Treasure Chest Thursday - Logwood from the Mayflower

Here is a photo of some logwood that was possibly brought over on the Mayflower. We have the bundle that is in the photograph stored in an acid free box. There is a note in my grandmother's scrapbook that says: "Logwood for dying clothing brought over in the Mayflower 1620".

 Some interesting information about logwood can be found on Wayne's Word website 

Logwood

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Lucy Brooks Cabot

[Transcription]
April 5, 1912
MRS. NORMAN F. CABOT
     Mrs. Lucy Brooks Cabot, 86, wife of Norman F. Cabot, died in her home on Terrace Street this morning about 1.45 o'clock after an illness of about six weeks. She was born in Chesterfield, Factory Village, Dec. 13, 1825, and was a daughter of Capt. William S. and Elinor Forman Brooks. Her father was a native of Medford, Mass., and her mother came from Freehold, N.Y. In 1821 her father went to Chesterfield and in 1839 the family came to this town. Following the death of her mother she went south and there met Norman F. Cabot and they were married in Wetumpha [sic, should be Wetumpka], Ala., Dec. 13, 1853. Previous to the Civil war they came to Brattleboro and had since lived here, Mr. Cabot being for many years treasurer of the Vermont Savings Bank.
   She had two brothers and two sisters, all of whom were prominent in the town during their lives. George J. Brooks was the builder of the Brooks House and gave the Brooks library building to the town. The other brother was Francis W. Brooks and the sisters were Mrs. Francis Goodhue and Miss Malvina Brooks. Besides her husband she leaves two daughters, Miss Mary R. Cabot of this town, and Mrs. Frederick Holbrook of Boston, and one son, William Brooks Cabot of Boston.
     The funeral will be held in the home Monday afternoon at 2.30 o'clock. Rev. R.M. Houghton will officiate and the burial will take place in Prospect Hill cemetery. Friends are kindly requested not to send flowers. 

Source: Newspaper clipping, newspaper title and location not included.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Pets

Written on back: "Peterkin and his friend Danger, Brattleboro 1900"

from my Grandmother's family photo collection

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Children of Eliphalet & Mary (Woodman) Haskell

I am in the process of transcribing the vital records for the town of New Gloucester, Maine prior to 1892. Today I came across the original birth records for the children of my 4th great grandparents, Eliphalet and Mary (Woodman) Haskell as recorded by Jabez Woodman, who was the Town Clerk at that time. The following image is the page from the original record book, followed by the transcription

Transcription
[page] 68
Moses Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife was born in New Gloucester September 8th Anno Domini 1777
Hannah Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife was born in New Gloucester on the 12th of August AD 1779
Moses Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester December 12th, 1780
Eliphalet Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Jan. 27th, 1782
Jacob Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester Octr 30th 1783
Polly Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester March 4th 1785
Amos Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester March 26th, 1787
Bethulah Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Jany 25th, 1789
Stephen Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester Augt 4th 1792
Sally Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester July 11th, 1794
Peleg Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester July 22d, 1796
George Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Augt 25th 1798
Louisa Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester April 18th, 1800
Recorded March 18th, 1822, By me Jabez Woodman Town Clerk

My 3rd great grandfather is Amos Haskell.

Does anyone have any information on the name "Bethulah"? I have always thought this to be a female, but the Town Clerk listed this child as a son. I was unable to locate anything definitive based on a quick search on the internet. If anyone has further information, I would be happy to hear from you.


Source: A Book of Record of Births for New Gloucester in County of Cumberland Commonwealth of Massachusets from 1771 to 1865. Image taken from original record book on 12 Apr 2011 by William C. Haskell. Original record book located in Town Office, Town of New Gloucester, Maine.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Father's Day - Father Tree

Happy Father's Day! My wife gave me this cross-stitch several years ago, showing 12 generations of Haskell fathers from my son back to the first William that came to Gloucester, Massachusetts with his two brothers, Roger and Mark back in 1635. I thought it would make a great Father's Day post in remembrance of all the ancestral Haskell fathers in my line.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

This Is The Face of Genealogy

Here are some of my true faces of genealogy. 

My great grandfather - Frank Owen Haskell (1863-1931)

my 2nd great grandfather - Alfred Haskell (1817-1906)

my 3rd great grandfather - Amos Haskell (1787-1868)

The reason for this post is here.

.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Frederick Holbrook - Death Record

I located the death record for my 3rd great grandfather, Frederick Holbrook on Ancestry.com (accessed on 5 June 2011). Here is a transcription and digital image of the record.
 
Transcription (bold text is what is entered into the form):
DEATH - MALE
Full Name of Deceased Frederick Holbrook

Usual Residence Brattleboro [stamped]
If in Hospital or Institution, Its Name [BLANK]
Color White
Age 96 Yrs. 2 Mos. 13 Days
Single-Married [BLANK]
Occupation Bank president
Widowed-Divorced [BLANK]
Birthplace Conn.
Father's Name John Holbrook
Father's Birthplace Mass.
Mother's Maiden Name Lady Knowlton
Mother's Birthplace Shrewsbury, Mass
Date of Death April Month 28 Day 1909
Disease Causing Death Senile Exhaustion
Contributing Disease Bronchitis 91
Medical Attendant S.E. Lawton
Town Brattleboro [stamped]
William S. Newton [stamped] Town Clerk

Source Information:

Ancestry.com. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data:

• Vermont. Vermont Death Records, 1909-2003. Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, Montpelier, Vermont.
• Vermont. Vermont Death Records, 2004-2008. Vital Records Office, Vermont Department of Health, Burlington, Vermont.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

The Goodhue Family - Joseph Goodhue

Continued from previous post, , as written by Ellen Brooks Goodhue (Mrs. Henry Van Kleeck).

JOSEPH GOODHUE

     Joseph Goodhue, m. Abigail Low and had by her seven children.
     A second marriage with one child.

Here is some additional information that I have found on Joseph Goodhue.

