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Milton in the News – 1948

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | January 9, 2020

In this year, we encounter a new ski tow, an outboard motor dealer, a serious barn fire, Mountain View cabins for sale and for rent, Ice Box cabins for rent, a Milton larceny, a country colonial house for sale, and a plane crash.

Al Braman of the Hotel Braemore announced a new ski tow at Teneriffe Mountain, to be opened for business on Saturday, January 10.

SKIERS. Brand New Ski Tow Opens Saturday at Milton, N.H., Halfway to North Conway. SKI ALL DAY FOR $1.00. Rooms and Meals at HOTEL BRAEMORE. Next to R.R. Station. AL BRAMAN, Mgr. Rates $2 per day. Meals Extra. NO RESERVATIONS NEEDED. TEL. MILTON 26-3 (Boston Globe, January 9, 1948).

Next to this Hotel Braemore advertisement was another for Boston & Maine Railroad “Sunday Snow Trains.” It offered round-trip tickets from Boston to North Conway or Intervale, NH, for $3.25 “plus tax.”

Glidden’s of Milton appeared in a list of New England Scott-Atwater outboard motor dealers.

America’s Sportsmen Agree With These Dealers On Scott-Atwater. None But the Best Carry Scott-Atwater – Visit Your Dealer. [Excerpted from lengthy list:] GLIDDEN’S, Milton, N.H., Tel. 23-3 (Boston Globe, February 1, 1948).

Dr. Arthur D. Katwick lost his Bonny Acres dairy farm barn, cattle, horses, and farm equipment in a disastrous West Milton fire.

Arthur Katwick, an osteopathic physician (at home), aged thirty-seven years (b. MA), headed a Stoughton, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Alice S. Katwick, a nurse, aged thirty-one years (b. Canada (Eng.)), and his daughter, Alice A. Katwick, aged two months (b. MA). Arthur Katwick owned their house at 70 Park Street, which was valued at $3,250.

Stoughton Doctor’s Barn in N.H. Razed by Fire; Loss $50,000. WEST MILTON, N.H., Feb. 11. – Thirty-six head of registered Guernsey and Holstein cattle and four horses perished and valuable farm equipment was destroyed early to day when fire of undetermined origin levelled the large barn at Bonny Acres dairy farm here, owned by Dr. Arthur D. Katwick of Stoughton, Mass.. with a loss estimated at close to $50,000. The barn was part of the ancestral property of Lewis W. Nute, a Milton native and Massachusetts shoe manufacturer, whose money made possible the Nute High School, the public library, and the chapel at Nute’s Ridge (Boston Globe, February 12, 1948).

N.H. Fire Loss $50,000. MILTON, N.H., Feb. 12. – Fire Chief Herbert Downs estimated a $50,000 loss by fire yesterday that destroyed a Nute Ridge barn and 40 head of livestock owned by Dr. Arthur D. Katwick of Mass. The chief said he believed the blaze started from an overheated electric water pump. Included the loss were 36 purebred cattle, four horses, a tractor and beach wagon. Firemen saved the house, located across the street (Fitchburg Sentinel, February 12, 1948).

Herbert A. Downs, a leather-board mill machine tender, aged twenty-five years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Wilma F. [(Warnecke)] Downs, aged twenty-two years (b. NH), and his children, Arthur W. Downs, aged three years (b. NH), and Sharon E. Downs, aged one month (b. NH). Herbert A. Downs owned their house on the Farmington Road, which was valued at $1,000. Guy L. Hayes, the antique corset collector of July 1945, lived next door.

The Lynn telephone number has changed, but this is one of several properties that Henry H. Pillman, Jr., sought to sell in the previous year. Pillman ran the Mountain View rental cottages

REAL ESTATE. MILTON, N.H. 1300 FT. shore frontage, 6 A., house, barn, bungalow, 2 camps; $8500. Call LY 5-6927 (Boston Globe, February 15, 1948).

This property was advertised still in April. By May, the advertiser was willing to sell the component parts separately.

Summer Cottages and Houses. MILTON, N.H. – Lake shore camp, $930; bungalow, $2500: camp lots, from $300 to $500. Call LYnn 5-6927 (Boston Globe, May 9, 1948).

Henry R. Sweeney advertised again his Milton “Ice Box” cabins with its home-cooked meals. (Chicken dinners might have been on offer, as they would be advertised in future years).

NEW HAMPSHIRE. Plan your summer vacation Now. THE ICE BOX. Route 16; Tel. 26-4, Milton, N.H. Cabins in pine grove and on lake shore. Modern plumbing & elect. Steam heat. Bathing, boating, fishing. Children welcome. Rates $38.50 per week per person, includes three home-cooked meals daily. SPECIAL JUNE RATES. H.R. SWEENEY, Mgr. (Boston Globe, May 23, 1948).

Note that Mr. Sweeney’s per-person prices have increased 10% from the $35.00 of 1947 to $38.50 in 1948.

Mr. Pillman here sought to rent the vacation properties that he had advertised for sale in the spring (see above).

Summer Cottages and Houses. FOR RENT – On Lake Shore at Milton, N.H., bungalow, $32; 2 duplex units, $28 each; boating, bathing, fishing. LY 5-6927 (Boston Globe, June 13, 1948).

The rather astounding trail of mainly Durham, NH, events recounted here – and criminal charges preferred – involved Milton only as the scene of a breaking, entering, and larceny charge.

Durham Divorcee Held In Ax-Assault, Larceny. Guilty pleas to individual charges of aggravated assault with the end of an ax on a 66-year-old Massachusetts man, and breaking, entering and larceny in the daytime were entered in Durham municipal court today by Mrs. Ellen Madelyn Walton, 40-year-old divorcee. Stockingless and garbed in a khaki army shirt over a plain print dress, the Durham Point camp resident appeared in cool reserve as Judge Bradford W. Mclntire held her in $1,000 bail on each charge. The assault took place Tuesday at the middle-aged mother’s Middle road camp when, she told police, she became involved in an argument with Robert Livesey, 66, of 11 Charter street, Newburyport. Appearing in court in a blood-caked shirt with his unbandaged face showing evidence of a recent, brutal beating, Livesey was not called upon to testify. The charges were brought by Strafford County Solicitor Frank W. Peyser who said Mrs. Walton committed the break and larceny at the Milton, N.H., home of Catherine Boyd a short while after the altercation with the Massachusetts man. Occasionally shifting the position of her tattered sneakers, the Durham Point woman showed no other evidence of possible concern over the arraignment as Judge Mclntire ordered Livesey held in $100 as a material witness to appear before the September term of the Stratford county grand jury. Police reported this morning Livesey was discovered about 7 o’clock Tuesday with deep gashes in his skull by State Trooper Clifton Hildreth, Durham Police Chief Bourgoin and Sheriff Stephen W. Scruton. Arriving at the Durham Point camp on a routine call, the three Police officers then rushed Livesey to the Durham Center office of Dr. George McGregor for emergency treatment. At the close of the trial, Mrs. Walton declared she could procure the bail money from her 22-year-old son whom police have been unable. to locate (Portsmouth Herald, July 7, 1948).

Mr. Pillman continued to advertise a portion at least of the vacation properties that he had advertised earlier in the year (see above).

Summer Cottages and Houses. FOR SALE. Camp at Milton, N.H., 3 rooms, completely furnished, sleeps 5, screened porch, good well, beach, 1 block from main highway. get kiddies in the pines; price $2500. Write P.O. Box 424, Rochester, N.H. 3t Jy27 (Boston Globe, July 27, 1948).

FARM, VILLAGE HOMES. MILTON, N.H. WHITE MT. Hwy. No. 16, old country colonial, 25 acres, 9 rooms, furnished inside and out, near lakes and mountains, high altitude, modem conveniences, Excellent summer or permanent farm home. Price $9000. GEORGE O. MACAULEY, owner, Plummers Ridge, Box 177, Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, August 22, 1948).

