We can trace the military life of Thomas Nixon Jr. (1762 – 1842) because he served with his father, Thomas Nixon Sr., under the very famous General John Nixon throughout his service in the American Revolution.
Pages from Thomas Nixon Jr.’s tune book. FHC collections.
Thomas Nixon Jr. enlisted in the Continental army in 1775 at the age of thirteen. It was common for teenage boys between fourteen and sixteen to enlist as fifers and drummers. He saw action at Lexington and Concord as part of Captain David Moore’s Sudbury Company in April 1775. Thomas Jr. enlisted with his father after Lexington and Concord and became part of John Nixon’s brigade. He was stationed at Winter Hill, Somerville, from April 1775 until the siege of Boston was over with the British army withdrawal on March 17, 1776. He served under General George Washington’s command in New York and helped reinforce the army at Fort Ticonderoga. Thomas Nixon Sr. was injured when a cannon ball passed closely to his head, which impaired his sight and hearing. Thomas Jr. was asked to accompany his father home to Framingham. Both were honorably discharged in December, 1780. Thomas Jr. re-enlisted for a year in 1782 and was 20 years old at the war’s end.
Here is an example of the fife music Thomas Jr. would play:
The British Grenadiers Fife and Drum
Thomas Jr. attended surveying school and worked with a group of surveyors who parceled out land to veterans returning from war as payment for their service.
He married Lydia Hager and built his house on Edmands Road, which is still standing today. They had four children: Warren, Otis, Suky and Reny. After Lydia passed away Thomas married the widow, Sarah Stone. Thomas is buried in the Main St. cemetery.
The Framingham History Center has Thomas Nixon Jr.’s song book and fife. He may have acquired the book when he served with a soldier John Long from New York. This book allows us to know revolutionary music as it would have sounded and played in 1776. There are 104 pages containing 143 tunes in his book. Both men contributed to the tunes.
The role of the fifer or drummer was to communicate instruction among the troops in battle and in camp. Songs were used for drum beats, duty calls and special occasions such as military funerals, ridiculing prisoners, and entertainment for dancing and jigs. Yankee Doodle can be found on page 95. Other songs were copied after the war, including many dance songs.
Bibliography
Dewar, Martha E. and Gilbert, M. Joan, Framingham Historical Reflections, Town of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1974.
Herring, Stephen, Framingham: An American Town, The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Rookey, Anne Livermore, “Talk on Thomas Nixon Jr’s tune book,” Framingham Historical Society, 9 May 1996. Transcript
Temple, J. H., History of Framingham 1640- 1880, The Town of Framingham, 1887.
Meta Warrick Fuller (1877 – 1968) is an important figure for a wide array of people. As a female artist of color, she broke down gender and racial barriers despite adversity and discrimination. Born in Philadelphia in 1877, Meta’s father was a barber who would go on to become a successful caterer, and her mother was a successful beautician with many upper class clients. Meta was exposed to art from a young age as she took dancing lessons and frequently went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her talents were evident early on and she won a three year scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art. Afterwards she went on to two years of post graduate study in Paris starting in 1899, after convincing her worried yet supportive parents it was the right thing for her to do.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
While in Paris, she visited the famed sculptor Auguste Rodin, known best for his piece The Thinker. Rodin praised Meta’s sculptures and she was able to sell some of her work, bringing her the notoriety and the money she needed to keep working. She would also meet another friend in Paris, William E.B. DuBois, an influential Black author, historian and civil rights activist. He would later come visit her in her Framingham home.
Meta returned to Philadelphia in 1902 and exhibited her work at prestigious institutions. She accepted a U. S. government commission to create dioramas illustrating events in African-American history for the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, yet she was snubbed by the local artist community because of her race and gender. In 1910, she lost her tools and sixteen years worth of paintings and sculpture in a Philadelphia warehouse fire. By the 1920s Meta had met and married Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller, a leading psychiatrist who would also come to be known for his work with Alzheimer’s Disease. The couple bought a house on Warren Road in Framingham and had three children. Their home would be a lively part of the community as many prominent people of color came to visit, including the Prince of Siam.
“Story Time” sculpture by Meta in the Children’s Room at the Framingham Public Library. Photograph by Julia Lugina.
Overcoming prejudice and the expectation that she would give up her career to raise her children, Meta continued to work on her art. Her sculptures are very diverse – some have religious themes, deal with slavery and prejudice, or depict death, grief and sorrow. Others draw on the music and folk tales of her African ancestry for inspiration. Meta was heavily involved with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and helped to organize the Framingham Dramatic Society. She would dance, direct, produce, and make costumes for various productions. Meta wrote poetry that reflected her life, and passed away in 1968 at the age of 91. Despite being faced with sexism and racism , Meta’s genius shone throughout her life and work as she carried herself with pride and dignity that is evident in her timeless pieces of art which are now displayed in various places around the U.S.
“Emancipation” by Meta, 1913. This sculpture was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and stands at the Harriet Tubman park in Boston, MA.
Bibliography
Ater, Renee, “Making History; Meta Warrick Fuller’s “Ethiopia.”” American Art, vol 17, no. 3, 2003, pp. 12-31. Academia http://www.academia.edu/26577999/Making_History_Meta_Warrick_Fullers_Ethiopia_
Ater, Renee. Remaking Race and History: The Sculpture of Meta Warrick Fuller. University of California, Berkley, 2011.
Herring, Stephen W., Framingham: An American Town. The Framingham Historical Society, 2000.
Hirschler, Erica E. Studio of Her Own: Woman Artists in Boston, 1870-1940. Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 2001.
An Independent Woman. The Life and Art of Meta Warrick Fuller (1877-1968). Danforth Museum of Art, 1984. Accessed 6 Apr. 2017. offile:///C:/Users/janew/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/IE/E1IIJYW0/meta_fuller_catalog_1984-5.pdf
Koontz, Shonnette, A Collection of the Life and Work of Meta Vaux Fuller, 1877-1968. Institute West Virginia, 2003.
