We LOVE newspaper articles because we learn details about a person or family that we wouldn’t find in a vital record.
For example this notice appeared in the The Fitchburg Sentinel on June 28, 1883:
Liberation Notice
I this day give my son, Charles H. Shackford, the time during the remainder of his minority, and I shall neither claim any of his wages or pay any debts of his contracting after this date.
EMELINE E. SHACKFORD
Fitchburg, June 27, 1883 je27 st
From vital records, we know that Charles, the youngest son of Nathaniel and Emeline (Lovering) Shackford was born on June 13, 1867 and was ten when his father died on March 14, 1877. Charles’ oldest brother Albert married in 1879 and had moved to Vermont and elder brother Elmer had moved to Boston and was working on the railroad.
In 1883 when this liberation notice was published, Charles was 16, the only child living at home with a widowed mother and was working at the Simonda Manufacturing, a company which made saws and machine knives. He was boarding with his mother at 5 Green street in Fitchburg, Mass. By 1885 he was still employed at Simonda Manufacturing and mother and son were living at 115 Myrtle in Fitchburg.
Without the newspaper article we wouldn’t know this aspect of the relationship between Charles and his mother. We don’t know who initiated the Liberation Notice – perhaps Charles wanted to ensure he kept his salary or his mother wanted to ensure she didn’t inherit his debts or this was some sort of requirement for young employees.
We do know that Charles married Elmira Isabelle Holman in Keene, New Hampshire on May 17, 1886 and died of typhoid fever nine months later on Feb 14, 1887.
Charles was only 19 years old, had been working since he was at least 16, had probably been supporting his mother, and had a new wife. He was buried in Keene with a very nice gravestone.
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SOURCES:
Fitchburg Directory, Containing a General Directory of Its Citizens, Business Directory, New Map, Street Directory, City and County Register, Etc. No. XI, For the Year Commencing January 15th, 1883 (N.p.: Price, Lee & Co, 1883), page 137, Emeline E Shackford; digital image, Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 28 June 2015).
Find A Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 17 July 2014), Charles H Shackford, Find A Grave Memorial# 100804479
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, BIRTHS registered in the Town of Fitchburg in the year 1867, Charles Hiram Shackford, 13 June 1867; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 July 2013); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.
Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915, , Nathaniel Shackford, death, 14 March 1877; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2013); Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts
New Hampshire, New Hampshire, Death Records, 1654-1947, https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FSLH-X89, Charles H Shackford, 14 February 1887; digital images, FamilySearch, New Hampshire, Death Records, 1654-1947 (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 6 June 2014).
New Hampshire, Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2013), Chas H. Shackford m. Elmaria Isabel Holman May 17, 1886.
Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)
SHACKFORD Family History 