The Massachusetts Historical Commission has a marvelous website. You can find photos and information about historic properties throughout the commonwealth. The main page to this site has a Learn & Research section. Click on "Search MACRIS Database," and you will see Search Filters on the left hand side of the page. You may search by town from by clicking on the first option. There are 346 listings for West Brookfield when you select West Brookfield. Information provided includes a complete property description including location, architectural style, year building was built, and whether or not any there have been any renovations. One may also learn who owned the property, what it was used for and its significance in the community. All the information is available to download. This is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in the West Brookfield homes and their history.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Sunday, May 29, 2022
All honor to the heroes true,
And to the warriors brave,
Who nobly fought and nobly died,
America to save .
To save our grand old Union's strength,
To save her honor, too,
To save our loved old stars and stipes,
And all that's good and true.
To save our land from slavery's rule.
That killeth like a blight,
And let her stand forth strong and brave
For God and for the right.
When we recall the cruel war,
The perils dark and dread,
From which our land and homes were saved,
By these our honored dead.
With bated breath we sing their praise,
And give them honor due,
And say again with thankful hearts,
God Bless the boys in blue.
About the author - Clara Hamilton Reed was born in West Brookfield. She was the granddaughter of Alanson Hamilton for whom West Brookfield's G.A. R. Post was named. She was well known for her work in the church; as well as, for her numerous published short stories which appeared in newspapers and magazines of her time.
Source
Grand Army of the Republic : Department of Massachusetts: Personal War Sketches of the Members of Alanson Hamilton Post No. 160 West Brookfield; type written copy of poem, and newspaper clipping of the obituary of Clara Hamilton Reed; online images, Brookfields Research (http://www.brookfieldsresearch.com/resources.html : accessed 29 May 2021.) Compiler - Grace D.Wilbur, Clerk of G.A.R.; Copyright 1890 by Louis Everts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Update 10 December 2022
Updated Link Quabog Research Look under Military Resources
Friday, April 1, 2022
West Brookfield in the 1950 Census
Today the National Archives released the 1950 Population Schedule for public viewing on the archives' website . Indexing has been done using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and thus, there are errors in this index right now. Users are encouraged to take advantage of the abilty to add corrected information so that the index will improve over time with use. The index may be searched under name, location, and/or Enumeration District Number. West Brookfield had two enumeration districts in 1950. They are 14-438 which includes the village area, and 14- 439 encompacing the surrounding outlying areas.
The first image of District 14-438 is an adminstrators page showing who the enumerators were (Ralph Barrows led the team,) and the count for the district. There were 1070 individuals living in 454 dwelling units in this district. The following pages named the individuals living in town, their realtionship to others in the household, ages, birthplaces, occupations and earnings, and military status. Ralph Barrows began Sheet No. 1 on April 1, 1950 listing his own household and continuing down Church Street to the home of Clarence Lyman, He covered some of Lake St., Crescent Avenue and Myrick St. I searched Clarence Lyman and I scrolled down to the bottom of the page to get
Machine Learning (AI) Extracted Names *
Sunday, October 4, 2020
Genealogybank adds Worcester Evening Gazette Issues From January 1930 - December 1940
Genealogybank, a paid newspaper website, has recently added 1930-1940 issues of the Worcester Evening Gazette to its "Newspaper Archives" Collection. This is a welcome addition for those of us who research Worcester County families. I was able to find some obituaries for West Brookfield residents, that I was unable to find in the Springfield Newspapers already available at GenealogyBank, or in the Spencer Leader files on the Brookfield Resources site.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Will of Cornelius McKenney of West Brookfield, Massachusetts
Worcester County Probate Court
Case No. 30318 - Will
[Page 381]
1st. I hereby constitute and appoint my wife Catherine MacKenney to be sole executrix of this my last will hereby directing my said executrix to pay all of my just debts and funeral expenses out of my estate & then to receive the residue of my estate as hereinafter named.