Patton, Sharon E. African American Art. Oxford University Press, 1998.
The Hastings School is on the corner of Beacon Street and Cochituate Road just south of the intersection of Beacon and Hastings Streets in the section of town once known as Hastingsville. Who were the Hastings, and why is a school, a street, and a section of the city named for them?
Thomas Hastings (1780-1864) who was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, moved to Framingham as a young man and settled on the west part of John Pratt’s land. He set up a wheelwright shop, which he operated for the next fifty years.
Hollis Hastings Carriage Shop. From the Framingham History Center collection.
At the age of twenty-three, Thomas married Nabby Abbott of Framingham. They had nine sons, six of whom settled in Framingham. Hollis, Eliphalet, and Otis Fiske, established businesses near their father’s at 1 Old Connecticut Path. Business boomed! This corner, with the Hastings’ wheelwright, blacksmith, and carriage shops, a busy center of commerce frequented by local farmers, became known as Hastingsville.
Hollis Hastings (1807-1892), the third son, was a carriage dealer and manufacturer as well as a harness maker. Upon the completion of Framingham’s new (i.e. third) Town Hall in Framingham Centre in 1834, Hollis purchased the second Town Hall and had it moved to Hastings Corner. For the next thirty-five years, he operated a very successful business at this location. Hollis married Abigail W. Norton and together they had nine children. Sadly, only four of them lived to adulthood. In retirement, Hollis traveled extensively and lived the life of a gentleman. He was instrumental in the founding of the Home for Aged Men and Women in Framingham Centre, just east of the Baptist Church. The home was chartered in 1886. In his will, Hollis left an endowment of $10,000 to ensure its viability. This institution, now called Vernon House, is located on Vernon Street. On February 13, 1892, Hollis died at his home in Hastingsville, and was buried in Edgell Grove Cemetery.
The Hastings Brothers – FHC Collection. Samuel, William, Thomas, John Kitteridge, Hollis, Otis Fiske, Josiah, Eliphalet
Eliphalet Hastings (1811-1878) established a blacksmith shop in Hastingsville. On April 2, 1835, he married Mehitable Clayes of Framingham. A year after Mehitable’s death in 1841, he married her younger sister, Eveline. Eliphalet had eight children, only four of them survived to adulthood. Eliphalet is buried in Old Burying Ground Cemetery. Albert Redell Hastings (1854-1923), his sixth child, followed in his footsteps, and became a blacksmith. He set up his shop at the site of his father’s in Hastingsville on present day Cochituate Road (Route 30).
Otis Fiske Hastings (1818-1884) stayed in Hastingsville and worked in his father’s shop as a wheelwright. Otis Fiske married Susan Briggs Brewer of Framingham and they had six children. Of the six children, only three lived to adulthood, Thomas Fiske, Josiah and Alice. The Hastings School (now senior housing) was built on land purchased from Thomas Fiske Hastings (1852-1933) and his wife Ella. The school is named for Otis Fiske’s daughter-in-law, Ella Wing Hastings, who taught public school in Framingham for fifty years. In June 1931, a plaque was erected at this new school in her honor. Thomas Fiske Hastings was known as the mayor of Hastingsville. He ran the general store established by Willard Howe. This store housed the local post office, so Thomas Fiske’s duties also included serving as the assistant postmaster.
Otis Hastings House, 1 Old Connecticut Path. From the FHC collection.
Colonel William Hastings (1805-1871) was Thomas and Nabby’s second son. He married Hannah Buckminister of Framingham on September 27, 1827. The newlyweds settled on land owned by Hannah’s father, Joseph Buckminster which was located at the corner of present day Union and Main Street (now Buckminster Square). They had one son, William H. A year after Hannah’s death in 1846, William married Anne E. Phipps, also of Framingham. This marriage produced three children; two daughters, Anna L. and Elizabeth B., and a son, Gardner Phipps. The Colonel was a farmer, and also operated a lumber business. He was very active in town affairs serving as chairman of the Board of Assessors, overseer of the poor, and collector of taxes. He was a Colonel in the Massachusetts Militia. Following in his father’s footsteps, William Harrison Hastings (1840-1910) was also active in town and state affairs. William Harrison served on the town’s Board of Selectmen for four years, 1883-1886, was the Road Commissioner for the years 1884-1886, was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1887-1888, and served as the overseer of the poor, 1895-1897.
Thomas Hastings, Jr. (1809-1886) lived on a small farm on what is present day Route 9. In addition to farming, he worked as a carpenter. He married Eliza Ann Parker of Framingham and they had three children, two sons and a daughter. The family worshiped at the Hollis Evangelical Church (Plymouth Church) where Thomas’ deep bass voice was a memorable addition to the choir. Thomas is buried in the Edgell Grove Cemetery.
John Kittredge Hastings (1816-1857) was Thomas and Nabby’s seventh son. He bought property on Pratt’s Plain (opposite the Musterfields) where he established a shoe making business. On October 11, 1838 at the age of twenty-two, he married Mary Coolidge of Framingham. They had two children, a daughter, Susan Munroe Hastings, and a son Frank Coolidge Hastings (1846-1894). Frank C. chose retail for his career. He started a clothing store called Hastings One Price Clothing House on Concord St. in South Framingham. Frank’s son Harry Payson Hastings (1871-) joined him in the operation of the business, and ran it until 1950. Grandson Julian P. Hastings (1906-1987) took over the store from his father, and managed it until it’s closing in 1965. Julian then went on to work as town assessor. For almost twenty years, he was assistant clerk to the Framingham Court, retiring in 1977. Julian answered the call to duty and served in the Army in Europe during World War II. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
Hastings One Price Clothing House in South Framingham, c1875. From the FHC collection.
