COLBY CLAN COMMUNICATIONS
Descendants of Anthony and Susannah Colby
Editor:
Barbara J. Zdravesky 123 Mulberry Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860 401.724.2827 [email protected]
Treasurer: James Colby Box 6663, Scarborough, ME 04070 [email protected]
President: Alice Volkert, 24001 Muirlands Blvd, #4341, Lake Forest, CA 92630 [email protected]
June 2014
From the Editor
We’re going home! Or at least that’s how many Colby
descendants feel when we meet in Amesbury. My
grandmother happens to be buried behind the Macy-Colby
House, so it is a special place to me personally. Because the
reunions in Amesbury are so popular, it is very important that
we know whether you’re going to attend because we don’t
want to run out of food! If you prefer to pay when you get
there, that’s perfectly okay, but we just need to know you’re
coming. The 2015 reunion will be right around the corner, and
since we don’t yet have a location confirmed, anyone who
might be interested in hosting should let us know. We’d like to
announce the 2015 location at this year’s business meeting.
Whether or not we have a reunion each year depends on your
willingness to volunteer as hosts, so we are always extremely
grateful when folks offer. We sure do enjoy seeing each other
each year!
61st annual
Colby Clan Reunion
August 15-16, 2014
Amesbury, MA
Hosted by Kathy and Luther Colby
Friday evening: 6:00 to 8:00 pm, informal gathering for
refreshments at the Macy-Colby House
Saturday: 10:00 am to 12:00nn, Open house at the Macy-Colby
House - refreshments will be served.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
From the Editor
1
Colby Reunion
3
In Memoriam
2
Interesting Colby Facts
7
From the President
Lunch: 12:00 noon, picnic at the Point Shore Union
Congregational Church on the Merrimack River in Amesbury.
The address is 350 Main Street; it is 1/4 mile away from MacyColby House. You can walk or drive; there is a large parking lot.
After Lunch (around 1:30): Business meeting and Guest Speaker
in the beautiful old Union Congregational Church.
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm: Guest Speaker Margie Walker, author of
the brand new book “Legendary Locals of Amesbury” and a very
helpful librarian at the Amesbury Library. Margie’s books will be
on sale at the reunion.
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Open house at Macy-Colby House
Food: Appetizers, picnic sandwiches, salads, chips, fruit,
desserts, and coffee or soft drinks
Cont. on page 2
Colby Clan Communications 1
Cont. from page 1
The cost for this year's reunion will be $15.00 per person, kids under
12 are free. The reservation form is on page 7 of this newsletter;
please respond by August 9 so we can have an accurate count of
attendees.
“Hikers venturing beyond the front range camps into the
primitive back country of the San Gabriels were…
A block of rooms is on reserve at the Fairfield Inn in Amesbury, for
the rate of $139.00 per night. To take advantage of this rate, your
reservation must be made with the hotel by July 15. There are also
other hotels nearby towns.
Interesting Colby Facts
In response to the question in the March 2014 issue about the Colby
Trail, and the Colby Fire in January 2014, Bob and Marygrace
Colby of Magalia, CA dug up the following information:
John Robinson, of the US Forest Service says about the Colby Fire:
"The recent fire was named Colby because it began in Colby
Canyon, very close to the junction of the Colby Trail with the
Glendora Mountain Road." This trail is not associated with the
Colby Ranch; though both are in the San Gabriel Mountains, the
Colby Trail is a number of miles away from the ranch.
The Colby Ranch was a well-known and popular hiking destination
for those could follow the rugged trail leading to it. There were
cabins for those who wanted to stay a few nights. Owner Delos
Colby (born 11 August 1859 in Elkhart, Indiana) had been a saloon
keeper, farmer and real estate agent, who went to California to look
for gold and claimed the land in Coldwater Canyon, which he and
his wife Lillian, and their daughter Nellie, homesteaded in 1891.
The story of Delos, Lillie and Nellie on the Colby Ranch as told in
the book, The San Gabriels, is fascinating and includes a doomed
romance, which may have ended in murder.
Although there is now a road and bridge into the Colby Ranch, there
were originally only trails for foot or hoof. Only the stout-hearted
dared venture beyond the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains
into their primitive interior. (The San Gabriels are the northern
boundary of the Los Angeles Basin in Southern California.)
The following is taken from The San Gabriels by John Robinson,
published in 1991 by the Big Santa Ana Historical Society.
Cont. on page 4
Colby Clan Communications 2
IN MEMORIAM
William E. Whidden Jr. of Weymouth, MA died
on February 15, 2014. He was the beloved husband of Beverly V.
