Finding William Lewis
Since February 2012, Bruce Craven and Christie Higginbottom have been getting to know William Lewis, a man who left an extraordinary record of 59 years of his life – written in over 300 documents penned between March of 1836 – when he was 17 years old – and December of 1895 – 13 months before his death. The documents include 142 journals and over 200 account books and farm records. William was born in Wardsboro, Vermont, February 14, 1819. As a young man he worked as a tanner and currier in New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In the 1850s he peddled books and Yankee Notions from his home in Barre, Massachusetts, visiting customers in the surrounding towns. In 1860 he bought a farm in Barre, and for the rest of his life he worked at dairying, raising poultry, raising and selling greenhouse plants, and growing fruits, vegetables, hay and grains. He was a dedicated record keeper, and – thanks to his devoted friends Mr. and Mrs. James N. Patterson and their descendants – his records survive to tell his story. In their program Bruce and Christie will introduce William Lewis through an examination of the many sorts of documents he wrote: his daily journal entries, accounts of clothing and provisions purchases, book sales records, accounts of wife Abby’s work sewing bed ticks, and his farm books. Their research project is ongoing and much of William Lewis’ story is yet to be discovered.
Background information for Bruce Craven and Christie Higginbottom
Bruce Craven and Christie Higginbottom have worked at Old Sturbridge Village for over 30 years. For much of that time they worked in costume portraying New Englanders of the 1830s. Their work experience adds a very personal dimension to the William Lewis research project.
Bruce began work at the Village in 1978 and from 1980 to 2000 he supervised the historic agriculture program, researching and demonstrating 1830s ways of farming. The work included traditional tasks such as milking, plowing with oxen and planting field crops, logging and fence making, haymaking, harvesting, cider making, and butchering. He also interpreted and demonstrated more progressive agricultural practices including beekeeping and the raising of cash crops. Since 2000 Bruce has worked as Curator and Exhibit Design Specialist shifting his focus to caring for and exhibiting the Village’s collection. In that role he has created museum exhibits displaying a variety of artifacts from furniture to ice skates and mousetraps. From 1984 to 2004 Christie coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re­created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum’s historic households. From 2004 to 2006 she researched and developed a series of self­guided walking trails interpreting people and the environment in the early 1800s. She and Bruce contributed research, design and construction for the 2007–2009 exhibit “Taking Root: Gardening in Pots in the early 1800s.” Now retired from full­time work at OSV, Christie continues to work in costume part­time – often in the gardens – and presents garden programs for the Village. She also lectures and consults on historic gardens, antique plants and herb use, and teaches home gardening classes.
Contact information:
(508) 892­1160
cjh­[email protected]