Of the remaining three sons, two married and moved to other towns. The youngest, Dexter (1822-1834), died at the age of eleven. Josiah Hastings (1813-1876), the sixth son, married Sarah Ann Jones of Weston on April 23, 1835. The newly weds settled in Waltham where Josiah made his living as a printer. He was the owner and publisher of the Waltham Sentinel, a weekly newspaper delivering news on agriculture, manufacturing, literature and local people and events. Josiah and Sarah Ann had two daughters, Amanda died before age six, and Elizabeth married Theodore F. Jackson. Samuel A. (1803-1881) , the oldest son, married Olive Nourse from Leominister and settled in Lancaster where he worked as a housewright (carpenter).
The area where so many members of the Hastings family put down roots was aptly called Hastingsville. At the turn of the twentieth century, when the Boston and Worcester Street Railway Company established it headquarters in Hastingsville, the area was renamed Framingham Junction, a nod to the area’s new identity as a transportation hub.
Facts
Hastings Corner or Hastingsville was the area east of Framingham Centre where the road to Saxonville (Concord Street) meets Eastern Avenue (present day Rte. 9).
Thomas Hastings’ house is still standing today at 1 Old Connecticut Path.
Bibliography
Abbott, Lemuel Abijah. Descendants of George Abbott, of Rowley, Mass., of his joint descendants with George Abbott, sr., of Andoer, Mass.; of the descendants of Daniel Abbott, of Providence, R. I.; of some of the descendants of Capt. Thomas Abbott, of Andover, Mass.; of George Abbott, of Norwalk Ct.; of Robert Abbott, of online. (page 43 of 67) http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/lemuel-abijah-abbott/descendants-of-george-abbott-of-rowley-mass-of-his-joint-descendants-with-ge-obb
Buckminister, Lydia Nelson Hastings. The Hastings Memorial: a genealogical account of the descendants of Thomas Hastings of Watertown, Mass. from 1634-1864. Boston : Samuel G. Drake Publisher, 1866. Googlebooks.com pp. 77-79. https://books.google.com/books?id=RFdKAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false Accessed 23 May 2019.
City of Framingham. “Town of Framingham Selectmen (1700-2017) City of Framingham Mayors (2018-present).” Welcome to Framingham, Departments, City Clerk, Historical Records. https://www.framinghamma.gov/2418/Historical-Records Accessed 21 June 2019.
“Death Comes to T. F. Hastings in 81st Year.” Framingham News 30 Jan. 1933. Find a Grave website. Search for surname Hastings, location Framingham. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/search?firstname=&middlename=&lastname=hastings&birthyear=&birthyearfilter=&deathyear=&deathyearfilter=&location=Framingham+Middlesex+County+Massachusetts+United+States+of+America&locationId=city_58586&memorialid=&datefilter=&orderby=Accessed 19 June 2019.
“Framingham loses Three Prominent Citizens.” Concord Enterprise 19 Feb. 1892. https://accessnewspaperarchivecom.ezproxy.bpl.org/us/massachusetts/concord/concord-enterprise/1892/02-19/page-3/hollis-hastings?psb=relevance Accessed 23 May 2019.
Herring, Stephen W. Framingham, An American Town. The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
“Journeyed to Hastingsville.” Framingham Evening News 26 Sept. 1916. pp. 1+
Since the town of Framingham was incorporated in 1700, there have been a select group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to the service of the community. There was Maynard in the eighteenth century; Simpson in the nineteenth century, and Callahan in the early twentieth century. The later half of the twentieth century gave the town Anthony “Tony” M. Colonna, Sr. (1916-2001).
Anthony M. Colonna, c1970. From the Framingham History Center Collection. 2001.38.
Tony Colonna was the seventh of thirteen children born to Italian immigrants, Michael and Josephine (Luongo) Colonna. The Colonnas lived in the North End of Boston on Endicott Street. This is where Tony spent his early years. Eventually, the family moved to Framingham settling on Hillside Street in Saxonville. Michael secured work as a machine operator at the Dennison Mfg. Co. While matriculating at Framingham High School, Tony was a member of the Football Team, Radio Club, Aero Club, Athletic Club, and he also played intramural basketball. After his graduation in 1935, he attended the University of New Mexico. It was there that he met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Murray (1921-2010). Dorothy and Tony were married in her hometown of Hobbs, New Mexico on October 27, 1940.
Shortly after the wedding, Dorothy and Tony made their way back to Framingham. Over the years, they resided at a variety of locations in town, including Hillside Street, Main Street, Winter Street, and finally Warren Road. Tony worked as a truck driver. With his brother Armando, he founded Colonna Brothers, Inc., a construction company which specialized in the installation of water and sewer pipes, drainage systems and road work. The company worked on many projects headed by Farese and Livioli, including the Pheasant Hill development. It was a true family business with Tony serving as President, and Dorothy as Treasurer. The Colonna’s were blessed with three children: Anthony M., Jr., Judith A. , and James Patrick.
It was during the 1950s that Tony began his involvement in town affairs by working on several municipal boards. In the course of his public career, he served on two charter commissions and Framingham’s Board of Public Works among others. He was elected chairman thirty-one times during his five decades on the Board of Public Works. From this position he oversaw the modernization and expansion of the water and sewer systems which opened up large areas of the town for development. Tony was pro-business and worked hard to secure two exits from the new Massachusetts Turnpike for Framingham. This convenient access to the area helped fuel tremendous economic growth for the town. Drawing people from all over, “The Golden Triangle,” the area located between Route 9, Route 30 and Speen Street, developed into a regional retail and business mecca. Tony oversaw the widening of Route 30 to accommodate the increase in traffic this development created.
Tony was a man of the people, an old-time politician who never forgot his roots. He was hard working and compassionate. He helped ordinary citizens with ordinary problems. If there was a problem with a pot hole or a drain, Tony would be sure to get it fixed.
