Books of Interest: Worcester History

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) This is a list of books that I either have as part of my collection or use for research.  The list is by no means comprehensive, simply books about Worcester history that I use and/or enjoy on a regular basis. 

Berhman, S.N. The Worcester Account.

Greenwood, Janette Thomas. First Fruits of Freedom: The Migration of Former Slaves and Their Search for Equality in Worcester Massachusetts, 1862-1900.

Hultgren, William O. Eric J. Salomonsson, and Frank J. Morrill. Worcester 1880-1920.

Koelsch, William A. Clark University, 1887-1987: A Narrative History.

Knowlton, Elliot B. and Sandra Gibson-Quigley (eds.). Worcester's Best (Second Edition): A Guide to the City's Architecture. 

Moynihan, Kenneth J. A History of Worcester: 1674-1848.

Nutt, Charles. History of Worcester and It's People (available on Google Books).

O'Toole, John M. Tornado!84 Minutes, 94 Lives.

Proko, Barbara and John Kraska Jr., Janice Baniukiewicz Stickles. The Polish Community of Worcester.

Prouty, Olive Higgins. Pencil Shavings.

Sandrof, Ivan. Your Worcester Street.

Sawyer, Christopher and Patricia A. Wolf. Denholms: The Story of Worcester's Premier Department Store.

Southwick, Albert B. Once Told Tales of Worcester County.

Southwick, Albert B. More Once Told Tales of Worcester County.

Wagner, David. The Poorhouse: America's Forgotten Institution.


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Business Profile: Helen's, 39/41 Millbury St., Worcester, MA
The Physic Next Door (Part 1 of 2) 
The Worcester Tornado, Jun 9, 1953 - Those Places Thursday
Walter Chamberlain Porter, Titanic Victim - Tombstone Tuesday

Hilda I. Bullock - Funeral Card Friday

(Digital Image. Funeral Card Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)

Hilda I. Bullock
Died February 11, 1964
Age 59

I have a number of funeral cards in my possession.  I know all the the people named on all of the cards except for one, Hilda I. Bullock.  I figured she was a relative given the name, but I didn't know exactly what the connection was and never took the time to investigate. Tonight I decided to do a quick search on Ancestry and learned that Hilda was the wife of John F. Bullock [Bulak]. John was my grandmother's first cousin, the son of Adam and Maryanna (Bialobrzywska) Bulak.  I mention Maryanna in this post here.


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Budlong Cemetery - Tombstone Tuesday

(Digital Image. Photograph Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photograph and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) We drive by this little cemetery in Schuyler, New York whenever we visit relatives in the area.  It intrigues me, because it looks like a place time forgot.  The cemetery is in the middle of a corn field.  My photo was taken last spring just after planting time.  You can see the little corn seedlings if you look closely.  By the end of summer tall corn stalks surround the cemetery, and in the winter the wind whips the barren, snowy field.  A list of people buried in the cemetery can be found here. The list refers to an earlier list which mentions the cemetery may be in East Schuyler, but the cemetery in my photo is actually in West Schuyler.


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Walter Chamberlain Porter, Titanic Victim - Tombstone Tuesday 

Kids (And Adults) Say The Darndest Things, So Write Them Down!

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  Sometimes my kid makes me laugh.  The other night he said to my husband, "Wow, Mitt Romney is older than you!" Wow, indeed.  Another amusing moment came a while back when we were out to dinner.  My husband ordered extra broccoli with his entree. When our meals finally arrived my son said, "I don't even like being NEAR broccoli!"  Given that kids really do say the darndest things it has finally occurred to me to write some of this stuff down, and not just just the kid comments either.

My mom wasn't an overly funny person, but every once in a while she would come out with something that would just would crack me up.  One day when my son was about two or three he and I stopped by for a visit.  I don't remember exactly what my son did (He probably burped or pooped on command or something.), but whatever it was my mom was sure that he had just displayed absolute brilliance in doing it.  Mom said to me, "He's a genius!  I just know it!  Well, after all, his father is brilliant!  Oh...and you're smart, too, you know."  Gee, thanks Mom.  Glad I took the time to get that master's degree.

Another time, before I was married, my soon-to-be husband sent me some flowers or made some kind of romantic gesture or something.  Again, I don't remember exactly what, but whatever it was it impressed my mom enough to comment, "I don't know where you'd find another one like that one. He's not like those other clowns you dated."  Mom was never one to mince words, but in this particular case I'll admit she was right.  Oh, and if any of those aforementioned "clowns" ever happen to read this post, well, enough said.

