FIANCE PROVES TO BE HUSBAND – Harry Francis Shackford (1897-1958) (Blog 509)

January 16, 2023January 17, 2023 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ 1 Comment

Daily Evening Item, Lynn, Massachusetts, 15 Sept 1920

FIANCE PROVES TO BE HUSBAND

Friends of Ethel E. daughter of Mr and Mrs Walter S Gay 82 Farragut road Swampscott who surprised her on Monday evening by giving her a miscellaneous shower at her home with a presentation speech in which her approaching marriage was a subject alluded to in a happy vein were in turn surprised by the hostess of the evening who at an opportune moment presented her supposed fiance, Harry F Shackford of Somerville as her husband
After the guests had in a measure recovered from their surprise, the parents of the young woman announced that her daughter and Mr Shackford were married quietly on April 7th it, having been the desire of the young folks to fool their friends.
Congratulations followed and the balance of the evening was pleasantly spent with games and refreshments with Mr and Mrs Shackford proving to be the best of entertainers.
The place of the wedding and name of the officiating clergyman have not yet been announced and the marriage license and returns at Swampscott and Somerville do not show according in the clerks any record of the Shackford-Day marriage. Friends of the couple believe that they slipped quietly out of the state where no laws are permitted on the statute books which might interfere in any way with the efforts of the ever active and far-sighted Daniel Cupid
Mr and Mrs Shackford are making their home at 82 Farragut road

Harry Francis Shackford, the son of William Bell and Hannah (Haley) Shackford was born on 14 October 1897 in Reading, Massachusetts. He lived with his parents at 101 Lincoln St in Cambridge, Sagamore Avenue in Chelsea, and then 71 Prentiss Street in Somerville where at the age of 19 he started working as a chauffer with Cobb Bates & Yerxa Company, a grocery retailer. Harry was 21 when he met Ethel Elizabeth Gay, the daughter of Walter Scott and Elizabeth (Stafford) Gay. The couple was married on August 26, 1920 in Claremont, New Hampshire. The record includes the statement “by ORDER OF THE COURT.” We haven’t found any court records but assume this was due to the situation that Harry and Ethel’s son, Harry Francis Shackford was born on 11 January 1921. Sadly Harry only lived six hours – the death certificate states premature birth. (Perhaps this is why the nosy author of the above article unnecessarily mentioned her/his unsuccessful research for the actual date of their marriage.)

We assume that Harry and Ethel divorced soon after their son died as Harry was recorded in the directory as living with his mother at 91 Prentiss Street by 1925 and Ethel married Mariner John Downing on November 6, 1926.

Harry continued living with his mother at 91 Prentiss St in Somerville continuing to work as a chauffer. He then married Margaret Elizabeth Curran, the daughter of William Lynch and Lucy May (Farnum) Curran on September 9, 1931 in Nashua, New Hampshire. Harry’s name is spelled Schackford on that marriage record and he stated this was his first marriage. Harry and Margaret remained in Somerville and had a daughter Joan Elizabeth Shackford, born on October 3, 1931 in Boston. Harry died suddenly in Cambridge, Mass on 24 Sept 1958 again making the news. We’re not sure what the police discovered regarding the cash that was found on his body. Here’s a copy of the newspaper article publicizing his death.

$7100 Found on Dead Man; Probe Ordered

A 59-year-old Somerville man’s sudden death in Cambridge was under police investigaton today after it was discovered he had more than $7100 in cash in his pockets.
Police said Harry Shackford, of 33 Cedar st., Somerville, who works in a Boston hospital, collapsed on Tremont st, Cambridge last night. He was dead on arrival at the Cambridge City Hospital.
Shackford had $7100 in hundred dollar bills in his pocket and an additional $127 in smaller bills in his wallet.
Medical Examiner David C. Dow said Shackford appeared to have died on natural causes.

Harry’s wife Margaret lived to the age of 69 and died in Lexington, Massachusetts. Her obituary was published in The Lexington Minute-Men on August 24, 1978.

