USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1950, Volume II > Part 39
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After the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Brigham, John, the only son, inherited the property and has lived there since that time. He married Grace MacLaren, daughter of the Congregational minister of Sutton, Jan. 11, 1923.
There are five children. John Dexter Jr., born Nov. 24, 1923, served in World War II as Radar Technician. He married Carolyn Marie Carlson of Worcester, and they have one son Mark.
Donald Logan, born July 7, 1925, was graduated from School of Worcester Art Museum in 1948, and received the degree of B.A. from Clark University in 1949 and is an instructor of Fine Arts. He married Dorothy Ruben.
Robert MacLaren, born May 6, 1928, attended Northeastern University and served in the U.S. Army of Occupation from Oct. 1946 to April 1948, including fifteen months in Korea. He later married Isabel Mary Green, April 29, 1950.
James Burnap, born Nov. 8, 1932, is in the Class of '51 of Sutton High School.
Joan Betsey, born May 28, 1934, is a graduate of Sutton High School. She has become an accomplished pianist and has also studied Art.
John Brigham, like his father, has served well as a public spirited citizen. He has been Town Auditor, a member of the Board of Public Welfare for several years, and Deacon of the Congregational Church as well as serving on the Finance Board of that Society for years. He is now a member of the staff in the U. S. Post Office in Millbury.
The next place beyond the Calmer Farm, going east on Leland Hill Road, is owned and occupied by Walter Dakin and family.
The house is very old and well-preserved. History tells us it was built in 1775. For many years it was known as the Gardner Dodge Place. Mr. Dodge built the barn, ran the farm and also manufactured threshing machines in a shop he erected. He was evidently successful in this venture, for he often said that one machine was sent to California, "around the Horn." He was also a blacksmith and shod many oxen.
After Mr. Dodge's death, Mrs. Dodge sold the property to Julia Erickson who continued the cultivation of the farm.
There were five Erickson children: Mildred, who married Henry Merritt and went to Grafton; Marie, who married William Oelschlegel, moved to North- bridge and now resides in Grafton; Dagmar, who became a trained nurse and afterwards married Axel Spongberg; Hartwig is now living in East Millbury; Althea, who married Arthur VanZylstra, lives in Grafton.
In 1921 Walter Dakin bought the place and moved there with his family. The beautiful ash trees in front of the house inspired the name "Ashcroft" for the farm.
The Dakins have specialized in poultry and dairy products besides market garden produce and many kinds of fruit which they sell locally.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
In 1923, they put in carbide gas, and electricity, in 1938. In 1936, they made extensive repairs, adding a new kitchen.
Frank Dakin, a son, is living in an apartment at the home and is running the farm and planning an increase in the poultry business.
There are seven Dakin children: Evelyn, born in 1910, married William Brouwer and went to Whitinsville; Lillian was born in 1912; Mildred, born in 1914, married John Viestra of Northbridge; Ruth, born in 1916, married Ed- ward Bates and resides in Whitinsville; Lester, born in 1918, married Jane Sroczynski and lives in Sutton; Frank, born 1920, who married Mildred Ogren, is on the farm and has one son Robert; Dorothy, born in 1925, married Roland Millette, and went to Millbury.
Lester was Sergeant and crew chief in Airplane Mechanics, serving about four years in World War II.
Frank was Sergeant in Ordnance and saw three years' service; two in India and Burma in World War II.
Mrs. Walter Dakin shows a keen sense of appreciation of Nature in her articles published by the Worcester Telegram.
The first house on Pierce Road, going south to Central Turnpike, is the home of Mrs. Carl Anderson. This was formerly the Alphonso Brigham home and the house was near the road where the shed now stands. It was a long, rambling building with several additions. George Smart bought the property and tore down the old house and built the present dwelling and shed with the lumber. Mr. Smart sold the place to Gottfried Ekstrom, who, in turn, sold it to Carl Anderson. The Ekstroms then went to the next farm, the Lincoln Place.
Carl and Anna Anderson came from Sweden and both were very industrious. Mr. Anderson was caretaker of the Dodge Cemetery for many years and was finally laid to rest in the spot he so painstakingly tended. Mrs. Anderson is well known for her braided rugs. There were five children: Emil married Ida Matt- son and remained in the stucco house where the family formerly lived; Greta, married Roosevelt Mattson; Margaret married Carl Swanson and lives in Hope- dale; Linnea became a registered nurse and lives in Mendon; Corinne married Clarence Swart of South Sutton.
The second house on Pierce Road, now owned by Joseph Baarda, was re- ferred to, in Vol. I of the Sutton History, as the Lewis Pierce place. After Lewis Pierce's death, the property was inherited by his daughter, Sarah Pierce.