Have you written down family comments for posterity?  If so, which comments did you choose and why?  I'm glad I finally thought of it.  Hey, I'm smart, too, you know...


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Massachusetts Most Endangered Historic Resources

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Thursday night I attended a presentation by Preservation Massachusetts where the list of Massachusetts most endangered historic resources for 2012 was announced.  It is an interesting list which includes many properties from central Massachusetts.  

What is surprising was the variety in the types of resources that made the list.  From the farm where Elsie the Cow (the Borden Dairy cow) lived in Brookfield, to an Art Deco theater in Worcester, to an abandoned fire station in the Quinsig Village neighborhood where my father grew up, it is an eclectic list:

Outbuildings at Elm Hill Farm, Brookfield
Durgin Garage, Brookline
Fitchburg City Hall
Herbert M. Farr Residence, Holyoke
North Brookfield Townhouse
Mechanics Hall, Princeton
Methodist Episcopal Church, Ware
Orchard House at 917 Belmont Street, Watertown
The Charles Bowker House, Worcester
The Palladium, Worcester
Quinsigamond Firehouse, Worcester

Preservation Massachusetts announces it's list of endangered properties annually to create awareness of threatened properties and resources.  There is a great summary and history of each property here.  I have also linked to images of each resource in case you are interested in seeing what a specific property looks like.


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Where I Grew Up - Wordless Wednesday
Not So Wordless Wednesday: Cotter's Leather Goods
 

On the Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989

Berlin Wall, Photo Taken from West Berlin,  June 6, 1982 

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  I'll be the first to admit these photos are not in the best condition.  I took them on a trip when I traveled around Europe in May and June of 1982.  Of course my trip photos were special to me so I put them in one of those nasty magnetic photo albums to preserve them for posterity.  It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Berlin Wall and Brandenburg Gate, Taken from West Berlin, June 6, 1982

All in all I spent about a month in Europe, and probably a week of that time was spent in Germany.  We mainly visited West Germany but did drive through East Germany traveling through a variety of checkpoints to get to West Berlin where our tour group was staying.  We visited the Reichstag and the Munich Zoo among other places of interest, but my most vivid memory is not surprisingly of the Berlin Wall.  Three or four friends and I also took a day trip and crossed the border into East Berlin.  My trip was a long time ago, but I still remember going through Checkpoint Charlie.  The German guards were kids, about our age, with machine guns. 

Berlin Wall, Taken from West Berlin, June 6, 1982

I've wanted to post these photos for a while, and the anniversary of the fall of the wall seemed like a good date to finally do it.


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Photo Story: Three Brothers Stay in Poland (Part 2 of 3)
Photo Story: Three Brothers Stay in Poland (Part 3 of 3)
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Auntie And The Bear - Wordless Wednesday

(Digital Images. Photographs Privately Held By Cynthia Shenette; Photographs and Text, Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) I will admit these photos of my aunt Helen Bulak crack me up.  Auntie wasn't exactly a laugh riot when I knew her so these photos seem a bit out of character.  I don't know for certain but I've always wondered if they were taken somewhere along the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts.  The Mohawk Trail, a least when I traveled it with my family years ago, use to be known for it's kitschy roadside attractions.

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The Opal Ring
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Chopin Rising

The HerStory Scrapbook

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette)  Given that it is Election Day it seems like a good time to mention The HerStory Scrapbook.  The scrapbook chronicles the final four years of the Women's Suffrage Movement and includes more that 900 articles, opinion pieces, and letters which appeared in the New York Times between 1917 and 1920.  What I particularly like about this resource is that the writings are arranged in chronological order and reflect both sides of the issue--those for women's suffrage and those against.  The scrapbook is recommended by the American Historical Association (AHA) and the National Women's History Project.  You can read the AHA's review of the scrapbook here.


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MACRIS Database

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) Did your ancestors ever live in Massachusetts, and have you ever wanted to research their ancestral home, school, workplace, or other place of significance?  I learned about a database that might be of use to you.  The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS)  of the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) is a great database that offers a wealth of information on historic properties and areas in Massachusetts.  It doesn't include information on all historic properties, nor does it contain all the information on file with the Massachusetts Historical Commission, but still has an amazing amount of information and is well worth checking out.  

You can narrow your search by town, neighborhood, street, etc.  It includes residential properties, historical districts, as well as places of business.   An example is the record for the Nelson Place Grade School I attended in Worcester.  The MHC inventory sheet is available which offers a great deal of information about the structure.  There is a photo and this particular record even included copies of the building permits.  

