Document text
STA'2E ETTS
LIE
A2)1.-)RESS PinU LAS SA CHU'S Er2TS
DATE 1939
LI \ILA.
NALL-2, OF M-FORLIAP2 LARS CO; LOVELL
liTiqb DA-LE;ISSAChiT2TS
The following interview took Llace in La's
Cora. Lovell's neat cottage in Iiinsdale
Center. lirs Lovell's duties as Town Cielrk,
Justice of the l'eace, newspaper reorter
town Librarian combined with her hobbies
cooking, golfing, fancy work and visiting
keep this sixty-seven year old lady busy.
It is never easy to get a .chance to talk
with her-- she's on the move all day. e
were fortunate in catchfmg her at home
and undisturbed by official cares.
'Mrs Lovell's nousL. is as neat and tidy as
the proverbial pin. -here is a comfortable
combination of old-fashioned furniture and
modern decorations that ive the rooms
charm, and a certain distinction. But the
neat rooms are only a setting for as aynainic
and "peppy" elderly lady as. is to be found
anywhere.
Name: Raaalie 4ruith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mrs, Cgra Lovell A Berkshire
jaek-Of-All-Trades
In every small moribund town there are a few outstanding indivi-
duals who, it seems, would never become victims of depressions and
decadence. Like strong, hardy plants that grow in rocky, barren soil,
these people manage to prosper in towns that offer few opportunities.
ouch a person is Mrs. Cora Lovell of Hinsdale, town clerk, justice of
the peace, marrying justice, librarian, news reporter, society woman
(she mingles with wealthy summer residents and the four hundred of
Hinsdale), ardent golfer (a charter member of the Hinsdale Country
Club), excellent card player and member of the American Missionary
Society.
About twenty-five years ago, after her husband's death,
Mrs. Lovell, New York born and a former school teacher, found herself
thrown on her own resources. She ran a boarding house, she "took in"
sewing, she substituted as aechool teacher "It was rather difficult
at first," she said, "teaching all eight grades. I wasn't trained
for it. I had only one grade in New York." She sat on delinquent
taxpayer's doorsteps on pay night to collect meagre sums, and made
the startling record of collecting every penny of town taxes during
her two years of office; she climbed the lonely slopes of Warner
Mountain at two o'clock in the morning in hopes of getting a newspaper
scoop and in 1920 she took the Hinsdale census on foot. She is the
feminine analogy of the small town "jack-of-all-trades".
(2)
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdalt
Topif: Mrs. Cora Lovell A Berkshire
Jack -Of -All -Trades
Mrs. Lovell is sixty-seven years old. Last year she went to
Europe. "I climbed Gibraltar without any trouble," she said, "Do
you know why? The Hinsdale Golf Course. Gibraltar would never faze
anyone who had played an the Hinsdale course."
Mrs. Lovell was born on Staten Island, New York but when she was
eight years old her family moved to New York city. She was graduated
from Hunter College, then taught school until she was twenty-seven
years old, when she married. She and her husband traveled widely in
the United States, both were disciples of Isaac Walton. "I've kept
house in Florida, California, Maine, New York and Massachusetts," she
said, "and I've fished in the Pacific Ocean, the St. John River, and the
Rangely Lakes in Maine."
After her husband's health failed they moved to Hinsdale, where
they bought a farm. Mrs. Lovell became a farmerette,making butter
and helping with the heavy outdoor work. "My husband had a theory
that if we raised all of our grain instead of buying it, we would be
able to make money," she said, "of course, we had to have help in some
of the busy seasons, but we both almost worked ourselves to death. I
didn't mind it, because I was young and strong and I liked farm work,
but my husband wasn't very well.
"We had horses for the first time in our lives, and we enjoyed
them so much. We had bicycles that we brought with us from New York,
but it wasn't much fun riding them on these bumpy roads.
"We stayed on the big farm for about two years and then we came
to the conclusion that we had bitten off more than we could chew, so
(4)
Name: Rosalie amith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mrs. Cora Lovell A Berk-
shire Jack -Of -All -Trades
listen to her forceful emphasis on certain words watch her
inimitable facial expressions and if you've never actually seen
a person "double up with laughter" you should see Mes. Lovell, with
hearty girlish laughter, or a loud guffaw, throw her hands up over her
face, wrinkle up her nose, bend forward, raise her feet slightly in the
air, and rock back and forth.
