232 20 4978 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/f800c069fc448f0bc9e5e544221270ff.jpg a975b82ae94c368ca188e5ed1bae543d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Obituary for Robert "Bob" Cushman Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-026 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Bob" Cushman obituary, 2023 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Robert L. Cushman (1926 - 2023). Surrounded by his loving family, Robert Lawless Cushman of Worthington MA passed on to be with his Lord on October 8, 2023, at the age of 97. Robert was a man highly respected in his spheres of influence, known particularly as a hard-working man who loved his family, served his community, and left a legacy of love for wildlife and nature. Robert aka "Bob" was born in Greenfield, MA on April 8, 1926, the youngest son of Burt and Alice Cushman. He was adored by his 3 pre-deceased siblings, Jack, Corky, and Lee, and their children; and his extended family also included his life-long best friend Ernie Hatter, Stamford CT. Bob was an avid learner known for his tremendous memory for names and places, who enjoyed poetry, cooking, gardening, and building projects with wood. His formal education included Springfield Technical High School, Monson Academy, American International College, and Bartlett Tree School for his professional training as an Arborist. He developed that skill to become an expert tree surgeon and conservationist. In 1950, Bob married Carol Evelyn Stuart (pre-deceased) of Stamford CT, lived in Springfield and East Longmeadow MA, and became the father of 7 children. Bob cherished his children and had special relationships with their spouses and grandchildren. Sandra (and Stuart) Gittleman, Cornelius NC (Shira, Isaac, Daniel) Robbie S. (pre-deceased) Pamela (and Gary) Standing, Springfield MA (Michael) Connie Lieberwirth Villeneuve (pre-deceased) (Jill, Andrew, Taylor, Rachel) Mary-Alice (and Roger) Dager, Springfield MA (Grace) Tracey (and Rich) Walz, Brewster MA (Jamison, Joseph, Andrew) Scott (and Laura) Cushman, East Longmeadow MA (Zachary, Hannah) Professionally Bob worked for the Springfield Parks Department, founded his own R. L. Cushman Tree Company, and provided leadership for the MassMutual Grounds Service for 30 years. Several trees were planted and nurtured by Bob, adorning the Pioneer Valley and beyond. In 1992, Bob married Carol Ann Sheret of Hampden MA, blending his family with her family of three daughters, who he loved as his own. Ginger Kairys, Westfield MA (Melissa, Jenny) Bonnie Charpentier (and Paul), Huntington MA (Krystle, Paul) Wendy (and Chris) Nardacci, Anaconda MT (Nichole, Amber) Together, Bob and Carol Ann built an incredibly beautiful life together. They fulfilled their dream of designing and building a home in Worthington which they fondly called "a piece of heaven on earth" …a destination for family and friends and a wildlife refuge, which offered hospitality and love to all. FAMILY was Bob and Carol Ann's number one priority. They loved spending time with their children and spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, and provided several opportunities to experience life from whale watches, hayrides, craft fairs, and many life celebrations. Together, Bob and Carol Ann shared 10 children, 20 grandchildren, and 26 great-grandchildren. Though Bob and Carol Ann shared a large family there were no boundaries to whom they would embrace and take as their own, especially their adopted grandson, Terence Fowler. This "spirit of adoption" was the hallmark of their lives together, a legacy they inspired. Throughout his life Bob loved sports. As a young man he excelled playing football and basketball. When he became a father, he transitioned to coaching recreational league basketball, football, and girls' softball. Bob was a much beloved coach and mentor. Bob had an innate gift to see someone's capacity and encouraged their potential earning him the endearing title of "Coach." He was an avid fan of the Red Sox, Patriots, and college teams. Bob was a faithful and active church member, laying a foundation of Christian faith for his children when they were young, and most recently served the community of Worthington and Worthington Congregational Church. His faith-in-action was caring for and serving others. A special thank you to Dr. Paul Farkas who for several decades attended to Bob's health and wellness, extending his life, and became a dear friend. Also, special thanks to Mercy Medical Center and its staff for providing stellar care. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scanned text from website Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-10-08 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Legacy.com Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-03 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - South Worthington Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db created item 2024-03=03 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/b05a3d47c66bcc73892e8973c1528ed3.jpg 5ad46ad487c290c85659350b33586894 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. online obituary for robert "Bob" Spiess Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-027 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Bob" Spiess obituary, 2023 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Robert Spiess Obituary Robert N Spiess (1938-2023), 85, passed away Tuesday September 26th peacefully with his family by his side. Bob was born May 7, 1938. A lifelong resident of Worthington, Bob married his childhood friend and high school sweetheart, Judith (Diamond) Spiess on October 15, 1960. He is survived by his sister Patricia Lampro of Hinsdale Ma, his wife Judith and their daughter Shawn Macutkiewicz of Worthington, their son Mark Spiess and wife Amanda of Worthington.His grandchildren Jillian Trujillo and husband Rich of Florida, Zachary Macutkiewcz and wife Anastasia of North Brookfield, Michala Torres of Worthington, Amber Spiess of Chesterfield and Nicholas Spiess of South Carolina. He also leaves his seven great-grandchildren Audriana, Mia, Elliott, Jameson, Clarke, Emery, and Raelynn. Bob served in the Navy as a Maintenance man in the engine room aboard the USS Borie from 1958-1962. He worked for N&B Express out of South Deerfield for 32 years. He was an extraordinarily talented driver often being praised for his expert skills on the tiny streets of Boston.He will be remembered by his family and friends for his witty sense of humor and always helping hand. He was noted for his dancing skills, those of which his grandchildren hoped they didn't inherit. Bob loved the outdoors and hunting, teaching many of his family his skills in the woods. His pride and joy was his 1930 Model A "Gloria", he could be seen and heard driving around town with Judy at his side. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource text from funeral home website Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2023-09-26 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Graham Hilltown Community Funeral Home Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-03 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - Worthington Corners Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db created item 2024-03-03 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/8bbc817adac21c810d98f6d56c1351ae.pdf 266f2caeb37c3500562950d6d36fded6 PDF Text Text SUBJECT: R A M B L I N G S O N BROOKSTONE H I S TO RY FROM: DATE: P e 3 t 0 e deBeaumont August 1976 I suppose t h e f i r s t q u e s t i o n w o u l d b e how d i d B r o o k s t o n e come i n t o e x i s t e n c e ? T h e answer t o t h i s comes i n t w o p a r t s . F i r s t o f f we were l i v i n g i n Wo r t h i n g t o n , Massachusetts, a v i l l a g e o f s i x h u n d r e d p e o p l e some s e v e n t e e n m i l e s e a s t o f P i t t s f i e l d , M A , and w h a t d o y o u d o i n a p l a c e l i k e W o r t h i n g t o n ? T h e o b v i o u s a n s w e r i s y o u h a v e a m a i l o r d e r c o m p a n y. T h e o t h e r h a l f o f t h e q u e s t i o n comes f r o m my own b a c k g r o u n d . I w a s t r a i n e d a t H a r v a r d and M . I . T . a s a m e c h a n i c a l e n g i n e e r a n d w e n t i n t o t h e a u t o m o b i l e industry s t a r t i n g as an engineer a t Packard and then going t o General M o t o r s . T h i s was a r e s u l t o f a p e r s o n a l i n c l i n a t i o n t o be i n t e r e s t e d i n m e c h a n i c a l t h i n g s i n c l u d i n g d o i n g t h i n g s w i t h m y hands. E v e r s i n c e I w a s a l i t t l e b o y I w o u l d b u i l d s h i p m o d e l s o r do r e p a i r w o r k a r o u n d t h e h o u s e a n d g e t i n t o s u c h t h i n g s a s t h e making o f r a d i o s e t s . A s a m a t t e r o f f a c t , I w a s l i v i n g b r i e f l y in S p r i n g f i e l d , MA, i n 1926, when I was e l e v e n and t h a t was when I b u i l t my f i r s t r a d i o , a one- t u b e a f f a i r f o r w h i c h t h e p l a n s appeared i n " P o p u l a r M e c h a n i c s " f o r A p r i l o f 1 9 2 6 a n d i t w o r k e d q u i t e w e l l . E v e n t h e c o i l s h a d t o b e made o n b i t s o f d o w e l s e t i n a c i r c l e o n a p i e c e o f wood. So, I h a d a l w a y s b e e n a f a i r l y s o p h i s t i c a t e d h o m e w o r k s h o p p e r a n d this i n t u r n created a frustration concerning the a v a i l i b i l i t y o f tools. D e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t I was brought u p i n Manhattan, i n New Y o r k C i t y , w h e r e y o u w o u l d t h i n k t h a t e v e r y c o n c e i v a b l e t o o l would be o b t a i n a b l e , I h a d a l l k i n d s o f t r o u b l e . I w o u l d w a l k , I r e m e m b e r, d o w n T h i r d A v e n u e , i n t h e d a y s w h e n t h e e l e v a t e d w a s s t i l l i n business g o i n g f r o m one hardware s t o r e t o another l o o k i n g , l e t ' s s a y , f o r some k i n d o f a d e v i s e w h e r e b y I c o u l d h o l d t w o pieces o f a s h i p model a t some p r e c i s e a n g l e f o r s o l d e r i n g a n d g l u i n g . Each t i m e I w e n t i n , I c o u l d f e e l d e f e a t s t a r i n g m e i n t h e f a c e , a n d indeed i t was. T h e c l e r k w o u l d i n v a r i a b l y l o o k s l i g h t l y b o r e d a n d t e l l me t h a t h e h a d n e v e r h e a r d o f s u c h a t h i n g a n d t u r n t o t h e n e x t c u s t o m e r. Another element i n t h e h i s t o r y o f Brookstone i s t h e f a c t t h a t f r o m General M o t o r s , I went i n t o t h e Navy a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f WWII, a n d was a s s i g n e d t o t h e p r o d u c t i o n b r a n c h o f t h e B u r e a u o f A e r o n a u t i c s i n Washington. T h i s d e p a r t m e n t was n e w l y o r g a n i z e d a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f WWII t o s e r v e t w o p u r p o s e s . O n e w a s t o a c t a s t h e N a v y ' s s o u r c e of p r o d u c t i o n engineering e x p e r t i s e , s o t h a t t h e Navy m i g h t r e a l i s t i c a l l y plan t h e a c q u i s i t i o n o f a i r c r a f t a n d a l l o f t h e i r components o n a sensible basis with respect t o t h e production capacity o f t h e cont r a c t o r s . I n o t h e r words, i t was o u r j o b t o t e l l t h e Navy t h a t XYZ Company c o u l d m a k e s o m a n y e n g i n e s o r s o m a n y s t a r t e r s o r s o m a n y a i r c r a f t o v e r a given period o f t i m e and a t a given r a t e o f increase and w e c o u l d g i v e t h e m t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h r e a s o n a b l e r e a l i t y . O u r other j o b was t o go around t o t h e v a r i o u s c o n t r a c t o r s a l l o v e r t h e United S t a t e s who were m a k i n g N a v a l a i r c r a f t a n d a l l o f t h e s u p p l i e s �-2and a c c e s s o r i e s f o r t h e m a n d s o l v e t h e i r p r o b l e m s . I n o t h e r w o r d s , i f a g i v e n company w e r e b e h i n d s c h e d u l e , o n e o f u s w o u l d b e s e n t out t o d e t e r m i n e w h y. T h i s m i g h t w e l l e n t a i l a t o t a l e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e company b o t h f r o m an e n g i n e e r i n g p o i n t o f v i e w a n d f r o m a management p o i n t o f v i e w . I n t h e c a s e o f a l l o f t h i s r u n n i n g a r o u n d I had contact w i t h a wide v a r i e t y o f i n d u s t r i e s and I was g r e a t l y impressed b y t h e f a c t t h a t methods o f manufacture v a r i e d g r e a t l y from i n d u s t r y t o i n d u s t r y even t h o u g h t h e p a r t s t h e m s e l v e s d i d n o t vary s i g n i f i c a n t l y a n d t h i s a l s o a p p l i e d t o t h e v a r i o u s t o o l s t h a t were u s e d . I n o t h e r w o r d s , a g i v e n i n d u s t r y m i g h t h a v e d e v e l o p e d a c e r t a i n t o o l t h a t would be v e r y u s e f u l f o r t h e i r work and another i n d u s t r y d o i n g a l m o s t e x a c t l y t h e same t h i n g w o u l d have n e v e r h e a r d of i t . S o p a r t o f t h e t h i n k i n g i n Brookstone was t o b r i n g t o g e t h e r in a catalog these various diverse t o o l s from d i ff e r e n t f i e l d s o f endeavor a n d l e t t h e m b e u s e d b y e v e r y b o d y. F o r e x a m p l e , o n e o f t h e areas f r o m w h i c h we b o r r o w e d a number o f t o o l s i n i t i a l l y was t h e f i e l d of t h e manufacture and r e p a i r o f watches, c l o c k s and j e w e l r y. I n f a c t , t h i s i s w h e r e I f o u n d t h a t f i x t u r e , B r o o k s t o n e ' s # 11 0 7 , w h i c h holds t h e two pieces j u s t s o f o r s o l d e r i n g o r g l u i n g t h a t I wanted so b a d l y w a y b a c k w h e n I w a s a b o u t f o u r t e e n y e a r s o l d . I t was n o t p a r t i c u l a r l y easy t o g e t Brookstone going. W e had a number o f s h o r t c o m i n g s . N e i t h e r m y w i f e n o r I h a d e v e r h a d a n y t h i n g to d o w i t h m a i l o r d e r a n d none o f u s had e v e r had a n y t h i n g t o d o with t h e s e l l i n g o f t o o l s . I f e l t I was reasonably knowledgeable about q u i t e a v a r i e t y o f t o o l s a n d what t h e y c o u l d d o a n d how t h e y were u s e d a n d w h i c h o n e s w e r e g o o d a n d w h i c h w e r e n o t , b u t I d i d n ' t have t h e s l i g h t e s t i d e a a b o u t w h i c h s o l d b e t t e r t h a n o t h e r s o r w h y or when t h e r e m i g h t b e v a r i a t i o n s i n s a l e s v o l u m e . As t o m a i l o r d e r , w e k n e w l e s s t h a n n o t h i n g a n d t h e o n l y w a y t o approach i t seemed t o b e t o r e a d e v e r y t h i n g we c o u l d l a y o u r hands o n , on t h e s u b j e c t . T h e r e a r e p e r h a p s a d o z e n b o o k s i n e x i s t e n c e t h a t cover m a i l o r d e r and d i r e c t m a i l , o r a t l e a s t t h a t was t h e number i n t h o s e d a y s , s o we o b t a i n e d a l l o f t h o s e , i n c l u d i n g some w h i c h were w e l l o u t o f p r i n t a n d r e a d t h e m w i t h c o n s i d e r a b l e i n t e r e s t a n d at f i r s t , c o n f u s i o n . P e r h a p s t h e b e s t book o f t h e l o t was one t h a t was p u b l i s h e d a r o u n d 1 9 0 3 a n d I w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y i m p r e s s e d b y t h e fact t h a t about a l l i t needed t o be brought u p t o d a t e was t o have the p o s t a l r a t e s changed. W e a l s o j o i n e d t h e M a i l A d v e r t i s i n g Club i n B o s t o n a n d a l s o t h e New E n g l a n d M a i l O r d e r A s s o c i a t i o n a s s o o n a s we h e a r d o f t h e m , a n d a t t e n d e d a l l o f t h e m e e t i n g s . T h i s w a s a l i t t l e rough when we s t a r t e d , b e c a u s e t h e m e e t i n g s w e r e u s u a l l y i n B o s t o n and s i n c e w e w e r e f l a t o u t h e r e i n o u r w o r k i t w a s n e c e s s a r y, t o a t t e n d a m e e t i n g i n t h e e v e n i n g , t o d r i v e some hundred a n d f i f t y miles t o Boston a f t e r work, a t t e n d the meeting and a f t e r -dinner speeches, and t h e n h e a d f o r h o m e , l e a v i n g B o s t o n a r o u n d m i d n i g h t . Our f i r s t c a t a l o g w a s m a i l e d i n t h e s p i n g o f 1 9 6 5 a n d w e h a d a b o u t five hundred dollars worth o f inventory t o back up the mailing. W e had o b t a i n e d o u r names b y p l a c i n g a f e w a d s i n m a g a z i n e s , s u c h a s "The M o d e l R a i l r o a d e r " a n d " W o r k b e n c h " o f f e r i n g t h e c a t a l o g f o r , I t h i n k , t e n c e n t s o r t w e n t y c e n t s . T h e reason f o r t h e l o w p r i c e was to simply keep t h e c h i l d r e n and l o n e l y hearts from using up our s m a l l supply o f catalogs. I was v e r y u n c e r t a i n t h a t we would be a b l e t o s e l l t h e f i v e h u n d r e d d o l l a r s ' w o r t h o f i n v e n t o r y and wondered what I was g o i n g t o do w i t h t h r e e o f each o f e v e r y t h i n g i n t h e c a t a l o g . �-3F o r t u n a t e l y, I was i n a r e l a t i v e l y good p o s i t i o n t o p r o d u c e t h e c a t a l o g w i t h o u t s p e n d i n g a v a s t amount o f money o n i t . I had been a p r o f e s s i o n a l w r i t e r and e d i t o r i n years p a s t , a n d a l s o had done photography on a p r o f e s s i o n a l b a s i s and had e d i t e d t h e " A n t i q u e A u t o m o b i l e " f o r some y e a r s , t h e m a g a z i n e o f t h e A n t i q u e A u t o m o b i l e Club o f A m e r i c a , a n d t h u s I k n e w s o m e t h i n g a b o u t b u y i n g a n d w o r k i n g with p r i n t . I t was a l s o f o r t u n a t e t h a t I can t y p e . A c t u a l l y , i n a t e c h n i c a l sense, I c a n ' t , s i n c e I u s e o n l y t w o f i n g e r s , o n e o n e a c h h a n d , and w a t c h t h e k e y b o a r d . H o w e v e r , t h e f a c t i s t h a t w h e n I a m i n practice, I can t y p e about a s f a s t a s t h e average s e c r e t a r y, a n d w i t h a b o u t t h e same n u m b e r o f e r r o r s . A c o r o l l a r y t o being able t o type and having business experience meant t h a t I h a d t o d o i t a l l a l o n e . W e c o u l d h a v e h i r e d s o m e b o d y but w e d i d n o t know how much w o r k we h a d a n d i t i s n o t e a s y t o g e t help o u t i n t h e middle o f t h e woods. S o I guess f o r about a y e a r, which goes b a c k t o a p e r i o d b e f o r e we h a d a b u s i n e s s a n d were s e t t i n g up t o p r o d u c e t h e f i r s t c a t a l o g , I h a d n o s e c r e t a r y a n d I t y p e d a l l the correspondence and a l l t h e i n i t i a l purchase o r d e r s a n d a l l t h e text f o r the catalog. A frequently asked question i s , where d i d you f i n d t h e i n i t i a l t o o l s ? Did you t r a v e l a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d t o f i n d them? T h e answers t o t h e s e in b o t h c a s e s a r e much l e s s g l a m o r o u s t h e n m i g h t b e e x p e c t e d . I found t h e t o o l s b y l o c a t i n g i n New Yo r k a n d i n a f e w o t h e r c i t i e s , some d e a l e r s i n j e w l e r s ' t o o l s a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e I o b t a i n e d s o m e copies o f f o r e i g n magazines which c o n t a i n e d advertisements o n t h e part o f people wanting t o s e l l t o o l s t o the trade, and I simply wrote an i m m e n s e n u m b e r o f l e t t e r s o f i n q u i r y . T h i s p r o d u c e d a s u f f i c i e n t number o f c a t a l o g s a n d p r i c e l i s t s t o p r o c e e d f r o m t h e r e a n d t h e procedure was i n e f f e c t t o a s k f o r samples, o f f e r i n g t o pay f o r them, i f t h e c a t a l o g a n d p r i c e seemed t o recommend t h e p r o d u c t . E v e n t u a l l y. a sample w o u l d a r r i v e a n d about s e v e n t y - f i v e p e r c e n t o f the t i m e , i t would be s o b a d l y f i n i s h e d o r s o u n s a t i s f a c t o r y i n use that i t had t o be rejected. A n d t h i s has continued t o be the case r i g h t t o t h e p r e s e n t d a y i n t h e Brookstone Company's s e a r c h f o r t h e products which meet i t s s t a n d a r d s f o r q u a l i t y, n o t o n l y i n appearance, but i n f u n c t i o n and p r i c e . As f a r a s t r a v e l i s c o n c e r n e d , w e d i d n o t l e a v e o n a n y k i n d o f p r o d u c t searching t r i p f o r s e v e r a l c a t a l o g s a t l e a s t . A n d even t h e n we d i d not g o much f u r t h e r t h a n t o t h e h a r d w a r e show i n New Yo r k , w h e r e we found v e r y l i t t l e t h a t met o u r r e q u i r e m e n t s . Once t h e c a t a l o g h a d b e e n m a i l e d , a n d s h o w e d s o m e s i g n s o f b e i n g commercially v i a b l e , we began t o work extremely hard. T h i s reached a stage d u r i n g t h e next s e v e r a l years i n which i t was t w e l v e hours a d a y, s e v e n d a y s a week w i t h o u t i n t e r r u p t i o n . W e t o o k n o v a c a t i o n s and w e e v e n b e g a n t o l o s e t r a c k o f s o m e o f o u r f r i e n d s . I n f a c t , I am s o r r y t o s a y t h a t o n e o r t w o v e r y o l d a n d d e a r f r i e n d s o f m i n e died d u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d and I f e l t v e r y badly t h a t I had n o t been able t o see them f o r a couple o f y e a r s p r i o r t o t h e i r demise. F o r " e n t e r t a i n m e n t " t h e b i g d e a l i n t h e e v e n i n g was t o l i s t e n t o �- 4 -Walter K r o n k i t e ' s news program, b u t t h i s was n o t t i m e o f f . M y w i f e Deland w o u l d p u t l a b e l s o n c a t a l o g s t o b e m a i l e d and I w o u l d e x e r c i s e p l i e r s t h a t had j o i n t s t o o t i g h t t o send t o customers. W e d i d enjoy the b r e a k f r o m t h e d a i l y r o u t i n e , h o w e v e r, e v e n i f t h e news was n o t p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t d a y. Our i n i t i a l o p e r a t i o n , s o f a r a s f u l f i l l m e n t o f o r d e r s i s c o n c e r n e d , was o n t h e c o r n e r o f a s t r u c t u r e o f w h a t i s t h e l a u n d r y o f o u r h o u s e and t h e r e I w o u l d p u t t h e g o o d s t o g e t h e r a n d i n t o p a r c e l s w h i c h I would t h e n w r a p u p a n d g e t r e a d y f o r m a i l i n g . I n t h o s e d a y s we u s e d postage stamps, a n d t h i s t u r n e d o u t t o be a complete p a i n because, u n l i k e a P i t n e y Bowes machine, w h e n y o u a r e u s i n g stamps y o u have t o come u p w i t h t h e r i g h t c o m b i n a t i o n t o m a k e t h e p o s t a g e a n d I f o u n d that I a l m o s t never had t h e r i g h t combination and f r e q u e n t l y ended up h a v i n g t o t a k e s e v e r a l p a r c e l s t o t h e P o s t O f f i c e l a c k i n g s o m e part o f t h e postage which I would then buy on t h e spot along w i t h more s t a m p s w h i c h I h o p e d w o u l d k e e p u s o r g a n i z e d f o r t h e n e x t s e v e r a l days. V o l u m e w a s n o t v e r y g r e a t , f o r t u n a t e l y , p e r h a p s f o u r , f i v e o r s i x o r d e r s a d a y. Since we r e a l l y knew v e r y l i t t l e a b o u t t h i s b u s i n e s s , I w a s a l w a y s t r y i n g t o l e a r n s o m e t h i n g . W h e n e v e r I w e n t i n t o P i t t s f i e l d o r some other c i t y, I would stop by a t one o f t h e hardware s t o r e s and t r y t o f i n d a f r i e n d l y c l e r k o r owner who w o u l d c h a t a b o u t h i s b u s i n e s s and w o u l d t e l l me w h i c h p r o d u c t s w e r e m o v i n g a n d w h i c h w e r e n o t a n d i f he knew i t , why and a l s o what about t h e seasonal e f f e c t s . I d o n ' t know w h a t I l e a r n e d , b u t I m u s t h a v e l e a r n e d s o m e t h i n g . I t was a l s o necessary t o l e a r n e v e r y t h i n g about t h e business. S i n c e we k n e w n o t h i n g , w e w e r e i n n o p o s i t i o n t o d e t e r m i n e a t a n y g i v e n moment w h a t r e c o r d s w e r e a l l y n e e d e d , a p a r t f r o m t h o s e w h i c h a r e p a r t of accounting. W e obviously had t o be ready t o pay taxes and things o f t h a t s o r t i f w e e v e r m a d e a n y m o n e y. B u t a l l t h e o t h e r r e c o r d s which m i g h t b e needed i n a m a i l o r d e r o p e r a t i o n o r i n a n y b u s i n e s s were u n k n o w n , s o w e s i m p l y r e c o r d e d e v e r y t h i n g a n d we c o n t i n u e d t o do s u c h t h i n g s o n t h e t h e o r y t h a t w e m i g h t n e e d t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s o m e day a n d w h i l e w e w o u l d n o t s p e n d t h e t i m e o r t h e m o n e y t o c o m p i l e t h i s d a t a , w e a l w a y s made i t a p o l i c y t o c r e a t e t h e b a s i c i n f o r m a t i o n and k e e p i t s o m e w h e r e s o t h a t p r a c t i c a l l y a n y t h i n g w e m i g h t n e e d could be assembled and analyzed. Deland made a m a j o r c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e b u s i n e s s a t t h e o u t s e t . S h e decided t h a t s h e w o u l d t a k e c a r e o f t h e bookkeeping, a b o u t w h i c h I know n o t h i n g , a n d a b o u t w h i c h s h e k n e w n o t h i n g . S o I b o u g h t f o r h e r a m a i l o r d e r course i n bookkeeping from the Massachusetts Department of E d u c a t i o n a n d she p r o c e e d e d t o d o t h e l e s s o n s a s t h e y came i n a n d send t h e m i n t o B o s t o n f o r g r a d i n g a n d s h e d i d v e r y w e l l , o f c o u r s e , and h a s w o r k e d h e r w a y u p f r o m t h i s h u m b l e b e g i n n i n g t o T r e a s u r e r o f t h e B r o o k s t o n e C o m p a n y. I s h o u l d a l s o g i v e h e r c r e d i t b e c a u s e i t w a s she w h o k e p t m e g o i n g o n a n u m b e r o f o c c a s i o n s w h e n I w a s c o m p l e t e l y ready t o t h r o w i n t h e t o w e l . I t i s a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c , s e e m i n g l y, o f this business t h a t i n i t s e a r l i e r stages, e v e r y time revenue increased, so d i d e x p e n s e . I t s e e m e d t o m e t h a t t h e t w o w o u l d n e v e r d i v e r g e , no m a t t e r h o w many t h i n g s w e s o l d . D e l a n d , t h r o u g h s o m e w o m a n ' s i n t u i t i o n , h o w e v e r, t h o u g h t o t h e r w i s e , a n d k e p t me p l o d d i n g a l o n g . �-5We h a d a m a j o r a d v a n t a g e o v e r s o m e p e o p l e w h o h a v e s t a r t e d s m a l l businesses, i n t h a t n e i t h e r o f us had a j o b t o i n t e r f e r e w i t h t h e process o f g e t t i n g g o i n g . T h i s enabled u s t o spend f u l l t i m e o n the business. A n d c e r t a i n l y i t was f u l l . N e v e r t h e l e s s , w e t r i e d to do everything as economically as possible. I f e l t v e r y s t r o n g l y that i f we s h o u l d end up w i t h a f a i l u r e , w e s h o u l d n o t have l o s t a g r e a t d e a l o f m o n e y. W e m i g h t w e l l h a v e i n v e s t e d m o r e m o n e y i n the business, a n d , a s i t t u r n s o u t , t h i s w o u l d have c o n s i d e r a b l y accelerated the growth o f the business but t h i s might w e l l have been r i s k y . I f y o u r e m e m b e r t h a t w e d i d n ' t k n o w a n y t h i n g a b o u t a mail order business o r a business i n t o o l s , i t i s q u i t e p o s s i b l e t h a t h a d we p l u n g e d , i n t h e way o f much l a r g e r m a i l i n g s a n d much l a r g e r s t a f f o f employees, w e m i g h t have moved s o f a s t t h a t we would h a v e r u n r i g h t o f f t h e r a i l s a n d h a d some k i n d o f a w r e c k . As i t i s , t h e a n n u a l s a l e s d o u b l e d e v e r y y e a r , s o p e r h a p s t h a t was f a s t e n o u g h . As s o o n a s t h e b u s i n e s s p r o v e d v i a b l e , I m a d e t h e p h i l o s o p h i c a l d e c i s i o n t h a t I w o u l d make t h e b u s i n e s s g r o w a s q u i c k l y a s I c o u l d without making i t r u n i n t h e r e d . T h e o b j e c t i v e here was t o g e t i t over a c r i t i c a l s i z e , a t w h i c h p o i n t w e c o u l d a f f o r d a management. I l e a r n e d t h o r o u g h l y w e l l i n my e x p e r i e n c e w i t h Navy c o n t r a c t o r s i n WWII, t h a t i f y o u d o n ' t h a v e a m a n a g e m e n t y o u r e a l l y d o n ' t h a v e anything and I c e r t a i n l y f e l t t h a t f r o m the p o i n t o f view from Deland a n d me, t h e i d e a l o b j e c t i v e w o u l d b e a company b i g enough t o s u p p o r t a n a b l e a n d w e l l c o m p e n s a t e d management w h i c h c o u l d run t h e company w i t h o u t u s . T h i s i s t h e u l t i m a t e measure. W e d e f i n i t e l y d i d n o t w a n t t o w i n d u p w i t h a mom a n d p o p o p e r a t i o n which w o u l d c o n t i n u e t o g r i n d a l o n g i n o u r house i n W o r t h i n g t o n . O r i g i n a l l y, my o f f i c e w a s i n t h e f o r m a l p a r l o r i n our house and we u s e d t h e l a u n d r y a s a p a c k i n g r o o m a n d a s a s t o c k r o o m . B u t before long, t h i s proved an inadequate arrangement. A c c o r d i n g l y, we u n d e r t o o k s o m e c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d c o n v e r t e d o n e - t h i r d o f o u r m e d i u m s i z e d b a r n i n t o a home f o r t h e b u s i n e s s . O n t h e g r o u n d f l o o r , I designed a 3 6 ' X 1 5 ' r o o m which h a d s h e l v e s a l o n g one s i d e w i t h lockers below them, a n d designed i t e x a c t l y as I would a l i b r a r y. The t h e o r y w a s t h a t t h i s w o u l d b e e x c e l l e n t f o r t h e b u s i n e s s : w e could keep t h e merchandise on t h e s h e l v e s , a n d do t h e packing o n large t a b l e s i n t h e middle o f t h e room and c o u l d have desks a l o n g the s i d e s and t h i s would contain t h e business f o r a considerable p e r i o d a n d i f t h e b u s i n e s s p r o v e d s u c c e s s f u l a n d moved o u t o f t h e b u i l d i n g , w e w o u l d have t h e l i b r a r y l e f t o v e r f o r o u r own u s e . D i r e c t l y a b o v e t h e l i b r a r y , I b u i l t a n o t h e r r o o m o f t h e same s i z e t o house my o f f i c e a n d workshop i n w h i c h I d i d a l l t h e p r o d u c t t e s t i n g . T h i s room a l s o was generously covered w i t h s he l ve s a l o n g the w a l l s t o s t o r e an e v e r i n c r e a s i n g c o l l e c t i o n o f sample p r o d u c t s of one k i n d o r a n o t h e r. We s t a y e d i n W o r t h i n g t o n u n t i l t h e F a l l o f 1 9 6 9 , a t w h i c h t i m e w e moved t o P e t e r b o r o u g h , N e w H a m p s h i r e . P r i o r t o o u r m o v e t o P e t e r b o r o u g h , I t h i n k t h e maximum n u m b e r o f e m p l o y e e s , a l l g i r l s , b e s i d e s D e l a n d a n d me, w a s a b o u t s i x . W h e n w e moved t o P e t e r b o r o u g h , none o f t h e s e p e o p l e c o u l d m o v e s i n c e t h e y w e r e h o u s e w i v e s w i t h husbands a n d c h i l d r e n i n t h e a r e a o f W o r t h i n g t o n . Why d i d w e m o v e f r o m W o r t h i n g t o n ? W e l l , W o r t h i n g t o n , a s I s a i d , has o n l y a p o p u l a t i o n o f s i x h u n d r e d , m o s t o f w h i c h a r e t r u c k d r i v e r s . �-6There i s a c u r i o u s phenomenon I d i s c o v e r e d a n d t h a t i s t h a t t h e t o w n o f P i t t s f i e l d , s e v e n t e e n m i l e s a w a y, d e s p i t e a p o p u l a t i o n o f 5 5 o r 60 t h o u s a n d , d o e s n o t s u p p l y a n y l a b o r t o a p l a c e l i k e W o r t h i n g t o n . For p s y c h o l o g i c a l r e a s o n s t h e employees i n P i t t s f i e l d w i l l commute from t h e o u t s k i r t s o f P i t t s f i e l d t o P i t t s f i e l d b u s i n e s s e s , b u t t h e y w i l l n o t commute f r o m t h e i r homes t o b u s i n e s s e s o u t i n t h e c o u n t r y. We n e v e r w e r e a b l e t o g e t e n o u g h p e o p l e a n d i t w a s p e r f e c t l y o b v i o u s t h a t i f t h e company was t o g r o w, t h i s w o u l d b e a n i r r e m e d i a b l e d e f i c i e n c y. A l s o , t h e r e a r e n o b u i l d i n g s i n Wo r t h i n g t o n s u i t a b l e for a business l a r g e r t h e n would f i t i n t o o u r 3 6 ' X 15' t w o