Killed by lightning
Same storm that set fire to the Congregational Church
1902
GREENVILLE, N. H. 1902 Two Persons Killed by Lightning. Tuesday, afternoon, there was a sharp thunder shower during which came the clang of bells announcing the burning of the Congregational church in New Ipswich. Hardly had the bells ceased ringing when the saddening news came from a nearby berry field, (the Brown pasture), that in the same shower a party of eight huddled under a pine tree, the tree was struck by lightning and two out of the eight- Mrs. Anna Dubrule and Fred LeClerc -were killed. Three people lying dead in our village over night-all the result of violence is something that has not before occurred in our history. It seems that Mrs. Dubrule, Mrs. Castonquay and six children were picking blueberries in the Barrett. pasture when the shower came up. They started for a place of safety, but got no farther than a pine tree under which they all gathered. A terrific crash came which stunned the whole party. Mrs. Castonquay was the first to regain consciousness and see the scattered company. Mrs. Anna Dubrule, commonly known as Mrs. Charles Dubrule, and Fred LeClerc, a son of Nicholas Le- Clerc, were dead, apparently instantly killed. Peter Leclerc, a lame boy who had climbed the tree a little ways, was hanging over a low limb unconscious. At time of writing he has become fully conscious. The others soon became conscious, help was summoned from the village, and the bodies taken home at dusk. The funerals of the two victims of lightning will be held at the Sacred Heart church on Wednesday. Mrs. Dubrule was a widow, aged 44 years She leaves five children-one of whom is Mrs. Samuel Murray. The LeClerc boy was about 14 years old.
The Congregational Church Fire
The same 1902 storm
James Roger diary entry
September 11th 1908 (Friday)
Very warm day wind NW, very smokey all day. Sun red like a ball of fire. David and Henry Royce shaking out the hay which they brought in in the afternoon. Got letter from Jim saying he was going to a business school in New York.
September 14, 2024 - 13:30
New Ipswich Historical Society cordially invites the public to its Annual Meeting and Program.
FINNS: An Oral History of Finnish-Americans
in New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region
Presented by Patricia Kangas Ktistes
New Ipswich Museum of History (72 Academy Road) - formerly Appleton Academy
Our 30-minute business meeting will be followed by this year’s featured speaker, Patricia Kangas Ktistes, who will describe her experience of interviewing Finnish-Americans in New Ipswich and surrounding communities for the purpose of preserving their stories for future generations.
In addition to sharing interesting anecdotes and audio clips that she collected for her Master’s thesis in the 1990s, Patricia will provide participants with her recommendations and useful tips for collecting family histories before elders pass and their knowledge and experiences are lost to time.
Patricia Kangas Ktistes was born in New Ipswich in 1952, and attended town schools through ninth grade. In 1967, she moved out of state with her family. In 1987, she earned a B.S. from Colby-Sawyer College and received her MALS degree at Dartmouth College in 1997. Her master’s thesis is entitled FINNS: An Oral History of Finnish-Americans in New Hampshire's Monadnock Region. Patricia has two daughters and five grandchildren; she and her husband John Ktistes reside in Rockport, MA
Would the party struck by lightning have done better to lie down in the blueberry pasture?