John McCann's missing wife

 March 11th, 1875

John McCann is hostler at the Morgan house. Four years ago his wife left him to go to Gloverville, N.Y., since which time he has never heard from her. About two years ago a report reached him that she was living there but he never had confirmation of it. This item may reach some one who can contribute a little information on the subject.

Death announcement for Edward Smith

 September 17th, 1863

SMITH; -At Lee, Sept. 7, Edward Smith, aged 47, formerly a member of the 27th Mass. Regiment.

Merrick Smith announcing the opening of the Horseshoe Pitch

 May 5th, 1930

HORSE SHOE PITCHING TO START TONIGHT

HOUSATONIC, MAY 5-Merrick L. Smith, president of the Methodist Episcopal church Men's club, announced today that the field for pitching horse shoes in Risingdale would open for the season tonight. Additional space has been made for more players and the Men's club teams will pitch tonight. Following the meet a business meeting of the club will be held in the home of Mr. Smith.

Merrick Smith's Retirement

 November 3rd, 1931

MERRICK SMITH IS PRESENTED PURSE

Housatonic, Nov. 3-Merrick L. Smith, who completed his duties at the Rising Paper company plant two weeks ago, after being employed there for 31 years, was presented with purse of $25 in gold yesterday. Walter J. Raybold of Pittsfield, and official of the company, called Mr. Smith to the factory and made the presentation on behalf of the employees of the finishing department. Mr. Smith was the forman of this department for many years.

Jane Caroline Reed's Poem Book-The Burial of Moses

 The Burial of Moses

By Nebo's lonely mountain,

On this side Jordan's wave,

In a vale in the land of Moab,

There lies a lonely grave:

And no man knows the sepulchre,

And no man saw it e'er;

For the angels of God upturned the sod,

And laid the dead man there.

That was the grandest funeral

That ever passed on earth.

And no man heard the trampling.

Or saw the train go forth.

Noiselessly as the daylight

Comes back when night is done,

And the crimson steak on ocean's check

Grows into the great sun:

Noiselessly as the springtime

Her crest if verdure means.

And all the trees on all the hills

Open their thousand leaves-

So without sound of music,

Or voice of them that wept,

Silently down from the mountain crown

The great procession swept.

Perchance the bald old eagle

On gray Beth-peor's height,

Out of his lonely eyrie

Looked on the wondrous sight.

Perchance the lion, stalking,

Still shuns the hallowed spot,

For beast and bird have seen and heard

That which man knoweth not.

But with the warrior dieth

His comrades in the war,

With arms reversed and muffled drum,

Follow the funeral car;

They show the banners taken,

They tell his battles won,

And after him lead his matchless steed.

While peals the minute gun.

Amid the noblest of the land

They lay the sage to rest,

And give the bard an honored place,

With costly marble drest,

In the great minister transept.

Where lights like glory fall,

While the organ rings and the sweet choir sings,

Along the emblazoned wall.

This was the truest warrior

That ever buckled sword;

This the most gifted poet

That ever breathed a word;

And never earth's philosopher

Trace, with his golden pen

On the deathless page, truths half so sage

As he wrote down for men.

And had he not high honor-

The hillside for his pall.

To lie in state while angels wait

With stars for tapers tall.

While the dark rock pines, like tossing plumes.

Over his bier to wave.

And God's own hand, in that lonely land,

To lay him in his grave;

In that strange grave without a name.

Whence his uncoffined clay

Shall break again, O wonderous thought!

Before the judgement day,

And stand with glory wrapt around

On the hills he never trod.

And speak of the strife that won our life.

With the incarnate Son of God.

O lonely grave in Moab's land!

O dark Beth-peor's hill!

Speak to theses curious hearts of ours,

And teach them to be still.

God hath his mysteries of grace.

Ways that we cannot tell;

He hides them deep, like the secret sleep

Of him He loved so well.

Ms. C.F. Alexander

Newspaper articles on visits to Merrick and Catherine Smith

June 30th, 1931

Elizabeth and Allen Bradbury have returned to their home in Dalton after spending a few days with their grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Merrick L. Smith in Risingdale.

June 1st, 1932

Mrs. Mary Kroh of Springfield is spending the week with Mr. and Mrs. Merrick L. Smith in Risingdale.

August 9th, 1932 

Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Buddington and children have returned to their home in SPringfield after spending a week with Mr. and Mrs. Merrick L. Smith in Risingdale.

July 20th, 1933

Mr. and Mrs. David Wright have returned to their home in Northampton after spending several days with Mrs. Wright's parents, Mr. and Mrs. M.L. Smith in Risingdale. George and Charles Wright are remaining here for a few more days.

October 30th, 1933

Housatonic

Mr. and Mrs. Merrick L. Smith of Risingdale left Saturday for a few days visit with Mr. and Mrs. Henry V. Bradbury in Dalton before going to Northampton where they will spend the winter.

Jane Caroline Reed's Poem Book-Battle Hymn of the Republic

 Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trapling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored:
He hath loosed the faiteful lightning of his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps:
They have builded him an alter in the evening dews + damps:
I can read his righteous sentence by the dim + flaring lamps;
His truth is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:

As ye deal with my condemners, so with you my grace shall deal;

Let the hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,

His truth is marching on.