However, not everything that Tony touched turned to gold. When the General Motors Assembly plant wanted to expand and needed land, Tony opposed the plan. When the town refused to sell the land, GM sought the help of the Dukakis administration, which took it by eminent domain. Tony, a member of the Public Works Commission, opposed the move and saw it as a land grab by GM. Tony used his political clout in town to delay this expansion. Without the new paint and plastics factory, GM closed its Framingham operation on August 1,1989, and the town lost its largest employer.
In 1954, Tony became involved in state politics. He was elected to the State Legislature as a representative from Framingham. He held this seat for five terms. In 1962, Tony turned his eyes on the State House, but was unsuccessful in his bid for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor.
After this defeat, Tony turned his attention back to his hometown. In 1963, he gave up his construction business when Governor Endicott Peabody appointed him to the position of clerk magistrate of the Framingham District Court, a position he held until the year 2000. During his tenure as clerk magistrate, Tony worked hard to improve the Framingham court. He modernized the record keeping system, introduced innovative programs to fight for substance abuse, domestic abuse, and juvenile crime. Tony was placed on administrative leave from this position in November 2000 after he allegedly attacked a female court clerk. After hearing the testimony in the case, Judge Katheleen E. Coffey, first justice of the West Roxbury District Court, declared Tony mentally incompetent to stand trial (Rowland).
In addition to his public service, Tony belonged to several social and professional societies. He was a member of the Columbus Society, the Framingham Elks, the Massachusetts Clerk Magistrate Association, and the Massachusetts Police Association. He was also a boy scout leader. In 1981, he was honored by the Algonquin Council as Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Tony was not all work and no play. He enjoyed golf and was a member of the International golf club in Bolton. An avid fisherman, he greatly enjoyed his time at their second home in Pocasset where he could be found angling from his boat on weekends.
To honor Tony for his lifetime of service to Framingham, the town named the Central Street Bridge that spans the Sudbury River in Saxonville, the Anthony Colonna Bridge after it was rebuilt in 1972. In 1996, the town dedicated its new public works garage on Western Avenue in his honor.
Plaque on the Anthony M. Colonna Bridge. Photograph by D. Buckley
Tony’s health began to fail in the late 1990s. In 1998, he underwent bypass surgery after a heart attack. Tony passed away at age 85 years on October 22, 2001, at St. Patrick’s Manor. He is buried at Edgell Grove Cemetery.
Facts
Jonathan Maynard: Revolutionary War veteran, town selectman, town clerk, postmaster, State Representative, State Senator, founding member of the Masonic Lodge in Framingham
Michael Simpson: businessman and inventor. Owned and operated textile mills in Saxonville, created parks, established a public library, built worker housing.
Raymond Callahan: editor of the Framingham News, lifelong resident of Framingham
Bibliography
“ANTHONY COLONNA, PUBLIC SERVANT; 85: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 28, 2001, pp. 7. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405410315?accountid=6253.
“ANTHONY COLONNA, 85; HELPED BUILD, GUIDE FRAMINGHAM: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 24, 2001. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405408036?accountid=6253.
Beam, Alex. “THE TWO FACES OF TONY COLONNA: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe (pre-1997 Full Text), Nov 15, 1987, pp. A1. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/294380926?accountid=6253.
Dallamora, Judith. Correspondence. Received by D. Buckley, 17 Nov. 2019.
Hayden, Irving N. and Lawrence R. Grove. Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1959-1960. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. General Court. https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/43391
Helman, Scott W. “ANTHONY M. COLONNA SR. DIES AT 85 LONGTIME OFFICIAL KNOWN TO MANY AS ‘MR. FRAMINGHAM’: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Oct 24, 2001. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405409921?accountid=6253.
List of Male and Female Residents, April 1, 1924. Town of Framingham.
List of Residents. Apr. 1, 1926. Lakeview Press, 1926.
Manning’s Framingham, Ashland and Natick Directory. H. A. Manning Co. Years, 1939-1960.
Mirage. University of New Mexico, 1939 and 1940. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/unm_yearbooks/
Philomath. Framingham High School, 1935.
Rowland, Christopher. “A SAD ENDING TO A LONG CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE JUDGE DECLARES COLONNA INCOMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL: THIRD EDITION].” Boston Globe, Feb 11, 2001, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/405393080?accountid=6253.
Sereda, Michael. “Tony Colonna Dies after Life of Service.” MetroWest Daily News 23 Oct. 2001.
Josephine Collins (1879 – 1960) is best remembered as an activist fighting for woman’s right to vote. Born in 1879, she was the oldest daughter in a large Irish family that lived on Salem End Road in Framingham.
Josephine Collins. Framingham History Center collection. 2003.126
There are few details describing her early life. She grew up at a time in which women had fewer opportunities than men. Women were not able to vote, hold public office, or enter into legal contracts. They were also deprived of equal educational and employment opportunities. Although Josephine was a single woman and her opportunities were limited, she found many ways to support herself. For a time, she cared for a Rhode Island minister’s family. She also worked at Collin’s Market, a family business in Framingham Centre. While her brother, John, served in World War I, Josephine took over the management of this market.
Josephine was a successful businesswoman in her own right. She opened up a Tea Room on the corner of Pleasant Street and Belknap Road; a dry goods shop; and her own Periodical’s Shop in South Framingham’s Esty Building. In her later years, Josephine worked as a bookkeeper for Babson College.
In the mid 1800’s, women began to demand the right to vote which led to the formation of the woman’s suffrage movement. During this time, two national suffrage organizations were established, one by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the other by Lucy Stone. These two groups eventually merged and focused their energies on a state by state campaign for woman’s voting rights. In 1916, Alice Paul established the National Woman’s Party (NWP). The newly formed NWP lobbied for the passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution for national suffrage. It was this organization that Josephine joined in 1918.
