Rev. Peter M Preble – Page 91 – Open-Minded, Open-Hearted Minister & Soul Friend

Southbridge in the Civil War 1863-64

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Southbridge Civil War Monument. Photo courtesy of Dick Whitney's History Site — Southbridge Civil War Monument.
Photo courtesy of Dick Whitney’s History Site

This is the third is a series of essays on the role of the Town of Southbridge in the Civil War. As the war continued the amount of involvement of the local legislative bodies diminished as the Federal Government took over control of the armed forces. The interesting part of the story is that as the war continued the bounty continued to increase for men who would enlist. Each town was given a quota to fill of men who would enlist for specified periods of time. As one did not necessarily have to be from a particular town to enlist from that town, there is evidence that men “shopped around” a little to find the best deal. I do not say this to diminish their service, but only to show to the extremes that men would take to make sure their families were secure when they went off to war.

In the end, Southbridge furnished 400 men for the war which was a surplus of 19 over the quota set by the Commonwealth. The names of those 400 are enshrined for eternity on the monument that sits on the lawn in front of the Southbridge Town Hall on Elm Street. The picture that accompanies this essay is of that monument.

These are the actions that the Board of Selectman took during 1863-64:

January 5, 1863, the treasurer was authorized to borrow twenty-five hundred dollars for the payment of bounties to volunteers to fill the quota of the town under the recent call of the President for more men, and the expenses of recruiting the same.

September 21, 1863, Voted to pay State aid to the families of men who are or may be drafted in the town, the same as paid to the families of volunteers.

November 3, 1863, The treasurer was authorized to borrow money to pay State aid to the families of men who have died or become disabled in the military service.

April 4, 1864, Three thousand dollars were appropriated for recruiting purposes, and twelve hundred dollars for the payment of money advanced by individuals of their own means to aid recruiting during the past years.

June 20, 1864, The bounty to volunteers for three years’ service was fixed at one hundred and twenty-five dollars. The selectman were authorized “to set apart a suitable plot of ground in the public cemetery for the erection of a monument to the soldiers of Southbridge who have died or may hereafter die in the service of their country during this war.”

Note: The Grand Army of the Republic plot is located in center of the Town Cemetery under a flag pole. As far as I can tell there are only 2 people buried in this plot, each has their own stone, but no monument is located there to the remembrance of those who died and are buried in other places.

Southbridge in the Civil War 1861

Southbridge in the Civil War 1862

Southbridge and the Battle of Gettysburg

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What Gifts do we Bring A Sermon on the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Fr. Peter

What Gifts do we Bring?

Each of the Sunday’s following the Resurrection is dedicated to various people changed by Jesus. Last week we witnessed the doubt and then great faith of St. Thomas, this week we witness the work of Joseph of Arimathea and the Holy Myrrhbearing Women. In the coming weeks the paralytic, the Samaritan Woman, the man born blind, all people who were changed by Jesus either before or after His Resurrection.

Joseph of Arimathea was of the ruling class and was a follower of Jesus but in secret. The political climate of the day was such that if he was to remain in his position he could not be associated with people who were viewed as being revolutionary. Lest we forget, Jesus was viewed this way by the rulers of the Temple so men like Joseph had to be cautious with their support. Tradition tells us that he was present, and in fact advocated, for the High Priest to do nothing and put his own position in peril.

After the Crucifixion it was Joseph who went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. His request being granted, he took the body of Jesus down from the cross, wrapped it in clean linen with spices, as was the burial custom, and placed the body of Jesus is his own tomb that happened to be close by the place of the Crucifixion. These words from Scripture are recited by the priest after the Great Entrance with the gifts as he places them back upon the Holy Altar.

As an aside, the veils that cover the Holy Gifts have significance to them. The small veils are in remembrance of the swaddling clothes that Jesus was wrapped in by His mother after His birth, and the large veil is in remembrance of the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in for His burial. Once the gifts have been placed on the Altar the small veils are removed and the large veil in placed on them with the words from Scripture referring to Joseph.