rooms, and i t s e e m e d f o o l i s h t o b u i l d a b r a n d n e w b u i l d i n g w h e n t h e b u s i n e s s was b a r e l y g e t t i n g o f f t h e g r o u n d . I s h o u l d a d d t h a t w e s t a y e d i n Worthington t o o l o n g as f a r as space i s concerned. To w a r d t h e end, we w e r e p a c k e d i n l i k e s a r d i n e s a n d w e h a d m e r c h a n d i s e l i t e r a l l y a l l over t h e h o u s e . T h e c e l l a r was u s e d f o r s t a i n l e s s s t e e l a n d o t h e r p r o d u c t s t h a t w o u l d n o t r u s t , b e c a u s e i t w a s a l i t t l e damp down t h e r e . We e v e n h a d # 1 1 0 7 H o l d i n g F i x t u r e s , w h i c h w e w e r e b u y i n g i n l a r g e q u a n t i t i e s , s t a c k e d up a l o n g t h e w a l l i n t h e l a u n d r y, a n d s i n c e t h e s e p r o d u c t s w e r e made f o r u s i n J a p a n , t h i s w a s r e f e r r e d t o a s t h e Japanese W a l l . Part o f t h e d a i l y r o u t i n e was t a k i n g t h e m a i l t o t h e P o s t O f f i c e , f o u r a n d a h a l f m i l e s a w a y. T h i s w a s d o n e b y D e l a n d , i n o u r 1 9 6 1 J e e p s t a t i o n wagon and I w o u l d t h r o w t h e bags i n t o t h e back o f t h e Jeep. We h a d n o l o w e r c l a s s e m p l o y e e s e x c e p t o u r s e l v e s . I t w a s a l w a y s a scramble t o get everything f i n i s h e d i n t i m e t o get i t i n t o t h e Jeep and m a k e i t i n t i m e t o t h e P o s t O f f i c e b e c a u s e o u r p o l i c y f r o m t h e very b e g i n n i n g o f t h e company was t o g e t e v e r y s i n g l e o r d e r o u t t h e day i t c a m e i n , a n d w e d i d t h i s w i t h o u t f a i l . T h e p o l i c y a l s o w a s t h a t t h e c u s t o m e r comes f i r s t u n d e r e v e r y c i r c u m s t a n c e , a n d t h i s meant that i f I had t o stay up an e x t r a couple o f hours answering customer correspondence I w o u l d do s o . C u s t o m e r s a n d i n q u i r e r s g o t same d a y service on correspondence too. I n a s i m i l a r w a y, w e d i d e v e r y t h i n g w e c o u l d t o e s t a b l i s h f i r s t c l a s s relationships w i t h our suppliers. W e used s p e c i a l l y designed purchase orders w h i c h we t h o u g h t were a s c l e a r a s p o s s i b l e . A n d we p a i d b i l l s comfortably within the discount period. A c o u p l e o f f u n n y t h i n g s happened d u r i n g t h e s e y e a r s . I n one case, we r e c e i v e d a l e t t e r f r o m a c u s t o m e r w h o l i v e d a c o u p l e h u n d r e d m i l e s a w a y, w h o s a i d t h a t h e s i m p l y c o u n d n o t u n d e r s t a n d h o w w e c o u l d g e t h i s o r d e r t o h i m p r o m p t l y. H e t h e n went t o e x p r e s s h i s o p i n i o n a s t o how t h i n g s w e r e d o n e a t B r o o k s t o n e . H e s a i d w e h a d h i s e m p l o y e e w h o was a s s i g n e d t h e j o b o f f i l l i n g h i s o r d e r . T h i s e m p l o y e e s t o o d a t the door o f t h e establishment, a w a i t i n g t h e morning m a i l . A s soon a s the m a i l a r r i v e d t h i s employee w o u l d seek o u t h i s o r d e r, r u s h i t through t h e works, p a c k i t up p u t o n t h e postage and take i t d i r e c t l y and p e r s o n a l l y t o t h e P o s t O f f i c e . A n o t h e r a m u s i n g i n c i d e n t w a s t h e time when we r e c e i v e d a l e t t e r f r o m a would-be r e q u e s t e r o f o u r c a t a l o g who s a i d t h a t h e h a d b e e n o b s e r v i n g o u r a d v e r t i s e m e n t i n t h e " M o d e l Railroader" f o r q u i t e a l o n g t i m e , a n d he n o t e d t h a t we had d i f f e r e n t addresses i n t h e p a s t t e n months, a n d he was n o t a b o u t t o s e n d t w e n t y cents u n t i l we t o l d him e x a c t l y what t h e a d d r e s s was. O f course, there a r e n o numbers o n R i v e r Road, a n d t h e s e addresses were m e r e l y response k e y s f o r t h e v a r i o u s a d s . S i n c e w e w e r e t r y i n g t o b u i l d a r e a s o n a b l e s i z e d c o m p a n y, t h e o n e �-7t h a t w o u l d h a v e t h a t g o o d management I m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r , w e d i d e v e r y t h i n g we c o u l d t o p r o v i d e room f o r e x p a n s i o n i n t h e way we ran t h e b u s i n e s s . I n o t h e r words, o u r procedures, f o r m s a n d v a r i o u s methods o f c o n d u c t i n g t h e b u s i n e s s w e r e d e s i g n e d a s much t o d e a l with t h e day t o day requirements as t o f u l f i l l t h e needs o f t h e future w i t h o u t m a j o r changes. I am happy t o s a y t h a t Brookstone s t i l l operates i n many o f t h e ways t h a t we d i d f r o m t h e v e r y b e g i n n i n g . A n o t h e r common q u e s t i o n i s w h y d i d y o u p i c k P e t e r b o r o u g h ? T h e a n s w e r to t h i s i s t h a t s i n c e we were d o i n g a g r e a t d e a l o f i m p o r t i n g , i t seemed t o m e t h a t w e s h o u l d b e i n o r n e a r B o s t o n . A t a b o u t t h e same t i m e , R i c h a r d G i l b e r t h a d b e e n h i r e d a s G e n e r a l M a n a g e r , b e c a u s e the b u s i n e s s h a d grown t o t h e p o i n t where I f e l t t h a t we s h o u l d h a v e someone h e l p i n g i n t h e m a n a g e m e n t . S o D i c k G i l b e r t w a s g i v e n t h e job o f s e e k i n g a l o c a t i o n . R e m e m b e r, I was s t i l l w o r k i n g t w e l v e h o u r s a d a y, s e v e n d a y s a week, s o t h e r e was n o t i m e f o r me t o d o i t . A l l o f a s u d d e n , D i c k t o l d me o n e d a y t h a t h e h a d b e e n t o P e t e r b o r o u g h , New H a m p s h i r e , a n d t h o u g h t i t w a s a g r e a t p l a c e t o p u t o u r b u s i n e s s . I was n o t v e r y pleased, because i t was q u i t e a d i s t a n c e f r o m Boston, and, o n a s k i n g h i m , I d i s c o v e r e d i t w a s a l s o a v e r y s m a l l p l a c e . Since we h a d h a d b a d l u c k w i t h t h e s m a l l n e s s o f W o r t h i n g t o n , i n c l u d i n g such a m a j o r f a c t o r a s t r u c k s n o t d e l i v e r i n g t o o u r a d d r e s s i n Wo r t h i n g t o n a n d f r e q u e n t l y l e a v i n g o u r s h i p m e n t s many m i l e s a w a y, I was h a r d l y p l e a s e d a t t h e p r o s p e c t o f r e p e a t i n g t h i s k i n d o f t h i n g . Nevertheless, I d r o v e u p t o Peterborugh t o t a k e a l o o k a t i t , a n d was immediately d e l i g h t e d . T h e d i f f e r e n c e between t h e two towns i s unbelievable, a n d a l l i n t h e f a v o r o f Peterborough. I t was obvious that Peterborough would be a d e l i g h t f u l place f o r our executives and employees t o l i v e , t h a t w e w o u l d g e t p a r t i c u l a r l y g o o d e m p l o y e e s a n d t h a t P e t e r b o r o u g h was b y n o means t o o s m a l l f o r B r o o k s t o n e . A n d h a p p i l y, s u c h h a s p r o v e n t o b e t h e c a s e . We s t a r t e d o u t w i t h s o m e t h i n g l i k e a q u a r t e r o f t h e t o p f l o o r o f t h e American G u e r n s e y C a t t l e C l u b o n M a i n S t r e e t i n P e t e r b o r o u g h , a n d i t seemed t o u s a t t h e t i m e t h a t t h i s a r e a w o u l d l a s t u s f o r q u i t e a while. T h e C a t t l e Club t o l d us t h a t we c o u l d e v e n t u a l l y have t h e entire f l o o r, w h i c h they were o n l y using f o r unimportant storage, s o we t h o u g h t w e h a d a t l e a s t t e n y e a r s o r m o r e o f e x p a n s i o n r o o m i n t h e Cattle Club. T h i s t u r n e d o u t t o be e n t i r e l y wrong, a n d i t was n o t too many y e a r s b e f o r e we h a d t o b u i l d a b u i l d i n g o f o u r own, w h i c h has m o r e f l o o r s p a c e i n i t t h a n t h e e n t i r e C a t t l e C l u b b u i l d i n g d o e s . H o w e v e r, w e w e r e v e r y f o r t u n a t e t o g e t i n t o t h e C a t t l e C l u b . P h y s i c a l l y , the b u i l d i n g i s a v e r y a t t r a c t i v e c l a s s i c a l Greek s t y l e b u i l d i n g i n red b i r c k , a b o u t 5 0 ' w i d e a n d 2 0 0 ' l o n g a n d f o u r s t o r i e s h i g h a n d i t backs i n t o t h e l a r g e p a r k i n g l o t w h i c h a l s o b a c k s i n t o b o t h t h e b a n k and t h e P o s t O f f i c e , s o i t w a s e x t r e m e l y c o n v e n i e n t f r o m a n o p e r a t i n g p o i n t o f v i e w . A d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e C a t t l e C l u b h a d a c o m p u t e r, w h i c h we l a t e r b e g a n t o u s e f o r o u r m a i l i n g l i s t a n d f o r o t h e r p u r p o s e s . And a d d i t i o n a l l y , t h e m a n a g e m e n t o f t h e C a t t l e C l u b w a s e x t r e m e l y kind t o Brookstone and l e t u s have, f o r l i t t l e o r no consideration, a number o f e x t r e m e l y handy t h i n g s l i k e t y p e w r i t e r s , t a b l e s a n d other odds and ends which we needed v e r y b a d l y. I t was a l l a l i t t l e b i t r o u g h when we moved t o Peterborough i n F a l l o f 1969. W e h a d a mover come down f r o m P e t e r b o r o u g h a n d h e gathered u p e v e r y t h i n g we h a d h e r e a n d moved u s o v e r t h e weekend we were t r y i n g t o make t h e move w i t h a s l i t t l e d i s t u r b a n c e a s f a r a s f u l f i l l i n g c u s t o m e r s o r d e r s was c o n c e r n e d a n d we came f a i r l y c l o s e . �-8D i c k G i l b e r t , o u r new G e n e r a l M a n a g e r, h a d u n f o r t u n a t e l y n o t b e e n able t o r e p o r t f o r w o r k a t Wo r t h i n g t o n ahead o f t h e move, a n d s o had n o t b e e n i n d o c t r i n a t e d t o B r o o k s t o n e ' s w a y o f d o i n g b u s i n e s s . He d i d h a v e m a i l o r d e r e x p e r i e n c e , f r o m B r e c k ' s o f B o s t o n , b u t B r e c k ' s was n o t r u n t h e same a s B r o o k s t o n e . A t a n y r a t e , D i c k h a d the handicap o f h a v i n g t o s e t u p e v e r y t h i n g i n Peterborough f o r a company f o r w h i c h i n e f f e c t h e h a d n e v e r w o r k e d f o r , a n d h e a l s o h a d a hundred percent green employees, none o f which had ever worked w i t h Brookstone o r w i t h h i m b e f o r e . I t was q u i t e a scramble. D e l a n d and I moved t o P e t e r b o r o u g h , a l t h o u g h we a c t u a l l y s t a y e d o u t o f t o w n , and s p e n t t h e w i n t e r u p t h e r e h e l p i n g g e t t h i n g s g o i n g a g a i n . I n the course o f a l l o f t h i s , o u r p r i n t e r a l s o p u t a wrench i n o u r spokes by m a i l i n g o u r e n t i r e l i s t a l l a t o n c e . W e h a d a s k e d f o r a s t a g g e r e d m a i l i n g , s o t h a t we w o u l d n o t h a v e a n overwhelming wave o f o r d e r s t o handle w h i l e we were m o v i n g i n t o o u r new q u a r t e r s i n P e t e r b o r o u g h , but somebody dropped t h e b a l l a n d m a i l e d e v e r y t h i n g a t t h e same t i m e . We w e r e s w a m p e d . N e v e r t h e l e s s w e m a n a g e d t o g e t m o s t o f t h e o r d e r s out t h e same d a y, r e g a r d l e s s . As I s a i d , w e t r i e d t o d o e v e r y t h i n g a s e c o n o m i c a l l y a s p o s s i b l e . W e never b o u g h t a n y t h i n g n e w. A l l o u r d e s k s , c h a i r s , t y p e w r i t e r s a n d adding machines were b a r g a i n s s o u g h t o u t a t o d d p l a c e s . B r o o k s t o n e s t i l l uses t h e candy s c a l e which we bought i n S p r i n g f i e l d f r o m a dealer i n s c a l e s f o r g r o c e r y s t o r e s because n o t o n l y was i t c o n s i d e r a b l y c h e a p e r t h a n a r e g u l a r P i t n e y Bowes w e i g h i n g s c a l e f o r m a i l i n g parcels, b u t i t was a c t u a l l y more c o n v e n i e n t a n d more a c c u r a t e . F o r heavy p a r c e l s w e u s e d a n o l d P o s t O f f i c e s c a l e w h i c h w a s l o a n e d t o us b y t h e l o c a l P o s t O f f i c e , s i n c e t h e y h a d a m o r e m o d e r n o n e . W e t r i e d t o be economical i n every r e s p e c t . F o r example, I would go t o c o n s i d e r a b l e l e n g t h s t o t e s t s p a c e a d v e r t i s i n g b y means o f c l a s s i f i e d ads w h i c h w e r e w r i t t e n s o t i g h t l y t h a t t h e y o c c u p p i e d h a r d l y a n y space a t a l l . I t i s e x p e n s i v e t o u s e a k e y i n a c l a s s i f i e d a d because y o u a r e p a y i n g b y t h e w o r d . S o , t o r e d u c e t h i s e x p e n s e , I concocted some k e y s b y s p e l l i n g B r o o k s t o n e i n v a r i o u s w a y s s u c h a s Bookstone o r B o o k s t o r e o r B r o k s t o n e a n d s i m i l a r v a r i a t i o n s . F o r t u n a t e l y, w e d o n ' t h a v e s t r e e t numbers o n R i v e r Road, s o we n e v e r had t o p a y f o r a s t r e e t n u m b e r . We e v e n s a v e d m o n e y o n s o m e o f o u r p r i n t i n g . I d i s c o v e r e d t h a t w e c o u l d become a d e a l e r i n b u s i n e s s f o r m s a n d g e t t h e m w h o l e s a l e , s o we d i d , a n d w e w e r e t h e o n l y c u s t o m e r . We a l s o s a v e d a p i l e o f m o n e y b y d o i n g o u r o w n p h o t o g r a p h y . U n f o r t u n a t e l y, I d i d n o t have a v i e w camera a n d had t o d o t h e w h o l e t h i n g w i t h my H a s s e l b l a d . T h i s i s a v e r y f i n e c a m e r a b u t i t i s n o t d e s i g n e d for closeup photography o f products t o go i n t o a catalog. H o w e v e r, i t d i d t h e j o b . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h i s r e q u i r e d t a k i n g some o f t h e shots a s o f t e n a s f i f t e e n o r t w e n t y t i m e s u n t i l t h e r e s u l t was a c c e p t a b l e . Yo u s e e , p a r t o f t h e t r o u b l e w a s t h a t I a m n o t a n a r t i s t , a n d t h e r e f o r e I was n o t a b l e t o do a s good a j o b o f r e t o u c h i n g as I m i g h t have. I had e i g h t y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e a s a m e c h a n i c a l d r a f t s m a n a n d w a s a b l e to do t h e necessary as f a r as s t r a i g h t l i n e s a r e concerned o r those which c o u l d b e f i t t e d a r o u n d f r e n c h c u r v e s , b u t t o a t t e m p t t o u s e an a i r b r u s h t o c h a n g e t h e l i g h t i n g o n a p r o d u c t w a s o u t o f t h e q u e s t i o n . The p o l i c y o n i l l u s t r a t i o n s w a s t h a t t h e y s h o u l d b e a s s h a r p a s possible and p e r f e c t l y honest. I n o t h e r words what I was t r y i n g t o do w i t h b o t h t h e p h o t o g r a p h s a n d t h e c o p y f o r t h e c a t a l o g w a s t o m a k e up f o r t h e f a c t t h a t t h e c u s t o m e r w a s a t a d i s t a n c e h e w o u l d h a v e �- 9 -- preferred, o f course, t o have examined t h e products p h y s i c a l l y and t o h a v e made t h e p u r c h a s e f a c e - t o - f a c e o v e r t h e c o u n t e r a n d I f e l t t h a t we s h o u l d t r y t o a p p r o a c h t h a t c o n d i t i o n a s much a s p o s s i b l e . We d e v i s e d v a r i o u s w a y s t o k e e p t r a c k o f t h i n g s . F o r i n s t a n c e t h e catalogs a l l h a d p r e f i x e s t o t h e c a t a l o g numbers. T h e o r i g i n a l catalog, f o r i n s t a n c e , c o n t a i n e d c a t a l o g numbers p r e f i x e d b y 65A. This meant t h a t t h i s was t h e f i r s t c a t a l o g o f 1965. I was o p t i m i s t i c enough, i n t h o s e d a y s , t o t h i n k I m i g h t g e t o u t m o r e t h a n o n e c a t a l o g in a y e a r, i f y o u can b e l i e v e i t . T h e f a c t i s t h a t I d i d n ' t g e t o u t the n e x t one t i l 1967, a n d I worked l i k e a dog t o accomplish t h a t . The i d e a o f t h e p r e f i x t o t h e c a t a l o g n u m b e r w a s t o b e a b l e t o i d e n t i f y a customer o r d e r a s t o what c a t a l o g h e was o r d e r i n g f r o m without asking him t o provide t h i s information. We w e r e e x t r e m e l y h a n d i c a p p e d b y o u r s m a l l s i z e . F o r i n s t a n c e , l o t s o f vendors would not supply us w i t h products because our o r d e r s were t o o l i t t l e . T h e E m p i r e B r u s h Company i s n o n g r a t a a t B r o o k s t o n e because when we p u t o u t o u r f i r s t c a t a l o g we h a d o n e o f t h e i r w i r e brushes i n i t a n d when I p l a c e d t h e o r d e r t h e y r e f u s e d i t because i t was t o o s m a l l , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t I had p r e v i o u s l y checked w i t h t h e m a s t o w h a t t h e i r minimum o r d e r was. I d o u b t v e r y much that anyone w i l l p u t an Empire brush i n o u r c a t a l o g again. A n o t h e r headache w a s t h e f a c t t h a t w e h a d n o Dun & B r a d s t r e e t l i s t i n g o r r a t i n g and l o t s o f people f e l t we were n o t even worth answering when w e s e n t i n i n q u i r i e s . A c l a s s i c e x a m p l e w a s t h e P e t e r s o n M a n u f a c t u r i n g C o m p a n y, m a k e r s o f t h e f a m o u s l i n e o f v i s e - g r i p t o o l s , t o whom I w r o t e w h e n w e w e r e i n t h e e a r l y s t a g e s o f c r e a t i n g t h e f i r s t c a t a l o g , a s k i n g t h a t t h e y send a catalog and p r i c e s . T h e r e p l y, a l m o s t w o r d f o r word, w a s t h a t t h e y c o u l d g i v e u s n o c o n s i d e r a t i o n u n l e s s we s e n t them t h r e e t r a d e r e f e r e n c e s a n d one bank reference. T h i s d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t a l l we h a d a s k e d f o r was a catalog and p r i c e s . L a t e r we began t o b e hounded b y Dun & B r a d s t r e e t wanting a l l s o r t s o f i n f o r m a t i o n w h i c h we d i d n o t w a n t t o d i v u l g e . The r e a s o n w e d i d n o t w a n t t o d i v u l g e i t w a s t h a t t h e n u m b e r s w e r e so t i n y t h a t w e f e l t t h a t w e w o u l d s i m p l y b e l a u g h e d a t a n d t h a t we w o u l d n o t b e l o o k e d u p o n f a v o r a b l y b y a n y o n e w h o g o t a D & B report on us. A n o t h e r q u e s t i o n t h a t i s a s k e d i s h o w d i d y o u manage t o c o r r e s p o n d w i t h a l l t h e European and o t h e r f o r e i g n s u p p l i e r s w i t h t h e language? The a n s w e r i s t h a t I h a v e s p o k e n F r e n c h s i n c e I w a s a c h i l d , a n d a t v a r i o u s s t a g e s o f m y l i f e I h a v e a l s o s p o k e n German a n d S p a n i s h a n d have d o n e some t r a n s l a t i n g f r o m I t a l i a n . S o I w a s a b l e t o g e t a l o n g w e l l enough. T h i s was n o t t o s a y t h a t f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e business I c o u l d w r i t e l e t t e r s i n any o f t h e s e languages o r e a s i l y read r e p l i e s i n t h e s e l a n g u a g e s . W h a t I mean i s t h a t m o s t o f them c o u l d h a n d l e E n g l i s h , s o m e w e l l some p o o r l y , a n d my p r o b l e m was p r i m a r i l y a r o u n d t h e q u e s t i o n o f r e a d i n g t h e i r c a t a l o g s , w h i c h I managed t o d o w i t h a s m a l l c o l l e c t i o n o f d i c t i o n a r i e s a n d my r e c o l l e c t i o n s o f t h e s e v a r i o u s l a n g u a g e s . I d i d do some c o r r e s p o n d ing i n French, which I can do i n e i t h e r d i r e c t i o n , b u t I can not do s o i n t h e o t h e r l a n g u a g e s . �-10- We w e r e a b l e q u i t e e a r l y t o g e t s o m e e x c l u s i v e p r o d u c t s f o r o u r s e l v e s . T h e o u t s t a n d i n g e x a m p l e i s p r o b a b l y t h e # 11 0 7 H o l d i n g F i x t u r e . T h i s was o r i g i n a l l y purchased f r o m one o f t h e d i s t r i b u t o r s o f t o o l s f o r j e w e l e r s , a n d was made somewhere i n t h i s c o u n t r y. H o w e v e r, w e w e r e n e v e r a b l e t o l o c a t e t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r . E v e n t u a l l y , in t h e course o f scouting around f o r products we ran across a Japanese m a n u f a c t u r e r o f j e w e l e r s ' t o o l s , a n d t h e n d i s c o v e r e d t h a t he w o u l d b e w i l l i n g t o m a k e t h e # 1 1 0 7 f o r u s . A c c o r d i n g l y , I asked f o r a number o f i m p r o v e m e n t s i n t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e p r o d u c t , and t h e r e s u l t w a s t h a t w e h a d b y f a r t h e b e s t h o l d i n g f i x t u r e in the business, and a t a considerably lower p r i c e as w e l l . T h i s continues t o t h e p r e s e n t d a y. We h a d q u i t e a l o t o f t r o u b l e w i t h d o m e s t i c m a n u f a c t u r e r s n o t a n s w e r i n g o u r i n q u i r i e s . T h i s p u z z l e d me c o n s i d e r a b l y , a n d I c o u l d hardly t h i n k t h a t a l l o f them were s o c a r e f u l about c r e d i t m a t t e r s that t h e y l o o k e d up each and e v e r y i n q u i r y i n Dun & B r a d s t r e e t a n d i n s t r u c t e d t h e i r salesmen a c c o r d i n g l y. A f t e r c o n s i d e r a b l e research t h e m y s t e r y w a s f i n a l l y c l e a r e d u p . I t w o r k s t h i s w a y. T h e s a l e s manager i s t o o i m p o r t a n t t o w o r r y a b o u t t h e d a y t o d a y b u s i n e s s . He i s o u t p l a y i n g g o l f . S o h i s s e c r e t a r y i s g i v e n t h e j o b o f sending a n y i n q u i r i e s t h a t come i n o u t t o t h e salesmen, o r m a n u f a c t u r e r ' s r e p a s t h e case may b e . T h e s e men, i n t u r n , l o o k at t h e a d d r e s s , a n d i f i t i s i n a n i n c o n v e n i e n t p a r t o f t h e i r t e r r i t o r y , t h e y t h r o w t h e i n q u i r y a w a y, k n o w i n g p e r f e c t l y w e l l t h a t t h e s a l e s manager i s t o o b u s y p l a y i n g g o l f e v e r t o f o l l o w u p as t o w h a t h a p p e n e d t o a n y i n q u i r y . A t a n y r a t e , t h i s w a s e x t r e m e l y f r u s t r a t i n g , because l i t e r a l l y hundreds o f o u r l e t t e r s went unanswered. Speaking o f t h e i n c i d e n c e o f d i s a p p o i n t m e n t , i t was a l w a y s e x t r e m e l y high because we had r a t h e r h i g h s t a n d a r d s f o r o u r p r o d u c t s . I t would g o s o m e t h i n g l i k e t h i s . I w o u l d w r i t e , l e t u s s a y, f i f t y letters t o assorted would-be suppliers world wide. T h e s e were people who manufactured something o r o t h e r w h i c h I t h o u g h t h a d some k i n d o f p o t e n t i a l , o r t h e y w e r e g e n e r a l m a n u f a c t u r e r s o f tools, a n d I hoped I would f i n d something i n t e r e s t i n g i n t h e i r catalogs. O f t h e f i f t y o r so l e t t e r s , I would get perhaps ten r e p l i e s and then I would go through t h e i r catalogs and p r i c e l i s t s a n d p e r h a p s o r d e r t w o s a m p l e s a n d when t h e samples f i n a l l y arrived i n t h e morning m a i l , which was always a high p o i n t o f the d a y, I w o u l d e a g e r l y unwrap t h e p a r c e l s , much l i k e a c h i l d a t Christmas, a n d i n v a r i a b l y, l e t u s s a y, o n e o f t h e two would be a n absolute dog. T h e o t h e r would l o o k q u i t e promising so I would r u n up t o m a y w o r k s h o p a n d p u t i t t o i m m e d i a t e u s e t o s e e h o w w e l l i t worked, a n d most o f t h e t i m e i t d i d n ' t w o r k w e l l enough a n d d i d n ' t make t h e grade i n t o t h e c a t a l o g . �- 11 That B r o o k s t o n e i s j u s t g e t t i n g i n t o t h e s t o r e b u s i n e s s , a n d j u s t g e t t i n g i n t o t h e g i f t c a t a l o g b u s i n e s s , d o e s n o t mean t h a t these a r e new i d e a s . R i g h t f r o m t h e o u t s e t , I f e l t t h a t we were p o s s i b l y m a k i n g a m i s t a k e i n s e t t i n g u p a company t o s e l l p r o d u c t s t o men, w h i c h i s i n h e r e n t i n s e l l i n g t o o l s . I s a i d t o Deland a number o f t i m e s t h a t w e w e r e w o r k i n g o n t h e w r o n g e n d o f t h e b a n k a c c o u n t a n d t h a t w e s h o u l d b e s e l l i n g t h e women, who h a v e a l l t h e m o n e y. O r a t l e a s t t h e y s p e n d i t . A s f o r t h e store we had i n e f f e c t had one f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g because we had f r o m t h e o u t s e t q u i t e a w a l k - i n t r a d e . T h e n u m b e r o f p e o p l e and t h e n u m b e r o f d o l l a r s w a s n o t v e r y e x c i t i n g , s i n c e t h e b u s i n e s s w a s t i n y a n y w a y, b u t p r i m a r i l y b e c a u s e W o r t h i n g t o n i s r e a l l y o f f t h e map a n d a l o n g w a y f o r a l m o s t a n y o n e t o come. Besides w h i c h , w e d i d n ' t have a n y l a r g e number o f p e o p l e i n t h e country who knew a n y t h i n g a b o u t u s a t a l l . B u t we c e r t a i n l y s t r o n g l y b e l i e v e d we c o u l d e v e n t u a l l y g e t i n t o t h e s t o r e b u s i n e s s . We d i d n ' t d o i t i m m e d i a t e l y h e r e b e c a u s e i t d i d n ' t s e e m p r a c t i c a l because o f t h e l o c a t i o n , a n d s i m i l a r t h i n k i n g p r e v a i l e d a t Peterborough u n t i l we g o t t o b e o f f a i r s i z e u p t h e r e . Part o f t h e b a s i c philosophy f r o m t h e v e r y beginning was t h a t we d i d n o t k n o w w h e t h e r B r o o k s t o n e w o u l d b e a n i n d u s t r i a l s u p p l i e r o f t o o l s o r a consumer s u p p l i e r o f t o o l s o r b o t h . S i n c e I am a great b e l i e v e r i n l e t t i n g t h e market p l a c e t e l l you what t h e answers a r e , I d e c i d e d t h a t w e w o u l d s i m p l y o f f e r t h e b e s t t o o l s we c o u l d f i n d a n d n o t s e t t h e b u s i n e s s u p i n e i t h e r d i r e c t i o n . The r e s u l t w a s t h a t w e d i d a c o n s i d e r a b l e c o m m e r c i a l b u s i n e s s from t h e o u t s e t a n d I am s t i l l n o t s u r e b u t t h a t we m i g h t have been w e l l a d v i s e d t o g o c o m m e r c i a l f r o m t h e o u t s e t . I t h i n k i f I had t o do i t over again, I would have produced two catalogs one f o r t h e i n d u s t r i a l s a l e s a n d o n e f o r t h e c o n s u m e r. A p r o b l e m we r a n i n t o i n t h i s r e s p e c t i s t h a t c o n s u m e r p r i c e s a r e u s u a l l y higher than i n d u s t r i a l n e t . T h e reason f o r t h i s i s t h a t i n d u s t r i a l companies a r e e x p e c t e d t o o r d e r m o r e , a n d more f r e q u e n t l y , a n d thus t h e y g e t l o w e r p r i c e s . S o my p r o b l e m was, h o w t o s e l l i n one c a t a l o g a t t w o p r i c e s . T h e o n l y a n s w e r I w a s a b l e t o t h i n k o f was t o o f f e r o u r p r o d u c t s a t s o much f o r a n o r d e r o f o n l y o n e and a l o w e r p r i c e i f y o u o r d e r e d t h r e e o r m o r e . T h e r e a s o n f o r p i c k i n g t h r e e was t h a t I f e l t t h a t i f I o f f e r e d i t f o r t w o o r more, n e i g h b o r s m i g h t g e t t o g e t h e r o n me a n d I w o u l d g i v e i n d u s t r i a l n e t t o consumers who s h o u l d have p a i d l i s t . A v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g outcome o f t h i s p r i c i n g s y s t e m was t h a t w h i l e i t d i d n ' t seem t o have any p a r t i c u l a r l y g r e a t e f f e c t o n o u r i n d u s t r i a l business, i t seemed t o d o v e r y w e l l w i t h t h e consumers. E v i d e n t l y the i d e a o f b u y i n g t h r e e o f something, w h e t h e r t h e y needed i t o r not, a t a comparative bargain, was i r r e s i s t i b l e . We a l w a y s t r i e d t o d o e v e r y t h i n g a s w e l l a s p o s s i b l e , a s thoroughly as possible and as completely as possible and as e f f i c i e n t l y a s p o s s i b l e . I d o n ' t mean t h i s i n a s e n s e o f b r a g g i n g because I ' m s u r e we w e r e u n a b l e t o d o i t t h a t w a y 100%, b u t my theory o f managing a business i s t h a t y o u s h o u l d compete w i t h t h e competition n o t i n j u s t one o r two ways, s u c h as p r i c e o r product or s t y l e , b u t y o u should compete w i t h them on e v e r y p o s s i b l e f r o n t or l e v e l t h a t you possibly can. I n o t h e r words, f o r instance, you h a v e a m o r e a t t r a c t i v e l e t t e r h e a d , y o u r b i l l i n g p r o c e d u r e s are more e f f e c t i v e , y o u have b e t t e r r e l a t i o n s w i t h y o u r s u p p l i e r s , �-12you h a v e b e t t e r r e l a t i o n s w i t h y o u r c u s t o m e r s , y o u h a v e a b e t t e r looking b u i l d i n g , y o u keep i t c l e a n e r, y o u h i r e b e t t e r people, you s i m p l y , i n a w o r d , d o e v e r y s i n g l e t h i n g y o u c a n t h i n k o f a l i t t l e b i t b e t t e r and a l l these f r a c t i o n s o f a percent o f advantage o v e r t h e n e x t g u y w i l l r e a l l y a d d u p t o s o m e t h i n g i n the end. I ' m p r o b a b l y t h e o n l y s m a l l company p r e s i d e n t w i t h i n a f e w y a r d s o f h e r e w h o i s h a p p y t o b e u n n e c e s s a r y. T h i s w a s a d e l i b e r a t e p o l i c y , I f e l t t h a t w e c o u l d n o t h a v e a p r o p e r management i n t h i s company, a n d p r o p e r c o n t i n u a n c e a f t e r my e v e n t u a l r e t i r e m e n t , i f I c o n t i n u e d t o b e e s s e n t i a l t o t h e b u s i n e s s . I w a n t e d v e r y much t o become u n n e c e s s a r y b y v i r t u e o f a c q u i r i n g a management t h a t could g e t a l o n g w e l l w i t h o u t me. I t h a s a l s o been t h e company's policy from the outset t o constantly experiment. T h e s e e x p e r i ments r u n i n v a r i o u s d i r e c t i o n s . F o r i n s t a n c e , o n e o f t h e f i r s t experiments we r a n h e r e a t W o r t h i n g t o n was w h e t h e r o r n o t we should i n s u r e p a r c e l s . W e d i d n ' t g u e s s a t i t , w e s i m p l y k e p t t r a c k o f t h e number o f p a r c e l s a n d t h e i n s u r a n c e t h a t w o u l d h a v e been p a i d h a d we i n s u r e d t h e m a n d t h e e v e n t u a l n u m b e r o f c l a i m s , t h e i r v a l u e , a n d we s i m p l y c o m p a r e d t h e c o s t w i t h t h e e x p e n s e s . The o u t c o m e w a s t h a t i t w o u l d h a v e c o s t u s t e n t i m e s a s m u c h t o insure t h e p a r c e l s as i t would have s i m p l y t o pay t h e l o s s e s o u r s e l v e s , a n d t h i s i s t h e way i t ' s been e v e r s i n c e . B r o o k s t o n e continues t o keep t e s t i n g a l l k i n d s o f t h i n g s b o t h as t o i n t e r n a l o p e r a t i o n a n d m e t h o d s , a n d a s t o v a r i o u s means o f p r o m o t i o n . The d a y w h e n t h e company s t o p s a l o t o f t h i s e x p e r i m e n t i n g w i l l be t h e d a y w h e n i t b e g i n s t o d i e . We s t a r t e d o u t p r o m o t i n g t h e b u s i n e s s e n t i r e l y b y s p a c e a d v e r t i s ing, p r i m a r i l y because i t worked. I t worked e x t r e m e l y w e l l f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s a n d we e v e n made money o n i t a n d w e a c q u i r e d q u i t e a number o f names t h e r e b y , a n d c o n v e r t e d a n u m b e r o f t h e m t o customers. T h e r e a s o n we d i d n ' t g o i n t o l i s t s , a t l e a s t i n i t i a l l y, i s t h a t we were t o o s m a l l t o be o f any i n t e r e s t t o any l i s t b r o k e r s . I n f a c t , o n e o f t h e m o s t w e l l known b r o k e r s i n t h e business, w r o t e u s a l e t t e r i n t h e e a r l y s t a g e s o f t h e b u s i n e s s , when w e w e r e c o r r e s p o n d i n g a b o u t s o m e p o s s i b l e l i s t t o t e s t , t h a t they were d i s c o n t i n u i n g s e r v i c e , b e c a u s e o n r e f l e c t i o n i t became a p p a r e n t t o t h e m t h a t B r o o k s t o n e w o u l d n e v e r n e e d e n o u g h names to be o f any i n t e r e s t t o them. I would n o t b e s u r p r i s e d i f a t p r e s e n t w e r e n t e n o u g h names i n a n d o u t t o e x c e e d t h e e n t i r e volume o f b u s i n e s s t h a t b r o k e r i s d o i n g . As I t h i n k o f i t , w i t h c u r r e n t e x p e r i e n c e , I a m r e a l l y s u r p r i s e d t h a t we w e r e a b l e t