George O. MacAuley, a saw and steel miller, aged thirty-two years (b. MA), headed a Groton, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Louise K. [(Cunningham)] MacAuley, aged thirty-two years (b. MA), and his daughter, Betty L. MacAuley, aged eleven years (b. MA). George O. MacAuley owned their house on Elm Street, which was valued at $1,400.

A Canadian pilot traveling from Boston, MA, to Bangor, ME, made an unscheduled landing in a Milton field.

FLYERS ESCAPE INJURY AS PLANE HITS STONE WALL. MILTON, N.H., Sept. 8 (AP). Two men flying from Boston to Bangor, Me., had to continue their journey by bus tonight when their light plane struck a stone wall and crimpled under the impact. Joseph Digiacinto, 24, of Frederickton, N.B., and an unidentified companion, had landed on a large field here after they had lost their bearings (Rutland Daily Herald, September 9, 1948).

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1947; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1949

References:

Find a Grave. (2016, September 19). Dr. Arthur D. Katwick. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/170189957

Find a Grave. (2017, October 1). George Otis MacAuley. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/183898814

 

Milton Tax Cap Petition Filed

By S.D. Plissken | January 8, 2020

A correspondent from the Milton Taxpayers Association (MTA) reports that the Tax Cap petition warrant article was filed yesterday with the Milton Town Clerk. The MTA obtained over triple the number of required signatures. This measure will be on the ballot.

The MTA invites those who signed to regard themselves – if they so choose – as valued members of the association. Note: some thirteen of you may not be as registered as you think you are. Fortunately, you have time still before the election to resolve that.

Refusals were exceedingly rare. Had the MTA set out earlier, it might have obtained even more multiples of the necessary signatures above what they did collect. I might point out what such numbers imply. In the unlikely event that they encounter any shenanigans between here and the ballot, say at the deliberative session, they should have no trouble in calling their own special town election, or even a succession of them, to put things right again.

I am told that volunteer canvassers had some interesting conversations along the way. They found that a long line of excessive tax increases has engendered scant “appreciation.” Many signers expressed even a bit of disappointment. Capping future tax increases at these proposed levels seemed to them a rather minimal starter option. They would have preferred something much more comprehensive.

They may rest assured that this option – minimal though it may be – will appear on the ballot each and every year until it passes. (Most NH cities have had it for years already, including Dover, Franklin, Manchester, Laconia, Nashua, Rochester, Portsmouth, etc.).

Milton’s various boards and committees, including its Board of Selectmen (BOS), will henceforth be working diligently for the MTA. Every time they raise taxes above the proposed tax cap, they will be encouraging yet more signatures and more votes, until the tax cap is passed.

But why suffer through all that? Get it done this time around.

Milton in the News – 1947

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | January 5, 2020

In this year, we encounter a poultry farm for sale, Ice Box cabin rentals, a car thief captured, Mountain View cottage rentals, Robert Jones at Tanglewood, a navy veteran’s recollections, the Braemore Hotel, and Henry H. Pillman, Jr., offering shorefront properties for sale.

Stanley C. Tanner, of Country Property realtors, offered for sale a Milton poultry farm and its appurtenances.

BUSINESS CHANCES. N.H. Poultry and Grain Business. $50,000 BUSINESS yearly, on state highway, near village, 25 acres, house for 1400 layers, brooder house for 2000 chicks, range shelters for 1700, 2-story granary, garage and office bldg., walk-in refrigerator, tool house, storage sheds, running water to all bldgs. and range, platform scales, all in first class condition; $9000 stock in trade and truck at market price. S.C. TANNER, Country Property, Milton, N.H.; tel. 53 (Boston Globe, February 16, 1947).

Henry R. Sweeney of Newton, MA, is here identified as the manager of the Milton Ice Box cabins and grille.

Henry R. Sweeney (and his wife, Claire E. Sweeney) appeared in the Newton directory of 1945 as supt. of the Holtzer Cabot Elec. Co. (Roxbury), with a house at 131 Sargent street, Newton.

NEW HAMPSHIRE. Plan your summer vacation Now. THE ICE BOX. Route 16; Tel. 26-4, Milton, N.H. Cabins in pine grove and on lake shore. Modern plumbing & elect. Steam heat. Bathing, boating, fishing. Children welcome. Rates, $35.00 per week per person, include three home-cooked meals daily. SPECIAL JUNE RATES. H.R. SWEENEY, Mgr. (Boston Globe, April 20, 1947).

Mr. Sweeney seems to have expanded his meal amenity from three meals per week to three meals per day. Other sources describe the motel cabins as each sleeping four persons. (The Ice Box cabins and grille appeared also in the years 1939, 1941, 1945, and 1946).

Another oft-paroled career criminal passed through Milton on a three-state crime spree. He burgled an electrical appliance store in East Wakefield, NH, and stole an automobile in Milton Mills.

Samuel J. Latray, cell block clerk, aged thirty-one years (b. Canada (French)), was an inmate at the Clinton Prison, at Dannemora, NY, at the time of the Fifteenth (1930) Federal Census.

Samuel J. Latray, No. 45694, aged forty-one years (b. Canada (French)), was an inmate at the Auburn State Prison, at Cayahoga, NY, at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census.

Vermont Official Questions Letray. PORTLAND, Me, April 22 (AP). Samuel J. Letray, 48, who New York, Vermont and New Hampshire officials and Federal agents questioned here in connection with breaks and car thefts in three states, waived extradition to New York and two charges of being a fugitive from justice were nol prossed in municipal court. – The fugitive warrants allege Letray fled from New York after committing 20 counts of burglary in Columbia County, N.Y., and that he violated his parole from Clinton Prison, N.Y. Letray was questioned the past several days by Sgt, James W. Russell and Cpl. James J. Buckley of the New York State Police. Alfred Franzoni, detective chief for the Vermont attorney general; Sheriff John M. Leighton, Carroll County, N.H., Sheriff Stephen Schutton, Strafford County, N.II., , and Police Chiefs Thomas Redden and John Melak of Rochester and Conway, N.H., respectively. Leighton and Letray admitted a break in [at] an electrical appliance store at East Wakefield, N.II., and the theft of a car at Milton Mills, N.H. Letray and the New York officers left tor New York immediately after the court proceedings. Cpl. Buckley said that when he was paroled from prison I.etray had been serving 15 years to life imprisonment and that he faced the possibility of life imprisonment as an alleged fourth offender. Franzoni said he came here to question Letray about “at least 10 breaks” in Vermont. Fred Wyman, 19, of Old Orchard beach, an alleged accomplice of I.etray, was scheduled to appear before U.S. Commissioner Richard K. Gould tomorrow on a charge of interstate transportation of a stolen car (Bennington Evening Banner, April 22, 1947).

Mountain View cottages were available for rent. Its rates were competitive with those of the Ice Box cabins (in April above). The Mountain View cabins were somewhat less expensive, but offered no home-cooked meals.

Summer Cottages and Houses. Mountain View Cottages. ON the lake shore at Milton, N.H., 9 miles from Rochester on route 16, running water, flush toilet, screened porches, sandy beach, boating. bathing, fishing. $26 and $32 per week a cottage. For reservations call Lynn 2-8402 Sunday alter 8 p.m. or any weekday (Boston Globe, June 15, 1947).

Harry H. Pillman, Jr., of Lynn, MA, used the same Lynn telephone number in selling Milton shore front property (in September below).

Milton native and famous theatrical designer Robert E. Jones interrupted his Milton vacation to consult with the director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA.

Designer Visits Conductor. Robert Edmond Jones, famous theatrical designer, has spent the past two days in Lenox, consulting with Serge Koussevitzky, music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the management plans for staging the “music for all” field day July 29. Mr. Jones interrupted his vacation in Milton, N.H., to come to Tanglewood (Berkshire Eagle, July 10, 1947).

Robert E. Jones’ parents, Emma J. (Cowell) Jones and Fred P. Jones, had died in Milton in April 13, 1941, and November 10, 1941, respectively.

Mr. Courtemanche’s letter is here included because it is so distinctly dated “Milton, N.H.,” but there is some reason to believe that the common Milford-Milton-Wilton confusion may have taken hold of the Boston Globe editor.

