“The Crandall Corner Newsletter; June 2005: the fourth excerpt from ''Gleanings-from the Diaries of Lovina Jane (Holland) Crandall 1884-1942 '' compiled by Dorothy Crandall Bliss, CFA # 110 & Marguerite Crandall Purcell,
CFA # 122.

Charles Henry Crandall - More than a Farmer Charles Henry was engaged in numerous farming activities. He raised potatoes. turnips, tomatoes: hay and other crops. These were sold in the Westerly and Watch Hill (RI) stores and hotels and perhaps peddled from his wagon. He owned extensive white cedar swamps and, when the swamps were frozen, he cut the cedar which was sold as posts, telephone poles, flag poles, boat boards and other building materials. Lewis Swan who lived on a boat on the Pawcatuck River owned a sawmill which he brought periodically to C.H.’s farm to saw shingles. In 1895. C.H. built a fence at Watch Hill and also one at Noyes Beach. We may assume that these fences were made of cedar posts from the Crandall swamps. In the fall. cranberries were harvested from the Crandall bogs by hand-raking with a special cranberry rake and carried off in burlap sacks. They were stored temporarily in barrels (on his porch) before selling them to local stores. In the early 1900's, he had a moving belt that sorted out the soft or smiled berries. After this broke downy the cranberries were sorted by hand, a invoking and seemingly endless task. We speak from experience since this was one of the paid jobs we undertook when we
lived on our grandfather’s middle farm in the mid 1920’s.
Charles Henry also maintained an apple and peach orchard at the middle (originally Oliver's) farm. Many of the apples were made into cider end stored in barrels in the cellar for several years until the cider had turned into vinegar which we then sold. Among the varieties of apples were baldwins, jilliflower, russets, wolf river and Ben Davis.
Lovina Jane made notes in her diaries on surplus eggs from the flock of laying hens which C.H. maintained. On Feb. l9. 1902 she wrote, “Mr. Langworthy called and I sold him 4 doz. eggs at 30 cents per dozen'' and on May 3rd, “C.H. to Westerly-10 doz. eggs''.
During the fall and winter months Charles Henry seine for fish at Weekapaug or gathered seaweed to spread on the cultivated fields. Frequently. after a day of fishing or gather seaweed at the beach, he stayed overnight there. Presumably, he and some of his workers slept in the one-room “cabin” at Weekapaug near the bridge. This beach shanty, later owned by his son, Frank H. Crandall, was swept to sea in the hurricane of 1938. Today, the John Crandall Fish Market stands on the site. In the first years of her marriage when C.H. was away at night, L.J. stayed with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Charles Crandall at the Homestead.
Charles Henry did some trapping and among the animals caught were otter, mink, musket and skunk. He traveled to many towns in southern RI and CT buying furs from trappers. Several times a year in the 1890's and early 1900’s he took the steamer to New York at night to sell the furs to NY dealers. As the boys, Frank, Colby and Harold grew older, they frequently accompanied their father on his buying trips. On Dec 22nd, 1902, L.J. mentioned that “C.H. and Frank went to New York'' and on Jan. 13. 1917, “Mr. Daniel's and (son) Jared came and bought fur and stayed for dinner''. Mr. Damsels and later Jared bought fur from C.H. until Grandfather died in 1932.
Iœ was cut during the winter and stored in the ice house at the middle farm. When the weather was inclement, he drove the school wagon to and from Dunn's Corners School. At other times, Lovina Jane and later her daughter, Emily, drove this wagon.
L.J. makes many references to C.H. “working on the road''. This may refer to the District #6 road that connected the three Crandall farms. She noted, however, in one instance that “C.H. went to Westerly to work on the road'' and that he was paid by the town of Westerly for his work.
Many different workers were hired to help out on the farms in various capacities. Some boarded at his home where L.J. prepared their meals. Among those hired in the 1900's were: Steve Peckham, Herb Whitmore, Claude Saunders and our father, Frank H. Crandall who was the farm manager from 1925-1932. From the age of 5 or 7, C.H.'s sons helped out with the farm chores: husking corn, hoeing sprouting potatoes. harvesting vegetables, etc.
George Rathbun: who worked as a handyman for many years, came to work on April 2, 1893. He was living at the Westerly Poor Farm when C.H. first brought him to the farm to work. One of his chores was to milk the one to three cows which in the 1920's. were kept a half mile away in the new barn on a hill above the Homestead. He carried a pail of milk twice a day over this stretch of road, summer and winter. (Our grandfather never milked the cows. His excuse was that it made his wrists lame.) George remained on the farm until 1932. Colby, who lived in C.H.'s house after C.H.’s death, took George in after he was treated badly at another farm. George's last years were spent at Colby's place.