o s t a r t t h i s b u s i n e s s f r o m s c r a t c h . I f y o u r e a l i z e t h e i m p o r t a n c e t o a m a i l o r d e r company o f i t s l i s t , a n d remember t h a t w e h a d t o s t a r t w i t h n o names a t a l l , I t h i n k i t is a l i t t l e b i t miraculous. I s h o u l d a d d t h a t I d i d a l l t h e a d v e r t i s i n g . W e h a d t h e same t r o u b l e w i t h t h e a d v e r t i s i n g a g e n c i e s a s we d i d w i t h l i s t b r o k e r s . We w e r e t o o s m a l l , a n d o f n o i n t e r e s t t o t h e m w h a t s o e v e r. T h e only ones t h a t would pay any a t t e n t i o n t o u s i n t h e e a r l y d a y s , were s o i n c o m p e t e n t t h a t i t w a s o b v i o u s t h a t e v e n a n i n s i g n i f i c a n t customer w a s h e l p f u l t o t h e m . S o a s I s a y , I w r o t e a l l t h e a d s , placed a l l t h e ads, m a i n t a i n e d t h e schedule and t h i s worked o u t �-13q u i t e w e l l . H o w e v e r , w e d i d n o t g e t b a c k t h e 15% c o m m i s s i o n ; the p u b l i c a t i o n s merely pocketed t h a t , w h i c h o f course t h e y were e n t i t l e d t o do. I n e v e r t h o u g h t we were b i g enough t o s e t u p a f a l s e a d v e r t i s i n g a g e n c y o f o u r own, a s h a v e some o f t h e m a i l order companies t h a t a r e now o f about o u r s i z e . We w e r e b a b e s i n t h e w o o d s a t t h e m e e t i n g s o f t h e M a i l A d v e r t i s i n g C l u b a n d t h e New E n g l a n d M a i l O r d e r A s s o c i a t i o n , o f w h i c h I am n o w p r e s i d e n t . I t w a s v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g t o u s t o b e a b l e t o rub e l b o w s w i t h a l l t h e s e e x p e r t m a i l o r d e r o p e r a t o r s , w h o h a d a l l t h e answers t o a l l t h e questions t h a t we c o u l d pose. T h e y were v e r y k i n d t o u s a n d I t h i n k t h a t m e m b e r s h i p i n t h e s e o r g a n i zations was a v i t a l t h i n g i n o u r e d u c a t i o n s . I t h i n k another t h i n g t h a t was good f o r us was t h e f a c t t h a t I had n o t o n l y p e r s o n a l l y t e s t e d i n a c t u a l u s e e v e r y t o o l t h a t ever went i n t o o u r c a t a l o g s , b u t a l s o I h a d had, a s i t happens, such a w i d e d i v e r s i t y o f e x p e r i e n c e i n u s i n g t o o l s m y s e l f f o r almost e v e r y c o n c e i v a b l e purpose, t h a t none o f t h e s e t o o l s t h a t appeared w e r e i n a n y w a y s t r a n g e t o me o r i n d o u b t a s t o t h e i r u t i l i t y . L o o k i n g a t some o t h e r p e o p l e i n t h e c a t a l o g b u s i n e s s I c a n s e e t h a t a g o o d many o f t h e m e v i d e n t l y d o n o t k n o w t h e i r p r o d u c t s t o o w e l l a n d i n t o o many c a s e s h a v e n o t t e s t e d them. I am o f t e n asked b y what magic d o I s e l e c t p r o d u c t s f o r o u r catalogs, o r b y what magic d o we c o l l e c t i v e l y s e l e c t p r o d u c t s for our catalog so that they are successful. I t e l l them that in f a c t we a r e n o t s u c c e s s f u l , w e a r e m o s t l y unsuccessful. I t was a n i n t e r e s t i n g p o i n t , I t h i n k , i n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e c o m p a n y, when o u r n e w e m p l o y e e s i n P e t e r b o r o u g h , a c o u p l e o f y e a r s a g o , were g e t t i n g a l i t t l e t o o b i g f o r t h e i r p a n t s a n d w e r e b e g i n n i n g t o make pronouncements a s t o w h i c h o f t h e p r o p o s e d p r o d u c t s w o u l d s e l l a n d w h i c h would n o t , w i t h , I t h o u g h t , much t o o much s e l f assurance. S o I i n s t i t u t e d a r a t i n g system i n w h i c h each p r o d u c t t h a t was approved a t a p r o d u c t m e e t i n g was v o t e d upon a s t o i t s future success i n t h e next catalog. T h i s v e r y d r a m a t i c a l l y and c o n c l u s i v e l y proved t h a t none o f u s knew what we were t a l k i n g about a n d t h a t we a v e r a g e d a b o u t t w o t h i r d s w r o n g . A n d t h e r e was no m e m b e r o f t h e g r o u p w h o s e e m e d t o h a v e a n y e x p e r t i s e o v e r t h e others i n f o r e c a s t i n g the sales success o f any product. T h i s was a l l v e r y m u c h i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e B r o o k s t o n e t r a d i t i o n o f "don't b u l l s h i t , t e s t i t " . Do I f o r e s e e a n e n d t o t h e g r o w t h o f t h e B r o o k s t o n e C o m p a n y ' r Well t h e answer t o t h a t : i t depends o n t h e management. T h e r e i s certainly not a single t h i n g on the horizon which i s inherent which w o u l d p r e v e n t u n l i m i t e d g r o w t h o f t h i s company a n d i t ought t o b e f a i r l y easy t o d o i n f a c t . T h e r e i s v e r y c o n s i d e r able room f o r expansion a l o n g t h e l i n e s p r e s e n t l y i n hand and certainly i t would not be very hard t o t h i n k o f a couple o f d o z e n o t h e r w a y s i n w h i c h w e c o u l d e x p a n d t h e c o m p a n y. Speaking o f e x p a n s i o n , I t h i n k i t i s somewhat i n t e r e s t i n g t h a t Brookstone has gone i n t o a c o u p l e o f divergences f r o m i t s r e g u l a r business, namely t h e g i f t c a t a l o g and now t h e s t o r e s o u t s i d e o f Peterborough, i n t e r n a l l y r a t h e r t h a n b y a c q u i s i t i o n . T h i s goes back i n some ways t o w h a t I d i d b e f o r e D e l a n d a n d I s t a r t e d �-14Brookstone. I t h o u g h t I m i g h t b u y a b u s i n e s s , a n d we s p e n t q u i t e a l o t o f t i m e l o o k i n g around a t businesses t h a t were a v a i l a b l e and most o f t h e m were n o t w o r t h b u y i n g . T h e u s u a l s i t u a t i o n w a s , i n e f f e c t , a s i f t h e owner h a d s a i d , " 1 s t a r t e d t h i s damn t h i n g and I ' v e n e v e r made a d i m e o n i t o r i n f a c t I ' v e l o s t a l o t o f money, b u t n e v e r t h e l e s s i t h a s ' p o t e n t i a l ' a n d t h e r e f o r e y o u should n o t o n l y b u y me o u t b u t y o u s h o u l d p a y me a premium". We l l , B r o o k s t o n e h a s h a d a c o u p l e o f o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o make a c q u i s i t i o n s and, though I a d m i t t h a t t h e y were n o t p a r t i c u l a r l y a t t r a c t i v e f o r t h e most p a r t , t h e t r u t h o f t h e m a t t e r i s t h a t I ' m not s u r e t h a t e x t e r n a l a c q u i s i t i o n i s t h e r i g h t t h i n g . I t may be i n some c a s e s b u t i n most c a s e s i t p r o b a b l y i s n o t . C o n s i d e r for i n s t a n c e t h e g i f t c a t a l o g which p u t s u s i n t o a t o t a l l y d i f f e r ent b u s i n e s s f r o m t h e o n e t h a t w e ' v e b e e n i n , e x c e p t o f c o u r s e t h a t i t happens t o b e s t i l l i n m a i l o r d e r a n d t h e r e f o r e l e t s u s use o u r accumulated knowledge a n d f a c i l i t i e s , b u t t h e p r i c e f o r admission was a maximum r i s k o f somewhere a r o u n d $ 4 0 , 0 0 0 o r $ 5 0 , 0 0 0 , a n d e v e n t h a t w a s n o t t h e r e a l s t o r y because t o h a v e a c t u a l l y r i s k e d t h a t much we w o u l d h a v e h a d t o h a v e t h e t r i a l g i f t c a t a l o g o f 1975 be a t o t a l f l o p , a n d f l o p s a r e f l o p s b u t I ' v e never heard o f anything t h a t d i d n ' t s e l l anything, s o presumably e v e n i f w e ' d had a v e r y b a d f a i l u r e we w o u l d h a v e l o s t o n l y $20,000 o r $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 o r l e s s , r a t h e r t h a n t h e w h o l e $ 4 0 , 0 0 0 o r $50,000. W e l l t h i s i s a n i c e t h i n g , i t ' s i n h e r e n t i n t h e m a i l order b u s i n e s s . Y o u c a n s t a r t s m a l l , c e r t a i n l y s m a l l e r t h a n y o u can s t a r t a s t o r e , i t ' s c o s t i n g u s a l o t more t o s t a r t t h e s t o r e i n Boston t h a t i t d i d t o s t a r t t h e g i f t c a t a l o g . T h e a d v a n t a g e of doing i t i n t e r n a l l y i s a combination o f t h e l o w p r i c e o f admission a n d t h e a b i l i t y t o c o n t r o l t h e t h i n g f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g . By c o n t r a s t i f y o u g o o u t a n d b u y somebody e l s e ' s company, e i t h e r you b u y someone i n d i s t r e s s a n d hope t h a t y o u a r e r i g h t i n assuming t h a t y o u c a n t u r n i t a r o u n d , o r y o u b u y somebody who i s b e i n g successful a n d who t h e r e f o r e e x p e c t s a n d c a n g e t a premium a n d then y o u ' v e g o t a p r o b l e m t o w o r k down t h e good w i l l o r b l u e s k y or w h a t e v e r y o u want t o c a l l i t t h a t y o u ' v e b o u g h t . A n d w h i l e you may i n c r e a s e y o u r a n n u a l s a l e s a n d p o s s i b l y y o u r e a r n i n g s p e r share b y t h i s r o u t e , i t ' s q u e s t i o n a b l e j u s t w h a t y o u ' v e a c c o m p l i s h ed u n t i l y o u ' v e worked down t h e b l u e s k y. S o anyway, I t h i n k t h e r i g h t w a y t o o p e r a t e f o r B r o o k s t o n e , f o r t h e moment a t l e a s t , i s by i n t e r n a l g r o w t h , t h o u g h I c e r t a i n l y w o u l d n ' t s t a n d i n t h e w a y o f a n a c q u i s i t i o n i f i t w a s c l e a r t o me a t l e a s t t h a t t h e a d v a n t a g e s f a r outweighed t h e d i s a d v a n t a g e s . This a d v a n t a g e o f B r o o k s t o n e ' s , o r a n y m a i l o r d e r company's a b i l i t y t o s t a r t s m a l l o r t o t e s t , i s b o r n o u t b y w h a t happened to u s when w e s t a r t e d t h i s company. W e s t a r t e d w i t h a $ 5 0 0 i n v e n t o r y. I c a n ' t c o n c e i v e o f a s t o r e s e l l i n g much o f a n y t h i n g t h a t w e m i g h t h a v e s t a r t e d i n P i t t s f i e l d l e t ' s s a y, w i t h o n l y $500 w o r t h o f i n v e n t o r y, n o t t o m e n t i o n f i x t u r e s , a l e a s e , a n d a f e w o t h e r t h i n g s . T h i s b r i n g s u s t o another t h i n g which I think i s important, a t l e a s t as f a r as the general public i s concerned. B r o o k s t o n e seems t o me t o b e a c l a s s i c example o f t h e f a c t t h a t d e s p i t e a l l t h e do-goodism, a l l t h e l i b e r a l s , a l l t h e l e f t i s t s , a l l t h o s e p e o p l e who f e e l t h a t e g a l i t a r i a n i s m i s t h e only t h i n g t h a t w e s h o u l d b e s h o o t i n g f o r a n d who o b j e c t v e r y , very much t o anybody making a n y money, B r o o k s t o n e p r o v e s t h a t a c o u p l e o f p e o p l e who h a v e a r e a s o n a b l e d e v o t i o n t o d u t y c a n , even i n t h i s d a y and a g e , make t h e m s e l v e s some r e a l money b y s t a r t i n g u p a b u s i n e s s o f t h e i r own, a n d w i t h o u t a huge amount �-15o f c a p i t a l e i t h e r . W e n e v e r i n v e s t e d a n y money i n t h i s b u s i n e s s t h a t ' s worth mentioning. I n o t h e r words, t h i s i s s t i l l t h e land of o p p o r t u n i t y, b e l i e v e i t o r n o t . A n d w h a t ' s more, I was q u i t e free t o do t h i s . I d i d not have t o get any k i n d o f license o r permission t o s t a r t a business. I d i d n ' t have t o get any l i c e n s e or p e r m i s s i o n t o d o my own i m p o r t i n g . I d i d n ' t h a v e t o g e t permission t o m a i l my c a t a l o g s o r i n f a c t permission t o d o a n y thing. W e j u s t went ahead and d i d i t . S o a t l e a s t t o t h a t extent i t s t i l l i s a f r e e c o u n t r y. T h e o t h e r s i d e o f t h e c o i n is, o f course, t h a t Brookstone i s not a c a p i t a l intensive business. W e d i d n o t h a v e t o i n v e s t a v a s t amount o f money i n b u i l d i n g s a n d m a c h i n e r y, a s we w o u l d h a v e , f o r i n s t a n c e , i f we had s t a r t e d a m a c h i n e s h o p , o r a p r i n t i n g p l a n t , o r s o m e t h i n g o f that s o r t . B r o o k s t o n e was e n t i r e l y s e l f - f i n a n c i n g a n d operated e n t i r e l y on i n t e r n a l l y generated funds u n t i l e v e n t u a l l y we f e l t t h a t w e h a d t o h a v e m o r e e q u i t y f r o m o u t s i d e a n d b o r r o w e d some $250,000 f r o m a w e l l - k n o w n v e n t u r e c a p i t a l f i r m , w h i c h i s a v e r y small p e r c e n t a g e . W e d i d n ' t a c t u a l l y b o r r o w i t , w h a t I mean t o say i s t h a t w e g o t f i n a n c i n g f r o m t h e m t o t h a t e x t e n t . W h a t t h e y d i d i n e f f e c t w a s t o l e n d u s t h e money o n a c o n v e r t a b l e note b y w h i c h t h e y end u p w i t h a s m a l l p e r c e n t a g e o f t h e s t o c k o f t h e company a t t h e i r o p t i o n . I t h i n k we h a d t o g o t h i s route, a l t h o u g h I suspect we c o u l d have squeaked by w i t h o u t i t i f we had been w i l l i n g t o s a c r i f i c e a l i t t l e b i t o f growth. I should add that our building r e f l e c t s t h e k i n d o f t h i n k i n g I f e e l i s n e c e s s a r y t o d o t h i n g s r i g h t . W h e n i t came t i m e t o g e t i n t o o u r own b u i l d i n g , I s a i d t o R i c k t h a t I wanted u s t o d e s i g n t h e f i n a l b u i l d i n g n o w, n o t i n d e t a i l , b u t t h a t w e s h o u l d l a y out t h e o v e r a l l p l a n n i n g f o r t h e whole b u i l d i n g as o f 1980 o r whenever t h e w h o l e t h i n g w o u l d b e b u i l t , a n d t h e n b a c k t h a t u p and d i v i d e i t u p i n t o m o d u l e s , o r s e c t i o n s , w h i c h w e w o u l d b u i l d one o r t w o a t a t i m e u n t i l t h e w h o l e t h i n g w a s d o n e . A n d t h e reason I s a i d I wanted i t d o n e t h i s way i s t h a t a g a i n l o o k i n g back a t some e x p e r i e n c e I ' v e h a d i n t h e p a s t , t h e more u s u a l process w o u l d have been t o b u i l d a b u i l d i n g b i g enough f o r t h e present a n d t h e n t o t a c k on something, a n d t h e n t o t a c k o n something, b y t h e t i m e t h e t h i n g had been tacked two o r t h r e e times i t w o u l d h a v e become a r a t h e r a b o r t i o n a t e a n d i n e f f i c i e n t l a y o u t , and t h e r e ' s r e a l l y n o n e e d t o g o a t i t t h a t w a y . As t o f u t u r e p l a n s f o r t h e c o m p a n y, I w o u l d t h i n k t h a t i t ' s s a f e to say t h a t we a n t i c i p a t e t h a t t h e g i f t c a t a l o g w i l l e v e n t u a l l y more t h a n d o u b l e t h e p r e s e n t s a l e s o f t h e c o m p a n y, a n d a l o n g with i t I would t h i n k a comparable p r o f i t . I d o n ' t know j u s t what t h e f u t u r e i s f o r t h e s t o r e s b e c a u s e w e ' v e j u s t o p e n e d o u r f i r s t o n e . B u t I would not be a b i t surprised t o see us w i t h s t o r e s a l l o v e r t h e c o u n t r y s o m e d a y. B y a l l o v e r I d o n ' t m e a n like Rexall drugstores, i n every v i l l a g e , b u t I would not be a b i t surprised t o see us w i t h stores i n p r i n c i p l e c i t i e s as a b e g i n n e r. Do w e i n t e n d t o b r i n g o u t m o r e c a t a l o g s ? W e l l y e s , I w o u l d think so. A p a r t f r o m t h e t o o l c a t a l o g and t h e g i f t c a t a l o g I can t h i n k o f s e v e r a l m o r e w h i c h w e c o u l d b r i n g o u t i n t h e c o u r s e of t h e next several years and which l i k e t h e g i f t catalog would �-16-i n i t i a l l y b e t e s t e d w i t h a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l m a i l i n g t o make s u r e that t h e p e o p l e o u t t h e r e want u s t o go ahead and do t h i s . T h i s kind o f t h i n g i s why I t h i n k t h e f u t u r e o f t h e company i s c o m p l e t e ly unlimited, o r i f i t ' s l i m i t e d , i t ' s l i m i t e d only by the a b i l i t y and i m a g i n a t i o n o f t h e management. � Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. SUBJECT: RAMBLINGS ON BROOKSTONE HISTORY FROM: Pete deBeaumont DATE: 30 August 1976 I suppose the first question would be how did Brookstone come into existence? The answer to this comes in two parts. First off we were living in Worthington, Massachusetts, a village of six hundred people some seventeen miles east of Pittsfield, MA, and what do you do in a place like Worthington? The obvious answer is you have a mail order company. The other half of the question comes from my own background. I was trained at Harvard and M.I.T. as a mechanical engineer and went into the automobile industry starting as an engineer at Packard and then going to General Motors. This was a result of a personal inclination to be interested in mechanical things including doing things with my hands. Ever since I was a little boy I would build ship models or do repair work around the house and get into such things as the making of radio sets. As a matter of fact, I was living briefly in Springfield, MA, in 1926, when I was eleven and that was when I built my first radio, a one-tube affair for which the plans appeared in "Popular Mechanics" for April of 1926 and it worked quite well. Even the coils had to be made on bits of dowel set in a circle on a piece of wood. So, I had always been a fairly sophisticated home workshopper and this in turn created a frustration concerning the availibility of tools. Despite the fact that I was brought up in Manhattan, in New York City, where you would think that every conceivable tool would be obtainable, I had all kinds of trouble. I would walk, I remember, down Third Avenue, in the days when the elevated was still in business going from one hardware store to another looking, let's say, for some kind of a devise whereby I could hold two pieces of a ship model at some precise angle for soldering and gluing. Each time I went in, I could feel defeat staring me in the face, and indeed it was. The clerk would invariably look slightly bored and tell me that he had never heard of such a thing and turn to the next customer. Another element in the history of Brookstone is the fact that from General Motors, I went into the Navy at the beginning of WWII, and was assigned to the production branch of the Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington. This department was newly organized at the beginning of WWII to serve two purposes. One was to act as the Navy's source of production engineering expertise, so that the Navy might realistically plan the acquisition of aircraft and all of their components on a sensible basis with respect to the production capacity of the con- tractors. In other words, it was our job to tell the Navy that XYZ Company could make so many engines or so many starters or so many aircraft over a given period of time and at a given rate of increase and we could give them this information with reasonable reality. Our other job was to go around to the various contractors all over the United States who were making Naval aircraft and all of the supplies -2- and accessories for them and solve their problems. In other words, if a given company were behind schedule, one of us would be sent out to determine why. This might well entail a total examination of the company both from an engineering point of view and from a management point of view. In the case of all of this running around I had contact with a wide variety of industries and I was greatly impressed by the fact that methods of manufacture varied greatly from industry to industry even though the parts themselves did not vary significantly and this also applied to the various tools that were used. In other words, a given industry might have developed a certain tool that would be very useful for their work and another industry doing almost exactly the same thing would have never heard of it. So part of the thinking in Brookstone was to bring together in a catalog these various diverse tools from different fields of endeavor and let them be used by everybody. For example, one of the areas from which we borrowed a number of tools initially was the field of the manufacture and repair of watches, clocks and jewelry. In fact, this is where I found that fixture, Brookstone's #1107, which holds the two pieces just so for soldering or gluing that I wanted so badly way back when I was about fourteen years old. It was not particularly easy to get Brookstone going. We had a number of shortcomings. Neither my wife nor I had ever had anything to do with mail order and none of us had ever had anything to do with the selling of tools. I felt I was reasonably knowledgeable about quite a variety of tools and what they could do and how they were used and which ones were good and which were not, but I didn't have the slightest idea about which sold better than others or why or when there might be variations in sales volume. As to mail order, we knew less than nothing and the only way to approach it seemed to be to read everything we could lay our hands on, on the subject. There are perhaps a dozen books in existence that cover mail order and direct mail, or at least that was the number in those days, so we obtained all of those, including some which were well out of print and read them with considerable interest and at first, confusion. Perhaps the best book of the lot was one that was published around 1903 and I was particularly impressed by the fact that about all it needed to be brought up to date was to have the postal rates changed. We also joined the Mail Advertising Club in Boston and also the New England Mail Order Association as soon as we heard of them, and attended all of the meetings. This was a little rough when we started, because the meetings were usually in Boston and since we were flat out here in our work it was necessary, to attend a meeting in the evening, to drive some hundred and fifty miles to Boston after work, attend the meeting and after-dinner speeches, and then head for home, leaving Boston around midnight. Our first catalog was mailed in the sping of 1965 and we had about five hundred dollars worth of inventory to back up the mailing. We had obtained our names by placing a few ads in magazines, such as "The Model Railroader" and "Workbench" offering the catalog for, I think, ten cents or twenty cents. The reason for the low price was to simply keep the children and lonely hearts from using up our small supply of catalogs. I was very uncertain that we would be able to sell the five hundred dollars' worth of inventory and wondered what I was going to do with three of each of everything in the catalog. -3- Fortunately, I was in a relatively good position to produce the catalog without spending a vast amount of money on it. I had been a professional writer and editor in years past, and also had done photography on a professional basis and had edited the "Antique Automobile" for some years, the magazine of the Antique Automobile Club of America, and thus I knew something about buying and working with print. It was also fortunate that I can type. Actually, in a technical sense, I can't, since I use only two fingers, one on each hand, and watch the keyboard. However, the fact is that when I am in practice, I can type about as fast as the average secretary, and with about the same number of errors. A corollary to being able to type and having business experience meant that I had to do it all alone. We could have hired somebody but we did not know how much work we had and it is not easy to get help out in the middle of the woods. So I guess for about a year, which goes back to a period before we had a business and were setting up to produce the first catalog, I had no secretary and I typed all the correspondence and all the initial purchase orders and all the text for the catalog. A frequently asked question is, where did you find the initial tools? Did you travel all over the world to find them? The answers to these in both cases are much less glamorous then might be expected. I found the tools by locating in New York and in a few other cities, some dealers in jewlers' tools and at the same time I obtained some copies of foreign magazines which contained advertisements on the part of people wanting to sell tools to the trade, and I simply wrote an immense number of letters of inquiry. This produced a sufficient number of catalogs and price lists to proceed from there and the procedure was in effect to ask for samples, offering to pay for them, if the catalog and price seemed to recommend the product. Eventually.a sample would arrive and about seventy-five percent of the time, it would be so badly finished or so unsatisfactory in use that it had to be rejected. And this has continued to be the case right to the present day in the Brookstone Company's search for the products which meet its standards for quality, not only in appearance, but in function and price. As far as travel is concerned, we did not leave on any kind of product searching trip for several catalogs at least. And even then we did not go much further than to the hardware show in New York, where we found very little that met our requirements. Once the catalog had been mailed, and showed some signs of being commercially viable, we began to work extremely hard. This reached a stage during the next several years in which it was twelve hours a day, seven days a week without interruption. We took no vacations and we even began to lose track of some of our friends. In fact, I am sorry to say that one or two very old and dear friends of mine died during this period and I felt very badly that I had not been able to see them for a couple of years prior to their demise. For "entertainment" the big deal in the evening was to listen to -4-- Walter Kronkite's news program, but this was not time off. My wife Deland would put labels on catalogs to be mailed and I would exercise pliers that had joints too tight to send to customers. We did enjoy the break from the daily routine, however, even if the news was not particularly interesting that day. Our initial operation, so far as fulfillment of orders is concerned, was on the corner of a structure of what is the laundry of our house and there I would put the goods together and into parcels which I would then wrap up and get ready for mailing. In those days we used postage stamps, and this turned out to be a complete pain because, unlike a Pitney Bowes machine, when you are using stamps you have to come up with the right combination to make the postage and I found that I almost never had the right combination and frequently ended up having to take several parcels to the Post Office lacking some part of the postage which I would then buy on the spot along with more stamps which I hoped would keep us organized for the next several days. Volume was not very great, fortunately, perhaps four, five or six orders a day. Since we really knew very little about this business, I was always trying to learn something. Whenever I went into Pittsfield or some other city, I would stop by at one of the hardware stores and try to find a friendly clerk or owner who would chat about his business and would tell me which products were moving and which were not and if he knew it, why and also what about the seasonal effects. I don't know what I learned, but I must have learned something. It was also necessary to learn everything about the business. Since we knew nothing, we were in no position to determine at any given moment what records we really needed, apart from those which are part of accounting. We obviously had to be ready to pay taxes and things of that sort if we ever made any money. But all the other records which might be needed in a mail order operation or in any business were unknown, so we simply recorded everything and we continued to do such things on the theory that we might need the information some day and while we would not spend the time or the money to compile this data, we always made it a policy to create the basic information and keep it somewhere so that practically anything we might need could be assembled and analyzed. Deland made a major contribution to the business at the outset. She decided that she would take care of the bookkeeping, about which I know nothing, and about which she knew nothing. So I bought for her a mail order course in bookkeeping from the Massachusetts Department of Education and she proceeded to do the lessons as they came in and send them into Boston for grading and she did very well, of course, and has worked her way up from this humble beginning to Treasurer of the Brookstone Company. I should also give her credit because it was she who kept me going on a number of occasions when I was completely ready to throw in the towel. It is a characteristic, seemingly, of this business that in its earlier stages, every time revenue increased, so did expense. It seemed to me that the two would never diverge, no matter how many things we sold. Deland, through some woman's intuition, however, thought otherwise, and kept me plodding along. -5- We had a major advantage over some people who have started small businesses, in that neither of us had a job to interfere with the process of getting going. This enabled us to spend full time on the business. And certainly it was full. Nevertheless, we tried to do everything as economically as possible. I felt very strongly that if we should end up with a failure, we should not have lost a great deal of money. We might well have invested more money in the business, and, as it turns out, this would have considerably accelerated the growth of the business but this might well have been risky. If you remember that we didn't know anything about a mail order business or a business in tools, it is quite possible that had we plunged, in the way of much larger mailings and much larger staff of employees, we might have moved so fast that we would have run right off the rails and had some kind of a wreck. As it is, the annual sales doubled every year, so perhaps that was fast enough. As soon as the business proved viable, I made the philosophical decision that I would make the business grow as quickly as I could without making it run in the red. The objective here was to get it over a critical size, at which point we could afford a management. I learned thoroughly well in my experience with Navy contractors in WWII, that if you don't have a management you really don't have anything and I certainly felt that from the point of view from Deland and me, the ideal objective would be a company big enough to support an able and well compensated management which could run the company without us. This is the ultimate measure. We definitely did not want to wind up with a mom and pop operation which would continue to grind along in our house in Worthington. Originally, my office was in the formal parlor in our house and we used the laundry as a packing room and as a stock room. But before long, this proved an inadequate arrangement. Accordingly, we undertook some construction and converted one-third of our medium- sized barn into a home for the business. On the ground floor, I designed a 36' X 15' room which had shelves along one side with lockers below them, and designed it exactly as I would a library. The theory was that this would be excellent for the business: we could keep the merchandise on the shelves, and do the packing on large tables in the middle of the room and could have desks along the sides and this would contain the business for a considerable period and if the business proved successful and moved out of the building, we would have the library left over for our own use. Directly above the library, I built another room of the same size to house my office and workshop in which I did all the product testing. This room also was generously covered with shelves along the walls to store an ever increasing collection of sample products of one kind or another. We stayed in Worthington until the Fall of 1969, at which time we moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire. Prior to our move to Peterborough, I think the maximum number of employees, all girls, besides Deland and me, was about six. When we moved to Peterborough, none of these people could move since they were housewives with husbands and children in the area of Worthington. Why did we move from Worthington? Well, Worthington, as I said, has only a population of six hundred, most of which are truck drivers. -6- There is a curious phenomenon I discovered and that is that the town of Pittsfield, seventeen miles away, despite a population of 55 or 60 thousand, does