Johnston Historical Society Historical Notes
Vol. X, #4, January 2002
Louis McGowan, Editor; Steve Merolla, Asst. Editor
Elder Ira Williams House
By Steve Merolla
One of the fine plaque houses in town stands in the village of Graniteville at 44 Dean Ave. It is a crisp and neat Greek Revival-style structure known as the Elder Ira Williams House. The Angell family had owned the land on which the house stands since the late 17th century. A William Angell owned a 140-acre farm, which straddled both sides of present-day Dean Ave., stretching from the Smithfield line to Putnam Pike. After his death in 1815, the homestead was divided amongst the heirs. One of these heirs was his daughter Abigail Angell, wife of Benjamin Sweet. On March 25, 1841, they sold a piece of the old Angell estate to Ira Williams [Johnston Deed Book 11/215]. The deed reads in part "...One lot or parcel of land being and lying in the north part of the town of Johnston... On the old road leading from Olney Angell's to the town of Smithfield... Containing about 3/4 of an acre of land..." The sale price was only $50 and there is no mention of any structure on the parcel, thus it can be assumed that it was an empty lot. More than likely, Ira Williams soon began to build his house on the lot, and this is confirmed by a mortgage deed executed by Ira Williams on October 6, 1843 [J 11/278]. The property was mortgaged for $200 to Asa Steere and the deed reads, "...One certain lot of land together with the dwelling house thereon standing... And contains 3/4 acre of land... It is the same lot of land which I purchased of Benjamin Sweet by deed dated March 25, 1841...". This shows that the house was built by October of 1843, and it is most likely that it was completed sometime in 1841, when the property was first purchased.
Census records indicate that Ira Williams was born in Vermont around 1806. His wife Ann Eliza was born in Johnston around 1809, the daughter of Olney and Persis Manton. It is not known for sure when they married, but it may have been around 1825, since their first child was born a year later. They had six children: Sarah, Ira, Parris, Abbey, Charles, and Olney. Ira Williams was listed as a Johnston resident in the 1840 Census, but deed records indicate that he did not become a landowner until he bought the property on Dean Ave. in 1841. It seems that he became an Elder of the Baptist Church during his time in Graniteville. The census records indicate that he was a stonecutter, a common occupation in the village. It must be noted that the Free Will Baptist church at the time did not have trained or paid clergymen, the elders were usually chosen from among the congregation. It was not a full-time position. It is not known what brought Ira Williams to Johnston in the first place, or if he came here with the intention of eventually preaching.
Elder Williams' tenure with the Church was somewhat associated with the house that he had built. Mr. Lou McGowan kindly provided me with records of the Baptist Church in Graniteville. It is not known how thorough or complete these records are, but they do shed some light on Elder Williams. The first mention of him in the records came on September 15, 1841, or about six months after he bought the land on Dean Ave. Of great interest, meetings were held in Elder Williams' house on February 13 and March 5 of 1842. Those entries in the meeting records are further proof that the house had to have been completed by the end of 1841. Note should be taken that meetings were also held in Greystone and Manton and in such places as schools and private homes. A public place of worship in Graniteville would have to wait until 1859, when the present church was built. Elder Williams must have been held in high regard, for on April 21, 1842, he was voted Pastor, and on September 6, he was chosen as one of three to represent the congregation at the yearly Baptist Conference. The last mention of Elder Williams that can be found came on May 2, 1847, just one month before he sold the house. An inference can be made that his tenure with the Church was somehow tied up with his ownership of the house, but this cannot be proven. Why did he sell the house? There may have been financial difficulties. He was only able to pay off the $200 mortgage he had taken out in 1843 when he sold the house in 1847. In fact, the sale of the house and the discharge of the mortgage occurred on the same day. With one exception, his only deed activity in the town was associated with 44 Dean Ave. Previous and subsequent to his time at that address, he and his family probably rented or boarded with other families. His last deed transaction came on May 9, 1853, when he bought a burial plot in the large cemetery at the corner of George Waterman Rd. and Putnam Ave. His wife Ann Eliza (died 1858) and son Charles (died 1850) are buried there.
On June 4, 1847, Ira Williams sold the house for $900 to Olney Colwell [J 13/236]. On March 20, 1855, Colwell sold the house to George Mowry of Smithfield [J 16/245]. Less than one year later, Mowry sold the house to his son-in-law Larned Dean [J 16/381]. In the years after this purchase, Larned Dean acquired even more land in the area, amassing an estate of over 40 acres with several houses on the property. After his death in 1894, the estate (which included 44 Dean Ave.) passed to his wife Susan. When Susan died in 1906, she passed the estate on to her daughter Diana, the child of a previous marriage. Larned and Susan Dean had no children together. Diana married Oliver Sherman, and they had two children, Howard D. Sherman and Susan M. Sherman. In 1939, Howard and Susan sold the house out of the family. Since that time there have been a succession of owners. Presently, the house is in the able hands of Society member Mr. Edmund Cornwell, who has done a wonderful job restoring and preserving this gem on Dean Ave.