On February 24, 1919, women were called to rally on Boston Common to greet President Woodrow Wilson who was on his way to Washington D. C. from the World War I peace talks in Versailles. Josephine attended this rally which protested the President’s failure to take a stand on suffrage. The group held signs demanding the passage of the suffrage amendment. Josephine held a sign that read: “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” The police warned the women that they might be arrested if they did not disperse. Twenty-two women including Josephine were arrested and taken to the House of Detention for Women. Josephine was part of a group who refused to give the court their real names and to pay the five dollar fine. This group was then taken to the Charles Street Jail to fulfill their eight day jail sentence. Much to Josephine’s chagrin, one of her brothers paid her fine and she was released from jail before she served her full sentence, though she was not pardoned.
“Jailed for Freedom” Pin given to Josephine Collins. FHC Collections
Upon her return to Framingham, she resumed business at the dry good shop and continued to support the cause of woman’s suffrage. Unfortunately, business suffered financially due to her involvement in the suffrage movement. Many husbands prohibited their wives from frequenting her shop.
Alice Paul, the founder of the National Woman’s Party, chose to honor the women who were jailed in the Boston and the Washington D. C. suffragist rallies. A pin depicting a jail house door, which she designed, was given to each of these eighty-nine brave suffragists at the National Woman’s Party December 9, 1917 meeting in Washington, D. C. Of all the pins awarded that day, only five are known to have survived. The pins of Josephine Collins and Louise Parker Mayo are in the collection of The Framingham History Center.
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution giving women the right to vote was ratified in August 1920. On the eighty-fifth anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Town of Framingham dedicated a square to honor the two local women, Josephine Collins and Louise Parker Mayo, who fought so long and hard for its passage. Mayo-Collins Square is located at the corner of Oak Street and Edgell Road.
Mayo-Collins Square at Edgell Road and Oak Street. Photograph by D. Buckley
Facts
Josephine Collins died May 1, 1960 at Cushing Hospital
Danker, Anita C. “The Grassroots Suffragists: Josephine Collins and Louise Mayo, a study in Contrasts.” New England Journal of History, vol. 67, no. 2, Spring 2011, pp. 54-72.
Sarah Clayes (1638 – 1704) and her family were among the earliest settlers on Thomas Danforth’s land near Cowassock Brook in present day West Framingham. How they came to settle there is a very interesting story.
Sarah was born in 1638 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to William Towne and his wife Joanna Blessing Towne. Sarah married Edmund Bridges in 1659 or 1660. After Edmund died in 1682, she married Peter Cloyse and they settled in Salem Village. In 1692 in Salem, a group of young girls began to accuse some people of witchcraft. Among the accused were Sarah Cloyes’ sisters Rebecca Towne Nurse and Mary Towne Easty (Estey, Esty). During a Sabbath church service, the Reverend Parris began preaching against witchcraft and the accused witches, Sarah walked out of the meetinghouse, door slamming behind her. Soon thereafter, she too was accused of witchcraft by the young girls. One of her accusers claimed to have seen her specter (a ghostly appearance) curtsy to the devil outside the meetinghouse. On April 12, 1692, with Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth present as a member of a council which observed the proceedings at Salem, charges were brought against Sarah Cloyes and Elizabeth Proctor. They and several other accused witches were sent to jail in Boston to await their fate. Sarah’s sister, Rebecca Nurse, and the others were hanged. Mary Towne Easty was also imprisoned in April only to be released a month later when the young girls backed off on their accusations. She was re-imprisoned after her accusers stated that they were being tormented by her specter. Mary was sent to the gallows on September 22, 1692.
Peter and Sarah Clayes House at 657 Salem End Road. Photograph by M.S. Evans from the Framingham History Center collection 2002.459.
In August 1692, Sarah was transferred to jail in Ipswich to await her hanging. Her husband, Peter, was allowed to visit her while she was in jail. Sarah managed to escape from prison with his help and then she was hidden by friends for a time. In March 1693, Sarah and her family made their way to the Cowassock Brook area of Danforth’s land in what is now known as Framingham. Here they changed their last name to Clayes. Members of her extended family also made their way to Framingham. Included were her sons from her first marriage, Benjamin and Caleb Bridges, her husband’s sons from his first marriage, Peter Jr., and James Clayes, Rebecca Nurse’s son Benjamin and his family and other Towne family members. This area became known as Salem Plain and later as Salem End. Today, Salem End Road runs through the heart of the Salem End area.
Thomas Danforth was no longer Deputy Governor when the witch executions were carried out. He strongly disapproved of them, and worked behind the scenes to put them to an end. It is not known if he helped Sarah Clayes in any way to escape from jail and make her way to his land in present day Framingham.
Five houses built by these families from Salem still stand today. They are: the Peter & Sarah Clayes House (c1693), the Nurse Homestead (c1694), and the Israel Towne House (c1717) on Salem End Road; the Caleb Bridges House (c1700) on Gates Road; and the John Towne House (c1704) on Maple Street.
The home of Sarah and Peter was restored in 2017-2018 and placed on the market in December 2018. The 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath has immense character and boosts secret doors and spaces that speak to it’s long and fascinating history.
657 Salem End Road, Framingham. Restored in 2018.
Facts
Alternate spelling of her name: *Cloyes *Cloyce *Clayce
Salem Witch Trials: February 1692 – May 1693.
Further Reading
Boras, Tracey. The Salem Witch Trials. Capstone Press, 2004.
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. “History of the Salem Witch Trials.” History of Massachusetts. August 18, 2011 http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-salem-witch-trials/ Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.
Dolan, Edward F. The Salem Witch Trials. Benchmark Books, 2002.
Kallen, Stuart A. The Salem Witch Trials. Lucent Books, 1999.
