Document text
F/Donovan, Thomaston
7ov.15,'38
Art flotsford speaking:
"Now I 7ot a letter here just the other day --I'll tell you about it--
use1 to be a couple of fellows w.-mrk here named Daniels --twins they was
Nathan and Elnathan--Nathan came up to town visitin' not long ago and I
met him while he was waitint for his bus --he lives down in New Haven now
and I says to him: 'Get in my cr. 1'17 get you down in time fr your bus.'
"So I took him all around town,up through High street and Ialnut street
where he could look around and see ho '7 the twn has grown,showed him all
that new development up off High street. He couldn't get over it,said the
town sure had changed since the days he worked in the clock shop.
"well we got talkin' about the old days and Nathan said he was goin' to
send me something atocaxtx about the .Clock shop --T thought 'twas a book,the
way he talked,but it was this here newspaper clipping. Ain't much about
Sett Thomas clocks except what- you'll find in the early records --how Ell
Terry started the business and Seth took It eve,. ---but here's something
should interest you--" /Ckeads from the clipping:)
In the early daYs of the clock industry,they were sold entirely by
peddlers who traveled over the country---
Tt's
eomething that probably is not '.,mown by everybody. Tell you.
so ething else --I remember hearing the old timers say that wooden clocks were:
-not the first kind manufactured in this country --that over in YDrk state
somewhere they made brass clocks even before Seth Thomas
"And say,I'm going to tell you a story came to my mind after you left,
when we wa talkin' about Hitler,but if y ii use my name with it,and it corn es
out in print,I'll shut down on you,I won't tell you another thing,remember
that. I thought of a sayin' of my grandmother's she used to say,IThere s
Atwoodstand there's AT1CODS!' Get what I mean? 'Twas the way she said it.
And that brought this story to mind.
T heard it I don't know how many
years ago at a big gatherin' in Ioodbury.
Tight I could tell it like I heard it told --the feller made a long story
out of it. Seems that years ago in the early days of Connecticut,a lot of
people he rd about the Pomperaug Valley,and a big bunch of them decided they
warted to settle there.
*Iell,they stocked up with provisions and all they need,and they
pot some Imddxammkx I ndians to guide 'em and a good su ply of fire -7ater,
and they set out.
"They traveled and t-avel-d,and they ate up all their food, and they
ran out of fire waterond they got impatient. So they called the Indians
into conference and asked them how long t was going to take to reach the
A2x Pomperaug. And the Indians said,'Pretty soon,now.1
"Iell,the,- traveled and traveled some more and at last when they'd 3ust
about give up hope,they came to the top of a high kigkxx hill,nd the
Indians pointed down and said there it is,there's the Ox Pomperaug.
-So thektwoods hollered: 'Let's fight!'
oAnd the Skiltons said: "Let's pray.'
l‘nd the Miners said: 'Let's have a drink!'
And,the feller said,they been doinI it ever since. Snd whenever you
find axhx- anyone n court in tiutiagrifiaMXPUMPUCRUC20( Ioodbury for
Miner
fightin' or drinkini its a Skkit2n or an Atwood, while the Skiltons have
always had morethan ordinary pray in' ability.
But now don't you dare use my r1EXIMIX name with that story,and if
it gets ixteprx into print you better leave he st%te,or some of them
people will scalp you,for there's still plenty of 'em left over around
there.
"I don't know when I heard it,back in '88 I guess,or the winter of
'87. Now I t-ld you about that clock went to the South Pole on t _e Byrd
expedition. The,r left it there and when they came back the second time,they
dated eighteen seventy solrietting.
wound it up and it started Foing just l'ke the day it left the factory. Itwas
one of their ordinary eight day movements,not too expensive
"I got something here I want to show you. Mr.Botsford brings out a
hwre,bou-d file of ancient newspapers. Dates of the issue are all in the
fidtclasuzsgrkitmatxx- eighteen fifties,and in themse1ves t e old papers
furnish xigtxxxialigkt a vivid picture of the life of their period. "Gleason's
Pictorial Drawing Room Companion," reads the ornate masthead. Mr Botsford
says his father bought the file frcn a man who wished to dispose of its')ut
that previously,the family had subscribed to the weekly for years. Itxisxx
xxxisIckarlxtax The arrival of the paper each we -k was an eagerly awaited
event. Interspersed in yellowinc- pages,are a few o- Mr Botsford's own clippins
collected through the years.