History and Genealogy of the Goodhue Family in England and America to the Year 1890, compiled by Rev. Jonathan E. Goodhue, A.M. and published by E.R. Andrews, Rochester New York in 1891 provides the following information:

Parents: William and Hannah (Dane) Goodhue. Joseph was the third child born Mar 1676. He m1. 1707-8, Abigail Low; after her decease, 1726, aged 40, he m2. Oct 1727, Mrs Elisabeth Gilbert. His will was proved in 1739, and he probably died that year. His children were: Francis, b. 2 Jun, O.S.; 13 Jun, N.S., 1710; Joseph, b. 14 Aug 1712; William b. 8 May 1715; Abigail b. 7 Aug 1717; David b. 16 Jul, 1719, d. 9 Nov 1741, unmarried; Jonathan b. 16 Jul 1719; Jeremiah b. 14 Feb 1722; Daniel b. 31 Aug, 1728, child of second marriage.

Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2010).

Ipswich Births, page 163
Goodhue, Joseph s. William and Hannah, Mar 8, 1676

Ipswich Marriages, page 190
Goodhue, Joseph and Abigail Low, int. Jan 31, 1707-8, C.R. 4-church record, Chebacco Parish Church

Ipswich Deaths, page 568-569
Goodhue, Abigail, w. Joseph, Nov. 15, 1726, in her 40th y. G.R. 4 - gravestone record, Old Essex Cemetery
[possible death record of Joseph] Goodhue, Joseph,  Sergt., of Chebacco, d. July 21, 1739

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

The Goodhue Family - William Goodhue 2d

This is a continuation of a previous blog post about the Goodhue family.

WILLIAM GOODHUE 2d

     William Goodhue 2d, b. 1645 at Ipswich m. Hannah Dane, dau. of Rev. Francis Dane of Andover, who founded the Academy, which afterwards became Phillips Academy of that place. After this marriage the name of Francis appears, doubtless in remembrance of Rev. Francis Dane, among the descendants of William and Hannah Goodhue. In the Brattleboro branch of the family it has appeared for seven generations. William Goodhue 2d. was also deacon and a prominent member of the community, respected, useful and beloved.
     He was ensign in 1683, and Captain in Col. Appleton's Regiment. See p. 471 Register of Society of Colonial Wards, 1706-07-08. Verified by W. K. Watkins, Genealogist.
     His minister, the famous John Wise, with five others of his church, William Goodhue, Robert Kinsman (an ancestor of ours on the female line), John Andrews, John Appleton and Francis French, protested against an illegal taxation by Gov. Andros, and were lodged in jail at Boston for three weeks awaiting trial. Rev. John Wise was fined fifty pounds and costs. This was paid by the town of Ipswich, together with fines for the five others, which reimbursed them for expenses incurred during trial.
     The Rev. John Wise is called the Founder of American Democracy, and the one who first developed the idea of "no taxation without representation" one hundred years before the American Revolution.William Goodhue 2d. lived on the farm given to him by his father, consisting of a dwelling house, other buildings, orchards, gardens, and 82 acres of land. These were in Chebacco, now Essex. His grave was visited in September 1903 by Mrs. Henry Van Kleeck (Ellen Brooks Goodhue). It is under an evergreen near the stone table monument to the Rev. John Wise. Although slightly broken, it has fine lines, and unusual ornamentation. Mrs. Van Kleeck's visit to the town of Ipswich was of great interest to her, it being a beautiful old town, full of historic importance in the early days of the Colony. Courtesy and attention were received from Rev. Frank Waters, who as President of the Historical Society, and author of a historical work on Ipswich, is doubtless the best authority on genealogy in the town. The Goodhue family once so numerous in Ipswich has few representatives of the name today, although one of the farms adjacent to town is owned and has been by one of the name in unbroken line since the day when William the first settler bought it from the Indians. The history of the line descended from Francis Goodhue, the first of the name to settle in the Valley of the Connecticut, is derived from the town Histories of Winchendon, Mass., Swanzey, N.H., Fitzwilliam, N.H., and Brattleboro, Vermont, all of which can doubtless be found at the Historical Society rooms, 18 Somerset St., Boston.
     The two generations now follow at Ipswich of which we have no detail beyond dates.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Howdy! - from Texas

Enjoying a nice vacation at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Moon set at La Posada Milagro in Terlingua, TX

The Window from Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

The Goodhue Family - William Goodhue

The following typewritten manuscript is from my grandmother's binder on the Goodhue family. At the end of the document there is a handwritten note that says: "written by Ellen Brooks Goodhue (Mrs Henry Van Kleeck)". There is no date on the document. This will be split into several posts.

THE GOODHUE FAMILY

William Goodhue

     William Goodhue, the first settler of the name, who emigrated in 1635, is supposed to have come from Kent in England, because the name is not found elsewhere, and because his wife, Margery Watson, was from that county. The name in England is spelled Goodhugh and Goodhew, which last method is the way it is spelled on the grave of  the 2d William Goodhue in Essex, formerly called Chebacco, a part of the town of Ipswich, Mass. A mile from Seale Church in Kent is an ancient country seat called Stonepit, at one time owned by Goodhughs as was the nearby Manor of Spellhurst, and County Hill near Deptford, Kent. These country seats have passed to descendants of the Goodhughs in the female line, but none of the name were found there when visited by Mr. Jonathan Goodhue of New York in the year 1830. The house occupied in Ipswich by Rev. T. Frank Waters, Minister of the South Congregational Church, and president of the Ipswich Historical Society, was built on the site of the house built by William Goodhue the first settler, about 1639. The surrounding land, nine acres, had been bought by his wife's father--Watson, who remained in England. This was in the South village. Adjoining was the house and land of Rev. Nathaniel Ward, "The Sweet Singer of Agawam." William Goodhue was deacon and a man of importance in the community as shown by the fact of his being Deputy to the General Court in the years 1667-73-76-66-80-83. The last years of his life were spent with his son William at Chebacco, now Essex, after he had given up his Ipswich home and  farm to his eldest son Joseph. See Goodhue History [History and Genealogy of the Goodhue Family in England and America to the Year 1890, compiled by Rev. Jonathan E. Goodhue, A.M., published by E.R. Andrews, Rochester, NY, 1891] for further data. Dates of service have been verified by W. K. Watkins, Genealogist, 18 Somerset St., Boston.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Francis Goodhue - The Eminent Brattleboro Man

My grandmother's family binder on the Goodhue family includes various research notes, pedigree charts, and newspaper articles  The following article was apparently originally transcribed from the Vermont Phoenix, June 15, 1866.