The day of His burial we see the Women heading to the tomb of Jesus to complete the burial process. Usually when a person is buried there is an elaborate burial ritual that is accomplished, washing the body, dressing the body, wrapping the body in clean linen shroud with spices and then the body is placed in the tomb. This is not unlike what we do, or what we should do, but we have relegated this responsibility to funeral directors now. In a bygone era, the family would prepare the body of their loved one for burial, washing, dressing, and praying over the body and telling stories of their lives. This is what the women were on their way to do, but when they arrived they discovered that it was not necessary as Christ had risen as He said.

Each of the people in the story today brought a gift to Jesus. Joseph brought his influence to get the body of Jesus, and he brought his personal tomb to be used for His burial. The women were bringing the spices and other items necessary for the burial, and then they brought the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and the world. Each of them brought something to offer to Jesus.

What do we bring? What do we bring when we come here week after week? Are we here out of an obligation to family, or are we here out of obligation to our faith. Do we bring 100% of ourselves or is a portion of ourselves somewhere else when we are here. Do we bring an open mind willing to be changed and transformed by the Gospel of Christ, or do we come with preconceived notions of what faith is all about and an unwillingness to be open to the Lord to work in us.

Last week we came face to face with Thomas and his doubts about the story that his fellow Apostles were telling Him, but he returned with a somewhat open mind, and was able to allow Jesus to transform him. In a few weeks we will celebrate the Great Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon those gathered in the Upper Room and transformed them and brought forth the gifts that each of them already had, and they used those gifts for the glory of God.

What gifts do you bring and are you using the gifts that God has given you for the glory of His kingdom or for other reasons and purposes.

Sometimes all we have to give is ourselves. Sometimes we are like the publican and come here filled with shame because of what we have done or what we have not done, and we cannot even lift our eyes, but if we are willing God will transform us, and forgive us, and reconcile us with the community, and restore us to health, but we have to come and we have to be willing to be transformed.

In the story of the rich man who comes to Jesus and asks what he has to do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. He replies that he has done this and continues to do this. Jesus tells him to go and sell all he has and give it to the poor and the man walks away sad because he had many possessions. The man came to Jesus not fully able to be changed and not willing to be changed. The one thing he had to do, he was unwilling to do. What is that one thing we are unwilling to give up to be true followers of Christ?

Do we love God with all our heart, all of our mind, and all our soul, or do we hold a little back. Do we love our neighbor as we should regardless of how he looks or talks, or do we hold a little back from truly living him. If this is the case then ask God to help you to give more of yourself over to Him and allow Him to transform your life.

When Jesus was arrested, His Apostles abandoned Him because they were afraid for their own lives. After the resurrection the Apostles were locked in the room in fear for their own lives. Jesus came to them to bring them peace, the peace that passes all understanding, and to give them consolation. They were transformed because they came bringing their gift of willingness and the gift of themselves, that is what they brought, and God did the rest.

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Sunday Links Roundup

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Here is a list of some things I have been reading this week.

The Way of Improvement Leads Home ~ Next Up: A History of the American Bible Society

Worcester Revolution of 1774 ~ Call to Action

The Way of Improvement Leads Home ~ Are Sarah Palin’s Remarks About Waterboarding Anti-Christian?

Inside Higher Education ~ US Governemnt Names Colleges Under Investigation for Sexual Assault

The Way of Improvement Leads Home ~ Has the Sesquicentennial of the U.S. Civil War Been a Failure?

Civil War Memory ~ Why Do Military Leaders Dominate the Civil War Classroom?

Becoming a Minimalist ~ The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week

Worcester Revolution 1774 ~ The Worcester Revolution of 1774 Project Brings Historical Agencies from Central MA to Celebrate the First American Revolution

Boston 1775 ~ Call for Papers on Abigail and John Adams

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Diminishing Job Prospects for Protestant Pastors

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Fr. Peter

The Public Television Program Religion and Ethics Weekly, has a program this week concerning the diminishing job prospects for Protestant pastors. I would add that this is not just an issue for the Protestants but also for us Orthodox as well.

