presents and will start housekeeping in Tyngsboro under the most favorable circumstances.
News Items. Wm. White of this village, who was seriously injured by being thrown from a wagon while driving down Westford hill on last Saturday afternoon, is now improving slowly and Dr. Joslin, the attending physician, says that he will be able to be moved to his home on Broadway, this village, in a few days. Mr. White, at the present time, is confined to his bed at the house of Arthur Day in Westford, where he was taken shortly after the accident.
A traveling troupe of thespians gave a pleasing entertainment, followed by a dance in Healey’s hall, this village, on last Friday and Saturday evenings and drew crowded houses on both nights.
Miss Hulda Carlson of West Chelmsford has been visiting friends in this village for a few days this week.
Miss Daisy S. Bent of Hubbardston, who has been visiting friends in this village this week, returned to her home last Wednesday.
The telephone men who are working for the Westford exchange in installing the new automatic machines here on the No. 6 line are busily engaged in the work and when completed it will prove a source of great convenience to the many subscribes in this village. This No. 6 line is considered the busiest on the entire exchange and things are kept humming here at all times.
Miss Maude E. Carkin, a popular young lady of this village has accepted a lucrative position with a well-known laundry firm of Leominster, and left here to assume her new duties last week.
Many people from here attended the Harvard-Dartmouth game Saturday, Nov. 18, and will be very much in evidence at the Harvard game Nov. 25.
Mr. and Mrs. Bickford of Weymouth recently visited friends in this village.
Miss Margaret Carmichael, alto soloist, Miss Maybelle Moran, soprano, and Henry Smith, tenor, will sing at the vesper service to be held at the Unitarian church in Westford on Sunday evening, Nov. 26, at six p.m. It is thought that many people from this village will attend.
Forge Village
News Items. G. H. Prescott and Mr. Catchpole have been suffering with severe colds, but are now about their work as usual.
Mrs. Jasper Nelson [nee Ina Prescott Ruiter] of Shrewsbury, while visiting her father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. [Noble W.] Ruiter, was taken quite seriously ill, but is now improving slowly.
Fred Derolt and Miss Mary Butler were united in marriage, Tuesday evening, Nov. 21, at North Chelmsford. They will reside on Bradford st., of this village.
The electric road is progressing fast; the rails are being laid through the street and it looks as though we might see the cars in the near future.
Mrs. Larkin is quite sick, so seriously that a telegram was sent to her niece, Miss Margaret O’Hara, a nurse at the hospital at Concord, N.H., who came at once to care for her aunt.
Parish Banquet. Thursday evening the annual parish banquet of Forge Mission took place in the commodious Mission House. Sixty persons were seated at table. A simple but very “tasteful” spread was provided by the ladies’ guild. One noticeable decoration was a centerpiece of Russian apples, “Borkin,” grown on the farm of George A. Cook of Littleton. The vicar presided and introduced the after-dinner speeches of Rev. Dr. Peabody, Geo. A. Sanderson, S. Warren Sturgis, C. S. Griswold and R. Miller. A part of the Groton School orchestra enlivened the intervals between speeches, and Edward S. Blair delighted everybody by the pure silken tones of his violin solos. Very pleasing vocal music was rendered by the duets of the Misses Lowther and by the quarter of the Misses Precious, Mr. Edwards and Mr. Davis.
Littleton
News Items. The brickwork on [the] electric power station at Forge Village [for the electric railroad] is going on rapidly; so is the work of erecting poles along the route. A drive in that direction last Friday found the postoffice standing in the same old place. A boy on being asked if they were going to move it said: “Dunno. Nobody else knows nayther.”