USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1876 to 1950, Volume II > Part 48
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
On Hartness Road, just past the intersection of Hartness Road and Pleasant St., going towards Leland Hill, is the well-kept property of Henry Rocque. Mr. Rocque came to Wilkinsonville to live in 1883, when he was seven years of age. Four years later, at eleven, he went to work in the Cotton Mill owned by the Slater Co. In May, 1896, he was married to Corinne Malo and the next year they went to Rhode Island to live. Thirty-one years later they returned to Wilkinson- ville and in Sept. 1928, bought a 4-acre wood-lot on the hillside. After clearing about one acre, he laid the foundation for the modern two-family house which stands on this spot and they moved in at Thanksgiving time, in 1929. The first floor was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Rocque and the two boys who made their home with them, Henry Malo and Elwyn Tift. The carpenter, Peter Gauvin, Jr. who built the house occupied the upper floor with his family.
Elwyn Tift, served three and a half years in the regular Army and after his discharge was married and went to Millbury. He served in World War II, went overseas, was wounded twice. After two and a half years of service he was dis- charged and invalided home and also received the Purple Heart. He still resides in Millbury with his wife Beatrice Blanchette and four children.
432
HISTORY of SUTTON
Other families who have lived in this house are that of LeForest Martin who served in World War I and that of Wilfred Auger. There are two Auger daugh- ters: Dorothy, who married Marshall Russell in 1946 and Jacqueline, who mar- ried Norton Clarkson of Sutton in 1948. They have one son.
Mrs. Rocque died in West Boylston Sanitorium July 27, 1939 after a long illness.
The view from this location is unusual, giving a panorama of the Valley and the houses on Prospect Street in Millbury are clearly visible.
Just above the intersection of Dodge Hill and Hartness Roads, going east may be found the temporary home of Salvatore Morelli. He and his wife, Lillian, bought the property from George Vincent in 1949 and have started their cellar for a new home. They have one child, George, born 1943. Mr. Morelli is a vet- eran of World War II and is interested in photography.
On Hartness Road, on the right, on the way to Leland Hill, we find a new house, easily identified by a large boulder near the highway.
Mr. Peter Brehio, a retired loom-fixer, bought two acres of land, in 1949, from Arthur Vincent. Mr. Chas. Brehio, a neighbor, built a house and Mr. Peter Brehio and his wife, Albina, came from Pawtucket to make their home there. A grandson, Frederick T. Marshall, Jr. lives with them. He is the son of Mr. Brehio's daughter, Dorilda, who married Frederick Marshall, Sr.
Going up Hartness Road toward Leland Hill, we find, set back from the travelled way, the Chas. Brehio property, named "Sunrise Knoll." There are about three acres of land and a small orchard. About 1920, John Kempton sold this place to Alexis Cardin, who, in turn, sold it to Hormidas Lemoine, in 1934. Several owners followed; Floyd Perkins, in 1937, Jackson Sales and Service in 1939, and in 1940, Edmond Millette built a one-room structure and started a poultry business. Mr. Chas. L. Brehio, a carpenter, saw the possibilities of a home on the spot and bought the property in 1944. In May, 1945, the Brehio family moved into the new five-room home, owner-built, with modern conveniences.
Mr. Brehio was employed, during World War I, as a ship builder, at the Stratford Shipyard, Milford, Connecticut and is now well-known in the vicinity, as a builder of homes.
Mrs. Brehio is a very public-spirited woman, always willing to help raise needed money for the Red Cross, Heart and Salvation Army Drives.
There are two Brehio children: Emile, and an adopted daughter, Elaine. Emile married Loretta McFadden. He was a First Class Private in the Quartermaster Corps during World War II and is now living in Leicester, Massachusetts. They have one child, Beverly Ann.
Mr. Alfred Gasco, a loom-fixer, built the house on Hartness Road nearly op- posite the Chas. Brehio house. Mr. Gasco bought the land from Joseph C. Fregeau in 1942. Mr. and Mrs. Gasco and their son, Alfred Leonard Gasco made this place their home until the sudden death of Mr. Gasco in 1950.