"Here's one of C. L Rusc'ell post,GAR," he says,unfolding an old rotogravur
sheet 11717mtetxx of the Taterbury Sunday.Republican. The picture was taken
in the eighties,showing the post at almost full strength,and the veterans
are a sturdy,handsone,though bewhiskered group,reeplendent in dress uniform'
"They played an important part in town affairs,sure they did. Just as
important then as the Legion is now. He turns a few pages. 'You've heard of
the famous 7ranklin Rebus. Points to a large stee' illustrated with woodcuts,
a likenss of 7enjamin Frinldin at the top of t e page —the title: "The /Art
of Making Money Plenty in 7,very Man's Pocket," by Dr Franklin. Mr Botsford
reads the rebus.
He turns a few morn pages,brings out an old t i ter -7'cmgr,dati:-.;-.
0
big event at the time, he
was a
ays. said tie program: "The Young Ladies of the Conmun4ty will present
several tableaux Thurs ay evening,March 17,at American hall."
"kmerican hall,that''s the telephone building. It'll give you an idea
just how old tkeitexthxxzzgz this thing is when I tell you th Mrs.
she's an old lady today,y ou knowohe was the youngest girl in the whole
show --just a littit&x little kid.
"Rut they used to have rood shows at the old Opera House.. They had companies
come here from New York, and they say one time right on the New York stage,
the question was asked where gxthgurionstxx was the best theater thi certain
actor ha 7 ever played in,and he answered,for acoustics,the Opera House at
Thomaston Connecticut.
I see Pat Rooney there,and Dennan,and other bip: actors of their lay I
saw East lalmax Lynne,and other famous old plays there. And once they had
a fire engine and four horses right up there on the stage.
"There's lx lots of things I can't remember. I got a good memOry,but
thcre's a lot of things I fergetommtx same's anyone else. iust like
yourself,you see the n ew post office goin' up down town,,v-d the n w
hih school,and it probably never occurs to you to save records of it and
newspaper clippings and such,tough forty -fifty years from now,if yintrxxitinx
you're alive,they'll be In demand.
But some things st'Ick in my mindowhere they might be forgotten
'ny other pemwdrxx people,because they impress me more. You walk into a shop
and you see an old machine,and to you its 1,1st a mach'ne and you don't notice
t twice,bt to m,2,,it may be something I've worked a tifatimaxamx lifetime on
see
and I know every bolt and nut on it by heart p what I mean?"
F/bonovanr Thomaston
7ov.15,t33
krt 73otsfonl s7:o11-?:5.ng:
"Now I-ot a letter here just t'to other day --I'll toll you about it
used to be a counlo of fellows 7 .1'1,c here named D7miels--twins
Nathan ,,nd Elnathan--Nathan came ;.110 to viitinl not 1-,ng to and
mot hIm while ',re was waitine for hi l bus ---he llves Mown In N -w 14avm now
and I says to him: 'Get in my c -r. I'll get you down in time f r your
$0 I took him all around town,up through HiFh st-eet and Talnut streot
where he could lo,'k around and ho- tee t-wn rias rOWn,S;AOwed him all
tat new development up off High street. He couldn't get over it,said te
twn sure had claanFod since the days he worked in the clock shop.
e t taking about t...0 old days and Nathan said he WAS fr In' to
send me semeting abatiztx about ;t!n clock ohop--I thought 'twas a book,the
way he taled -Tut it was this her news -tiler clIpping Ain't milch about
Seth Therms cloe'07s except wt you'll find in the early records--how11.
rr:v started ,a busiresa and TAh tonk It Ov7 hore'5 something
should interec you--" (reads from the clip Inr:)
"in the early days co' 1:qe clec industry,taey wero seld entirely by
peddlers wao tre.volod over the country--
s coi,ething that probably is not -flown by every-)ody. Toll you
sn ething else --T ?-enrber hearing th,:, old timers say that wooden clock.s
not .t,e f4rst kind manufactured in th17 country —that over in rzek statc
sonewhere t':tay made brass clocks even before leth Thomas--
"Wd Aay,i'm -oing te tell you a story car-Ae to my mind after you loft,
when we wa- talkin° about Hitlerybat if y u use my name with Itond it crn es
out in print 11 shut down on you,T won't tell you anoter thing,reneTber
that. I thought of a sayinl of my g andmotherls; s -le used to sayolThere's
Atwoodspand there's A.TIOODS!' Get what I mean? 'Twas the way she said it.
knd that bro:1 ht this story to mind. I heard it I don't know how :lany
w 15060
-2
years ago at a big gatherine in Ioodbury.
"Tieht I could tell it 'tee I heard it told --t ee feller nIdo A long story
out of it. Seems that years aeo in the early laes of Connecticutea lot of
people he -rd about the Pomperaug Valley,and a big bunch of them decided they
warted to settle there.
"Iell,they stocked up 7ith provisions and all thee necici,i,nd they
rot lone Ixdkanstx Indians to cuide 'elm and a good su ply of fire eater,
arl thy set out.
