Rufus Raises a Ruckus

Just arrived today is a terrific document, a complaint against Rufus Cheadle (1796-1816) of Coventry, Connecticut. The complaint is made by Joseph Talcott, Justice of the Peace, December 14, 1807. Cheadle has “fallen into scandalous offenses” and “has for a long time kept himself from the Communion table,” according to Talcott. Talcott then goes on to expand on the scandalous offenses. On July 21, 1807 Cheadle “did disturb and break the peace of his own family, and of the neighborhood in which he lives, by tumultuous, noisy and offensive conduct; by swearing profanely by the Holy name of God; by threatening with an ax in his hand that he would be the death of Jacob Allen; and with a butcher knife went at Sam’l Burden and swore by the Eternal God, that he the s’d Cheadle would rip up s’d Burden’s bowels, and spill his hearts blood”. Talcott then quotes scripture to defend his recommendation that the church “withdraw their watch and care over the s’d Cheadle.” On the verso of the document is a summons to Cheadle to explain himself before the members of the Church of Christ in North Coventry on January 1, 1808.

Was it just teenage rebellion that caused Rufus to act out in anger against Allen and Burden? Is there a deeper story here–was he feeling cheated by these men, kept from making a living or buying land, considered an outcast? Additional research, as always, may uncover the rest of the story.

Beatrice Fox Auerbach’s Guest Books

Beatrice Fox Auerbach’s guest books represent another unique and interesting part of the collection. (They also happen to be another personal favorite.) The four guest books collectively span the great majority of Mrs. Auerbach’s adult life. Beginning in 1914, three years after Beatrice Fox and George Auerbach were married, the books continue until just two months before Mrs. Auerbach died. Each guest book contains a complete array of signatures, messages, poems, and sometimes even illustrations that pay tribute to the gracious hospitality for which Beatrice Fox Auerbach was known.

Mrs. Auerbach’s guest books begin a few years after her marriage when she was living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The importance of family in Mrs. Auerbach’s life is quite evident in her guest books. There are frequent entries in the guest books from her many family members, including her sister, brothers-in-law, children, grandchildren, aunts, and uncles. In fact, Mrs. Auerbach’s mother, Theresa Stern Fox, is the first to sign her daughter’s guest book, which emphasizes the importance of family in Mrs. Auerbach’s life. An image of this first page of Mrs. Auerbach’s guest book is represented at left. (As with all the images in this entry, click on it if you would like to see it in more detail.)

If there was an award for the most creative entry by a member of the family, the award would have to go to a December, 1944 entry by Mrs. Auerbach’s grandson, George Auerbach Koopman. Not even five months old at the time, George really left his mark on the guest book, quite literally in fact! Judging by the handwriting, the entry itself was written by George’s mother, Georgette, but there is no denying that the handprint was made by George himself. This one was definitely one of the more interesting entries in all the guest books!

Many people signed the guest book with only their signatures or with a few lines of gratitude, but others left more creative messages, often in the form of poems. Beatrice Fox Auerbach’s brother-in-law, Herbert Auerbach, left this poem in her guest book after a visit.

Poems weren’t the only way people expressed themselves creatively in the guest books. Many times, folks would draw little illustrations to go along with their messages or signatures. None of the other illustrations, however, can compare to those left by Marj and Huck.

An example of one of their illustrations is represented here.

The last entry in any of the guest books is dated September 9, 1968, just two months before Mrs. Auerbach’s death. Once again, it reinforces the singular importance of family in Mrs. Auerbach’s life as the entry was written by her cousin, Hortense Plaut Bozsan.

“My Holiday, 1949″

During each of her trips abroad, at least those taken in the latter part of her life, Mrs. Auerbach wrote detailed letters to her family to keep them informed about her activities. After each trip, these letters were typed and the pages bound to create books commemorating her experiences. The collection contains volumes from three vacations she spent traveling different parts of the world with her close friend and frequent traveling companion, Chase Going Woodhouse. The earliest travel journal has the format of a diary and details her visits to Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Trans-Jordan, Israel, Old Jerusalem, Switzerland, and Germany during her vacation from August to October, 1949.

In an excerpt of one of her entries, Mrs. Auerbach writes about the differences that have occurred in the years since she had visited Istanbul as a child:

“We drove into town through the old Ottoman Empire walls down to the Pera Palace Hotel, as we were unable to be ‘put up’ at the Park, which is far more modern but very small and our dates of arrival having been changed, the rooms could not be held. The Pera Palace is the same old hotel that Mother, Dad, Fan and I stopped at years ago, long before I was married. It is very run-down. The owner, a wealthy man, fills about twenty-five of the two-hundred-fifty rooms and then does not take any more guests, but just says politely but firmly, ‘I am full.’”

