colby clan communications - Colby Family Association

COLBY CLAN COMMUNICATIONS
Descendants of Anthony and Susannah Colby
Editor:
Barbara J. Zdravesky 123 Mulberry Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860 401.724.2827 [email protected]
Treasurer: James Colby Box 6663, Scarborough, ME 04070 [email protected]
June 2016
From the Editor
We were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Luther
Colby, George Colby, and Herb Williamson. Long before I even
knew about my Colby ancestors, these three gentlemen, along with
Kathy, Marion, and Dorothy, were greatly involved as leaders of the
family association. I have counted on their help and support, as well
as their knowledge and experience, and looked forward to seeing
them at reunions. On behalf of all the Colbys, I extend our deeply
heartfelt and sincere condolences to Kathy, Marion, and Dot. I
know we will all miss Luther, George, and Herb a great deal and
will remember them fondly.
63rd annual
Colby Clan Reunion
August 19-20, 2016
Providence, RI
Hosted by Barbara Zdravesky
Providence River during Waterfire
Reunion news: I have learned that there will be a Waterfire event in
Providence on the night of our reunion, on August 20. If you have
never experienced Waterfire, plan to stay a while (or overnight) after
the reunion to see this great event. You can find more information
on the website – www.waterfire.org.
Friday evening: 6:00 to 9:00 pm, informal gathering for
refreshments at the Joseph Spaulding House, at 30 Fruit Street (at
the corner of Fruit and South Streets) in Pawtucket, RI.
Saturday: 9:30 am arrive for refreshments and registration at the
Rhode Island Historical Society’s Aldrich House at 110
Benevolent Street in Providence. All activities and lunch will take
place at the Aldrich House. There is plenty of on-street parking in
the neighborhood around the house.
The cost for this year's reunion will be $15 for ages 12 and above,
$9 for ages 5-11; there is no charge for kids under 5. The
reservation form is on page 7 of this newsletter; please respond by
August 10 so we can have an accurate count of attendees and make
sure there is enough food for everyone.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
From the Editor
1
Colby Reunion
3
In Memoriam
2
Interesting Colby Facts
Closest hotel: Wyndham Garden Providence, 220 India St.,
Providence, RI 02903 (401.272.5577
Hotels nearby: Hampton Inn & Suites Providence Downtown, 58
Weybosset St, Providence, RI 02903 (401.608.3500); Providence
Marriott Downtown, 1 Orms St, Providence, RI 02904,
(401.272.2400). If you’re willing to stay just outside of Providence
(East Providence or Seekonk, MA), you will find hotels that are
priced a bit lower.
Colby Clan Communications 1
There are seventeen Colby’s buried in the Oakridge-Glen
Oak Cemetery, Hillside, IL, where John William was
interred.
John William Colby was born in December 1882 in Aurora,
Kane, Illinois, son of Frank W. Colby and Bertha Voelker.
He married Wilhemina Weihofen born in 1887 in Chicago,
daughter of Peter Weihofen and Johanna Klein who were
immigrants from Germany. John and Wilhemina (Minnie)
were married in Chicago on 14 August 1907 and their only
child, daughter Violet Catherine Colby was born 5 June
1910. Violet married Frank John Rajsky on 1 June 1929 in
Oak Park, Illinois. He was known as John Ray and was born
in 1908 in Chicago, to son of Anton J. and Mary A. Rajsky.
Colby's Ice Cream, Bake Shop
& BBQ
7272 W Henrietta Rd
Rush, NY
(I-390 South to exit 11)
Since 1989 Colby’s has catered family
and business events throughout Western
New York. Over 650,000 people have
enjoyed their barbecue menu and friendly
service. I-390 travelers, Finger Lakes
visitors, Rochestarians and local
neighbors stop at Colby's family friendly
restaurant for delicious food, ice cream
and bakery treats.
http://www.colbysicecreambakery.com/
The village of Colby is a civil parish in the English county
of Norfolk.
Parish Church of Saint Giles, Colby, Norfolk
(By Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5969581)
Colby Clan Communications 2
IN MEMORIAM
Luther “Lou” Colby, Jr., 81, died suddenly on Tuesday, March
15, 2016, at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, MA. He was
born in Amesbury on September 15, 1934, to Luther Colby, Sr. and
Eva (Woodard) Colby. Lou was a lifelong resident of Amesbury
and a graduate of Amesbury High School, class of 1952. He was a
12th generation descendent of Anthony Colby, one of the founding
fathers of Amesbury. Lou enlisted in the Navy in 1956, and
proudly served his country. After his military service Lou worked
in carpentry and boat building. He joined Western Electric (Lucent
Technologies) in 1963, retiring in 1993 after 30 years of service.
