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FACTS, HEARSAY AND MEMORIES - Page 2 When John Macomber and Mary Slade married, they bought the farm in Westport on the Main Road lying between Booth's Corner and Central Village. What is left of the original belongs of Manuel Costa, I believe. I know that it formerly embraced at the north the farm now in the Rapoza family and in my young days was owned by Joseph Lawton for many years superintendent of Beech Grove Cemetery. To the west was what was called the Case place which I only knew of in the blueberry season when my aunt induced my brother and older sisters to accompany her there. The bushes were so high then that I was never included in the venture. There were, I think, no remains of the house other than a cellar. I never knew of any descendants of that family, but know it once was a part of the farm. How far to the west the land extended or how many acres it represented I do not know, but it surely went to the brook. There were cultivated fields which could not be seen from the road and the larger crops were planted up to the "westard." There were also hay fields there and pasture for cows. The land across from the house belonged to Humphrey Kirby who lived in the only house on Cross road, now closed. On that side of the road the site of the present Town Office Building, possibly Lynnwood Potter's but I am not certain of that, the two Candaeis houses, Charles Brightman's, Milton Earle School, the Pettey house and George Howland's were all from the original farm. Below the original house, the following homes now have been built, Dr. Kirkaldy's, Bettencourt's, Rhodes, Norman Kirby's, Melvin Wood's, Albert Wood's, and Luther Bowman's. Beginning with the "four acre", known by that name in my day, began the property now owned by Charles R. Wood heirs. The photographs of John Macomber are not I am sure flattering and show him to be a very homely man. An old man, when I was quite small, told me that I looked like him. I cried and my mother assured me that I didn't, and that my hair being in bangs which resembled his style of hair dressing was the only resemblance. She proceeded to wet my hair, part it in the middle and brush it to each side, and my injured feelings were relieved. From what I have heard of John Macomber to have inherited some of his thrift, generosity, and sterling qualities of character would have been of more importance than looks. I have heard him spoken of as being a man who lived ahead of his time. His wife, Mary Slade, looks in her picture with arms calmly folded across her ample, uncorseted body to have been a woman of placid disposition. She was I am sure a real helpmate. This story has come down to me and I think it work repeating. When the young couple purchased the farm. I wish I knew what they paid for it, their ready cash was exhausted. They soon realized that a clock would be their first purchase when the money could be saved, as the hour glass required too much attention. They did not mortgage or buy on time. Great grandmother sat up all night previous to market day, spun and turned the house glass in order to awaken her husband at three o'clock that he might get an early start with his produce for the New Bedford Markets. I can imagine the purchase of the tall clock gave them a good deal of satisfaction. John then presented his brother Caleb with the house glass since he had no time piece. Caleb's farm was below Central Village on the left had side of the road now owned I believe by Rapoza. Caleb's contribution to the beauty of Central Village was the planting of the big tree which was Central Village's landmark for many years. Like many large projects it had small beginnings and was the subject of much laughter and referred to scornfully as "Kallup's tree." His name was so pronounced in the local vernacular. Another example of John's generosity was that he presented some of his neighbors either less fortunate or thrifty than himself, with apples. Mary said that the gift of apples was of little value worth sugar to make the applesauce, so she contributed the sugar from her own resources. The nutritive value of eating apples in the raw was not then recognized. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21
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