PUTNAM VILLAGER Friday, October 16, 2020 Serving Putnam since 2005 Complimentary to homes by request Day Kimball Putnam Bank Golf Classic supports COVID-19 Response Fund Johanna Lada Photo Courtesy Walmart-North Windham team of Roger Noll, Scott Vose, Sean Vigue, and Pat Kozelka placed in first with a score of 57 for gross results at the Day Kimball Hospital Putnam Bank Golf Classic held on Sept. 11 at the Connecticut National Golf Club. PUTNAM — The 36th plies, equipment and resources Kristen Willis, director of A centenarian Annual Day Kimball Hospital in response to the coronavirus development, Day Kimball (DKH) Putnam Bank Golf pandemic. Healthcare. “We are incredibly Classic was held at the “In a very difficult time in grateful for the supporters of Connecticut National Golf Club healthcare, it was amazing to our Golf Classic who play an birthday celebration on September 11. Sponsors, see the combination of dedicat- enormous role in helping us golfers, and volunteers who ed donors, hospital staff, vol- continue to provide high qual- participated in or supported unteers, community members, ity, safe care to our patients DAYVILLE — On North Grosvenordale. this year’s event raised more and business partners come and their families during the Saturday, Oct. 3, Johanna As a youth, her educa- than $113,000, the net proceeds together in light of the COVID- pandemic and beyond.” Lada celebrated her 100th tional years were spent at of which will benefit the DKH 19 pandemic to help us exceed Changes, such as tempera- birthday at Westview Health St. Joseph’s School. and COVID-19 Response Fund all expectations in achieving Care Center, and the occa- later, Tourtellotte High which provides critical sup- our fundraising goal,” said Turn To DK GOLF page A2 sion was marked with as School. During The Great much revelry as possible. Depression, Lada recalls Well-earned praise came to that her family held closely Lada throughout the week, together and always remind- in many different forms; cul- ed themselves that they had Putnam celebrates the minating with the presen- all that they ever needed. tation of the official State At the age of 18, Lada of Connecticut Centenarian joined the Women’s Army Citation that Saturday, her Corps and received a station- spookiest of seasons actual birthday. ing in Jackson, Miss. There To describe Lada’s life she performed clerical work PUTNAM — The Town the Scarecrow Contest and a The Scarecrow Contest experiences is to describe a at a garage that repaired of Putnam, along with the new fall Sand Sculpture. returns this year featuring classic American tale. Her heavy-duty Army trucks, Putnam Business Association, The Sand Sculpture is a more scarecrows than ever father came from a Russian logging the details of the have been working with new addition that will high- before! Unique scarecrows cre- occupied part of Poland, maintenance performed. As Nomad Digital Consulting and light fall favorites from the ated by individuals, businesses, and her mother came from soon as the war ended, Lada Jennerate, LLC to provide Pumpkin Festival and Zombie groups and organizations can a German occupied part of and her other friends in the viewing entertainment for Fashion Show. Handcrafted be viewed along Main Street, Poland. The whole fami- effort applied for discharge. the community in light of the by Sandtasia and sponsored Union Square, Rotary Park and ly made the brave move to The Allies declared victory. many cancellations due to the by Jewett City Savings Bank, the River Trail. Applications emigrate from Europe and Lada received her honorary global pandemic. Rawson Materials and Donny to sign up for the Scarecrow travel to America in her discharge, and along with During the month of October, D’s Custom Landscaping, this Contest can be found at: childhood; her parents, five her sister Bernice and her the combined event commit- 10’x10’ work of art will be dis- https://pbadiscoverputnam. sisters, and a brother living spouse, headed to New York tees have worked together played between the Putnam wufoo.com/forms/2020-fall- in tenement housing (today City for the big celebration. to pay homage to the Great Public Library and the new scarecrow-contest/ known as Three Rows) in Turn To JOHANNA page A14 Pumpkin Festival and Zombie Putnam branch of Jewett City Pop-Up Putnam is an open- Fashion Show while including Savings Bank. Turn To SPOOKIEST page A3 Buffone bags four-figure prize to open Sunoco World Series Matthew Wiernasz — Courtesy Belchertown, MA’s Christopher Buffone was all smiles after capturing the $1,000 winners prize in the Sunoco World Series Street Stock Open. THOMPSON — Belchertown, Mass.’s The youngster had surrendered the Christopher Buffone was both good and lead to Pascoag, R.I.’s