I request that my said executrix be not required to furnish and surety upon such bond as the Probate Court my require when appointing her to said trust.
2d. After the payment of my said debts and funeral expenses I give and devise and bequeath unto my said wife the use and income of all the rest and residue of my estate to have and to hold the same for and during the remainder of her natural life.
3d. All of my estate may and shall be held in trust by my said wife, and in case the said use and income, shall in the judgment of said wife, be insufficient for her proper support, then and in such case, she may sell and convey have and use any part or portion of my estate both principal and income for her proper support all in manner and way she may or shall deem best.
And I desire and will that all such part of my estate as may or shall remain unexpended by my said wife for her proper support shall at her decease, be given to those who are then my next of kin in equal division.
4th. In making this will, I do not forget my two children, viz: my son James
[page 382]
and my daughter Catherine, but desire that my estate be disposed off per the parts of this my last will herein marked "2d" and "3d" and in no other way.
In witness of the above, I hereto set my hand this twenty first day of May in the year one thousand nine hundred and two.
Signed, published and declared by the above named Cornelius MacKenney as and for is last will in the presence of each of us who in his presence and at his request have subscribed these presents as witnesses hereto.
Will allowed July 28, 1902
A true record,
Attest: George H. Harlow [signature]
A Glimpse Into Merriam Family Bible
Recently this Bible was purchased by a genealogist from West Brookfield who very graciously shared digital copies of the Title Page, the Family Register, and some lose items found within its pages.
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| Title Page from Bible of Ebenezer Merriam Digital copy from D Hamilton Files. Received 15 April 2020 Used with permission. The publishers information below has been slightly enlarged. The year shown is 1803 |
.
The loose items found in the Bible included:
- A receipt in the amount of $.25 dated November 28, 1855, from the Western Railroad Corporation for transporting apples.
- A list of ministers of the West Brookfield Congregational Church from the years 1717-1871 clipped from a newspaper.
- Two clipped different newspaper obituaries of Capt. E. P. Merriam
- A printed copy of a poem from Charles Merriam to his cousin Ebenezer Parsons Merriam of West Brookfield on his 69th Birthday November 16, 1873
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Saturday, May 9, 2020
Will of Hiram Eaton of North Brookfield, Massachusetts
Hiram's wife Sarah Kendrick died in 1873, and in 1881 he married Mrs. Clarissa (Stebbins) Chamberlain. Clarissa survived Hiram, who died February 1, 1903, Daughters Lucy and Abbie survived him, as well. Maria predeceased her father in 1895.
Hiram Eaton's Last Will and Testament is transcribed below.
Photocopy received from Worcester County Probate Court
Worcester County Massachusetts
Case No. 31365, Series B 1903
that I Hiram Eaton of North Brookfield in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts being of sound disposing mind and memory do make this my Last Will and Testament - to wit;
First I Give devise and bequeath to my daughter Lucy L. Irish the wife of Frank Irish now residing in the city of Brockton Massachusetts, my entire Farm situated in the south
easterly part of said North Brookfield, continuing now about 50 acres of land with Buildings thereon:
Also to said Lucy L. Irish all the Farming Tools, carriages, and other implements about or upon the premises Also all the Live stock and household Furniture which I shall
own at the time of my decease
Second To my daughter Abbie now the widow of Dwight W Bowen deceased the sum of twenty five dollars ($25.)
Third I hereby constitute and appoint my said daughter Lucy L. Irish executrix of this my Last Will
[page 2]
and Testament, and I request that she shall not be required to furnish sureties upon her official bond as such Executrix
In Witness whereof I have signed, Sealed and published and declared this my Last Will and Testament at North Brookfield aforesaid this eighth day of April in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety nine (Apr 8 1899)
Hiram Eaton
The said Hiram Eaton at said North Brookfield on said 8th day of April AD 1899 signed and sealed this instrument and published and declared the same as and for his Last Will and Testament.
And we at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto written our names as subscribing witnesses
George A Haradon
Sarah A Knight
Hiram Knight