Mr. Gasco had built a large henhouse and had a successful poultry business. Alfred Leonard Gasco was married to Barbara Christiansen of Grafton in Sept. 1951. In Jan. 1952, he went into service and Mrs. Gasco, the mother, moved to New Jersey. Her house is rented to Mr. and Mrs. Albert Drake.
In 1889, Capt. Henry Dudley built a large house on the highest point of the hill at the end of Merrill Road, on land formerly owned by Sullivan Newton.
433
HOMES of SUTTON
The view from this point is extensive and gives a panorama of miles of the valley landscape. The Dudley and Merrill families named the spot "Dudley Hill" and it is now owned by J. Harry and Esther G. Bohanan, who bought the prop- erty, in 1941.
The house was burned, in 1905, and rebuilt by the same plans soon after- wards, except for the addition of one room.
Capt. Dudley had an enviable Civil War record. He managed the D. T. Shuttle Co. His first wife was Lucina Chase, who died in 1890. Capt. Dudley and his wife were musical. Both had played the organ at St. John's Church and Capt. Dudley had a large reed organ installed in the house.
There were two daughters: Beulah, born in 1867 and died in 1874 and Lucy, born in 1871 and died in 1946. Lucy attended Lasalle Junior College, Auburn- dale and also studied the violin. She was married to Arthur C. Merrill.
Arthur Merrill was a studious, self-effacing man, whose contribution to the well-being of his town is impressive.
He was a fish culturist, and William C. Adams, onetime Director of Massa- chusetts Division of Fisheries and Game, and later holding a similar position in New York, pronounced Mr. Merrill the outstanding member of his profession.
In carrying on his chosen work, Mr. Merrill brought the Sutton Trout Hatch- ery, the first of its kind in the State, to its peak of production, and conceived, and carried out, the project to convert the ponds and swampland, formerly owned by the Sutton Cranberry Co. at West Sutton, to the present rearing station for warm-water fish.
He traveled about the State extensively, planning new fish propagation sta- tions, such as those at Amherst, Sunderland, and Palmer, and trained young men to take over and operate these plants.
Mr. Merrill served for many years on the School Committee, where he was instrumental in extending the playgrounds at the Wilkinsonville, Leland Hill and Union Districts. He also promoted, and served on the building committees for the old high school building and the addition to the Wilkinsonville school- house.
There were three Merrill children; Beulah, born in 1902, Elmer Dudley, in 1905 and Kenneth Wilbur, in 1921. Beulah was graduated from Cushing Acad- emy and the University of New Hampshire. She is a Research Technician at the Evans Memorial of Mass. Memorial Hospitals. Elmer Dudley was graduated from Rennsalear Polytechnic Institute, taught there for two years and later was a chemical engineer for the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey and later for the Dupont Co. Kenneth was employed by the Mass. Fish and Game Commission, served in World War II and is now employed by Wyman-Gordon Co. of Worcester.
Capt. Dudley married Mrs. Myra Hall for his second wife. She died in 1919, and Capt. Dudley died in 1920. Soon afterward the Merrills moved to the Dud- ley house from the State Hatchery.
Mr. Merrill retired in 1941, and a short time later, Mr. and Mrs. J. Harry Bohanan from Northbridge bought the property and came to live on the hill. The Merrills moved to Hopkinton and Mr. Merrill died in 1946.
There were seven Bohanan children: Flora M., a nurse; John H. Jr., who died in 1938; G. Leland, who married Shirley Elliott; Lois R. married Winslow
434
HISTORY of SUTTON
Kaye, and has two children, Winston Scott and Patricia Jewel; Russell W. mar- ried Doris Carpenter; Meta is in Evangelistic Service and David, in the Air Force.
G. Leland and Russell W. Bohanan and Herbert D. Marcy, a nephew, who lived in the family, were in World War II, besides two daughters and a daughter- in-law who served as Cadet Nurses.