Mrs. Lovell was the first woman town clerk in Massachusetts, she
was one of the first women tax collectors (served in 1922 and 1923)
and she is one of the few women marrying justices i1i the state. It
might be inferred from these and her various other occupations that
she is a typical career woman or another busan b. Anthony, trying to
establish women's rights, but apparently not, for she said, "I didn't
look for any of the work. It all came to me. Some of it was just
forced upon me. I was perfectly content to let the men take care of
the town affairs. After my husband died I was sewing for other people,
substituting in the schools, taking in boarders and doing just about
anything I could to make a living, you know. Augustus Frissell
(Hinsdale merchant) was town clerk at that time, and he said it was
dreadfully hard for him to take care of the work. Sometimes he would
have five or six customers waiting in his store, and someone would
come in and ask for a fishing license, or a hunting license, or a
marriage license, or want something looked up in the town records.
So he asked me if I would take it over. I told him I didn't know
a thing about the town clerk's work, but he said, 'You can learn.
(5)
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living _Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: wa. Cora Loyell A Berkshire
Jack-W-All*Trades
Just hang around me at town meetings, I'll show you all I can.'
"'Well, my sakes at the next town meeting both the Democrats
and Republicans nominated me for town clerk. I was elected and
became the first woman town clerk in Massachusetts. That was in
1921 and I've been elected every year since. Only once did I have
any opposition Mercy, I don't blame my opponents at all for
trying to beat me that year.."
The story of the opposition is one of those small town
political "inside'tales" which seldom appear in pria. A Democrat
had been elected to the school committee but he was called to another
town before the expiration of his term. The Republicans who were in
the majority that year, appointed a Republican to fill the vacancy.
"It wasn't a fair thing to do," says Mrs. Lovell, "it was outrageous.
A Democrat had been elected and a Democrat thould have been appointed
to fill the vacancy. I don't blame them for being mad. Of course,
I didn't have anything to do with the appointment, but the Democrats
vowed they would put every Republican out of office at the next
election. The woman who opposed me was very well liked; and I thought
I didn't have a chance. I even collected my books and papers together
and tied some of them up with string; but when the votes were counted
I won by a large majority. That was the first and only time I have
ever had any opposition.
"I didn't ask for the job as librarian either," continues
Mrs. Lovell, who by now was getting warmed up, "One night the
(6)
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Livinz Lore
Assignment: ginsdale
Topic: 'A'a. Cora ;Jovell A Berkshire
jack -Of -AU -Trades
librarian who had been here for years and years, went crazy. He tore
his hair and tore the skin off his face samethihg awful, and went
screaming through the streets. The end of it was he had to be taken
to the Northampton Insane Asylum. They didn't know what to do for a
librarian. Some of the trustees came and asked me if I would take
the job. I told them I didn't know a thing about a library, although
I did know quite a little about books. They said they needed someone
right away -and asked me if I wouldn't try it for a while. Well I
said I'd come in for a while to help out and I've been librarian
ever since. That was in 1917."
Mrs. Lovell recalls her experiences as the first won an town
clerk of Massachusetts, not as a series of multifarious, uninteresting
duties, but rather as a new experience, from which she derived as much
pleasure and amusement, as she did hard work. "After I was first
elected," she says with a wide grin, "almost every letter I recetv0d
was addressed 'Dear Sir'. I didn't think so much of that because I
knew I was the only woman clerk 4 but one day I received a letter from
a certain firm, asking me to sflggest the names of men in the town who
might make good salesmen for their products. 'If you will do this for
us', the letter read, 'we will give you your choice of a safety razor
or a sweet briar pipe'." Mrs. Lovell "doubles up with laightar" her
feet flung up, her shoulders down until you might think she was about
to take a somersault.
(7)
Name: posalie Smith Assignment: Hinsdale
Title: Living Lore
Topic: Vra, Cora, Lovell -A Berkshire
jack -Of -All -Trades
"I remember one time Judge Warner came out to my house to look
up something in the town record books. I don't remember now just what
he was looking for, but it was something way back in 1850 or 1860.
He was terribly pleased that he found it and he said, 'Mts. Lovell
you have kept these records beautifully.' The record had been recorded
long before I was born but I didn't say anything."
I asked Mts. Lovell how she happened to become a marrying justice.
"Well, after I was elected town clerk," she said, "I thought it would be
a good thing to have a justice of the peace in the town, bedause there
were so many papers to be sworn to, you know; and we always had to go
out of town for it. I suggested that one of the town officers become
a justice of the peace; and some of them thought I should be the one,
so in 1922 I became a justice of peace. The combination of town clerk
and J. P. gives you the power of a marrying justice you know. I've
been told that years ago there were a good many of them in Berkehire
County, but for some reason or another there's only two left. It keeps
us kind of busy. During 1938 I performed twenty marriage ceremonies.
