History and Genealogy

New Holyoke Book in Print

2006-03-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday, 08 March 2006, the following book has been published:

Holyoke: : The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst , by Kate Navarra Thibodeau

From the Amazon website:

"Born in England in 1824, William Skinner was a tradesman who, at 19, immigrated to the United States. Skinner turned his skill and resourcefulness into a tremendous success. He first went to work in Northampton and eventually opened the Unquomonk Silk Mills in nearby Haydenville. Skinner would have remained there had a flood not destroyed his business. He built a new mill along the canals in Holyoke, one of America’s first planned industrial cities, and moved his family home, Wistariahurst, to the city by dismantling it piece by piece. Residing in Holyoke for eight decades, the Skinner family contributed greatly to the community. Holyoke: The Skinner Family and Wistariahurst contains a rich legacy of photographs, letters, journals, and oral histories that provide an amazing view into life at Wistariahurst and the adventures of the family and their servants." Buy this book now from Amazon!

New York and Its Institutions

2006-03-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

New York and Its Institutions, by J.F. Richmond. Published in 1871, this 600-page books contains a brief history of Manhattan -- Plus -- a history of various charitable institutions in the city.

Fascinating book.

Historic profile of Monson, Massachusetts

2006-02-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

Historic profile of Monson, Hampden County, Massachusetts. Extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, military, list of selectmen and town clerks, churches, schools, burial-places, industries, Monson's military record in the Rebellion.

Reorganization

2005-09-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, there is a major reorganization of HolyokeMass that began over the weekend. Please bear with me as it may take a day or two to get everything just right.

In the meantime you might notice there is now a "suite" of six related sites, all with different content:

Holyoke, Mass
Berkshire County History
Hampshire County History
Franklin County History
Hampden County History
Western Massachusetts History

Enjoy!

Brief Historic Profile of Whately, Mass

2005-06-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Whately, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, industry, religion, schools and Whately's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865. Lots of names of early settlers.

Brief Historic Profile of Shutesbury, Mass

2005-06-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Shutesbury, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, industry, religion, schools and Shutesbury's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865. Lots of names of early settlers.

Brief Historic Profile of Leyden, Mass.

2005-06-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Leyden, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, industry, religion, schools and Leyden's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865. Lots of names of early settlers.

Brief Historic Profile of Leverett, Mass.

2005-06-30T06:24:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Leverett, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, industry, religion, schools and Leverett's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865. Lots of names of early settlers.

Brief Historic Profile of Colrain, Mass

2005-06-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Colrain, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, indian troubles, industry, religion, schools and Colrain's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865.

Brief Historic Profile of Ashfield, Mass.

2005-06-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Ashfield, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, taverns, industry, religion, schools and Ashfield's military record, including the Rebellion of 1861-1865.

Brief Historic Profile of Hawley, Mass.

2005-06-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Hawley, Massachusetts; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, civil government, town clerks & selectmen, public highways, industry, religion, schools and Hawley's record in the Rebellion of 1861-1865.

Brief Historic Profile of Erving, MA

2005-06-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Erving, Franklin County, MA; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, natural features, early settlement, organizations, villages, churches, burial places, societies, industry and Erving men who served during the Rebellion.

Brief Historic Profile of Heath, MA

2005-06-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Heath, Franklin County, MA; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, public schools, manufacturing interests, the professions, land titles and pioneer settlers, list of selectmen and town clerks, churches, schools, burial-places, Heath men who served during the Rebellion.

Brief Historic Profile of Wendell, MA

2005-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

A brief historic profile of Wendell, Franklin County, MA; extracted from Volume II of History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts, by Louis H. Everts, 1879. Topics include geographical, noteworthy incidents, military, list of selectmen and town clerks, villages within Wendell, churches, schools, burial-places, industries, Wendell's Rebellion Record.

Notes Concerning Nicholas Worthington

2005-06-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

Notes Concerning Nicholas Worthington and certain of his descendants, Hatfield, MA.
Self-published in Paris, 1888, by Nicholas-Lewis Worthingon, this 54 page booklet has the descendants of Nicholas Worthington (originally of England who died in Hatfield about 1683). Many of his descendants lived their life in Agawam and elsewhere, including one who became a member of the French Legion of Honor. Of general interest is excerpts from the 1837 diary of Amos Worthington who, along with his wife, took a trip to visit family in Ohio from Springfield, MA. Interesting description of travel upon inland waterways -- both canals and rivers.