FRANCIS GOODHUE

     Not another instance can be named where a man has settled here, with so much risk, who manifested by his actions more real confidence in our future than Mr. Goodhue. He became eminently a Brattleboro man, completely identifying himself with our joys and sorrows, and ever ready to listen to or assist in any project having tendency to advance the welfare of the home of his adoption. We remember his climbing over hills and rocks with the surveyors of the New Haven and Northampton Canal, trying to ascertain the most feasible plan to use West river as a feeder of that canal, the extension of which at that time to this place was contemplated. The great Erie Canal, projected by Gov. Clinton of New York, had just proved a success, and the attention of intelligent men all over the country was directed to this method of communication, as in more modern times their attention has been given to railroads. We make this allusion to show that Mr. Goodhue was awake to the enterprises of the day, and spared no personal efforts to advance them.
     His hopefulness and cheerfulness was a constant inspiration to those with whom he came in contact. The encouraging grasp he have to the hand of industry will be long remembered. He seemed destitute  of envy, and wanted every one to succeed in everything useful or needful to human wants. There was always a smile of gratification on this countenance when he saw others prosper. He did not, like some men of wealth, lose all confidence in a young man because he had been unfortunate, but he had a cheerful, encouraging way of saying: " He is young and capable: the world is before him; I hope and believe he will yet do well."
     His calmness and indifference under severely provoking circumstances was remarkable. Some who make great pretences or high claims to saintship, would fall far behind him in heeding the Scriptural admonition, " A soft answer turneth away wrath." The example he has left us in this matter, if universally followed would make more peaceable neighborhoods, prevent many quarrels and resorts to lawyers' offices. A man highly excited applied some severe epithet to Mr. G., in so insulting a manner that most people would, in language or action have indignantly resented it. But Mr. G. simply replied: "There are various opinions about that matter," and passed on, having business of greater importance than adding fuel to a fire already sufficiently hot. Valuable locations on his land on Main Street were freely given for the Unitarian and Orthodox Congregational Churches, and for the old Brattleboro Bank.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Treasure Chest Thursday - Memoirs of Roger Williams

I recently found a copy of a book in my Dad's bookcase that was apparently owned by my third great grandfather, Amos Haskell (1787-1859). The book is titled Memoirs of Roger Williams, The Founder Of The State Of Rhode-Island by James D. Knowles, published by Lincoln, Edmands and Co., Boston in 1834. My grandfather's name is written inside the front cover and there is also a small slip of paper with his name on it. I believe this is probably the oldest book on my Dad's bookshelf. The book is in remarkably good condition and was likely passed down from Amos to his son Alfred, then to Frank Owen, then to Merrill and finally to my Dad.

This brings up an interesting question as to whether Amos was literate. According to the book The New Century Book of Facts: A Handbook of Ready Reference, published in 1909, New Gloucester, Maine, where Amos was born had a school in 1764. So it is likely that he was literate. Were your ancestors who lived in the 18th and early 19th centuries literate? I am going to do some more digging into this question.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Governor Frederick Holbrook - Letter to Abraham Lincoln

 Frederick Holbrook was the Governor of Vermont during the Civil War years. On July 29, 1862 he wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln. Click on the link to see a digital image and transcription of the letter at the Library of Congress. The letter urges Lincoln to call up more troops to fight for the Union. Governor Holbrook thought that a million more men would be needed; however, Lincoln was calling for 300,000.

Frederick Holbrook, Governor of Vermont 1861-1863

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Reuben Merrill [Sr]

Cemetery: Pine Grove, Falmouth, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 30 August 2009
Subject Name: Reuben Merrill
Notes: Father of Reuben Merrill and grandfather of Nathaniel Edwin Merrill. My third great-grandfather. Reuben Merrill [Sr] was born 2 Aug 1765, he married Clarissa Jones about 1794.
Transcription: REUBEN MERRILL/DIED/July 29, 1818, AE. 53.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Strawberry Meadows Farm - Cutting Wood & Miscellaneous

Saturday 19 March 2011 - I started cutting firewood for next year over at my Dad's. His farm is called Strawberry Meadows Farm - named for the wild strawberries that grow in the fields. Here are a couple photos of the farm and me cutting wood.

Strawberry Meadows Farm

Cruizin'

Will Haskell cutting wood

Will Haskell cutting wood

Will Haskell splitting wood

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Wordless Wednesday - Statue of Buddha in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan

Photo Date: 3 Aug 1919

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Reuben Merrill [Jr]

Cemetery: Pine Grove, Falmouth, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 30 August 2009
Subject Name: Reuben Merrill [Jr]
Notes: Father of Nathaniel Edwin Merrill. My second great-grandfather. Reuben was born 27 Oct 1795 and married Frances Pope 14 Mar 1819
Transcription: REUBEN MERRILL/DIED/Nov. 25, 1890./AE. 95 yrs./At Rest

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Frederick Holbrook - VP of American International Corporation

I guess civil engineering is in my blood. My great grandfather, Frederick Holbrook, was a civil engineer and a contractor. My great granduncle, William Brooks Cabot was a civil engineer as well and was a partner in Frederick Holbrook's firm, Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins. My dad was also a civil engineer and land surveyor, and now I am carrying on the civil engineering family tradition. Here is a brief article about Frederick Holbrook that was printed in the American International Corporation Argosy in 1919.

FREDERICK HOLBROOK has been a Vice-President of American International Corporation since August 31, 1916. He was placed in charge of the Russian affairs of the corporation and sailed for Petrograd in September of that year to represent A.I.C. in the investigation of Russian propositions, remaining there until August, 1817. Mr. Holbrook is President of Grace American International Corporation, formed earlier this year to engage in Russian business. He is also a Director of American International Steel Corporation and of Allied Machinery Company of America, and from March until December, 1918, was President of American International Shipbuilding Corporation.
     Mr. Holbrook was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, July 20, 1861, and his business life has been spent in engineering and contracting work in the United States and Mexico, and for the year before his coming with American International, in Russia. For this work he formed the Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins Corporation some twenty years ago.

