Holyoke, Mass

[adapted from the 16 December 1882 edition of the Holyoke Transcript.]

At Springfield yesterday Marty Connor of this city was found guilty of adultery and was sentenced to the House of Correction for ten months.  William Rogers for stealing Jerry Doody’s overcoat is to stay where overcoats are not needed for one year.  Sylvanus Crozier November 1st had but eleven days more to serve in jail on a sentence but he was tempted to escape and did so but wasn’t shrewd enought to keep away.  He now goes to jail for four months.  Finnessey and Shugrue stole a team from the Dows in this city in October.  Finnessey turned state’s evidence and Shugrue was convicted.

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[Adapted from the Holyoke Transcript, December 1882.  Interesting this concerns an invention by a woman.]

Some time ago notice was made of the patenting of an invention by Mary Martin, an employe of Buchanan & Bolt’s Fourdrinier wire works, of an improved seam for dandy rolls, which leaves no mark on the paper and has other advantages over the seam previously in use.  The patent runs for seventeen years and the improvement is now in use in the manufactory of Buchanan, Bolt & Co.  Quite a contest is likely to arise over this patent by a claim which has lately been put forth by Cheney, Bigelow & Co. of Springfield.  Their claim is that the one previously invented and used has been assigned to them, and that the new one is an infringement on that patent, and they have sent an open circular to various manufactories warning them against making use of the manufacture of Buchanan, Bolt & Co.  The new seam differs in important particulars from the old one, and those who are now using it do not, of course, believe that the claim of infringement will be maintained, and will defend their rights in the matter.  It is an important thing to the firm in this city and there will probably be a legal contest.

Related Links
Fourdrinier Paper-Making Machine
Bigraphy of Henry Fourdrinier

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[From the Holyoke Transcript, 29 December 1882.]

The Wedding Boom

The wedding of Mr. Frederick S. Morrison and Miss Lucy Higgenbottom took place Thursday afternoon, at the home of the bride’s sister, Mrs. E. G. Whiting.  The hour of the ceremony was half past four.  Only the family friends were present, but they were sufficient in numbers to make a considerable party.  The ceremony was performed by Rev. Mr. Foote.  The bride received many beautiful and appropriate gifts, from her friends at this city and at the West.  The bridal costume was white trimmed with Spanish lace and the bride’s traveling suit was a pretty and tasteful combination of dark green and maroon.  The wedded couple left the city on the evening train and will spent two or three days in New York before seeking their future home in Wallingford.

Mr. George E. Hamel and Miss Julia E. Fitzpatrick made each other a Christmas present for life.  Mr. Hamel, formerly of this city, is now foreman of the finishing department at the Collins Depot paper mill, and the bride has been employed at Whiting’s paper mill.  Collins Depot will be their home for the present.

Another of the holiday weddings was that of John J. Clifford of ward one and Miss Bridget Barrett.  Their wedding day had been set last summer, but was deferred by the sudden death of Mrs. Clifford’s mother.  They were married the day after Christmas.

The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur B. Grimes, which occurred at the bride’s home on Newton street Wednesday evening was a quiet one and the young couple are spending their honeymoon in New York.  The bride was Miss Mary Wood, better known to her friends as Miss Mary Oliver, the latter surname being the name of her stepfather.

A correspondent writes that Carrie L. Lowell, formerly of Holyoke, was married at Auburn, Maine, to Clarence Chase.

The last marriage license issued was taken by a Cuban, the first one ever issued to one of that nationality in this city.  He was born in Cuba of Spanish parentage, and his wife’s birth-place was Ireland.

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[Some of my family (Clarks) were in Holyoke during this period of rapid gowth and probably had children working in some of these places. Often families had few choices, as in the case of the Clark family, where the male head of household died very young. From the Holyoke Transcript, December 1882.]

Four Hundred and Nine More Children
at Work than in 1881.

Truant-officer Doyle has completed the mill census for 1882, which discloses some very interesting figures and to all who are at all interested in noting the rapid growth of the city, will prove an entertaining document.  The report gives the total number of children, between the ages of 10 and 16 years, employed in 43 of the local manufactories as follows:  Albion 8; Alpaca 288; Blanket 35; Beebe & Webber, 23; Beebe & Holbrook, 1; Blank Book, 5; Butterick & Flanders, 1; Buchanan & Bolt, 3; Crocker, 1; Chemical, 15; Connor Bros., 43; Excelsior, 2; Germania, 36; Holyoke Glazed Paper Co., 4; Hampden Glazed Paper Co., 1; Holyoke Envelope Co., 12; Holyoke Machine Co., 1; Holyoke Paper Co., 2; Hadley Thread Co., 177; Hampden Cotton Co., 93; Lyman Mills, 364; Merrick Thread Co., 196; Massasoit, 3; Massachusetts Screw Co., 14; Mackintosh Dye Works, 3; Newton Paper Co., 9; Nonotuck Paper Co., 5; Nichols Roll Works, 2; Parsons Paper Co., 1; Prentiss Wire Works, 1; Riverside Paper Co., 1; Tuttle Rubber Works, 3; Skinner Silk Mill, 37; Seymour Cutlery Works, 17; Syms & Dudley Paper Co., 6; Union Paper Co., 1; Valley Paper Co., 1; Winona Paper Co., 12; Wauregan Paper Co., 2; Whiting Paper Co., 6; Whitmore Manufacturing Co., 6; Warp Mill, 45; J.D. Whitmore Manufacturing, 15.

All told there are 1501 children employed in the mills this year to 1192 during 1881 or a gain of 408.  The abnormal growth of the city is still further shown by comparing the mill records of 1880 and the census of the present year.  The report of the former year shows that there were only 700 minors between the ages of 10 and 16 years employed in the mills, and in two years the census shows a gain of over 200 percent. 

The census by years shows only 15 children of 10 years of age that are at work against 26 for last year, 84 eleven years old against 57, 113 twelve against 118, 235 thirteen against 184, 406 fourteen against 261, 432 fifteen against 345, and 194 sixteen against 201 for 1881.

Related Links
Timeline of Child Labor Law
Holyoke Industry, 1879 (Companies)
Holyoke Industry, 1892 (Companies)

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