Mrs. Nellie Eldora Hathaway Obituary
New Ipswich Historical Society
1923
Mrs. Nellie Eldora (Farkett) Hathaway, who died Tuesday morning at her home in West Townsend, was a daughter of Isaac B. and Roxa Almira (Ladd) Farkett, and was born in Stafford. Conn. She moved with her parents in 1860 to New Ipswich, her father rented a house in Gibson village, and later moved to the Washing- ton Shepley farm near Whittemore hill where Mrs. Hathaway spent her child- hood, attending school here and later In Townsend.
In 1871 she united with the Congregational church in this town and was ever interested in church work. She was married, Oct. 17, 1874 to Levi W. Newell and resided on the Isaac Stearns farm in the south part of the town. Four children were born to them, Waldo, Ernest, Mabel and Grace Newell, all now living. Her husband. Levi Newell, died in April, 1903. Later she sold the farm and devoted her time and attention to the care of the sick.
In March, 1918, she was married to Mr. Hathaway of Townsend and went to live at the home on Elm street. She was a member of Watatic Grange until she left town, when she was transferred to Townsend Grange.
Funeral services were held from her home Thursday afternoon. Rev. Joseph McKean officiated. A trio, Mrs. Agnes Sherwin, Mrs. Helen Sherwin and Clarence Streeter, sang "Beautiful isle of somewhere" and "Shall we meet beyond the river."
The body was placed in the receiving tomb in West Townsend to be interred later in the New Ipswich cemetery.
Relatives present from out-of-town were: Mrs. A. A. Babbin, North Cambridge; Mrs. E. B. Wildman, Newton Falls: Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gibson, Leominster: Mrs. Warren Wise and Henry Newell, Fitchburg: Mrs. Mary Balch, New Ipswich: Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Powers, Middleboro: Mr. and Mrs. Walter Lutz, Kittery, Me.; Ernest and Beatrice Newell. Greenville. N. H.; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Rose, Worcester: Mr. and Mrs. William Hardy, Henry Hardy and Fred Stacy of Ashby: George Jaquith, New Ipswich: Mr. and Arthur Merriman, Mason, N H. The bearers were Waldo Newell, Ernest Newell, Earl Breed and Walter Lutz.
Photo Archives
Portrait of woman, name unknown from the NIHS collection
James Roger diary entry
9th March 1913
Milder, wind southwest, snow melting fast, roads very muddy. Mister Lord preach from Titus 7, 9 & 10. Alarming the doctrine. Spoke also about Tuesday 11th being the 100th anniversary of opening this church and compared the attendance and liberality then to the meager attendance and collections of the present Church. S.S. after. 22 present; no evening service. Three Finn girls from Highbridge at Church.
How sad about the untimely passing of these two very young men. I’m sure their families were never the same after such a loss. I remember the terrible grief of yet another family when I was in Appleton in the 60s and their son, another Greenville lad, had drowned.
And what wisdom and pathos in the portrait of the unknown woman. Wonder who she was.
And about the three Finn girls attending the anniversary service at the church. Must have been unusual to see them there as James Roger remarked on it. I hope they didn’t get ostracized by their own people for doing so. My own maternal grandmother had nothing good to say about Congregationalists despite their being community-minded people and hosting so many events for the town, such as the Children’s Fair, from which my grandmother’s family benefited.
Interesting that one of Nellie's sons was named Ernest Newell. I grew up on upper Main Street in Greenville, and across the street in the 1950's was "Newell's Restaurant" run by an Ernest Newell. It was in the grey "carpenter gothic" house that is still there. Perhaps he was the grandson of Nellie.