Source: American International Corporation. "The American International Corporation Argosy", November 1919, Volume 1, Number 7, page 2. 120 Broadway, New York.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary Lizzie Haskell

Cemetery: Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 4 November 2006
Subject Name: Mary Lizzie Haskell
Notes: Daughter of Alfred and Elizabeth (Owen) Haskell.
Transcription: MARY LIZZIE/Daug. of Alfred &/Elizabeth Haskell,/DIED/Feb. 26, 1875/ AE. 27 yrs 11 ms/15 ds

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Water Cure Days - Miss Lucy T. Brook's Cure

The Wesselhoeft Water Cure in Brattleboro, Vermont was the third water cure in the country. According to the Annals of Brattleboro by Mary Rogers Cabot, the Water Cure opened in 1843-1844 by Dr. Robert Wesselhoeft. A water cure is a form of hydrotherapy, involving the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness. Water cure's were so popular in the mid-1800's, there was even a Water Cure Journal that was published. Many of the journal volumes can be found on Google Books site, such as this one Volume 1. The Brattleboro Water Cure became extremely popular and was visited by many. Several of the more famous guests to the Brattleboro Water Cure, included: ex-President Martin Van Buren; two sons of John C. Calhoun; and Mr. & Mrs. John Stoddard (Cabot, Mary Rogers. Annals of Brattleboro, vol II, page 573-574)

Source: Cabot, Mary Rogers. 1922. Annals of Brattleboro, vol. II

Source: Cabot, Mary Rogers. 1922. Annals of Brattleboro, vol. II

In my grandmother's records, I found a typewritten page for Miss Lucy T. Brooks' water cure, which is transcribed below:

Miss Brooks will

1. Sweat every morning early in a wet sheet, and after it bathe or wash in water of 72 degrees to 60 degrees.
2. Drink cold water after it and walk until she becomes warm, --before breakfast.
3. Breakfast on cold bread with milk or butter.
4. Walk and drink again after breakfast.
5. At 11 o'clock take a hip-bath from 10 increasing gradually to 30 minutes in water 72 degrees gradually growing colder daily to 30 degrees.
6. Drink again and walk until you get well warmed.
7. Dinner without condiments, pies or rich food. Drink several tumblers of water with dinner and none for 2 hours after dinner.
8. After 2 hours drink and walk.
9. At 5 P.M. take a hip bath of same temperature and duration as at 11.
10. Walk again and after every bath and drinking.
11. Take supper as early as 6 same as breakfast but quite little.
12. Take a foot-bath before retiring 10 to 30 minutes, --temperature 73 degrees to 60 degrees as in other baths, and rub the feet and walk until they become warmed.
13. Take an ear-bath forenoon and afternoon at the Douch house.

R. Wesslehoeft,
(by Secretary)

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Last Time You Had Genealogy Fun

 It's Saturday night! Time for Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  When was the last time you had Genealogy Fun?  It could be research, conferences, a society meeting, or just talking with friends about your research, a favorite trip, etc.

2)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook status or comment.

Here is mine -

I had some genealogy fun today at the Greater Portland Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society meeting. Our scheduled speaker had to postpone her talk due to illness, so I brought in my laptop and projector and we did an online search and strategy session. Lots of fun. We discussed search techniques for Google, Google Books, Ancestry.com, Americanancestors.org, and several other sites of interest. The whole group pitched in with their experiences, hints and tips and we did a few test searches for folks as well.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Ellen Malvina Brooks and George Jones Brooks - Post #2

Continued from Post #1

     As we grew older, we began to wonder why she had not married, --speculation among the girls of the family was rife on the subject, --as we were told by members of her generation that she had been much admired, and had received many offers of marriage. Indeed we could realize this for ourselves, as her charm, real gayety [sic] and repartee never entirely waned.
     Among the family traditions was a story that, when she was sixteen, she met at the house of her cousins in Medford a young man, George Washington Warren; that he came to Chesterfield, on horseback, to formally declare his affection, which was reciprocated. As Grandfather was going to Boston on business at this time George Washington Warren returned his company. On the journey he extracted a promise from the young man not to write to, or to see his daughter for a year. This was because her father considered her too young to think seriously of love and marriage and he wished to enforce the test of time. Grandfather did not explain, or repeat his conversation with G.W.W. to his daughter. Silently she looked for letters, which never came. When the year of probation was ended and her lover reappeared  to claim her hand , she refused to see him. They did not meet again until middle life, after his marriage to another. How much this experience had to do with the very obvious and intense pride of our Aunt Malvina, we do not know. It was also said that her Mother made fun of each of her lovers in turn, and that this unfortunate attitude prevented her marriage in another case. She was excessively sensitive, and gave the impression of one who had suffered from harshness or shock. Her delicate nervous organization was also undermined by the condition of her Father's long and painful illness.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Mary Elizabeth Haskell - Death Record (Delayed)

Mary E Haskell Death Record - page 1

Mary E Haskell Death Record - page 2

Transcription - Page 1 (only non-blank fields)
Place of Death     Portland
Name     Mary E. Haskell
Sex     F
Age Years 27
Name of Father     Alfred Haskell
Date of Death     Year 1875     Month Feb     Day 26
Cause of Death     Consumption


Transcription - Page 2 (only non-blank fields)
Place of Burial     Deering
Name of Cemetery     Evergreen
Undertaker     J.M. Currier
Source of Record   City Clerk's Office Portland


Downloaded from Ancestry.com on 27 Feb 2011 

Source Citation: Maine State Archives; Cultural Building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084; Pre 1892 Delayed Returns; Roll # 50.
Death Record Source Information:

Ancestry.com. Maine Death Records, 1617-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Maine Death Records, 1617-1922. Augusta, Maine: Maine State Archives.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Augusta G. (Thompson) Haskell

Cemetery: Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 4 November 2006
Subject Name: Augusta G. Thompson
Notes: First wife of Alfred Haskell
Transcription:AUGUSTA G./wife of/Alfred Haskell,/DIED/May 15, 1842./AE. 23/Also their infant daughter/[epitaph] mostly illegible

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Mary Elizabeth Haskell - Birth Record (Delayed)

 Transcription of Vital Data
COPY OF AN OLD RECORD OF A BIRTH
Place of Birth     Portland
Street     [Blank]     No     [Blank]
Child's Name     Mary Elizabeth
Date of Birth     Mar 11 1847
Sex     F     Color    [Blank]
Living or Stillborn     [Blank]
No of Child, 1st, 2nd, etc     [Blank]
Father's Name     Alfred Haskell
Father's Color     [Blank]     Age     [Blank]
Father's Birthplace     [Blank]
Father's Residence     [Blank]
Father's Occupation     [Blank]
Mother's Maiden Name     Elizabeth
     Color     [Blank]     Age     [Blank]
Mother's Residence     [Blank]
Mother's Birthplace     [Blank]
Mother's Occupation     [Blank]
Source of Record     City Clerk's Office, Portland


Downloaded from Ancestry.com on 27 Feb 2011

Source Citation: Maine State Archives; Cultural Building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084; Pre 1892 Delayed Returns; Roll # 50.

