Happy Birthday

New Ipswich Historical Society

Oliver Niemi

Photos shared by Carl Toko for his friend’s birthday

Oliver Niemi at Appleton Academy

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. In this section she describes her chores on the farm. I assume this was the Robbins farm.

May 20th - Pasture Day

In the spring along the first of May or the last of April we had to begin to mend fences over on the mountain, in Sharon òn Barrett Mt. because we were going after cattle the last of the month. May 20th was what they used to call Pasture Day--go get the cattle from down country. Mable spent quite a bit of time getting ready, putting up lunches to go because it was a 3 day trip coming up from down there. I can remember when we got the fence mending pretty well done Frank [Robbins] hitched up Sukie. She was a little horse that he had raised from a colt. Grandpa gave her to him and told him he could break her and she was his. So he'd go down to Concord with Sukie and visit the different farmers, find out how many head of cattle they had to come up over the road for pasture thru the summer months. A week's notice from then they would meet with their cattle at Miriam’s Corner. There was a big barnyard there; and we had to get down there the night before because all of those cattle had to be tagged and the descriptions of them set down in a book with their tag number. It took a good long evening job doing it because we generally had it around 125 head. Miriam's Corner was in Concord, Mass., where during the Revolutionary War the men gathered to plan their affairs.

James Roger diary entry

1st December 1912

Frost, fair and bright, wind westerly. Mr. Lord preached from text "You are my friends if you do what I command you.” S. S. after morning services at 7 p.m. Not very many. I did not stay. There has been a week of preaching in the Baptist Church; also service at 7 tonight, which kept some away from our service. W. E. Preston gave instrumental music. I wrote to Mrs. Hooper today.

Thank You John and Peggy

John Rosenfelder has been doing the diary transcriptions. As of December, Peggy Lee will be taking over. This is a laborious task, thanks to both of you.

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