I do not know the exact statistics but my guess is more than half of the Orthodox Churches here in the United States have fewer than 100 families that attend church on a regular basis and I would also venture to guess that the priest has a hard time existing on what the Church can pay. This is not always a bad thing.

As congregations of all stripes continue to transform their pastors need to transform as well and the trend is to more bi vocational pastors. Expectations will have to change both for the pastors and their congregations but I cannot help but feel this will only strengthen the church in the long run.

Here is a video clip from the program that puts it into perspective.

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Alexander Walter Johnston, an Ordinary Guy

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Fr. Peter

If you are a follower of these pages you know that I have been engaged in family research for some time. It is always fun in this type of research, when you find that you are related to a famous person. I have been posting some pictures on my Facebook page of the famous people that I am related too, but most of the people on my family tree are just ordinary people and my Grandfather Alexander Walter Johnston is just that, an ordinary guy.

Alexander Walter Johnston is the oldest of eight children born on April 8, 1895 to Daniel Alexander Johnston and Elizabeth Campbell Johnston. He was born in Halifax Nova Scotia but his family roots were planted in Cape Breton in the mid 1800’s. His family goes back to Barra Island in the Outer Hebrides of the coast of Scotland.

Find work difficult to obtain in Canada, he came to the United States in 1915 and settled in Quincy Massachusetts and found work with Bethlehem Steel at the Fore Rive Shipyard where he would work for the remainder of his life.

He married Marie Louise Boisclair of Quincy in 1917 and together they had three children. Charles Alexander, born in 1918 and died in 1981, Francis Elizabeth born in 1919 and died in 1973 (we think) and Marie Louise born in 1920 and died in 1971. Marie died February 11, 1929 and is buried in Mount Wollaston Cemetery in Quincy Massachusetts.

Alexander married Bertha Katherine Pashby Seaman, a widow, on October 18, 1930. Bertha had three children from her marriage to George Ray Hamilton Seaman, a veteran of the First World War, who died in 1928. Eleanor Rita born in 1920 and died in 1975, Ruth Kathlyn born in 1921 and died in 2012, and Elizabeth Elaine born in 1924. Bertha the oldest of five children, was born in Burlington Vermont on October 19 1898 to Herbert B. Pashby and Delia Olive Bordeaux.

Together Alexander and Bertha added to their family with four more daughters, Jacqueline Jane born in 1931 and died in 1994, Clare Alberta born in 1932, Barbara Ann (my mother) born in 1933 and Nancy Carol born in 1936.

I never met my grandfather but by all accounts he was a great family man who did whatever was necessary to take care of his family. He raised his children, the children of his new wife, and their children and provided for them as best he could. In recent years the descendants of Al and Bertha have been gathering for family reunions in different locations around the country. Those who gather are mostly descendants of both Al and Bertha because we have, unfortunately, lost touch with most of the family of Al’s children from his marriage to Marie.

Their descendants number more than 100 and continue to grow, almost daily! Although we have grown apart the love that permeated the family is what keeps us together. I hope that we have made them proud and although none of us is famous in the eyes of the world, I am proud to say that we, like Al, are just ordinary guys.

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IOCC Responds to Victims of Tornadoes in the South

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — The powerful spring storms that spawned a cluster of damaging tornadoes this past week have affected the lives of millions of people across the South. At least 34 people across six states – Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa – were killed and more than 200 injured in tornadoes that leveled entire neighborhoods and threatened more destruction in some of the most heavily populated parts of the country.

As survivors sift through the devastation left behind by tornadoes that ripped through their towns, please join IOCC in praying for the families and lost loved ones. “We are saddened by the loss of life and destruction that has accompanied the recent severe weather impacting the US heartland, and pray that our Resurrected Lord grant eternal rest to the departed and raise up those whose lives have been torn apart by these events,” stated Dan Christopulos, IOCC U.S. Country Representative. “We are working through our Orthodox and ecumenical network to see how to best marshal our resources for the benefit of those impacted by this natural disaster.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help the victims of disasters in the United States, like the Oklahoma Tornadoes, by making a financial gift to the United States Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org, call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, Md. 21297-0429.