The travel journal is full of descriptions of the places that she and Mrs. Woodhouse visit. Mrs. Auerbach has quite strong opinions about many of the people she meets, but especially about the political and economic climates in the countries she explores. To me, the significance of this travel log is in its representation of one woman’s view of post-World War II life. Mrs. Auerbach talks a lot about the destruction that occurred during the war as well as what has been rebuilt and what life is like for people after the war. She definitely has her own point of view and it certainly makes for an interesting read!

Albert Walker, magician, redux

At long last, Albert Walker, the magician of Glastonbury, Connecticut, has had his diaries reunited. Twenty-two volumes dating from 1867-1895 recently arrived on our doorstep. Unfortunately, they shed no additional light on his magic performances, with one exception. On April 20, 1867, he went to Hartford to see some Japanese performers. Inside the back cover of the volume, he made these interesting notes:

“When I am out of work I must try my performance in connection with a
lottery combined also tin pedling [sic]

I saw a new kind of juglars [sic] box at the Japanese performance in
Hartford that was made to turn over in another large one

At least we know that he was still showing an interest in his performances; however, except for a few notations about his fiddle and playing for dances, Albert remains mute about his avocation. What he does do is give us more information on his family. In 1867 his brother Charles died in Boston and Albert was named his administrator. Charles went by an alias, Henry C. West. Intriguing, and one wants to know why. That same year, in March, their younger sister Mary married John Blish. Their first child died in December, probably right after birth.

By 1884 Albert was married to “Tillie” [Matilda Schieding] with whom he had two children, Edna Elizabeth and Howard Albert. He continued to make spoons, repair and clean clocks, paint and repair wagons, and by the end of his life appears to have elevated himself to the status of “gentleman farmer,” hiring others to work for him.

Connecticut Room Menus

Archives are full of surprises and there’s nothing quite like the thrill of finding a hidden gem! While searching through the library’s ephemera collection to answer a reference question on an unrelated topic, a box of advertisements caught my eye because the label had G. Fox & Co. on it. Unbeknownst to me, the library has a whole box of G. Fox catalogs and a folder of other interesting materials such as a Charga-Plate (the old version of today’s credit card) and a pocket photo album. What really caught my eye, however, was the Connecticut Room menu from Friday, October 17, 1947!

This menu is a wonderful reflection of its time! Inserted in the menu is a small slip of paper that states:

“In compliance with the President’s request for conservation during the food crisis, G. Fox and Company will

1. Serve no meat on Tuesday.
2. Serve no poultry or eggs on Thursday.
3. Serve bread or rolls only on request.”

This was in response to President Truman’s address about the world food crisis, the first presidential address to be telecast. It’s pretty amazing to see what kinds of information can be gleaned from a menu.

In the Koopman Family Collection, we also have a Connecticut Room menu; this one from Tuesday, October 5, 1965 and it’s really quite interesting to compare and contrast the two menus, from the food that was served to the difference in prices.

Georgette and Dorothy: Humanitarians

Last week, I wrote about Beatrice Fox Auerbach’s two daughters, Georgette and Dorothy, but this week I want to focus on one aspect of her daughters’ lives: their humanitarianism.

Georgette and Dorothy were both deeply committed to serving their community, a trait most likely inherited from their mother. In fact, they worked with their mother in a number of instances, especially through their involvement with the Service Bureau for Women’s Organizations. These women not only contributed extensively to this and many other organizations from a monetary standpoint, but also donated generously of their time, in spite of the fact that they both must have had their hands full running households that each included six children!

An article in the Hartford Courant, “Georgette Auerbach Koopman,” appearing on April 7, 2004, shortly after Georgette’s death demonstrates the extent of her community commitments. Included in the article is a list of Hartford-area institutions that directly benefited from Georgette’s time and money: the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Hartford Stage Company, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, the American School for the Deaf, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Kingswood-Oxford School, the Hartford Art School, the University of Hartford, and the Hebrew Home and Hospital. This list may be extensive, but it is by no means complete. (For instance, both Georgette and her husband Richard were members of the Connecticut Historical Society, as were her mother, sister and brother-in-law.)

Dorothy was equally committed to being active in the community. She was often involved in the same organizations as her sister.  The organizations closest to her heart appear to have been the American School for the Deaf, the Connecticut Institute for the Blind, the University of Hartford, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Her obituary, like her sister’s, places great emphasis on her community involvement and volunteer efforts.

Beatrice Fox Auerbach shared her strong commitment to and love for the Hartford and Connecticut communities with her two children. Georgette and Dorothy continued, if not surpassed, their mother’s humanitarian efforts and Connecticut deeply benefited from their generosity.