Bill Currier Machine Shop

New Ipswich Historical Society

Patty Hoffman and Bill Currier

Photo of Patty Hoffman and Bill Currier taken inside Bill’s machine shop in Bank Village. Undated.

Newspaper Clipping

MISS LEE NAMED SCHOOL TRUSTEER

Remarkable Woman of 91 Years Uses Typewriter Compiling Town History

SARAH FISKE LEE

NEW IPSWICH, Feb. 27.-The recent election of Miss Sarah Fiske Lee of this town to the board of trustees of Appleton Academy, a local institution founded in 1789, brings to public attention one of the most interesting women in the state. Miss Lee is 91 years old, having been born Sept. 14. 1838, in the same house in which she now lives on the campus of Appleton academy. Miss Lee's father, Rev. Samuel Lee, was pastor of the Congregational church here for 25 years and was for 45 years a trustee of the same institution of which his daughter was recently elected a trustee. Rev. Mr. Lee was intensely interested in educational matters and was instrumental in the founding of the "Teacher's Institutes" of the last century which eventually led to the foundation of the Normal schools of today.

Active In Community

His enthusiasm for work along educational lines was caught by his only daughter and she studied at Appleton and Bradford academies with the purpose of becoming a teacher. Ill health, however, forced her to give up her studies and she returned home to the quiet life of a rural New England community. Her active mind, however, would not submit to the restitutions of home life imposed on the women of that time, and soon she was active in the affairs of the community and of the academy which has played such a large part in her life. She joined the Congregational church 71 years ago and is the oldest living member of the church. She was the first woman ever to be elected to the business committee of the church.

At times she substituted as teacher in the academy and in the public schools of the town. She conducted for years a literary class in her home. women coming for miles and from the surrounding towns to attend her classes. She taught a class in the Sunday school, some of her boys now being prominent in the affairs of this and other communities throughout the country.

Miss Lee organized the Appleton Academy Alumni association and was for 35 years chairman of the executive committee. Genealogy and municipal history have long been a hobby with Miss Lee and she holds membership in several organizations devoted to this work. She is a life member of the New England Genealogical society, being the first New Hampshire woman to be admitted to membership. She is also a member of the New Hampshire Historical society and the New Ipswich Historical society. A number of years ago she collaborated in the work of compiling and publishing a history of the Lee family.

Perhaps the work which Miss Lee has accomplished in which she takes the most pride is the history of New Ipswich, completed in 1915. Upon the death of Professor Chandler, who had started the book, Miss Lee, who had assisted him in the compilation of the data, undertook the task of finishing the work and she is very proud of her title, "Town Historian."

Learned Typewriter at 80

Many people find it difficult and some find it impossible to learn the use of the typewriter, even in their early years, but Miss Lee started to learn the use of the machine when she was over 80 years old and she turns out some beautiful work. During the past four years she has compiled and typewritten 400 pages of data on the early history of New Ipswich, and these sheets now repose in the vaults of the New Hampshire State Historical society. Much valuable information is contained in this work, as the church records of baptisms in the early days took the place of the town records of vital statistics of today, and no other than the church records is available.

Miss Lee enjoys fine health and takes an active part in the social affairs hereabouts. She has attended nearly all the meetings of the Woman's club in Greenville, of which she is a member, this winter, and also the meetings of the Parent-Teachers association, of which she is an officer. Each year she is hostess at a reception to the students at the academy. She has no formula of living to which to attribute her long life.

James Roger diary entries

28th August 1912

Fair and cool; wind northwest. David and Roger ploughing. I cut some lots and wrote to Sandy and Hamish. No mail in forenoon. Dr. Jones called in afternoon. Ed Wheeler, Corbett & Finn working at Parsonage today and yesterday.