"The first time I was ever asked to marry anyone, was a few
years ago. You remember old Mr. Micheals, who lived in the South
part of Hinsdale, don't you? Well, he inserted an advertisement for a
housekeeper in some newspaper, and a girl from New York answered. She
was a German girl handsome and very well dressed, but you only had
to look at her once to know what kind of a girl she was. After she had
been there about two weeks she and Mt. Michaels came to me and said
(8)
Name: Rosalie Smitla
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Tolk: mra. Cgra Lovell A Berkshire
Jack -CC -All -Trades
they wanted to get married. He was Catholic and really preferred to be
married in the Catholic Church, but the girl insisted upon having a
civil marriage. She said that in Germany a civil marriage was the most
binding. At last they decided to be married by me on Sunday afternoon
and at the Catholic Church Monday morning. I tried to convince her that
a church marriage was the very best thing we had in this country; and I
told her that if they were married by me I would have to take the
license and they wouldn't have any license to give to the priest. But
she insisted on having me marry them. Sunday afternoon Bill Dornety came
over with his camera and hid behind the door. He wanted to get a picture
of me performing my first marriage ceremony. Just as the couple got
here the priest called up and asked me if they were going to be married
here. I told him 'Yes' and I told him that I had tried to convince the
girl that the church was the best place in this country to beumitrried.
I talked and I talked and I talked to the girl and finally I persuaded
her to wait and be mantied in the church the next morning so I was
cheated out of the first ceremony I expected to perform. She turned
out to be Just the kind of a girl everyone thought she was. After
the wedding she took his gun and wouldn't let him near her. He had
quite a little money, and somehow she got hold of that and went to
Germany on her honeymoon along. Can you imagine!
°Well, that wasn't the end of hAE and her old chump. About a
year after their marriage the telephone operator called me one day
and told me I'd better hustle right over to their farm. There'd been
(9)
Name: Rosalie Smith,
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
To/Jc: Mrs. Cora Lovell A Berkshire
Jack -Of -All -Trades
telephone calls for help, doctors, the state police etc. Mr. Michaels
had hung himself in the barn. The constable and I searched the house
from top to toe, trying to find her. Later they found she'd gone off to
the city.
"he first time I ever did perform a marriage ceremony, the
telephone rang, and a man's voice said, 'Can you marry people?' 'Have
you the proper license?' I asked. 'We got our license in Pittsfield',
the voice said. I was all excited. I straightened up the house and
hunted around until I found a prayer book, with a marriage service in it.
I crossed out the prayers, because I thought mebbe if they wanted to be
ma rried later I heard a car drive in the yard and I went to the window.
Glory Be they were blacker than ink. Five black ones. The bride was
one of the blackest negroes I ever saw and she had on a white chiffon
hat. The best man said, 'Don't you know me, Mrs. Lovell? I used to
live in Hinsdale?' I found out later that he was one of the L
boys. So the first couple I ever marfied were negroes, blacker than
coal.
"Last summer I was asleep on the sun porch for some cousins of
mine were sleeping in my bedroom, when I heard the awfullest pounding
on the door. It was about twelve o'clock at night, and I thought it
must be some drunks. They pounded as if they were perfectly mad. Then
a woman called 'Mrs. Lovell'. By that time my cousins woke up and one
of them came downstairs and said, 'Cora, don't you hear that pounding?'
be dead if I didn't', I said. The people outside heard us talking
(10)
flame: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mrs. Cora Lovell A Berkshire
jack -Of -All -Trades
SO I had to go speak to them. I was pretty cross to be awakened at that
time of night, and I said, 'What do you people want?'. 'We're from up
on top of Washington Mountain,' the voice said, 'We've been living
together ever since my husband died, but some of the folks over there
doesn't seem to like it. They made a iota fuss about it, and we had to
go out to court in Pittsfield today and they told us out there that we
had to get married right away. We thought we'd celebrate a little so we
had supper after we got through at that court, and then we went to a
movie, but we thought maybe we'd better come and get married right
away, because they told us to and we're afraid the people in washington
won't like it if we don't.' They were negroes, too. The prospective
groom had been the beat man at the first wedding I performed. I told
them they would have to go back to Washington and get a license and then
wait five days. They didn't want to. They kept saying that the man at
court told them to get married at once but I finally got rid of them.