He was very active in antiquing and upholstering and enjoyed long
rides with his wife Kathy and his family. Lou is survived by his
wife of 25 years, Kathleen (Collins) Colby, his son, Norman Colby
and his wife, Nancy, of Macomb Township, MI; grandchildren,
Joshua and his wife Courtney, Melissa, and Ashley Colby; brotherin-law and sister-in-law, Richard and Elizabeth Collins of
Haverhill, along with several cousins, nieces and nephews. Lou
was predeceased by his first wife, Isabelle (Currier) Colby and
sister, Bertha Colby Vincent. Memorial contributions may be made
in Lou’s name to The Macy-Colby House, Att: Edith Tirone, 79
Market Street, Amesbury, MA 01913. Online condolences may be
made at www.paulcrogers.com.
Herbert Arthur Williamson of Newburyport died at home after a
hard fought battle with cancer, surrounded by his loving family on
Palm Sunday, March 20, 2016. Herbert was born in Methuen on
August 30, 1931, son of the late Fred and Emma (Engelhardt)
Williamson and the beloved husband of Dorothy Lee (Strong)
Williamson. He graduated from the Edward F. Searles High
School in Methuen and attended business and textile schools. He
served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict and was
assigned to the Army of Occupation in Salzburg, Austria. He was a
supervisor at Western Electric, which became AT&T Technologies
and later Lucent Technologies and retired in December 1989 after
34 years of service. Herb was a member of the Ipswich Bay Yacht
Club, where he enjoyed sailing. He was a charter member of
Cedardale Swim & Tennis Club in Groveland and was a member of
the Racquet Club of Newburyport. He became a second generation
Master Mason in 1956 at the John Hancock Lodge in Methuen until
he became a member of St. John’s Lodge, A.F. & A.M. in
Newburyport by Affiliation on the anniversary of “D Day”, June 6,
1996. He was a member of the Historical Society of Old
Newbury and joined the Belleville Congregational Church in
2002. He was instrumental in raising funds to preserve the
Belleville Meetinghouse and Fiske Chapel as a member of the
Restoration Committee. With unwavering dedication, home
and family were most important in his life and he was a role
model to his sons. He enjoyed sailing, taking walks, mountain
climbing, skiing, biking and enjoying music with his family.
Herb was a man of many talents and interests, which included
making models of clipper ships, design, construction,
landscaping, photography, video production, and he was for a
time involved in buying and selling antiques. Everything he
accomplished was done with thought and careful planning. He
enjoyed researching his ancestors and has combined genealogy
and traveling with his wife and sons. He is survived by his
wife of 53 years, Dorothy; two sons, Jay Strong Williamson of
Amesbury and Jon Latham Williamson and wife Karen of
Newburyport; four grandchildren, Carolyn Robin Williamson
and Lindsey Mae Williamson of Amesbury, Kaylee Rae
Williamson and Luke Latham Williamson of Newburyport; a
brother, David Jon Williamson and wife Sally of Methuen,
MA, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by
his sister, Norma (Williamson) Shaw of Groveland in 2012. A
funeral service was held Saturday, March 26, 2016 at the
Belleville Congregational Church in Newburyport, with
Masonic Services conducted by St. John’s Lodge, A.F. &
A.M. A graveside service was held at Mt. Prospect Cemetery
in Amesbury. Memorial donations may be made to the
Belleville Congregational Church.
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of George
W. Colby of Manorville, NY on November 24, 2015. George
was born in Newark, NJ and lived most of his life on Long
Island, NY. George was a man of faith and served as minister
for many years in the New Apostolic Church. George was a
loving husband to Marion for 63 years, and loving father to
Marc and Janice, their spouses, and four grandchildren. He
was a proud American, especially that the Colby family
ancestors were among the first settlers in the United States.
George enjoyed researching his family genealogy and attended
many Colby Clan reunions. George lived his life with three
values utmost in his life: Love of God, love of family, and love
of country. Arrangements were made by the Sinnickson’s
Moriches Funeral Home; funeral services were held at the
New Apostolic Church in Woodbury, NY and George was
interred at the Pinelawn Memorial Park. Memorial donations
can be made to The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box
758517, Topeka, KS 66675. His Colby lineage was:
Anthony1, Samuel 2,3,4, Moses5, Archelaus6, Moses7, Johnson8,
Andrew Glass9, Paul Keating10, George William11.