IOCC also anticipates the need for Emergency Clean-Up Buckets which are in low supply. For directions on how to assemble Emergency Clean-Up Buckets, please visit www.iocc.org/kits.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES
IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has delivered more than $438 million in relief and development programs to families and communities in 50 countries. IOCC is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy. To learn more about IOCC, please visit our website at www.iocc.org.

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The Cross of Pope John Paul II

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Fr. Peter

On Sunday, April 27, 2014 the world witnessed the canonization of two new saints in the Roman Catholic Church, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, known as Pope John XXIII and Karol Józef Wojtyła, known as Pope John Paul II. I rejoice on this day with my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. I especially rejoice with the members of St. John Paul II Parish here in Southbridge, many of whom are in Rome to witness the canonization of their patron.

Some 35 years ago, on October 1, 1979 Karol Józef Wojtyła, the newly elected Pope John Paul II, came to Boston for the first time. On that rainy afternoon on Boston Common, the Pope presided at a Mass under a specially built canopy. I was 13 years old, and was amazed that the head of the Roman Catholic Church was in Boston and presiding at a Mass on Boston Common. We were going to go to the Mass but it was raining so bad that we stayed home and watched it on television.

He was so young and energetic, on that October day on Boston Common, unlike the images we would see of him later in his life. I cannot remember anything that he said on that day but this Pope would impact the rest of my life. He would be Pope for the majority of my life and impact the church, and the world, in so many ways. Some think he was too conservative and other think he was too liberal but I believe he was the right man at the right time, and he has laid the ground work for what I hope and pray, will be the ultimate reconciliation of East and West. Pope John Paul II, along with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan, have been credited with helping to end Communism in Eastern Europe and providing freedom to so many that had been held captive.

About fifteen years ago I was given a gift of a white metal cross that has a rather fascinating story. On that October day in 1979, over the altar that the mass was said on, was a roof that was held up by steel columns. After the Mass the altar and platform were dismantled and the steel removed. The man who built the platform removed the steel and from that steel made metal crosses and I was given one by his daughter who was a fellow teacher at a Catholic school in Jamaica Plain.

The Cross sits on a self in my living room and every so often I look at it and it reminds me of that day in 1979 but on this day, April 27, 2014, it reminds me that a saint once stood beneath or beside that metal, now made into a cross, and I say a little prayer.

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The Lost Towns of the Swift River Valley

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Fr. Peter

Located in Central and Western Massachusetts was the Swift River Valley, and area of rich agriculture and mills. Like many small American towns, the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott were built up along with Swift River where the river water was used for drinking and to power the mills and in the winter the ice was harvested and sold to other parts of the United States.

By the early 19^th century the need for water in Boston has surpassed what was available and between the years of 1846-1848 construction began on the Cochituate Aqueduct on Lake Cochituate located in Wayland and Natick. This would supply up to 10 million gallons of water per day. The constriction of this reservoir would solve to problem of much needed water for only a short period of time. The need was great so a study was commissioned to find another spot in Massachusetts where water could be obtained to satisfy the thirst of the growing city of Boston and the surrounding communities.

The legislation that created the Cochituate Aqueduct also set forth three policies that are still in effect concerning the water supply system in Massachusetts.

Public rather than private ownership of the water supply system
Use of upper reservoirs, with gravity fed rather than a pump system
Watershed protection, rather than filtration, as the primary measure to ensure the quality of the water.

With demand growing in 1922 another study was commissioned and it was decided that the damming of the Swift River was the only way to provide a long term solution to the water problem in Boston. The Metropolitan Water District was created and included 26 communities within ten miles of the Massachusetts State House in Boston. That has increased today to 40 communities and serves as a backup system for several more in the Commonwealth.

