I thought this was a nice story worth sharing about one of our past beloved Hanover residents. REMEMBERING LUCY BONNEY by Barbara Barker I considered Lucy Bonney one of my good friends. Although the difference in our ages was almost 40 years and we had different opinions on many subjects, we shared many interests. Lucy died March 31, 1996 at age 104, and I shall miss her. One can hardly remember Lucy without including her twin sister, Anne, who died only last year. They were born in the family home on Old Washington St in Hanover.They were the seventh generation to live in that home. They were told that they were so small when first born that they were kept in a small box near the stove, until they were big enough for cradles. Although they were not identical twins, most people could not tell them apart, but their close friends could. They grew up on the farm that was typical of the early 1900s, but would seem magical to children today. Playing in the hay mow, picking blueberries in the pasture, helping Mother and Aunt Lucy with the household chores, playing with the kittens and the ever present faithful dog, catching fireflies at twilight , and taking long wagon rides to Duxbury to visit grandmother Weston were an important part of their early lives. They took good care of the few toys that they had, some handed down from a wealthy friend in Boston, and when it was time to open the Stetson Houses, they donated their toys that had been carefully preserved in the attic. When you think of the changes that have taken place in the last 100 years, and realize that these women changed with them all, one cannot help but admire their spirit. From the District School in Center Hanover to Radcliffe College, education prepared them for the challenges they faced. I once asked Lucy if they played a part in the Womens Suffrage Movement. Oh, we marched in Boston, she replied, but we didnt tell Mother. Both young women became teachers, Lucy a teacher of high school English and Anne, a school librarian, Im sure their thirst and enthusiasm for knowledge was spread to the many children whom they taught in Connecticut and New Jersey. We shared a love of reading, and I think I read most of the books on the shelves in their cozy library where we shared many of cup of tea. I remember sitting with them one afternoon in October after a particularly stimulating day of teaching my own fifth graders. I had been teaching a poem, but I couldnt remember the author. Do you know the poem, October in New England? I asked. And they chimed in And I not there to see, the glamour of the goldenrod, the flame of maple tree; That was by Odell Shepard, our teacher at Radcliffe, the year he was in California. Anne married a widower in mid-life and lived in Norwell; Lucy continued teaching, traveling in the summer and seeking new adventures, but always coming back to the old home on Washington St. where she retired. But retirement became a most active part of her life. She took part in many community and church activities, and was a long time member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church and active in the altar guild and prayer group for many years. Interested in art and music, she took up painting, and I am pleased to own several of her paintings of local places.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:29:51 +0000
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