VETERANS’ FORUM By HAROLD PUTNAM. Your “laugh dept.” mentioned “Fink” and “Bull.” If that is C.E. Bull, our old skipper of the U.S.S. Gilligan (DE 508), he sure is a good authenticator – as the Japs found out at Okinawa. I was with him 64 days and nights, and he was a fighting captain. Incidentally, our exec’s name was “Wolf.” – Nelson A. Courtemanche, Milton, N.H. Answer – The same, sir! (Boston Globe, August 1, 1947).

Alfred E. “Al” Braman kept the Braemore Hotel at Teneriffe Mountain in Milton at this time. (It appears to have been a neighbor (or possibly a successor) of the Teneriffe Sports Club).

Braman, Uncle Al - July 1943 - Shirley Gosselin
Alfred E. Braman, 1943 (Photo: S. Gosselin)

Braman was born in Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada, November 12, 1891. He, his Belgian-native second wife (of five years), Madeleine (Van Reybroeck) Braman, and his daughter, Dorothy Braman (b. Boston, 1921), immigrated to Boston in 1937.

Alfred Ernest Braman registered for the WW II military draft in Boston, MA, April 27, 1942. He was fifty years of age (b. Hampton, New Brunswick, November 12, 1891). He was 5’7″ tall, weighing 186 pounds, with hazel eyes, black hair, and a dark complexion. He wore glasses “for working purposes.” He was employed at the Irvington Rooms hotel, at 8 Irvington Street, Boston, MA, and resided at 845 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. Dorothy Leon [his daughter] of 19½ Jackson Place, Jamaica Plain, was listed as his contact.

NEW HAMPSHIRE. BRAEMORE HOTEL, MILTON, N.H., AT TENERIFF MOUNTAIN. Boating, Bathing, Fishing. Boston busses pass door. Near R.R. station. Rates reasonable. A great place to spend a week-end. AL BRAMAN, MGR. (Boston Globe, August 10, 1947).

Harry H. Pillman, Jr., of Lynn, MA, offered several Milton shore front properties for sale. Note that the telephone number is the same as that for the Mountain View rental cottages of June (above).

FARM, VILLAGE HOMES. MILTON. N.H. – 1300 ft. shore front on lake. Large house, barn, 3-rm. bungalow and 2 cottages. Price, $8200. Call LY 2-8402 (Boston Globe, September 21, 1947).

FARM, VILLAGE HOMES. MILTON, N.H. – CAMP LOTS. SHORE front lots, $350; back lots, $200. Ly 2-8402 or write HARRY H. PILLMAN, JR., 49 Haviland av., Lynn (Boston Globe, October 5, 1947).

Harry H. Pillman, hurricane clearance labor, aged forty-three years (b. MA), headed a Malden, MA, household at the time of the Sixteen (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Constance Pillman, aged forty-seven years (b. Canada (Eng.)), his children, Harry P. Pillman, a typewriter repairman, aged twenty-two years (b. MA), Pearl Pillman, a retail grocery clerk, aged twenty years (b. MA), Ruth Pillman, aged nineteen years (b. MA), and Stanley Pillman, aged seventeen years (b. MA). Harry H. Pillman owned their house at 1 Andrew Court, which was valued at $4,000.

(Mr. Pillman was employed still in clearing damage from the Hurricane of ’38, well over a year after that powerful storm).

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1946; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1948

References:

Wikipedia. (2019, December 20). Serge Koussevitzky. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Koussevitzky

Wikipedia. (2019, September 25). Tanglewood. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanglewood

Final Tax Cap Signing Date

By S.D. Plissken | January 3, 2020

Tomorrow (Saturday, January 4) will be the last opportunity to sign the Tax Cap petition at a designated time and place. You may find a Milton Taxpayers Association (MTA) representative either seated inside Dunkin Donuts, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM or, thereafter, in front of the Milton Mills post office, from approximately 10:15 AM until 11:15 AM (longer if not painfully cold). They hope to see you there.

There might be still some amount of door-to-door canvassing, but not for long after. The next stop is submitting the signatures to the Town Clerk.

I am told that MTA canvassers received the following cookie fortunes at their most recent meeting: “Any idea seriously entertained tends to bring about the realization of itself,” and “A person with a determined heart frightens problems away.”

Those sentiments would both seem to be very much in the spirit of this serious and determined effort to limit the unconscionable growth of local property taxation.

I hope that my contacts in the MTA will keep me – and thus you – abreast of their progress.

Milton in the News – 1946

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | January 2, 2020

In this year, we encounter the death of a Navy Yard fireman, a farm for sale, two carbon monoxide deaths, a missing war bride, the death of Mrs. Hart, sheep wanted, and rental cabins available at the Ice Box.

Fred J. Savoie of Milton died in the hospital of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, of smoke inhalation he suffered while fighting a submarine fire.

Fred J. Savoie, a leatherboard mill finisher, aged forty-two years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Ruby [(Ellis)] Savoie, aged thirty-four years (b. NH), and his children, Jacqueline P. Savoie, aged fifteen years (b. NH), Maurice M. Savoie, aged thirteen years (b. NH), and Arnie N. Savoie, aged twelve years (b. NH). Fred J. Savoie owned their house on Main Street, Milton Community, which was valued at $1,500. They lived quite close – only a house apart – to Dr. and Mrs. Hart (see below).

Portsmouth Fireman Dies In Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Fred J. Savoie of Milton died yesterday at the U.S. naval hospital at the Portsmouth naval base where he had been a patient for eight days suffering from smoke inhalation reportedly received while fighting a blaze aboard a submarine at the base a week ago. A member of the fire department at the base, Mr. Savoie was born in Dover, the son of Joseph W. and Delia Burns Savoie. He had been a resident of Milton for the past 20 years. He was 49 years old. He served in World War I and was a member of the Oscar Morehouse post, American Legion, of Milton, the Milton fire department and Rindge lodge, Knights of Pythias, East Rochester. Survivors include his wife. Mrs. Ruby Savoie: two daughters, Jacqueline and Elaine Savoie: a son, Maurice, all of Milton, and a sister, Mrs. Jennie Wentworth of Farmington (Portsmouth Herald, January 24, 1946).

Fire Victim’s Funeral. MILTON, N.H., Jan. 24. Funeral services will be held in the Community church here Saturday for Fred J. Savoie, 49, Portsmouth navy yard fireman who died at Portsmouth naval hospital yesterday as the result of smoke inhalation. A member of the family said Savoie was overcome by smoke a week ago when he was helping to extinguish a blaze in a submarine (Fitchburg Sentinel, January 24, 1946).

Here is offered for sale a six-room farmhouse on thirteen acres of land along Route 16 (1,000 foot frontage).

REAL ESTATE. FOR SALE – MILTON, N.H. 6-RM. HOUSE in exc. cond., bath, h. and c. water, steam heat, hardwood firs throughout, 13 A. land, 2 in till., bal. in pine, birch and maple, 1000 ft. frontage on highway, located on Route 16, main route to White Mountains, beautiful location, price $7200. photos on request. BENWAY AGENCY, 12 Central St., Farmington, N.H.; tel. 3153 (February 10, 1946).

We may note again the extent to which Federal housing guarantees, subsidies, and interventions are artificially affecting the housing market. The $7,200 asking price would be equivalent to “only” $93,672 in inflated modern dollars. (Itself a problem). To an assessor’s eye, such a property would be worth multiples of even the inflation-adjusted price.

Two Milton teenagers appeared in a list of fourteen New England weekend fatalities. They died of carbon monoxide poisoning in nearby Barnstead, NH.