He has sounded form the trumpet that shall never call retreat:

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgement seat;

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer him, be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea.

With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;

As he died to make men holy let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on.

Mrs. Julia Ward Howe

From Jane Caroline Reed's Poem Book-Rest

 Rest-from hymnbook

Rest is not quitting
The busy career;
Rest is the fitting
Of self to one's sphere.

'Tis the brook's motion
Clear without strife.
Fleeting to ocean
After this life

'Tis loving + serving.
The highest + best;
'Tis onward, unswerving.
And this is true rest.

Minneapolis Oct 18th, 1868

Goethe

Merrick Smith's car accident

 My cousin Frank has found a number of interesting newspaper articles that I thought I would transcribe.

August 27th, 1932

The civil cases of John Scarmana vs. Merrick Smith and of Merrick and Catherine Smith vs John Scarmana were heard in the district court Friday and the court will render a decision Friday of next week. The cases were brought as a result of an automobile accident at the subway in Housatonic sometime in June. Attorney Frank H. Wright appeared for the plaintiff Scarmana in the case against Merrick Smith and the attorneys in the other case of Mr. and Mrs. Smith against Scaramana were Paul Stoezel of Adams and C.E. Bigg of Springfield who represented insurance companies.

September 2nd, 1932

Defendants Win

Judge W.B. Sanford this morning found the defendants without costs in the civil cases of John Scarmana against Merrick L. Smith, both of Housatonic, and Merrick L. Smith and his wife, Catherine Smith against John Scarmana, which were tried in the district court earlier this week. The cases grew out of automobile accident which occurred at the underpass in the village of Housatonic on June 1 and the court in rendering it's decisions stated that the accident was due to the failure of both parties to exercise ordinary care.

Jane Caroline Reed's Poem Book - Labor + Rest

 Labor + Rest

Two hands upon the breast,
    And Labor's done;
Two pale feet crossed in rest,
    The race is won;
Two eyes with coin-weights shut,
    And all tears cease;
Two lips where grief is mute,
    And at peace;
So pray we oftentimes morning our lot;
God in his kindness answereth not;

Two hands to work addrest,
    Aye for his praise;
Two feet that never rest, 
    Walking his ways;
Two eyes that look above
    Strive, through all tears;
Two lips that breath out love,
    Not wrath, nor fears
So pray we afterwards, low at our knees;
Pardon those erring prayers, Father, hear thee!

Miss Mulock

Minneapolis, Minn.

Oct. 18, 1868

This appears to be a slight variant of the hymn Now and Afterwords.  

Frank H. Washington Carpenter Obituary

 WAS THE OLDEST MAN IN HOULTON

Sudden Passing of Frank Carpenter At Age of 91

HOULTON, Jan. 22-THe Death of Frank Carpenter, 91, occurred at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Amos Putnam, Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. Carpenter was playing his usual game of solitaire and listening to the radio which had been his custom for a great many years when death came instantly.

He was born in Lincoln, son of Benjamin F. and Rebecca Hammond Carpenter, and was the oldest resident in Houlton.  He was a member of Monument Lodge, F. and A. M., for 70 years and he was presented a medal from the Grand Lodge of Maine this past summer.

He moved to Hammond Plantation with his parents when he was a small boy and with the exception of a few years  he lived in Fort Kent, the greatest part of his life was in Houlton and vicinity.

His wife, who was Elvira A. Green, died in 1917. Mr. Carpenter was the holder of the Boston Post cane.  While listening to the radio he heard the tolling of the death of King George V. Mr. Carpenter's eyesight and hearing was nearly perfect and he saw the town of Houlton grow up, burn down and grow up again.

He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Cora Putnam of Houlton, Mrs. Nora Burrill of Canaan and Mrs. John L. Johnson of Bangor; three sons, Walter and Frank Carpenter of Vancouver and Charles Carpenter of Smyrna; ten grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, three of whom are the children of the late Joseph Putnam, who reside in Bexhill-On-Sea, Sussex, England. He also leaves two brothers, George and William Carpenter of Hammond Plantation and one sister, Mrs. George V. Hammond of Tacoma, Washington.

Funeral services will probably be held in the Unitarian church Friday afternoon under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge.

Ervin Putnam's Obituary from the Marietta Times

 March 17th, 1988

Ervin E. Putnam

Houlton, Maine - Private services for Ervin Earl Putnam, 94, of Houlton, who died Thursday, March 10, in Licking Memorial Hospital, were Sunday in McPeek Funeral Home in Granville, The Rev. Thomas J. Lowery Officiated.

He was born July 9, 1883, in Houlton to Amos and Cora Carpenter Putnam. He was a retired director of radiology at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Northampton, Mass., and served in France with the U.S. Army during World War I. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Connolly Putnam.

He is survived by two sons, Robert E. of Marietta and Richard D. of Granville; one sister, Mrs. Harold (Hariette) Cates of Peacedale, R.I.; eight grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by one brother and two sisters.

Burial will be at a later date in Evergreen Cemetery at Houlton.