Postscript: Ira Williams remained in town for a time after he sold the house. The 1850 Census listed him with his wife and six children in Johnston. Since his only other land transaction after he sold the house was the purchase of the burial plot, it can be assumed that he was now renting. The 1860 Census finds him living in North Providence in much changed circumstances. By this time, his wife and son Charles had died and his remaining children had moved off on their own. The census lists him as living in the house of Edwin W. Irons, along with his youngest child, Olney D. Williams (now age 21). On the 1870 Beers & Co. Map an Ira Williams is shown as residing in the Greystone section of North Providence. Any further details about his subsequent years are unknown at this time.
XXX photo of Elder Ira Williams House goes here.
Interview with Betty McGowan
By Louis McGowan
On November 9, 2001, I talked with my mother, Betty, who worked at the Tabco Braid Co. in Thornton in the 1950s and 1960s. The business was located in the old Brown Mill at 1335 Plainfield Street. The building burned to the ground in the 1970s.
Louis—When did you start working at the Tabco Braid Co.?
Betty—In 1956 when Adrienne [her youngest daughter] started school. Millie Flanagan, a neighbor, and I wanted to work. When we applied to Tabco Braid they took us right away! We didn't really want to start right then, so we started the next Monday. We had decided we would only work if we were hired together. I worked there until we moved to Newport in 1965, but never during the summer. I took summers off to be home with you and Adrienne. During the school year you both went to Cora [Giles]'s or Pearl [Steppo]'s house after school.
Louis—Did anyone call the business or the mill by any other name?
Betty—No, just Tabco Braid.
Louis—What was the work schedule?
Betty—Eight hours a day, 5 days a week at $1.00 per hour.
Louis—How high did your salary go?
Betty—Up to $2.00 per hour at the end, but for years it was $1.00 per hour. There was overtime, but I didn't work it too often. Overtime pay was still $1.00 per hour. The business was border-line. Bert [Taraborelli], the boss, never made much.
Louis—What were your duties?
Betty—At first I sewed strips of carpet material together. Bert would buy carpet remnants, which were cut into strips by a machine upstairs. We would sew the strips together lengthwise. We would take the strips haphazardly so the colors would vary. Then the pieces went to Irene Ellis who ran a machine which twisted the strips into braid. The braid went upstairs to the 3rd floor where it was made by machine into rugs. After Irene left I ran the braiding machine. I also did final inspecting with Phyllis Evangelista. Her daughter, Rita, also worked for the company and later married Bert.
Louis—How many people worked at Tabco?
Betty—There were about 25 people total on the three floors. There were only 3 or 4 men, counting Bert. The building actually belonged to Mike Riccitelli.
Louis—What were working conditions like in the mill?
Betty—It was like a country club. For example, we would tell Bert we were all going to Sonny Russo's up the street for fish & chips. We would be gone 2 hours, or more sometimes if we stopped in the shops. When Angie Fenner was asked to run the braiding machine she said she didn't want to because it meant standing up the whole shift. So Bert asked me. I tried it and liked it.
The first floor was office space and storage. The second floor was where the braid was made, and the third floor was for assembling the rugs.
Sometimes the shipments of carpet came from down South. They were always dirty. Sometimes Bert would really get stuck. The pieces would be covered with oil or other stuff, and everything would have to be thrown out.
Louis—Did everyone seem to get along well?
Betty—Yes, they were all women who did not have to work. They went there to get out of the house. Bert was a very easy-going guy and very easy to work for.
Louis—How did you feel about working in a mill after growing up in a home in England where you had servants?
Betty—I liked it. We could smoke all day if we wanted to. We also ate all day—chocolates and all kinds of stuff. It seemed like a party most of the time. I never liked office work. I did some of that for the Treasury Department during World War II as my part in the war effort.
Louis—Did you get together outside of work?
Betty—At least one night a week we went bowling in Lymansville and then out to some eating-place like International House of Pancakes. On another night we would go out to eat together to places like Smith's Restaurant on the Hill, the Norwood Inn, or Duncan Fyffe's. On a third night we all went to someone's house, sat around and talked, and ate pastry. We sometimes went to Mario [Votolato]'s for bingo on the second floor and other times to St. Rocco's.
Louis—Were there any company-provided benefits?
Betty—No, just a Christmas Party! There was no sick time, no retirement, no health benefits. If you were hurt on the job, you took care of it yourself. Jimmy, who used to cut the strips, cut off the ends of his fingers. He received no benefits and he eventually came back to work.
Louis—Is there anything else that you remember about the mill?
Betty—I remember Carl Ricci that worked for Bert as an office manager, but eventually left to work for himself. He later ran a business next door selling rugs.
Society Doings
At our November meeting our guest speaker was our good friend, Thomas E. Greene. He presented a slide show about R.I. advertising covers (letters) from the last half of the 19th century. We all learned a lot from his fascinating presentation.
In December we held our annual Christmas Party in the museum building. We had a great time as always. Thanks to all members and friends who helped out.
Our January 2002 speaker was John Tucker, who entertained us with a program about the WWII allied invasion of Normandy. He and his wife have traveled extensively along the Normandy coast, taking numerous photographs. His presentation was moving and informative.
