Genealogy & Storytelling

Walt Howe

Genealogy records should be more than just a list of names, dates, and places. Tell the story of a person’s life in context with the history and events that contributed to it. May 29, 1860 • Oliver Hunt Howe is born in Dedham, Massachusetts, son of Elijah and Julia Ann (Hunt) Howe

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1860’s • Events

• April 11, 1861, Ft. Sumter fired on, Civil War begins • August 3, 1863, brother Frances Elijah Howe born in Dedham • Oct 7, 1864, Abraham Lincoln and Frances Elijah Howe die • January 17, 1867, Great snowstorm. No trains for 3 days.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s August 31, 1871 • Howe Family Gathering, Harmony Grove, Framingham. Oliver and Elijah attend. Resulted in researching and publishing Howe Genealogies 57 years later. Oliver played a major role in this.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1870’s • Events

• June 21, 1872, brother Walter Clarke Howe born • September, 1874, Entered Dedham High School • 6 Feb 1876, Grandfather Oliver Hunt Died. • 27 Jun 1878, Graduated from Dedham HS as valedictorian. • 29 Jul 1878, Began work as Clerk, Registry of Deeds, Dedham • 6 August 1878, William Horatio Clarke visited, told of seeing Edison and phonograph.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1881-1886 • Harvard Medical School

• June 1881, Left Registry of Deeds to prepare for Medical School • 26 Sep 1881, Entered Harvard Medical School • 1883-1884 , Surgical and Obstetric training at Mass. General Hospital • 4 Feb 1884, Began to let moustache grow • 1885, Interned at Boston City Hospital • June 1886, Graduated as MD

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1886-1887 • Establishing medical practice

• March 1886, took care of Dr. G. P. Pratt of Cohasset • July 1886, hospital practice ended. Visited Malden, Topsfielld, Bradford, Haverhill, Nashau, NH, and Concord, NH • 18-21 Aug 1886, Visited Dr. Pratt in Cohasset • Aug 1886, returned to Boston City Hospital until May 1887 • 30 April 1887, Dr. G. P. Pratt died in Cohasset • 3 May 1887, Edgar J. Pratt invited OHH to practice in Cohasset • 18 May 1887, Came to Cohasset, hung out shingle • 19 May 1887, treated first patient

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1887-1889 • Settling in to Cohasset practice

• 19 May 1887, Joined 2nd Congregational Church • May 1887, appointed Medical Examiner • 11-13 March 1888, Great blizzard of 1888

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1888-1889 • Love and Marriage

• 30 Jun 1888, First visited Martha Dresser Paul at her Dedham home. • 6 Sept. 1888, Martha visited Cohasset. Oliver made proposal of marriage. • 18 Oct 1888, Martha accepted. • 16 Jan 1889, Engagement announced • 26 Aug 1889, Bought Pratt house and lot. • 22 Oct 1889, Installed hot water system • 26 Nov 1889, Married in Dedham.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1890’s • Starting a family, new technology

• 3 Mar 1890, Cohasset voted electric street lighting • 3 Feb 1893, son Paul Howe born. • 17 Jul 1895, first telephone in town at drug store • 24 Oct 1895, son Julian Cheever Howe born • 1 Oct 1896, house wired for electric lighting. • 19 Apr 1898, Congress declared intervention in Cuba • 20 Jan 1898, son Richard Withington Howe born • 31 Dec 1900, Solemn midnight service for close of century.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1900’s • Travel, Transportation, and 4th son.

• 10 Apr 1900, ordered Corning buggy. • Feb 1902, had first telephone installed, tel. no. 14 • 12 Feb-16 May 1902 Toured Europe with brother Walter • 21 May-24 Jul 1903, Martha toured Europe with friends • 15 Jan 1905, son Henry Forbush Howe born • 12 May 1905, Bought Pierce 1 cyl. 8 hp Stanhope

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1910’s Family events

• 15 Mar 1910, Sold Pierce Car, bought 1907 Autocar, 2 cyl. 14 hp for $500 • 26 May 1910, fine view of Halley’s comet • 16 Sep 1910, Paul enters Dartmouth • 2 Oct 1911, bought 4 cyl. 32 hp 1910 Marmon for $1500. Stored in Boston for Winter, brought home in early 1912. • 31 May 1912, took Richard and Henry to Barnum & Bailey circus.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 25 Dec 1910 • Radiopticon

• Received radiopticon for Christmas. This was important, because Oliver gave many lectures and presentations throughout his life, and this was his main projection tool. He lectured on medicine, geology, history, botany, his worldwide travels, his antique lamp collection, and more. The radiopticon would project on a screen whatever was placed in it. He upgraded to newer models regularly.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1910’s (cont.) • More family events