not supply any labor to a place like Worthington. For psychological reasons the employees in Pittsfield will commute from the outskirts of Pittsfield to Pittsfield businesses, but they will not commute from their homes to businesses out in the country. We never were able to get enough people and it was perfectly obvious that if the company was to grow, this would be an irremediable deficiency. Also, there are no buildings in Worthington suitable for a business larger then would fit into our 36' X 15' two rooms, and it seemed foolish to build a brand new building when the business was barely getting off the ground. I should add that we stayed in Worthington too long as far as space is concerned. Toward the end, we were packed in like sardines and we had merchandise literally all over the house. The cellar was used for stainless steel and other products that would not rust, because it was a little damp down there. We even had #1107 Holding Fixtures, which we were buying in large quantities, stacked up along the wall in the laundry, and since these products were made for us in Japan, this was referred to as the Japanese Wall. Part of the daily routine was taking the mail to the Post Office, four and a half miles away. This was done by Deland, in our 1961 Jeep station wagon and I would throw the bags into the back of the Jeep. We had no lower class employees except ourselves. It was always a scramble to get everything finished in time to get it into the Jeep and make it in time to the Post Office because our policy from the very beginning of the company was to get every single order out the day it came in, and we did this without fail. The policy also was that the customer comes first under every circumstance, and this meant that if I had to stay up an extra couple of hours answering customer correspondence I would do so. Customers and inquirers got same day service on correspondence too. In a similar way, we did everything we could to establish first class relationships with our suppliers. We used specially designed purchase orders which we thought were as clear as possible. And we paid bills comfortably within the discount period. A couple of funny things happened during these years. In one case, we received a letter from a customer who lived a couple hundred miles away, who said that he simply cound not understand how we could get his order to him promptly. He then went to express his opinion as to how things were done at Brookstone. He said we had his employee who was assigned the job of filling his order. This employee stood at the door of the establishment, awaiting the morning mail. As soon as the mail arrived this employee would seek out his order, rush it through the works, pack it up put on the postage and take it directly and personally to the Post Office. Another amusing incident was the time when we received a letter from a would-be requester of our catalog who said that he had been observing our advertisement in the "Model Railroader" for quite a long time, and he noted that we had different addresses in the past ten months, and he was not about to send twenty cents until we told him exactly what the address was. Of course, there are no numbers on River Road, and these addresses were merely response keys for the various ads. Since we were trying to build a reasonable sized company, the one -7- that would have that good management I mentioned earlier, we did everything we could to provide room for expansion in the way we ran the business. In other words, our procedures, forms and various methods of conducting the business were designed as much to deal with the day to day requirements as to fulfill the needs of the future without major changes. I am happy to say that Brookstone still operates in many of the ways that we did from the very beginning. Another common question is why did you pick Peterborough? The answer to this is that since we were doing a great deal of importing, it seemed to me that we should be in or near Boston. At about the same time, Richard Gilbert had been hired as General Manager, because the business had grown to the point where I felt that we should have someone helping in the management. So Dick Gilbert was given the job of seeking a location. Remember, I was still working twelve hours a day, seven days a week, so there was no time for me to do it. All of a sudden, Dick told me one day that he had been to Peterborough, New Hampshire, and thought it was a great place to put our business. I was not very pleased, because it was quite a distance from Boston, and, on asking him, I discovered it was also a very small place. Since we had had bad luck with the smallness of Worthington, including such a major factor as trucks not delivering to our address in Worthington and frequently leaving our shipments many miles away, I was hardly pleased at the prospect of repeating this kind of thing. Nevertheless, I drove up to Peterborugh to take a look at it, and was immediately delighted. The difference between the two towns is unbelievable, and all in the favor of Peterborough. It was obvious that Peterborough would be a delightful place for our executives and employees to live, that we would get particularly good employees and that Peterborough was by no means too small for Brookstone. And happily, such has proven to be the case. We started out with something like a quarter of the top floor of the American Guernsey Cattle Club on Main Street in Peterborough, and it seemed to us at the time that this area would last us for quite a while. The Cattle Club told us that we could eventually have the entire floor, which they were only using for unimportant storage, so we thought we had at least ten years or more of expansion room in the Cattle Club. This turned out to be entirely wrong, and it was not too many years before we had to build a building of our own, which has more floor space in it than the entire Cattle Club building does. However, we were very fortunate to get into the Cattle Club. Physically, the building is a very attractive classical Greek style building in red birck, about 50' wide and 200' long and four stories high and it backs into the large parking lot which also backs into both the bank and the Post Office, so it was extremely convenient from an operating point of view. Additionally, the Cattle Club had a computer, which we later began to use for our mailing list and for other purposes. And additionally, the management of the Cattle Club was extremely kind to Brookstone and let us have, for little or no consideration, a number of extremely handy things like typewriters, tables and other odds and ends which we needed very badly. It was all a little bit rough when we moved to Peterborough in Fall of 1969. We had a mover come down from Peterborough and he gathered up everything we had here and moved us over the weekend we were trying to make the move with as little disturbance as far as fulfilling customers orders was concerned and we came fairly close. -8- Dick Gilbert, our new General Manager, had unfortunately not been able to report for work at Worthington ahead of the move, and so had not been indoctrinated to Brookstone's way of doing business. He did have mail order experience, from Breck's of Boston, but Breck's was not run the same as Brookstone. At any rate, Dick had the handicap of having to set up everything in Peterborough for a company for which in effect he had never worked for, and he also had a hundred percent green employees, none of which had ever worked with Brookstone or with him before. It was quite a scramble. Deland and I moved to Peterborough, although we actually stayed out of town, and spent the winter up there helping get things going again. In the course of all of this, our printer also put a wrench in our spokes by mailing our entire list all at once. We had asked for a staggered mailing, so that we would not have an overwhelming wave of orders to handle while we were moving into our new quarters in Peterborough, but somebody dropped the ball and mailed everything at the same time. We were swamped. Nevertheless we managed to get most of the orders out the same day, regardless. As I said, we tried to do everything as economically as possible. We never bought anything new. All our desks, chairs, typewriters and adding machines were bargains sought out at odd places. Brookstone still uses the candy scale which we bought in Springfield from a dealer in scales for grocery stores because not only was it consid- erably cheaper than a regular Pitney Bowes weighing scale for mailing parcels, but it was actually more convenient and more accurate. For heavy parcels we used an old Post Office scale which was loaned to us by the local Post Office, since they had a more modern one. We tried to be economical in every respect. For example, I would go to considerable lengths to test space advertising by means of classified ads which were written so tightly that they occuppied hardly any space at all. It is expensive to use a key in a classified ad because you are paying by the word. So, to reduce this expense, I concocted some keys by spelling Brookstone in various ways such as Bookstone or Bookstore or Brokstone and similar variations. Fortunately, we don't have street numbers on River Road, so we never had to pay for a street number. We even saved money on some of our printing. I discovered that we could become a dealer in business forms and get them wholesale, so we did, and we were the only customer. We also saved a pile of money by doing our own photography. Unfortun- ately, I did not have a view camera and had to do the whole thing with my Hasselblad. This is a very fine camera but it is not designed for closeup photography of products to go into a catalog. However, it did the job. On the other hand, this required taking some of the shots as often as fifteen or twenty times until the result was acceptable. Yo u see, part of the trouble was that I am not an artist, and therefore I was not able to do as good a job of retouching as I might have. I had eight years of experience as a mechanical draftsman and was able to do the necessary as far as straight lines are concerned or those which could be fitted around french curves, but to attempt to use an airbrush to change the lighting on a product was out of the question. The policy on illustrations was that they should be as sharp as possible and perfectly honest. In other words what I was trying to do with both the photographs and the copy for the catalog was to make up for the fact that the customer was at a distance he would have -9-- preferred, of course, to have examined the products physically and to have made the purchase face-to-face over the counter and I felt that we should try to approach that condition as much as possible. We devised various ways to keep track of things. For instance the catalogs all had prefixes to the catalog numbers. The original catalog, for instance, contained catalog numbers prefixed by 65A. This meant that this was the first catalog of 1965. I was optimistic enough, in those days, to think I might get out more than one catalog in a year, if you can believe it. The fact is that I didn't get out the next one til 1967, and I worked like a dog to accomplish that. The idea of the prefix to the catalog number was to be able to identify a customer order as to what catalog he was ordering from without asking him to provide this information. We were extremely handicapped by our small size. For instance, lots of vendors would not supply us with products because our orders were too little. The Empire Brush Company is non grata at Brookstone because when we put out our first catalog we had one of their wire brushes in it and when I placed the order they refused it because it was too small, despite the fact that I had previously checked with them as to what their minimum order was. I doubt very much that anyone will put an Empire brush in our catalog again. Another headache was the fact that we had no Dun & Bradstreet listing or rating and lots of people felt we were not even worth answering when we sent in inquiries. A classic example was the Peterson Manufacturing Company, makers of the famous line of vise-grip tools, to whom I wrote when we were in the early stages of creating the first catalog, asking that they send a catalog and prices. The reply, almost word for word, was that they could give us no consid- eration unless we sent them three trade references and one bank reference. This despite the fact that all we had asked for was a catalog and prices. Later we began to be hounded by Dun & Bradstreet wanting all sorts of information which we did not want to divulge. The reason we did not want to divulge it was that the numbers were so tiny that we felt that we would simply be laughed at and that we would not be looked upon favorably by anyone who got a D & B report on us. Another question that is asked is how did you manage to correspond with all the European and other foreign suppliers with the language? The answer is that I have spoken French since I was a child, and at various stages of my life I have also spoken German and Spanish and have done some translating from Italian. So I was able to get along well enough. This was not to say that from the beginning of the business I could write letters in any of these languages or easily read replies in these languages. What I mean is that most of them could handle English, some well some poorly, and my problem was primarily around the question of reading their catalogs, which I managed to do with a small collection of dictionaries and my recollections of these various languages. I did do some correspond- ing in French, which I can do in either direction, but I can not do so in the other languages. -10- We were able quite early to get some exclusive products for ourselves. The outstanding example is probably the #1107 Holding Fixture. This was originally purchased from one of the distributors of tools for jewelers, and was made somewhere in this country. However, we were never able to locate the manufacturer. Eventually, in the course of scouting around for products we ran across a Japanese manufacturer of jewelers' tools, and then discovered that he would be willing to make the #1107 for us. Accordingly, I asked for a number of improvements in the quality of the product, and the result was that we had by far the best holding fixture in the business, and at a considerably lower price as well. This continues to the present day. We had quite a lot of trouble with domestic manufacturers not answering our inquiries. This puzzled me considerably, and I could hardly think that all of them were so careful about credit matters that they looked up each and every inquiry in Dun & Bradstreet and instructed their salesmen accordingly. After considerable research the mystery was finally cleared up. It works this way. The sales manager is too important to worry about the day to day business. He is out playing golf. So his secretary is given the job of sending any inquiries that come in out to the salesmen, or manufacturer's rep as the case may be. These men, in turn, look at the address, and if it is in an inconvenient part of their territory, they throw the inquiry away, knowing perfectly well that the sales manager is too busy playing golf ever to follow up as to what happened to any inquiry. At any rate, this was extremely frustrating, because literally hundreds of our letters went unanswered. Speaking of the incidence of disappointment, it was always extremely high because we had rather high standards for our products. It would go something like this. I would write, let us say, fifty letters to assorted would-be suppliers world wide. These were people who manufactured something or other which I thought had some kind of potential, or they were general manufacturers of tools, and I hoped I would find something interesting in their catalogs. Of the fifty or so letters, I would get perhaps ten replies and then I would go through their catalogs and price lists and perhaps order two samples and when the samples finally arrived in the morning mail, which was always a high point of the day, I would eagerly unwrap the parcels, much like a child at Christmas, and invariably, let us say, one of the two would be an absolute dog. The other would look quite promising so I would run up to may workshop and put it to immediate use to see how well it worked, and most of the time it didn't work well enough and didn't make the grade into the catalog. -11- That Brookstone is just getting into the store business, and just getting into the gift catalog business, does not mean that these are new ideas. Right from the outset, I felt that we were possibly making a mistake in setting up a company to sell products to men, which is inherent in selling tools. I said to Deland a number of times that we were working on the wrong end of the bank account and that we should be selling the women, who have all the money. Or at least they spend it. As for the store we had in effect had one from the beginning because we had from the outset quite a walk-in trade. The number of people and the number of dollars was not very exciting, since the business was tiny anyway, but primarily because Worthington is really off the map and a long way for almost anyone to come. Besides which, we didn't have any large number of people in the country who knew anything about us at all. But we certainly strongly believed we could eventually get into the store business. We didn't do it immediately here because it didn't seem practical because of the location, and similar thinking prevailed at Peterborough until we got to be of fair size up there. Part of the basic philosophy from the very beginning was that we did not know whether Brookstone would be an industrial supplier of tools or a consumer supplier of tools or both. Since I am a great believer in letting the market place tell you what the answers are, I decided that we would simply offer the best tools we could find and not set the business up in either direction. The result was that we did a considerable commercial business from the outset and I am still not sure but that we might have been well advised to go commercial from the outset. I think if I had to do it over again, I would have produced two catalogs one for the industrial sales and one for the consumer. A problem we ran into in this respect is that consumer prices are usually higher than industrial net. The reason for this is that industrial companies are expected to order more, and more frequently, and thus they get lower prices. So my problem was, how to sell in one catalog at two prices. The only answer I was able to think of was to offer our products at so much for an order of only one and a lower price if you ordered three or more. The reason for picking three was that I felt that if I offered it for two or more, neighbors might get together on me and I would give industrial net to consumers who should have paid list. A very interesting outcome of this pricing system was that while it didn't seem to have any particularly great effect on our industrial business, it seemed to do very well with the consumers. Evidently the idea of buying three of something, whether they needed it or not, at a comparative bargain, was irresistible. We always tried to do everything as well as possible, as thoroughly as possible and as completely as possible and as efficiently as possible. I don't mean this in a sense of bragging because I'm sure we were unable to do it that way 100%, but my theory of managing a business is that you should compete with the competition not in just one or two ways, such as price or product or style, but you should compete with them on every possible front or level that you possibly can. In other words, for instance, you have a more attractive letterhead, your billing procedures are more effective, you have better relations with your suppliers, -12- you have better relations with your customers, you have a better looking building, you keep it cleaner, you hire better people, you simply, in a word, do every single thing you can think of a little bit better and all these fractions of a percent of advantage over the next guy will really add up to something in the end. I'm probably the only small company president within a few yards of here who is happy to be unnecessary. This was a deliberate policy, I felt that we could not have a proper management in this company, and proper continuance after my eventual retirement, if I continued to be essential to the business. I wanted very much to become unnecessary by virtue of acquiring a management that could get along well without me. It has also been the company's policy from the outset to constantly experiment. These experi- ments run in various directions. For instance, one of the first experiments we ran here at Worthington was whether or not we should insure parcels. We didn't guess at it, we simply kept track of the number of parcels and the insurance that would have been paid had we insured them and the eventual number of claims, their value, and we simply compared the cost with the expenses. The outcome was that it would have cost us ten times as much to insure the parcels as it would have simply to pay the losses ourselves, and this is the way it's been ever since. Brookstone continues to keep testing all kinds of things both as to internal operation and methods, and as to various means of promotion. The day when the company stops a lot of this experimenting will be the day when it begins to die. We started out promoting the business entirely by space advertis- ing, primarily because it worked. It worked extremely well for several years and we even made money on it and we acquired quite a number of names thereby, and converted a number of them to customers. The reason we didn't go into lists, at least initial- ly, is that we were too small to be of any interest to any list brokers. In fact, one of the most well known brokers in the business, wrote us a letter in the early stages of the business, when we were corresponding about some possible list to test, that they were discontinuing service, because on reflection it became apparent to them that Brookstone would never need enough names to be of any interest to them. I would not be surprised if at present we rent enough names in and out to exceed the entire volume of business that broker is doing. As I think of it, with current experience, I am really surprised that we were able to start this business from scratch. If you realize the importance to a mail order company of its list, and remember that we had to start with no names at all, I think it is a little bit miraculous. I should add that I did all the advertising. We had the same trouble with the advertising agencies as we did with list brokers. We were too small, and of no interest to them whatsoever. The only ones that would pay any attention to us in the early days, were so incompetent that it was obvious that even an insignificant customer was helpful to them. So as I say, I wrote all the ads, placed all the ads, maintained the schedule and this worked out -13- quite well. However, we did not get back the 15% commission; the publications merely pocketed that, which of course they were entitled to do. I never thought we were big enough to set up a false advertising agency of our own, as have some of the mail order companies that are now of about our size. We were babes in the woods at the meetings of the Mail Advertis- ing Club and the New England Mail Order Association, of which I am now president. It was very interesting to us to be able to rub elbows with all these expert mail order operators, who had all the answers to all the questions that we could pose. They were very kind to us and I think that membership in these organi- zations was a vital thing in our educations. I think another thing that was good for us was the fact that I had not only personally tested in actual use every tool that ever went into our catalogs, but also I had had, as it happens, such a wide diversity of experience in using tools myself for almost every conceivable purpose, that none of these tools that appeared were in any way strange to me or in doubt as to their utility. Looking at some other people in the catalog business I can see that a good many of them evidently do not know their products too well and in too many cases have not tested them. I am often asked by what magic do I select products for our catalogs, or by what magic do we collectively select products for our catalog so that they are successful. I tell them that in fact we are not successful, we are mostly unsuccessful. It was an interesting point, I think, in the history of the company, when our new employees in Peterborough, a couple of years ago, were getting a little too big for their pants and were beginning to make pronouncements as to which of the proposed products would sell and which would not, with, I thought, much too much self- assurance. So I instituted a rating system in which each product that was approved at a product meeting was voted upon as to its future success in the next catalog. This very dramatically and conclusively proved that none of us knew what we were talking about and that we averaged about two thirds wrong. And there was no member of the group who seemed to have any expertise over the others in forecasting the sales success of any product. This was all very much in keeping with the Brookstone tradition of "don't bullshit, test it". Do I foresee an end to the growth of the Brookstone Company'r Well the answer to that: it depends on the management. There is certainly not a single thing on the horizon which is inherent which would prevent unlimited growth of this company and it ought to be fairly easy to do in fact. There is very consider- able room for expansion along the lines presently in hand and certainly it would not be very hard to think of a couple of dozen other ways in which we could expand the company. Speaking of expansion, I think it is somewhat interesting that Brookstone has gone into a couple of divergences from its regular business, namely the gift catalog and now the stores outside of Peterborough, internally rather than by acquisition. This goes back in some ways to what I did before Deland and I started -14- Brookstone. I thought I might buy a business, and we spent quite a lot of time looking around at businesses that were available and most of them were not worth buying. The usual situation was, in effect, as if the owner had said, "1 started this damn thing and I've never made a dime on it or in fact I've lost a lot of money, but nevertheless it has 'potential' and therefore you should not only buy me out but you should pay me a premium". Well, Brookstone has had a couple of opportunities to make acqui- sitions and, though I admit that they were not particularly attractive for the most part, the truth of the matter is that I'm not sure that external acquisition is the right thing. It may be in some cases but in most cases it probably is not. Consider for instance the gift catalog which puts us into a totally differ- ent business from the one that we've been in, except of course that it happens to be still in mail order and therefore lets us use our accumulated knowledge and facilities, but the price for admission was a maximum risk of somewhere around $40,000 or $50,000, and even that was not the real story because to have actually risked that much we would have had to have the trial gift catalog of 1975 be a total flop, and flops are flops but I've never heard of anything that didn't sell anything, so presum- ably even if we'd had a very bad failure we would have lost only $20,000 or $25,000 or less, rather than the whole $40,000 or $50,000. Well this is a nice thing, it's inherent in the mail order business. You can start small, certainly smaller than you can start a store, it's costing us a lot more to start the store in Boston that it did to start the gift catalog. The advantage of doing it internally is a combination of the low price of admission and the ability to control the thing from the beginning. By contrast if you go out and buy somebody else's company, either you buy someone in distress and hope that you are right in assum- ing that you can turn it around, or you buy somebody who is being successful and who therefore expects and can get a premium and then you've got a problem to work down the good will or blue sky or whatever you want to call it that you've bought. And while you may increase your annual sales and possibly your earnings per share by this route, it's questionable just what you've accomplish- ed until you've worked down the blue sky. So anyway, I think the right way to operate for Brookstone, for the moment at least, is by internal growth, though I certainly wouldn't stand in the way of an acquisition if it was clear to me at least that the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages. This advantage of Brookstone's, or any mail order company's ability to start small or to test, is born out by what happened to us when we started this company. We started with a $500 inventory. I can't conceive of a store selling much of anything that we might have started in Pittsfield let's say, with only $500 worth of inventory, not to mention fixtures, a lease, and a few other things. This brings us to another thing which I think is important, at least as far as the general public is concerned. Brookstone seems to me to be a classic example of the fact that despite all the do-goodism, all the liberals, all the leftists, all those people who feel that egalitarianism is the only thing that we should be shooting for and who object very, very much to anybody making any money, Brookstone proves that a couple of people who have a reasonable devotion to duty can, even in this day and age, make themselves some real money by starting up a business of their own, and without a huge amount -15- of capital either. We never invested any money in this business that's worth mentioning. In other words, this is still the land of opportunity, believe it or not. And what's more, I was quite free to do this. I did not have to get any kind of license or permission to start a business. I didn't have to get any license or permission to do my own importing. I didn't have to get permission to mail my catalogs or in fact permission to do any- thing. We just went ahead and did it. So at least to that extent it still is a free country. The other side of the coin is, of course, that Brookstone is not a capital intensive business. We did not have to invest a vast amount of money in buildings and machinery, as we would have, for instance, if we had started a machine shop, or a printing plant, or something of that sort. Brookstone was entirely self-financing and operated entirely on internally generated funds until eventually we felt that we had to have more equity from outside and borrowed some $250,000 from a well-known venture capital firm, which is a very small percentage. We didn't actually borrow it, what I mean to say is that we got financing from them to that extent. What they did in effect was to lend us the money on a convertable note by which they end up with a small percentage of the stock of the company at their option. I think we had to go this route, although I suspect we could have squeaked by without it if we had been willing to sacrifice a little bit of growth. I should add that our building reflects the kind of thinking I feel is necessary to do things right. When it came time to get into our own building, I said to Rick that I wanted us to design the final building now, not in detail, but that we should lay out the overall planning for the whole building as of 1980 or whenever the whole thing would be built, and then back that up and divide it up into modules, or sections, which we would build one or two at a time until the whole thing was done. And the reason I said I wanted it done this way is that again looking back at some experience I've had in the past, the more usual process would have been to build a building big enough for the present and then to tack on something, and then to tack on some- thing, by the time the thing had been tacked two or three times it would have become a rather abortionate and inefficient layout, and there's really no need to go at it that way. As to future plans for the company, I would think that it's safe to say that we anticipate that the gift catalog will eventually more than double the present sales of the company, and along with it I would think a comparable profit. I don't know just what the future is for the stores because we've just opened our first one. But I would not be a bit surprised to see us with stores all over the country someday. By all over I don't mean like Rexall drugstores, in every village, but I would not be a bit surprised to see us with stores in principle cities as a beginner. Do we intend to bring out more catalogs? Well yes, I would think so. Apart from the tool catalog and the gift catalog I can think of several more which we could bring out in the course of the next several years and which like the gift catalog would -16-- initially be tested with a relatively small mailing to make sure that the people out there want us to go ahead and do this. This kind of thing is why I think the future of the company is complete- ly unlimited, or if it's limited, it's limited only by the ability and imagination of the management. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Multiple Sheets Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-028 Title A name given to the resource Ramblings on Brookstone History Subject The topic of the resource Businesses and Stores Description An account of the resource PDF of document typewritten by Pete deBeaumont, who lived at Brookstone Farm in West Worthington and there , along with his wife, created the Brookstone catalog, a successful mail-order business. deBeaumont was trained in mechanical engineering, and the catalog specialized in hard-to-find tools and hardware. The first catalog was mailed out in 1965. In 1969 the deBeaumonts moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pete deBeaumont Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976-08-30 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - West Worthington Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. Evan Spring https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/2325e0c19afb25f3fc1ab646ee7e056f.tif 8b05827012b8ad3896b57f1bfabc87cb https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/6d47140232ac27b09827094e0e6a3a2f.pdf 74d749f50ae7a755559bb1eeb95517a8 PDF Text Text Suzanne Fisk Obituary Suzanne Baldwin Fisk 1935 - 2022 WORTHINGTON Suzanne Baldwin Fisk (87) passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 20. Suzanne was born in Springfield, MA and grew up in Longmeadow, MA with her parents, Dr. Edward Baldwin and Marguerite Baldwin. Her late husband, Noyes (Peter) Mayo Fisk Jr. and Sue resided in Longmeadow MA where they raised their four children before moving to Worthington, MA. She leaves behind her children; Jeffrey W. Fisk and his wife Leslie of Rock Island, TN, Timothy N. Fisk and his wife Anne of Soddy Daisy, TN, David N. Fisk and his wife Laura of East Granby, CT, and Leslie F. Figiela and her husband Edward of Worthington, MA. She will be dearly missed by her eight grandchildren; Whitney Fisk and her partner Eric Busse, Afton Sparrow and her husband Coyote Sparrow, Jessica Russell and her husband Jamie Russell, Ryan Fisk, Lindsay Rodriguez and her husband Felix Rodriguez, Daniel Bridge and his wife Tori Bridge, Rachel Ehresman and her husband Xavier Ehresman, and Emily Figiela. There are also three great-grandchildren (with a fourth in the works!); Jordan Russell, Zuk Sparrow and Milli Rodriguez who will all miss their Nana. Sue also leaves behind her sister Joann Baldwin Lexow and her husband Eric of Jamestown, RI. She is preceded by her sister Nancy Baldwin Adams of Chebeague Island, ME. Suzanne graduated from McDuffie School for Girls in Springfield before attending Bradford Junior College. She worked for the American Red Cross in the Springfield administration offices. While her children were in school, she enjoyed working with the Junior League of Longmeadow. Suzanne obtained her real estate license and worked for Trend Realty in Longmeadow. She also started her own business, Kinnebrook Antiques, which she successfully ran for several years. Sue was a regular participant in numerous clubs and attended area antique shows. Intermittently through the years Sue would also work side-by-side with her husband Peter at his business, Plumb Auto Supply in Northampton, MA. Later in life Suzanne resided in Worthington, MA and treasured her time in the Berkshires. Documenting her family's genealogy was Suzanne's passion and it took her to several New England states as well as a trip to England in search long passed relatives. Over the years Suzanne would visit various churches, town halls and local cemeteries in her quest for information on her ancestry. She was active with the Council on Aging and enjoyed golfing and socializing at the Worthington Golf Club. Suzanne was an active member of the Worthington Congregational Church. Suzanne will be remembered fondly by her family, friends and the countless people her life touched over the years. Her children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren will miss her dearly and cherish the memories of their time with Mom/Nana both in Worthington and the several trips to Florida where she and Peter would invite all the children to come visit. The memorial service will be held at 4pm on Friday, September 9, at the First Congregational Church of Worthington, 159 Huntington Road (Rte. 112), Worthington, MA. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. online obituary for Suzanne Fisk, 2022 Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-029 Title A name given to the resource Suzanne Fisk obituary, 2022 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Obituary for Suzanne Fisk (1935-2022). Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan of obituary published online Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Legacy.com Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2022-08-22 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Springfield Republican Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-04 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - Worthington Center Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db created item 2024-03-04 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/bd11f513d9de12059c75c7e76a47a5ec.tif 1064970a5f9e5c322aeabd43f9f931c6 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/0d38245d22527085aca3fa010ddf070f.pdf 238d0236d9a5dd19760694cb89031e23 PDF Text Text Cornelius Sharron Obituary Cornelius (Conny) Francis Sharron passed away peacefully at home under the loving care of his wife and eight daughters on August 20, 2021. He was 92 years old. Born in Gardner, Massachusetts in 1929, he was the son of the late Frederick J. Sharron and Margaret (Gallagher) Sharron Bouchard. Conny was predeceased by his brothers Frederick, Charles, and Mark. Conny attended Sacred Heart School in Gardner, MA and graduated from Gardner High School in 1946. He was a graduate of Fitchburg State College, class of 1950, and received his master's degree in Education there in 1955. He continued his education by also attending Holy Cross, Boston University, and the University of Massachusetts, among several other colleges and universities. He began his career as a math and history teacher in Gardner, MA in 1955 before becoming an elementary school principal in the Central Berkshire Regional School District in 1963, where he lead several schools throughout the district until his retirement in 1989. He was the president of various Teachers Associations including Gardner, Hinsdale Union, and Berkshire County and was a lifelong member of the National Education Association. He was a firm believer that education was a universal right, and that everyone has gifts and intelligences to be nurtured and respected. From 1951-1953, Conny served in the United States Army working in intelligence and as a radio repairman during the Korean conflict. He was stationed in Hokkaido, Japan. Upon discharge, he joined the American Legion, and was a lifelong member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He served as Commander of Post #905 in Gardner, MA and then Commander of Post #9566 in Dalton, MA. From 1977-1978, he was elected Massachusetts VFW State Commander, one of his proudest accomplishments. Nationally, he was Vice Chairman of the POW/MIA Committee from 1993-1994, Vice Chairman of the VA Hospital Committee from 1994-1995, and Vice-Chairman of the National Community Activities Committee from 1995-1996. Additionally, he served as the VFW State Parliamentarian for thirty years. As a proud veteran, Conny was honored to march in several Memorial and Independence Day parades for over sixty years. He was often asked to be a guest speaker extolling on the importance of care for fallen veterans, our need to rise up as a community and to love our neighbors, and the greatness of the ideals upon which America was founded. A staunch advocate for veteran's rights, Conny volunteered tirelessly at the Northampton VA Hospital and the former Rutland VA Hospital where he received special recognition by the Veterans Administration for a lifetime of service. While in Hinsdale, Conny served as Treasurer of the United Way and the Salvation Army. When he moved to Worthington with his young family in 1967, he became the Town Moderator, a role he held for fifteen years. He also served as the town's Veterans Agent, President of the Worthington Library Corporation, Vice President of the Worthington Historical Society, and Treasurer for Housing for the Elderly. �Conny was a diehard Red Sox fan. While serving as State Commander of the VFW, he was invited by the Boston Red Sox to throw out the opening pitch, first at Fenway Park in Boston, and then against the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1978; one of the great honors of his life. In addition to baseball, Conny had many interests and passions. He coached basketball and Babe Ruth Little League baseball for several years. He loved to play golf at the Worthington Golf Course, where he was a long-time member and twice hit a hole-in-one. Conny was an avid gardener; his family spent the winters pining for the ripened tomatoes of which he was especially proud. As a lifelong learner, Conny read constantly, and he loved to debate politics over coffee with friends at the Worthington General Store. His interest in other cultures lead him to a lifetime of international travel. Conny loved to sing to his children, his grandchildren, and to his wife. His voice was rich and beautiful, filled with the love he felt for his family. Conny is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Julia Joanne (Comeau) Sharron; his eight loving daughters, Helen & David Pollard of Worthington; Ramona Gallagher of Worthington; Melissa & Jeffrey Brodsky of Wayne, PA; Annie & Matthew Lagoy of Worthington; Catherine & Thomas Pease of Worthington; Margaret Sharron & Emmanuel Cecchet of Huntington; Pamela Sharron & Scott Evans of Florence; Octavia & Andrei Litvinov of Philadelphia, PA; and his twenty beautiful grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Conny's Catholic faith was unwavering. He was proud of being an altar boy, serving the mass in Latin. He was a communicant of Saint Agnes Church in Dalton, MA and spent his life giving to others as an educator, a community leader, and a volunteer. In lieu of flowers, his family requests you perform an act of loving kindness to someone in need. � https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/76b50c4317d4b9b03ceff584367a25f7.tif f5104a83f13265c3db175ae45230b461 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Scan of obituary plus accompanying photo Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-030 Title A name given to the resource Newspaper articles about Cornelius Sharron named principal and also obituary, 2021 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Newspaper articles 1) Cornelius Shannon named principal of Center School in Dalton and also Obituary for Cornelius J. Sharron (1921-August 20, 2021. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan of Legacy.com obituary Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-08-20 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Legacy.com Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-04 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - Worthington Corners Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db created item 2024-03-04 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/45d485ec2185f1eca0ab0f26cdf65d75.tif f3e105dd3b00808a5c548541d5dd1a5b https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/8ca055b2981a0ee069dab2b8d6dd44cb.tif 47fa34ad94118a4107420b516d2a4a96 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/9dcbf25737b21b49481df67410bba675.pdf c5b06bf08f0157b8948589a475939597 PDF Text Text Garibaldi Guard Near Fairfax, Va. July 17th 10 o’clock We have marched ten miles today and though I am very tired, I have walked a mile further to a Virginia farm house, to write. I could get no water today to drink, and now a good colored Aunty is getting me a nice supper with milk and coffee. Will it not taste good!!! My trunk and all my things are in my hut in Alexandria. I sleep to night with the stars for my cover lid. I have my cloak and blanket. We were ordered to take nothing more. I advance tomorrow at day light in peace and happiness. 10 miles from Manassas July 20th, 1861 We expect a general battle to day and a severe one. If I fall, I die for my country. J. C. R. Page 2: Orange, New Jersey July 20, 1861 Dear Mrs. Rice, Though the news from the seat of war is very sad, and our future hopes for our country seem darkened, still personally we have to be thankful that the Garibaldi Brigade were not in the contest, but a reserve corps, at Centerville, and they probably retreated with the army to the entrenchments near Washington. Respectfully yours, J. Thorpe � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Papers, publications, artifacts from Frederick Sargeant Huntington Library Rice (collection) Room related to Katherine McDowell Rice (1859-1945) and items related to other members of the Rice family including William Gorham Rice, James Clay Rice, Susan Tracy Rice and others Title A name given to the resource Rice family materials Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. letter from James Clay Rice Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-031 Title A name given to the resource Letter from James Clay Rice to mother, July 1861 Subject The topic of the resource Letters, correspondence Description An account of the resource Letter written by James Clay Rice to his mother [Wealthea Cotrell Rice (1784-1870), on the eve of the first battle of Bull Run. Includes as well letter from either a colleague or a commanding officer stating that the Garibaldi group had not been engaged in the battle directly. Garibaldi Guard Near Fairfax, Va. July 17th 10 o’clock We have marched ten miles today and though I am very tired, I have walked a mile further to a Virginia farm house, to write. I could get no water today to drink, and now a good colored Aunty is getting me a nice supper with milk and coffee. Will it not taste good!!! My trunk and all my things are in my hut in Alexandria. I sleep to night with the stars for my cover lid. I have my cloak and blanket. We were ordered to take nothing more. I advance tomorrow at day light in peace and happiness. 10 miles from Manassas July 20th, 1861 We expect a general battle to day and a severe one. If I fall, I die for my country. J. C. R. Page 2: Orange, New Jersey July 20, 1861 Dear Mrs. Rice, Though the news from the seat of war is very sad, and our future hopes for our country seem darkened, still personally we have to be thankful that the Garibaldi Brigade were not in the contest, but a reserve corps, at Centerville, and they probably retreated with the army to the entrenchments near Washington. Respectfully yours, J. Thorpe Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan of digitized letter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Clay Rice Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1861-07-17 and 1861-07-20 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available eBay.com Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-05 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant US - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db created item 2024-03-05 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/4a830efa18195bc460273274bd4cc915.tif 84548a97fe5ec99a5f2def41cc3c6d68 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/54eed96bca30db824c9ee470eb8f88e9.pdf f6e7851bcf838e9d6a72e4296116512d PDF Text Text Ken Pease obituary, 2013 WORTHINGTON, MA – Kenneth B. Pease, Jr. (1927-2013) passed away peacefully on June 20, 2013 with his loving family by his side. Ken was born on April 7, 1927 the son of the late Kenneth and Ethel (Zarr) Pease. He grew up and spent most of his life in Worthington. He attended Huntington High School and Smith Vocational before joining the Army during World War II. He served with the occupational forces in Germany. He retired from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in 1989 after 31 years of employment. Ken was active in his church and community. He served one term as a selectman and thirty years as an Almoner for the Whiting Street Fund. He was a member of the Congregational Church, a lifetime member of both the Worthington Rod and Gun Club and VFW Post 6645 of Russell. He was a fifty year member of the Huntington Federal Masonic Hall Lodge. During his rich life he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping in southern Vermont, and traveling with his wife. He always claimed superiority in his daily games of cribbage but when pressed would have to acknowledge that it was his wife and not him who could brag about having a “29” hand. Above all he received pleasure in the company of family and friends. In recent years his life was enriched and probably prolonged by the love and antics of his great-grandchildren. Ken leaves his devoted wife of 66 years, Barbara Palmer Pease; a son, Gary and his wife Nan of Westfield; daughter, Gail Lucey and her husband Michael of Easthampton and daughter, Marcia Estelle and her husband Stephen of Worthington. He has three surviving brothers, Richard Pease and his wife Patricia of Tucson, AZ, Howard Pease and his wife Pamela of Westfield, Robert Pease and his wife Bonita of Russell. He has two surviving sisters, Nancy Wickland and husband Glen of Dalton and Mary McCready and her husband Peter of Huntington as well as a brother-in-law Donald Watson of Holyoke. He was predeceased by his brother, James Pease; his sister-in-law, Carol and sister, Nettie Watson. He leaves seven proud and admiring grandchildren, Mark Pease and his wife Marisa of Longmeadow, Rebecca Pease of Westfield, Kristen Pease of San Diego, CA, Stephen Estelle and his wife Kristen of Goshen, MA, Erin Borsari and her husband Joshua of Plymouth, David Lucey and his wife Carolina of Watertown and Thomas Lucey and his wife Kate of Chicago, IL. He has seven greatgrandchildren, Nicole, Mia, Michael, Ross, Rosemarie, Stephen and Arami. Admiration and love for Uncle Kenny extends to nieces, nephews and beyond. Westfield News, June 24, 2013 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-032 Title A name given to the resource Kenneth "Ken" Pease obituary, 2013 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Kenneth B. Pease, Jr. (b. 1927) passed away on June 20, 2013. Other Worthington people mentioned are wife, Barbara Pease and daughter Marcia Pease Estelle and her husband Stephen. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scanned newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2013-06-24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Westfield News Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-05 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - South Worthington Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-04 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/e121e54b0acb002d6a112560359ce14f.pdf 67ff8188730af68054c1a27466834ade PDF Text Text To Thomas Jefferson from Gideon Lee, letter in the National Archives: Havre De Grasse 17 May 1808 SIR your Excellency will permit Me to inform you of a young Man, who has gone to Washington for the purpose (as he says) of causing a repeal of the several Acts (passed the last session of Congress) laying an Embaro—He has thrown out several threats on the road—particularly against your Excellencies life—I have this moment heard of his arrival in Washington and that he is preparing to proceed to Monticello—knowing your politeness and the unreserved liberality with which your intercourse with Men is marked, I feared you might admit him to an audience— and as the Man is insane he might (yourself unguarded) commit violence on your Person— Your Excellency will excuse this intrusion—as it is produced by (perhaps) an over solicitude for a life of infinite worth— I am Sir your Excellencies most Obedient Servant GIDEON LEE P.S. the name of the Person herein mentiond is Wm. Meech, a Son of Timothy Meech of Worthington, Massachusetts, Hampshire County—his insanity was produced by religious phrensy—in March last, the fourth Inst. he called on Me in New-york (where I reside) and requested a sum of money to enable him to pursue his Journey to Washington. I gave him money on his promising to return to his Father—and accompanied him out of town and did not dream he had changd his course, untill business calld Me to this place, this evening. He is a middle sisd Man florid Complexion, and wears a Military habit—for the respect I bear his Father I would wish the young Man used tenderly— G. LEE Citation: “To Thomas Jefferson from Gideon Lee, 17 May 1808,” Founders.Online?.National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/99-01-02-8014 � Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. warning letter from Gideon Lee to Thomas Jefferson Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-033 Title A name given to the resource Letter from Gideon Lee to Thomas Jefferson, 1808 (transcription) Subject The topic of the resource Letters, correspondence Description An account of the resource Letter to Thomas Jefferson from Gideon Lee, 17 May 1808, warning Jefferson about a William Meech from Worthington who is threatening to assassinate Jefferson. Transcription only. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource transcription of letter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gideon Lee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1808-05-17 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available US National Archives Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-05 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant US - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-05 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/6e325c10f73fec0ad3456501c38c2dc9.pdf 37d6e5299c6b6375e1c6d3113f875323 PDF Text Text INDEX The Worthington Cookbook compiled by the Womans Benevolent Society, Worthington, Mass Albro, Mrs. [Lewis K.?] (Mary?, 1844-1917) (lived in Pittsfield_ biscuits, Mr. Brewer's Kentucky beaten, 10 corn pone, Kentucky, 14 dressing, French, 61 frosting, boiled, 92 Allen, S[arah] E. (Mrs. Nelson, Sarah Nooney Cady, 1852-1936) cake, Scripture, 81 cake, sure luck, 81 Ames, B[essie] A. F. (1856-1951) bluefish, baked, 25 celery, stewed, 54–55 chicken timbale, 38 codfish balls, 29–30 griddle cakes, rice, 15 pudding, rice current, 68 soup, chicken, 19 soup stock, 19 turkey, roast, 33 Bartlett, Alice G[eneveeve] (Mrs. Lester LeDuc, 1895-1980, m. 1926), marmalade, orange, 107 Bartlett, Bessie [Elizabeth] G[urney] (1877-1935), gingerbread, 90 Bartlett, Elsie V[enner] (1878-1968) Bavarian cream, plain, 64 mince meat, 73 sherbet, pineapple, 99 sherbet, raspberry, 99 Bartlett, Marguerite (b. 1889, m. 1914) cookies, oatmeal, 96 sauce [for pudding], 72 Bartlett, Marion (1888-1969), cake, sweet cream sponge, 80 Bartlett, Mrs. Eugene L. [Nellie Malone] (1862-1955) fritters, raspberry, 66 salmon, cream, 28–29 Bartlett, Mrs. G[uy] F. [Alice Mosher] (1887-1953) beefsteak en casserole, 40 1 �croquettes, meat, 41–42 pork fritters, 43 red hot (sauce), 46 Bartlett, Mrs. Horace F[ranklin] (Caroline Eliza Graves, 1852-1925) cream sauce for croquettes, 45–46 croquettes, 41 dope, red raspberry, 113 ham patties, 43–44 meat and rice casserole, 42 oysters, panned, 30 sauce, tomato, 106–7 short cake, strawberry, 11 Bates, Louise C. (1873-1946) brownies, Bangor, 94 cake, molasses layer, 87 johnny cakes, apple, 13 oatmeal gems, 13 Bates, Mrs. C[harles] F. (Amanda Ann Bartlett, 1852-1920) cake, fruit, 90 koumyas [wine], 113 Bates, Mrs. Frank (Mary Jane Laughlin, 1871-after 1959) bean patties, 52 osting, chocolate, 92 pudding, hasty cocoa, 63 Bates, N[ellie][Alma] (1858-1915) breakfast cakes, rye, 13–14 cake, black chocolate, 89 cookies, cream, 98 cream, chocolate, 103 fondant, 104 stew, good old Irish, 19–20 tripe, fried, 39 Bradley, Mrs. Frank (Sarah Baker, 1871-1960) breakfast cakes, rye, 11 corn, canned, 108 gingerbread with whipped cream, 67 Bradley, Mrs. H[inckley]. D. (Azubah Clark, 1870-1916) cake, sponge, 80 cake, sunshine, 80 wafers, ginger, 95 wafers, vanilla, 97 Brewster, Edith G. (1882-1951) 2 �apple fritters, 54 batter for fritters, 54 bran gems, 13 dressing, salad, 62 muffins, wheat, 12–13 Brewster, Mrs. C[harles]. K[ingman] (Celina Baldwin, 1840-1917) cake, nut layer, 86 cookies, hickory, 96 grapes, spiced, 109 Brewster, Mrs. Milton (Eliza Carr, 1841-1904), pie, cornstarch, 76 Brooks, Mrs. C[harles] B[yron] (Nancy Trow, 1882-1965) bread, puffed or hot, 15 jelly, astrachan apple, 105 jelly, pear and plum, 105 pie, cherry, 77 pie, current, 73 spice jelly (for meat), 45 Brooks, Mrs. S. H.???? cake, pork, 90 pickle, cabbage with Bordeau [sic] sauce, 110 Brown, Mrs. Amanda L. (Mrs. Castanus, 1847-1914) (2006-147 on display) cake, eggless white loaf, 80 cake, sponge, 79 doughnuts, raised, 93 Buck, Mrs. O[tis]. H. (Julia Porter, 1852-1929) conserve, grape, 107 jelly, peach, 105–6 omelet, egg, 47–48 salad, but, 60 Burr, Mrs. C[lement] F[ranklin] (Ella Crosier, 1850-1930) cake, raised, 85 oysters (pigs in blankets), 32 oysters, scalloped, 30 pear chips, 108 pie, apple, 78 pie, cream, 77 sausage, fried, 45 Burr, Mrs. Franklin H. (Helen Gilmore, 1882-1968) bread, brown, 6 chowder, fish, 22 salad, tomato jelly, 60 Burr, Mrs. J[ohn]. E. (Fanny Warren, 1876-1943) cream puffs, 91 doughnuts, 93 gingerbread, soft, 90–91 rolls, Parker House, 9 3 �Capen, Mrs. Alfred ???, popovers, 14 Capen, Mrs. G[ranville] D[aniel] (Hattie Maria Blackman, 1859-1950) ham on toast, 44 meat, creamed, 44 oysters and macaroni, 31 pie, lemon, 75–76 Clark, Mrs. D[wight] T[heodore] (Harriet Prudence Wilder, 1864-1921) bisque, tomato, 21 ice cream, 99–100 meat, 39–40 mousse, maple, 99 pie, maple syrup, 73 Clark, Mrs. E[dward]. J. (Caroline Hewitt, 1868-1948) cake, lightening, 86 cupcakes, 86 gingerbread, 91 jelly, geranium, 105 sauce, Franz, 70 Coburn, Mrs. Sidney (Jennie Arfell Parmenter, 1863-1927) custard, baked, 65 meat balls, 43 Cole, Anna A[bbott]. (Mrs. Horace, 1867-1950) cake, angel, 79 cheese sticks, 94 corn cake, 11 mint sauce, 46 pork, fried, 38 trout, book, 25 waffles, 15 wine, elder blow, 114 Cole, Estelle ????, pudding, graham, 71 Cole, Olive E. (1894-1986) meat/fish souffles, 44 omelet, 48 Cone, [Fannie] Viola (Mrs. Alfred Churchill, 1894-1976, m. 1914) cake, caramel, 80 candy, potato, 101–2 Cone, Ada M[ay] (Mrs. James W., Ada Brown, 1869-1948) doughnuts, 93 dressing, boiled, 61–62 pie, cranberry, 77 salad, potato, 60 4 �Creelman, Josephine Rice (Mrs. Harlan W. , 1865-1940), blanc mange, chocolate, 65 Cross, Alice E. (Mrs. William Brady, 1898-1981) cake, Forbes, 85 tomato, spiced green, 109 Cross, Alma ????, cake, Alma loaf, 84 Dickinson, R. B.??? caramel, chocolate, 101 dressing, cooked salad, 62 Russian cream, 64 salmon loaf sauce, 29 Dodge, Jennie (1875-1937) corn fritters, 51 soup, clam, 23 succotash, 57 Dodge, Sarah (Mrs. Edwin, Sarah F. Williston, b. 1849, d. after 1920) cabbage, creamed, 52 fruit dessert, 67 parsnip croquettes, 55 pudding, nesselrode, 68 pudding, whole wheat, 70 salad, fruit, 60 Drury, Mrs. Lathrop (Lucie J. Thayer, 1854-1931) cake, cold water, 85 pudding, mock Indian, 70 sauce [for pudding], 71 Ely, Mrs. H[enry] G[ilbert] (Ruby M. Brooks, 1870-1940) chowder, corn, 22–23 puff, baked apple, 66 sauce, ripe tomato, 107 soup, tomato, 23 tomato, escalloped, 56 Fairman, Eva [Cudworth] (1886-1979) chicken, scalloped, 36–37 kottbullar, 43 onion, escalloped, 54 shepherd's pie, 37 Fiske, Mrs. Wendell (Eunice E. Witt, 1884-1966), cake, chocolate marble, 87–88 Fitzroy, Mrs. [Edwin J.] (Jennie Blanchard, 1866-1943) cake, easy fruit, 89 cookies, white or sugar, 97 Fogg, Helen B. (1855-1937) chowder, fish, 22 cookies, grandmother's, 97 5 �Geer, Mrs. C[harles] Preston (Lemira E. Pelton, 1864-1933) bread, graham, 8 codfish on toast, JJ27–28 eggs, stuffed, 47 potatoes and onions, fried, 53 Green, Mrs. B[elden]. R. [Blanche Granville , d. 1964) pickles, mustard, 111–12 whuffins [sic], wheat, 12 Hart, Mrs. J[ohn]. E. (Elizabeth S. Leach, 1868-1943), pie, lemon, 75 Hart, N. A. ???, muffins, plain, 14 Heacock, Mrs. G[rosvenor] W. (Alice Baker, b. 1907), pudding, poor man's plum, 71–72 Heacock, N[annie] S[tone] (1859-1944), compote, apple, 66 Hewitt, Josephine (1870-1960) cheese souffle, 48 filling, lemon for layer cake, 92 salmon, 30 soup, bran, 20 Hewitt, Mrs. A[bby] C[orning] O[tto] (1869-1948), Turkish delight, 104 Hewitt, Mrs. Sidney???, oysters (little pigs in blankets), 32 Higgins, Mrs. Hattie C[elestia] [Mrs. Herbert N., Hattie Wright, 1863-1928) cake, Martha Washington, 85 salmon cakes, 28 Hills, Josie [Josephine] S. (Mrs. James Murray, 1880-1919) cookies, soft ginger, 94 pudding, berry, 68 pudding, prune, 67 Humphrey, Martha C[oit] (Mrs. Benjamin Humphrey, Martha Jones, 1847-1925) beans, baked, 52 chicken pie, 34 Ireland, Mrs.??? icing, maple syrup, 82 rice cakes, 53 salad, 59 Johnson, Mrs. Howard (Helen Roxanne Durham, 1840-1915) cabbage, baked, 53 rarebit, Welsh, 49 Jones, Mrs. Maude S.[M.or H.?] (Mrs. Charles M. or H. (b, 1880) pickles, cucumber, 111 pie, mock mince, 74 pie, orange, 73–74 6 �sausage, fried, 39 Jones, Mrs. Willard (either Deborah Cole (1851-1895) or Cora Pease (1865-1936)) chow chow, white, 108–9 pudding, suet, 72 Kilbourn, Mrs. C[harles] A. (Laura May Bates, 1876-1945) cake, molasses sponge, 79 corn cake, 12 doughnuts, raised, 93 Knapp, Grace A[gnes] (Mrs. Leslie Joyner, 1894-1969) candy, panochee [sic], 103 pie filling, lemon, 78 Knapp, Madaline [Brown] (Mrs. Ray Howe, 1896-1988), brittle, peanut, 102 Knapp, Minnie [Jeanette] (Mrs. Cullen Tower, 1891-1968, m. 1914), oyster stew, 31 Knapp, Mrs. Clayton. C. (Maude Evora Brown, 1872-1948) beef, frizzled dried, 40 bread, oatmeal, 8 cookies, oatmeal, 95 fish, planked, 26 popovers, 14 pudding, Mountain Dew, 67 Knapp, Mrs. F[ordyce] L. (Mary Streeter, 1866-1941) cake, marble, 88 pickles, cucumber, 111 pudding, English, 71 Knapp, Mrs. J[ames] M[adison] (Jeannette [Nettie] E. Wright, 1876-1937) chicken fricassee, 35–36 cookies, sour cream, 98 dumplings, 36 Loveland, Mrs. C[arlton]. A. (Mary E. Hills, 1875-1950) cake, layer, 86 pie, lemon, 75 Magargal, Mrs. [Mrs. Wells?, Rebecca Raymond, 1892-1978) Helen Marion Bartlett ?? butter, maitre d'hotel, 27 Cornish pasties, 40–41 cottage pie, 37 peach consort, 107 peas, baked, 51–52 pie, mock cherry, 77 salmon cutlets, 28 Marwick, Mrs.