Johnston Historical Society
Newsletter, September 2001

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Johnston Historical Society Historical Notes
Vol. X, #3, September 2001
Louis H. McGowan, Editor; Steve Merolla, Asst. Editor

Museum Dedication
On September 23, 2001, we dedicated our new Johnston History Museum. The weather was perfect and the grounds were beautiful. About 175 members and guests attended our celebration. Mayor William Macera and R.I. Senator Joseph Polisena addressed the gathering. Scott Molloy delivered the keynote speech. All three speakers mentioned the need to preserve local history. President Louis McGowan was the Master of Ceremonies. He thanked Bernie Treml of Local 57, whose crew donated their services in digging out the cellar hole for the building and back-filling it after the foundation was built. Also thanked was Warren Lanpher, whose company built the museum building.

Following the speeches, Mr. David King, Executive Director of the Champlin Foundations, said a few kind words, after which he cut the ribbon across the doorway of the building, signaling the opening of the Museum. The Champlin Foundations made the day possible by giving us a grant with which we were able to construct the building.

Following the speaker program, the crowd dispersed to view the museum and the newly furnished Elijah Angell House. People seemed very excited about the museum and the house. The first floor of the latter is now furnished with early to mid-19th century furniture and furnishings. Thanks to another grant from the Champlin Foundations, we were able to commission Richard Siembab, a local antiques dealer, to purchase items for us. Because of his contacts, we now have many items from homes throughout Rhode Island.

At the same time that people were touring the two buildings, there were other activities taking place outside. Fred Mikkelsen, society member and an amateur blacksmith, thrilled the crowd with a blacksmithing demonstration. Mike Carroll and Tom D'Agostino entertained the gathering with folk music.

All in all, it was a wonderful day, the culmination of much hard work by many people. A special thanks goes out to Dan Brown, Pat Macari, Steve Merolla, Bel Peters, Mike Carroll, Everett Cogswell, Fred Mikkelsen, Dan Meunier, John Barattini, and everyone else who contributed to the success of the day.

We have scheduled the Johnston History Museum to be open on the first and third Sundays of October and November from 2-4 p.m. During the winter we will be open by appointment only. Call us at (401) 231-3380. In the Spring and Summer we will have a schedule of open hours once again.

Society Doings
At our May 2001 General Meeting, Karin Sprague was our guest speaker. She is a professional sculptor who works in stone and does many 18th-century-type gravestones. She is a truly talented artist and brought many examples of her work. After her talk, audience members had a try at "working in stone." It was a great night.

At our June General Meeting we had a chance to see the talents of some of our society members. It was "hobby night." Evelyn Beaumier showed us some of the fabulous quilts that she makes. Everett Cogswell floored us with a show of his woodcarvings. Steve Merolla thrilled us with his military models. Justin Meunier throughly impressed us with his knowledge of the twin hobbies of stamp and coin collecting. His dad, Dan, delighted us with a presentation on football cards.

At our September meeting Louis McGowan presented a slide show on the R.I. textile mills on postcards.

For our October meeting we were delighted once more to have Richard Lynch speak to us. His slide talk was about the mysterious stone structures of New England. We were fascinated by the pictures and Richard's text. After the show we asked Richard if he would take us on a tour of some of the sites. He generously agreed.

Elijah Angell House
In Spring of this year the Historical Society voted to re-name our headquarters building. For many years the house was known as the Farnum/Angell House. These two family names were used because the Farnums were the last owner/occupants of the building and the Angell family built the house. After Steve Merolla had completed his deed chain research of the house, he determined that Elijah Angell had built the house. The Executive Board felt that naming the house after Angell, the builder of the house, more truly reflected how houses are named in preservation circles. We brought the matter up for vote at a general meeting and the membership agreed. Our headquarters is now named the Elijah Angell House.

