The Westford Wardsman, January 27, 1917
Center. Up to the time of Mr. Burbeck’s death on Monday, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Bicknell had been having a hospital on a small scale at their home, having three sick people with three trained nurses in attendance. Mr. Burbeck had been in ill health for a long time with more or less chronic bronchitis, but at the last was sick with pneumonia. The second patient is Mrs. Jones, of Lowell, ill with the grippe, and reported as doing nicely. The third patient is Edward Ling, who works for John C. Abbot. Mr. Ling is quarantined with scarlet fever. It is reported as a fairly mild case, although the first few days he was pretty sick, but is now reported as doing well.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Day were in attendance at the two afternoon services of the closing day of the Billy Sunday campaign in Boston last Sunday and report great audiences and much enthusiasm.
Last Sunday, at the Congregational church, Mr. Lincoln gave two excellent addresses. The morning topic was “The feasibility of an ideal,” and in the evening on “Perfection,” contrasting old testament and new testament standards of perfection. Mrs. Charles H. Wright was much missed in the choir, but was out of town for a few days. On Sunday evening the C. E. service and the church evening service will be merged into one and will be in recognition of C. E. day, and a special order of service will be carried out.
Mrs. V. C. Bruce Wetmore, who has been ill and under the care of doctor and trained nurse, is now convalescent.
The next meeting of the Tadmuck club takes place next Tuesday evening at the town hall and is the annual guest night. A very clever presentation of the Greek play, “Pygmalion and Galatea” is being prepared under the direction of Mrs. Harold W. Hildreth and Miss May Balch. There will also be music by home talent. After the entertainment refreshments and a social hour will be enjoyed in the lower hall. An attendance of two hundred is expected for the evening.
The social for January in the series of the winter took place at the vestry of the Congregational church Tuesday evening with over 100 in attendance. Musical talent from West Chelmsford assisted in the entertainment. A quartet consisting of Albert and Clarence Bruce, Anthony Anderson and Joseph Peters were heard in several pleasing selections. Albert Bruce also contributed a solo. Miss Marion Marshall was the accompanist. Miss Julia H. Fletcher and Miss Elinor Colburn played two very enjoyable piano duets, and Mrs. Colburn sang a solo, accompanied by Miss Colburn. A one-act play, “An interrupted proposal,” was given by Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. D. L. Greig, Mr. and Mrs. Labouteley and Mrs. Joseph E. Knight. The various characters were given with spirited delineation and were much enjoyed. Refreshments of cake and cocoa, with social hour, were enjoyed after the entertainment. The committee in charge were Mrs. W. R. Taylor, Mrs. Charles L. Hildreth, Miss Edith Wright and Mrs. D. L. Greig.
The senior class of the academy are preparing to be given later a three-act comedy-drama, “The voice of charity.” There are seven girls and one boy in the cast. This enterprise is to help meet the expenses of graduation for the senior class.
The first meeting of the community sing was held at the Congregational church on Thursday evening at 7:30. A cordial invitation is extended to all to attend these meetings. The new song books have arrived and can be procured of Mrs. W. R. Taylor. The community sing will be given under the direction of the music committee of the Tadmuck Club.
Mrs. Lauretta Tyler, the aged aunt of the late Walter J. Merritt, has met his tragic death with wonderful fortitude. Mr. Merritt was her only near relative in this part of the country and the shock of his death in her aged and frail condition was serious to meet. Mrs. Tyler has been most appreciative of the kind and capable care of her housekeeper, Miss Bartlett, and of the calls [of] sympathy and ministrations of friends and neighbors.
A little daughter [Mary Augusta] was born to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Wilson on Tuesday.
The reading circle under the auspices of the literature and library extension committee of the Tadmuck club met at the home of Mrs. A. H. Sutherland on Thursday afternoon of this week.
Wednesday afternoon was a happy time for Master William Carver, it being the fifth anniversary of his birthday. In honor of the event a birthday party was given by Mrs. Carver to a group of her son’s little friends and a merry afternoon was the result. Games were enjoyed during the afternoon, followed by a birthday supper at which a birthday cake had the place of honor, accompanied by other good things appealing especially to little folks. The favors were footballs filled with candies. The genial little host of the afternoon was the recipient of pretty gifts and remembrances. Those present were Roger Hildreth, Elizabeth Wells, Kenneth Wright, Betty Prescott and Everett Millis. Edna Hamlin and Alice Heywood were the others invited, but were unable to come on account of sickness.