CHILDREN:

with Ethel:

Harry Francis Shackford (1921-1921) – lived six hours

with Margaret

Joan Elizabeth Shackford (1931-2009) – married Robert Wilson

All posts on this website are a work in progress. We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared. Also we’d love it if you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

1900 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Cambridge, enumeration district (ED) 682, Sheet No 7, dwelling 63, family 147, William B Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 June 2017).

1910 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Somerville, enumeration district (ED) 1009, Sheet No 5B, 71 Prentiss St, dwelling 53, family 93, William Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2023).

“Massachusetts, Births, 1636-1924,” database with images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 27 January 2021), Harry Francis Shackford b 11 Jan 1921.

“Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970,” database with images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2023), Ethel Elizabeth Gay.

“Massachusetts, U.S., Death Index, 1901-1980,” database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 January 2023), Harry Shackford.

Massachusetts, Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915, , Harry Francis Shackford, b, 14 October 1897; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 June 2017).

New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Marriage Records, 1637-1947, , Harry F Shackford m Ethel Elizabeth Gay, 26 August 1920; index and images, Family Search (http://familysearch.org : accessed 21 August 2014); Fillm 004243164.

“Shackford,” The Lexington Minute-Men (Lexington, Massachusetts), 24 August 1978, Margaret (Curran) Shackford; digtal images, Cary Memorial Library (https://lexingtonpl.advantage-preservation.com : accessed 8 February 2021). [Margaret Curran Shackford]

“U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995,” database, Ancestry.com (www/ancestry.com : accessed 15 January 2023), Harry F Shackford.

Mary (Pinkham) Shackford (1856-1894), Wife of George Alonzo Shackford, Died age 37 (Blog 508)

January 3, 2023January 3, 2023 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ Leave a comment

Mary Pinkham was born on August 20 1856 in Gloucester to the fisherman family of Robert and Eliza (Collins) Pinkham. She lived with her family in Gloucester. In 1873 she worked as a clerk at Pattillos, a dry goods firm. Sometime before 1876 she met George Alonzo Shackford who had been working in the bridge building business, the wholesale boot and shoe business, and the retail grocery business. They married in Gloucester on October 31, 1876.

The family lived at 76 Saratoga Street in East Boston where Mary gave birth to a son, Alonzo Crosby Shackford in 1879 and a daughter Rutha Shackford in 1887. George worked for a collections firm and then as a clerk. The family then moved to Ash Street in Reading, Massachusetts where George became very active in the Masons and Mary became active in Rebecca Lodge.

In January 1894, Mary had a stomach complication and died of septicemia in Gloucester on January 30, 1894. She apparently also had cancer that led to the blood issues. Mary left a fourteen year old son and a seven year old daughter. Funeral services were held at her parents home in Gloucester. This obituary honoring Mary was published in the Reading Chronicle on February 3, 1894.

OBITUARY.

MARY (PINKHAM) SHACKFORD.

On Tuesday last the spirit of Mrs. Mary (Pinkham) Shackford, wife of George A. Shackford, forsook the mortal clay and passed into the immortal life beyond. Her illness was of nine days’ duration. Until the last three or four days it was not apprehended that a fatal termination would reult. She suffered from hemorrhage of the stomach and blood poisoning, the latter complaint resulting from a cancer. her age was 37 yrs. 5 mos 10 days.
Mrs. Shackford was the daughter of Robert and Elilza Pinkham of Gloucester, at which place she was born. She was married to Mr. Shackford Oct. 31, 1876. They have resided 16 Reading three years and a half.
Her husband and two children – a son of 14 years and a daughter of seven-are left in deep bereavement.
The deceased was one to whom the love of home appealed strongly. It was there she found her paradise. But she was not unappreciative of social enjoyments, being a valued member of Rebecca Lodge, I. O O. F. her many womanly qualities and virtues made her beloved by all who knew her.
Prayers were held at the residence, Ash street on Wednesday afternoon. The remains were then taken to the home of her parents at Gloucester, where the funeral services were held on Thursday.