(Turner) Whidden of Weymouth for 64 years, loving father of
Verne W. Whidden and his wife Kimberly of San Diego, CA, and
the late Valerie Jeanne Whidden. He was the dear brother of Jeanne
Marshall and her husband Edward of North Andover and Robert
Whidden of Maine, and cherished grandfather of Kyle and Kayla
Whidden. Bill proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War
II and the Korean Conflict. He was the Director of Finance at ITEK
Optical, a division of Litton Industries. He was a senior warden and
vestry member at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Randolph, MA.
He was past Master of the Manet Lodge AF & AM in Quincy, MA
and also of the Delta Lodge in Braintree, MA. Bill also served as
past president and trustee of the Massachusetts Sons of the
American Revolution, past president of the Randolph Veterans
Council, treasurer of the Quincy 22nd Masonic Forum, secretary of
the Ames Rifle and Pistol Club in Stoughton, MA, and finance
committee member of the Whitman VFW Post. He was a member
of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Taleb Grotto in Quincy, the
AMVETS Post in Randolph, the NE Historical Genealogical
Society, and American Legion Post #79 in So. Weymouth.
Relatives and friends gathered for a funeral Mass in The Church of
the Holy Nativity, and burial in Central Cemetery, 327 North
Street, Randolph, MA 02368. Donations in memory of Bill may be
made to The Church of the Holy Nativity, 8 Nevin Street,
Weymouth, MA 02190.
George K. Cushman, Jr., 90 died on Sunday, March 23, 2014 in
the Garden Room at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, VT.
He was born August 19, 1923 in Fairlee, VT to George K. and
Eva (Colby) Cushman. He attended school in Fairlee and
Montpelier, VT. He served in the 13th Army Air Force in the
South Pacific during World War II. On November 17, 1946 he
married the love of his life, Reba Spear. They lived most of their
married life in Chelsea, VT where they raised their two sons,
Brian and Gary. George worked at many jobs locally and for
years he was the Rural Route Mail Carrier for the U.S. Postal
Service before retiring. For many years, George and Reba were
often seen hand in hand, enjoying their daily walk down Main
Street in Chelsea. Reba died on December 12, 2008. He enjoyed
collecting coins and vital records of Chelsea and taking
photographs, making model houses and researching the history of
each home in Chelsea. He also enjoyed bowling on the Masonic
bowling team and playing in the Chelsea Horseshoe League.
George was a member of the George Washington Lodge #51 F. &
A. M. of Chelsea for over sixty years, Chelsea Fire Department,
Lady Washington #86 O.E. S. of Chelsea, Coburn-Eastman VFW
Post #8451 of Chelsea, and the Ed Larkin Contra Dancers, where
he and his wife Reba danced throughout the Northeast as well as
at the Tunbridge Fair. He is survived by a son, Brian Cushman
and his wife Jane of Chelsea; a daughter-in-law, Donna Cushman
of Chelsea; three grandchildren, Carol Trombley and her husband,
Jason of Chelsea, Keith Cushman and his wife, Jamie of Barre,
VT and Adam Cushman and his fiancee, Heather Lavallee of
Chelsea; four great grandchildren, Hunter and Alexis Trombley
and Emma and Aden Cushman; three sisters, Myrtle Spaulding ,
Elsie Slack and Bertha Crump; and several nieces, nephews and
cousins. He was predeceased by his wife, Reba Cushman in
2008; a son, Gary Cushman in 2013; two brothers, Frank
Cushman and Jerry Cushman and three sisters, Eva Rose
Vincent, Francese Gusha and Betty Goodell. His Colby line is:
Eva M. Colby, Jeremiah Timothy Colby, Joseph Colby, Abner
Colby, Ebenezer Colby, Peter Colby, John Colby, John Colby,
John Colby. Anthony Colby.
Taylor Edward Colby, 44 of Murfreesboro, TN, died Saturday
March 29, 2014 in Orange Beach, Alabama. A native of Mayfield,
KY, he was the son of Ralph Edward, the late Mary Winston Taylor
Colby. Taylor is survived by his wife, Dana Bussell Colby; son,
Leighton Colby; daughter, Olivia Colby all of Murfreesboro, TN;
father and step-mother Ralph and Shirley Colby of Paducah, KY;
brother, Stephen (Kay) Colby of St. Louis, MO; sisters, Beth
(Steve) Deutschbauer of Wenonah, NJ, and Caroline (Greg) Kerr of
North Canton, OH. Funeral service was held in the Woodfin
Memorial Chapel with Pastor Karen Barrineau and Pastor Brian
Brooks officiating. Burial followed in Evergreen Cemetery with
Brian Brown, Monty Glisson, Jerry O'Neal, Sonny Terrill, Eddie
Bussell, Jr., Rick Cochran, Sr., Keith Price, Greg Hawkins, Ulf
Alexandersen, Paul Leahy, Danny McBryant, and Greg Kerr
serving as pallbearers. Taylor was a member of Blackman United
Methodist Church, and was a Safety Manager for Calsonic Kensai.