About Town. At a meeting of the republican town committee Hon. Herbert E. Fletcher was chosen chairman; Alfred W. Hartford, sec.; Julian A. Cameron, treas. At this meeting arrangements for the caucus to nominate town officers was agreed upon—Monday evening, January 29.
The democratic caucus to nominate candidates for town offices will be held at the town hall on Tuesday evening January 30.
The annual collection for the American Unitarian association will be received on Sunday at the First Parish church. There will be a service of song in the evening and Mrs. L. H. Buckshorn will speak on “Leading hymns and writers.”
The next meeting of the Grange, on February 1, will be an open meeting, entitled “An evening with Simon B. Harris, president of the Lowell Rod and Gun club.” Everybody come that believes in a preservation of fish and game that finds the rod and gun any business to do.
Middlesex-North Pomona Grange will hold its next meeting in Odd Fellows’ hall, Bridge street, Lowell, Friday, February 2. Entertainment by Dracut Grange in the morning. Dinner by Westford Grange. Afternoon, open, address on dairying by state experts on dairy bureau.
Hon. Arthur W. Colburn, senator from this district, has introduced a bill on petition of one of his constituents for a closed season for five years on fish and game.
Mr. and Mrs. Abiel J. Abbot leave February 1 on an extended trip, first crossing the continent to San Francisco, and embarking from there for Honolulu. After a stay in the Hawaiian Islands they will take another steamer for the Fiji Islands and also go to Samoa; from there they will go to New Zealand and Australia, and on their return to San Francisco by another route, they will visit Tahiti, considered one of the most interesting islands in the South Pacific ocean.
First Parish Church. The annual meeting of the First Parish church was held last Saturday evening. H. V. Hildreth was chosen moderator; Abiel J. Abbot, clerk; Charles O. Prescott, col. and treas.; Abiel J. Abbot, Hon. Edward Fisher, Mrs. H. V. Hildreth, parish com. A continuation of the meeting was carried over to the morning service last Sunday, when a report of the Woman’s Alliance was read. During the twenty-five years of its existence it has raised $4,956.06. During the same time it has paid out $4,824.20. From the Eliza J. Herrick bequest for the sick and needy, it has paid out since 1902 $286.62. A cheerful letter report from Mrs. George T. Day showed a wide range of helpful and hopeful correspondence during the year. The Sunday school reports the following on the cradle roll: Huntington L. Wells, Richard O. Wells, Barbara Fisher, Helen Fisher, William Wallace Wright, Richard L. Hildreth, Helen P. Greig, Donald F. Greig, Evelyn M. Mills.
The “in memoriam” during this time in the Alliance have been Miss Eliza A. Babbitt [died Nov. 14, 1904], Mrs. Amanda T. Fisher [died May 16, 1914], Mrs. Adelaide M. Seavey [died Nov. 1, 1914] and Mrs. Josephine M. Barnard [died Feb. 1, 1913].
At the parish meeting proper resolutions on the death of Col. Edward D. Metcalf were adopted and thanks expressive of his remembrance of the old First Parish by a substantial bequest were also unanimously adopted.
Birthday Anniversary. Mrs. Sarah Tenney Hildreth celebrated her ninety-ninth birthday anniversary at the home of her daughter, Miss Martha Hildreth, near Westford station, last Sunday. Mrs. Hildreth is of old New England stock of the clearcut “survival of the fittest” type and was born in Westford on January 21 at Tenney’s corner, on the shore of Long-Sought pond, the daughter of Samuel Tenney of Littleton and Rebecca Clark of Concord. She was educated in what was known under the district system as No. 8 school district. In 1841 she married James Hildreth, one of her schoolmates. Seven children were born to them, the four now living being Martha M., Mrs. Emma A. Chandler, Samuel T. Hildreth and Frank H. Hildreth. She has all of her large endowment of Yankee sense well preserved, and is busy in ye old time knitting and making rugs. Thus nimble and industrious at ninety-nine, she naturally feels that anyone is quite young at seventy-five and inquires for them in that spirit. In her younger days she was an attendant at the Unitarian church and is still staunch and loyal to its faith. She is certainly Westford’s oldest person in point of years, but not in point of youthful spirit.
Death. William H. H. Burbeck died at the home of Charles H. Bicknell, Main street, Monday, after a brief illness of bronchial pneumonia. He was a native of this town, being one of six children of the late Mr. and Mrs. Samuel N. Burbeck. His early life was passed on his father’s farm on what is now the Boston road. He attended the Minot’s Corner school and Westford academy. Later in life he married Miss Josephine Walker, and for many years was of the firm of Heywood & Burbeck at the grist and sawmill at Westford station. During this time he acquired a large acquaintance over a large rural territory. After the firm sold out he retired to Westford Center and for years served on the board of assessors, where his marked good judgment in his own affairs was displayed in behalf of the town. For several years he served on the board of cemetery commissioners and in various other ways as spare handy man.