• 24 Feb 1913, Sold beach wagon. Martha says pleasure of driving horses is over. Prefers automobile. • 26 May 1913, “Had brown mare Bess shot. Used her for nearly 10 years. For first time in 26 years, I am without a horse.” • 7 Jul 1913, Martha had BU class of 1888 here for 25th reunion. • 25 Sep 1914, Julian enters MIT • 4 May-22 Jun 1915, California trip with Martha. 13 RR lines, 16 nights in sleeping cars, 15 different hotels, 19 states, 4 provinces. • 6 Aug 1915, Anti-Suffrage fete at our house.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1910’s (cont.) • Wartime

• 4 April 1917, Senate declares war. Richard enlists in Naval Reserve • 25 April 1917, Cohasset doctors meet, raise fees to $2. • 6 Aug 1917, Began examinations of Local Board Selective Draft at East Bridgewater 3 consecutive days • 31 Mar 1918, broke right wrist cranking Ford • 25 Apr 1918, bought new Ford car with Gray & Davis starter. • 30 May 1918, Julian called to service, leaves for Camp Lee, Va. • 22 Jun 1918, Paul and Dorothy married, Wellesley Farms • 11 Jul 1918, Richard enters active service with Naval Reserve

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1910’s (cont,) • Wartime ends, prohibition approved

• 1 Sep 1918, Sunday auto travel suspended till Oct. 20 • Oct 1918, severe influenza epidemic, churches, schools closed • 11 Nov 1918, Peace Day, End of the Great War • 12 Nov 1918, Victory Day and procession, bonfires, bells ring, and concert • 16 Jan 1919, Nebraska, 36th State ratifies National Prohibition. Bells ring 15 minutes at 8pm. Will begin in 1 year.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1920’s • Family Events

• 24 Sep 1920, Julian took 3rd degree in Freemasonry • 2 Nov 1920, Presidential election, Harding vs. Coolidge, first with women’s suffrage. • 14 May 1921. Julian and Elizabeth married in West Newton. • 16 May 1922, first meeting on Howe Genealogy • 1 Sep 1922, Henry an Eagle Scout • 28 Sep 1922, Henry enters Yale • 22 Jun 1926, Henry graduates from Yale • 27 Sep 1926, Henry enters Harvard Medical School

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s Late 1920’s • Family and world events

• 9 Feb 1927, Installed Radiola “Rigoletto” radio • 22 Sep-2 Oct, 1927, Trip with Martha to Crawford House, climbed Mt. Washington • 11 Dec 1927, engagement of son Henry and Ruth Ruyl announced • 8 March 1928, Howe Genealogies go to print. • 14 Jun 1929, oil burner replaces coal heater • NOTE: No mention of stock market crash in 1929 or following months and years.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1930’s • Family Events

• 19 Jun 1930, son Henry Howe graduates in medicine from Harvard • 3 Feb to 25 July, 1931, cruise to Italy and visit 10 countries. Gone 173 days. • 21 Aug 1931, brother Dr Walter Clarke Howe dies of cerebral hemorrhage • 8 Sep 1931, Henry and Gudrun Birch married (not Ruth Ruyl • 1 Oct 1934, Henry opens Boston office to practice surgery • 15 Feb 1935, Henry moves to Cohasset, puts out sign in partnership • 1 Jan 1939, Retired from practice of medicine • 26 Nov 1939, Golden Wedding Anniversary party. 27 attend.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1940’s • War looms

• 10 May 1940, Germany invades Holland and Belgium • 22 May 1940, Germany reaches the English Channel • 29 May 1940, 80th birthday celebration at Richard’s • 10 June 1940, Italy declares war • 24 June 1940, France surrenders • 27 Oct 1940, Italy invades Greece • 5 Nov 1940, Roosevelt re-elected. • 7 Dec 1941, Japan attacks Hawaii, Phillipines, and Guam • 8 Dec, 1941, War declared. Heard FDR and Churchill on radio.

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1940’s • Wartime and beyond

• 12 May 1942, Government rations gasoline • 5 Aug 1942, Henry arranges to go into service • 4 Sep 1942, Capt. Henry Howe comes to dinner in uniform • 31 Sep 1942, Gudrun and Walter stay with us while they clear out their house, preparing to move to NJ. • 1 Dec 1942, Coconut Grove fire, 449 deaths. • 15 Feb 1943, received copy of Henry’s Prologue to New England • 23 Nov 1943, bought $500 US Defense Bond • 6 June 1944, Invasion of Europe begins

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1945-1946 • End of the war

• 9 Nov 1945, Lecture on atomic bomb to Historical Society by Prof. Shimer • 14 Dec 1945, Wrote asking Henry to come live with us. He decided otherwise. • 31 Dec 1945, Hitler died. • 31 Jan 1946, Country largely covered with ice. Am living a very quiet life. Am taking daily walks – living a very quiet life. • 25 May 1945, We are living a very quiet life but I am keeping up my walking exercises. [last entry, age 86]

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s 1947-1948 • End of the story

• Martha Paul Howe died 18 Jun 1947, age 81. • Oliver Hunt Howe died 1 March 1948, age 87

1860’s 1870’s 1880’s 1890’s 1900’s 1910’s 1920’s 1930’s 1940’s