The next -1:hursday night they came here to be married, but I wasn't
home, so they went to a minister. Can't say I was sorry.
"I've never seen such queer people as some of those who c ome
to get married. Another time I heard someone rapping on the door. I
went out and there stood a tiny crippled man with two crutches. He
told me that he wanted to get married, and pointed to the car, where
his bride sat. He spoke to her and she got out of the car. She was
an enormous woman, absolutely enormous. Some of the other men in the
party were crippled too, but the groom couldn't get up the steps alone.
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mra. Cora Lovell A Berkshire
jack -Of -All -Trades
The bride and anotherman hoisted him up and when they left they had
to lift him down. When they were leaving one of the crippled men
said to me, 'We're relics of the war'. The groom had given his age
as thirty-three, so I wondered what war they could mean. I stood
there in the doorway and said, 'War, war, what war?'. He winked
and said, 'The Civil Wart.
"Then there was a high school teadher and a girl who said she
was a craftsman whatever that may be, from one of tbe Jewish summer
camps on the lake, who asked me if they could come here aid get
married at ten o'clock at night. I guess they brought the whole camp
with them. I never saw such a gang. I guess they'd been celebrating
before they got here for most of them were well, I guess you'd say,
lit up. There wasn't a chair left in the living room some of them
sat two on one chair. I didn't know what my furniture would look like
when they got through. I asked the couple who were getting married
if they would please stand, but the girl said, 'I'm not going to
stand. I've been working all day and I'm tired and I'm not going to
stand.' Then the groom said, 'Well, if you're not going to stand then
I'm not either. That was the only sit down wedding I ever had. They
both sat there smoking cigarettes while I read the ceremony.
"Sometimes," continued Mrs. Lovell, settling back in her roomy chair,
"people cow to get married and don't bring any witnesses, but I can
usually get some of the neighbors to oblige. A short time ago this
(12)
ame: Rosalie Smith Assignment: Hinsdale
Title: Living Lore Topic: Mrs,. Cora loovell A Berkshire
Jack-Cf-A11-Tradea
happened, so I called up Mr. and Mrs. Brown and they came over. While
I was reading the ceremony the bride kept wiggling and squirming and
jumping around. I couldn't make out what on earth was the matter with
the girl. I thought perhaps she had Saint Vitus dance or something.
I gave them their certificate, and after they went Mr. Brown said to
me, 'Do you know what was the matter with the bride? The groom was
pinching her all the time they were being married.' Can you imagine:.!
"Another time a divorced woman, who was only twenty-two years
old came to get married. After the ceremony, instead of waiting for
her husband to kiss her, shemade a dash for him, then for the two other
men in the party. Moicy me, she descended on those men like a mountain
of brick. I've never seen anyone go at the men the way that girl did.
Good Heavens! I don't know what ails some folks.
"One night a couple from Lanesboro came to me and said they
wanted to get married but they didn't have a license because the man's
divorce wasn't final. I told them I was sorry but I couldn't marry
them. They'd have to get a license first. 'But why won't they let
us get married?' the woman insisted, 'If people only understood I
think they would.' I guess people understand all right,' I said,
kinda sharp, 'but you ought to have thought of that long ago.'
"One December a couple came to get married and as they were
leaving the bride said, 'We wouldn't have known anything about you,
Mrs. Lovell, only my girl friend told us about you,' (and she mentioned
the name) 'You married them last November and you ought to see what
(13)
liame: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mrs, Ccra Lovell A Berkshire
jack-Of..411-arades
a nice little boy they have now.' Yes, I told her I remembered her
girl friend all right. I was afraid I would have to turn my house
into a maternity ward.
"Land sakes, I mustn't talk on like this. You'll be thinking
all my marriages are terrible. They aren't at all. I've had soft
real nice ones the brides dressed up real pretty and the grooms
nervous and all -a -flutter. Moicy. I must admit I like being town
clerk. Its not near as much work as When I was Tax Collector and it's
more interesting. I served as Tax Collector for two years 1922
and 1923 you know and what a, time I had.
"Both years I collected every cent of taxes in the town. Of
course, it was easier in those days than it would be now. Everyone
was working, but people didn't know how to save. They spent every
cent they earned. But I found out when pay day was at the mill, or
wherever they worked and then I'd go to their house that day. Sometimes
I went a few minutes before I thought they would be hameard sat on
their doorsteps, so they wouldn't have a chance to spend all of their
money before I got some of it. It may not have been lawful but I did
it just the same. On the back of some tax bills I'd have several columns
of figures, because often all I could get would be a dollar, or a dollar
and a half. Of course, now that I've been in politics so long I would
know better than I did then, but after I was first elected I thought
I had to reform everyone else; and if they couldn't save, I thought I
had a right to try to save for them. No collector since has ever
(14)
Name: Rosalie with
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Its. Cora Lovell A Berkaire
Jack -Of -All -Trades
collected every cent. Of course, they don't have the time that I did.