[???, Myrick?, check WBS records) candy, coffee, 101 cream, maple, 102 pudding, baked Indian, 69 salad, 59 7 �_________________________________________________________________ Neil, Fay, dressing, fruit, 59 not attributed cake, Dolly Varden white layer, 83 cake, lily, 82 cake, pink layers, 83 cheese fondu, 48 corn cakes, green, 56–57 corn pudding, 57 halibut, smoked, 27 macaroni and tomato sauce, 56 oysters, scalloped, 31 parsnips, fried, 55 potatoes, matire d'hotel, 27 pudding, steamed, 71 pudding, whole wheat, 70 roast chicken and dressing, 36 salmon, fresh fried, 26 salmon loaf, 29 sandwiches, 17–18 spinach, 55 tomatoes (for fish), 32 Osgood, Mrs. George [Henry] (Martha Churchill, 1898-1975) cake, butternut, 83–84 cake, mocha, 84 omelet, 47 Osgood, Mrs. L[ucy] M[aria] [Mrs. George, Lucy Allen, 1831-1920) cake, nice sponge, 80 frosting, chocolate, 91–92 Parish, M[ary]. E. (Mrs. Telesphore J. Betters, 1884-1963, m. 1915) pickle, chopped, 111 sauce, German green, 106 Pease, Miss Amanda (1838-1932), grape juice, unfermented, 113 Pease, Mrs. E[dward or Edwin] M. (Nettie M. Bartlett (1868-1901) or **Effie M. Higgins (18671936)) pie, pineapple, 74 puffs, breakfast, 15 Pease, Mrs. J[ames]. B. (Eliza Cole, 1846-1915), cake, pork, 90 Perry, Mrs. Emma L. (Mrs. Dwight, Emma Chapman, 1835-1923), oleykoks [sic] [olykoeks are doughnuts], 94 Porter, Inez (Inez Wymar, 1873-1915) butterscotch, 102 creams, peppermint, 103 Porter, May G[urney] (Alice May Gurney, 1895-1957) 8 �cabbage, scalloped, 53 cake, ginger drop, 95 eggs, Beauregard, 49 rolls, cinnamon, 10 Porter, Mrs. Annie [Mrs. Abner H., 1867-1941) macaroni and cheese, 56 piccalilli, 109–10 Prentice, Mrs. Dwight [Jane E. Gleason, 1844-1923) bread, farmer's brown, 6 cake, cream puff, 82 cake, quick loaf, 85 Rice, Katherine McD[owell] (1859-1945), soup, black bean, 23–24 Rice, Mrs. William G[orham] (Maud Walker, 1882-after 1950), muffins, English, 12 Rice, Susan T[racy] (1865-1937) mushrooms, 57 sweet breads, 42 Sampson, Florence A. (1845-1929) biscuits, cream tartar, 11 cake, apple sauce, 87 currants, spiced, 109 Shaw, Imogene (1881-1960), fudge, 103 Shaw, Mildred (Mrs. Philip Gurney, 1898-1983), cake, dark without eggs, 88 Shaw, Mrs. W[alter] M. (Grace Frances Minor, 1874-1945) corn, escalloped, 51 Graham gems, 13 meat balls, 43 pudding, union, 69 salmon, 28 salmon, canned, 29 soup, cabbage, 21 Skelton, Mrs. P[erley] A. (Alice G. Shipman, 1865-1947) cake, maple sugar, 81 pie, cream, 76–77 potato, escalloped, 55–56 rolls, 9–10 salad, beet, 61 Smith, Mrs. Ina (Mrs. Henry R., Ina Kibbe, 1859-1942) candy, baked nut, 101 fudge, divinity, 102 Smith, Mrs. Merrick (Inabell Prentice, 1869-1936) cake, roll jelly, 81 pie, coconut, 73 Smith, Mrs. Walter A. (Bessie May Jones, 1879-1969) cookies, filled, 96* pudding, cottage, 69 soup, black bean, 20 Smith, Mrs. Warren A.???, Sally Lunn, 15 9 �Stevens, Mrs. Alfred C[orrill] (Elizabeth Reid, 1970-1961) beef, dried, 44–45 cauliflower, 54 rabbits, 38 salad, cabbage, 61 soup, tomato, 21 venison, roast, 37 Stevens, Myra J. (Mrs. Eugene, Myra Reed, 1866-1939) bread, nut, 7 bread, whole wheat, 7 hamburg roast, 39 jelly, cranberry, 105 marguerites, 96 wine, dandelion, 113–14 Stevenson, Florence Day (Mrs. J. Ross, 1874-1956) blanc mange, 64 bread, Vienna, 5 Stone, Nellie M. (Mrs. Walter Lincoln Stone, Nellie Sylvester, 1869-1957) beets, baked, 51 blackberries, sweet pickle, 110 bread, steamed brown, 6 cake, dried apple, 89 chicken pie, 34 pie crust, 35 Streeter, Mrs. William (Jennie Culver, d. 1917) jam, blackberry, 106 wine, blackberry, 114 Thayer, Mabel (Mrs. Frederic Geles, 1893-1947, m. 1915), icing, coffee, 91 Thayer, Mrs. Ernest (Delena Jones, 1874-1958) beef loaf, 41 bread, bran, 7 ham pickle, 45 ice cream, chocolate, 99 pie, whipped cream, 76 Thayer, Mrs. Harry. M.??? bread, graham, 8 pie, rhubarb, 78 pudding, chocolate, 63 Tinker, Mrs. Harry (Lela Brown, 1878-1924) bread, graham,8 cake, fudge, 88 cookies, drop, 95 Tower, Mary (b. 1868), bread, wheat, 5 Tower, Mrs. H[enry] L. (Cynthia L. Allen, 1856-1928) 10 �cake, society, 84 pie, rhubarb, 78 rolls, bran, 10 Trow, Mrs. A[lfred]. W. (Ida S. Bartlett, 1861-1933) cookies, hermit, 97 cookies, sour milk, 97 puff, raspberry, 65 Walker, Mrs. D. S.???, fritters, French, 66–67 Wiggett, Mrs. Roy G[ardner] (Hattie Mabel Beach, 1888-1917), cake, potato flour, 82 Willard, Mrs. (Mrs. John, 1886-1952) soup, onion, 21 soup, vegetable, 20 Williams, Mrs. C[harles]. O. (Florence May Brown, 1877-1970) bread, buttermilk brown, 6–7 chicken, panned, 35 sauce, chili, 106 Witt, Edna [Warner] (1892-1972), pie, pumpkin, 74 Witt, Mrs. Harry (Mary Elizabeth Damon, 1858-1937), pie, frosted lemon, 75 Wright, Mrs. Phebe (Mrs. John, Phebe Soper, 1835-1920), cookies, cream, 98 Yale, Mary. E. (Mrs. John, Mary E. Tower, 1868-1964) cake, Aunt Elizabeth, 87 cake, dark layer, 83 ginger snaps, 94 pickle, chopped, 110 pudding, graham, 70–71 Zarr, Mrs. [Edwin] (Minerva Waterbury Green, 1867-1929) chowder, clam, 23 crullers, 94 pudding, cream cocoanut, 63 pudding, orange, 63 11 � Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Index to Worthington Cookbook Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-034 Title A name given to the resource Index to Worthington Cookbook Subject The topic of the resource Churches Description An account of the resource Index of names and recipes in the Worthington Cookbook, ca. 1911 as well as possibly later. Index includes some thumbnails showing the contributors Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF document Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Diane Brenner Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2024-03-01 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Kate Bavelock and the Worthington Historical Society Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-06 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - other unspecified Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-06 Relation A related resource 2018-072 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/62cda247bcb9521bd5ef1e7f923743f5.tif df6509396292b38d056129d214fd905c https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/f1a084780f30759d2a3c57b69690bb24.pdf 6fc9e2cdf9f76d8725eb6e8e75d6d420 PDF Text Text William Carter Obituary Our community and family lost a gentle, loving, and generous soul, when Mr. William Joseph Carter, Jr passed away unexpectedly on Monday, August 16, 2021, at the age of 81. He was born in Pittsfield, MA, on April 29, 1940, the son of the late William J. Carter Sr. and Rita Thompson Carter. He graduated in 1967 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with his Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, as part of the GE apprentice program. Bill was employed by General Electric for 43 years, where he designed large power transformers. Before retirement in 2005, he was the manager of maintenance and security. He was a lifetime member of IEEE. Bill was dedicated to his family and lived a life of service to family, friends, church, community, and work. He was an active member of St. Stephen's Parish, as usher, property committee, and coordinator of Habitat for Humanity. For several years he was on the board of directors and was president for the Maples senior housing in Worthington. He was always willing to help his daughters and friends with projects, especially repairs or woodworking. Bill had a passion for steam trains, HO model railroading, photography, home renovations, and community. He was one of the original members since 1956 of the Berkshire Model Railroad Society and a member for 65 years. Since 1965, Bill was also a member of the Amherst Railway Society for 56 years, where he volunteered for many years at the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show at the Big E. A lifelong love of steam trains. led him to many train trips. For his 60th birthday he was thrilled to have the opportunity to briefly drive a real steam engine in Essex, CT.. Retirement allowed him to take a trip across Canada and then back to the US by trains with his wife, Teddy. Bill was an enthusiastic photographer and passed that passion to his daughters. As the one behind the lens, our photos of him are somewhat limited, and we would love to receive stories and photographs with remembrances. Another love that he and Teddy shared with the girls was for animals; he took care of the horses on the property and was loved by all the cats and dogs. His family and friends will miss him greatly. While he will be remembered for many things his smile is one of things that many people recall. Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Theodora "Teddy" (Stevens), of 51 years, whom he married on October 4, 1970. His joys were his daughters Sally L. Carter, of Nashua, NH and Jill M. Carter of Hudson, MA. Bill's siblings are Betty Carter Harrison of Delmar, NY; Nancy Carter Olson (Carl) of Pittsfield, MA; Phillip Carter (Yan Li) of Gilmanton, NH; David Carter (Ann) of Pittsfield, MA; as well as many nieces, nephews, and their families. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Obituary for William Carter Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-035 Title A name given to the resource William Carter obituary, 2021 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Obituary for William "Bill" Carter (1940-2021). Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scanned article from website Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-08-16 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Legacy.com Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03=06 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-06 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/c3713daee1a72da2666854468dc920b8.tif 8a282a9872c6d4017332c968b48aa4ea https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/db18eaf4a1d1c03b211e618ea3c21271.pdf bfe77559c84fdb002139354addd119c3 PDF Text Text Robert “Bob” W. Perkins 1946-2022 WORTHINGTON, MA - Robert Wilson Perkins, 76, passed away on Friday, December 30, 2022, after a long battle with spinocerebellar ataxia and dementia. One of ten children, he was born in Worcester, MA on August 10, 1946, and raised in Barre, MA. He graduated from Barre High School and continued his education at the University of Massachusetts, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in art. He was an artist whose paintings of nature and wildlife were exhibited in the U.S., France, and Canada. He worked in advertising in New York City before returning to Massachusetts to teach art and film animation at Granby High School. He was fascinated by early American architecture and, while pursuing his artwork, he restored several historic houses. He built his own seventeenth-century reproduction of a saltbox house where he lived with his wife Catherine and their beloved dogs for forty-six years. He loved to read and play the guitar. He was passionate about cycling, which took him and his wife on many adventures on the roads of New England, the Rocky Mountains, and Canada. He was also an avid cross-country skier. He leaves his loving wife of fifty-three years, Catherine (Begue) Perkins; four sisters: Lee Perkins of Sandy Spring, MD., Elizabeth Carpenter Perkins of Talmage, CA. (Tom Liberatore), Eleanor Tillinghast Perkins (Walter Podbelski) of Middletown, CT., and Julia Perkins (Brian Fay) of Middletown, CT; three brothers: Stephen Whitney Perkins of South Deerfield, MA., Ralph Whitney Perkins (Joan Ebbeson) of New London, N.H., and Michael Perkins of Barre, MA., as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends. Bob was predeceased his parents, Robert Cowan Perkins and Jean Whitney Perkins of Barre, MA.; and two sisters: Carol Georgopoulos of Albuquerque, N.M. and Harriet Ann "Annie" Raitt of Carnation, Washington. Published by Daily Hampshire Gazette on Jan. 2, 2023. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Obituary for Robert "Bob" Perkins Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Electronic Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-036 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Bob" Perkins obituary, 2022 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Obituary for Robert "Bob" Perkins, 2022. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource download from online site Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-12-30 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Daily Hampshire Gazette Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-06 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-06 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/2b75859683a1f2637feef79b367cf32d.pdf ac8665cf513fc8427f1ff4ebc142f49d PDF Text Text STONE WALLS �— Editorial — Fall in New England is such a glorious time of the year! Tourists come from great — the same sights that we can see out of our front windows or admire on the way to the mail box. Despite the uncertainties of New England weather, really our best season — distances to view the foliage in early October fall is not just because of the spectacular color of the leaves but because the temperatures are comfortable, the hot humid weather is past, the sun is likely to shine, and there are no bugs. When I was a school girl, I always felt that it was unfair to have to return to school just at the time when the weather was beginning to be at its best. Now I relish the freedom to spend a perfect fall day outdoors, enjoying its beauty while I put the garden to bed and try to catch up on some of the chores that must be done before winter. Some people think that fall is a sad time because it is the end of summer. True, the trees will soon be leafless and bare, the birds are migrating south, and the length of daylight is rapidly decreasing. But for Nature, it is planting time — the seeds and nuts fall to the ground to lie dormant over the winter ready to grow in the spring. Some of the local colleges used to celebrate Mountain Day. A lovely fall day was chosen and classes were cancelled so that students could enjoy the outdoors. Is Mountain Day still observed? I don't know, but certainly a lovely fall day is a moment to be enjoyed to its fullest. The celebration of Columbus Day here in Massachusetts is an attempt in this direction, but the weather is not always cooperative. Perfection cannot be scheduled but only can be appreciated whenever it happens. Enjoy! Lucy Conant �CONTENTS 5 The Worthington Rice Family A Woman Ahead of Her Time 9 Bygone Diseases 2 12 Elizabeth Payne submitted by Doris Hayden Pamela G. Donovan-Hall Six Common Pins Trip Up Arson Ring Operating in New England, Part II Louise Mason compiled by Grace M. Wheeler 16 Hilltown Happenings 18 20 Hannah Gibbs' Diary, Part IV Burma Shave 22 Chester's Biggest Landowner: John Chandler 27 The Cricket in the Comer 28 Ann Rausch, Artist 32 Captain Sylvester Squire 35 Genealogical Queries 36 Annual Report Lucy Conant Ruth E. Beckwith Elizabeth Payne edited and transcribed by Pamela G. Donovan-Hall compiled by Grace M. Wheeler -7- �The Worthington Rice Family by Elizabeth Payne Rice Homestead A motorist on Route 112 coming from the south will enter Worthington Comers by passing between the library on the left and a fine old house on the right still known as "the Rice House, " though no Rices have lived there since the death of Katherine McDowell Rice in 1946, when it was sold. When the house was cleared of Rice possessions, selected treasures were carried across the street to be installed in a room on the upperfloor of the library, thereafter called "the Rice Room." There were many books, with the bookcases to shelve them, souvenirs offoreign travel. Rice family portraits and photographs, plays written by Katherine and the desk at which she wrote them. The Civil War uniform and arms of Gen. James Clay Rice was brought, and an elaborate baptismal robe worn by a Rice baby named Susan. In 1986 the board of the library gave permission for the Worthington Historical Society to extend the uses of this museum room. There is no desire to forget the Rices, however, so perhaps this is a suitable time to recall their history. -2- �The Worthington was capital city for her brother William A. Rice William A. Rice, who came in 1803, built house in 1806, and that year married II (1820-1906), who went at nineteen to work for his brother-in-law. He stayed on in Rice first in his Wealthy Cottrell. Her father was Asa Cotwho had settled on Randall Hill on a place now owned by Joan Mendelsohn. It is recorded that she had been a teacher of that city for a career in state civil service. During these years he kept a place in Worthington for summer use. This property, which he called "the Farm," is on Old North Road, now usually known as "Miss Vaughn's Place." When this second William A. Rice retired in 1883, he came to Worthington to trell, William Cullen Bryant. This first William Rice was called "Colonel" by virtue of having been named "Ensign of the Northern Frontier" in the militia of the wealth during the Common- War of 1812. Stained live out his fifteen remaining years before in During these years he took an interest in town matters. He set out twenty-five maple trees along town roads, after which he called his home "The Maples." He helped found a public library, of which his daughter Katherine tion of the served as librarian for its first twenty-five glass windows in the very center location on his death at age eighty-six. the front of the Worthington church keep the names of this first Rice couple before us. In 1825 when Lafayette was expected town enroute to Boston for the dedicaBunker Hill monument. Col. Rice led a party on horseback to the town years. He served on the building committee line to escort him. As they returned with his for a new church when one had to be built to coach to Pearce Tavern, where he was to spend the night, he found a welcoming can- replace the colonial church destroyed by window of the Rice home for the ceremonial laying of the dle in every fire in 1 887. It needed across the road. was he who made the speech cornerstone. Col. Rice and his wife Not everyone felt happy about the Rice influence on the design of the new church. Some preferred a style in keeping with New Wealthy had twelve children. Not one lived his entire life A in Worthington. stone on the Rice property can be seen to be a memorial to the England tradition. It is said that the Rices, especially William's daughters Susan and Katherine, insisted that it be modeled after a church they had admired in England. son James Clay Rice, who lost his life in the Civil War. After graduating from Yale, he had gone off to New York, so that it was in a New York regiment that he served as a The Rices ruffled other feathers when brigadier general. He had already served however, in a very special they donated land for the library, built in his home town, 1915. way, for when at Yale he wrote a history of Worthington that listed the town's first set- claims it as a gift in memory of that first tlers. Though incomplete, it is a valuable Wealthy. Records show that the Stone list, a any item family, who owned land on another comer brought over to "the Rice Room" at the li- of the same intersection, were eagerly offer- brary. and felt ill-used by the manner in which the Rices insisted on hav- greater treasure than Rice A bronze plaque in the library procouple, "Col. William and wife ing a library site, Another of the twelve children of the second generation was Susan. She married Archibald McClure, who became a druggist in Albany. This gave an opening in that ing the honor. William A. Rice II in his retirement years wrote "Reminiscences" for his de- -5- �scendants. These have been used in "Papers on the History of Worthington" to provide a picture of life in town in the nineteenth century. The children of William A. Rice and his wife Hannah Seeley were a son, William Gorham Rice, bom in daughters ine. 1856, and three — Josephine, Susan and Kather- The son followed in his father's foot- steps in Albany, holding state jobs, including that of aide or private secretary to to Labrador. During World even before the United States entered, he was in France in an ambulance corps. There he was three times cited for bravery, and received the Croix de Guerre. In 1 92 1-22 he was secretary to Judge Brandeis of the Supreme Court. Throughout his career he was known as a defender of civil famous trip War I, liberties, a man who stood firmly against discrimination in all its forms. He married Rosamond Eliot, a grand- Rev. daughter of that Charles Eliot who was a Harlan Creelman, a minister in Worthington for a few years. The other daughters never married. They lived on in the Rice homestead until they died, Susan in 1937, Katherine in 1946. There are people in Worthington who remember these sisters. They remember Susan's church work, her eleven years as president of the church women's group. They remember Katherine' s plays, written and produced by her in the town hall. A new resident, listening as memories of these two are recalled and reported, gets the impression that they were looked upon as odd characters in their last years, "odd" perhaps, but upheld by their feeling that the Rices were a little superior and perhaps they to their townspeople were. They had had greater opportunities for education and travel than most of president of Harvard. They had three sons, governors. Josephine married the — their neighbors. Extending this report of Rices into one will, perhaps, add evidence of this superiority. William Gorham Rice, Jr. (1892-1979) the descendant who had to attend to the sale of the house in 1946, had a career of forty-one years as a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin. He is credited with having developed some of the first courses in Labor Law and International Law. It is interesting to read also of the unusual things he found to do as a younger man. When a student at Harvard he went with Dr. Grenfell on his more generation who now have children to carry on the Rice name. One son, Andrew, of Cabin John, Maryland, writes that he remembers spending summers in Worthington as long as his great aunts were alive and once worked for two months for Huntington Burr. This must be the last Rice connection with Worthington, now five generations down from "Col." Rice and his wife Wealthy. — �A Woman Ahead of Her Time? Submitted by Doris Hayden was able to exist He also kept a store and was postmaster for several years. Mr. Mrs. Jane C. Robinson, 75, a resident of Blandford for over 40 years, but for the last two years living in Columbus, Ohio at the home of her brother, H. M. Sessions, died at Columbus Friday morning. (July Robinson died (Dec. 25, 1865) not long after removing to Blandford and his wife took his place as postmaster and supporter 31, 1896) of the church. She was bom in Hampden and received For many years she was postmaster, her education at Wesleyan Academy. After resigning the office only when she left the graduation, she was a teacher at town a year ago last fall. So well did she fill the office, and so much were the people attached to her, that at one time when a the Academy for some time and afterwards, a teacher at an Academy in western N.Y. man attempted to get the office during a While there, she met and married David Parmalee Robinson and removed with him to Blandford about 47 years ago. (Married Sept. 20, 1848) Mr. Robinson was a leader in the Methodist Episcopal Church in Blandford and it was largely through his aid the church change of administration, the people were practically unanimous in successful support of Mrs. Robinson. It was through Mrs. Robinson's aid the Methodist Episcopal Church survived a General Store & House of Jane Robinson. Burned 1900 — -5- �long struggle and became as firmly established as it is today. (1896) she spent most of it in aid of the church and worthy charities. For many years, Mrs. Robinson sent Blandford news to 'The Republican." Her house on Main Street was a popular resort during the summer and she had a faculty of making her guests feel at home. All respected and honored her and her action was deeply regretted by the town when she sold her property there in the fall of 1894 and She was very generous in her gifts and a constant attendant at the several services. Many poor of the parish and town were aided by her, and she was the last to give anyone up as utterly bad. She interested herself in the schools of the town and was superintendent of schools for several years. In addition to her other duties, she was moved in charge of the state wards and orphans for brother. whom homes were found in and about Mrs. to Columbus to live with her Robinson was a frequent and welcome visitor in this city (Springfield), where she had many friends and her death Blandford. Her activity was remarkable and no one ever went to her without receiving comfort will be mourned, not only in Blandford, but and help. She was discreet, as well as generous, and gained considerable wealth, but by all who ever meeting her. Old Methodist Church -6- — Blandford had the pleasure of �was held from the Methodist Church Sunday morning. (Aug. 2, 1896) Rev. E. G. Smith, formerly of Chester, preached the sermon, assisted by Rev. A. C. Ferrin. The large number of Blandford heights; she served the town as friends and the many floral tributes attested of the little Methodist Episcopal Church m to Mrs. Robinson's many friends. Bearers Blandford and taught the little children in its were C. B. Hayden, William Bates, George Emmons and Roscoe Ripley. Sunday School for a score of years. She was abundant in labours of divers sorts and carried to them all the spirit of an The funeral (Source: Taken from an obituary (undated) in a scrapbook in the Blandford Historical Society — probably from the Springfield Re- publican. The last paragraph was taken from the Westfield Times & Newsletter, Aug. 5, 1896.) superintendent of schools; the state as a visitor in connection with the Board of Charities; and the nation as postmistress of Blandford for years; she was the mainstay intelligent, sacrificing, devoted Christian. Nobody met her without being impressed by the strength and the dignity of her bearing, and the wonder of those who knew her Ultimately was, that she could do so many different things so well. Two years ago, failing health compelled A tribute written by an unknown person her to sell her estate in Blandford and she "passing tribute of a sigh," for she was a went to Columbus, Ohio to live with her brother, Horace Sessions and her nieces. Her memory gradually failed and for the last few months of her life she was again almost a child. But her religious nature knew no variableness, nor shadow of a turn- notable woman ing and printed in the Westfield Times & Newsletter, Aug. 26, 1896. The death of Mrs. Jane C. Robinson at Columbus, Ohio deserves more than the — well known and highly — steadfast, keen, undoubting, — that remained even down to the tri- educated, both for the little community in umphant which she lived and far outside it. Few women have touched life in more points end. than she did. fever of two weeks duration, and in all the For many years, she taught the young and moulded character; she was an artist of taste and skill; she opened her large and wanderings of her mind, she was beseech- hospitable house summer after summer to the reception of a cultivated class of people So has lived and died a good woman herself an exemplification of what she who sought recreation and health on the believed and taught. Her last sickness was typhoid malarial ing young people to lay well the foundations of a Christian character. — �Fall flowers fi-om watercolor by Jane C. Robinson Courtesy of Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Bragg �Bygone Diseases by Pamela G. Donovan-Hall CONSUMPTION This disease was diagnosed in Signs and Symptoms: Dry, hoarse cough gradually increases and continues for months. Cough raises 1819, now known as Tuberculosis. The white mucous streaked with blood; fever in the morning leaves by noon, returns again in people have lived with this disease throughout much of their history. However, Afri- the evening. Chills, then hot, thirsty, rest- cans, American Indians, and Eskimos have had contact with it over a much shorter period. Over 80% of the population was in- threatening with no cure — only occurs, but symptoms are remission returns, the with palpitations. Flesh begins to waste away and patient becomes emaciated, dwindling away to a mere skeleton. with consumption was 18 months. Treatment in 1887: Take a sea voyage. Move to another location and climate. Cod liver oil. Bathe body in Oak Bark and vinegar. Fresh air prevents disease. Cough from disease is Causes in 1887: (General) Thought to be hereditary. Getting personal gratification in ways that were not socially acceptable. "The sins of the father may be visited upon the children into the third and fourth generation." Abuses of civilization, neglect of self. Not enough pure strictly voluntary. In 1987: It is known as a contagious bacterial in- fresh air. fection, having nothing to do with heredity. Causes in Women: It is spread in droplets from the respiratory Excessive novel reading. Tight dressing. Late hours. Eating sugar. Too-early tract by the coughing, speaking, or sneezing of a TB patient. The lungs are most com- marriages. Scores of other errors arising monly affected although lesions may occur in the kidneys, bones, lymph nodes and the lining of the brain. Death due to this disease declined by 1 900. It further declined from fashion, vanity, ignorance that leads to weakened lungs. Causes in Men: Men wear themselves out very fast in with the placing of patients in isolation at this country by: liquors, inordinate mental ambition to illness life prolonged. The life expectancy in a person labor, Sometimes when worse. Severe pressure in chest; pulse rapid fected before the age of 20. It was always life less. make money, hospitals. It dramatically declined in 1 944 with the discovery of the antibiotic. Strepto- over- mycin. Other medications were discovered eating. -9- �from 1947-1971 and today, therapy has become excellent and easy to administer. The patient usually had a prior cold. The fever rose to over 105°. Although few cases are reported today, it is treated with peni- ERYSIPELAS cillin or other antibiotics and the results are seen within 24-48 hours. This very contagious disease caused the death of many and adults 1844 SCARLET FEVER especially epidemics swept through our hilltowns. There were two types: Erysipelas and Black Tongue Erysipelas, the latter was always fatal. It bore the nicknames 'The Rose,' from it's red-colored rash and as 'St. Anthony's Fire' partly from its burning heat and partly because the Saint whose name it bore was supposed to have the power of curing it with children in as This disease occurred most often in children ages 3-4. It rarely attacked adults over 30. If it did, only mild cases resulted. It was known to be contagious and claimed the lives of more than one child in a family, usually within two weeks. No other disease was so simple and yet so often fatal as Scarlet Fever. a touch. Causes in 1887: Not known. Likely to appear more fre- Causes in 1887: Bad quality of food. Lack of cleanliness. Morbid secretions being retained in the quent in cold, wet or damp weather. Signs and Symptoms: body. Suppressed perspiration. People who had had frostbite more apt to Red skin eruptions, sore throat, fever, be headache. Heat of skin, nosebleed, diar- troubled. rhea, vomiting. Difficulty breathing, delir- ium, gangrene of throat Signs and Symptoms: Shivering, headache, furred tongue. Treatment in 1887: Nausea, diarrhea, shining red inflammation Confine patient to room. Catnip tea to of skin with swelling, burning, itching. The help drive rash to surface and produce pers- skin irritation so great that it can almost set the patient crazy. piration. Rash disappears after a few hours, leaving the patient nauseated, and then reappears for a few days. In Black Tongue Erysipelas: swelling of tongue and neck. Tongue turns black; neck becomes purple in spots, then turns to dark green or fat over whole Raw body. Belladonna. In 1987: This strep infection is usually treated with antibiotics before it develops into Scarlet Fever. Temperature can run as high black, suffocation results. as Treatment in 1887: Mix cranberries Soda water soaks to skin. cranberries to skin. Apply uncooked bacon 106°. Recovery occurs within 24-48 hours after treatment is begun. with wheat bran to cover skin. Sweet oil and turpentine to paint TYPHOID FEVER over skin surface. Salt mixed with vinegar and water. Take a wine-glass full every Vi hour. Steaming vapor bath. This disease was the cause of death in many children, adults and soldiers during the Civil War. Depending on the severity of In 1987: the illness, death We know that this was an acute strep in- was usually the within three weeks time. fection of the skin and mucous membranes. - 7 0- result �SMALLPOX Causes in 1887: An animal substance in the act of decomposition by inhaled humans Although a lot was known about this disease 100 years ago, it was still one of the most contagious and dreaded diseases of its time. Illness depended upon the severity of into lungs. Signs and Symptoms: the disease, usually lasting or ending in Depression, weakness, loss of appetite. death Soreness and stiffness and pain in the back, legs and hands. After 2-3 days, 10-12 abdominal abdomen distended, tongue coated black, rose-colored pain. eruptions on already against discovered and Causes in 1887: A viral poison. and Signs and Symptoms: neck. Chills, Treatment in 1887: septic condition of the vomiting, small eruptions in mouth, face, neck, trunk and extremities (first appearing red, then filling throat, LxDcal applications of turpentine to control Vaccination used. days: breast weeks. was smallpox chills, coated tongue, thirst In 5-8 days, delirium, diarrhea, 2 in blood. with matter). Headache, fever, swelling of Quinine. eyelids, blindness occurring temporarily. Delirium, diarrhea. After 1 0 days, the spots In 1987: We now know that the bacteria (sal- scab over the skin, causing a sickening monella typhi) caused this disease as the bacteria reached the small intestines and multiplied within hours after ingestion. They invaded the bowels and were carried odor. Treatment in 1887: Vaccination. Lye water or mustard plasters to bathe feet Spearmint