Check it out!


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NaBloPoMo 2012

(Copyright (c) 2012 Cynthia Shenette) It's that time of year again!  November is National Blog Posting Month.  I participated last year, and it was quite a challenge!  I didn't really know if I could post daily for the month of November, but somehow I managed to pull it off.  I'm going to give it a go again.  I've been debating about this for a while, trying to decide if I had the time.  The fact is I never have the time for anything really, and so I can't use that as an excuse.  

I've been working on a number of research projects, organizing my genealogy materials, taking a class on historical architecture, networking, and applying for jobs, so I've had to cut back on my blogging for a bit over the last few months.  Thankfully, I am happy to report that my hard work has paid off!  I am feeling a bit more organized, worked on some interesting projects, learned a lot, made some good connections AND (here's the kicker) have a new job!  After being a stay-at-home mom for the last ten years I'm getting back into library work and will be working as a part-time as reference and instruction librarian at a local college!  WooHoo!  Who says I don't have time?!?  I figure NaBloPoMo is a good way to beef up my blog archive for 2012 and get me back into the habit of posting regularly again.

Last year I spent the month blogging about my family history.  I told a hundred years of my family history in a month of daily posts.  I've been trying to decide what to write about this year.  Initially I planned to have a theme (Anyone who knows me knows there's nothing I love more than a good theme...), but I've decided to take a risk and go theme-less.  Over the last few months I've read a number of good books, attended some great workshops, discovered interesting databases, etc. and keep thinking I should write about them, but never seem to get around to it.  NaBloPoMo seems to offer the right opportunity to follow up on these things and share with others.  I plan to make my posts short, just long enough to encourage myself to get them done and get the information out there.

Well, here we go, and as a beloved chorus conductor I had use to say at the beginning of a particularly challenging piece of choral music, "I'll see you at the end!"  


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Heritage Zen Dives In: NaBloPoMo!
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Wordless Wednesday: Fall Weekends in New England

Photo Story: The End, For Now

Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko and Cynthia Shenette

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) This is where my story ends, at least for now.  It's been an interesting journey, and I've learned a lot.  History isn't simple and can't be defined only by the famous.  More often than not history is made up of ordinary people doing ordinary things, though sometimes life circumstances result in ordinary people being called upon to do extraordinary things.  We are all unique, and thank goodness for that.

You've read my story.  What's yours?


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Photo Story: A New Career for Dad

Henry A. Shenette, 1960 Yearbook Photo 

(Stockbridge School of Agriculture Yearbook Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Text Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Dad fought in 11 major battles during World War II and managed to come out unscathed.  After all he had been through during the war, ironically he was severely injured in a training accident while teaching at the Naval School in Newport.  While working with a new recruit Dad got his hand almost completely torn off in a piece of gun machinery on ship.  Thankfully, there was a doctor at the Newport Naval hospital who my mom praised as one of the pioneers of reconstructive surgery.  The doctor managed to reattach the torn part of my dad's hand, and despite a infection and long hospitalization Dad recovered use of his hand.  Unfortunately, he did not recover enough to be able continue as a gunner with the Navy.

Dad retired from the military in 1957 after six years in the U.S. Army and 15 years in the Navy.  Mom said Dad was somewhat at a loss as to do with the rest of his life.  While he was in the Navy my mom had encourage him to complete his high school equivalency.  Dad decided to continue his education at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture where he majored in floriculture.  He graduated in 1960 and became the first person in his family to obtain a college degree.  He eventually operated his own successful landscaping business.  He was still actively working as a landscaper when he died in 1985 at the age of 69.


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Photo Story: Passages

My Grandparents, Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko and Adolf Szerejko

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) The 1950s was a decade of joy and sorrow in the extreme for my family.  My mother and her siblings were married and my grandparents were enjoying their new role as grandparents.  My grandfather was soon due to retire at 65.  He and my grandmother had purchase a property in 1940 with three acres of land in a still rural part of Worcester.  Their intention was to start a plant and flower business for their retirement years.  Gardening was one of their joys in life. You can see one of my favorite photos of my grandparents and their flowers here.

Their plans were disrupted and their joy turned to grief with the sudden, tragic death of one of my mother's siblings in 1955.  I truly believe it was a loss neither my grandmother nor my mother for that matter, recovered from.  Grief also took it's toll on my grandfather.  My mother said she always believed the stress of that loss contributed to my grandfather's death at the age of 64 in 1959 just before his retirement.  In addition to the losses on my mother's side of the family, my Dad's mother, Marie (Comeau) Shenette LeMay also died in 1959.


