The Westford Wardsman, April 19, 1919
Center. Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Wright have been spending the week at H. L. Wright’s. They have recently changed cars and are driving a new Buick touring car.
The spring meeting of the Middlesex Union association of Congregational churches will be held with the church in Dunstable next week Wednesday. The general subject for the day will be “The post-war church—its maintenance, membership, message, ministry and missions.” A good delegation from this church plans to attend.
On Wednesday evening, April 23, the Board of Trade are to have a meeting at the town hall. The speaker of the evening will be Simon B. Harris, of Lowell, who will give a talk on the picturesque and vivid life of “Buffalo Bill,” known in private life as William F. Cody. Mr. Harris was a personal friend of the late Mr. Cody and he gives a most interesting account of their earlier life with much of interest of the history of that time of Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Recently, when Mr. Harris was giving this talk before a large audience of soldiers at Camp Devens, he held the interest of every man. Those in charge reported that none of the men got up and went out, which is a pretty good test for an address there. To this meeting next week all are cordially invited, the ladies, the school children and any others as well as the members.
Special plans are being made for the Easter services at the churches on Sunday. At the Congregational church Rev. O. L. Brownsey’s morning subject will be “The glory of Easter day.” There will be special music and the offering of the morning will be for the American board. There will be special opening exercises of the Sunday school, to which all are invited. Sunday evening the choir will give a cantata, “The dawn immortal,” and the offering will be for the inter-church emergency campaign
The home guard held their usual drill on Tuesday evening. Two new corporals were appointed, John Howard and Edward Riney. Privates Robert Prescott and Francis Lowther are the committee in charge of the arrangements for the company when the battalion drill takes place in Concord, May 17 and 18.
Be prepared for the fifth liberty loan. The quota for Westford is a large one. Capt. Charles W. Robinson is chairman, assisted by other members of the home guard.
The social for April at the Congregational church takes place on Thursday evening, April 24, Mrs. S. B. Watson, chairman. A meat-pie supper will be served at 6:30 and later a fine concert program will be given. The Mendelssohn quartet of Lowell, with Mrs. Nettie E. Roberts, soloist, will give a concert, assisted by Mrs. Perley E. Wright, reader. Supper at 6:30; concert at 8.
Mr. and Mrs. S. B. Watson entertained a group of friends at a very pleasant supper party on last week Friday evening, covers being laid for ten. Mrs. Arthur E. Day was the special guest of the evening, it being her [41st] birthday anniversary, and a handsome surprise birthday cake was among the other good things served.
L. W. Wheeler, by special request, gave a talk on apple culture before the senior class of Westford academy last week Thursday and continued the following day by demonstrating some of the points of the lesson to the class in in his own orchards.
The orchardists have been busy with the spring spraying of their apple trees, and much unfavorable weather has made this task a little more difficult of accomplishment than usual.
Mrs. Annie Hamlin is a patient at the Lowell General hospital, where she underwent an operation the middle of the week. Her little daughter Edna is staying with Mrs. Walker.
The all-day session of the Ladies’ Aid at the home of the president, Mrs. Perley E. Wright, was an especially pleasant one last week Thursday. A good number were present and work on aprons in charge of Mrs. Day and Mrs. Hartford, and other work in charge of Miss Winnifred Green was the order of the day. A nice dinner was enjoyed at the noon hour.
Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith Conant last week welcomed two sons into their family. Morton, aged 19 months, and Butler, aged four weeks. Both boys were named for Mrs. Conant’s paternal grandparents.
The song recital for the benefit of the American Fund for French Wounded, given by Albert E. Prescott, of Boston and Westford, proved most enjoyable and the sum of $240 was realized for the hospital in France to be erected as a memorial for the American soldier dead. Mr. Prescott was in excellent voice and gave an artistic grouping of songs, and in addition an earnest talk concerning the work for the French wounded in Boston, and that accomplished by the Westford branch. Mr. Prescott has been actively identified with this work since its organization.
Tadmuck Club. The annual “reciprocity day” of the Tadmuck club proved most successful, Tuesday, at the Congregational church. Littleton, Groton, Shirley, Ayer Current Events and Harvard were the clubs represented.
Mrs. William C. Roudenbush, president of the home club, called to order and extended gracious welcome. She bespoke a possible plan of cooperation which might easily seem feasible in getting out the yearly calendars of each club. Mrs. Arline Bishop represented the Groton club with a scholarly paper on “The history of American music.” Miss Howe, of Shirley, gave a synopsis of Clara Endicott Sears’ charming book, “The bell ringers,” full of local color of a group of towns in the Nashua river valley. Mrs. Ida S. Harrington of the Middlesex County Farm Bureau gave an address, first speaking of the sewing school to be held here the four successive Tuesdays in May, to be taught by Miss Tower, the quota of twelve members already being filled. The other topics intelligently treated by Mrs. Harrington were dental hygiene, child feeding, household management, care of health and recreation.
Miss Katherine Kimball, accompanied by Miss Olive Flagg, of Littleton, represented her club with delightful solos. Following the program refreshments and social hour were enjoyed. Mrs. Perry E. Shupe was the hostess, assisted by the club ushers in serving.
Those present from Littleton were Mrs. Fred A. Hartwell, president, Mrs. Charles K. Houghton, Miss Olive Flagg and Miss Katherine Kimball; Groton, Mrs. Ethel B. Blood, Mrs. Bessie A. Sherwin, Mrs. Arline D. Bishop and Mrs. Woods; Shirley, Mrs. Wheeler, Miss Howe, Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Carley; Harvard, Mrs. Morse and Mrs. Savage.