14 Weekend Deaths Caused by Mishaps. Boston, March 11 (AP). At least 14 persons were’ dead In New England today as the result of accidents over the week-end. The chief causes were fire, train-auto collisions, carbon monoxide poisoning and falls. Arthur Marchildon, about 60, died of suffocation and burns in a fire that swept the upper floors of a four-story lodging house In the downtown area of Lowell. Several score persons were driven to the street just before dawn and two other men suffered injuries. One death was indirectly the result of an accident. In Newton, Mass., Miss Mary H. Merrill, nurse’s aide at Wellesley hospital, suffered a fatal heart attack rushing to help four persons who suffered only minor injuries when their car hit a pole near her home after a tire puncture. In Eaton, Me., Earl P. Carlow, 27, and Donald R. Theriault, 18, both of Robbinston, Me., were killed when their car crashed into a halted Maine Central Railroad train at a crossing. Two sailors, Lorimer L.L. Herrmann, 23, and Charles L. Savage, 23, of the New London submarine base, were fatally injured at Branford. Conn., when their car crashed into a tree. Another double fatality was at Barnstead, N.H., where the bodies of Erving W. Williams, 19, and John W. Pennell, 17, both of Milton, N.H., were found in an automobile. Medical Examiner Lester R. Brown said monoxide poisoning killed both. Coal gas fumes cost the life of Mrs. Birdena Washburn, 48, housekeeper in a Skowhegan, Me., home. In Lowell. Mass., five-year-old Richard Bellerose was killed under the wheel of a truck. Eleven-year-old Robert Argrayes died similarly at North Lincoln, Me., and In -.Monson, Mass., Hugh Toner, 74, was fatally injured by an automobile while crossing a street (North Adams Transcript, March 11, 1946).

Leland H. Jenness, a machinist, aged twenty years (b. Strafford County, NH), enlisted in Manchester, NH, January 6, 1942, for service in the U.S. Army. He was sixty-seven inches tall and weight 153 pounds.

Bridegrooms Left Waiting at the Depot for 2 War Wives. Not a single unwclcomed bride waited last night at South Station to be claimed by a tardy husband. Instead two nervous bridegrooms paced the train platform and pleaded with the M.P.’s assigned as bride escorts, to find two missing brides who didn’t arrive, as scheduled, on the last night train from the west coast. One of them, James E. York Jr., had flown from Houston, Tex., where he is stationed, when his sister wired him that the Red Cross was sending his Australian bride to their Melrose home, 229 Main street. He got to Melrose in time to meet the train but did not meet his bride. At a late hour, no word had arrived for either bridegroom to tell why he’d been left waiting at the station door. Afraid She’s Changed. The other disappointed bridegroom, Leland Jenness of Milton Mills. N.H., was in Boston early yesterday afternoon when he hoped his wife from Australia would arrive. As the last train pulled in, his worried expression brightened. “I’m pretty nervous,” he said, “even if I was married for eight months before I left for home. But that was 11 months ago, and maybe she’s changed.” He didn’t have a chance to find out last night, for a check of the passengers disclosed only one bride – an American girl, claimed by a young Navy lieutenant, who grinned a little complacently as he took in the situation and remarked something about the advantage of marrying “closer to home” (Boston Globe, March 12, 1946).

Details are scant, but Leland H. Jenness, then of Milton Mills, and his missing Australian war bride, Mrs. Iris Mona (Coles) Jenness, were reunited.

They had moved to California by 1961. (We may note that California is closer to Australia).

Mrs. Estelle K. (Draper) Hart, wife of Dr. M.A.H. Hart, died while on a lengthy visit to Bedford, MA.

Malcolm A.H. Hart, a medical doctor, aged seventy-eight years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940). His household included his wife, Estelle L. [(Draper)] Hart, aged seventy-six years (b. VT). Malcolm A.H. Hart owned their house on Main Street, Milton Community, which was valued at $2,500. They lived quite close – only a house apart – to Fred J. and Ruby Savoie (see above).

Deaths and Funerals. Mrs. Estelle L. Hart. BEDFORD, June 22. Funeral services for Mrs. Estelle L. (Draper) Hart, 82, wife of Dr. M.A.H. Hart of Milton, N. H., will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 in the Community Church at Milton. She died here Thursday. Mrs. Hart came to Bedford from Milton last November. She was a member of the Woman’s Relief Corps, Woman’s Club, Daughters of the American Revolution and Community Church in Milton. Besides her husband, she leaves two sons, M. Wentworth Hart of Bedford and Ezra D. Hart of Andover; a brother, George U. Draper of Fairhaven, Vt., and a sister, Mrs. Charles A. Bullock of Bristol, Conn (Boston Globe, June 23, 1946).

Mrs. Hart was likely visiting with her son, M. Wentworth Hart, at the time of her death. Marion Wentworth Hart, a meat store clerk, aged forty-nine years (b. NH), headed a New Bedford, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Elise [(Nicholas)] Hart, a dry goods store clerk, aged forty-seven years (b. MI), his daughter, Marion Hart, a Consolidated Gas co. file clerk, aged twenty-three years (b. CT), and his mother-in-law, Eliza [(Webster)] Nicholas, aged seventy-one years (b. Nova Scotia). Marion Wentworth Hart rented their house at 38 Great Road, for $20 per month.

(The Harts had suffered a comprehensive property fire in March 1921, from which they had rebuilt. Mrs Hart’s letter to her Fairhaven sister-in-law featured in the news of that event).

L.H. Baldwin advertised for sheep with which to stock his Milton farm.

LIVESTOCK. WANTED. 24. SHEEP wanted: 20 thrifty 1946 lambs, 10 yearling ewes. L.H. Baldwin, Milton, N.H. (Rutland Herald, July 25, 1946).

The Ice Box cabins and its attendant grille continued in business into the post-war period.

NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE ICE BOX. Route 16, Milton, N.H. Cabins in pine grove on lake, boating, bathing, fishing. Rates include free home-cooked meals with steam-heated cabins, $35 a week per person. Golf 7 miles. Train and bus service. Box 219, Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, August 4, 1946).

The rental cabins were advertised also in 1945. Three home-cooked meals from the grille were included with a week’s rental. Presumably, those renters, and a walk-in trade, might purchase extra meals there. Ice Box grille workers were mentioned in 1941 and 1939.

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1945; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1947

References:

Find a Grave. (2014, May 13). Leland H. Jenness. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/129751318

 

Celestial Seasonings – January 2020

By Heather Durham | December 31, 2019

Happy New Year and new decade everyone! This month comes with an eclipse of the Moon as well as from M44, our Beehive Cluster. The darkest days are over now providing us with ever increasing daylight until June.

Let’s hope that our new decade is full of increasing optimism and joy! Now let’s explore what the Cosmos has in store for us this the first month of the new decade!

January 1: The Moon is at its farthest point from the Earth.

January 2: M41, the open cluster from Canis Major will be at its highest point in the sky.

The first quarter of the moon will occur as well.

January 4: Quadrantid meteor shower from the Constellation Boötes will be on display.

January 5: Earth will be at its closest point to the Sun.

January 10: The planet Mercury will travel close to the Sun.

A penumbral eclipse of the Moon will occur on this date meaning that the Moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow. Not only will the Moon be full tonight, but it will also travel to its farthest place from the Sun.

January 11: The Moon and the Beehive open cluster from the Constellation Cancer will approach one another. (Wikipedia, 2019).

January 13: Saturn will move closely by the Sun. Also, Pluto will move closely by the Sun. The Moon will pass closely by the Earth making it appear slightly larger than usual. As a minor planet designation, 1 Ceres will move very close to the Sun.  Also of note, 1 Ceres passes back and forth between Mars and Jupiter as the biggest object in the main asteroid belt.

January 15: On this date, another minor planet designation, Asteroid 511 Davida will be visible.  This is from the Constellation Gemini. From Puppis, the open star cluster otherwise referred to as M47 or NGC 2422 will be available for viewing. NGC 2403 which is also referred to as Caldwell 7 comes from the Constellation Camelopardalis is an intermediate spiral galaxy available in the night sky. (Wikipedia,2019)

January 17: This will be the date for the last quarter of the Moon. Once again from the Puppis Constellation, comes open star cluster NGC 2451.

January 19: Today will bring us y-Ursae minorid meteor shower from the Constellation Ursa Minor.

January 20: The Moon and Mars will both rise to the right (in a right ascension (see References)) and they will come to be in close proximity to one another.

January 21: From within the Constellation Cancer, comes Asteroid 5 Astraea.

January 22: The Moon and Jupiter will be both close together as well as rising to the right (in a right ascension (see References)).