Charles Henry did some trading in cows and horses, keeping several milking cows in the 1900's and two or more horses for farm use. There was also a yoke of oxen for many years for the work in the cedar swamps since they are more sure-footed than horses on the frozen surface.
A serious incident was mentioned in L.J.'s diary on July 25, 1893 when Charles Henry stuck a hayfork in his arm and had to go to Westerly to see their family physician, Dr. Lewis. The doctor called on the patient that evening and again on the 26th and the 28th when the bandage was removed. This hayfork was the large fork in the new barn. It was used to lift hay up to the mows by means of horse power.
In addition to the innumerable farm activities we have previously listed, C.H. was involved in several civic organizations. He nearly always attended and took part in Westerly Town Meetings. In Apr., 1895. he was elected trustee at the evening school meeting. On Oct. 15 of that same year he went to Providence for the laying of the cornerstone of the State House. On March 16, 1897, he went to Providence as a delegate to the State Convention. In January, 1899, he “went to Kingston as a juryman''. At a town meeting in 1902, he voted for the town system of schools which would replace the District Schools. He was one of the original incorporators of the Washington County Fair in Kingston, R.I. He was one of the few who gave financial assistance to retain the Fair in later years. He and his family often attended this annual event.

Lovina Jane Crandall’s Diaries: "Gleanings from the Diaries of Lovina Jane (Holland) Crandall 1884-1942 " compiled by Dorothy Crandall Bliss, CFA # 110 and Marguerite Crandall Purnell, CFA # 122. Published in THE CRANDALL CORNER, vol 17, issue 1; Feb 2004

Recently, we had the surprise and pleasure of learning of the existence of several diaries of our grandmother, Lovina Jane Crandall, wife of Charles Henry Crandall. The earliest diary is dated 1885, the latest 1942. with several years omitted . We are deeply indebted to Carol Moody who is a granddaughter of Emily Crandall Smith and a great-granddaughter of Lovina Jane. Carol made copies of all these diaries available to us. Although we lived near our grandmother in District #6 from 1926 to 1932 and saw her quite frequently after our grandfather's death in 1932, much new information was revealed in her writings.

In the following pages we have tried to summarize these revelations in the diaries that give us an insight into her life before and through her years as the wife of Charles Henry Crandall as well as descriptions of New England farm life in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Brief Notes on 1884

The earliest notes are for the year 1884 when Lovina Jane was 23 years old and living with her mother and father, Mehitable and Jacob Holland, and her two sisters, Martha and Emily, at 7 Spring Street in Westerly, Rhode Island. Little is written of her father who worked in Fall River, Massachusetts. He came home briefly over the Fourth of July, 1884 and went back to work of the 7th. He returned to Westerly on October 22nd and died on November 1Oth of that year.

During the spring semester of that year, Lovina Jane taught school in Bozrah, Connecticut and boarded with Preacher Randolph and his wife.

She recounted that Charles Henry (always referred to as C.H. in her diaries) spent the evenings with her at her home in Westerly and, on July 17th, she visited with him at his mother's home (Mrs. Charles Crandall, The Homestead in District #6). In December, he invited her to a dance on the 16th, but she didn't mention if she accepted.

Engagement and Marriage 1885-1886

In 1885, she was engaged by a Mr. Booker to teach for a year in the White Rock School a few miles from Westerly. She began the fall term on September 7th at $8.50 a week with 19 scholars which soon increased to 26. By January, she had 37 pupils. During the week, she boarded with a Mrs. Pendleton and usually rode home on the mail wagon for the weekend, but occasionally she walked.