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Photo Story: Mom and Dad Get Married

Left to Right: Antonina (Bulak) Szerejko, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette, Marie (Comeau) Shenette

(Original Images and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  My parents met through mutual friends while my mom was working for the United States Department of Agriculture in Worcester.  The other secretary in the USDA office, Shirley Johnson, was a good friend of my mother, and her husband Wallace was a childhood friend of my dad.

Left to Right: Unidentified, Margaret Chenette, Unidentified, Rosalie (Wagner) Massey, Edward Chenette,
Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette, Wallace Johnson?

Mom and Dad were married on June 13, 1953 at Our Lady of Czestochowa in Worcester, MA.  A reception followed at the Sterling Inn in Sterling, MA. There was some question as to whether the reception would go on as scheduled, because a massive tornado blew through town four days before my parents wedding, devastating the northern end of the city.  Guests managed to find a route around the destruction, and the reception went on as scheduled.  After the wedding my parents took a honeymoon to Montreal and visited relatives on their trip home.

Left to Right: Unidentified, Helen Bulak, Christine (Szerejko) Shenette, Henry Shenette

My mom moved from Worcester to Newport where Dad was stationed with the Navy.  Mom said they were lucky, because they didn't have to move every two years like most Navy families.  Dad was an instructor at the Naval School in Newport, so they stayed in Newport until he retired from the Navy in 1957.


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Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! - Wordless Wednesday
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Wordless Wednesday: A June Wedding

Photo Story: Seeing the World

USS Charles R. Ware in Port, Rouen, France

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) I am certain my love of travel comes from my parents.  I was always fascinated by my dad's stories about his travels with the Navy.  He traveled everywhere--Australia, the Far East, Africa, Europe, Cuba, South America.  Everywhere.  After World War II Dad served on the destroyer, USS Charles R. Ware (DD-865) which traveled to the Arctic circle, Europe, and the Mediterranean.  For a photo of my dad on ship in the Arctic, see here.

My mom also loved to travel, though her travels were less exotic than my dad's.  Mom would save up her vacation until she accrued a total of three or four weeks time and take a trip somewhere in the United States.  One time she traveled by train in a sleeper car to New Orleans with my aunt Helen Bulak, but most of the time she went by bus by herself.  She took a bus across country stopping in Chicago and Salt Lake City.  Mom slept on the bus which made a rest stop each morning for people to freshen up. Apparently travelers could rent a pillow on the bus to make sleeping more comfortable.  From Salt Lake she continued on to California where stayed with friends of my grandparents and visited Yosemite National Park. On the way home she stopped in Arizona at the Grand Canyon.  You can see a photo of her riding to the bottom of the canyon with a mule train here.


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Photo Story: Peace and Changes

My Mother's Cousin Celina (Szerejko) Gzell and Son, Warsaw, Poland, Late 1940s 

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) Cynthia Shenette) For the family in Poland post World War II was a time of change and upheaval.  My grandfather Adolf's brother Feliks and his wife were civilian casualties of the war.   Their children survived however.  One son served in the Polish Army and was captured by the Germans.  He eventually ended up in a DP camp in Germany after the war and stayed there until he was allowed to immigrate to the United States.

My grandfather's brothers Henryk and Jan survived the war.  Jan lost one son to Soviet violence shortly after the war.  The Soviets were not friends of the Polish people.  A letter from one of  my grandfather's relatives said that to remain in Soviet occupied Poland would be "a slow starvation." Given the family letters that I've read I've always felt that post traumatic stress disorder was probably epidemic within the civilian population after World War II and not just a problem for those in the military.

My Dad and his three brothers who served overseas returned to the United States.  Their father Frank Shenette died in June of 1945 just before the end of the war.  My mom told me that my dad participated in one of the ticker tape parades in New York City.  Apparently he was qualified to operate a tank from his training in the Army and was chosen to drive a tank during the parade.  After the war Dad reenlisted into the Navy where he served until he retired from the military in 1957.

Mom's job at the Ration Board ended with the conclusion of the war.  She found work at the local office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the Federal Building in downtown Worcester where she worked until she married my dad in 1953.