Birth Record Source Information:

Ancestry.com. Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Maine Birth Records, 1621-1922. Augusta, Maine: Maine State Archives.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - William B. Cabot, 91, Engineer, Explorer

This Sunday's obituary is for, William Brooks Cabot, who was my grandmother's uncle. The following was transcribed from a clipping in my grandmother's Holbrook Family genealogy binder. The obituary date is January 31, 1949.

WILLIAM B. CABOT, 91, ENGINEER, EXPLORER

Special to The New York Times

     BOSTON, Jan. 31--William Brooks Cabot, engineer and explorer, died today at the age of 91. As a young man he served as an assistant engineer during the expansion of the Union Pacific Railroad in Idaho and Montana.
     Born in Brattleboro, Vt., Mr. Cabot attended the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and in 1881 was graduated from Renasselaer Polytechnic Institute.
     Mr. Cabot conducted explorations in Northern Labrador, where he lived with and studied the Nascapi Indians. Later he published a book on his explorations. In recent years he made a study of Indian place names in New England and collected material which will be published later.
     After returning from the West Mr. Cabot became a partner in the firm of Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins, civil engineers and contractors. He retired from business in 1908.
     He was a member of the Boone and Crockett Club and the Explorers Club of New York, the National Geographic Society and the Royal Geographic Society of London.
     Surviving are a son, Norman Cabot of Providence, R.I., and three daughters, Mrs. Anna L. Coolidge of Sandwich, N.H.; Mrs. Eleanor Lane and Mrs Mary C. Macy, both of New York.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Ellen Malvina Brooks and George Jones Brooks - Post #1

The text of this manuscript was transcribed from a typescript document in my grandmother's genealogy binder on the Holbrook Family. Ellen M. Brooks was born about 1817 to William S. and Eleanor (Forman) Brooks. She died about 1884. George Jones Brooks was her brother and was born about 1818 and died about 1886. Ellen and George lived in Brattleboro, Vermont. There is no date or author provided with the article. Unfortunately, the end of the document appears to be missing, but I will share the portion that I have.

ELLEN MALVINA BROOKS and GEORGE JONES BROOKS

Eleanor Malvina Brooks

     The importance of "Aunt Malvina" and "Uncle George" to the lives of the children can hardly be over estimated. To those who have inherited the treasure of their love  and generosity, it seems a poor family that is without an unmarried aunt and uncle. But for them there would have been little family unity. They held the scattered branches together by their feeling for all.
     While William and Horace Brooks were living in New York, Frank Brooks and his family, practically unknown to us, were for many years in San Francisco at that time a month's journey away. The Cabots' interests were in the South the first years after their marriage, and the Goodhues were the only ones to remain steadily at home. Gradually, there was a more frequent return to Brattleboro, with its early associations, which would not have happened had Aunt Malvina made her home elsewhere.
     New relationships through marriage into other families, and the coming of children absorbed fathers and mothers in what was peculiarly their own, but when there were nieces and nephews in each household living near her, Aunt Malvina's interest in their welfare bound all more closely together. She nursed the sick with remarkable judgment, taking charge of households when mothers needed to go away, and visited her sisters every day with the deepest sympathy in everything that concerned their lives. When children's diseases prevailed, a shelter was found in Aunt Malvina's house for those who wished to avoid contagion. The Horace Brooks children were sent to her care when their parents travelled abroad, --they were in boarding school in Brattleboro, because she was near at hand.
     She shared our joys and burdens and sorrows, as the fairy godmother, and was generosity itself in gift-making. She made a custom of giving us birthday gifts of money in larger sums than our parents could afford, with the request that the amount was to be concealed, and we were to spend it according to our heart's desires. Our luxuries came from her. The eldest daughter in each family received a diamond ring from her at the age of eighteen. Trips were undertaken  at her expense, even as far as Europe, although her income never exceeded $3000. She often interceded with parents for larger liberty and opportunity for us, --and her beauty and distinction, her style in dress and living, added to her importance in our eyes.

To Be Continued...

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Mrs Dorcas (Wright) Edwards

This Sunday's obituary is for Mrs. Dorcas (Wright) Edwards who passed away on 14 March 1810. She was the daughter of Timothy and Ruth (Cook) Wright and was b. 1 Sep 1762. She married Eli Edwards on 8 Aug 1785.     I located a transcription of this obituary in my grandmother's (Grace Ware (Holbrook) Haskell)  notes in her Goodhue Family Binder. The newspaper name and date is unknown. Dorcas (Wright) Edwards is my fifth great-grandmother.

     DIED - In this town, on Thursday the 15th inst. Mrs. DORCAS EDWARDS, wife of Mr. Eli Edwards, aged 47 years. However averse we may be to eulogy and fulsome panegyric, justice requires that those virtues which stood forth pre-eminent in the deceased ought not to pass unheeded by. If piety, benevolence and virtue, are objects worthy of emulation surely then we behold her while living, the mirror in which they were reflected. During a distressing illness she exhibited a model of patience and resignation to the Divine will. "She sparkled, was exhal'd", and we have reason to believe, is now an inhabitant of those bright abodes, where sorrow and lamentation enter not. And may that Being who "tempers the wind to the shorn Lamb," comfort and console the afflicted family, and mourning relatives.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

A Visit to an Old Family Home in Winchendon, Massachusetts

The following text is transcribed from a handwritten note in my grandmother's Goodhue Family Binder. The note is written in pencil, so I presume it was previously transcribed by my grandmother. In the upper right corner of the page it says "From Goodhue notes". Reverend Joseph Brown, mentioned in this note, is my sixth great-grandfather.

A visit to an old home at Winchendon Mass[achusetts]

On a bright day of July 1914 - as a quest of my cousin Mrs Frederick Holbrook, we motored from Brattleboro to visit the old home of my great grandfather the Rev[erend] Joseph Brown at Winchendon Mass[achusetts] where for 21 years he was minister of the old church.