George Lincoln, son of Asa Lincoln, worked there as her farmer. After Sarah Pierce's death Mr. Lincoln acquired the property and lived there with his mother and wife and they all died in the same house.
William Kerr was the next owner. He was a gardener for Graton & Knight Co. in Worcester.
After Mr. Kerr, the Millbury Savings Bank came into possession and on May 1, 1935, Joseph Baarda and family came there to live.
Mr. Baarda's trade is "abrasive mixing" but he finds time to work on the farm, also. On June 25, 1940, he bought the property and later sold a portion on Central Turnpike to James O. Dudley.
Mr. and Mrs. Baarda have four children: Frederick Richard, born Feb. 13, 1932; Sylvia Gertrude born May 21, 1933; Thelma Harriet, born June 21, 1938 and Janice Wilma, born Sept. 1, 1943.
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HOMES of SUTTON
WORCESTER-PROVIDENCE TURNPIKE
Going east on the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, the first house on the right, after crossing the Pleasant Valley Road, was built in 1950 by Francis R. Fredette, who came there from Whitinsville. He purchased the land (one and one-fourth acres) from Joseph LaPlante in 1945. His sister, Tena, also makes her home there; she is a practical nurse and companion, so is away a large part of the time on various cases.
Mr. Fredette is employed at Whitinsville Spinning Ring Co. The house and grounds are a beauty spot; the house attractive and the surroundings very care- fully landscaped.
HOME OF FRANCIS R. FREDETTE
The next place beyond Mr. Fredette's on the highway is a residence-manufac- turing business combination. The building was originally erected by Albert Lambert for a restaurant but it was used as such only a short time. Mr. Lambert became seriously ill and the ownership passed to real estate agents who sold to Kenneth E. Swallow in 1950.
Mr. Swallow came from Leicester, where in 1945 he and his brother Charles had started a business, known as the Seastrand Products Co. They are manufac- turers of fishing leader-wire. Five people are employed, with Kenneth as business manager. The machinery is installed in the lower floor; the office and shipping room are at one end of the upper floor and a roomy apartment at the other end.
Mr. Swallow lives there with his wife and daughter Theresa.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
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HOME OF "THE MOOSKIANS"
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HOMES of SUTTON
The first house on the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, on the left, going south beyond the Pleasant Valley Road, was owner-built. It is the home of Raoul and Edith LaPlante. It is a large house with modern improvements.
The LaPlantes bought the property from Joseph and Mary LaPlante in 1941. A great deal of labor was expended to fill in the area which is now an attractive and well-kept lawn.
There are two children: Elaine, born in 1940 and Paul in 1945. Mr. LaPlante is a driver for a large transportation company.
The next house beyond that of Raoul LaPlante going south is now owned by Raymond and Phyllis Soderman, who bought it, in 1951, from Mrs. Leona LaPlante. Mrs. Soderman was formerly Phyllis Jones. They have one child, Raymond Curtis. Mr. Soderman is a veteran of World War II.
The house was built by Oliver LaPlante, who died in 1950 and was the hus- band of Leona LaPlante. The property was bought, in 1947, from John C. Dud- ley, who had acquired it from Herbert Taylor. It was formerly part of the Fred S. Smith estate.
Oliver and Leona LaPlante had five children: Theodore, born in 1904, mar- ried Gladys Haines and went to Lowell; Raoul, born in 1906, married Edith Kershaw; Cecile, born 1908, married Albert Mercure; Norman, born in 1910, married Margaret Chadwick and went to Providence, R. I .; Irene, born in 1916, married Jean Casey and went to Smithfield, R. I.
The house, past the bridge over Cold Spring Brook, going south on the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, is the home of John and Rose Bushey Moos- kian. It is a large ranch-type construction, high on the bank, with five rooms and a bathroom. Large picture windows give a wide view of the surrounding landscape.
Mr. Mooskian bought the property, in 1950, from John C. Dudley. There is one child, Charlene, born in 1947.
Mr. Mooskian is a veteran of World War II, and was Acting Chief Motor Machinist in the Coast Guard. He has been Commander of Dudley-Gendron Legion Post, Member of Police Force, Surveyor of Highways, and is, by trade, a contractor.
The fourth house on the left, after leaving Pleasant Valley Road, going toward Dudley Square, is the home of Donald Seaver. This house, high on the hill, was built by James Black, who, with his wife, occupied it for a few months. It was bought by Mr. Seaver, Aug. 4, 1947, and it has been the family home since that time. There are two children, Gwenn Frances, and Pamela Louise, who was born Sept. 11, 1948, since the family moved to Sutton.