January 23: The Moon will go to its closest point to the Sun.

January 24: The Moon will be new today.

January 27: Venus and Neptune will be close and also rise to the right (in a right ascension (see References)).

January 28: The Moon and Venus will rise to the right (in a right ascension (see References)). The Moon, Venus and Neptune will be in close proximity to one another.

January 29: The Moon will appear smaller for it is far away from the Earth.

January 31: Once again this month, we will be presented again with M44 or the Beehive Cluster. An open star cluster from the Constellation Vela, also known as Caldwell 85 may be visible with binoculars.

Previous in sequence: Celestial Seasonings – December 2019; next in sequence: Celestial Seasonings – February 2020

References:

in-the-sky.org. (2019). Retrieved from in-the-sky.org/newscast.php?month=1&year=2020&maxdiff=7#datesel

Wikipedia. (2019, December 19). Beehive Cluster. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehive_Cluster

Wikipedia. (2019, December 7). Boötes. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boötes

Wikipedia. (2019, December 18). Canis Major. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canis_Major

Wikipedia. (2019, December 27). IC 2391. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_2391

Wikipedia (2019, October 16). Penumbral Eclipse. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse#Penumbral_eclipse

Wikipedia. (2019, December 15). Right Ascension. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_ascension

 

Milton in the News – 1945

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 29, 2019

In this year, we encounter a POW, a heavy snowstorm, real estate for sale, Mrs. Willey on a visit, advertising by the Ice Box cabins (and grille), antique corsets, and a family of ministers.

This was the year in which World War II concluded. Units of the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics met at Torgau, Germany, on April 25. The U.S.S.R. captured Berlin by May 2. The Japanese surrendered in September after having been twice atom-bombed in August.

Estimates of World War II deaths run between 70 to 85 million people (of which “only” 20 to 25 million were military deaths).

Lester E. Marsh, an Acton-native, and former Milton Mills resident, was reported to be a prisoner in Germany.

Recent War Casualties. Reported by Families on Receipt of Official Government Notice. ARLINGTON. Pvt. Lester Marsh, USA, 34, of 1067 Massachusetts av., formerly of Milton Mills, N.H., is a prisoner in Germany. He went overseas in September. He is son of Mr. and Mrs. George Marsh, Milton Mills, N.H., is married and has two children, George, 3, and Lester Jr., 12 (Boston Globe, January 13, 1945).

George W. Marsh, proprietor of a blacksmith shop, aged sixty-one years (b. ME), headed an Acton, ME, household at the time of the Sixteen (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Eva M. [(Burrows)] Marsh, aged forty-nine years (b. NH), and his grandson, Lester Marsh, Jr., aged seven years (b. ME). George W. Marsh owned their house “near Milton Mills, New Hampshire,” which was valued at $1,000.

A particularly strong January blizzard hit Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. Neighboring Acton, ME, was hard hit. Drifts there ran to fifteen feet in height and had to be twice cleared due to high winds.

Snow Blocks N.E. Roads. One Maine Town Is Isolated, Farm-to-Market Roads Cut Off in Vermont, Bay State. BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Wind driven snow drifts, frozen solid in some New England communities by added crusts, of sleet and hail tonight gave highway crews rugged battles in their efforts to contact one Maine town and to break passages through some farm to market roads in rural western Massachusetts and southern Vermont. At least one death was caused, that of Hugh S. Newell, 64, a Bath, Me, shipyard worker, who attempted to walk six miles to his home in North Newcastle after his car bogged in the snow. He slogged three miles and fell dead of exhaustion. Acton, Me, population 400, cut off since Monday, still was isolated tonight as crews bucked drifts which in some places measured 15 feet. High wind increased the depth of many drifts in this and other parts of Maine. Gov. Maurice J. Tobin ordered two heavy snow plows of the Massachusetts department of public works and a sno-go machine to western Massachusetts to break paths through some snow-clogged farm to market roads in the towns of Worthington, Cheshire, Chesterfield, Peru and Plainfield in the Berkshires. Similar reports of plugged secondary roads, used in transportation of milk and milk products .to market, came from southeastern Vermont. In the isolated town of Acton, Me. none of the residents was reported suffering from lack of fuel or food. Mail was brought in by Everett Wiggins, RFD carrier, who came over the snow four miles from Sanbornville, N.H, on snowshoes. One highway, from Milton, N.H. to Acton, cleared yesterday became clogged again today when high wind drifted the snow again. Town officials ordered dynamite used to break away through 10 foot snow packs six miles north of Dover-Foxcroft. State crews working from Shapleigh toward Acton managed to force, their way one-eighth of a mile in six hours, so heavily was the snow stacked. These efforts from, the outside were being matched, in effort at least, by Acton men and boys, trying to shovel their way out of the town. Two thousand bushels of apples stored in South Acton were in danger of freezing because employes were unable to reach the plant to tend fires. The storm in Maine was the fifth of the month and the second heaviest. It raised the snow depth in Greenville and Presque Isle to 36 inches. The heaviest fall yesterday was 13 inches at Caribou. Meanwhile, conflicting reports of coal supplies were prevalent in Boston. Edward Larkin, president of the Retail Fuel Institute, foresaw adequate incoming shipments of coal, while Solid Fuel Administrator Harold L. Ickes refused an appeal from Acting Mayor John E. Kerrigan, for a special allocation of 20 cars of nut coal above Boston’s quota. There is no danger of a coal famine and new arrivals will replenish our supply before we run out, Larkin asserted. Acting Mayor Kerrigan requested all coal dealers to scrape their coal pockets for all possible anthracite and to turn it over to the bagging plant at the Boston Ice company which would make the coal available in 100 pound bags for emergency cases (Rutland Daily Herald, January 31, 1945).

Harry F. Wiggin, a farmer, aged fifty-five years (b. NH), headed a Wakefield (South Wakefield (Sanbornville)), NH, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Myra [(Witham)] Wiggin, aged fifty-seven years (b. NH), his son, Everett F. Wiggin, a farmer, aged thirty years (b. NH), and his nephew, Delmore E. Witham, aged twenty-six years (b. NH). Harry F. Wiggin owned their farm in South Wakefield, near Route 16, which was valued $3,000.

Stanley C. Tanner here advertises several real estate properties for the Country Property realty office.

REAL ESTATE. BOYS’ OR GIRLS’ CAMP SITE. TRI ECHO LAKE, Milton, N.H., 7 acres, 1300 ft. of shore frontage, good bathing, ¼ mile from village, trains and buses; 1 7-room cottage with heat, bath, fireplace, garage and stable; 1 3-room cottage and garage; 1 two-story building with living room 19×30, kitchen 14×20, room 16×16, screened porch 8×40, 6 rooms up and large sheathed attic; barn 30×60, good lake view. tel. and electricity, price $8500. S.C. TANNER, Country Property, Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, March 18, 1945).

REAL ESTATE. FARM, VILLAGE HOMES. N.H. SUMMER HOME. HIGH elevation, quiet mountain home, 40 acres of field and woodland, fruit and berries, old Cod house of 6 rooms and modern bath, furnace, gravity water, fireplaces, all its old features, household furnishings, barn 30×40 with farming machinery, good hunting and fishing, 2 miles to trunk line and lake; price $3000. S.C. TANNER, Country Property, Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, April 15, 1945).

Stanley C. Tanner, a real estate broker, aged forty-six years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteen (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Cordelia D. Tanner, aged forty-four years (b. Canada (Eng.)). Stanley C. Tanner owned their house in the “Milton Community,” which was valued at $1,900.

We encountered in the previous year Mrs. Grace C. (Fletcher) Willey, president of the NH Federation of Women’s Clubs. Here she was the overnight guest of Mrs. Taft of Greenville, MA. Mrs. Mary Taft was president of the Greenville Women’s Club.

GREENVILLE. Mrs. J. Herbert Willey of Milton, N.H., president of the New Hampshire Federation of Woman’s Clubs, was an overnight guest of Mrs. Taft Thursday (Fitchburg Sentinel (Fitchburg, MA), April 14, 1945).