     At Fitzwilliam we stopped at an antique shop which was in one of the 2 old large taverns each of them on the edge of the village common - the importance of the town in stage days was indicated by the size of these taverns.

     All that remains of the old church on the common on the hill is a stone marker - Here it was that our gr[eat] grandfather preached during those long years which ended in the famous controversy over possession of the Town records, in which he proved as a writer of the day has stated "too smart for them all."

     Here they suffered from the long cold winters & at one time from famine.

     Not far from the common stands a fine large square red house, the oldest in Winchendon which was owned by the Rev[erend] Jos. Brown - It stands well along the roadway overlooking a wide view, & is shaded by fine elms. Here grew up a large family of little Browns, one of whom, married Polly (Mary) who married Francis Goodhue living at Swanzy NH, Wethersfield VT & finally in 1811 moving down the Conn[ecticut] R[iver] to Brattleboro. No one knows where Rev[erend] Jos. Brown is buried but his wife lived w[ith] her daughter & family until her death. Here grave is in the old Goodhue lot (Mrs Sarah Brown) at Brattleboro.

     In the large red house at Winchendon doubtless stood the fine mahogany clock br[ou]ght from the Brown's home at Lexington wh[ich] was beloved by all the Goodhues in the 2 family homes on Main St[reet] in Brat[tleboro] & which is today in the home of the present senior Francis Goodhue at Church Lane Germantown Pa. (1924).  

Ellen B Van Kleeck

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Mrs Mary Humphery [sic]

Cemetery: Gray Village Cemetery, Gray, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 3 December 2008
Subject Name: Mrs. Mary Humphery [sic]
Notes: No relation to my ancestors, just liked the stone
Transcription: Here lies the Body/of Mrs Mary the wife/of Mr James Humphery/who Died July the 7th/1787 in the 36th/Year of her/AGE

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Dr. Alfred W. Haskell

This week's obituary is for Dr. Alfred W. Haskell, who was the nephew of my great grandfather, Frank Owen Haskell. This obituary was transcribed from a clipping in my grandmother's scrapbook and is dated Nov. 29, 1957, newspaper name is unknown.

DR. ALFRED W. HASKELL
     Dr. Alfred W. Haskell, 81, of 142 High St., former director of the Maine Institution for the Blind, died last night.
     Dr. Haskell was one of Portland's earliest medical eye specialists. He was widely known in this field throughout Maine and had a distinguished record in eye surgery in army hospitals in France during World War I. He remained active in the Medical Officers Reserve Corps, achieving the rank of major in 1924.
     He was born in Portland, Feb. 8, 1876, the son of Charles A. and Mary S. Haskell. He attended local schools and graduated from Bowdoin Medical School in 1900. He was a member of the Maine Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the Portland Medical Club, the Portland Club, and a former member of the Portland Board of Health.
     Dr. Haskell was a Mason and a former president of the Past Commanders Association of the Harold T. Andrews Post, American Legion.
     He was appointed director of the Maine Institution for the Blind in 1931 by Gov. William T. Gardiner.
     Surviving are a sister, Miss Louise F. Haskell, with whom he lived, and a cousin, Merrill Haskell of Yarmouth.
     Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow in the chapel of the State Street Congregational Church. The Rev. James W. Lenhart will officiate. Interment will be in Evergreen Cemetery.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Frank Owen Haskell

For this week, I am posting the transcription of the obituary for my great grandfather, Frank Owen Haskell. I located this record on microfilm at the Portland [Maine] Public Library in the 30 May 1931 Portland Press Herald on page 2.

Haskell Funeral Sunday

     Funeral services for Frank O. Haskell, 68, assistant treasurer of the Maine Savings Bank, who died Friday morning, will be held at 2.30 o'clock Sunday afternoon at his home, 92 Winter Street.
     Mr. Haskell was a life resident of this City and after his graduation from Portland High School went into the banking business as a clerk. Since 1913 he had been assistant treasurer of the Maine Savings Bank. He was a member of the Portland Club.
     Mr. Haskell is survived by a son, Merrill of Yarmouth, and a brother, Charles of Portland.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

SNGF - The Date You Were Born

It's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun! courtesy of Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) What day of the week were you born? Tell us how you found out.
2) What has happened in recorded history on your birth date (day and month)? Tell us how you found out, and list five events.
3)  What famous people have been born on your birth date?  Tell us how you found out, and list five of them.
4)  Put your responses in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a status or comment on Facebook.

 Here is mine - 

1. My birthday is April Fool's Day, 1 April 1966 and this was a Friday. I found the day by using a perpetual calendar in the back of my journal which is published by Lee Valley Tools.

2. Historic events that occurred on April 1 - I used Randy's link for historic events

705  Greek pope John VII chosen as successor to John VI
1793 Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000
1865 Battle of 5 Forks Virginia, signaling end of Lee's army 
1928 Chiang Kai-shek's army crosses Yang-tse 
1970 John and Yoko release hoax they are having dual sex change operations

3. Famous birthdays that occurred on April 1 - I used Randy's link for birthday events

1809 Nikolai Gogol, writer
1852 Edward Austin Abbey, U.S., painter, Quest of the Holy Grail
1883 Lon Chaney, CO, man of 1000 faces, actor, High Noon, Phantom of Opera
1939 Phil Niekro, knuckleball pitcher, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves
1966 Odie Harris, NFL safety and defensive back for the Houston Oilers 

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Marriage Record - Eliphalet Haskell & Mary Woodman

Yes! I finally found a marriage record for my 4th great grandparents, Eliphalet and Mary (Woodman) Haskell! I've been searching for this record for a long time. My grandmother's notes indicated they were married about 1776 in Kingston, New Hampshire. Kingston is where Mary Woodman was born, so the location was logical. I am in the process of transcribing the town of New Gloucester, Maine vital records and I found the marriage intention for Eliphalet and Mary that states:

The intention of marriage between Eliphalet Haskell of this town and Miss Mary Woodman of Kingstown was entered and published in this town July 1st, 1775

Now, thanks to FamilySearch.org, I have found their marriage date and location - 12 Dec 1775, South Hampton, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. There was no image of the original record in the database, but now that I have a location, I can try and track down the original record. I check and recheck the FamilySearch site regularly and have not found this record before. This time I specifically went to the New Hampshire Marriages database and searched for "Eliphalet Haskell", date 1775. The record popped up even though the record lists his first name as Eliphelet.