or Pepper- to the bloodstream. It took 2-4 days for the mint tea for nausea. Vinegar and water to symptoms to appear. The bowels perforated and hemorrhage occurred. The liver and spleen became grossly enlarged about the third week of the illness and death re- bathe head for headaches. Sage with honey and Borax for sore throat. Powdered charcoal and salt peter for diarrhea. sulted. In 1987: The bacteria gained access to the body through the mouth from contaminated food, virus, gaining entry by way of the respira- who had the disease. tory tract Face-to-face contact was neces- Flies or other insects carried the organisms sary to transmit it Clothing, bedding, and from human excrement to food or drink. There was a sharp decline in this disease with pure water supplies, effective sewage disposal, and pasteurization of milk. Man even dust could retain the infection for months. Smallpox has declined in the was the only true reservoir of this disease. the disease had literally disappeared here, Although this disease is not seen too often in the United States, it is treated with antibiotics, prednisone, and immunizations. routine vaccinations against this disease water, or a person This disease was a severe, contagious United States since the 1940's. Since people had severe reactions to the vaccine and have been discontinued. -11- �Six Common Pins Trip Up Arson Ring Operating in New England PART II Follow-up of newspaper reprint which appeared in winter 1986-1987 Stone Walls by Louise Mason According to The Westfteld Valley Herald, Wednesday April 18, 1934: ways. I think they walked up the back way." "I had a strange feeling that something "DESTRUCTION OF SUMMER HOME The buildings were burned to the ground at was wrong. My neighbor, Mildred Cole, who was here at the time, and I were very nervous about them and couldn't stop thinking about them. Our suspicions proved true later that night when the fire alarm blew and the McElwain house was seen to be on an early hour Thursday morning, the pro- fire." REMOVES LANDMARK" The destruction by fire of the summer home of Charles C. McElwain on Morse Hill removes an old landmark from town. perty being outside of the town fire district. "Sometime Police Alice Britton writes: "Lena Frisbie and were walking to school after lunch, but this was several days before the fire. We were on Blandford Stage Road just where the State Police Barracks is now, when a young man stopped us and asked some questions about where the roads went and Springfield, bought the place of Dexter R. I number of years, the family spent the summer here, but in recent years, it has only been occupied a part of the season. ^ seemed interested in the area. We both reported this at home and somehow the information became known to the police. Some When the suspicion of arson arose, townspeople living nearby were questioned. The robbers had apparently stopped at the Harold Marcotte residence on lower Moss Hill Road and Mrs. Lena Marcotte remembers the following: "Shortly after lunch, two men came walking up our road. One stood at the end of our walk and the other came to my door. He asked me where the McEl wains lived, and I supposed he was a time later, while we were in class at school, Mrs. George Wager, our principal, was called out of class by a State Police officer. Then a few minutes later, Lena and I were called out and taken to her office. The officer had a suspect with him and we were asked to identify him as the man we had talked to, but he was not. We were told that the fellow we saw was probably sent ahead friend of theirs. He asked directions, how to get there, State definitely was not the one I talked to." Parks about 20 years ago, and remodeled and remodemized it in every way. For a * the brought a suspect for me to identify, but he The origin of the fire is not known, Mr. McElwain of 46 Federal Street, 4: later, and I told him there were two - U- �none of those firemen are still living and is no official record of the fire. The as a decoy." "Amazing as it may seem, I slept right there through the whole fire episode, fire engines going by the house and half the town, either state * by car or on foot. My mother, Ann Pierce, slept in the back bedroom of our old house at the junction of Moss Hill Road and page one: her window saw the McElwain house in full ARSON RING BELIEVED BROKEN BY ARREST OF PAIR HERE. GANG IS ACCUSED OF LOOTING HOMES, BURNING EVIDENCE. FIRES COVER UP AN$100,000 blaze. In those days, the whole area around there was much more open and pretty well The back pasture on the McElwain place was very open, where catcleared of trees. You could TIQUES THEFT. C.C. McELWAIN'S PLACE AT RUSSELL AND CONGRESSMAN TREADWAY'S SAID TO HAVE BEEN ENTERED. see the house through the trees from down- town, and when you were up there on the hill you could look right * In the Springfield Union, Saturday July 14, 1934, we find large headlines on Blandford Stage Road (since torn down and replaced). She sat up in bed and looking out tle kept it well cleared of brush. did not require such records until 1949. down into the town." The article states that two men had been "As I remember, the next day we walked up after school and most of the town folks had been up also. Earlier in the day, my mother and Mrs. Wehrly and other neighbors had walked up the back way. About at the top of the hill just below the house, in the grass along the edge of the road, the women found pins, paper clips and buttons which they passed on to the State Police Officer on duty there, and showed the trooper where they had found them. These were later shown to have been in the drawers of stolen antiques and proved to be an important clue that robbery and arson had occurred." taken custody in Springfield and charged with operating an arson ring in into three counties of Western Massachusetts. Also two men were under arrest in other cities whose confessions had been taken. "The gang's method of operating was to ransack the buildings for any valuable objects, preferably antiques, which they later disposed cities, of in New York and other and then set fire to the dwellings to obliterate all trace of the thefts. According to the confessions, mattresses, bed clothes and other fabrics were placed in closets and a long candle deposited atop the tinder pile, in getting to the fire because the road up the which was soaked in gasoline. About two hours after the mob had made its getaway, the flame from the candle would bum down to the cloth and the conflagration would start In each instance, the arson ring left the closet doors partly open to insure good draft. "The McElwain house in Russell was was impassable and they had to go (one) object of attack. On the night of April Townspeople do remember that the fire occurred during mud season and the steep, narrow road up the back of Morse or Moss Hill was notoriously wet. The truck carry- ing the stolen antiques is supposed to have gotten stuck on its way out from the scene of the crime and the fire truck was delayed hill around, break the chains and enter by 1 1, McEl wain's Private Way. Unfortunately, dow, loaded a large car with saleable an- -13- the gang broke in through a rear win- �tiques and set the delayed fire. The house was burned with a loss of $20,000 including $4000 worth of antiques and other furnishings which the thieves could not carry away." "Sometime during the week of April 1 6, Congressman Treadway's home was entered and a quantity of goods stolen, but no fire was started. The same night, Mrs. Moon's place in Stockbridge was entered, the richest loot of the series being obtained there, and the house was burned to the ground. — The robbers realized over $1000 when they sold the loot in New York." "The Tripp summer residence in Heath the articles as theirs." "Police would not divulge the names of the two others known to be in the gang, but stated that they were already serving time on other charges and had confessed to their parts in the incendiary crimes. It was said last night that other arrests may be ex- pected in the near future." "The arson ring is evidently one of many contacts and branches, as the confessions stated that some of the stolen pro- perty was disposed of in Washington, D.C., although the bulk of it was handled through New York. The state inspectors and local police also hold the conviction that part of the loot was sold in Springfield, and an in- proved the stumbling block in the vicious program of arson that the gang plotted, as tensive survey of antique markets and sec- small town noticed a ond-hand stores will be conducted in an neighbors in the strange car passing down the road, and as effort to recover more valuables." such a sight was unusual at that time of year, they noted the registration plates of home last night included several objects of the automobile and the information was "Objects antique taken pewter, from the Sturtevant an old-fashioned music later relayed to State Fire Inspector Ira C. box, coffee urn, some colonial chairs and Taylor of Northampton." other articles of intrinsic worth." "The incendiary fires took place The in three different counties, Hampden, Hamp- Springfield Union, October 18, an eighteen-year-old and Franklin, and newspaper clippings of the conflagrations led (police and 1934, stated that youth had been arrested in Springfield in The connection with the theft of antiques conclusion there arrest was the eighth made by fire inspec- shire fire inspectors) to the — . and police at various times since last might be a suspicion of arson in the cases, in as much as the fires all occurred about the tors same time. The investigation then started." members of the gang, driving them to the "(Lx)cal police) were called into the scene of the robberies and carting loot case when the clue of the number plates was around to dealers to be sold. Those prearrested were William Hogue, George C. Sturtevant, Mrs. Anna Eaton, Louis Richmond, Frank Langille, and Patsy Tarantino of Springfield, and Israel Josephson of Holyoke. Mrs. Eaton and Richmond are antique dealers and are alleged to have accepted many of the stolen antiques. Most of the robberies and fires took place during the spring. Summer residences in Princeton, Goshen, Heath, Russell, Stockbridge, Charlemont and Worth- discovered and it was found that the registration was issued to a Springfield man." "Such was the speed with which the ultimate solution was found and the arrests made that the extent of the loss has not yet been determined. Some of the stolen articles were recovered when the inspectors and (local police) descended on Sturteand Mrs. McElwain were called to police headvant's home last night, and when Mr. quarters they positively identified some of spring. viously -14- This youth acted as chauffeur for �vious convictions for breaking into homes ington were looted and damaged. The trial took place at Superior Court in and stealing valuable old articles. He told of planning the trip to Sharon, Vermont, where he plarmed to take a pair of old lamps from the Baptist church of that town. The Greenfield in late November of 1 934, but the cases in the three counties were related. all The Springfield Union of Novem- ber 22, 1934, has interesting headUnes on was unsuccessful, he said, (but the church was burned!) and the trio stopped at Greenfield on the way home, then headed for Heath (bent on more robbery) but were stopped by snowdrifts and forced to turn trip page one: YOUTHS PLEAD OWN CASE IN ANTIQUE RAIDS. THREE SPRINGFIELD MEN TELL DRAMATIC STORY OF THEFTS AND FIRES. LANGILLE RECOUNTS SERIES OF ESCAPADES, SAYS back. As they passed through East Charle- mont after midnight, they stopped at the Adams summer home which Langille mistook for the home of Judge Healey. They KNOWLEDGE — OF OLD FURNITURE HAS KEPT HIM IN TROUBLE IN RECENT broke into the house and collected a few articles." YEARS. "One of the most This time, there seems to have been an argument over torching the house, which ended in a stabbing threat and ill feelings. In dramatic accounts ever enacted in a west- court, the men denied setting fires deliber- Parts of this article are quoted as makes good reading: it em Massachusetts courtroom took place in ately. In fact, when Langille addressed the Superior Court this afternoon when three jurors, he sounded rather proud. "I robbed young men, charged with an- about 50 places," he argued, "and not one tique thefts at various summer cottages last of the others was destroyed by fire. How do pleaded their own cases before a Franklin County jury Financially unable you know these fires were caused by me? The houses might have caught fire in some other way." At any rate, the jury believed them guilty as charged and sentenced them, as the reprinted newspaper article of July 1937 stated in our recent winter Stone Springfield spring, — . to afford legal counsel to conduct their for them, Frank Tarantino and James Dutton Patsy played strange parts in today's courtroom drama. Each told his own story and each cross examined fellow defendants and the witnesses cases Langille, Walls. presented by District Atty. Bartlett. To cli- max the afternoon, each of the men then pleaded his own brief before the jury. "Frank Langille, self-appointed head of was the center of attention as he — him. He then took the witness stand in his Late in December of 1934, more antiques stolen by the gang were found in three antique shops on Beacon Hill in own defense and told of his misdemeanors Boston. the group queried the officers who testified against in a manner which savored slightly of boast- Russell townspeople who remember the fulness. He told of gaining knowledge of an- hobby has kept him in trouble continually case say that an episode of the radio program, "Gang Busters, " was based on this crime spree and its resulting investigation for the past few years, as he has had pre- and sensational trial. tiques (working at Wiggins Tavern), but his -75- �Hilltown Happenings (Items taken from the Springfield Daily Republican) Compiled by Grace M. Wheeler — Salmon Thomas, 74, a May 8, 1881 much-esteemed citizen of Huntington, died Sunday. He left a family consisting of his wife and 4 children: Albert, the eldest, being a manufacturer in Westfield; Oscar, a Baptist clergyman in Brockton; Fred, a merchant in Boston; and one daughter, Margery, wife of John Sloan of Hartford, Conn. May 9, 1881 A large bam belonging to H. I Woodruff of Huntington containing some seven tons of hay, was burned on Monday night It was insured for $275.00. May 1, 1881— N. H. Daniels of Huntington has removed his family to Boston where he is now engaged as Treasurer of Quincy Copper Mining Company. Upon his return from Boston the other evening, about 70 of the leading citizens and their wives gave him a supper at the Park House, with speeches and afterward a serenade by — man who left home about 10 days ago, was found dead Saturday in the woods, some three miles from where he was last seen. About 250 men helped search for him Saturday. April 2, 1890 Mamie Forsyth of Huntington, age four, was drowned Monday evening when she fell into the raceway — of the paper mill of the Chester Paper Company. The body was found next morning at the lower railroad bridge, just below the village. April 7, 1890— William Gillette's popular play, "Held by the Enemy, " will be the attraction the at Huntington Opera House on Friday evening. A special train will run from Chester to Huntington. April 15, 1890 — Two small children of Edmond Goreau of Blandford St, Huntington Village have small-pox. No fears are entertained of a spread of the disease. the local brass band. Sept. 26, 1882 Oct. 9, 1882— Dwight Cadwell of Becket, the old — Enos Smith of Chester, April 26, 1890 — James Buguey, 77, a a respected citizen and well-to-do farmer, resident of Huntington for the stubbed his toe on the railroad track Sunday while on his way to church, fell across the rail and died instantly. He was known to feeble health for the past few years. past 17 years, died Weds. Mr. Buguey has been in But previous to that was active in business, and be troubled with heart disease. He leaves a wife and several married children. political matters and one of the strong men Oct. 4, 1882— An old Becket man named Cadwell, age 82, has been missing and daughters all well-known and respected in their various walks of life. for of the church. He leaves a family of sons some days, and 50 people have been searching for him. It is feared that he has either perished in the swamps or has been murdered, as he is very well-to-do. -76- �June 26, 1890— Edward M. Taylor of May 28, 1890— William H. Plummer has bought the Fred L. Fisk property on Chicago, old house in Huntington after being away for 1 8 years. He will spend a day roaming over the hun- Main St. for the sum of $200.00 and will repair it at once. the old Axtell homestead his in Montgomery, which has been in the possession of the Taylor family from the settle- ment of that town until the farm was sold a quarter of a century ago. of July 14, 1892 Welcome Nye of Blandford and has sold — Rattlesnakes are not a the wood on the Leanard Wood lot to Jason plenty hereabout, but Hartley Gooch cut H. Fisk, who has remove the wood. one in two with his mowing machine the other day. It was about three and one half three years in which to May 31, 1890— Edward F. Little of feet long. — July 23, 1892 The small house of James Knightly on Crescent St. was burned about 2 a.m. Friday morning. The family lost nearly everything in the home, including clothing and $15.00 in money. The Huntington has sold his meat business to Samuel T. Parrit who has opened a market at the last end of the bridge. Mr. Little has been in business a long time, but will now devote his time to his fine farm near the village and to building a new house on cause of the fire is under investigation. Laurel Hill. - / 7- j visiting dreds of acres of the old homestead Mrs. Jane L. Knight has sold her double tenement on Crescent St. to John Connors for $600.00. May 29, 1890— Arthur P. Axtell has bought is �Hannah Gibbs' Diary North Blandford, 1907 PART IV Pleasant Coz Allie called here Oct 7 Oct 14 A very rainy a.m. Cleared up Oct. 8 Oct Oct 9 - Wed. Pleasant mobile ride inthe a.m. Ella & Had a Auto- I ning Oct 12 - Sat A nice day Mari went down to Chester & had some teeth filled Oct 13 Pleasant Miss Searl died at here. Oct 1 - Tues. Pleasant Went to call Oct mer Pleasant 3 Oct Hattie & Kenneth Pleasant Went to see Doct and some war- & we came - Cloudy Fri. & some 19 Meadow just at night & went to hear a Syrian talk Oct 21 - Mon. Rainy in the morning cleared off in the p.m. Grace called here Just two years since Joseph & Grace were married Oct. 4 Cold & windy snow blowing off from the trees Abbie started for her home this afternoon Oct 5 Pleasant Oct 6 - Sun. Pleasant E.P. & myself Oct 22 Cold & quite a little snow still on the ground at noon called on Worthy's wife had a very pleas- ant call Miss Fisk 18 Ground froze last night Joseph & Grace came this p.m. Mr. Harlow came here tonight Oct 20 Snowed most all day had some rain. Donald went after Mrs. Aldrich to Pauldins Frank took her down to the then went to 41 Spring St Ella got my glasses today to E.P.'s Tues. colder on Bertha Bartlett found they had moved to Feeding Hills. Called on Lucy Rhoades & - Baby much better Oct John Sennells at 10 a.m. Oct 2 15 had a convulsion this eve Had Doct Shej>ardson J & Grace came to Bert's had bad luck on the way Oct 16 Abbie's babe had another convulsion this morning. Joseph came over to see the babe Mr. & Mrs. Morey started for home this a.m. Gordon went with them Oct 17 J. came over to see baby this a.m. Grace rode over & they took dinner came home I was gone just three weeks 10 Mr. & Mrs. Morey, Abbie & Oct her two children came here yesterday p.m. Pleasant but rather cool & windy Oct 11 Cloudy Rainy in the evep.m. & here. Mari went to Westfield Abbie' s babe in the p.m. in the Pleasant Maria Sennett Mrs. Spaulding called here this p.m. in the evening also Ella Oct 2 3 & Ella after we were Cloudy all the a. m. had a little sprinkle. Sun came out in the p.m. Joseph & Grace started for Suffield at 20 minutes gone before 2 o'clock -18- �Oct 24 - Thurs. Pleasant Oct 25 Cold raw day, froze last night fairly poured all the Nov. 3 p.m. Nov. 4 Oct 30 all the girls went to Windy & colder. Frank dug Dunn in the p.m. Nov. 5 - Tues. Cloudy & windy Frank dug potatoes for Mr. Durm in the p.m. a.m. cleared & is cold & windy Wed. Bert & Hattie called Nov. 6 Nov. 7 way home from Westfield rain in the p.m. off just at night here on their & potatoes for Mr. Rained all night and all day - Frank church menced to rain about 3 o'clock Still raining this was quite nice this morning sun shone out fine but clouded up in the Frank finished his potatoes today Oct 26 Pleasant but cold. Frank & Amy went to Westfield Oct 27 - Sun. A cloudy cold a.m. Frank, Ruth & Elsie went to church Com- Oct 28 Oct 29 It evening Rained hard all day Some rain in the a.m. did not Nov. 8 - Fri. Rather cold & windy Nov. 9 A very pleasant day. Olive went over to Hattie' s a little while took din- Frank moved (not finished) Oct 31 Has been a beautiful day Frank carried some beef to Huntington Nov. 1 Ella started for Springfield this a.m. It is a beautiful day Nov. 2 - Sat It has rained all day & ner there Nov. 10 Frank & the little girls went Wrote a letter to Will today to church. My husband recently called on Olive Lindsey LaDoux, a blind 91 -year-old lady from our church, and mentioned the Huntington fire of 1923. She wanted your address but I thought I'd wait until I had 9 Colonial Blvd. West Haven, CT 06516 August 7, 1987 Dear Ladies, received another issue. These older people Toward the end of April, an aunt who hunger for what you offer. grew up in Huntington village passed a copy of Stone Walls on to me. I read it cover to cover that night and passed it on to my mother, who came from a farm on Norwich Hill, which her family had lived on for four generations. It was an older issue that dealt in large part with Huntington. (She reads it over and over.) On April 29, 1 sent a check for $7 to subscribe to Stone Walls. In June, I received the spring issue. I've been watching ever Sincerely, Muriel Chapin Shine (Mrs. D. Robert) since for the summer one. Just read Louise Mason's editorial on how it is produced and wonder now if there was one. It's a great contribution you are making and I do hope you are able to continue. -19- �You have to be on the shady side of 50 remember the road-side signs that dotted to the highways and byways from 1935 to 1950. The following examples of Burma Shave signs may still haunt your memory. �At intersections Look each way A harp sounds nice But its hard to play Brother speeders Lets Rehearse All together Good morning Nurse. Violets are blue Roses are pink On Graves Of those Who drive and drink. Sleep in a chair 'UeJets ore blue! Nothing to lose But a nap At the wheel Is a permanent snooze. No matter the price No matter how new Unless your face is The best safety device In your car— is YOU. You'd better let Your honey Be. When Frisky Thirty days hath Stinger free With Whiskey September Don't drive Cause its April, June and The speed offender. Risky. Although insured The Wolf Remember Kiddo They don't pay you Who longs to prowl and howl They pay your widow. Should start before He starts to prowl. -21- �Chester's Biggest Landowner: JOHN CHANDLER by Lucy Conant As the French and Indian Wars came to opers. They were men of wealth and prom- an end in the early 1 760's, the hilltown area of Western Massachusetts was opened for development. Some towns such as Bland- inence in Worcester County. During the Glasgow, had been settled earlier, but most of the land was still unsettled except for a few venturous which "squatters." Township No. 9, included what is now Chester, much of Huntington and some of Middlefield and Montgomery, contained about 24,700 acres and was bounded on the north by New Hingham (now Chesterfield) and by township No. 3 (now Worthington), on the west by township No. 4 (now Becket), on the south by Blandford and, in part, by Westfield, and on the east by Southampton and Northampton. On June 2, 1 762, township No. 9 was sold by public auction at Boston to William Williams of Hatfield for £1500. However, he then relinquished the purchase to John Chandler and Timothy Paine of Worcester, John Murray of Rutland, and Abijah Willard of Lancaster, all from Worcester County. Later, Chandler, Murray, and Paine sold one fifth of this ownership to James Otis of Barnstable. Ods gave Murray power of attorney to act for him and evidently never was present at any of between the Middle and West branches of the Westfield River. These lots of the first division were squares of one hundred acres with an allowance for a road of two acres and eighty rods of land. No roads were laid out and the lots were divided into squares regardless of terrain. This would have been of 1762, they had Edward Taylor and Charles Baker survey and lay out 119 lots fall ford, originally called fine in Iowa but not in Chester, as these lots were sold for settlement without a system of roads and with no consideration being given to the nature of the land. (The town with its steep rocky hillsides has had problems with roads ever since.) eight acres A smaller lot containing was designed for a meeting house, training field, and cemetery. This is where the church, cemetery, and old schoolhouse are presently located in Chester Center. At this first meeting held on January 5, 1763 in Northampton, John Chandler was chosen moderator. Fifty-one settlers drew lots and the settlement of township No. 9 began. The proprietors held a second meeting on September 29, 1763 at the home of Thomas Kennedy who lived on Lot 68, near the Middle Branch of the Westfield River. They distributed among themselves the sixty unallocated lots and a committee was appointed "to lay out and stake the the proprietors' meetings. These landowners were called propriToday they would be termed devel- etors. -22- �highways ..." The need for establishing mills was also discussed. Subsequently, on either Lot 13 or 14 where John Chandler owned a farm managed by a Robert Smith, of his political views? Like his father, also named John — owned much land and even had pews assigned to them in the newly built Chester church. The land along the West Branch of the Westfield River was divided up and allocated in the third division. These were called interval lands and designated by letters instead of numbers. Otis drew C and F; Paine drew A, B, and N; Murray drew G, H, and I; Willard drew K, L, and M; and Chandler drew O, P, and Q. Chandler's now include the village of Chester, formerly known as Chester Factories. The proprietors also reserved the right to lay out a road through these interval lots along the West Branch. On October 31,1 765, the township was incorporated under the named for was "Mr. town clerk, , Two more divisions of land were made. field, he Worcester" town treasurer, county treasurer, sheriff of Worcester County, and Judge of Probate during the 1750's, 60's, and early 70's. He was also a representative to the General Court and Colonel of the Worcester Regiment. Bom on February 26, 1 720 or 1 72 1 he was the fourth John Chandler in the family. Married twice, he was the father of sixteen children. His first wife died after several years of marriage, and he then married Mary Church who had thirteen of the sixteen children. John Chandler owned about five hundred acres of land in downtown Worcester as well as other land in Worcester County, but his only holdings outside of the County were evidently in township No. 9 in then Hampshire County. The Chandlers were a well-known, prominent family in Massachusetts. When President John Adams studied law in Worcester as a young man, he lived for a time with the Chandler family. John Chandler was an extremely busy, wealthy, and successful man. When he took refuge in Boston in 1774, several sons accompanied him, but his wife and the rest of the family stayed behind in Worcester. Their youngest child was eleven he had a sawmill built. None of the proprietors ever lived in the town though they lands Chandler, the name of Murrayproprietor, John Murray. For the first time, the settlers in the township had some opportunity for local government and organization. Of the approximately 25,000 acres in township No. 9, John Chandler owned or had claim to approximately 4,000 acres. In the valuation list of 1777, he was the wealthiest non-resident of Murraj^ield with an assessed valuation of property at £5000. By comparison, Abner Smith, the richest resident, was worth £1273. By this time, however, John Chandler had fled the country and was living in England. He was a Tory, and six months before the battles of Lexington and Concord, he had left his Worcester home and sought safety with the years old. In order to obtain her share of the Chandler estate to support and raise the younger children, Mrs. Chandler evidently had to remain in Massachusetts. (Ultimately she received one third of her husband's confiscated estate.) Chandler with two of his sons were among the six inhabitants of Worcester included by name in the Act of Banishment forbidding their return to this country. Chandler went with the British troops to Halifax when they evacuated Boston. He then went to London, England where he British in Boston. Who was this man who walked away lived for the rest of his life. from so much wealth and property because With his son. Rufus, he went to Nova Scotia for aw hile in -23- �Land owned by John Chandler 1/5 of Division IV (Information from Appendix 9, The Confiscation of John Chandler's Estate by Andrew Davis) -24- �Drawing of John Chandler from his portrait at the American Antiquarian Society 1787 but later returned to England. There If John Chandler had made a different he died in 1800 and his burial inscription political decision in the tumultuous period "Here lies the body of John Chand- of 1774-1775, there is little doubt but that he would have recognized the water power possibilities of Walker Brook and the feasibility of roads to Becket and Middlefield through Chester Factories. Certainly he had been careful to obtain ownership of the land along Walker Brook where it flowed read: ler, Esq., formerly of Worcester, Massa- chusetts Bay, North America, who died the 26th of September 1800 in the 80th year of his age. " Until his death. Chandler AD refused to recognize the existence of the United States of America. Called the "Honest Refugee" in England, he was always known as "Tory John" to Worces- into the ter Whig neighbors. built West Branch of the Westfield River. It was here that factories began to be and the Eighth Massachusetts �Turnpike followed this route in 1800. Given John Chandler's energy, leadership, and wealth, instead of Murrayfield becoming Chester in 1783, it might well have * "Early Days township No. 9," excerpts from Copeland's History of Murrayfield, Stone Walls, Winter 19821983, 22-27 become Chandlerville!* References: Chandler Bullock, "John Chandler and a Few of His Descendants," paper read before Worcester Historical Society Nov. 14, 1922 Alfred Copeland, History of the town of Murrayfield, 1892 Alfred Copeland, "History of township Number Nine, Formerly called Murrayfield, more lately Chester," Papers and Proceedings of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society, 1882-1903, vol. 2 Andrew Davis, The Confiscation ofJohn Chandler's Estate, 1903 Houghton Mifflin and Co., Boston, in �The Cricket in the Corner by Ruth E. Beckwith What's that I hear, a chirping over in the comer by the stove? Sounding like a tiny burping. Beside a spider web he wove? Just behind a loosened floorboard in a little darkened hole, Where one day a small bug bored There a cricket pours his soul! Where are all his friends and neighbors. While he's busy singing there? Going through his strenuous labor Does his mate hear him and care? �Ann Rausch, Artist By Elizabeth Payne Ann Rausch Bom into a home where education was Ann Rausch celebrated her eighty-fifth birthday this year (1987). valued (her father was a Congregational minister), she was sent off to college. 