War Memorial, Westford, Massachusetts

Pioneers

and

Colonial Period

1675  --  1763

Revolutionary War

1775  --  1783

Two hundred and fifty men served

Thirty-five men died.

War of 1812  --  1815

IN MEMORIAM

Joel Abbot

Walter Abbot

Oliver Fletcher

James Kemp

Civil War

1861  --  1865

THESE GAVE THEIR LIVES

Harvey N. Bailey

James Bicknell

Nathan D. Bicknell

George W. Blodgett

Savillion B. Coburn

John W. Craig

Reuben W. Cummings

William Dane

Anoil Davis

William Dinsmore

Albert W. Fletcher

James T. Flint

Henry A. Friar

John Harris

Francis P. Howard

Edward E. Hutchins

Thomas J. Hutchins

Warren E. Hutchins

Alfred Jackson

Franklin M. Jewett

John Jubb

Edward Keyes

George M. Kawrence

Charles Miner

Hiram Peabody

Augustus Reed

Charles B. Reed

Luther F. Reed

Luther F. Reed

John F. Richards

Alfred A. Richardson

Gardner H. Richardson

Patrick Sheahan

William H. Shedd

John Z. Taylor

Dexter W. Waterman

The Spanish American War
1898  --  1902

IN MEMORIAM
Fred P. Collins
Frank D. O'Brien
Philip R. Prescott

World War

1917  --  1918

IN MEMORIAM

Edward J. Bechard

J. Norbert Brule

Thomas Costello

Adlard Langley

Napoleon J. Lanctot

Antonio Palermo

Charles Smith

Orion V. Wells

Antonio Lozzi

The link for my World War II post is: http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2014/02/westford-massachusetts-world-war-ii.html

Chelmsford, Massachusetts Has Gone Back in Time

Earlier today, I did a post about a May Breakfast I went to in Chelmsford. It wasn't until we left, that somebody mentioned how nice the area looked since they removed all the telephone poles, and put the wires and cables underground. Once it was pointed out, I could tell the difference, and it was nice seeing how this part of the town may have looked many years ago, before electricity. Many of the buildings were there before that time.

No telephone poles! New sitting area in the old green.

 Streets around the green. I must say, it looks great.

 Old 1879 Town Hall was recently renovated.

(New Town Hall is in another location.)

 Monument and Toll House.

Middlesex Canal Toll House 1832  Oldest Canal Toll House in America. Donated by Heirs of Judge Samuel P. Hadley.

 Old house, now a bank.

Harriet B. Rogers, assisted by Mary S. Byam, opened here in 1866 the Chelmsford School. The first in America to susccessfully teach lip-reading and speech to deaf children. In 1867 it was moved to Northampton as the Clarke School for the Deaf.

Next to the church, the 1655 Forefathers Burial Ground and old school.

Seeing Chelmsford, Massachusetts on May Breakfast Day

May breakfast on the first Saturday in May has been a tradition at my former church for 88 years. After a discussion regarding May breakfasts on facebook, some wondered if they were still being held. I knew of this one, so on this early spring morning, my husband and I went to it, only 5 miles away. Another post will follow, with more photos of the Chelmsford green. It was like seeing it for the first time, since they recently took out the power lines and improved the area, I even saw some historical sites, new to me.

Several signs around the church and on bulletin boards.

 We were early, so it wasn't crowded. Beautifully decorated.

 Oh the handmade baskets, each filled with six or so pieces of fudge.

 When I mentioned my mother and the elevator next to the table to where the baskets were being sold, both ladies got a little emotional. They knew my mother and still are so thankful that my mother left money to the church when she died. The church was able to install the elevator. Since I was curious if they needed to raise more funds, I was told no. One of these days, I'm going to have a plaque put there with her name.

 One of the ladies took me into the storage area to show me the additional baskets, it looked like a period room.

 Looking out the church window at the square.

 Real flowers and menu at each table.

