Little Ruth

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.

1914

In 1914 little Ruth came into the world. She was a great comfort and blessing to her father and the rest of us. There was always plenty of work on that farm getting the cattle up in the spring. Every Sunday we'd go to one pasture or another to salt them--you had to keep track of them to see that they were doing all right. We used to make quite a picnic of it. Mable would always put up a nice lunch; we'd go to the pasture then call the cattle and they would come pell-mell down to where we were to get at that salt. You had to watch out for yourself. We'd throw it out in handfulls onto the ground where they'd lap it up. Before you could get handfulls enough out you were getting crowded by the cattle for more of it. We pastured about 15 in Sharon; we also had the Haynes pasture at the end of Barrett Mt.; we put around 15 head in there. Also the McDonald and Gates pastures--those 2 ran together and we had quite a few in there because there was good feed there. If I remember right there were 20 or 25 head then across the road in the Bowker and Fisk. Then the Reed and Wheeler; that's where we put the most of them. We could pasture around 45 head up in there. There was the Conant pasture; we let them run into that sometimes. Sometimes we had that separate with about 15 head there..

Photo Archives

Traveling in style (Unidentified women, location and date)

James Roger diary entry

6th December 1912

Rain during night; fine day. David & Daniel taking down the barn at Jenny Fox place. I did not get up till near 11; stayed in the house all day; got notice of Farm Institute at Mason on 12th; also Prescotts’ p/c. Informal party at Miss Taylor's tonight. David went. I was not there.

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