Mr. Seaver served in the Army five years as Private First Class, 167 Infantry 31st Division; two of those years being in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. Mr. Seaver has worked as grinder in Reed and Prince Co. of Worcester and later as pressman in the U. S. Envelope Co., Logan Division.
In the summer of 1949 when the New Providence-Worcester Turnpike was being constructed, Everett and Gladys Minor erected a roadside fruit and vege- table stand. As construction continued, more items were requested by motorists until the stand was greatly enlarged. Lunches were served and a variety of home- cooked food was available.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
WORCESTER - PROVIDENCE TURNPIKE
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HOMES of SUTTON
The parking-space was increased by filling in a large part of the swampy area.
When the name was sought, Mrs. Minor suggested that tunes in e-minor were pleasing and that those in g-minor were equally harmonious, therefore the stand was named Harmony Acres for E. and G. Minor.
Mr. Minor served in World War II as Master Sergeant 529 Signal Operations in the Pacific Area.
In 1951, this place was bought by Honore and Gabrielle Lavoie from Herbert A. Taylor. The Lavoies built a completely new and modern structure which they call "Henry's Lunch." The Lavoie family make this spot their home. The chil- dren are Paul (1941), Marcel (1943), Norman (1945), Mary Jean (1948), Andrew (1950) and Madeline (1951).
Going south, on the Worcester-Providence Turnpike, the next property, is the home of Alfred and Diana Leonard.
Mr. Leonard bought the place, in March 1940, from William Stockwell who had inherited it from his father, Tyler Stockwell. It was a wood lot, thick with trees and brush and he made an entrance path with an axe. Since that time he has cleared and landscaped a large section, leveled a knoll in the rear, using the earth to fill a swampy area. This has made a level and very fertile garden spot.
Mr. Leonard, a carpenter, erected a seven-room house and a two-car garage.
Mrs. Leonard has two children: Irene Mathieu, a daughter, was married to George Pearson and went to Holden. She has three children; Fred Mathieu, the son, is now living with the Leonards with his two children, Donald and Paul Mathieu.
The property next to Donald Seaver's, going south on the Worcester-Provi- dence Turnpike, was bought, in 1945, by Leon Douglas and Viola Briggs Black from William Stockwell, who inherited it from his father, Tyler Stockwell, and formerly owned by J. Patch Stockwell.
Mr. Black first built a home for his immediate family, and has since added smaller dwellings on the property for some of the married children.
Mr. Black is a farmer and lumber dealer. Mrs. Black has for years sold artistic Christmas wreaths during the holiday season.
They have nine children: Nellie May, born in 1915, married Robert Simpson and went to New Hampshire; Lyla Bliss, born in 1916, married David Stephens and they have a restaurant in Florida; Viola Margaret, born in 1917, married Daniel Keefe, who was killed in France in World War II; she served in the Medical Corps of the Army, World War II; she has since married Raymond Sweeny; James Douglas, born in 1921, married Anna Lewis, served in the Marines, World War II; Richmond, born in 1924, served in the Marines, World War II; Beatrice, born in 1926, married Theodore Painehand and went to Los Angeles; Alexander, born in 1929, married Emma Benoit; he served in the Marines, World War II, and was called into the Reserves recently; Leon, born in 1931, is now in service in Germany; Mary, born in 1936, is in school.
Going south on the Providence-Worcester Turnpike, about 100 yards north of the intersection of Armsby Road, one may see the Pearson home almost hidden by large trees.
This house is owner-built with redwood clapboards of natural finish. Fire- places in the living room and master bedroom are serviced by a chimney sixteen
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HISTORY of SUTTON
HOME OF MALCOLM D. PEARSON
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HOMES of SUTTON
and one half feet wide and twenty-five feet high, constructed of "Sutton" stone obtained on the site.
Two bedrooms are pine panelled as is the living room, which has a beamed ceiling. The dining room is tulip wood panelled.
The garage is underneath the house and an artesian well furnishes the water supply.
Mr. and Mrs. Pearson have two children; Paul H. Pearson, born in 1940, and a daughter, Marcia E. Pearson, born in 1945. Mr. Pearson is Plant Photographer at Whitin Machine Works, Whitinsville, Mass.