The Ice Box cabins and grille are here advertised. They were mentioned previously in 1941 and 1939.

“THE ICE BOX” ROUTE 16, MILTON. N.H. CABINS in pine grove on lake, bathing, fishing, boating, good safe sandy beach, rates include 3 home-cooked meals with cabin, $35 wk. Per person, golf 7 miles, train & bus service. R.F.D. Union, N.H., Su4t Je17 (Boston Globe, June 17, 1945).

Collectors have their little fancies, and finding a better or older pair of ladies corsets appears to have been that of Mr. Hayes.

OWNS ANCIENT CORSETS. MILTON, N.H, July 18 (INS). A pair of ladies corsets made in 1770 is in the possession of Guy L. Hayes. He has been trying to duplicate them or discover an older pair (Journal News (White Plains, NY), July 16, 1945).

Guy L. Hayes, a building carpenter, aged sixty-two years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Nellie D. Hayes, aged sixty-three years (b. NH), and his son, Phillip G. Hayes, a building carpenter, aged thirty years (b. NH). Guy L. Hayes owned their house on the Farmington Road, which was valued at $200.

Joseph B. Bubar is here identified as pastor of the Milton Mills Baptist church, as his father and siblings were associated also with the Baptist ministry.

Five Sons Follow Dad Into Ministry. By United Press. ALLAGASH, Me. The Burbar family has a virtual monopoly on the Baptist ministry in this big woods section of northern Maine. All five sons of the Rev. Benjamin C. Bubar are following in their father’s footsteps as Baptist ministers. Rev. Bubar, who has preached in nearly every Baptist Church in Maine, entered the ministry 45 years ago. Benjamin, 28, is pastor of the North Vassalboro, Smithfield, and East Winslow Churches. Joseph, 26, is pastor of a church at Milton Mills, N.H. John, 19, is attending the Providence, R.I. Bible Institute and spends his summers doing pastoral work. David, 17, is pastor of the Baptist Church at Blaine. The youngest son, Paul, is a freshman at Milton, N.H., High School and also plans to enter the ministry. A daughter, Rachel, 23, assists the oldest brother (Munster Times (Munster, IN), October 16, 1945).

Jos. B. (Ruth H.) Bubar appeared in the Gloucester, MA, directory of 1948 as minister of the Pigeon Cove Federated Church, resident at 138 Granite Street, Pigeon Cove [Rockport, MA].

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1944; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1946

References:

Find a Grave. (2014, May 16). Everett F. Wiggun. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/129866406

Find a Grave. (2013, August 2). Lester E. Marsh. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/114802601

Two More Signing Opportunities

By S.D. Plisskin | December 27, 2019

Santa left no tax caps under the tree. If only it were that simple. He did leave signature sheets.

I am informed that your last chances to sign the Tax Cap petition will be Saturday, December 28, 2019, and Saturday, January 4, 2020.

On those days, you may sign at Dunkin’ Donuts, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM, and at the Milton Mills post office, from about 10:15 AM until 11:15 AM (and later if weather permits).

The more the merrier.

Milton in the News – 1944

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 26, 2019

In this year, we encounter wasted lumber, book drive suggestions, hiring at Spaulding Fibre Company, a clubwomen’s convention, a camp for sale, the Silver Slipper dance hall, bean advice, a camp counselor, a fire at the Lebanon Academy, West Milton activities, and clubwomen at Fort Devens.

This was also the year in which the tide of war turned against the Axis powers. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) relieved the 872-day siege of Leningrad (in which a million people starved to death). The Allies invaded France (June), while at the same time (June) the U.S.S.R. destroyed its nemesis, the National Socialist (Nazi) German Army Group Centre. The US invaded the Japanese-held Marianas and Palau (June-November), Saipan (June), Peleliu (September), and the Philippines (October). The year closed with a Nazi German counterattack on the western Allies at the Battle of the Bulge (December).

West Milton farmer Horatio Butters wrote a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe opposing the use of spruce trees rather than balsam trees for Christmas trees.

What People Talk About. Letters from the Editor’s Mail. Wasted Lumber for 1000 Homes. To the Editor – I visited Boston’s market district two days before Christmas and found, to my surprise, massive piles of evergreen trees brought in for the Christmas trade promiscuously thrown into the street just as though no one cared. But the greatest shock came when, upon closer inspection, it developed that a great preponderance of those trees were baby spruce. For many years the balsam fir has been the standard Christmas tree. Why are these young spruce trees being slaughtered? When there is such a demand from our government for more and more timber, why not preserve these baby spruces and let them grow into sawable timber? It is safe to say that the greater part of these trees came from our own New England states, and that the farmer received the prodigious sum of 10 or 15 cents each. Wrapped up in those spruce trees were a potential million feet of timber enough to keep a large woodworking mill busy for three months or enough finished lumber to build approximately 1000 pretty homes. It is a well-known fact that while a few of the early speculators in Christmas trees gouged plenty out of defenseless citizens, many of them lost heavily. Let’s not have our forests denuded by speculators. May I suggest that the six New England Commissioners of Agriculture, especially Commissioners Webster of my own Massachusetts and Felker of New Hampshire, where my farming operations are carried on, contact their Legislatures and have laws enacted to prohibit the cutting of spruce trees until they are ready for the saw. HORATIO BUTTERS. Watertown and Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, January 17, 1944).

Horatio Butters, a farmer, aged seventy-one years (b. ME), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. He owned his farm on the Nute Ridge road, which was valued at $2,900.

Mrs. Myrtle McLellan of Milton Mills had some suggestions to improve book drives for service men.

What People Talk About. Books for Service Men. To the Editor – I have been reading of the discouraging results of the drive to get books for our boys. It seems to me it is too impersonal, this asking for books and the donor knowing not where they are going or who will read them. Why not ask each parent, wife, relative or friend of a service man to give him a book. They know or should know the type of book he likes to read. In the books they select they may write the name and address of the man it is for, and all books will then be left at stated places, as in the past book drive. Books can then be forwarded to the proper addresses. If a man’s name is on the flyleaf I doubt if many “Alice in Wonderlands” are found among the gifts. The books would become the property of the camps to which they are sent, not of the individual. After the war they could be turned over to service hospitals. Why not a campaign to buy books for this purpose? And I feel sure a personal book drive would be a success. To do for one we love sends us out on winged feet. MRS. J.T. McLELLAN, Milton Mills, N.H. (Boston Globe, February 2, 1944).

Myrtle McLellan, aged forty-three years (b. ME), headed a Wrentham, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. Her household included her husband, John T. McLellan, a restaurant manager, aged forty-five years (b. MA), and her son, John T. McLellan, Jr., aged fourteen years (b. MA). Myrtle McLellan rented their house at 243 East Street, for $25 per month. (They had resided in Belmont, MA, in 1935).

John Theodore McLellan of Milton Mills registered for the WW II military draft, August 4, 1943. He was aged eighteen years (born in Belmont, MA, August 4, 1925), and was employed by the South Portland Shipbuilding Company. He was 6′ tall, weighed 170 pounds, with a light complexion, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

Spaulding Fibre Company sought to hire workers not engaged in essential or locally needed activities at their highest war useful skill level. It expected to continue its activities after the “present emergency.”

EMPLOYEES NEEDED. MEN AND WOMEN. We need additional employees to maintain our production of War and Essential Civilian Products. We have been in business for many years and expect to continue operating after the present emergency is over. SPAULDING FIBRE CO., INC., NORTH ROCHESTER, N.H. Apply at our plants at North Rochester or Milton. (Workers now engaged in essential or locally needed activities at their highest war useful skill will NOT be considered) (Farmington News, March 31, 1944).

Mrs. Grace C. (Fletcher) Willey, president of the NH Federation of Women’s Clubs, represented New Hampshire at the triennial national convention of the Federation of Women’s Clubs.

