Thompson farm, 550 Main Road, Granville, MA. some time around 1914. 

Pictured are: Standing L-R: Mary Evaline "Mattie" (Noble) Rowley (1868-1957); her sister Lucy Eliza (Noble) Thompson (1863-1941); John Henry Rowley (1868-1933); Retta Celestia Thompson (1896-1986); Charles Noble Thompson (1904-1954) (with cat). Seated in Chairs: believed to be Eliza King (1834-1915) (Lucy and Mary's mother); Charles B. Thompson (1856-1936) (Lucy's husband). Seated On the Ground: Noble Graham Rowley (1899-1965) and Leslie Henry Rowley (1908-1970) (Mary and John's sons). There is also an unidentified infant in the right background.

Photo likely taken by Levi T. Rowley (1893-1965) (Mary and John's eldest son).

This is the only known photo of the person believed to be Eliza King. The daughter of Julius and Eliza (Rose) King of Granville, it is not clear whether Eliza was adopted.]]>
A grainy newspaper item from 1966 when Mr. Austin Taylor Phelon celebrated his 100th birthday with family. Mr. Phelon was born in Granville on November 29, 1866, not long after the Civil War ended in 1865. He died just short of his 101st birthday on October 27, 1967 and is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Westfield.

This item was posted on the Granville-Tolland Facebook community page on May 19, 2023 and brought the following comments:

CPG: "Wonderful to see this photo of my great-great uncle Austin on his 100th birthday! My great-great grandmother Jennie, also born in Granville, lived to within weeks of her 100th (she was born in 1859 before the Civil War). When we were kids, my brother Bill Phelon, who restored the 1741 red gambrel Daniel Rose House (W. Granville) and I used to visit her across the brook from my grandfather’s farm (after the reservoir was built in Granville), where, as a child, I remember 'Austin' [my grandfather’s older brother named after their uncle (in the photo) or his son Austin W.] and Phelon cousins stopped by in the 1960s and talked about Granville, Westfield and their family’s farms."

LK: "What wonderful memories of visiting this family/farm!"

MKC: "I remember Walter - always so friendly. Met Russell on several occasions too but … a stern man."

KG: "I see my mom and younger brother on the right! Great."

JWA: "And notice that back in that day she wasn't Jenny Maceyka, she was Mrs. Emil Maceyka. Thank goodness times have changed!"

PJ: "Curious if the picture was taken at the old farm, kinda looks like it?"

DK: "Yes, behind them is the kitchen sink."

Ya gotta love crowd-sourcing Granville-style!


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GRANVILLE- Elizabeth “Betty” A. (Gurney) Carpenter 85, ascended into the journey of everlasting life, on Thursday March 2, 2017; in the care and comfort of her loving family.

Betty was born on January 12, 1932, in Springfield, Massachusetts, a daughter of the late Howard and Blanche (Joubert) Gurney. She was a graduate of the High School of Commerce.

For many years she lived in East Longmeadow, and in 1962 she moved to Granville. She was the first female Postmaster, for the Town of Granville. Beginning her career as a part time clerk in 1965, she became Postmaster in 1983 and retired from that position in 1992.

As postmaster, she started a program of having the kindergarten children from the Granville School write a letter to Santa and then come to the post office to turn the hand crank machine to cancel the stamp on their letters. Then the children would drop their letters into a specially built Post Office Box. Betty answered every letter.

Betty was very involved with the Parents Group of the former Work Opportunity Center. The group planned events for their special needs family members. Betty worshiped at Granville Federated Church; and a member of the church’s Ladies Aid. She was a member of the Granville Quilt Guild, and during our country’s Bicentennial, she added her own creation of the “post office” patch to the town’s memorial quilt. She was the originator of the “About Town Tag Sale” for the ever-popular tag sales seen around Granville.

Betty started a Monday senior card game in her home that grew so much in popularity that it moved to the town hall. She was an active member of the Granville Council on Aging. For forty two years she was an Avon representative.

In addition to her parents, Betty was predeceased by a granddaughter, Catherine Carpenter in 1986. Betty is survived by her four daughters and son: Gail Bloxom and her husband Bob, of Mooresville, North Carolina; Karen J. Carpenter and her companion John (Zeke) Zielinski, of Granville, MA; Joan deForest and her husband William, of Callahan, FL; Wendy Carpenter of Westfield, MA; and son Amos Carpenter III and his wife Karen, of Granville, MA; sister Claire Patruno of Wilbraham, MA ; brother William Gurney of Springfield, MA; sister Lois Gran of Springfield, MA; nine grandchildren, Nathan Beauregard and his wife Rebecca, of Greenfield, MA; Benjamin Huffman of Mooresville, North Carolina; Calvin Beauregard and his wife Carissa, of Westfield, MA; Colleen Giroux and her husband Walter, of Granville, MA; Jerome deForest and his wife Roxanne, of Callahan, Florida ; Mindy Virgille and her husband Daniyyel, of Jacksonville, FL; Amy Poirier and her husband Michael, of Avon, CT; Alex Carpenter and Adam Carpenter both of Granville, MA; 11 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A special thank you to the caring staff, doctors, nurses and aides at Westfield Gardens and to the Beacon Hospice of Springfield, MA. Betty was especially touched by Pastor Dan and his family from Chester, MA when they came for worship and sing praises every Thursday at Westfield Gardens.