Orr, Tamra. The Salem Witch Trials. Thomson Gale, 2004.
Bibliography
Fradin, Judith Bloom and Dennis Brindell Fradin. The Salem Witch Trials. Marshall Cavendish, 2009.
Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Tuller, Roberta. “Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes.” An American Family History. 2016. http://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/TowneFamily/TowneSarahBridgesCloyes.html Assessed 20 Feb. 2017.
Temple, Josiah H. History of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1640-1885. A special Centennial year reprinting of the 1887 edition, New England History Press, 1988.
The definition of a “townie” is one who spends his/her entire life in one town. Raymond Callahan (1895 – 1970) was a true “townie” and so much more. He was born on October 8, 1895 in Framingham to William and Bridget A. (Finn) Callahan, one of their eight children. He grew up in South Framingham in the area around Hollis and Eames Streets and was a graduate of the Framingham Public Schools. By 1930, he owned a home on Gilbert Street, living with his sisters, Ruth and Mildred, and his brother Edward. In 1933, he married a school teacher, Marie M. Carroll of Framingham. By 1940, Ray and Marie were residing at 125 Maple Street where they raised their family of five daughters and one son.
Callahan began his working life as a paperboy for the Framingham News. It was during his junior year at Framingham High School that he began his news writing career by reporting on school news as well as many High School athletic events. Upon his high school graduation, he joined the newspaper staff full-time.
Raymond J. Callahan. Photograph by Korday Studio from the Framingham History Center Collection. 2003.181
Callahan left the News to join the Army during World War I. He served two years with a medical unit in France and Britain. Always the reporter, Callahan contributed stories to the paper while serving abroad. When the war ended, he came home to Framingham to work full-time at the paper. By 1940, he was the paper’s City Editor, and in 1947, he was promoted to Editor-in-Chief. As a reporter, he worked 24/7. He not only covered the regular happenings in town, but also would respond at all hours to breaking news events such as fires, emergencies, and accidents.
During World War II, Callahan once again answered the call for service. This time, he stayed States side and worked for the civil defense network. With its headquarters located at Bowditch Field, Callahan spent nights working at its communications center.
Throughout his adult life, Callahan served the town of Framingham and its residents in many capacities. He was instrumental in the acquisition and development of parks and recreational facilities in Framingham. In 1917 with Dr. Edward Regan, he helped facilitate the town’s purchase of the fairgrounds, now Bowditch Field, from the South Middlesex Agricultural Society. Callahan, George Butterworth, and Nathaniel Bowditch, all members of the Parks and Recreation Board, worked to obtain Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds for the development of a grandstand, field and field house on the fairground site in 1936.
When Framingham’s 250th anniversary of incorporation came around the town turned to Callahan. He was appointed acting chair of the town’s 250th anniversary celebration committee. As chair, he oversaw the planning of activities for the week long affair concluding with a large parade to be held in 1950. Twenty years later in 1970, the town again sought out Callahan to plan its 275th anniversary celebration.
Raymond Callahan was a student of Framingham history. He was an active member of the Framingham Historical and Natural History Society and served as its president from 1948 to 1965. Many groups sought him out to be a guest speaker on all things Framingham. For many years, the School Department asked him to give a presentation on the history and traditions of Framingham to the town’s new teachers. This love of local history inspired him to begin research for an updated history of his beloved hometown. Sadly, Callahan died before he finished writing the book. After his death, his daughters gathered his writings, and had them published in a book entitled, Framingham Historical Reflections.
Callahan did not earn the name “Mr. Framingham” by being active in just a few local organizations. He also served on the Housing Authority, the original Council on Aging, Advisory Board of Framingham State College, the Athletic Advisory Council of Framingham High School, and the board of directors of South Middlesex Cooperative Bank and later as its president in 1958. He was a member of the Salvation Army’s Advisory Board, a trustee of St. Patrick’s Manor, and a clerk on the board of directors for Framingham Union Hospital. Callahan was also a charter member of the James J. McGrath American Legion Post 74, President of the Framingham Rotary Club, President of the Framingham Civic League, a member of the Framingham Lodge of Elks, active member of St. Bridget Parish, and a forty year member of the Framingham Country Club.
The day before his seventy fifth birthday, October 7, 1970, Callahan suffered a fatal heart attack at his home on Maple Street. After a funeral service at St. Bridget Church officiated by his son, Rev. Raymond J. Callahan, Jr., he was buried in Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham Centre.
Callahan was a man who left his mark on his hometown. Callahan State Park and Callahan Senior Center were named in his honor for all of his dedication and contributions to the town and its residents.
Facts
Siblings: Frank W. Callahan Eleanor (Nel) Callahan William Francis Callahan Ruth Callahan Sheehan Mary Lillian Callahan Mildred Callahan Edward Callahan
Parents: William Callahan, Southboro Feb. 2, 1862- – Bootmaker Bridget A. (Finn) Callahan, Framingham Feb. 20, 1864- – Straw worker
Children: Joan Gilbert, 1934?- 2016 Carol Jane Callahan, 1935- Raymond J. Callahan, S. J. 1938?-1997 Martha E. Flinter, 1939- Darragh E. Callahan, 1944-2018 Moira Minnucci
Bibliography
Ancestry.com using National Archives and Records data.
Ayer, Charles. “Framingham News Editor Raymond J. Callahan Dies.” The News, Framingham- Natick. 08 Oct. 1970 p. 1+.
Brown, Bruce R. The History of the Framingham Historical Society 1888 to 1999. Goodway Graphics, 1999.
Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
“Marie M. Callahan [Obituary] Legacy.com. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/marie-callahan- obituary?pid=1649525&view=guestbook Accessed 06 June 2018.
Some people thought of Framingham as “Tag Town” because of the Dennison Manufacturing Company, but others knew it as the home of the beautiful orchids in Butterworth’s greenhouses.