Acquisitions
Recent Society acquistions:

  1. Annals of Centerdale, by Frank C. Angell; purchase.
  2. Two milk bottles from the Birch Haven Dairy in Hughesdale, a waxed paper milk bottle from Crandall Dairy, and some Johnston bottle caps, donated by Mabel Sprague.
  3. Two ornate iron shelf brackets donated by Kit Rhodes.
  4. A complete WWII U.S. Army uniform donated by William Jackson.
  5. A tin fire helmet from Graniteville donated by Vin Crosby.
  6. The original charter for the Graniteville Volunteer Fire Dept. donated by the Graniteville Volunteer Fire Assoc.
  7. An 1870s, hand-cranked butter churn donated by Bob Jackson in memory of his wife, Lilian.
  8. A mid to late 19th-century tole ware tray, 2 blue transfer-ware plates, and a stoneware jug donated by Bel Peters.
  9. 2 R.I. Almanacs, from 1825 & 1827, and an 1860s carving knife donated by Richard Siembab.
  10. A number of Votolato family items including bill heads, photographs, and movie theater memorabilia, donated by Barbra Votolato McGuirl.
  11. Selected Mathewson family estate papers, including a tax appraisal for the Pocasset Worsted Mill; donated by Elaine Pereira.

In addition, we purchased the following items from Richard Siembab for the Elijah Angell House: an early 19th-century R.I. yarn winder with wooden gears and counter; a mid-19th-century men's beaver hat; a selection of 19th-century white ironstone pottery; an ironstone pitcher & bowl set; a large 19th-century breadboard; a small wooden pantry box; a pressed glass water bottle; a set of bone-handled table knives; a soapstone foot-warmer; a c.1840 wooden stool; a wooden wash tub; a tin measure; a wooden bootjack; and a stoneware beer bottle.

JHS Webpage
Our society member, Vail Clemence, has graciously set up a web-page for us. Please take a peek at the page and let him know what you think of it. The address is: http://johnstonhistorical.homestead.com/historical.html.

Yard Sale
On November 4, 2001, our society held a very successful yard sale. We earned $220 for the day. Thanks to Dan Brown for heading it up and for Louis McGowan, John Barattini, Pat Macari, Steve Merolla, and Everett Cogswell for helping out that day. Thanks also to the following people who donated items to be sold: Dan & Nancy Brown, John Barattini, Pat & Kathy Macari, Steve Merolla, Evelyn Beaumier, Al & Hedy Aurecchia, and Gina Perotta. Some unsold items were kept for future sales and some left-over items were donated to the Smithfield Animal Rescue Thrift Shop.

Plaque for House
On November 4 a few of us were standing in the yard talking. Chris Healy from Providence was visiting us, trying to gather info on the builder of his house, one Elisha Angell. In the course of the conservation we found out that his Elisha is not the same as our Elijah. As we continued to talk the subject of bronze plaques for houses that are on the National Register came up. Chris said that his company makes them for groups around the country, and he would be glad to get us one. He left shortly after, but returned about 2 hours later with a plaque in hand! We thanked him profusely before he left. Dan immediately went to his house to get his electric drill, and we mounted the plaque on the front of the house. In just over 2 hours we went from discussion to finished product, secured to the house. Thanks, Chris.

The Daniel Thornton House
Circa 1760
By Steve Merolla
The story of the Daniel Thornton house is rather unusual because this dwelling no longer stands in Johnston. In fact this house is now located in Greenville, Ohio. It once occupied a lot at the corner of Memorial Dr. and Atwood Ave., across the street from the Marian J. Mohr Library. The site is now occupied by Cedar Spring Terrace, a retirement community.