South Hampton is adjacent to the southeast corner of Kingston. Wikipedia indicates that Kingston was originally part of Hampton, New Hampshire and its royal charter was granted in 1694. South Hampton was chartered in 1742.

I'm pretty excited about finding this. It has been on my to do list for quite awhile.

Marriage Record Source: FamilySearch, "New Hampshire Marriages 1720-1920," database, Familysearch.org (www.familysearch.org: accessed 22 January 2011), Eliphalet Haskell & Mary Woodman marriage record; citing "New Hampshire Marriages, 1720-1920," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/). Index entries derived from digital copies of originals housed in various repositories throughout New Hampshire..

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - Rebecca Johnson

Cemetery: Bowie Cemetery, North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 30 August 2009

Subject Name: Rebecca (Ross) Johnson

Transcription: REBECCA/wife of/Jasper & David/Johnson,/died Oct. 12, 1844/AEt 88
Comments: Rebecca Ross married first, Jasper Johnson, 23 Dec 1784. Jasper was the older brother of David Johnson. Jasper drowned in the Royal River about April 1795. Rebecca then married Jasper's brother David Johnson after David's first wife, Jenny (Whitney) died about 1797.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Tombstone Tuesday - David Johnson

Cemetery: Bowie Cemetery, North Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine
Photo Date: 30 August 2009
Subject Name: David Johnson
Transcription: DAVID JOHNSON/died/Oct. 29, 1849,/AE. 87 yrs. 6 ms.
Comments: David Johnson was the son of James and Hannah (Blake) Johnson. He is my fourth great-grandfather and the father of Sarah "Sally" (Johnson) Haskell.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Governor Frederick Holbrook from Vermont

I love old newspapers! There is so much information hidden away inside their pages.

Governor Frederick Holbrook was my third great-grandfather. He was the Governor of the State of Vermont during the Civil War. Here is an article I found on the Google News site about Governor Holbrook. The article was originally published in the Mansfield Daily Sheild on March 23, 1901 when he was 88 years old. The Nashua Telegraph published a short article on 15 Feb 1909 indicating that Frederick Holbrook reached his 96th birthday and was the oldest living former governor in the United States. Frederick passed away a couple months after this on 28 Apr 1909 at the age of 96. He is buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery, Brattleboro, Windham County, Vermont.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

New Gloucester History - 150th Anniversary in 1924

The Town of New Gloucester, Maine was quite prominent in its early days. This town celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1924 and this interesting article in the Lewiston Journal Illustrated Magazine, August 30, 1924 edition describes the celebration activities. There is also a book titled The New Gloucester Centennial, September 7, 1874 by T. H. Haskell, originally published by Hoyt, Fogg & Dunham of Portland, Maine in 1875. This book documents the centennial celebration in 1874. A copy of this book can be found at Google Books. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a copy of this book at an eBay auction several years ago. My copy is signed by the author -  it says "Hon Edwin Fox with regard of T.H. Haskell mch. 26, 1875".

 I grew up in New Gloucester and attended the 200th anniversary celebration in 1974. I was about 8 years old and I remember my Dad growing a beard for the "Brothers of the Brush" competition to see who could grow the best beard (he didn't win); and my Mom dressed up in a handmade colonial outfit and gave spinning and weaving demonstrations.Somewhere there are some pictures at my Dad's house - I need to try and find those and make sure they are labeled

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Old Traveling Salesman

This newspaper article was transcribed from an old newspaper clipping in Grace Ware (Holbrook) Haskell's scrapbook. The newspaper title unknown, but based on the death date of Charles A. Haskell, the date of hte article was about June 1931. Charles A. Haskell was the brother of my great-grandfather, Frank Owen Haskell.

OLD TRAVELING SALESMAN

     Charles A. Haskell, who died at his home in this city on Wednesday at the advanced age of 83 years, was a traveling salesman in the days when traveling connoted greater physical difficulties than it does at the present time. The drummer had to sell goods in the old days just as he does now but persuading people to buy was a secondary consideration at the time that Mr. Haskell as a young man, took his sample case in hand and started out to cover Northern New England.
     How swiftly has come the improvement in transportation methods in this and other states is strikingly brought out by the fact that this veteran, whose days on the road covered a period of but little over half a century, was equally familiar with the stage coach and livery rig and with pullman cars and the automobile.
     Mr. Haskell was 17 years old when in 1865 he first went on the road. The railroad had come to Maine before that, but the accommodations it could offer to the traveler were extremely limited. One could then get down to Old Town by train, there was a road to Bath and the Grand Trunk was running up to Island Pond. But beyond that the horse had to be depended on and this form of locomotion while dependable was slow.
     Mr. Haskell had to go down the coast as far as Calais, up into Aroostook county, across Piscataquis and Somerset. He visited as many places as he did later when he could buy a chair in a parlor car or be swept from town to town in an auto, but he had to take much more time for it -- in the Winter frequently much more. As locomotion was slow so were the mails and frequently weeks elapsed when the salesman's house in Portland did not hear from him. But unless storms intervened he, with others like him, made his dates and the counting room here in the city knew that he was pretty certain to be back on time.
     It was the business of old time drummers to sell goods, but for many years those who followed this business formed the connecting link between urban and rural Maine and save for the weekly newspaper like the old Portland Transcript, were about the only connection there was. He brought the news of the business world, generally knew about politics and echoed the gossip of state and nation wide interest that had not reached the town corners.
     The traveling salesman of the old fashioned kind was also an advisor and instructor in business methods and many a country merchant owed his prosperity to the fact that he had these men to consult. Not all these travelers were like Mr. Haskell, who was sound and solid as a rock, but as a whole they exerted a profound influence upon the State and were a powerful factor in moulding the society of the commonwealth in the days when communication was vastly more of a proposition than it is now.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Miss Mary Cabot

 For this Sunday's obituary, I am posting that of Miss Mary Rogers Cabot, who was the aunt of my grandmother, Grace Ware (Holbrook) Haskell.