In political affiliations he was a loyal and staunch adherent of Andrew Jacksonism democracy. His charity was of the “Let not your right hand know what your left hand doeth,” but what was in the open was unmistakable evidence that he was a willing and generous contributor with any of his “financial heft.”
He was a constant attendant at the Unitarian church.
The funeral took place from the Unitarian church on Wednesday afternoon, Rev. L. H. Buckshorn conducting the service and paid this just tribute to his life: “We speak a common language and express a common purpose today at the burial service of William H. H. [Henry Harrison] Burbeck, and but give voice to that which lies inarticulate behind your silence—namely, the loss of a man who was in all capacities and relations of our country life, fine and faithful, loyal and true. He was born in our village midst. Our country schools gave him his education wherein the processes of real discovery ran ahead of any repeated learning. Our country church, wherein we meet this hour gave him his simple christian faith in God and humanity. With this equipment he took up the ordinary run of things right here in our community life and made much of them. He took up the everyday material and out of it he made house and home, honesty and honor. His reputation was as good as his character. His service was as sure as his promise. His relation to all the obligations of citizenship was intimate and binding. His modest competence came out of his own initiative. His work came out of his belief in the dignity of all manual labor.
“There was no shame in him of anything that the fingers honestly touched, or the hands justly gripped. He held not the false pride that holds the work of the minister, the lawyer, the doctor, to be socially elevating, and the labor of the farmer to be socially degrading. He exemplified the words of Browning, ‘All labor ranks the same with God’. We hold that sentiment in high esteem. Sometimes we apply it as a fact; more often as a theory. Henry Burbeck, as everyone familiarly knew him and called him, made it a rule of the spirit in the Intercourse of every day. Into the circle of this village horizon he came; came and found the heavens to be as deep and as blue as at any spot on the earth; came and found the sunshine to be as bright and as warm as at any place; came and found faith and humanity as good as the best, and linked them all together in a simple, quiet life, and an honored and abiding memory.”
The deceased leaves two sisters, May and Eliza, in Portsmouth, N.H.; a brother Charles in California, and many nephews and nieces in Westford, Lowell and other places. Burial was in Fairview cemetery, beside the wife of his never forgotten loyalty and love. The bearers were Oscar R. Spalding, Charles O. Prescott, Charles H. Pickering, John Burbeck.
Graniteville. There were no sessions held in the Sargent school here on Monday as this day was allotted to the teachers as visiting day.
Many people from this village went to Forge Village on last Sunday to watch the harvesting of the annual ice crop that is being done by the Gage Ice Co. of Lowell.
The Abbot Worsted Co. is building a cottage house on First street. P. Henry Harrington has the contract.
Mrs. Elizabeth Dailey McNally of this village died at St. John’s hospital, Lowell on Monday night after a brief illness, aged nineteen years. Besides her husband, James McNally of North Chelmsford, she leaves a father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Dailey, two sisters, Mary and Alice, and one brother, Edward Dailey of this village. Deceased was well and favorably known and had a wide circle of friends. She was a member of Cameron circle, C.F. of A. and also of Westford Court, M.C.O.F.
It is with deep regret that the Graniteville people heard of the passing away of Mrs. Mary A. Larkin, widow of the late John Larkin, who died at her home in North Chelmsford on last Sunday. Mrs. Larkin was a former well known resident of this village. She was the mother[-in-law] of Henry Provost here. The deepest sympathy is extended to the bereaved family in their affliction.
Miss Madeline McDonald of North Westford has been a recent guest of Miss Helen Furbush in this village.
F. Russell Furbush is now spending the winter months in Palm Beach, Fla.
George Reese, who has recently returned home from a Lowell hospital after a severe illness, is now improving in health.
Harvey C. Barnes, superintendent of the Westford town farm for the past five years, has resigned his position to take effect April 1. Mr. Barnes during his term of office has made many improvements at the farm and the grounds and buildings were never in better shape. After April 1 Mr. and Mrs. Barnes with their son, Percy R. C. Barnes, will leave here for Shrewsbury, Vt., where Mr. Barnes will have charge of a large modern farm.
Miss Isabelle Chandler of Billerica has been a recent guest of Mrs. Clara Gray in this village.