Nine months after Mary’s death, George married Alice Blaker Pote on Sept 26, 1894. He was then elected to the Board of Selectman and remained active in the Masons. Alice died on October 23, 1924 in Sharon, Massachusetts at the age of 68. George lived to the age of 87 and died on April 8, 1942 in Sharon, Massachusetts.

CHILDREN:

Alonzo Crosby Shackford (1879-1947) – married Effie Belle Knights, then Margaret H Barber, served in WWI

Rutha Shackford (1887-1956) – married George Lawrence Cook

SOURCES:

1860 United States Federal Census, Essex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Gloucester, Page No 117, dwelling 810, family 1024, Robert Pinkham; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 January 2023).

1865 Massachusetts State Census, Essex County, population schedule, Gloucester, Robt Pinkham; digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 2 January 2023).

1870 United States Federal Census, Essex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Gloucester, Page No 84, dwelling 508, family 723, Robert Pinkham; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 February 2023).

1880 United States Federal Census, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, population census, Boston, enumeration district (ED) 578, Page No 37, Saratoga St, dwelling 221, family 335, George Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 January 2023).

“OBITUARY. Mary (Pinkham) Shackford,” The Reading Chronicle (Reading, Massachusetts), 3 February 1894; digital images, (https://reading.advantage-preservation.com/ : accessed 10 December 2022).

Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915, MARRIAGES REGISTERED IN THE City of Gloucester for the year eighteen hundred and seventy six, , ; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 September 2013).

“Massachusetts, U.S., Birth Records, 1840-1915,” digital images, Ancestry (https://ancestry.com : accessed 2 January 2023), Mary Pinkham.

Just A Little World of Two – Words and Music by Chas Shackford (Blog 507)

January 2, 2023 ~ Joanne Shackford Parkes ~ Leave a comment

This week the sheet music title Just a Little World of Two showed up for sale on e-Bay. It caught my attention as it was the first time I’d seen this title written by Charles Winthrop Marston Shackford, the baritone singer who published music between about 1891 and 1910. I went hunting to see if I could find any other sources for this sheet music and it does appear that a copy is at the UW-Madison Library however they don’t have a digital copy of the front cover on their website. I did, however find a copy of the romantic words in George Thompson’s Twentieth Century SONG BOOK which we are sharing below.

JUST A LITTLE WORLD OF TWO.
Words and Music by Chas. Shackford.

I saw two sweethearts standing in the moon
beams golden light.
Down by a little cottage long ago,
The hour had come for parting, ere they said the
last good night
I heard the boyish lover whisper low;
If you always love me. I know what we’ll do;
We’ll play this world belongs to you and me.
The brown eyes of the maiden gazed into her
sweetheart’s face.
And softly asked him will it always be?

CHORUS.

Just a little world of two
Where the skies are always blue,
Where the sunbeams seem to whisper of my love
for you.
Where two hearts are always true.
In a home where tears are few,
Where the old love’s ever new,
That’s a little world of two.

Long years ave passed, yet fancy brings a
picture back once more
Of that same little cot now old and gray,
And gazing o’er the meadows thro’ the latticed
vine-clad door.
I see those same brown eyes of bygone days
Watching for her sweetheart just at close of day.
With open arms she greets him just the same;
For true love never faltered but grew stronger
day by day
And filled their world with sunshine to the
end.
-Chorus

A partial biography of Charles is included in a post about his song Let Bygones Be Bygones written in 2017.

SOURCES:

e-Bay Listing Just a Little World of Two by Chas Shackford

Twentieth Century SONG BOOK (George W. Thompson, n.d.), ; digital images, (https://www.classic-banjo.com/files/JOURNALS_AND_ALBUMS/G_W_Thompson_Twentieth_Century_Song_Book.pdf : accessed .