The boarding house, which was
across the street at 766 Longmeadow
Street (see Figure 1 below), was run by Elmina Hunt, a
widow. Elmina lived in the house
with her two sons, Josiah and
Charlie in 1860. Josiah, age 17, was
apprenticed to learn brass
finishing.
Sixteen young women and one man,
all employees of Newell Brothers,
boarded at 766 Longmeadow Street in
1860 (see Table I below). In a house that had just over
3,600 square feet of living space,
twenty residents must have lived in
close quarters.
Table I- 1860 US Federal Census
We don’t know the stories of most
of the boarders, but have been able
to follow the trail of one of them,
Ann E. Beach, who caught the eye of
housemate Josiah Hunt. In May, 1861,
Josiah Hunt joined many Longmeadow
and Springfield men by enlisting in
the Massachusetts 10th Infantry
Regiment. He served in Company F of
the regiment as a drummer until
September 19, 1862 when he was
mustered out due to disability. He
recuperated at home in Longmeadow
and married Ann Beach a few months
later on April 21, 1863.
Josiah Hunt reenlisted as a
private on February 18, 1864 in
Company E, Massachusetts 3rd Cavalry
Regiment and served in this capacity
until September 28, 1865. Returning
to his family in Longmeadow, he
worked as a mechanic for several
years before dying of consumption in
January, 1868 at only 25 years old.
He is buried in the Longmeadow
Cemetery.
Now a young widow, Ann Hunt moved
to Springfield. On February 26,
1873, she married Edwin B. Skinner,
a Springfield police officer. Edwin,
a widower with four children, had
also lived in Longmeadow (in 1850).
Ann and Edwin had one child,
Clarence, and the family lived at 44
Sumner Avenue in Springfield until
Edwin’s death in 1901.
After Edwin’s death, Ann moved to
Southwick with her son, Clarence. In
1925, she moved to St. Sturgis,
Michigan to live with two of her
nieces and she died there in 1931 at
the age of 91.
The Newell Button Factory outgrew
its space in Longmeadow and moved to
Springfield in 1863, around the time
that Ann Beach married Josiah Hunt.
Sources:
U.S. Federal Census: 1850, 1860,
1900, 1910, 1930
1865 Massachusetts State Census
Springfield
Republican, August 20, 1901
Massachusetts,
Death Records, 1841-1915
Massachusetts,
Town and Vital Records,
1620-1988
Michigan,
Deaths and Burials Index
1867-1995
U.S., Civil
War Soldier Records and Profiles
1861-1865
U.S., Adjutant
General Military Records
1631-1976