On December 20, 1885, she wrote, "I promise to marry C.H. on December 23, 1886." On January 31, 1886, he gave her his picture (possibly an unidentified picture that we have) and, on September 19th, on a drive to Stonington, he presented her with her wedding ring. An ironic note on October 30, 1886 was the proposal of Charles Bailey to Lovina Jane who "gracefully said "no".

Her Aunt Vine (Lovina White) who lived in Minneapolis sent her $20 and later $5 toward her wedding dress. L.J. sent to Jordan Marsh in Boston for silk material from which a Mrs. Larkin made the dress.

Among her wedding presents were a plush wrap from her mother, a writing desk from sister Emily, and a handmade wedding bonnet and workbasket from sister Martha.

Aunt Vine arrived from Minneapolis on Thursday, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. having left there 4 days previously.

On December 23, 1886 (Charles Henry's 37th birthday), they were married at her home at 7 Spring Street by C.U. Whitford, minister. Present at the ceremony were her mother, her two sisters, Aunt Vine, and John Crandall, brother of Charles Henry.

That evening, the newlyweds boarded the nine o'clock boat for New York. It was so foggy the next morning that the boat count not reach New York until 11:00 a.m. They had breakfast on the boat and, after disembarking in the afternoon, -took a walk. It rained all night, on their return trip.

Christmas Day was spent at Mother Crandall's in District #46. Afterwards, C.I. took her home to Westerly where he spent the evening with her. Aunt Vine gave her a double cabinet and a picture frame for Christmas. C.H. gave her a diary.

Since their new home in District 46 was not completed, she still lived in her mother's home in Westerly and C.H. spent weekends with her in town. On May 29th, he brought her to see the new house after which they enjoyed tea with his mother. On July 5th, Charles Henry came for her in the evening and they went to the new house to live. Here they spent all of their married life. This house, no longer owned by the Crandall Family, remains in excellent condition today.

During the following month, C.H. purchased various items of furniture for their new home. In November, 1887, he bought a
sewing machine and a stove for the sitting room; in December, some chairs and a table for the front room.

Their new home was a white clapboarded two and a half story house with several large attic room and 5 bedrooms on the second floor. On the first floor, in addition to the "sitting room" and "front room" there were two bedrooms and the kitchen. A
bathroom was added later.

There were two other homes on the Crandall Farms. The "Homestead" built in 1665 by Elder John Crandall was the first Crandall Home and it was here that Charles and Margaret Crandall resided in the 1800s. Their children were born here: Charles Henry, John Franklin, Harriet Emily and Oliver Perry. Across the road was the first barn which eventually fell into disrepair and collapsed. On the hill above the "Homestead" was the "new" barn and across the road from this barn was the home in which Oliver Crandall and his family lived until 1917 when he moved to Westerly. Harold and Effie James Crandall were married on May 3rd of that year and moved into the house on May 6th. Several years later, Martha (Crandall) and her husband, Claude Saunders, moved in. Frank H. Crandall and this family lived there front 'November 5, 1925 until the spring of 1932 following the death of Charles Henry Crandall. The third son, John Crandall, lived on the farm now known as the Manfredi Farm.