Chad Baxter on lucky on his way to the $1,000 win in the 17th circuit. With laps winding the Street Stock Open at Connecticut’s down, it seemed Buffone could only Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park watch Baxter drive off into the night. on Friday, Oct. 9. Buffone inherited the However, as the field entered turn lead with less than two laps remaining one after getting the two-to-go signal, in the 25-lap feature and took the victo- Baxter’s engine went up in a cloud of ry on the first night of the 58th Annual smoke. His loss was Buffone’s gain as Sunoco World Series of Speedway Turn To SUNOCO page A12 Racing. A2 • Friday, October 16, 2020 VILLAGER NEWSPAPERS Tales from 300 years ago men. Turpentine was gathered here refused to give liquor to a drunken autumn of 1698, Sarah Horrel Goodell in large quantities from its numerous savage*, whereupon he shot her in the left the friendly village of Woodstock, pine trees by that noted trader, James thigh, wounding her severely. The out- following the Path alone, far out into KILLINGLY Corbin. James and Joseph, sons of John rage greatly alarmed the inhabitants of the wilds of the Nipmuck wilderness, AT Leavens, were thus employed by him in this remote Border-land…and a report seeking the cabin that she had been told 300 1700. The younger brother, Joseph, of it was speedily sent to the Governor by friends her husband was making on one occasion, strayed off alone, and Council, who immediately took ready for her. He had left for this new and while felling a tree was suddenly measures for the discovery and pun- country in the early spring. Receiving MARGARET attacked and wounded in the thumb ishment of the perpetrator…Scarcely no tidings of him, she resolved to join WEAVER by one of the original proprietors of had the unfortunate Mrs. Bixby recov- him so taking her spinning wheel, she the soil---a venomous rattlesnake. No ered from this misadventure when she traversed the lonely trail from Roxbury, help was near, the young man was in was ‘visited by the awful providence Mass., depending upon chance ‘lifts’ Since I’ve been doing newspaper imminent danger, but with great cool- of Heaven’---being struck by lightning from fellow travelers along the way. extracts the off and on the past few ness and presence of mind he hacked off in a terrific thunder shower and very She could not be prevailed upon to weeks, this week I thought that I the bitten thumb with his axe and then seriously injured and disabled.” (p. remain overnight at Woodstock, but, would pass along a few of the tales dispatched his assailant.” The Native 169). (*Unfortunately, many of the 19th spinning wheel in hand, she hurried that I’ve come across concerning the Americans that roamed through the century authors referred to the Native on through the forest gloom. South of early inhabitants of Killingly and other region named him, ‘Old One Thumb.’” Americans using terms that would now Woodstock lay the Mashamoquet in the Northeastern Connecticut towns. Some (Larned, Ellen D., History of Windham be offensive. Note my use of quotation Nipmuck Country, the future town of of these earliest settlers had life-chang- County Connecticut, Volume I, p. 161- marks. The description is not mine. Pomfret…The path…led over Ragged ing, memorable experiences. These 2). Joseph became one of the most Suffice it to say that in the late 17th and Hill in the western section…she trav- “pioneers” in the wilderness of that day respected individuals in the new town early 18th centuries in Northeastern eled the rocky trail, ragged and steep, were a hardy, brave lot. I would not of Killingly serving as a justice of the Connecticut’s history, there were down through the valleys, over the have done so well. peace for many years. Unfortunately, Native Americans in the area). brooks and on for many a weary mile, Have you heard of “Old One Thumb?” later in life his home (vicinity of pres- Ellen Larned also relates a tale in until at last, as the last rays faded in the One of Killingly’s and Putnam’s earli- ent-day Hurry Hill in Putnam) and the connection with James Danielson and west, she came to the little clearing, and est inhabitants, Joseph Leavens was contents were burned. He lived to a his 1707 acquisition of the land between there, by the side of the ‘way,’ she found the stepson of Peter Aspinwall, one of ripe old age dying in 1773. the Quinebaug and Five Mile Rivers in her cabin home.” (p. 107). the earliest inhabitants of both towns James Leavens, brother of Joseph, in present-day Danielson. “Mr. Danielson There are a number of other tales arriving about the beginning of the 18th addition to his home farm, purchased had served in the Narragansett war, and of early inhabitants of Northeastern century from Woodstock.