Sparkle Bryant, an Interpretative Ranger at the Roger Williams National Memorial, was the guest speaker at our February meeting. She talked about the founding of the City of Providence, using a series of interesting slides portraying drawings, paintings, maps, and photographs. The presentation went back to the days of the Native American population here and dealt extensively with Roger Williams.
Our March speaker was our own Fred Mikkelsen, who spoke to us about his days tending light at the Conimicut Light House. He first gave us a capsule history of lighthouses in general, then talked about Rhode Island lighthouses, and, finally, zeroed in on his time at the Conimicut Light, which was the last lighthouse in the country to be electrified. He thrilled us with numerous tales of his adventures there. The presentation was capped off by an 8mm film shot in and around the light about 1960.
Society Acquisitions
Recent Society acquisitions:
Photographs
In February we purchased 30 photographs of old Johnston houses that were copied from nitrate negatives created by William Ely in the 1920s. We now have about 70 photographs from this collection of negatives that is owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society. The funds for this transaction were supplied courtesy of a R.I. Legislative Grant.
FUNDRAISER
We have scheduled a country tea for our annual fundraiser this year. It will be held at Warren and Ellen Lanpher's home, the 1741 Dean Kimball House.
Response so far has been very good, with 60 of the 75 tickets sold with two weeks to go. The tea is sure to be a lot of fun, and we will raise a good sum of money for future acquisitions. Many thanks to Bel Peters for all her work on this project and to Warren and Ellen for making their house available for the function. Thanks also go to all who are baking for that day, for all who have purchased tickets, and for all who will work that day.
Belknap School
We now own the 1892 Belknap School. The building was deeded over to us in March 2002 by the Town of Johnston. The transaction was brought to fruition by Mayor William Macera. The deed transfer was also approved by the Town Council. Our thanks go out to Mayor Macera for making things happen and to the Town Council for the final approval.
We intend to stabilize the building in the short term and apply for grants to restore both the interior and the exterior in the long term. A meeting has been scheduled with Warren Lanpher for March 26 to look at the building. He will then work up a quote for the work. We will reproduce as closely as possible the school interior as it was around the turn of the century, complete with desks, school clock, blackboards, stove, etc. We are thinking about using the ell on the east side of the building as a small museum for the Town School System. The outside of the ell would be re-worked to blend in with the rest of the school.
If you have any artifacts from the Belknap School that you would like to donate to our organization, please let us know. We could also use items of the period from other Johnston schools which could be displayed in the building.
Champlin Grants
In December 2001 we received a check for our 2001 Champlin Grant. With this money Warren Lanpher will be erecting a small addition to the barn, which will house a bathroom. It will be a small ell on the south side of the building and will blend in nicely with the rest of the building.
Another part of this grant will be used to wash and apply preservative to the exterior of the barn. This will help to preserve the wood. The last part of the grant money funded the removal of the baseboard heat and installation of a forced hot air system. This will help to bring back the original looks of the house, will give us more room downstairs, and will be a safer heating system for our old furnishings (no heat source next to old furniture and elimination of a potential source of water leaks—it did happen twice in the past!). Vaughn Oil completed this job in February 2002.
We still have some money from our 2000 Grant, which will be used to build a storage shed.
Cemetery Inventory
The cemetery committee has basically completed the task of inputting the inventory of all the town's cemeteries on the computer. They have been working on this for most of the winter. We will now have to decide whether to try to get this inventory published.
The committee now plans to get back to the job of restoring cemetery gravestones and the cemeteries themselves. That will be a huge job, and we could use help. We will be starting that work this spring, so let us know if you are interested.
Museum Opening
We will be opening the Johnston History Museum and the Elijah Angell House again this spring. Our projected hours will be: May through September, the first and third Sundays from 1-4 p.m. We will also open on the second and fourth Fridays from 1-4 p.m. If you have any interest in helping us to cover these hours please let me (Louis) know.
Nancy Brown has agreed to work with us in setting up a program for bringing in school children to the museum. Her knowledge will be very useful in helping to set up this project. If you like to work with children and would be interested in this program, please let us know.
Speaker Programs
We are always looking for speakers for our general meetings. If you have any ideas for programs please let us know. For our March 2002 meeting Fred Mikkelsen will talk to us about his days tending light at the Conimicut Lighthouse. In April Mike Carroll will show us slides and talk to us about H.P. Lovecraft, the noted horror writer from Providence.
History Fair
In March 2001 the Ferri Middle School held its annual History Day Fair. There were many interesting, visually appealing, and well-researched projects. The best ones will go on to the State History Fair. Steve Merolla and Louis McGowan represented our groups as judges.
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. We have our Holiday Party that month). The meetings are held in the Museum Building except for the ones in January, February, & March which are usually held in the Graniteville Baptist Church on Serrel Sweet Road.
Our phone # is: (401) 231-3380.
Have you paid your 2002 dues yet? Help us to 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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Don't forget—your donations to the Johnston Historical Society can be deducted from your taxes. We are registered with the Federal Government as a non-profit organization.
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