Mrs. Pearson was born in Grafton, the daughter of Joseph Holding and Elizabeth (Ratcliffe) Holding. Mr. Pearson, the son of Charles Pearson and Sarah (Persons) Pearson, was born in Plymouth, N. H. He has done photography and field research work on unique stone remains, located in various parts of New England. These illustrations and reports appear in books by the late William B. Goodwin, Hartford, Connecticut, (Great Ireland in New England, Meador, Boston) and the late Olaf Strandwold, Prosser, Washington (Runic Inscriptions Along the North Atlantic Seaboard, Edition I & II, privately printed). A site near North Salem, N. H., where these curious stone structures are located, which establish an unproclaimed architectual era in New England, came into Mr. Pear- son's possession upon the death of Mr. Goodwin. Their design and construction tend to substantiate evidence that a pre-Norsemen occupation by Europeans was probable, previous to the tenth century.
Wedgewood, formerly known as the "Newell Wedge Farm" and the "David Wells Place" is located on Armsby Road at the intersection of the new Providence-Turnpike.
This attractive place, with its beautiful lily pond, was occupied for many years by Newell Wedge and his two daughters, Sarah E. and Mary A. Wedge.
Sarah, who was a brilliant teacher and widely traveled, came home to live with her father, who died April 29, 1900, and she inherited the farm. She subse- quently married David Wells, who died in 1919.
Mr. Wells was a gentleman farmer and, as a hobby, turned Newell Wedge's School House, located in the property, into a shop.
Sarah Wedge was Principal of Sutton High School for many years and is still remembered as an outstanding educator and beloved teacher. She lived to the age of 88 and was a very active and keen-minded person. She took great interest in the construction of the new Super Highway, which, in 1937, passed through the entire length of her farm - to Central Turnpike, now Dudley Square. This will be, when finished, the main artery from Worcester to Providence.
Her sister Mary, known as "Minnie," was married to Henry Hall King. There were two sons, Henry Hall King, Ph.D. of Cornell University and Fayette Armsby King, long time head of the Cost Department of Crompton & Knowles, in Worcester. After Henry King's early death at the age of 29, Mrs. Mary King married Walter Wheeler of Rutland, then Principal of Sutton High School. They went to Rutland to live.
After the death of Sarah Wedge Wells the house was bought by her grand- niece and her husband, Polly and Carl Theodore Johnson. Polly is Mary Wedge Wheeler's granddaughter, and Fayette King's daughter. The Johnsons have one son, Robert Arthur, now serving in the United States Navy, in Electronics.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
Everything in the construction of the buildings, stone walls, etc. bespeak pains- taking care, as Joshua Armsby, the builder, was a skilled workman of the highest order. It is related that the boards of which the barn is covered, were for months, during the summer, set edgewise on both sides of a stone wall to dry, and taken under cover each night.
When the Johnsons bought the property, they decided that the fifteen-room house was too large for their family of three, so they made a small apartment upstairs in the ell.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Murray (Doris Moe) and their three children lived there for five years, and were followed by Mr. and Mrs. John Henn and their two children.
Mr. Johnson is by trade an interior decorator, and has cleverly introduced modern improvements, still keeping intact the original beauties of the old residence.
A member of the family states: "The property has changed surnames at every generation since it came into the family in 1795 (Joshua Armsby). The odd fact is that it has always been the women of the family who have carried on, traditionally."
When the new Worcester-Providence Turnpike was built, the landscape was often radically changed. Valleys and plains appeared where steep rocky inclines had been. This was especially true of the spot, just past Smith Road, west of the Worcester-Providence Turnpike. An apple orchard on a steep hill suddenly became a level plain and Leo and Lena Amour Girardin bought the location, Dec. 9, 1946, for a home site.
In 1949, they built a beautiful, modern house of four rooms and bath without a blueprint. They dug their own well and have since added other improvements.
Mr. Girardin served in World War II three and one-half years. He was First Class Private in 172nd Combat Engineers.
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LELAND HILL DISTRICT, No. 10
A FTER leaving the Grafton-Sutton town line, on the Leland Hill Road, the first house was owned and occupied by J. Pope, in 1876, who sold to Josiah Norcross of Shrewsbury, in 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Norcross had no children of their own, but brought up from babyhood a niece, Jennie, a daughter of his brother Edward. Miss Mildred Sibley, a school teacher in the district, made her home with them for a number of years. The niece, Jennie Nor- cross, married Louis T. Hall and went to Wilkinsonville, where she lived until her death in 1945. This farm had a remarkable blueberry pasture, many quarts being harvested from it every summer. Mr. Norcross had a large herd of Jersey cattle. He sold butter, cream, blueberries in season and other products every week in Worcester.