Dedication of Peck School

2005-06-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

In September of 1973 the Dr. William R. Peck Junior High School opened and a building dedication ceremony was held. This is a reproduction of the program distributed at that event. My father, a teacher — later guidance counselor — in the building, attended the ceremony and kept his copy of the proceedings all these years. Read a short bio of William R. Peck, look at the building statistics, or just see how many names you recognize from this era.

625 Choice Recipes, 1886.

2005-05-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the updated HolyokeMass page! This is an ongoing process that will hopefully provide easier access to the various history and genealogy resources located on the site.

The latest addition is a transcription of a book from my personal library: "625 Choice Recipes From The Ladies of the Second Congregational Church, of Holyoke, Mass."

With few exceptions, each recipe in this cookbook was submitted by a female member of the Second Congregational Church in Holyoke. The Second Congregational Church was founded about 1853 and during the era in which this cookbook was published had an elevated social status in part because of the geographic area where parishoners resided, and partly because many of Holyoke's leading families were members. The less affluent families held membership in the Grace Church (which was closely affiliated with the Second Congregational) and were located "down the hill" as my grandmother used to call it. Closer to the manufacturing centers and serving the many employees who worked there. So, as you look through the name index in this cookbook, you will see families such as Allyn, Newton brothers, Skinners, Lyman, Loomis, Taft, Prentiss, and many others easily recognized if you are familiar with Holyoke. Although the women are cited through their husband's name — Mrs. J. S. McElwain, for example — most can be determined fairly easily by using the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.

Looking though the book is fascinating. Consider food preparation with a measurement of ingredients in a manner such as "butter the size of an egg." It is amazing to contemplate what the process of cooking for a family was like in 1886.

Lastly, take a moment to browse through the recipes in the "Food for the Sick" chapter. Most of these recipes were submitted by Holyoke physicians of the time. I expect they were commonly used, though not necessarily appealing.

Yearbook - Joseph Metcalf Class of 1951

2005-04-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

Online is the Joseph Metcalf School Class of 1951. According to the forword written by the principal, this is the fourth yearbook published for the Metcalf School. The first was a mimeographed version printed without photographs in 1948.

Included are individual photos of graduates, class photos of grades seven and eight, sports, activities, class will and prophecy. Another interesting feature is the "Metcalf Family Tree" listing relatives of the 1951 grads who also attended and graduated from the Metcalf School.

You can see the 1951 Metcalf School Yearbook here.

John J. Lynch 1953 Yearbook

2005-04-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

The Crossroads -- John J. Lynch Junior High School 1953 yearbook is now online. This would represent part of Holyoke High School Class graduating class of 1956. Photos, teachers, sports & activities with a name index for graduates and grades six though eight.

Available here.

History of the Town of Flatbush

2005-04-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

History of the Town of Flatbush, in Kings County, Long-Island. By Thomas M. Strong, D.D., Pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church of Flatbush, 1908 [1842]. Old and very general history of the early settling of Flatbush through the American Revolution with some obvious emphasis on the Battle of Brooklyn. Many recognizable names. Some history of Erasmus Hall and ecclesiastical history. Currently indexed by personal names only.

New England Manners And Customs In The Time Of Bryant's Early Life

2005-03-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

New England Manners And Customs In The Time Of Bryant's Early Life, by Mrs. H. G. Row. This article, originally published in Bay State Monthly in 1886, discusses various customs and cultural elements evident during the early life era of William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878).

An Old Deerfield Letter

2005-03-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

An Old Deerfield Letter. From New England Monthly, 1890. Four page letter by Ebenezer Grant written sometime after 1710 from events relayed to him by Lieutenant Childs and Mr. Hoit regarding a company led by Mr. Write [sic] who left Deerfield in 1710 to pursue Indians in Canada.

The Home of Josh Billings

2005-03-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

The Home of Josh Billings, by Edith Parker Thomson. Short article describing the author Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-1885), who had the pen name of "Josh Billings." Shaw was a well-known humorist and was said to be better known in his time than his contemporary, Mark Twain. "Josh Billiings" is still quoted, even today. Shaw was originally from Lanesborough, a focus of this article.

The Massachusetts Slave Trade

2005-03-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

The Massachusetts Slave Trade, written by Lilian Brandt. Scholarly article with primary sources cited on the early involvement of Massachusetts both directly and indirectly with the slave trade. Originally published in New England Magazine, 1899.

Adams and North Adams

2005-03-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

Adams and North Adams, by Clinton Q. Richmond.
Twenty-one page article describing the history of Adams and North Adams, Massachusetts. Some of the topics addressed include geography, Fort Massachusetts, Ephraim Williams, French & Indian War, Manufacturing companies, prominent citizens, the state Normal School and the eventual split of Adams into two towns. Originally published in New England Magazine, 1899. Illustrated.