The Life of a Farmer's Wife

As a wife of a farmer with a large and growing family of six children, Lovina Jane was extremely busy with cooking, cleaning, sewing and her many other activities. She writes of baking pies, cakes, cookies and biscuits, Friends and relatives frequently stopped in for tea in the afternoon, then stayed for dinner, often spending the night. Each spring, she cleaned all the rooms: 5 on the first floor, 5 bedrooms on the second floor, and 2 attic rooms. She white-washed and papered each room every few years and one year even papered the woodbox! She was an excellent seamstress and spent many hours sewing clothes for the children and herself She wrote of making shirts for C.J. One can only imagine how overjoyed she was when C.H. presented her with a sewing machine in 1886. When there was a surplus of cream from the cows, she made butter. On April 16, 1928, she "packed 12 dozen eggs down for next winter:. In season, she canned peaches, "24 quarts" in October 1895 and again in 1902. she preserved grape jam and "put down a half bushel of pickles:. several times she mentioned picking blueberries, huckleberries, raspberries, and even cranberries. As the children grew older, they frequently accompanied her. For several years while the children were young, she had at least some of the laundry picked up and returned by the McGowan family who lived about a mile and a half away. At first this cost 50 cents a week, later rising to 70 cents and then $1.00. This was probably a luxury not enjoyed by others in the District. Grandmother always enjoyed her flower garden in which she grew such old-fashioned flowers as cosmos, bachelor buttons and sweet peas. One spring she wrote, "got garden ready for the sweet peas" and in another year, "I made an aster bed under the bay window". On April 2, 1928 she recorded, "Received some plants from Haines, Illinois: Calla, I tea rose, Hybiscus, Fern Palm, Carnation, Tube roses, 6 Oxalis, Gladiolus, 2 Madera vines, Begonia." With six small children, there was little time for her to pursue her interests in reading, music, etc. She wrote of occasional
sleigh rides. On January 23, 1893, C.H. and L.J. took a sleight ride to Charlie Eldridge's house and even stayed for supper. Oliver's wife, Louise, stayed with the children. There was much visiting with her own mother, Mrs. Holland, in Westerly where L.J. and the children occasionally stayed for a week or two. Thanksgiving in the twenties was a festive occasion with all of C.J. and L.J.'s sic children, their spouses and the grandchildren who numbered more than twenty by the late twenties. Although she did much of the food preparation, L.J.'s daughters and daughters-in-law assisted her. In the spring of 1891, Lovina Jane wrote seven articles for the Westerly Tribune (Babcock Building on Main Street) and also wrote an article for the Ladies Home Journal. In January, 1895 she recorded, "wrote an article for the Delineator". At the Westerly Public Library, we recently located the following item that appeared in the Westerly Sun on January 21, 1895, two days after she submitted her article. Although it is not signed, it is logical to assume it was written by L.J.
District No. 6
"District No. 6 was looked over carefully for a fox track, but we failed to find the same, About 8 o'clock Saturday morning, however, Burnside Crandall arrived with his two dogs, Flora and Jumbo, with blood in both eyes. We found a track nearby Tom Saunder's place and the dogs were let loose and in five minutes Reynard was on his feet, closely pursued be the two dogs who gave him a lively chase for several hours in view of about twenty men. On Thursday last Mr. Nicholas Mitchell secured about forty loads of seaweed. Ben arrived in time to see it but was too sleepy to stay. The Sisson Farm situated in District #6 was sold at public auction for $1975 to a Mr. Cory of Wood River Junction on Friday, Jan. 18." (The Burnside Crandall mentioned in the above article is not included in the 1949 Genealogy by John Cortland Crandall.) On January 24, 1918, L.J.'s daughter, Martha Saunders, became very ill and entered Backus Hospital in Norwich, CT. Martha's 2 1/2 year old daughter Helen, came to live with her grandmother. and Martha's son, 1 1/2 year old Thomas, went to live with his uncle, Captain Thomas Saunders and wife, Alice, where young Tom remained until grown. Martha's husband, Claude, brought her home to her parents in Dist. #6 on February 11th. She was suffering from Bovine Tuberculosis which was contracted by Martha from consuming unpasteurized milk from cows that were infected with Bang's Disease. Martha was still in bed a year later, January 23, 1919 and on March 9, 1920 she came down to dinner, two years after she was hospitalized. These were two years in which our grandmother was responsible not only for her sick daughter's care, but also for the care of a young toddler. Claude was working for out grandfather during the years of Martha's illness and helped out in the evenings. In the early to mid-twenties Claude, Martha and Helen moved to Oliver's former home. In the fall, Claude and family moved to their own home in Woody Hill and our family moved into the Dist. #6 home they had just vacated. In 1920 L.J. noted that she, "voted for President for the first time. Voted for Harding."