In 1888, Capt. Henry Dudley built the two-apartment house, on Merrill Road, owned by J. Harry and Esther Bohanan since 1941. There have been many ten- ants over the years. Among them, were the families of Charles Norcross, Louis Hall, Hermon Monroe, Herbert Chase, Fred Garcelon, Robert Fuller, Russell Bohanan, Robert Banks, Mrs. Ethel Carpenter and Ellery Smith.
Robert Fuller, Robert Banks, Richard Carpenter, Russell Bohanan and Louisa Chase, daughter of Herbert Chase, are veterans who served in World War II.
The L. T. Hall house, built in 1799, and owned and occupied for many years by Sullivan Newton, stands on a small lot at Hall's Corner, which is all that re- mains of a very large farm. Sections have been sold off at various times, and many of the houses in Wilkinsonville stand on land that was formerly a part of the Newton Farm. The large barn, with the huge gilded cock surmounting the cupola, was a well-known landmark on the road from Worcester to Providence. After the death of Sullivan Newton, the place was long occupied by William D. Cutler.
Louis T. Hall purchased the farm, living here until 1936, when he sold to George H. and Frank E. Dodge and John C. Dudley. During the time Mr. Hall was here, he carried on a general store business in addition to his farm work. In 1923, the relocation of the Sutton section of the Providence-Worcester highway cut between the house and barn, and, in 1936, Roland Ross purchased the section of the farm lying north of the road and tore down the barn. The same year, Mr. Ross sold the greater part of this land to Emil Schellschmidt. In 1940, George H. and Frank E. Dodge acquired the sole ownership of the lot and buildings on the south side of Providence Road and made extensive additions and repairs.
In 1945, Emil Schellschmidt bought the property and made it into six tene- ments. Many families have lived here. Among them are Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Small and daughters, Rhoda and Mabel. Mabel has since married Gerald Casey. Mr. and Mrs. William Judson were tenants and daughter Priscilla Pomfret, who married Harold Dickinson, Barrett Judson, who married June Froh, and Robert. Mrs. Judson has recently died. Albert Bernier's family made their home here for thirteen years. His children who lived here were: Clara, who married Alfred Auger; Yevette, who married Wilfred Dube; Roger, veteran of World War II and nine years of service in the Navy, who married Grace Giaquinto; Florence, who married Leo Casgonquaw; Helena, who married Louis Gagne, Jeanette, Al- bert Jr. and Roland. By a former marriage, Mrs. Bernier's children were Ernest Auger, with nine years of service in the Navy and who was in Underwater Dem- olition in Korea and Theresa, who married Clinton Knight.
The families living there at present are those of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Televi, who have two children, Frederick Jr. and Carla S., Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Matuzek and daughter Dorothy, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Label, Henry Malo and William Judson and son Robert.
The second house on Old Providence Road, going north from Hall's Corner, was long known as the "Ed Shambo Place." I. B. Hartwell owned the property
435
HOMES of SUTTON
for a time and there was a livery stable where the barn now stands. In Jan. 1877, the property was sold to Edward Shambo, a shuttle worker. Joseph and Louise Shambo, brother and sister of Edward, also lived in the home. When Edward died, Joseph, his administrator, sold the place to Robert Ludwick, June 26, 1915. Mr. Ludwick married Annie Gauvin, who had two sons, Henry and Peter Gauvin, Mr. Ludwick had one daughter, Ida Ludwick.
Henry Gauvin married Florence Plante and they moved to Grafton. Peter Gauvin married Anna Bashaw and they have one son, Eugene Gauvin. In Aug. 1944, the heirs of Robert Ludwick sold the property to Peter and Anna Gauvin and they and Miss Ida Ludwick still make it their home. In 1945, there were ex- tensive repairs made and modern improvements added.