John T. Butterworth (1856 – 1927) was born in Middleton, Lancashire England and at the age of eight and a half was bound to a five year apprenticeship earning four shillings a week. He walked three miles to his job every day and worked from dawn to dusk. Completing his apprenticeship he worked many places in England but wished to be “on his own.” He came to America where he took over a greenhouse on concord Street and built it into one of the largest and best known nurseries for rare and exotic plants. He raised carnations, orchids, calla lilies, roses and hyacinths in twelve greenhouses where St. Stephens now stands. In 1908 the Town tapped Butterworth’s horticultural talent when the Park Commission was established. He served on the Commission with Nathaniel Bowditch and Harry Winch. The three largest of these Framingham parks are named Butterworth, Bowditch and Winch for these commissioners.
George W. Butterworth, John’s son, suggested that they specialize in orchids. John at first was reluctant, he didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket, but he went along with the idea. The orchid business was hugely successful.
In June of 1924, John Butterworth was honored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society with a first class Certificate of Merit and the Society’s Gold Medal for his Catleya mossiae var. Mrs. J. T. Butterworth. This white orchid plant later sold for $10,000.
The Butterworths obtained bulbs from South America, and the Orient as well as other parts of the world. Their rare plants had value into the thousands.
They grew orchid plants from seed and were recognized as leading authorities. From the Framingham greenhouses orchids were shipped all over the United States.
Butterworth’s House at the corner of Concord and Clinton Streets. Framingham History Center collection. 2003.427
The Butterworth greenhouses were razed in the early 1960s (several years before 1964) by George W. Butterworth to clear the 2 acre site.
On April 2, 1964, Pastor Brown of St. Stephen’s Church purchased the approximately two acres of land from Rachael Butterworth Dietz, John’s daughter. The Butterworth house was razed in June 1964 and, subsequently, on October 21, 1964 ground was broken for the modern building to replace the old church built in 1883 at the site on Concord Street.
John T. Butterworth’s philosophy celebrated the blessing of a tired body, the blessing of having a share on the creation of beauty, the blessing of continual adventuring, and the blessing of tranquility.
Bibliography
“Acquire Site for Church.” Framingham (Mass.) News, April 6, 1964.
Head, Buckley. “Framingham Greenhouse Dates Back to Year 1848.” Framingham News, July 16, 1951.
Herring, Stephen, Framingham An American Town, The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Lucier, Virginia. “Butterworth’s grew famous orchids here.” The South Middlesex News, June 10, 1975.
Temple, J. H., The History of Framingham 1640-1880, The Town of Framingham, 1887.
White, Prof. F. A. American Orchid Culture, DeLaMare Garden Books, New York, 1927.
Framingham News, April 6, 1964 Framingham News, June 13, 1964.
Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch (1865 – 1945) is known for his successful operation of Millwood Farm and his commitment to advancing agriculture in Massachusetts. He was born in Southborough, Massachusetts where he attended St. Mark’s School. He continued his education at the Institute of Technology (M.I.T. today) when it was located in Boston. Upon graduation in 1887, he worked as an investment banker at Lee Higginson & Company in Boston. In 1890, he married Margaret Manning Choate and bought a home on Edmands Road in Framingham, around the corner from his parents’ home. The couple called their home “The Lilacs” after the many large lilac bushes in the front yard.
Nathaniel I. Bowditch. Framingham News, Nov. 12, 1946.
When his father died in 1891, Nathaniel left his job in Boston to run his father’s farm, Millwood Farm, with his brother John P. Bowditch. At the time, Millwood Farm was one of the largest farms in the state. Nathaniel had learned to farm while working with his father throughout his teen years. With their combination of practical experience and technical training, Nathaniel and John made Millwood Farm one of the most successful farms in Massachusetts. Nathaniel paid attention to the health of his cows. He tested them for tuberculosis, a lung disease, fed and exercised them regularly, gave them clean water to drink, and kept the large barns clean. The farm hands wore protective clothing and had to wash their hands before milking the cows. Once the milking was finished, the milk was immediately chilled and then bottled into sterilized bottles for shipment.
Nathaniel was not only a farmer, he was also very active in local and state agricultural organizations. He helped found the Middlesex County Extension Service and Farm Bureau in 1917, and served as its president. He was a trustee for the Massachusetts State College at Amherst (UMass Amherst today) for forty-nine years and was a member of the 4-H National Committee. As a member of the Framingham Park Commission, he helped to establish a system of parks and playgrounds throughout town. He was a trustee of Framingham Union Hospital and Vice President of the Framingham Community Chest. As the town’s Tree Warden for twenty years, he oversaw the planting and protection of trees in Framingham.
Nathaniel was also directly involved in local recreational activities. His father, E. F. Bowditch had started a private hunt club on his Millwood Farm in 1866, where horsemen could ride over fields and fences following a pack of dogs in pursuit of foxes (or a foxlike lure). When his father died, the club ceased operation. Nathaniel restarted it a few years later. Nathaniel, his brother John P., and Robert Forbes Perkins ran the club as an informal hunt club until 1922. At this time, the club was incorporated, and by 1925 it was recognized the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association. The Millwood Hunt Club was the first organized hunt club in New England. When it was disbanded in 1969, it had been in operation for 103 years.
The Lilacs, 689 Edmands Road. Photograph by M. S. Evans. FHC Collection.
In 1946, a year after Mr. Bowditch died, the town re-named the Fair Grounds on Union Avenue Bowditch Field in his honor. Framingham originally purchased Bowditch Field from the South Middlesex Agricultural Society in 1917; in 1936, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) built the grandstand, sidewalks, tennis courts and sewers at the field. In 2009, the field and facilities were renovated again. Bowditch Field is not only a place for Framingham residents to recreate and exercise, but also has been used by the Lion Tamers, a semi-pro football team (1920s), the Boston Braves, an professional baseball team (1936), the local high schools for football games and graduation ceremonies, and the Boston Renegades, a professional women’s soccer team (1997-2008).