Mr. Norcross sold to Emile Dupuis of Worcester, in 1905. His family con- sisted of four sons, Elezear, Gaspard, Emile Jr., Armand and a daughter Florence. Elezear married and lives in Worcester; Gaspard is employed in Wor- cester and lives in Sutton; the younger children attended school in Sutton. Mr. Dupuis maintained a real estate business in the city. He sold to Henry Valliere of Connecticut in the fall of 1906, who bought the home for himself and his brother Joseph with whom he lived. Henry was unmarried; Joseph had a family of small children, Rebecca, Yvonne, Ernest, Mary, Dora and baby Alice, who died here very young. The children attended school here. The Valliere brothers were dairy farmers, and kept beautiful black Canadian horses for their farm work. Mr. Valliere sold to Drew Orchards Inc., in 1912, and moved to Canada, where he still lives.
The house on the farm was next occupied by George E. Bryant, foreman for the Drew Orchards Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant had one daughter Evelyn. They boarded from time to time some of the employees of the corporation. The com- pany set out many hundred peach and apple trees. Drew Orchards Inc. sold to W. H. and D. S. Fiske of Grafton and Providence, R. I. in 1921. This farm had many springs of water. An acre of land, which contained five of the springs, was sold to the Fisher's Manufacturing Co., in 1904, by Mr. Norcross. They were' piped to form a new reservoir, since the company's old one had been condemned as unfit for general use.
Mr. and Mrs. George Jeffrys and their son George Jr. are the present occu- pants of the house.
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HISTORY of SUTTON
Continuing from the Norcross place, on the Leland Hill road, the next house, owned and occupied by J. Henry Hartness, was bought by his father John Hart- ness, in 1873, from the Horace Leland heirs, whose ancestors built the house about 1764. The house is situated at the junction of five roads, forming what is known as Hartness Corner. One of these roads was the original road to Sutton Centre; the road that passes directly in front of the house is a section of the old Connecticut Roadway.
The Hartness children, Anna M. and J. Henry, were born here. John Hartness was a dairy farmer and retailed his milk in the villages. He was an invalid many years before his death in 1890. After his death his wife Mary, with the aid of hired help and the son, continued the business. Some years later, the son bought the property and the business from the other heirs, the mother and daughter moving to Saundersville where the daughter was employed.
J. Henry Hartness married Ella M. Banister of Grafton. Their children, Ethel L. and Henry J., were born on the farm. Ethel L., a graduate of Simmons Col- lege at Boston, specializing in library work, was one of the assistants in the library of Clark University in Worcester until her marriage to Clarence Hutchin- son, Mar. 5, 1927. Henry J., a graduate of Stockbridge School at Amherst, specializing in animal industry, married Thelma Allen of Auburn and left Sutton to live in Derby, Conn., to the Osborndale Farms where he stayed two years. Then he came to Fairoak Farm at Lincoln, R. I. as head herdsman, in 1934, where he still lives.
Mr. Hartness kept an accredited herd of purebred Holsteins and sold his milk to Hillcrest dairy in Worcester, after retailing for a number of years. The first mechanical milker in town was used on this farm. In 1914 the original dairy barn was torn down and a new one was built, another barn being retained as a hay barn.
The Hurricane of 1938 was so destructive that the property was sold to Francis J. Mason of North Grafton, who came here with his wife. He built a modern dairy barn and conducted a retail milk route in East Millbury and Grafton. The house was remodeled into a two-tenement house, the second floor being rented.
Mr. and Mrs. Hartness went to live in the adjoining property, owned by Daniel S. Fiske, acting as caretakers. Mr. Hartness held different town offices and was Chairman of the Selectmen for a number of years. He died April 26, 1950. Mrs. Hartness moved to her daughter's home on Boston Road.
It was on the Hartness farm, directly back of the house, that the first airway revolving beacon light in town was erected, about 1930. At the same time a blinker ground light was placed on Putnam Hill. A number of years afterward, the beacon was moved to Mendon, where an airport was made, the New York and Boston Airway route being moved nearer the coast.
In July 1946, Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. White bought the place from Francis Mason. They live here with their children, Karen Louise, born Aug. 23, 1942, Selina Rachel, born Aug. 19, 1944 and Frederick William, born Nov. 8, 1946. Mrs. White's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Karol Asocks, and their daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Cook, also resided here. Mrs. Asocks died in 1951.
Mr. Mason remodeled the original cow barn into a dwelling. Mr. and Mrs. George Early have occupied it since May 1951. Their children are, George Par- kin, Pauline Early, Winifred Early and Kathleen Early.
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HOMES of SUTTON
A small house, a few rods south of the Fiske farm, at the end of the old road, was bought by Rowland Stockwell from Augustus Adams. Mr. and Mrs. Stock- well had no children. He enlarged the acreage by the purchase of some land from Mary W. Dudley, in 1881, also by a few acres from John Hartness, in 1882. He operated a small poultry, egg and butter route. His wife Olive died there in 1891.
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