In 1984, Tom and Myrna Stone of Greenville, Ohio had read an advertisement in Yankee Magazine indicating that an 18th-century house was available to a prospective buyer. The only hitch was that the house was in pieces and had to be reassembled by the new owner. The Stones are antique collectors, but they did not have an 18th-century house in which to display their period pieces. Thus, they took the chance of moving such a house from New England to Ohio. The house they chose to purchase had been disassembled by Stephen P. Mack Associates of Ashaway, R.I. As is standard in such procedures, each and every board was numbered and tagged so that the house would be put back together in the correct order. The chimney mass was banded in one piece and moved with the rest of the house. In his report, Mr. Mack reported: "The house is a mid- to late 18th-century, center chimney, two-story house. The frame of the house and the ell are hand-hewn oak. The floor joists and rafters are sawn oak. The roofers are random width wide oak boards. Floor boards are hard pine or yellow pine." The rest of this report can be accessed at the Mohr Library or the Johnston Historical Society. Some of the lumber for the house was most likely from the saw-mill located just down the road and owned by Captain John Waterman. Research conducted as part of the Historical Society plaque program has basically confirmed Mr. Mack's conclusions as to the approximate date that the house was built.

The land on which the house once stood was owned by the Harris family in the early 1700s. It is possible that the family owned the property from the very earliest days of the Colony. Members of the Harris family sold the land to Thomas Angell in 1759 [Johnston Deed Book 1/33 & 1/92], but he did not hold on to it for long. On October 3, 1760, Mr. Angell sold the land to Daniel Thornton for 10,000 pounds sterling [J 1/61]. The tract of land contained 187 acres and was described as being at the south end of Seckesecut Hill, the same hill that rises up Atwood Ave. towards Greenville Ave. today. None of the previous deeds indicate that there was ever a house on the parcel before Daniel Thornton's purchase. Thus it can be assumed that Mr. Thornton built the house, and probably soon after he purchased the property in 1760. Further proof as to who built the house is to be found in the old town council records of Johnston. On April 23, 1764, a Town Council meeting was in fact held at the house of Daniel Thornton, as is recorded in the minutes of the meeting. At a Town Council meeting of May 21, 1765, there was a discussion regarding the laying out of a new roadway. The road in question is present-day Cherry Hill Road and Memorial Dr. Part of the route for the new road was thus described "...until it comes to a pare of barrs or neere them into said Daniel Thornton's land neere up to his new house, then westerly to Capt. Waterman's land..." The former Thornton-Lafazia house was in fact situated quite close to the road. These clues reveal that the house was built by at least 1764 and that the builder was Daniel Thornton.

Mr. Thornton was born November 3, 1734; he was married to Sussanna Pearce (born April 27, 1736). They had nine children—Ephraim, Solomon, Anstis, Isaac, Mehitable, Abigail, Henrietta, Sussanna, and Dinah. In his Will, Daniel left the house and 40 acres of land to his wife (Johnston Will 1/273). She in turn was to occupy the house until her own death on January 3, 1819. After Sussanna died, her grandson Jeremiah Thornton (son of Solomon) took possession of the house by buying out the other heirs [J 6/198, 6/378 & 4/287]. Jeremiah Thornton (b. 1787—d. July 25, 1865) and his wife Sarah A. (b. 1795—d. Feb. 28,1856) probably occupied the house from at least 1819. They had ten children. On May 19, 1865, Jeremiah drew up his Will [J Will 11/87]. He granted his daughter Ella Maria Armington use of certain rooms in the house; he also reserved a place in the house for his son Charles if he decided to return from California. But the majority of the property and the house were left to his sons Ethan S. Thornton and Elijah Thornton.

The 1870 Beers Co. map marks the house as the "J. Thornton Est.," which indicates that more than one heir owned the house. The 1870 Census listed Ethan S. Thornton in the house along with the wife of Elijah Thornton and her four children. No explanation is known for Elijah's absence. When the 1875 Census was taken, Elijah is back in the house and listed as head of household. With him are his wife Zilpha and children George, Sarah, Fenner, Emory, and an infant. Also residing in the house was his brother Ethan and two elderly boarders. Tax records indicate that in 1886, Elijah became sole owner of the house and 50-acre farm. Ethan had died in June of 1886, thus leaving his brother Elijah with clear title.