Betty will be laid to rest later this spring in Silver Street Cemetery, Granville. Memorial donations to honor Betty may be made to Ladies Aid, Granville Federated Church, and P.O. Box 246, Granville, MA 01034.]]>

Note: Search this site for "Clark" for additional information about the Clark family, including an invitation to the anniversary celebration.]]>

"I don't recognize the house. However, I immediately recognized the older couple —my 2nd great-grandparents, Orlando Smith (1810-1897) and Louisa Pratt Goddard Smith (1817-1884), both born and lifelong residents of Granby, Conn. I believe the young woman is my great grandmother, Louise Anna Smith (1857-1944). I am sharing a photo from my family album of the same people and the house (see second photo on this page).

Louise married Daniel Parley Cooley (1852-1937), descendent of Benjamin Cooley (1615-1684), and Daniel Cooley III (1711-1782) of West Granville, Mass.

Orlando tore down a house built prior to 1788 and built the Smith/Cooley house that stands on Salmon Brook St. south of the center of Granby. Louise and Dan Cooley moved into the house to care for Orlando and Louise inherited it when he died.

Orlando stood in front of the house. Whether this photo is of the original house or not is the question. The dates of the older house being razed, the new one built and my great grandmother's birthdate don't jibe. Perhaps the young woman is a friend or another relative.

For more information on Orlando's house and additional photos from the Salmon Brook Historical Society's "Stroll Through Granby History" ... walk around Granby center's old buildings and homes."

CLICK HERE to go to the Salmon Brook Historical Society's page for the Smiths.

Chris Levandowski provided the following additional details:

"The mystery of the house may be solved. Sarah Wood Langton from the Salmon Brook Historical Society in Granby, has a fantastic eye for architecture. She saw the bones of the old house in the facade of the structure on the corner of Pendleton Rd and Salmon Brook St.—225 Salmon Brook— now a multi-family house but was once Doc. Pendleton's hospital. The original house was built by Timothy Stanley between 1869 and 1890. It passed through several owners until 1921 when Pendleton purchased it and did renovations to turn it into a hospital and sanatorium.
If you look closely and remove the porch from the center portion of the house, you can see the lines of the old place. It appears that the original corbels were used in the eaves. The property, according to an 1869 map of Granby center, belonged to a F.J Smith. A Joseph Smith owned property further south near what is now Maple View Farm. That property is mentioned in Elijah Smith's will of 1867, which left a portion of land he owned with his brother Joseph, to his son Orlando.
It would seem that the Orlando Smiths visited the F.J. Smiths and a photographer captured the moment.
That leaves just one mystery. How did this photo find its way to GHR? The Cooley connection? Anyone have any other ideas?"
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This family suffered a terrible loss when the grandmother was murdered and thrown down the well in 1911.]]>
The chronicles of the group were recorded in a book which was published under the title, "The Jolly Eight."
This photo shows the group at the Grand Canyon on June 20, 1923.]]>
Back Row L-R: Laura Seymore (Seymur?), Fannie Root Wackerbarth, Mabel Lloyd
Front Row Seated L-R: Myrtie Hunt, Lottie White, Grace Hunt, Ida Goodrich
Date and place are unknown but this would be a very late tintype based on the ages of the people in the photo.]]>
Martha "Mattie" Morgan (Fenn) Bodurtha
Born: 3/13/1855, Wallingford, Conn.
Married: Samuel Salmon Bodurtha, 12/14/1877, West Granville, Mass.
Died: 8/24/1934, Agawam, Mass.
Children: Elmer Fenn Bodurtha, b. 12/19/1884, Agawam, Mass.; d. 8/21/1963, Agawam, Mass.

Mattie taught at the West Granville school c. 1874-77.  During this time she boarded with the Ripley family.  After her marriage to Sam Bodurtha (a cousin of Eleanor (Bodurtha) Ripley), she moved to Agawam, Mass.  From 1903 until the mid-1930s, the family owned the "Elm Shade Dairy" farm on Silver St., in Agawam.

The photo of the family is dated 1896.

The West Granville school is shown on the 1870 map at THIS LINK.

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Robert Magovern, Agawam, MA]]>
There are also photos at these links:
Link One
Link Two
Link Three
Link Four]]>
Harold Nelson was a veteran who served in the Army during World War II.]]>
"Stephen Monroe Roberts! Steve and and his wife Gladys (Barnes) Roberts lived on Holden Hill, off of Blandford Road in Granville, where he grew apples, blueberries, and peaches. He served his country in World War I and served his town as selectman. He was very patriotic and flew the flag every day."

Digital image from an original glass slide taken by George Aldrich. No date (late 1930's?). Note on the envelope says, "Blueberry truck." The cargo looks like boxes of blueberries packed in the crates. Imagine the labor involved in picking and packing that many berries.

The truck appears to be a 1936 Chevrolet; the body configuration looks right but the medallion on the side of the bonnet doesn't appear to say "Chevrolet." The rims on the tandem rear axle are what seem to be an interesting mis-match.]]>