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Photo Story: The Occupation of Tokyo Bay

Henry A. Shenette

Certificate Awarded to Third Fleet Landing Force, Task Force 31

(Certificate Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) At the end of World War II my dad was attached to the United States Marines and served with the United States Third Fleet's Task Force 31 which was involved in the occupation of Tokyo Bay.  He was part of the Yokosuka landing force which was deployed on August 30, 1945. My dad was a gunnery expert and his role was to dismantle the guns the Japanese had hidden in the caves in and around the Yokosuka Naval Base.  

The Indiana was part of the occupation force of  Tokyo Bay after the formal Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. The USS Indiana sailed for the States on September 9, 1945.  She arrived in San Francisco Bay on September 29, 1945 and was the first ship to return to the States from Tokyo Bay.


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Photo Story: Dad, the Navy, and the USS Indiana

The USS Indiana Bombarding Kamaishi, Japan, July 14, 1945

Plank Owner's Certificate for the USS Indiana

(Photo of the USS Indiana is available at Wikipedia and is in the public domain. Plank Owner's Certificate Privately Held by Cynthia Shenette; Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) Dad joined the Navy in February of 1942.  He was assigned to the battleship the USS Indiana and served in the Pacific Theatre.  It may sound naive to say I knew a battleship was big, but I had no idea how big until I started researching the Indiana to learn more about my dad.  Five thousand, six hundred, fifty-three (5, 653) men served on the Indiana.  To put it into perspective the total number of sailors on the Indiana was one third the entire population of the town I currently live in.  For more information about the USS Indiana check out the USS Indiana BB-58 Homeport website which has wonderful photos and information, including the ship's log, about the ship.  You can also see a photo of my dad with other members of the Gunnery Department here.

My dad received the plank owner's certificate above on April 30, 1942 as one of the 2,109 men on board when the ship was put into commission.   Plank owners didn't actually "own" a plank of the deck.  It was an honorary title and part of a tradition which dates back to the time of wooden sailing vessels.  The Homeport website has a list of the plank owners.  My dad's name appears here.

My dad participated in 11 major battles in the Pacific Theatre.  He spoke very little about the actual battles, but I do remember him talking about a major fire on the ship.  When I started researching the Indiana I learned that the fire was caused by a collision between the Indiana and another ship, the USS Washington, which you can read about here.

My dad received two silver stars and two bronze stars for his service. Again, he never talked about what he did to receive his honors.  While he was proud of his service he never bragged about what he had done. He didn't "trot out his glory bars" as he use to say.  He was just doing his job. I did learn from someone years ago that he received one of his silver stars for throwing a live shell that had misfired off the deck and into the ocean. He was just doing his job.


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Photo Story: Changes and World War II Begins

Mom's 1940 Yearbook Photo

(Original Image and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette)  The end of the 1930s and the early 1940s was a time of change for my family.  In 1939 my grandfather's brother Feliks was killed in the bombing of Warsaw on the first day of World War II, and my great-grandfather Antoni died during the winter of 1940.  Mom graduated from high school in the spring of 1940 and went on to continue her education at a two year business college.  

After college Mom worked at the Worcester War Price and Rationing Board for the duration of the war.  She enjoyed working at the Ration Board and said it was the best job she ever had.  She must have done a pretty good job, because she was eventually put in charge of the food and shoe departments.  

Dad returned from the Philippines and was separated from the service in California on November 19, 1941.  Pearl Harbor was bombed eighteen days later on December 7, 1941.  Dad knew it was a matter of time before he was drafted, so he reenlisted in February of 1942.  This time around he chose to serve in the Navy.  He figured if he reenlisted he would get to choose which branch of the military to serve in.  If he waited for the draft he would be assigned to a branch.  He always said if worse came to worse he'd rather go down with the ship than die in a foxhole.  He was in the Navy for 15 years and never learned how to swim...  


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Remembering Pearl Harbor
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Where They Lived: Every Address Tells a Story

Photo Story: 1939 World's Fair

The Trylon and Perisphere

(Original Images and Text, Copyright (c) 2011 Cynthia Shenette) My mom and her family visited the 1939 World's Fair in New York.  Even sixty years later she commented on how amazed they all were by it.  Mom said it was the first place she ever saw a television.  Can you figure out which day in 1939 my mom and her family visited the fair?  There are clues in the images.  Leave a comment at the end.  Also check out this really cool vintage film footage of the Polish Pavilion.  Enjoy the fair!

The Electric Utilities Pavilion

The Italian Pavilion

The Polish Pavilion

Menu from the Polish Restaurant at the Polish Pavilion

Menu from the Polish Restaurant at the Polish Pavilion

Daily Specials: Should I have the calf's brains or the boiled tongue?
Decisions, decisions... 

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