Memorials may be made to the Colby Memorial Scholarship Fund
at Mayfield High School in Mayfield, KY in memory of Taylor.
Colby Clan Communications 3
Cont. from page 2
cont. on page 5
Colby Clan Communications 4
cont. from page 4
In September 2009 the ranch was heavily damaged by the Station
Fire in the Angeles National Forest. The fire burned nine structures
on the ranch as well as the swimming pool and water tank. It
incinerated over 160,577 acres and killed two firefighters whose
truck went over a cliff as they were trying to find a safe way for their
convict crew to get out. The Colby Ranch has since been rebuilt by
the Methodist Church and is again a year-round destination for many
who want a wilderness experience heavy with history.
The Monte Cristo Gold Mine is a gold mine in the San Gabriel
Mountains near Los Angeles, California. The mine has been closed
since 1942 and is now private property not open to the general
public. Legend associates the Monte Cristo Gold Mine with the
"Lost Padre" gold mine of mission days. It is said that the Indians
who manned the mine revolted against the padres and removed all
traces of the mine's existence. The first record of the discovery of
gold in Los Angeles County was in 1834. The placers of San
Gabriel canyon were worked by priests and native Californians until
1848 when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill by James W.
Marshall. The Monte Cristo Gold Mine as it is known today first
came to light during the Big Tujunga gold excitement of the late
1880s. Just who the prospectors were who located the gold-bearing
veins and began the mine is not known. Delos Colby, owner of the
Colby ranch on Coldwater Creek, reconstructed the story as he knew
it: “When I first came to these mountains about 24 years ago (1891),
the Monte Cristo was being worked by Spanish people. They carried
the ore up to a crusher driven by a large water wheel. When they
left, I tore the water wheel down and carried some of the timber to
my ranch.” Colby's story of the large water wheel gains in interest
when compared with an article that appeared in the Los Angeles
Semi-Weekly News for January 4, 1867: “A new mining district
north of the Tehungo and east of the Soledad district has been
formed. Gold bearing quartz of great richness has been
discovered…. Four large arrastres will be in operation in a few
days. A water wheel 60 feet in diameter is being erected for the
purpose of drawing a twenty-stamp mill.” According to some of
the old timers, the paper was describing the beginnings of the
Monte Cristo Gold Mine. Around 1893, the property passed into
the hands of a Colonel Baker. A company was organized and some
$85,000 spent in building a rough wagon road from Acton up Aliso
Canyon, over Mill Creek Summit, and down to the Monte Cristo
Gold Mine. Heavy mining machinery was transported in and
assembled, and buildings were erected. The first account of any
extensive work in the Monte Cristo Gold Mine appeared in 1895.
Development at that time included several 5 foot to 30-foot adits,
and three shafts, 10 feet to 40 feet deep. The rock was crushed in a
four-stamp mill with 600-pound stamps, and a 5-foot Huntington
mill. Five men were engaged on the property at the time, mainly on
development work. The owner in 1895 was R.E. Hudson. A few
years later, J. J. Haish, owner of a store in Acton, grubstaked
Captain Elbridge Fuller who, with a succession of partners, ruled
the Monte Cristo Gold Mine for some 20 years of stormy personal
controversy and marginal mining success. It seems that Fuller could
never get along with his partners, and one by one they either sold
out, were driven away, or met with foul play. Delos Colby related
an incident that appears typical of the Fuller era: “Fuller entered
another partnership with two brothers, Hudson by name, but seems
to have taken into his confidence another party named Hutchinson.
The latter quarreled with the Hudson's who threatened him and
drove him off. Fuller and Hutchinson then turned against the
Hudson's. On a trip to Los Angeles and Pasadena, they plotted to
kill or drive the Hudson's from Monte Cristo Gold Mine. After a
drinking spree, they arrived at the mouth of the Arroyo Seco where,
finding themselves in need of more liquor to bolster their courage,
they stopped. Fuller returned to the city to replenish the liquor
supply. Upon returning to the Arroyo, he found Hutchinson dead,
his head blown off with a gun.” A short while later, the Hudson’s
withdrew from the partnership, leaving Fuller sole possessor of the
Monte Cristo Gold Mine. In 1897, carefree as he was, he suddenly
departed for the Yukon to join the Klondike Gold Rush. Upon his
empty-handed return two years later, he induced a man by the name
of Hauser to supply $1,500 in order to start work once again at the
Monte Cristo Gold Mine. The property was then recorded in
Hauser's name. When the money was expended, Fuller turned on
his partner and went to Los Angeles to swear that the improvement
work required by mining law had not been completed. Hauser
therefore lost his lease, and the conniving Fuller once again
"jumped" the claim to become sole owner. Fuller's last years at the
Monte Cristo Gold Mine were trying ones. Mining proved
unprofitable, so he bought a string of mules and did hauling work
for his mountain neighbors, Captain Loomis on Alder Creek and
Delos Colby in Coldwater Canyon. Around 1915, Fuller finally left
for good.