Millwood Farm. FHC collection. 2003.304.2
Facts
Parents: Ebenezer Francis (E. F.) Bowditch and Elizabeth Fessenden (Perry) Bowditch
Nathaniel died April 4, 1945 in his home in Framingham after a long illness and is buried in the Old South Burial Ground.
The house at Millwood Farm still stands and is currently home to the Sudbury Valley School on the corner of Winch and Millwood Streets.
Siblings: Anne Redman Bowditch, 1871- ; Ebenezer Francis Bowditch, 1874-1875; Elizabeth Francis Bowditch, 1881- ; John Perry Bowditch, 1883-
Nathaniel and Margaret Bowditch did not have any children.
Bibliography
Herring, Stephen W. Framingham, an American Town. The Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Marlowe, George F. “Story of Millwood Farm.” Framingham News, 15 Apr. 1947.
“Memorial Forum to Honor Late Nathaniel I. Bowditch. “ Framingham News, 12 Nov. 1946.
“Millwood Farm.” June 1900. A newspaper clipping found in the Framingham History Center General Resource File. Newspaper not identified.
“Mr. Bowditch Died Today in His 80th Year.” Framingham Evening News, 4 Apr. 1945.
“N.I. Bowditch, 79, Scientific Farmer.” The New York Times, 4 Apr. 1945.
Pyemont, Ruth N. Memories of Millwood Hunt. Framingham Centre, 196? (on file at the Framingham History Center.
Ulrich, Ron. “Bowditch, Ebenezer Francis (5 NOV 1841-30 DEC 1891)” Welcome to the ULRICH Family Tree Links 18 May 2011, http://www.ronulrich.com/rfuged/fam02008.htm Accessed 06 June 2017.
Did this ever happen to you? You spy something really special in a store’s window, but it is too expensive. What to do? Well, this is exactly the dilemma that Betsey Metcalfe of Providence, Rhode Island found herself in. Betsey saw a Dunstable Bonnet, the latest fashion in bonnets imported from England, in a Providence shop window. However, the bonnet was too expensive, so Betsey figured out how to make the straw braid, and then fashioned her own bonnet at home. This was the beginning of a boom in the braided straw bonnet industry in New England.
Straw plaiting, or braiding, spread to the towns of Franklin and Wrentham in Southeastern Massachusetts and eventually to Framingham. In 1799 or 1800, Betsey Bennett (1782-1849), a Framingham teenager, and her mother began braiding grass and rye straw which they then made into bonnets and hats at home. Soon other women and girls joined in and a new “cottage” industry was born in Framingham.
1815 bonnet made in Framingham. FHC Collections. Damianos Photography
The 19th century straw braid and bonnet industry quickly became very profitable. Boys and girls braided at home, sometimes they even took the straw to school to work on. Women carried bundles of it to braid when they travelled or visited friends. A skilled girl could braid between 10 – 12 yards of the fine “Dunstable” braid or 18 – 24 yards of the coarse a day. The fine braid sold for 3 to 3 ½ cents a yard. Shopkeepers even accepted the braided straw as payment for goods purchased.
In 1807, Major Benjamin Wheeler was one of the first men to open his own straw braiding business. By the 1830s, most of the straw bonnet production in Framingham had moved out of the homes and into factories which were built in the area around the railroad station in South Framingham. Between the years 1830 to 1860, straw braid and bonnet manufacturing was the largest industry in Framingham. By 1865, 50 men and 800 women made their living braiding straw and making bonnets and hats in Framingham. That year, 107,000 bonnets and 60,000 hats were produced and shipped all over the United States.
By the 1890s, fashion changed, demand for these types of hats and bonnets declined, and eventually all the factories closed.
H. O. Billings Straw Factory. FHC collection 19.01
Now back to Betsey Bennett. Little information has been recorded about the life of this young girl who changed the economic climate of her hometown in the early 19th century. But we do know that Betsey must have been a skilled straw braider and bonnet maker because she was awarded a $5.00 prize for her entry of an imitation leghorn straw bonnet in the 1822 Cattle Show at Brighton (a country fair). Betsey never married and died of consumption on February 5, 1849 at the age of sixty-seven years. She is buried in the Church Hill Cemetery.
Facts
Born: January 26, 1782
Died: February 5, 1849
Parents: Joseph & Mary (Swift) Bennett
Bibliography
Baldwin, Thomas W., comp. Vital Records of Framingham Massachusetts to the year 1850. Wright & Potter Printing Co., 1911. Archive.org https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsoffr00fram Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
“Family Tree: The Carr-Bennett Heritage: Surename: Bennett. Tribalpages. http://www.tribalpages.com/family-tree/leebennett39 Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
Fessenden, Thomas. The New England Farmer. 26 Oct. 1822. Vol. 1, no. 13 p. 99 Thomas W. Shepard, 1823. Books.google.com https://books.google.com/books?id=VTTOAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA227&lpg=RA1- PA227&dq=betsey+bennett+framingham+mass&source=bl&ots=AyCtoB5wfr&sig=aZt CIexw-VvwQ4S9YGkacmX66wY&hl=en&sa=X&ved= 0ahUKEwi6voTuxYHTAhVkwYMKHbwyBCwQ6AEITDAJ#v=onepage&q= betseybennettframinghammass&f=false Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
Herring, Stephen. Framingham: An American Town. Framingham Historical Society, The Framingham Tercentennial Commission, 2000.
Stanley, Autumn. Mothers and Daughters of Invention. Scarecrow Press, 1993.
Temple, Josiah H. History of Framingham, Massachusetts, 1640-1885. A special Centennial year reprinting of the 1887 edition. New England History Press, 1988.
