First Dinner Party
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
The Ashby Women
The first dinner party I had was 12 women from Ashby: Mrs. Foster and 2 of the Bricks girls, Ethel Lawrence (she's now Ethel Brewer) --I can't remember them all. But, you know, I didn't have but 8 chairs to seat anybody in, and I had to go down to Mrs. Koski's and lug up 4 chairs, 2 at a time--made 2 trips down there to get 4 chairs--and she laughed about it, but anyway I had something to seat them in. Besides getting a chicken dinner for them--OK, I was nervous-- but you know when it was all over they praised me so that was all I needed. I had courage enough to go on with it after that.
Photo Archives
First dinner party, the women from Ashby
James Roger diary entry - Pullets 13
7th January 1913
Dull, rainy, raw day, wind northeast to east. David went to Greenville for grain and took the barrel for May; brought some prepared Finnan Haddies, also a large pane of glass for John Preston’s window but it was not properly cut. I cut up some wood in the forenoon and gave the hens cabbage. Wrote to Hamish in afternoon, and Dave took it down. Dan Brown’s father sick at Fitchburg. Pullets 13.
(Wikipedia): Finnan haddie (also known as Finnan haddock, Finnan, Finny haddock, Finny haddie or Findrum speldings) is cold-smoked haddock, representative of a regional method of smoking with green wood and peat in north-east Scotland.
A Marion Davis commemorative dinner would be cool to throw but probably not in February. Host a dinner for twelve in her honor. But the hosts have to borrow four chairs to keep with tradition. And serve up chicken. But not pullets.
February 8 should be Marion Davis Day.