N.E. Clubwomen Leave for Parley. A group of New England clubwomen, delegates to the national convention of the Federation of Women’s Clubs, holding its triennial conclave this week at St. Louis, left here yesterday. The transportation chairman, Mrs. William R. Walsh, of Bridgewater, was in charge. Mrs. Herbert F. French of Braintree, president of the Massachusetts State Federation, and General Federation director for Massachusetts, was accompanied by Mrs. Edwin Troland of Malden, dean of directors, and vice president; Mrs. Lewis C. Stevens, of Worcester, vice president; Mrs. Ralph G. Swain, of Brockton, secretary: Miss Vera F. Gould, of Swampscott, director, and Mrs. William A. Robb of Wollaston, senior sponsor; Mrs. J. Herbert Willey, of Milton, N.H., president of the New Hampshire Federation, and a group of delegates and alternates from all sections of the New England area. Miss Marjorie A. Burns of Roslindale. chairman of junior membership, and her staff were on hand to bid bon voyage to Elizabeth Powers of Stoughton and Marion Fillmore of Arlington, winners in the junior scholarship travel contest, who are to be guests at St. Louis (Boston Globe, April 24, 1944).

James H. Willey, a drug store druggist, aged sixty-five years (b. NH), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Grace F. [(Fletcher)] Willey, aged forty-four years (b. ME), and his children, Herbert F. Willey, aged nineteen years (b. NH), and Frances Willey, aged fourteen years (b. NH). James H. Willey owned their house in the “Milton Community,” which was valued at $2,000. They had all resided in the “same house” in 1935.

(For further details of J. Herbert Willey’s drugstore, see Milton in the News – 1913).

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE. Houses for Sale. 120. FOR SALE – Camp at Milton, N.H., location on the waterfront. Phone 815. 3t a25 (Portsmouth Herald, April 25, 1944).

Red’s Music Makers had reopened the Silver Slipper dance hall in Milton in November 1943. Their tenure would seem to have been brief, as Jack Howard is here reported to have opened it for the 1944 season.

JACK HOWARD OPENING SILVER SLIPPER AT MILTON. The dance fans of this vicinity will follow Jack Howard to Milton this Friday night, May 5, when he will open the Silver Slipper ballroom for weekly dances. His famous All Ace band will be the musical feature and it is expected that the hall will be packed. The well known Silver Slipper always has been a popular amusement resort and Jack Howard has the biggest dance following of any amusement promoter over a wide area. These attractions without question will overflow the house on every open date (Farming News, May 5, 1944).

Jack Howard of Farmington, NH, had been a proprietor of the Frolic Haven dance pavilion in its later years, as well as a restaurateur and dance promoter in Farmington, NH, and other locales.

Horatio Butters here offered his advice on the relative merits of pole beans versus bush beans.

Pole Vs. Bush Beans. To the Editor – A Globe reader inquires about the comparative production of pole and bush beans. As an experienced farmer I submit the following calculation. To acquire the highest production of quality beans, poles for same should be set four feet apart each way., to admit sun and air, thus requiring 16 square feet for each hill of four beans. With plenty to eat and thorough cultivation that hill will produce one quart of dry beans. In the same space you would have 1 1-3 rows three feet long with eight stalks of bush beans, which’ under good treatment will produce one pint of dry beans. In a nutshell, on 16 square feet of land planted to pole beans one would expect one quart of dry beans, but on the same area the bush beans will return one pint of dry beans. On a small lot this difference seems trivial but on a larger space the difference is astounding. For instance, on one acre there would be 2722 hills of pole beans, consequently that number of extra pints, which amounts to 45 bushels of dry beans. The current price of 13 cents per pound shows a gain of $403 of pole beans over the bush variety. The great drawback in planting pole beans is the high price of the poles, which are hard to procure, and the labor required to set them in the ground. HORATIO BUTTERS. Milton, N.H. (Boston Globe, June 17, 1944).

Miss Werna Ross of New York, NY, took a summer job as a counselor at Camp Colonies in Milton.

CAMP INSTRUCTOR. WARRENSBURG. Miss Werna Ross, who has been spending two weeks with her mother, Mrs. Nina Ross, has left for Camp Colonies, Milton, N.H., where she will be a councillor. Miss Ross has completed her second year in the Brooklyn College. At Camp Colonies she will act as tutor and give swimming instruction (Post Star (Glen Falls, NY), June 30, 1944).

Anne Kirwin, a telephone operator, aged thirty-seven years (b. NY), headed a New York, NY, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. Her household included her children, Clinton Kirwin, aged thirteen years (b. NY), and Anne Kirwin, aged ten years (b. NY). It also included her lodgers, apparently in a separate unit. They were lodger Nina Ross, aged forty-seven years (b. NY), and her lodger’s children, Lionel E. Ross, a NYA student, aged twenty-four years (b. NY), Ryburn Ross, aged nineteen years (b. NY), and Werna Ross, aged eighteen years (b. NY). Anne Kirwin rented their house at 552 Dean Street, for $45 per month.

The Sanford, ME, Rochester, and Milton, NH, fire departments helped put out a fire near the Lebanon Academy in West Lebanon, ME.

WATER CARRIED TO FIRE. 900 Gallons Trucked 14 Miles to Fight Blaze In Maine. WEST LEBANON, Me. (AP) Nine hundred gallons of water were rushed 14 miles over the road yesterday to help battle a blaze which damaged historic Lebanon Academy. West Lebanon has no fire protection and the water had to be brought from Sanford, Me. Booster pumps came from Rochester and Milton, N.H., as townsfolk fought the fire with water in washtubs and boilers. The amount of the damage was not determined Immediately (Brattleboro Reformer, July 15, 1944).

Here we find war news of several West Milton residents and the activities of the Nute Ridge Grange.

WEST MILTON. Fred McGregor. Sgt. George Bigelow, U.S.M.C., who is having a furlough after two years service in the various battle areas of the Pacific, has been visiting his uncle, Rev. E.L. Bigelow. Norma Nute, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Nute, will soon qualify as a cadet nurse. Horace Wentworth has been on the sick list and in care of a physician. Norris Anderson was recently inducted into the U.S. Army and assigned to Camp Devens. At the regular meeting of Nute Ridge Grange, Friday, July 28, plans were announced for an open meeting in the near future to be in the form of a “Community Servicemen’s Night.” The highlights of the literary program consisted of an essay, “Agriculture,” by Mrs. Florence Gerrish, and as a thought stimulant for our boys in Normandy, singing of the National Anthem of France (Farmington News, August 4, 1944).

Mrs. Grace C. (Fletcher) Willey of Milton, and other clubwomen, lived as WACs (Women’s Army Corps) for a day at Fort Devens, in Ayer, MA.

WAC for a Day - BG440910New England Clubwomen Have Day as WACs at Ft. Devens. By RUTH LYONS. Special Dispatch to the Globe. FORT DEVENS. Sept. 9 – They were the adopted children of a WAC detachment at Fort Devens for a day of military life . . . the first group of women from the New England Council of the Federation of Women’s Clubs to be guests of the Army. They stood reveille at 5:30 in the morning, learned how to make a GI bed, ate in the mess hall, inspected barracks, slept in Army bunks, rode in jeeps, changed tires, learned how and when to salute ranking officers . . . all the things that make a good WAC. The group making the tour, in the interests of WAC recruiting, comprised: Mrs. James C. Calmark, Providence, R.I., president of the New England Council; Mrs. Edward Troland of Malden, president of the Massachusetts Federation of Women’s Clubs; Mrs. Wilfred Bodine, Bellows Falls, Vt,; Mrs. J. Herbert Willey, Milton, N.H.; Mrs. Leroy Folsom, Augusta, Me.; Mrs. Charles F. Towne, Providence, R.I., and Mrs. Raymond Andrews, Hamden, Conn. WAC officers accompanied the group, with the Boston Globe reporter, to the fort, where they were greeted by Maj. Anne Cowan, chief of WAC recruiting for the 1st Service Command, and Maj. Elizabeth W. Stearns, WAC director of New England. We were taken to the barracks, assigned to our bunks, given toilet articles and an extra blanket. At the officers’ day room, we were greeted by Col. Howard M. Estes, commanding officer of Fort Devens, who sketched the program of activity. WAC enlisted officers took us to the mess hall for our first meal. At the post chapel, Maj. James Kenealy, a Catholic chaplain, explained the religious activities of the men and women. At the post exchange we enjoyed soft drinks and went to the motor pool where the Army cars are kept. Then followed a tour of the reception center where the overseas boys are processed and back to the mess hall for supper. In the evening we were taken to a movie and to the service club where a variety show was in progress. Eleven o’clock found us in our bunks after a strenuous day as skirted soldiers of the Army. Reveille sounded at 5:30, but no one heard it so five minutes later we were awakened by a WAC sergeant. We were a sad-looking bunch of women that half-slid down the stairs and outdoors for roll call. After breakfast we were taken to Lovell General Hospital and spent the entire morning walking through corridors, through the laboratory, the clinics, X-ray department and then into the wards where Mrs. Troland talked with several Boston boys. Pfc. Orland L. Giannatonio of 56 Dean st., Everett told us about the birthday party that the hospital staff gave him Friday. Then there was Pvt. Murray Ward of 113 Lanark road, Boston, who wore several decorations including the Purple Heart. He was being discharged later in the day. They were all cheerful, glad to be home and alive. Speaking for the visiting club women, Mrs. Calmark remarked that “now we have been WACs for a day . . . and are convinced that there is a great need for more young women in the medical detachment. These boys need our help, and so every possible aid must be given in obtaining WAC recruits to help in this great work.” (Boston Globe, September 10, 1944).