Colby Clan Communications 5
14 High Road
Newbury, Mass. 01951
Directions detail: The Coffin House is on Route 1A in Newbury,
across from the First Parish Burying Ground (where many Coffin
family members are interred)
Parking: On-street parking is permitted for short periods of time.
Tristram Coffin House
Tristram Coffin (11 March 1605 – 2 October 1681) was an
immigrant to Massachusetts from England. In 1659 he led a group
of investors (including Thomas Macy from Amesbury) that bought
Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew on 2 July 1659 for thirty pounds
and two beaver hats. Coffin was the prime mover of the enterprise
and was given first choice of land. In 1659 he settled near the
western end of the island near Capaum pond. His sons Peter,
Tristam, and James also received land on the island. Soon after
settling, Tristam purchased the thousand-acre Tuckernuck Island at
the western end of Nantucket. On 10 May 1660 the sachems
conveyed title to a large part of the island to Coffin and his
associates for eighty pounds. He built a corn mill in which he
employed many of the local Native Americans, and he employed
others on his farm. He became a prominent citizen of the
settlement and a great number of his descendants became
prominent in North American society, many of which were
involved in the later history of Nantucket during and after its
heyday as a whaling center. Almost all notable Americans with
roots in Nantucket are descended from Tristram Coffin, though
Benjamin Franklin was an exception.
In 1671 Coffin and Thomas Macy were selected as spokesmen for
the settlers, going to New York in 1671 to meet with Governor
Francis Lovelace and secure their claim to Nantucket. As the most
wealthy and respected of the settlers, Coffin was appointed chief
magistrate of Nantucket on 29 June 1671 and again in 1677.
The Coffin House is an historic Colonial American house, currently
estimated to have been constructed circa 1678. It is located at 14
High Road, Newbury, Massachusetts and operated as a non-profit
museum by Historic New England. The house began as a simple
structure of two or possibly three rooms. Around 1713 the house
was more than doubled in size, with new partitions added. In 1785,
two Coffin brothers legally divided the structure into two separate
dwellings, each with its own kitchen and living spaces. The
property remained within the Coffin family until acquired by
Historic New England in 1929.
Visit Coffin House
Open First and third Saturdays, June 1 - October 15
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; tours on the hour; last tour at 4:00 p.m.
Admission = $5 adults, $4 seniors, $2.50 students
Free for Historic New England members and Newbury residents.
The area now known as Merrimac, MA was first settled in 1638
as part of the town of Amesbury at the time of the separation from
Salisbury in 1666, and was referred to as the West Parish of
Amesbury, or West Amesbury. This initial settlement was along
the north bank of the Merrimack River. As West Amesbury
expanded, the riverside village became known as South
Amesbury, with the relocated town center away from the river
retaining the West Amesbury name. Merrimac was officially
incorporated as a separate town in 1876, with the riverside area
becoming known as Merrimacport. Though it began as a
shipbuilding and fishing port along the Merrimack River, the
arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the mill-powered factory
permanently changed the town. The center of the town shifted
away from the river to a newly-developing village, now known as
Merrimac Center, which was dotted with many carriagemanufacturing factories. After several failed attempts to separate
from Amesbury, the town of Merrimac was finally incorporated
in 1876, due mainly to the developing carriage industry. A
carriage is part of the current town seal.
The Merrimack River is a 117-mile-long river, which rises at the
confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in
Franklin, NH, and flows southward into Massachusetts, and then
northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport.
The central-southern part of New Hampshire and most of
northeast Massachusetts is known as the Merrimack Valley.
Several U.S. naval ships have been named the USS Merrimack
and USS Merrimac in honor of this river.
Essex County was created by the General Court of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered
"that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into
four sheires". Named after the county in England, Essex then
comprised the towns of Salem, Lynn, Wenham, Ipswich, Rowley,
Newbury, Gloucester, and Andover, which were subdivided over
the centuries to produce the modern composition of cities and
towns.