On July 1, 1904, Elijah mortgaged the farm for $500 [J new 14/233]. The mortgage deed notes that Elijah had gained ownership of the farm through his father's Will. Elijah re-mortgaged the farm on the first of June 1906 [J new 15/147], but he died soon afterwards, on August 28, 1906. It seems that after his death, the family experienced financial problems. On March 24, 1908, Fenner A. Thornton, one of the five children, brought suit against his mother Zilpha and the other heirs. As a result, an administrator was appointed and the estate was sold at auction to Herbert C. Calef for $1,450. Aspects of the court case mention outstanding mortgages and unpaid taxes. Thus, after nearly 150 years of ownership, the house passed out of the Thornton family. Herbert Calef soon sold the land to Francesco and Maria LaFazia, on July 9, 1908. Mr. LaFazia died in 1949, but his wife Maria retained ownership. The house and property were sold out of the LaFazia family on May 26, 1982. It is interesting to note that the house was owned by just two families in its first 225 years of existence. After the LaFazia's sold the house, it remained uninhabited until it was dismantled by Stephen Mack. It has been beautifully restored by Tom and Myrna Stone and proudly stands today in Greenville, Ohio.

XXX photo goes here

The Daniel Thornton House in Ohio

Index to "Johnston Historical Society—Historical Notes":
By Louis McGowan

Vol. I #1 Sep. '84

Vol. I #2 Jan. '85

Vol. I #3 Mar. '85

Vol. I #4 May, '85

Vol. I #5 Jul. '85

Vol. II #1 Sep. '85

Vol. II #2 Nov. '85

Vol. II #3 Jan. '86

Vol. II #4 Mar. '86

Vol. II #5 May, '86

Vol. II #6 Jul. '86

Vol. III #1 Sep. '86

Vol. III #2 Nov. '86

Vol. III #3 Jan. '87

Vol. III #4 Mar. '87

Vol. III #5 May, '87

Vol. III #6 Jul. '87

Vol. IV #1 Sep. '87

Vol. IV #2 Nov. '87

Vol. IV #3 Jan. '88

Vol. V #1 Sep. '89

Vol. V #2 Nov. '89

Vol. V #3 Jan. '90

Vol. V #4 Mar. '90

Vol. V #5 May, '90

Vol. V #6 Jul. '90

Vol. VI #1 Sep. '90

Vol. VI #2 Nov. '90

Vol. VII #1 Jan. '91

Vol. VII #1 (Same # by mistake) 8/96

Vol. VII #2 Nov. '96

Vol. VII #3 May '97

Vol. VII #4 Sep. '97

Vol. VII #5 Nov. '97

Vol. VIII #1 Apr. '98

Vol. VIII #2 Nov. '98

Vol. IX #1 Sep. '99

Vol. IX #2 Jan. '00

Vol. IX #3 Jul. '00

Vol. IX #4 Nov. '00

Vol. X #1 Feb. '01

Our Executive Board:
President: Louis McGowan
Vice President: Pat Macari
Treasurer: Dan Brown
Recording Sec.: Evelyn Beaumier
Corresponding Sec.: Mike Carroll
Trustee: Steve Merolla
Trustee: Everett Cogswell

Our Executive Board meets at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum building, 101 Putnam Pike, on the second to the last Wednesday of each month, September through June (Except December). All are welcome to attend.

General Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month, September through June (no December meeting). The meetings are held in the Museum Building except for the ones in January, February, & March which are held in the Graniteville Baptist Church on Serrel Sweet Road.

Our phone # is: (401) 231-3380.

Why not pay your 2002 dues now? Help us defray the costs of producing this newsletter. The price is still the same: $10.00 for a single membership and $12.00 for a family membership.

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Johnston Historical Society, 101 Putnam Pike, Johnston, RI 02919, (401) 231-3380, info@johnstonhistorical.org
Unless otherwise noted, all content is © 2006 Johnston Historical Society.
Posted May 2006