MISS MARY CABOT DIES IN HER HOME
Member of Family Long Prominent in Town
Compiled Annals of Brattleboro-- Although in Ill Health, Prepared Additional Material.
     Miss Mary R. Cabot, 75, member of one of Brattleboro's most prominent families, and who perhaps will be best remembered as the author of Annals of Brattleboro, in two volumes, which she compiled and edited in 1921, died at 7.30 o'clock Saturday morning in her Terrace street home after a lingering illness. For the past month, she had been confined to her bed, and previous to that time she had sat up most of each day and had done a good amount of writing. She possessed a keen intellect and retained her faculties almost to the end.
     Mary Rogers Cabot, the oldest of the four children of the late Norman Franklin Cabot and Lucy T. (Brooks) Cabot, was born in Brattleboro Aug. 20, 1856, in the so-called Felton house, which formerly stood near the corner of Main street and Harris place. Her father was treasurer over 29 years, or until his 82d birthday, of the Vermont Savings bank. He build the present home on Terrace street in October, 1878, and this had since been Miss Cabot's home. It had been her custom until recently, to close the house during the winter months, and during that time she traveled extensively.
     The four children born to her parents were: Mary R.; Horace E., who died at the age of three years; William Brooks Cabot of Boston, who has been for some months with his sister in Brattleboro; and Grace (Cabot) Holbrook, who died Feb. 9, 1929, and who was widow of Frederick Holbrook. Mr. Holbrook bought Naulahka, the home of Rudyard Kipling, which is now the property of his son, F. Cabot Holbrook, and Miss Cabot spent some time there. Norman F. Cabot died in Brattleboro May 6, 1913, in the 93d year of his age and his wife who was a daughter of Capt. William Brooks, died April 5, 1912.
     Miss Cabot leaves her brother, William Brooks Cabot, and several nieces and nephews, among them being F. Cabot Holbrook of Brattleboro and Mrs. Grace (Holbrook) Haskell, wife of Merrill Haskell of Portland, Me. She also leaves several cousins.
     Miss Cabot has been president of the Brattleboro Mutual Aid association since July 8, 1907, the year it was organized, and was deeply interested in its welfare. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and of the Colonial Dames of Vermont. She joined the Centre Congregational church in 1877 and later united with the Episcopal church, but never lost her affection for the Centre church.
     For some time Miss Cabot had been gathering material, as yet unpublished, as an additional contribution to Annals of Brattleboro.
     A set of the Annals is in the Brattleboro Free library. A set in the offices of The Phoenix is considered very valuable for reference purposes. The Annals are by far the most important history of Brattleboro ever published.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Minimalist Blogging

I have been practicing minimalist blogging lately, due to a number of factors. I hope to get back to regular posting soon. Take care.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Mrs. Grace Holbrook

 The following obituary for my great-grandmother was in my grandmother's, Grace Ware (Holbrook) Haskell, scrapbook. The date 2/9/29 is written in pen at the top of the clipping. Name of the paper is unknown. Grace Cabot Holbrook's gravestone in Prospect Hill Cemetery can be seen here on the Find A Grave website.

MRS. GRACE CABOT HOLBROOK DIES.
Daughter of Late Norman F. and Lucy Brooks Cabot Was Widow of Widely Known Civil Engineer.
     Mrs. Grace Cabot Holbrook, daughter of Norman F. and Lucy Brooks Cabot, whose death took place Saturday, Feb. 9, at Naulahka, was born in Brattleboro June 25, 1861. Her education began in the private schools of Brattleboro, followed by three years (1878-1881) at St. Agnes' School. Albany, N.Y., where she made an intensive study of music.
     She married, April 12, 1887, Frederick Holbrook, son of Col. F. F. and Anna Nourse Holbrook of Boston, and grandson of Gov. Frederick Holbrook, in whose family here his boyhood was spent. Mr. Holbrook's civil engineering activities took them  at first to Pocatello, Idaho, at that time an Indian reservation, but they soon returned east and lived iin suburbs of New York and Boston, until they made the city of Boston their residence n 1910.
     After the death of Mr. Holbrook in Paris in 1920, Mrs. Holbrook made her home at Naulahka, which under her influence became a place of generous and gracious hospitality. Her musical afternoons with Perabo and Mahn were notable events of the summer season. Her love of children brought the children of relatives and friends to Naulahka, as to a spacious playground all their own. Students from other countries, to whose education she was contributing, found with her a home, for the dominant characteristic of Mrs. Holbrook was an unselfish interest in the lives of others. It is not too much to say of her that she never failed in personal sympathy and practical help to any one in need, or any cause presented to her as tending to promote human well-being.
     Mrs. Holbrook's oldest daughter, Lucy Brooks, died Jan. 28, 1909, at 21 years of age. Her surviving children are a son, Frederick Cabot Holbrook, who lives here with his wife and two children, and a daughter, Grace Ware, now Mrs. Merrill Haskell of Portland, Me., who has a young son. She also leaves a sister, Miss Mary R. Cabot, of Brattleboro, and a brother, William Brooks Cabot of Boston.
     Largely attended funeral services were held at 3 o'clock on Tuesday, at St. Michael's Episcopal church, Rev. Harry R. Pool, rector, officiating. The choir rendered music, with Lucien Howe of Boston at the organ. The honorary bearers were Charles A. Harris, Harry P. Webster, J. Gray Estey and E. C. Cockayne of Wollaston, Mass. Burial took place in the Cabot family lot in Prospect Hill cemetery.
     Those who attended the funeral from out of town were Mrs. Holbrook's daughter and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Haskell of Portland, Me.; Percy Holbrook of New York; Mr. and Mrs. William Brooks Cabot, J. Randolph Coolidge, Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Ware, Richards M. Bradley, A. L. Pattie and Mrs. Hugh Hatfield, of Boston; Miss Alice Waite and Miss Louise Waite of Wellesley, Mass.; Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Lane and Mr. and Mrs. John Kirkland Clark of New York; Rev. Chalmers Holbrook of Millbrook, N. Y.; Mrs Francis Goodhue of Germantown, Pa.; Mrs. Richard L. Cary of Baltimore, Md.; Dr. A. M. Hurlbutt of Stamford, Conn.; Mrs. Edward Armstrong of Princeton, N. J.; Mr and Mrs. William R. Moody of Northfield, Mass.

© 2010, copyright William C. Haskell