Opposite the "Ed Shambo" house, on the left, going north, is what has long been known as the "Jonas Brown House." Mr. Brown sold the land to Leonard Dudley and lived in the house for many years. It was built, in 1832, by Leonard Dudley, son of Captain John Dudley and has never gone out of the family. After Leonard Dudley's death, John Dudley Jr., son of John Dudley, became owner by a deed from Elizabeth, Leonard's wife. Next owner was Mary Dudley, daughter of John DudleyJr. It is at present owned by Mrs. Luella Dudley Gifford, grand- daughter of John Dudley Jr.
The house was built for a one-family dwelling with generous hall and wide stairway. The old-fashioned door was fastened with a six-inch key and the several fireplaces indicate that the dwelling was originally heated with open fires. About 1917, the house was made into two tenements by the addition of some extra liv- ing space in the rear and the barn was torn down.
After the disastrous fire which destroyed Henry Dudley's house, that family came to live here. Arthur and Dorila Rivernider have lived here for many years in one tenement. The Rivernider children are: Wallace, 1923; Ruth, 1926, who is now Mrs. John Leucon and lives in Uxbridge; Shirley, 1928; Gloria, 1931, now Mrs. Norman Lavigne and lives in Dallas, Texas and Evelyn, 1934, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Putnam lived here about twenty years. Mr. Putnam died in 1951. Among families that have made their home here are those of Thomas Small Sr., Channing Smith, Henry Gauvin, Peter Gauvin, Robert Lud- wick and Ernestine and Henry Arnold.
Arthur Rivernider and Channing Smith were veterans of World War I and Wallace Rivernider of World War II.
The third house on the right, on Old Providence Road, going north from Hall's Corner was long known as the Hartwell House.
According to Vol. I of the History of Sutton, this location was chosen for a home by Francis Dudley, an early settler, who was born in 1706. A later owner built a low house and Mr. I. B. Hartwell enlarged the dwelling to its present size, a large two-story home.
Mrs. Clara Rice, administrator of the Hartwell Estate sold the place to Alfred and Evelina Rock. There were two Rock children: Homer, born in 1903 and Magdeline in 1920. Homer married Lilla Woodward and they have five children: Wm. H., born in 1927, Robert R., 1928, Carolyn 1931, Jacqueline 1934 and Judith 1940. This family is now living in Millbury.
Magdeline married Wm. Roberts, who died and there are no children.
436
HISTORY of SUTTON
The property was sold to Emil Schellschmidt, in 1927. Mr. Schellschmidt is a very successful fruit grower. He has more than 800 apple trees on this place and many more in other orchards. He transformed the large old barn into a mod- ern apple storage house that will hold 10,000 bushels of fruit. He has also built a cider mill, a garage and a modern two-tenement house on the property.
He has remodelled the original house, making two tenements with modern improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Schellschmidt live in the lower apartment and some of the tenants who have occupied the second floor are Mr. and Mrs. James Shore, Mrs. Leonice Randles, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Trilligan, the present tenants, and Mr. and Mrs. Louis Hall who both died there. Mr. Hall will be remembered as the faithful man who delivered the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for fifty years to the village neighbors. Mrs. Hall was a school teacher before her marriage when she was Jennie Norcross. No one can overestimate her kindness to the underprivileged children who came to her schoolroom. Her teaching was excel- lent and discipline was almost non-existent, in the room filled with pupils from Grade I to VIII, with classes from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. Few people today remember the cold floors, the chilblains, and the one wood stove which needed half-hourly attention by the teacher and the water-pail always empty after recess.
The Molleur block, at the intersection of Depot and Providence Streets, was built, in 1824, by David Wilkinson and long known as the "Rising Sun Hotel." It was built for a tavern with many rooms. On the lower floor there was space far a store and Post Office and at the top of a very wide stairway, there was a large hall with arched ceiling and benches around the sides. This was evidently meant for a gathering place for the village people.
The first meeting of St. John's church was held here on July 17, 1825. Cau- cuses and private schools were held here, also. For many years St. John's church used the hall for fairs, suppers and entertainment and The Village Improvement Society, Red Cross and Girls Club used the hall for their meetings in later years.