1925 Holyoke In June the found her graduating from Mt with a major in Fine Art. She says that her interest there was in sculpture, and that she Worthington Arts Council sponsored an exhibit of her paintings in the Worthington Library, This clear evidence of her skill has inspired a review of her career as an artist had no thought of a career in art In Boston during the twenty years following, she earned her living by more involved in many types of painting through the years. -28- �She remembers that one day when she was at work in the Jordan Marsh store, a faculty member from Mt. Holyoke mundane work, but kept herself happy with years. art activity. This had been her interest even as a child. When six years old she won first While still a stopped to visit with her. Finding that Ann youth at home she sketched whatever she saw that interested her. Friends and family members, realizing her ability to "catch a likeness" often urged her to try sketches of was not taking her art skill seriously, she prize in a school art contest. urged her with such emotional concern to do so that Ann hunted up an art school where she could attend classes in the evenings. Later she was able to go full time for them. It was only a hobby until her Boston -?9- �Greta Garbo By Ann Rausch -30- �two years to the Scott-Carbe School of Art. She took advantage also of special courses available in Boston art centers. the painters of the Palette and Trowel Club, In the meantime she did some commer- working together, and each year sponsoring an art show that attracted exhibito.«-s from surrounding towns. Ann showed in other exhibits in the western Massachu- that active for eight years, work. She painted the murals in the cial Ann helped found in 1950. Hunt Room of the Hotel Victoria. A child's head of hers was used for many years by the Whitney Baby Carriage Company. It could be seen on their stationery, even on their setts area also after It was with local artists qualifying for the Springfield Academic Artists Association. Ann has a surprising number of her paintings still in her possession. Some she trucks. When she began doing portraits, she hasn't finished to the point where she soon had a reputation as a portrait painter, especially after she began working with pas- is willing to attach her signature. She never looked upon her work as a She never solicited commissions. Word was passed from one satisfied customer to another. She did many portraits of children. During the World War tels. profession. THE FIRST WAGON period of the '40' s she painted a number of young men about to go off to war. She remembers that she did one young man, later his wife, and eventually all their Capt. David Eames, who resided just over the Hne in Hinsdale, but attended church in Washington, had the honor of four children. recently tried to recall her subjects, she owning the first wagon that was driven to the church door. The very first time he drove to church he had an amusing but reahzes that she must have painted at least deplorable accident with it. After the sec- four hundred, possibly more. ond sermon was over the captain went to get his brand new wagon which was left She kept no records, but as she has Since they had to be left with the people who posed for them or with the grandmothers who often ordered them she has few portraits to show in her exhibits today. Some can be found in Worthington homes, for she continued to do such painting after she came to Worthington, Two that can be easily viewed are in public places. That of Jane — — Tuttle, granddaughter of Russell Conwell, hangs in the Sevenars concert building, and one of Arthur Capen, long-time librarian and church organist in Worthington, hangs in the parlor of the church. surrounded by the horses with their saddles When he drove up to the door of the church his good wife came out to get in. The good-byes were rather long in being said, and the old family mare, being hungry and cross, became very restive. The captain in standing up gallantly to assist his wife to the seat, gave the old mare a tremendous jerk, whereupon she suddenly backed and threw him against the wooden dashboard which broke under his weight and let him fall on her hips, and pilHons. The natural beauty in the hill towns of much to his discomfiture and chagrin. He Ann to meekly took up the broken dash, put it in the wagon box behind, and drove homeward, while broad smiles wreathed the faces of his kind and genial neighbors. western Massachusetts inspired paint landscapes. She studied with Steven Manatti of Deerfield and Leo Blake of Lanesboro. These artists took an interest in -57- �Captain Sylvester Squier Edited and Transcribed by Pamela G. Donovan-Hall CT on Jan. 29, 1754. son of Abiel and Lydia (Lathrop) Squier. The family moved to Montgomery, Mass. about 1 764 and was among the Sylvester Squier was bom in Norwich, early settlers. After serving in the Revolutionary War, he married Mary Bundy and they had eight children, four of whom died young. He served as selectman of Montgomery for fifteen years. He died on Feb. 13, 1836 at age 84 and is buried beside his wife at the Pitcher Street Cemetery. His direct descendants still residing in Montgomery are: William Squier Hall, the Spencers, Rathays, and Tinneys; Peg Stone of Blandford, and my husband, William R. Hall of Huntington. The following is an affidavit of his experiences during the Revolutionary War, as remembered and told by him, 55 years after his service, in order to receive his pension. Capt Warham Parks. That the Regiment to which the company belonged was commanded by Col. Danielsons. That William Shepard was Lt. Col., that the Major belonged in W. Springfield but that he does not recollect his name. That he left the service in Dec. of the same year when his term of enlistment had expired, which was for eight months, and that he served that length of time under that enhstment That the Company was formed in Westfield and marched from there to Roxbury by Springfield and Worcester. That the Company joined the Regiment at Roxbury and while there we were engaged some considerable time in creating fortifications. That when Commonwealth of Massachusetts County of Hampden On this eighth day of August in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirtytwo, personally appeared in open court before the Hon. Oliver B. Morris, Esq., Judge of the court of Probate for said county of Hampden now sitting, Sylvester Squier of Montgomery in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy-nine years who, being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain that this benefit of the act of Congress proposed June 7, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and the command first commenced building the upon the Americans with shot and shells from morning thro night. On one occasion, the Americans gave the British one gun and they gave them the ammunition 101 guns in reply, none of which took effect, they firing over. breast work, the British fired served as heresies stated viz: That in April 1775, the particular day of the month he does not recollect, but after the Battle of Lexington, he enlisted into a company of State troops commanded by -32- �That while stationed at Roxbury he went with a body of volunteers from different Regiments commanded by Maj. Tatcher, who was, he thinks, from Chesterfield, to a coming disabled for present duty by sickness, and that he was so discharged in November of the same year, but the particular day of the month he is unable to place called Long Island near Boston. And give. that they took some British prisoners who to him that Ward was General but it is not That neither he nor any of the other men, to his knowledge, had any written discharge at the time their term of service was completed. The officers notified them of that fact and they were verbally discharged. Peter Brundy had a discharge on account of the death of his father from Head Quarters while he was at Roxbury, but his time of enlistment had not expired. That he had no Recollects Generals Washington written discharge at the time of his complet- were stationed there as a guard. That the other officers' who he recollects were John Shepard, First, and Richard Falley, Second Lieutenant, in the company to which he be- longed — Col. Brewster's Regiment had one Captain by the name of Michael Fleury and Lt. by the name of David Sacket. It seems certain. camp while he ing the term of service under his first enlist- was there. That sometime in the month of July 1776, the particular day of the week or month he is unable to recollect, he enlisted ment, though he was never issued one, as he and Putnam was in the understood to be usual, which was merely That he has no documentary evidence in relation to this matter. That sometime in the month of July 1777, he volunteered in the service of the verbal. at Westfield enlisted in a company of State Troops, the officers of which consisted of one Gray who was Captain Silas Fowler, who held a Captain's commission in the militia, when not in service in Southwick and who he believes acted as first Lt, one Littlefield, Lt., and one Gates, Ensign. The field officers whom he recollects were General Horatio Gates who was accustomed to wear a white cap in the morning and Col. Wayne from Jersey. That he thinks there was a Col. by the country in a company commanded by Capt. David Mosely of Westfield. That the Company was formed in Westfield, marched to name of Fellows, belonging to the army at this time, who was afterwards promoted to the river in Regiments and companies the rank of General. thence to New Lebanon, thence Pittsfield, to what now called Troy, is thence to Saratoga where they lay in the barracks one night, thence to Fort Edward. Here the officers, having generally become dissatis- fied with the conduct of General Schuyler, in suffering the troops to be scattered along they dispersed to their homes That the Company — After they had heard that General Gates was in command of the Northern army, the same company reformed in the month of August 1777, the particular day of the week or month he is not able to recollect, and marched from Westfield to Worthington, consisted of 1 20 men and were raised in the towns of Westfield, Southwick, Chesterfield, Norwich and Worthington. That the Company assembled at Worthington and marched through Bennington to Skeensborough where they took boats and papers to Ticonderoga. That his service during the whole term of his enlistment was for four thence to Pittsfield, thence to Williams- town, then to Bennington and to a place. Falls Mills, where the Regiment was formed under the command of Colonel John Mosely The Regiment remained months, except about one week. That he was discharged in consequence of his be- — -33- �there a few days, say three or four, and then and there was a family record which was taken away some years since by necticut, — marched to a place called Battenkill east After lying there a few days, the battle below took place He supposed of Saratoga — a brother of his residing the County of — they were kept out of the action and, at that Oneida and state of New York. That he enlisted and served at each time as a private point, for the purpose of cutting off the ret- soldier. reat of the British — The Company was dis- He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except charged immediately after the surrender of the present, and declares that his name is Burgoyne which was, he thinks, the 1 7th of Oct. 1777, up to which time he faithfully served as a volunteer in the State Troops from August to that time. While Burgoyne's Army lay at Saratoga, he was engaged in taking five prisoners and some horses in a select detachment, commanded by Col. Brown of Pittsfield not on the pension roll of any state. Sylvester Squier (Signed) Sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid. The Samuel Moore and Lysander Bar- — He officiated as clerk rett residing in the town of Montgomery do Major Walbridge a few days, and while at Battenkill, and recollects the name of the adjutant of the Regiment was He is unable to recollect Aaron Wing any other field officers except General Fellows. He enlisted at each time in Westfield, and that part of the town in which he then and ever since has resided, has been incorporated by the name of Montgomery. His father has told him there was a record of his birth at Norwich in the state of Conto Brigade hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Sylvester Squier who has subscribed and will be sworn to the above declaration. That we believe him to be seventy-nine years of age. That he is so (acknowledged) and believed in the neighborhood where he resided to have been a soldier in the Revolution and that we consent in that opinion. — Samuel Moore Lysander Barrett (Signed) -34- �Genealogical Queries Compiled by Grace Wheeler & 1745 to Zebulon, a pioneer white man and his Indian wife. Rhoda lived in Indian Hollow and died at the age of ninety- six years. Would like anything on Rhoda, her father Zebulon or her husband, Zebulon Rhodes, "a Mulatto Man." It is said he was a cross between an Indian and a Negro. Seeking any information on Eugene Irene ("Queenie") Carey, who moved throughout the hill towns from 1920-1965. in They were in Huntington area early 1 920' s, in Windsor/West Cummington 1935-45, Dalton/Hinsdale area 1955-60. Believe Becket, Worthington and Middle- and in field also involved. While in their 40' s, they Huntington Historical Society 430 Worthington Rd. Huntington, Mass. 01050 had several births 1920-35. "Gene" lost an arm in sawmill (?) accident during these Gene died Pittsfield, Oct. 1965; "Queenie" died Dalton, Dec. 1965. Can you help pinpoint when they lived in your decades. area, or provide this Looking any other information on information on Jay C. Died May 22, 1943, buried Hill Cemetery, Blandford, Mass. Where was he bom and where did he die? Would like to hear from couple? Joan Kibbe 1, Box 394 Keene, NH 03431 RD any living descendants of this man or his wife. Mrs. Thelma Wells Frost Rd. Washington, Mass. 01223 Seek information on Isaac Phelps who married widow Sarah Palmer in Westfield in 1729. She died there Jan. 1741. I have three dates for Isaac's death for Searle bom 1 858, married Lydia Rathbum. — 1753, 1777, Ms. Nancy Pennington 6204 Halifax Avenue South Edina, Minnesota 55424 Looking for information on Daniel Stannard and his wife Phebe (Higgins) Stannard. She was bom where? Was he bom in New Marlborough, Mass.? They had a daughter Phebe bom there Aug. 9th, 1 866. She married Oct. 28, 1 866 in Bridgeman, Mich. She married Clarence Howe. Huntington Historical Society is lookfor information on Zebulon Fuller, father of Dr. Rhoda Rhodes. She was bom Mrs. Phebe Smith 302 East Copeland Kingman, Kansas 67068 and 1778. Does anyone know which is correct? Were there three Isaacs during this time frame? ing -35- �O q ON o &9 U- O 03 <L> O o 5 O 03 o o C oo o H 00 o fc>0 o On Co O o d .-s; O o ^ Q ST' IT) o u o CQ S H o Ss C8 ^ C OX) 00 CO 3 O c HU o t: On < c o ^ c m .2 on C ON to c/3 3 < 00 c/3 U U < o u X CQ 00 o 00 r~- oO m H 5S u < pq r~ 00 -36- �FADING FOOTPRINTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WHAT'S DOWN THAT ROAD? RETAIL by Harriet U. Fish $6.95 plus tax & postage ($2.00) Three Booklets for Washington State Centennial of 1989. 1) 2) 3) FISH TALES OF LAKE CRESCENT FISH TALES OF PORT HADLOCK FISH TALES OF SEQUIM BAY All published in 1985 — Set of Three: $1 2.50, plus tax and postage ($1 .50) These are concentrated stories with photographs and sketches of the specific area and its history of the past 100 years. THE PAST AT PRESENT IN ISSAQUAIL, WASHINGTON by Edwards R. Fish original sketches by Harriet Fish RETAIL $13.95 PLUS TAX & POSTAGE ($2.75) Tracks, Trails, AND Tales A delightfully, easy-to-read collection of connected anecdotes and stories about people and their place in the evolving history of the North Olympic Peninsula, from the times when only Indians whaled and hunted seal, to the present. in Clallam County, State of Washington RETAIL $15.95 PLUS TAX & POSTAGE ($2.75) HARRIET U. FISH P.O. BOX 900 CARLSBORG, WASHINGTON 98324 -37- �^^^a^Sir Speedy^ Print:ing Centers ^^^^M>/ WE MAKE YOU BRADFORD P. FISK Incorporated LOOK GOOD' W/ / Whether you need comDCteni advice and assistance or you know exactly what you need depend on us tor The Corners Grocery WHAT rOU MEED. WHEN YOU mffTm TaJi, lout C93t, ^ua/ity fountin^ & moxt... ORlNTlf^ ,S4W •NO COCOB. rr^^'lNG nrPCXlBAPMV CO(.lJ>TlNG CQlDiNG aiNOING Ol-E "UNChcng tEf^Owfaos ENVELOPS BUSINESS :aB0S invitations MAILERS 5H0ChuR€S OCPOBTS anC MORE Telephone: 413-238-5531 Century Village 138 Memorial Avenue West Springfield, MA 01089 Worthington. Mass. 01098 (413)736-5223 J 1 ^ ^1 liTlZZl-*- CCNTLWY Vlt.lJ«CC RTC S-i«>'«»A gap H^^B C^QUEST m O'STPiBuTOPOF ^PARmA ^FAMILY Wolcott Realty NORTH ROAD WESTFIELD GATEWAY —AUTO PARTS- Specializing in Country Property "More Tlnn Just An Auto Parts Stort^ To BUY or SELL call us. We have many exclusive listings ROUTE 20, HUNTINGTON. MA. 01050 CALL 562-4778 14191 iui7.9ini -38- Pall Tikii ' — 1 .Bnn.iMi9. 1 fK4 �Huntington Historical Society B.F. CASSIN has for sale INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. "BEERS 1873 MAP" of Huntington Formerly C. G. Pero Insurance — suitable for framing General Insurarice - Life - Health Insurance Size: ^^"x^4V2" SERVING THE VALLEY $3.00 plus $1.00 postage, Call and Compare or save on postage by picking up. Main Street, Huntington, Mass. 01050 CALL 1 -667-3438 or 1 -667-5579 Tel. 667-3081 Tel. 568-1243 in a// ar^as o/ PRINTING • HUNTINGTON TRUE VALUE HARDWARE TYPESETTING • GRAPHIC DESIGN jusf caW US (4 1 — we'll come to you new location 3) 238-4463 East Main Street, Huntington, MA 01050 667-5531 Quality "where you'll see the difference I Hardware, Electrical & Plumbing Supplies ' Sacrete Products, Glass, RIVER RD WORTHINGTON. MA 01098 Lawn & Garden Products MOLTENBREY'S Stonehengineeri ng MARKET Builds and repairs stonewalls, foundations and wells Creating in Stone, Brick, Ceramic Tile serxing the people of Huntington for over 35 years Ferro-cement BRUCE MASON Moss Hill Rd. Russell, MA. DARRYL FISK, Prop. (413) 848-2086 WESTFIELD PHARMACY, INC. Compliments Of Stanley F. Nowak, Reg. Pharm. MARY'S VARIETY "Posie" Flower Supplies Convalescent Supplies — Cards Candy — Gifts Route 20 Tel. 562-441 Chester, Massachusetts 65 Franklin Street (413) 354-7894 -39- . Westfield, IVIass. �WM A Country Bookstore 20.000 Good Used Books Raymah Westgate For Your Brovising Pleasure Russell H. Moore, Jr. WEST-MOORE Victorian Prints. Antiquarian Post Cards Wide Selection of Greeting Cards Party Goods -- Gifts Open 7 Days JO A.M. -5 P INSURANCE AGENCY Main Street M Chester, Massachusetts 0101 Paulson Books (413)354-9688 Allen Coit Road Insurance For Your Huntington, Ma 01050 HOME • BUSINESS • FARM • AUTO (From Rte 112 in Huntington, take Rte 66 1 V2 miles to top of hill, then left on Searle Rd. to 1st right Also Life, Accident and Health ) Always buying books and old postcards 'Your Local Hilltown Insurance Agency" CALL BARBARA 667-3208 We re h ///? you every step vf the way. Hillfowns Working Together... Journal Country A For iN mosi tn pn>u(uJ mnputuvc Wrtkly Publication "Drvo:fd to ihe f^erds of the Hi/liowns' MA 667-3211 Main Street Huntington, Century Village 138 Memorial Avenue West Springfield, 01089 413-736-2112 MA -40- �— Editorial Board — Natalie Birrell Louise James Lucy Conant Connie Dorrington Ida Joslyn Bernard Drew Louise Mason Helena Duris Grace Wheeler EUie Lazarus — Friends — Mrs. Edward Miller Edna Ripley Mrs. O. S. James Marjorie Irwin Mr. & Mrs. Theron B. Small F. Clark Robbins Mrs. Andrew Consolatti Vera Smith Mrs. Wilmer Cudworth Frank Andras Mrs. Carl H. Knittel Dorothy Russell Eleanor Tortolani Jack Maxon Donald & Sally Ives Mr. & Mrs. Philip Ives Mrs. Mabel Comellier Mrs. John Hoffmire Cover Art by Jan Boland STONE WALLS is published quarterly. Subscriptions are $7.00 a year, $2.00 for indiiidual copies. Please retail price add 80 cents with a special request for any back issue of individual copies to be mailed. The may be modified only with the permission of the Editorial We welcome unsolicited manuscripts and illustrations from and about the hilltowns Berkshires. The editors of STONE WAIJJS assume no responsibility for non-commissioned manuscripts, photographs, drawings, or other material. No such material will be returned unless submitted with self addressed enivlope and sufficient postage. We also welcome letters from our readers. No portions of this publication may be reproduced in Board. of the any form, with the exception of brief excerpts for reinew purposes, without the express consent of the editors of STONE WALLS. Due to the fact that we are a non profit making publication, we will continue to publish our magazine as long as it is financially possible. If at any time we are unable to continue, we will be under no obligation to refund any subscription. -STONE WALLS 1987 �Rare is the block-like stone; most stones defy simple physics. So putting them up in useful, permanent, and beautiful structures despite their shapes will take a lot out of you. And give a lot of satisfaction in return. Charles McRaven, Building With Stone, Lippincott & Crowell, New York, 1980 STONE WALLS Non-profit Org. Box 85 U.S. POSTAGE Huntington. Massachusetts 01050 Vol. 13. No. 3 PAID Huntington MA 01050 Permit #1 � https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/6760cef8294a9826af4cb477af9cf92f.pdf 78014ca3b0a0ae52319fda75bc409b25 PDF Text Text CONTENTS 5 The Worthington Rice Family A Woman Ahead of Her Time 9 Bygone Diseases 2 12 Elizabeth Payne submitted by Doris Hayden Pamela G. Donovan-Hall Six Common Pins Trip Up Arson Ring Operating in New England, Part II Louise Mason compiled by Grace M. Wheeler 16 Hilltown Happenings 18 20 Hannah Gibbs' Diary, Part IV Burma Shave 22 Chester's Biggest Landowner: John Chandler 27 The Cricket in the Comer 28 Ann Rausch, Artist 32 Captain Sylvester Squire 35 Genealogical Queries 36 Annual Report Lucy Conant Ruth E. Beckwith Elizabeth Payne edited and transcribed by Pamela G. Donovan-Hall compiled by Grace M. Wheeler -7- � Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Complete Fall 1987 issue of Stonewalls magazine Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Magazine Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-037 Title A name given to the resource Stonewalls magazine, Fall 1987 Description An account of the resource Full issue of Stonewalls magazine (Vol. 3, No. 3). 40 pp. with black and white photos and drawings, two articles on Worthington by Elizabeth Payne, one on the Rice family and the other on Anne Rausch. 44 pp. Subject The topic of the resource Other Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan from Internet archive website Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 1987 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Stonewalls Magazine Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-010 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Massachusetts - Other Relation A related resource Hard copies of some Stonewalls magazines available at the WHS Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-10 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/6bd28bd1a919c86beb999f717262ca9d.tif 6e5effb092bf230cb9c2f68460fd1ed6 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Still Image - Black and White Photograph Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image. 4.75" x 6.75" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-038 Title A name given to the resource Mrs. Charles F. Bates Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Black and white photo of Amanda Bartlett Bates (1853-1920) seated on lawn in unknown location. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 4.75" x 6.75" Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1910 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available unknown Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-3-18 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. box 03b Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Paper Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Massachusetts - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. jd 2024-3-18 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/01b6c6f740578fd92290b00335de156a.pdf f01ab3a1a85f00d59617bb7a8b0c4140 PDF Text Text � Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image. scan of original image Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-039 Title A name given to the resource 1791 ad for horse doctor/farrier Subject The topic of the resource Farms Description An account of the resource Advertisement posted by a horse doctor/farrier from Great Britain promising treatments for a wide range of horse illnesses. Mentions stops in both Worthington and Northampton. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Scan of newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Bartley Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1791-11-02 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Hampshire Gazette Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-22 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Massachusetts - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-22 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/ce17fa9fef20c1b2d63f10cec1ec1ab5.pdf d9f6576f3b274da57cd52fb45da0a766 PDF Text Text The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) · 11 Jul 1833, Thu · Page 2 Downloaded on Mar 9, 2024 WoolSales1833 Copyright © 2024 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved. Clipped By: dbrenner Sat, Mar 9, 2024 � Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-040 Title A name given to the resource News article on wool sales, 1833 Subject The topic of the resource Farms Description An account of the resource Newspaper article about wool sales in Worthington and surrounding towns. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Scan of newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1833-07-11 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Pittsfield [MA] Sun (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-24 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Massachusetts - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-24 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/8557ba71b5617a962cfb6e864d4810d3.pdf 622116e9ba9967e54092605bf01f443d PDF Text Text ��� https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/30c193f69ee2c80cdfc1786fed7b74af.pdf 2075ea48edf7c486212b1d9caa57eda4 PDF Text Text �� Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. Advertising brochures for Berkshire Park Camping Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Document - Paper, Single Sheet Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image. Scans of the original image Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-041 Title A name given to the resource Berkshire Park Campground advertising brochures, 1976 and 1988 Subject The topic of the resource Businesses and Stores Description An account of the resource Two brochures advertising the Berkshire Park Campground on Harvey Road in Worthington Center. F. M. Mailloux purchased the land from the George Dimock in 1975. It somehow found it's way back to Georgette Dimock who sold it, in 1986, to Robert and Dawn Brimmer. By 1988 it was being operated by owners, Bob and Dawn Brimmer. The Brimmers sold it to Carolyn Jacobson in 1996. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Scans of two folded 8.5" x 11" brochures Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mailloux and Brimmer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1975 and 1988 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available eBay sales Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-24 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - Worthington Center Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-24 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/2f46d3af349d470b0247d1517efaef04.pdf 0ce33d5a43715e400001624653c43912 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Obituaries Description An account of the resource Death notices and obituaries for Worthington residents. Usually scans of newspaper clippings. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image. Scan only Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-042 Title A name given to the resource Nancy Burr death notice, 1819 Subject The topic of the resource People Description An account of the resource Death notice for Nancy Moore Burr (1785-1819). Emphasis on her religious commitment. Language of notice is emotional, lamenting her husband (Jonathan Burr) and orphans left behind. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Scan of newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1819-01-21 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Hampshire Gazette Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-24 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - Worthington Center Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-24 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/7cb5063e8a27bc3da967cbe95712434a.pdf 3e1501223496cb97d41874051b5fbdf5 PDF Text Text � https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/f1cfb7b479783fa12aac56ff76a1c4c0.pdf 84c16b7e440fb1e2e92570e264f7ac18 PDF Text Text � Still Image A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials. Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image. scan of newspaper article Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-043 Title A name given to the resource Cocaine-related arrest, 1988 Subject The topic of the resource Historic Event Description An account of the resource Two newspaper article describing arrest and sentencing associated with cocaine dealing in the area. Focus on Jeffrey Hartman of Bashan Hill. Type The nature or genre of the resource Document Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scans of newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-04-15 and 1988-07-27 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Springfield Union-News Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-31 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - West Worthington Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-31 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/23be3ef7a6cd14d90f9e02d147c078d5.pdf 556dfdffc3967574a284bc095ebf18c4 PDF Text Text The Pittsfield Sun (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) · 10 Jul 1822, Wed · Page 1 Downloaded on Mar 9, 2024 Redistricting1822 Copyright © 2024 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved. Clipped By: dbrenner Sat, Mar 9, 2024 � Document A resource containing textual data. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre text. Text Any textual data included in the document. article on redistricting, 1822 Original Format If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Newspaper Clipping Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-044 Title A name given to the resource Redistricting, 1822 Subject The topic of the resource Historic Event Description An account of the resource Account of redistricting of Western Mass communities. Worthington is included in the "Berkshire District" along with Middlefield, Cummunington, and Plainfield. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan of newspaper article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1822-07-10 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Pittsfield Sun Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-31 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Massachusetts - Other Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-31 https://www.worthingtonhistoricalsociety.org/omeka-3.1.1/files/original/2846c1998056c6b1538384113dcfdb11.pdf 02e5f2c1c48fb69928cecc98c8cae2a9 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2024-045 Title A name given to the resource Worthington Hat Factory ad, 1817 Subject The topic of the resource Businesses and Stores Description An account of the resource "Thank you" ad published by Charles Clapp (1767-1859) and Levi Clapp (1794-1854) in 1817, son and grandson of Samuel Clapp respectively. They were the owners of the Worthington Hat Factory Includes thank-you for custom, listing of hats and other items for sale, notice of willingness to barter, request for sheep pelts, and last, but not least, a request that people with outstanding credit pay their bills. Type The nature or genre of the resource Still Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource scan of newspaper advertisement Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Charles and Levi Clapp Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1817-07-02 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Hampshire Gazette Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. 2024-03-31 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. digital archive Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Electronic Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Worthington - other unspecified Mediator An entity that mediates access to the resource and for whom the resource is intended or useful. In an educational context, a mediator might be a parent, teacher, teaching assistant, or care-giver. db 2024-03-31