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1943; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1945

References:

Find a Grave. (2013, August 9). Grace Fletcher Willey. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/115184125/grace-willey

Find a Grave. (2015, March 17). Horatio Butters. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/143830999/horatio-butters

Find a Grave. (2016, May 9). Werna A. Ross. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/162410862

Milton in the News – 1943

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 23, 2019

In this year, we encounter Rev. Maxfield on the road, Red Cross fundraising, a South Milton fire, a camp for sale, camps for rent, a cottage for sale, Rev. Patterson on the road, and the reopening of the Silver Slipper dance hall.

It was in this year that the tide began to turn against National Socialist (Nazi) Germany and the Japanese empire. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R) held and then defeated German forces at the Battle of Kursk (July-August). The western allies defeated Axis forces in North Africa (May), began their strategic bombing of Germany (June), and invaded the Italian Social Republic, first at Sicily (July) and then the Italian mainland (September). In the Pacific, the allies began their assault on Japanese forces in the Gilbert and Marshall islands (November).

Rev. Leland L. Maxfield was the guest pastor at the Baptist church in Glenville, NY, in March.

GUEST CLERIC FOR BAPTISTS. The Rev. Leland L. Maxfield of Milton, N.H., will supply the Baptist pulpit Sunday at the 11 A.M. worship service. The Rev. Maxfield, who has served five years as pastor of the Baptist Church in Milton, holds a degree of Bachelor of Divinity from Gordon College of Theology and Missions in addition to the regular bachelor’s degree. Sunday school will be conducted at 10 A.M. Sunday with E.E. Griffith, superintendent, in charge. The union service at 7:30 will be in the Methodist Church. Union mid-week prayer service will be conducted at 7:30 P.M. Wednesday in the church. Classes in religious education will be conducted Wednesday afternoon and high school classes Friday afternoon (Post Star (Glenville, NY), March 6, 1943).

Kennett R. Kendall of Rochester, NH, reported that the local Red Cross chapter, which included Milton, had achieved its fund-raising quota.

Rochester Tops Red Cross Quota. The Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross, which includes the towns of Strafford, Farmington, New Durham, Middleton, Milton Mills, Milton, N.H., and Lebanon, Me., has met its quota of $18,500 for the 1943 Red Cross War Fund drive, it was announced last night by Kennett R. Kendall, chairman of the drive (Portsmouth Herald, April 1, 1943).

Kennett R. Kendall, an insurance agent, aged thirty years (b. NH), headed a Rochester, NH, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Mary N. Kendall, aged twenty-seven years (b. ME), his son, Kennett Kendall, Jr., aged two years (b. NH), and his housekeeper, Sara Berry, a private family housekeeper, aged twenty-one years (b. NH). Kennett R. Kendall owned their house at 82 Charles Street, which was valued ay $4,000.

Laura M. McKeagney lost her Milton house to a fire. Her son, George A. McKeagney, a garage proprietor, had become Milton police chief in 1939 (in the aftermath of Milton and the Horne Murder – 1939). He appears to have become a NH State Trooper in the intervening years.

SOUTH MILTON, N.H. (AP). The home of Mrs. Laure McKeagney, mother of State Trooper George A. McKeagney, was destroyed by fire yesterday with damage estimated at $5,000 (Brattleboro Reformer, May 18, 1943).

Laura M. [(Gibson)] McKeagney, a fibreboard mill office clerk, aged fifty years (b. MA), headed a Milton household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. Her household included her children, George A. McKeagney, a garage proprietor, aged thirty-one years (b. MA), Robert B. McKeagney, an N.Y.A. project foreman, aged nineteen years (b. MA), and her brother, Edwin J. Gibson, a she shop shoe repairer, aged sixty-one years (b. MA). Laura M. McKeagney owned their house on the Old Road, which was valued at $4,500.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE. Houses for Sale 120. THREE APARTMENT HOUSE, two apartments furnished. Near yard, $4,200. Small camp, all furnished, at Milton, N.H., $1,000. Also 1941 Chevrolet Sedan, $700. Must be sold at once. Apply 26 Otis Ave., Kittery, Maine. Tel. 3657-R, between 6:30 to 7 pm. 3t m20 (Portsmouth Herald, May 20, 1943).

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT. Vacation Places. 113. STEVENS COTTAGES. Northeast pond, Milton. N.H., $14-$21. 12t j1 (Portsmouth Herald, July 8, 1943).

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET. MILTON, N.H. For sale, 7 rm. single cottage house, town water, electricity, near schools, churches, stores, depot and buses: sold on account of sickness, rents for $180 a year: pays 10% on the investment. Call Par. 1205. John S. Genter (Boston Globe, August 22, 1943).

George S. Genter, a restaurant manager, aged sixty-seven years (b. MA), headed a Boston, MA, household at the time of the Sixteenth (1940) Federal Census. His household included his wife, Mary E. Genter, aged sixty-five years (b. MA), and his brother, John S. Genter, aged sixty-nine years (b. MA). George S. Genter rented their house at 30 Penfield street, for $40 per month. (John S. Genter was a retired real estate salesman; he died in 1949).

Rev. Leroy Patterson of the Milton Mills Baptist church is here remembered in his hometown paper as a former high school football and track star.

Sunday Church Services. Undenominational. East Altoona Undenominational, services to be held Sunday, August 22, through Sunday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. Rev. Leroy Patterson, speaker. Rev. Patterson is a former High school football and track star, later star fullback for Wheaton college. He is pastor of Milton Mills, N.H., Baptist church. The subjects for the week are: Sunday, “Beauty for Ashes.” Monday, “is One Religion as Good as Another ” Tuesday, “The Preacher Who Tried to Run Away From God.” Wednesday, “And After That … The Spokesman in This Age.” Friday, “What Wilt Thou Do at the Swelling of the Jordan?” Sunday, “It’s Later Than You Think.’ (Altoona Tribune (Altoona, PA), August 21, 1943).

The Silver Slipper dance pavilion reopened in Milton under new management after having been closed for several years.

RED’S MUSIC MAKERS OPEN SILVER SLIPPER AT MILTON. On Thanksgiving night, this Thursday, November 25, Red’s Music Makers will hold a grand opening dance at the Silver Slipper in Milton and will feature their sax team which composes one of the best dance bands in New England. This dance will be followed by a series of Saturday night dates at this well known dance hall. The Silver Slipper formerly was one of the most popular recreation centers in this vicinity and the dance fans will hail with enthusiasm its reopening under the management of Red’s Music Makers. Remember that every Saturday night you have a date at the Silver Slipper (Farmington News, November 26, 1943).

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References:

Find a Grave. (2015, August 27). Mary Laura Gibson McKeagney. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/151311913