Bradford is a village located on the south side of the Merrimack
River, in Essex County, MA. Bradford was originally part of the
town of Rowley, and was called “Rowley Village by the
Merrimack” before the name was changed to Bradford at a town
meeting held January 7, 1672. It was named in memory of
Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from which
some of the settlers had emigrated. The east parish of Bradford
(established in 1726) separated in 1850 and was incorporated as
the town of Groveland. The remaining west part of Bradford was
annexed to the city of Haverhill in 1897. The original meeting
house was located where the Old Bradford Burying Ground is on
Salem Street. In 1751 the church was replaced by a new building
that was located on what is now Bradford common. In 1848 the
fifth Bradford church was built in its present location facing the
common.
Colby Clan Communications 6
Tombstone Jargon
Meaning of words found on old tombstones:
• RELICT: means the woman was a widow at time of death
• CONSORT: means the husband survived the wife
• CENOTAPH: engraved on a stone means the grave is empty; the stone
was erected in honor or memory of a person buried elsewhere or lost at sea
• NB: Nota Bene (note well) indicates additional information on the stone
like a poem
Tombstone abbreviations indicating organizations:
• BPOE--Order of Elks
• GAR-Grand Army of the Republic
• IOOF--Independent Order of Odd Fellows
• KC--Knights of Columbus
• SAR--Sons of the American Revolution
• SCV--Sons of Confederate Veterans
• VFW-Veterans of Foreign Wars
• F&AM-Free and Accepted Masons
• USA-United States Army
• USAF-United States Air Force
• USMC-United States Marine Corp
Tombstone symbols by time period:
Late 1600's to 1700's
• Winged Death Head--Mortality
• Father Time--Nearness of Death
• Hourglass-Short Life or Passing of Time
• Fruits or Vines--Eternal Plenty
• Winged Effigy--Flight of the Soul
• Shell--Rebirth
1800's Victorian
• Willows--Earthly Sorrow
• Draperies--Grief
• Flowers--Sorrow or Brevity of Life
• Clasped Hands--Until We Meet Again
• Willows--Mourning
Late 1800's
• Dove--Children or Purity
• Gates of Heaven--Eternal Life
• Heart--Life or Love of Christ
• Lamb--Innocence or Children
• Open Bible--Resurrection through scripture or commemorates a
minister or teacher
• Gates of Heaven--Eternal Life
• Cross and Crown--Kingship of Christ
Some Other Tombstone Carvings
• Arches--Victory in Death
• Arrows--Mortality
• Portals--Passageway to Eternal Journey
• Crossed Swords--High Ranking Military Person
• Flying Birds--Flight of the Soul
• Trees--Life
• Ivy--Friendship and Immortality
• Cross--Emblem of Faith
• Broken Column--Loss of Head of Family
• Handshake--Farewell
• Butterfly-- Early Death
• Oak Leaves and Acorn--Ripe Old Age
(Barbara Freed - Nov 2004 Handout - Grand Strand Genealogy Club)
From the President
Hello, Cousins!
And welcome to summer! That was one long cold winter!
One thing with cold weather, people stayed inside and worked on their
family histories. There were many people who accessed the Colby
Family Association website and contacted me about their Colby ancestors.
Very cool! Some only needed a little bit of help to find the connections to
Anthony and Susannah Colby but others, well we are working on finding
it! Several said they want to join us at the reunion. We will all be
welcoming to any new cousins, I am sure. Colbys are nothing if not
friendly. The reunion is going to be SUPER! I am looking forward to it
so much. My husband will be with me and we will be spending a couple
days ‘down in Maine’ after. We are hoping for a ride on Captain Mark’s
boat. I will be in Boston for a couple days before the reunion, researching.
Maybe! I will find the missing links for those few people I just KNOW
are related and just need the proof.
I look forward to seeing many of you in August.
Alice Colby Volkert
Reunion RSVP
Please RSVP by August 9 to Jim Colby
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Other people attending with you ($15/adult; children 12 and younger are free):_________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email address or phone (in case there are changes or questions):
______________________________________________________________________________________
I can’t attend the reunion, but have enclosed my annual dues ($5/calendar year): ________________________________
I am paying dues for these calendar years: ________________________________________________________________
Other people for which I am paying dues: _________________________________________________________________
Please mail this form with your payment to: James Colby Box 6663, Scarborough, ME 04070
Or email the information to Jim at: [email protected]
Colby Clan Communications 7
Amesbury’s Main Street swing bridge (photo by Rick Wetmore - http://www.panoramio.com/user/718037)
Barbara J. Zdravesky
123 Mulberry Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Colby Clan Communications 8