Colby Clan Communications 3
R.A. Colby Organ Builders
Robert C. Colby began his career in 1941 with the
Wurlitzer Company in Tonawanda, NY. In 1946 he
moved to the Schlicker Organ Company.
This R.A. Colby pipe organ is installed in 2010 at the
Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Providence, RI.
In 1956 the Delaware Organ Company was founded
by Robert Colby and two other partners.
Photos and information taken from
http://www.racolby.com/index.html
Colby, Ohio
Colby is an unincorporated community in Sandusky
County, in the state of Ohio. A post office called Colby
was established in 1884, and remained in operation until
1905. Besides the post office, Colby had a station on
the Nickel Plate Railroad.
In 1970 Roger A. Colby began full-time employment
at the Delaware Organ Company.
In 1979 the company expanded and moved from
New York to Johnson City, Tennessee. In 1984 RA
Colby, Inc. was formed and is still operating in
Tennessee.
The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad operated in
the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the
Nickel Plate Road, the railroad served a large area, including
the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Missouri. Its primary connections included Buffalo,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and
Toledo. The Nickel Plate Railroad was constructed in 1881
along the South Shore of the Great Lakes connecting Buffalo
and Chicago to compete with the Lake Shore and Michigan
Southern Railway. During the 25 years that followed the
American Civil War, railway track mileage in the United
States more than doubled, changing the face of America
forever. Rail transportation meant that products made in the
East could be shipped west for far less money. This allowed
for an economy of larger and more efficient factories. The
agricultural heartland of America was no longer confined to
the market of a single day's trip by wagon. Railroad and
railroad construction became one of the largest industries
during that era. By 1881 one out of 32 people in the United
States was either employed by a railroad or engaged in
railroad construction. Starting in 1877, two great railroad
developers, William H. Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, began
competing for the railroad traffic along the south shore of the
Great Lakes. By 1878 William Vanderbilt had a monopoly on
rail traffic between Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago,
because he owned the only railroad linking those cities - the
Cont. on page 5
Colby Clan Communications 4
Cont. from page 4
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. By 1881, Gould
controlled a small percentage of the U.S. railroad and was
considered the most ruthless financial operator in America. One
of his major railroads was the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific
Railway. The Wabash mainline ran from St. Louis to Toledo,
where it was forced to deliver its railroad traffic to Vanderbilt's
Lake Shore Railroad for delivery to the eastern United States.
Gould and Vanderbilt together oversaw all east-west rail traffic
in the mid-west. The Seney Syndicate, owners of the Lake Erie
and Western Railroad, were interested in tapping new sources
of revenue and the stage was set for the creation of the New
York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad. The Seney Syndicate,
headed by George I. Seney, met at Seney's New York bank and
organized the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Company on February 3, 1881. The original proposal for the
NYC&StL was a railroad going west from Cleveland to
Chicago with a branch to St. Louis. On April 13, 1881, the
New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Company bought
the Buffalo, Cleveland and Chicago Railway, a railroad from
Cleveland to Buffalo which ran parallel to Vanderbilt's Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. The people of Ohio
wanted to break the high freight rates charged by Jay Gould and
William Henry Vanderbilt (who became extremely unpopular
after the December 29, 1876 collapse of Lake Shore and
Michigan Southern Railway's Ashtabula River trestle, where 92
were killed, or later died from injuries). In a newspaper war to
attract the New York, Chicago and St. Louis the Norwalk, Ohio
Chronicle Newspaper referred to the New York, Chicago and
St. Louis as "... double-track nickel-plated railroad." The New
York, Chicago and St. Louis adopted the nickname and it
became better known as the Nickel Plate Road. The Nickel
Plate ran its first trains on October 16, 1882. (article excerpted from
This article is from 1970. The first reunion of the
family association was in 1954, and this year will be
the 63rd annual reunion. We still give an award to
whoever travels the farthest to attend. Do you know
any of the people mentioned in this article?
The Captain’s Well, Amesbury, MA
Wikipedia)
Marc W. Colby is researching Colby DNA results and would
like to hear from any direct line Anthony Colby male
descendants who have had their DNA tested to compare results.