The major problem in the construction of this new water system were the town of Dana, Enfield, Greenwhich, and Prescott all of which were located in the Swift River Valley and would have to be destroyed so the valley could be flooded. All of the structures, houses, barns, shops, mills, and cemeteries as well as all of the vegetation would have to be removed and all of their citizens relocated. The residents opposed this decision and took their case to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court which ruled against them and in April of 1938 the four communities ceased to exists.

There is nothing left of these once occupied communities with the exception of the Dana Common located in the center of what was Dana Massachusetts. There is a stone marker that was placed there in 1996 at a reunion of the townsfolk still living. Access to this area is available by foot.

Today the Quabbin Reservoir covers an area of 38.6 square miles and holds a total of 412 billion gallons of water. The entire system is gravity fed so there are no pumps used along the entire system. The Quabbin Watershed is a beautiful area that has been preserved as parkland and a refuge for wildlife although I believe that all of that beauty and conservation came at too high of a price.

Several years ago I was exploring this area and came across the Swift River Valley Historical Society which maintains three buildings in New Salem Massachusetts with an extensive collection of artifacts from the three towns. If you find yourself in the area it is worth the trip to the museum.

Just this past weekend I discovered a documentary that was aired on WGBY in 2001 called under the Quabbin. This documentary takes viewers under the waters of the Qubbin to visit the town for the first time since 1938. I have embedded the video below. It is about an hour long but worth watching.

The destruction of these four communities and the way of life of thousands of people is, in my opinion, a black mark on the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To destroy people’s homes and businesses for no other reason, than to provide water to people in another part of the state is just wrong. The communities in that area receive no benefit from the Quabbin as all of the water is sent east. The people of the Swift River Valley were not wealthy but they lost their homes to the wealthy of Boston and surrounding communities who do not even remember the names of the four towns that were destroyed.

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Family Research Tour ~ Maine

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Fr. Peter

At the time of this writing I am in Machias Maine on the last leg of my three day family research trip. I began this journey on Tuesday in York and have slowly made my way North West visiting small towns and cemeteries along that path my ancestors took prior to coming to Massachusetts.

My brothers and I have been engaged in genealogy work for the last 30 or so years and, like most genealogists, we go full speed ahead for a while and then back off, now we are back on the trail and we are having a difficult time finding two generations, well one generation anyway. So I have come to Maine to ask questions and read vital records and visit cemeteries.

The Preble family first came to America in 1640 and settled in Scituate Massachusetts. After a short stay there they moved on and became one of the founding families of York Maine. Leaving York the family moved to Bowdoinham, Windsor, Whitefield, Winslow, and finally Machias before my great grandfather settled in Massachusetts.

One of the disturbing things along this journey is the condition of many of the cemeteries. Now I know the winter has just ended and the frost is one reason stones tip over, but some of them have been toppled for years and the fact that they have not been cared for is disturbing. One example is the Old Settlers Cemetery in Deer Isle Maine. In this cemetery are the remains of many of the founding families of the town, including some of my Haskell relatives. The condition of the cemetery is disturbing, overgrown, stones on the ground etc. This is a major burial ground and it is not being cared for.

Another example is the Preble Point Cemetery in Arrowsic Maine. This cemetery had fallen into disrepair and neglect until one family discovered it and cleaned it up, stood up and repaired the stones, and now takes care of this place. There are only 6 or 8 people buried there but they deserve to be cared for so their final resting place is not lost forever.

The trip has been productive, well sort of. We did not learn a whole lot that we did not already know but we did disprove some facts that we had been relying on. Primary sources are invaluable in any sort of historical research especially genealogy. Sometimes a secondary source, such as a town history or a family history can be used but there is no replacement for the actual record. We had been chasing a person based on a town history book, but after reading his will and seeing the birth records we know that this person is not who we thought he was. So for that purpose the trip was worth it.

We have much more work to do and I am sure I will be returning to Maine but for now it is time to make one more stop at a cemetery and then the long journey home.