  The "new" town hall is below, as seen from the church.

Chelmsford green, with church.

Lacey of Lowell, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday

 Fred Lacey

1860 - 1921

Maria Lacey

1854 - 1926

  Lowell Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts

Three small stones with initials of:

 G. S. L.

M. L.

F. L.

Newberry Library, A Bust and Portrait of my Ancestor Taken by Diane Boumenot

I wrote about the Library in my post, "A Library, A Librarian and Two Cousins" three years ago this month, and have always wanted photos of the interior. My genealogy friend and blogger, Diane Boumenot who writes the blog, One Rhode Island Family mentioned she was going to go to the Newberry Library in Chicago if she had time during a conference. I asked if she did, could she take photos for me. She did a year ago, and I am just now posting them. Thank you, Diane.

My ancestor was the first Librarian at the Newberry, and Diane was aware of that. Below are a bust and portrait of him, William Frederick Poole.

 

The Library stands on the site
formerly occupied by the
Mahlon D. Ogden residence
the only house in the path of
the great fire of 1871
which was not burned.

Presented by the General Henry Dearborn Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1929

Poole's Index of Periodical Literature was written by my 2nd great-grandfather.

James Nichols of Reading, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday

James Nichols is my most recently discovered ancestor. Fortunately, he lived rather close to where I am now living, so that made it easy to visit his burial site at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Reading, Massachusetts. He was married to Mary Poole, but I was unable to locate her site.

This is my 147th photo of an ancestor's tombstone.

Here Lyes Buried

Y^e Body of Mr.

JAMES NICHOLS

Who Departed this life

Jan. 12, 1744/5 in Y^e 87^th

Year of His Age.

I Shall Rise again.

James Nichols was my 8th great-grandfather.

Side view of headstone and foot-stone.

First row of tombstone in the old section at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Amazingly, they are of my Pooles, and I didn't know they were buried there.

Growing Up In Lexington

When I began my 4th fourth grade at the Adams School in Lexington, Massachusetts, I knew nothing of my new town's history.  My parents moved there from two previous towns in Connecticut, and from my first fourth grade in California.  I consider Lexington to be my favorite town of all the places I've lived.

Many of us have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War, as well as ancestors who were born in Lexington. I've several who fought in the War and were born there, and even my "brick wall" person, John Adams was in Lexington at the time of the war.

During several of my school years, our local history played an important part in our learning. My early classes took field trips down the street to see and learn about what happened. My Girl Scout troop planted flowering bulbs in the fall at some of the historic homes, and the church we attended was the tall one at the Lexington green.

Every April 19th, my Girl Scout troop marched in the Lexington Patriot's Day parade, there were two parades, I marched in the one at 7 AM! Of course, being much younger, I didn't mind, but sometimes it was cold. My mother was ecstatic about one 2 PM parade, when Sen. John F. Kennedy marched. I remember her pointing him out, but I thought, "who is he?" Both the 7 AM and 2 PM parades marched just two blocks from my house, and it was a very big deal. Many years after we moved, my mother always went back on that date to see it and visit with old friends. She even did that on the day she died, on her return trip home from Lexington. And whenever I returned for visits from Virginia, I always visited Lexington. Even now, it is about a 30 minute trip, so we go there frequently.

For eight years, I was in the Lexington school system, until my 11th grade, then we moved again. During my 8th grade, our class got to rename our junior high school, as there was another junior high being built. It had to have a patriotic name. I can't remember what I wrote about and why I chose the name, but the two winners were Diamond and Muzzy, so there were new names for each of the schools.  Many years later, Muzzy Jr. High became condos. Always changing, but then, nothing looks changed. It is a beautiful town, see photos below.

The town, April 11, 2010

Lexington Green

Cary Memorial Library

Afternoon parade, ca. 1960. I saw JFK march in one of these parades. 

Years after we moved, I had to show a boyfriend where I lived!

The house, photo taken three years ago.

Post was originally posted April 18, 2010.