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FACTS, HEARSAY AND MEMORIES - Page 3 Beside the regular types of farming John Macomber tried his hand at different lines. He was one of the originators of the breed of Rhode Island Red Hens. While his name does not appear on the plaque in Adamsville, he is given credit for his part in the book "Red Hen Tales." He and Mr. Tripp of Little Compton were the two leading farmers in the section in the early eighteen hundreds and pretty much supplied New Bedford with fresh vegetables, at least to such an extent that they arranged their market days so that they might not glut the New Bedford Markets. They were on very friendly terms and Mr. Tripp on his return from the city made a practice of stopping, resting his horses and conversing on various aspects of farming and poultry raising. This led to exchange of fowls for breeding, and after some time to the present well known Rhode Island Red. My great grandfather did not live to realize the ultimate success as he was an old man, and Mr. Tripp was a young one who carried the experiments on to a finish. John Macomber was also a nursery man and dealt in a variety of trees and fruits. The field at the north of my former home was always spoken of as the nursery in my day although a horse chestnut tree in the center and a shag bark nut tree over the wall from the door yard were the only visible signs. He was all his life interested in the Westport Monthly Meeting, and was, I believe, its Clerk for many years. He was very generous in its charitable work as is signified by the fact that during the terrible Irish Famine in the 1840's he contributed a thousand dollars which was a tremendous sum for a man of his circumstances. He followed the early Friends idea of simplicity of dress and lack of color. A granddaughter of his whose mother although a Friend had a love of color and clothes went up to him and said, "Grandfather, see my red stockings and new bronze shoes." To which he replied, "I see all I want to of them." Four children of Mary Slade and John Macomber lived to maturity, Lydia, Mary, Olive and Leonard, who was my grandfather. Two other sons spoken of as "very promising" died very young falling prey to "old Fashioned consumption" or tuberculosis. Lydia, the older child, was born deaf. After the birth of several more children who were normal the parents ceased to think of the possibility of another having the same handicap. Great was their grief when Olive, the youngest, was afflicted in the same way. John Macomber was a great believer in education and could not bear the thoughts of his two daughters growing up in ignorance. He made all investigations concerning possible schools for them. His search led him to the only school at that time in the United States which was the American School for the Deaf in Hartford. It was so named because it was then supposed that it would be sufficient for such afflicted children on this continent. John Macomber drove with his horse and carriage to Hartford taking Lydia first, and later Olive, also. The journey for him there and back took a week. The girls were taught the common school subjects, reading, writing, the language of signs and finger spelling. Their father was very proud of their accomplishments and was thoroughly repaid for his efforts. They were loyal alumnae of Hartford even protesting in their way that water was as good as milk for many cooking purposes because it was so used at Hartford. I had a cook book belonging to one containing recipes none of which would have injured digestion by its richness, or the purse, by the cost of materials. Lydia married George Webster a schoolmate at Hartford. Later the three sisters lived in what is now Dr. Kirkaldy's home and Uncle George Webster followed his trade which he had learned at Hartford which was that of a shoe maker. He plyed his trade in the building in the south of the yard and people for miles around came to him for repairs. 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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