The big barn by the roadside sheltered many a shivering horse while the own- ers were making merry upstairs.
The story goes that Samuel Arnold bought the property from the Slater Estate for $1875, in 1904. The older residents remember that Samuel and Henry Arnold kept the store and Post Office in the building for many years, and in 1918, the property was bought by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Molleur, Sr.
There are four children in the Molleur family: Alfred, Jr., who married Beatrice Bassett in 1933, Ivonne, married Neil Freitas in 1939, David married Dorothy Appelt in 1944. Beatrice is unmarried.
The Molleur's divided the block into six tenements, besides the store. A few years later the large barn was torn down and the main highway was raised so that now the Molleur Block is several feet below the Providence St., level. Alfred Molleur and his wife, Beatrice, bought the property in September, 1943, and have built a large lunch room over the spot where the barn once was, and their filling-station is on the street level.
Many tenants have occupied the six apartments. Among them are Mr. and Mrs. Rene Bernier and son Bruce, George Perry and family, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Small and daughter Rhoda, and daughter Mabel, who married Wm. Gerald Casey. Mr. Small is an expert drummer and has served the town as Con- stable for twenty-five years. Beatrice Molleur has one apartment and Mr. and
437
HOMES of SUTTON
Mrs. John Lennon, and daughter Karen, another. Mr. Lennon served in the U. S. Navy.
The Anthony Vigeant house is on the lower level at the corner of Providence and Depot streets, nearly opposite Molleur's block. It is reported that it was orig- inally built for the agent of the Mill, and is, no doubt, one of the oldest houses in the village.
The Sutton Manufacturing Co. and the other corporations are said to have owned it until John Daignault came into possession. Mr. and Mrs. Daignault had three children, Napoleon, Regina and Joseph. Mr. Henry Molleur married Regina, and they occupied the house. There were two sons: Emil a veteran of World War I and Joseph, both deceased. Mr. Molleur erected a small building on Providence St. and conducted a general store there for a time.
In 1925, Anthony H. Vigeant bought the property and continued the business, having the Post Office in the Daignault house. Later Mr. Vigeant doubled the size of the store, on Providence St., redecorated the interior, and moved the Post Office up into the store building. After a time he gave up the grocery and lunch section and added a package store.
There are two Vigeant children: Loretta, born in 1930 and Conrad in 1931. Loretta is a sub-clerk in the Wilkinsonville Post Office and Conrad is in the Naval Reserve.
Mr. Vigeant sold his store to Rosario Filosa, Oct. 1, 1951 and moved the Post Office down to the Daignault house again. He has made extensive improvements to the dwelling and also has built a two-car garage.
When the Anco Company established their business in Wilkinsonville, there was a wave of prosperity in the village. Tenements grew scarce and the mill offi- cials decided to build a four-tenement block directly across from the mill gate, on Depot Street. Mr. Chas. Tebo, of Woodburyville, bought this block about 1928 and improved the property.
It now belongs to the Charles Tebo Estate. The tenants in the first apartment are: Mr. and Mrs. Earl Craw and children, Robert, Patricia and Nancy. The sec- ond is occupied by Mrs. Malvina Auger and son, Joseph Elphage who has seen service in the United States Army for fourteen years. Her son Alfred, twin brother of Joseph Elphage, served in the Army, and after his marriage went to live in Farnumsville. Lawrence has his own home on Dodge Hill Road; Ernest, another son, was killed in an automobile accident and the two daughters, Ivonne and Irene are married, with homes of their own.
The third tenant is Mrs. Jennie King, whose daughter Mrs. Eva Savoie and grandson Henry and wife live with her. Henry was in the Army for four years, three of them overseas, part of the time in Korea.
The fourth tenement is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Chase. Their sons Raymond and Clarence saw service in the Army in World War II and Norman served in the Navy. The daughters, Evelyn and Audrey, have married and Lucille lives in Worcester. Another son, Arlington, was killed when struck by an automobile on Providence St. in front of Dodge's barn several years ago.