The next and closing meeting of the season will be the annual club luncheon, Mrs. Harry M. Ingalls, hostess. Members are reminded to secure their luncheon tickets at once. Mrs. Claire H. Geurney, state president, and Mrs. Torrey, of Groton, chairman of the sixth district, to which the Tadmuck club belongs, are the attractive speakers for the day.
Forge Village. The members of the football club held their rehearsal for the minstrel show at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Baker on Sunday evening.
At St. Andrew’s mission last Sunday the services were in charge of Rev. Thomas L. Fisher, of Cambridge. Rehearsals are under way for an elaborate musical program for Easter. Mr. Fisher will preach. Services at 4:30.
The members of the Abbot Worsted Company entertained the overseers of the mills at Graniteville and this village last week Friday evening at a supper given in Abbot hall. After the cigars were lighted the social welfare of the two villages were discussed. Music was given by George D. Wilson and motion pictures concluded a very enjoyable evening.
The arrangements for the brass band are almost completed. The committee in charge met at the home of William C. Precious on Monday evening, when the necessary details were gone over. It is possible that the instruments will be obtained within the next two weeks. All high grade instruments will be used. Mr. Larkin of North Chelmsford, who has had charge of the band at the Middlesex Training school for several years, has been engaged as director. The members will be residents of this village and Graniteville. The Abbot Worsted Company will furnish the necessary funds.
John E. Burnett, of Clinton, spent Sunday with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Burnett.
Graniteville. Palm Sunday was fittingly observed when two masses were celebrated by Rev. J. Emile Dupont at St. Catherine’s church. At the first mass the members of the Holy Name society received holy communion in a body. Between the masses the palms were blessed and were then distributed. After the second mass a meeting of the Woman’s Sodality was held. Lenten devotions were also held on Tuesday and Friday evenings.
Francis Wood, who has been on the sick list for the past few days, is able to be about.
The members of Court Graniteville, F. of A., held their regular meeting on last Thursday evening. At that time the court entertained Hon. D. J. Murphy, of Lowell, grand chief ranger of the Grand Court of Massachusetts; also Grand Financial Secretary Mitchell and Grand Treasurer Conolley. All three men were excellent speakers and made a deep impression on the large number present. An excellent entertainment was given and refreshments were served.
Timothy Sullivan, with his two daughters, Misses Lillian and Nora Sullivan, have been recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Healy.
Miss Josie Provost is ill at the Lowell General hospital. Her many friends here are wishing her a speedy return to her former good health.
Many from here visited Camp Devens last Sunday.
J. Austin Healy is driving a new sedan touring car.
The local gardeners are preparing the ground for their spring planting. It is thought that the large number of victory gardens that were started last year will be continued this season.
A son [Rodger Alfarth Palmer] was born to Mr. and Mrs. Mark Palmer on April 11 [April 9, per the town records].
The baseball season will soon open here and Graniteville will be well represented on the diamond this year. The first club will be known as the Abbot Worsted Company team and will be composed of the best players in the three villages, with a strong out-of-town battery. The second team will be composed entirely of local players, whose average age is seventeen years. It is expected the latter club will play the first game here on April 19.
About Town. The small farm on the Dunstable road, close to the Tyngsboro town line, owned by Mr. Steele, has been sold to a Polander [Alex Dubinski].
Rev. L. H. Buckshorn closes his pastorate with the Unitarian church on Easter Sunday.
Arthur Strong, a graduate of an agricultural college, is the new superintendent of the Read-Drew farm.
The apple blossoms in the Stony Brook valley will not be heavy enough to require any thinning.
Projects have developed in the western states to destroy ground squirrels, prairie dogs, gophers and Jack rabbits at an estimated crop saving of $13,000,000. In Kansas pocket gophers damaged the alfalfa crop $5,000,000; in New Mexico the pasturage capacity was reduced 6,000,000 by prairie dogs, and if these rodents were eliminated the pastures would carry 100,000 more cattle or 1,500,000 sheep.
An investigation conducted in eighty-six cities shows that the average milk dealer buys 17,649 new bottles a month and the large dealers buy more than 90,000 a month, which is largely replacement stock from breakage and losing.
The Harry Ingalls family have vacated the McMaster farm and moved to Graniteville.
Almon J. Downing has bought the power sprayer and outfit of C. Willis Hildreth.
Seth W. Banister, who has been in the aviation service at the German front, has arrived at New York city and is expected home soon.
Last Sunday the electric car got held up and remained there nearly all day, the brakes failing to work on the basis of “safety first,” so it was deemed safest not to run than to run without any power of hold up.
Ayer
News Items. Rain caused the postponement of the review of the 101st Infantry Regiment on Wednesday and [it] will be held on Saturday morning at eleven o’clock. Mayor Peters of Boston and scores of guests were in camp determined not to miss the final appearance of the famous doughboy outfit as a separate unit. It was not decided to call the review off until the middle of the afternoon when the rain settled into a steady downpour, filling the parade field with pools of water.
Many visitors at the camp last Sunday enjoyed the concert by the massed bands of the 26th Division which was held on the main parade field in the afternoon, near the headquarters of the welcoming committee and 101st Infantry regimental headquarters. The musicians played many popular selections. Ten automobiles came from Hingham and visited men in Co. K, 101st and other men from that town. There were delegations in camp from many cities and towns all over New England.
Trains containing 900 Yankee Division veterans added to the regiments after battles of Chateau-Thierry and other engagements left last Sunday for Camp Sherman, Ohio. Other trains departed through the week.
Shirley
News Items. The Menders, who go to Camp Devens every week from this town, solicited money this week to provide pinks for the overseas boys who will be unable to leave their beds on Easter Sunday.