Please contact Marc at [email protected]. Marc's line
is: Anthony1, Samuel2,3,4, Moses5, Archelaus6, Moses7,
Johnson8, Andrew Glass9, Paul Keating10, George
William11, Marc William12
List of Family Reunions in 2016
Heather Wilkinson Rojo has compiled a list of family
reunions and has graciously included this year’s Colby
reunion. Are there other families that you’re interested in?
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/familyreunions-2016.html?spref=fb
Cont. on page 6
Colby Clan Communications 5
build the town was on railroad land which was sloped
enough for drainage and availability of water. This new
location was three miles north of the original post office
and was finally secured from the railroad in March of
1885. In April of 1884 J. R. Colby, one of the oldest
settlers in the county, secured a patent to establish the
town. By profession, Mr. Colby was a land assessor who
later ran a boarding house and was a “sometimes”
preacher. He fathered 10 children. In April of 1885, the
Colby Town Company received the Town Charter from
the office of the Secretary of State. On March 12, 1885
the Thomas County Cat newspaper was published, and
after passing through many owners and publishers, it is
today the Colby Free Press. Also in 1885, Mike Donelan
was recognized as the first Colby merchant when he
established a general merchandise store at what is now
5th and Franklin.
The well was dug by Captain Valentine Bagley and
made famous by the John Greenleaf Whittier poem,
"The Captain's Well," which tells the story of Captain
Bagley’s shipwreck on the coast of Arabia, and his
sufferings in the desert. He then vowed to dig a well so
that no man would suffer from thirst as he had.
Read Melissa Berry’s blog story about the Captain’s
Well in Amesbury, a landmark near and dear to the
hearts of Colby descendants. Melissa is an excellent
blogger who uses great photos and interesting
documents.
http://ancestoryarchives.blogspot.com/2014/03/thecaptains-well-amesbury.html
History of Colby, Kansas
The area prior to 1879 belonged only to buffalo,
antelope, wild horses and bunch grass, and was
designated as “Indian Country.” The original Post
Office, established in 1882, was near the geographical
center of Thomas County. There was talk about a need
for a town to provide the many newly arriving settlers
with their lumber and provisions. The settlers
homesteaded the land under very adverse conditions,
living in sod houses. It was decided that the best place to
Governor Martin declared the county organized, with
Colby as the temporary county seat in October of 1885.
The census showed 1900 residents. The county was
named for Major General Thomas and five of the
townships were named for Kansas soldiers killed under
his command at Chickaumaugua during the Civil War.
Colby was incorporated in 1886 and the first court house
was built at 615 N. Court where it still stands as a
residence. The current courthouse was built in 1906 and
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The
Union Pacific Railroad came through in 1887 and the
Rock Island Railroad in 1888. Transportation has played
an important role in the development of Colby. The
inter-state highway was not supposed to come through
Colby, but some political pressures in the Senate
changed those plans. I-70 was finished in 1965; today we
can thank it for the traffic that supports the economic
climate through hotels, restaurants and convenience/gas
stores.
Cont. on page 7
Colby Clan Communications 6
Cont. from page 6
Although the hospitality industry is important to the
local community, agribusiness is “king.” The main crops
are wheat, corn, milo, and sunflowers. Livestock
production and dairy are also very important.
Throughout its history, Colby has been progressive and
forward thinking. We can thank our ancestors and
today's community leaders for helping to shape Colby
into “the Oasis on the Plains.”
Historical Information from: Colby Free Press,
Centennial Edition, September 28, 1985; Thomas
County Herald, Centennial Edition, October 9, 1985
Photos from: The Archives of the Prairie Museum of
Art & History
(http://oasisontheplains.com/beourguest/history-aoverview)
Reunion RSVP
Please RSVP by August 10 to Jim Colby
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Other people attending with you ($15 for ages 12 and above, $9 for ages 5-11):_________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email address or phone (in case there are changes or questions):
______________________________________________________________________________________
I can’t attend the reunion, but have enclosed my annual dues ($5/calendar year): ________________________________
I am paying dues for these calendar years: ________________________________________________________________
Other people for which I am paying dues: _________________________________________________________________
Please mail this form with your payment to: James Colby, Box 6663, Scarborough, ME 04070
Or email the information to Jim at: [email protected]
Colby Clan Communications 7
To Herb, Luther, and George – we wish you well on the path you now take, and will remember you with much love
and gratitude.
Barbara J. Zdravesky
123 Mulberry Street
Pawtucket, RI 02860
Colby Clan Communications 8