Vol. I of Sutton Town History speaks of several houses on Depot Street, formerly Mill St., between the Rising Sun Hotel and the mill, as being Corpora- tion owned. This probably means they were built at the time of Mr. Wilkinson,
438
HISTORY of SUTTON
or soon after, to accommodate the mill workers. They follow the architecture of the early houses and are, no doubt, very old.
The story goes that Mr. Peter Weir bought the three houses between Molleur's Block and the mill, in 1904. They were later owned by his daughter, Miss Jessie Weir, and bought, at her death, by the Dodge Brothers from her estate. Mrs. Fannie Sherman, formerly Mrs. Harrison Dodge, has owned the two houses nearest Molleur's Block since 1946. The third is owned by Wilfred Noel.
Tenants in No. I house are Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Chase and son Ronald; and Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Smith and children Wayne and Gail.
In house No. 2, the tenants are Mr. and Mrs. Leo Maranda. Their son Joseph served in the Army in World War II, Alfred was in service in the Navy in World War II and Gordon is now in the Navy. Rodney and Carol are still at home.
Also in house No. 2 are Peter and Joseph Bouvier who live with their mother, Mrs. Malvina Bouvier.
Directly across from the old Anco Mill on Depot Street are the three houses belonging to Alexis Chausse, Sr. Mr. Chausse bought the property, in 1929, when the houses belonging to the Anco Co., were sold. Mr. and Mrs. Chausse and their family occupied one for many years and the others were rented. Mr. Chausse has greatly improved his own house, adding modern improvements and an outside porch. The other two were given side-wall insulation and a new water- supply.
For many years, all the water was drawn from one well nearby. Some time ago the Chausse house was enlarged by adding an office building which was moved across the street.
There are six Chausse children: Alexis Jr., 1905 married Stella Lemieux; Maxime 1907, married Florence Hudson and lives in Grafton; Hector, 1908, married Rosanna Barrett and lives in Millbury; Eva, 1912, married Edward Kachinski and lives in Upton; Florence 1914, married Edward Mahoney and lives in Grafton and Edmire, 1916, married Daniel Robbins and lives in Auburn. Mrs. Chausse Sr., died in 1952.
Hector served in the Navy for sixteen years and was discharged as Chief Petty Officer. Maxime served in the Army for three years during World War II.
In the house nearest Depot Street there are two families; Mr. and Mrs. Edward Connolly and son Frank, and Mr. and Mrs. Edward Vidal. There are two Vidal children: Edward, 1915, who married Clara Lemieux and lives in Millbury and Rita, 1925, who married Eugene Castonguay and lives in Whitinsville.
The other house, on one side, has been occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Ceccarini for twenty-nine years. The son Victor 1921, married Dorothy Ellstrom and lives in Millbury. Victor served in the Coast Guard in World War II and was 1st Class Petty Officer. Mary, 1923, married Clarence Gendron and lives in Saunders- ville, Lena, 1925, married Joseph Lenik and lives in Saundersville, Leah, 1927, married Frank Kowolis of Millbury. Eva, 1931 married Rene San Souci.
The other apartment has been occupied by the Nelson Wood family for twenty-five years. The children are Nelson Alfred Elmer, who served in the Navy for two and one half years and lives with his third wife, Margaret Strow, in Fairhaven Conn. Joseph died in infancy. Dolphis Hugh died in 1928 after twelve years' service in the Navy. Theodore Francis, served in World War I in
439
HOMES of SUTTON
the Navy. He married Emma Lamoureux and lives in Worcester. John Joseph married Mabel Laberre and lives in Worcester. Mary Blanche Ivonne married James J. Yonnelli and lives in Hartford, Conn. Marie Rose, married Albert Rivers and lives in Chepachet, R.I. Agnes Ethel Irene, married Kenneth Taylor of Sutton. Frances Olive, lived one year. Eugene Bonnie, married Marjorie Anderson and lives in Madison Conn., and is an Elder in the Advent Church.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.