Most of them have other jobs and can just work on the tax collecting
at night or in spare moments. They can't go around sitting on people's
doorsteps, waiting for them to came home as I did. It was queer too)
I didn't have any trouble collecting taxes from the summer residents
although today the summer residents are the worst backsliders in town.
I wrote nice letters to all of them, and every one responded with a
check. At the end of the first year people thought,I was too thorough.
Guess I pested folks too much. I was opposed at the next election,
but I was elected. The next year I was opposed again, and that time
I was defeated by seven votes. Now almost every year both Democrats
and epublicans come to me before election and ask me if I von't run
for tax collector. There are thousands of dollars outstanding, but
I don't want the job.
"The worst experience I ever had was when I was Tax Collector.
It was right after I was elected. The assessors gave me a commitment
book, but no warrant. Of course, it's illegal to collect without a
warrant; and according to the laws then there was some terrible fine
or imprisonment I can't remember just what it was -imposed upon
anyone who did collect without a warrant, so I didn't dare. I kept
after those assessors and kept asking and asking them for a warrant,
but they kept putting me off. They said I didn't need it, none of the
other collectors had ever bothered about it. I went to the former tax
collector but he told me he never bothered about a warrant, he said it
(15)
*wale: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: Mrs. Op Lovell A Berkshire
Jack -Of -All -Trades
wouldn't do me any good to have it anyway because the assessors kept
making so many mistakes they'd have to keep changing the warrant.
Then the selectmen got after me. They said I'd have to start
collecting, because the town needed the money badly, and people who
wanted to pay their taxes began to complain that I wouldn't take
their money. I didn't know what to do, so I wrote to Boston. I told
them the selectmen were pressing me, but that I just couldn't get a
warrant from the assessors. In a few days an investigation was
started. It was held in the torn hall, and I got up and told the
men from Boston that our assessors didn't do a thing but draw their
salary. After the meeting the investigators said they wanted to see
the assessors alone. A few days later I got the warrant. That was
an awful embarrasing time but I couldn't help it."
Knowing that Mrs. Lovell had had an experience or two while
acting as local reporter for the Springfield Republican tried to
shift the conversation into that channel.
*Well, most of my work for the Republican is just ordinary
stuff but I did have one experience a year or so ago that was kinds.
exciting.
"One night about two o'clock the phone rang. Someone from the
Republican in Springfield was calling and wanted to know if I had
heard anything about an airplane falling on Warner Hill. I told them
'No' I hadn't heard anything about it, but they said they had the
rumor and they would like to have me verify it if possible. (NOTE:
(16)
114..me: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Hinsdale
Topic: p.a. Cora Lovell A Berkshire
Jack- Of-All.arades
There is only one house occupied by negroes in the near vicinity
of Warner Hill. The road beyond that house is impassable by car). I
put a coat on over my nightgown and started out. I had an old Ford
at that time so I drove up as far as Mrs. Washington's, (the negro
family mother). I thought I would stop there and see if she had
heard anything about the airplane. I pounded and pounded on the door,
but no one answered. Finally I went around to one of the bedroom
windows and roused Mrs. Washington, but she hadn't heard anything that
sounded like an airplane. I left the car and walked all around the
hill. I coo-hooed every few minutes, hoping that if an airplane had
dropped some of the survivors might answer, but no one did. After I
had searched for about an hour I went home and called the Republican.
The next day I discovered that it was nothing but a motor boat on
Plunkett Lake, which someone had mistaken for an airplane and me
trotting all over Warner Hill in the middle of the night in my
nightgown. Can you imagine."
Mrs. Lovell was warmed up and going, strong. Her multitudinous
cares were laid aside for the time being, and the afternoon was still
young. Just about then as Mrs. Lovell expressed it, "Business came
rapping at the door" in the form of a town official who wanted a
record checked. He lingeredjasking for more information so we
departed not however before Mrs. Lovell had commanded. "Come back
again soon and bring your mother. Always glad to see you. Tell your
mother I got a new pattern for those aprons I was telling her about."
With a smart shake of her head and hand she bustled back to her official
duties.