"They traveled end t-eveled,an ehey ate up all their food, and they
reel out of fire wieterond they rot impatint. So they called t'ae Indians
into conference and naked them how long t leas gothc to tAk-:, to r3n.ch the
lOx Porlperaug. knd the Indians said,'Ilretty soon, now.'
"Teellothee traveled and traveled some more and at last when they'd just
about give up hr'pe,thcr care to 4.he top of a high ilIgkxx hillAnd the
7ndians pointed dorn end Field there it is,there's the Ox Pomperaug.
°So theetwoods hollered: 'Let's fight!'
°And0 Skiltens said: Let's pray.'
'rd the MInerq maid: 'Let's hive -1 drink!'
"krid,tee feller said,they been dein' it ever since. And whenever you
find aide( an -one n court in timifigniftin&WW.D4PWWWX /oodbur for
Miner
fightinl or drinki-' its a ildiftem or an 4twood,while the Skiltons have
alwaes had norethan ordinary prayint ability.
liT177t no eonet you dare use my -XXX2X name with that story,and if
it get ixterrx into print you better leave 'he statetor some of them
PeoPe wifl calp you,for there's still plenty of 'em left aver around
there.
"T don't know when I heard ittback in '88 I guess,or the winter of
'87. No It'ld you about teat clock went to the South Pole on t e Byrd
expedition. They left it there and when they came back the second timetthey
.3.
wound it up and it started going just lice the day it left the factory. Itwas
one of their ordinary eirrht day movements,not too expensive
"I got something here I want to show you." Mr. Botsford brings out a
huge„bouA file of ancient newspapers. Dates of the issue are all in the
fiftissxmatodskaxxxx- eighteen fifties,and in themselves t e old papers
furnish xbezexIsmixh* a vivid picture of the life of their period. "Gleasonts
Pictorial Drawing Room Companion," reads the ornate masthead. Mr Botsford
says his father bought the file frem a man who wished to dispose of it,
that previously,the family ha' 7 subscribe to the wee,71y for years it.xisxx
mutixkardtitax The arrival of the paper each welt was an eagerly awaited
event. Interspersed in yellowing pageseare a few o Mr lotsfordis own clipping,
collected through the years.
*Here's one of C. L Rusmal post,GAR„" he says,unfolding an old rotogravure
sheet plantaxx of the laterbury Sunday Republican. The picture was taken
in the eightieseshowing the poet at almost full strengthipand the veterans
are a sturdy,handsome,though bewhiskered grouppresplendont in dress uniform/.
"They played an important part in town affairsoure they did. Just a$,
important then as the Legion is now." He turns a few l'ages. "You've heard of
the famous Franklin Rebus. Points to a large sheeisillustrated wlth woodcuts,
a likenss of Ilenjamin Prinklin at the top of ve.page--to title: "The Akrt
of Making Money 721enty in "Ivery Man's Pocket," by D- Franklin. Mr Botsford
reads the rebus.
Be turns a few more pages,brings out an old theater programedxteltxxxx
dated eighteen seventy something. "This was a big event at the time," he
aye. Said t*le program: "The Young Ladies of the Community will present
several tableaux Thurs'ay eveningAarch 17,at American hall."
"American hallothate's the telephone building. It'll give you an idea
just how old theonexttxxzzps this thing is when I tell you th,' Mrs.
she's an old lady todayry ou know,she was the youngest girl in the whole
show --just a Ittaitxx little kid.
*Rut they used to have 700,(1 shows at the old Opera House They had companies
come here from New York, and they say one time right on the New York stage,
the question was asked where polksxtmatxx was the best theater thi certain
actor ha l ever played invand he answeredefor acoustics,the Opera House at
Thomaston Connecticut.
4'1 see 'Pat Rooney theregand Dennan,and other big actors of their day
saw East hilmilx lynnesand °tier famous old playa there. Xnd once they had
a fire engine and four horsos right up there on the stage.
"There's lium lots of things Ican't remember. I got a good mamory,but
there's a lot of things I forgetogamtx same's anyone else. tint like
yourselfeyou see tie n ew post offce goint up down towno-d the n w
high schoolond it probably never occurs to you to save records of it and
newspaper clippings and suchot'iough forty —fifty years from now, if peemaINSO
you're alive,they'll be in demand.
But some things stick in my mindohere they might be fcogotten
hy other pemplaxx peoplelbecause they imprPss me more. You walk into a shop
and you see an old machinevand to you its just a mach're and you don't notice
it twice„but to m,it may be something I've worked a II/Vitimximx lifetime on
and I know every bolt and nut an it by heart 'see what I mean?"