Albert C. Brown

(This post is part of a series about my research of Fitchburg architect H.M. Francis)

Albert C. Brown was another great example of a very community-active Fitchburg resident.

Brown was born in 1859 in Ashburnham, graduated from Fitchburg High School and had his eyes set on becoming a teacher after attending the Worcester Normal School. However, he had an opportunity to join the Worcester North Savings Institution as a junior clerk and worked his way up to the position of President in 1933, a position he held until his death in 1943.

Brown also served as treasurer of the YMCA in Fitchburg, and was a prominent member of the Fitchburg Board of Trade and Merchants Association.

Fig. 1: Albert C. Brown in a picture for the Fitchburg Merchants Association

His obituary listed his wedding date as April 6th, 1893 to Anna B. See. He had one daughter, two sons and five grand-children.

Fig. 2: Albert C. Brown's obituary (03/26/1943)

A memorial resolution was drafted by members of the Worcester North Savings Institution that listed some of his contributions to the bank. "...he gave devoted attention, bending every energy to its upbuilding and during the period of his service, it grew from an institution of 4396 depositors with deposits of $1,699,000 to one of 21,800 depositors and over $19,000,000 of deposits."

The memorial also includes the popular hymn, Only Remembered:

"Up and away, like the dew of the morning,

Soaring from earth to its home in the sun,

So let me steal away, gently and lovingly,

only remembered by what I have done.

Up and away, like the odors of sunset,

Sweetening the twilight as darkness comes on;

So let me pass away, peacefully and silently,

Only remembered by what I have done.

Need I be missed, if another succeed me,

Reaping those fields which in Spring I have sowed,

Who plowed or sowed is not missed by the harvester,

But he's remembered by what he has done."

Fig. 3: Memorial for Albert C. Brown

The inventory entry for Albert C. Brown lists his residence on Mount Globe Street in Fitchburg, tucked behind Academy and Prichard Streets. The year on the inventory is 1909, one year after the death of Henry Francis. This house may have been one of the first designs when the firm was helmed by Frederick and Albert Francis.

Some Mistakes to Learn From

(This post is part of a series about my research of Fitchburg architect H.M. Francis)

Hindsight is always 20/20.
Looking back on last year's inventory efforts, I'm beginning to see gaping holes in information that should've been fixed before.
The main issue seems to originate from my use of a legend to make sense of what plans were physically on-hand at the Historical Society. The system that was intended to make the inventory more accessible ended up making it more daunting.
After examining ways to clean the data from last year, I made the bold decision to essentially start the inventory over again.
This time, rather than using Microsoft Excel, I'm using FileMaker. FileMaker will allow me to make multiple lists of information and import them into one master list. I'm sure Excel has similar capabilities, but the user-friendliness of FileMaker is what won me over.

The information map will basically look like this:

A list of Francis structures, dated 1987
+
A list compiled by a past researcher, dated 1997 
+
A list made from MACRIS
+
List made from physical blueprints, drawings, etc. on-hand at the Historical Society
=
The final inventory.

By using four distinct lists it will be easy to synthesize the final data for cleaning and verification.
Duplications and gaps in information will be more easily identified and corrected.

At the completion of the final inventory I'll be able to use city directories, and a housing survey done in 1999 to find more information about the clients of H.M. Francis & Sons which will help put many of these structures and homes into a more appropriate historical context. 

Albion Downe

(This post is part of a series about my research of Fitchburg architect H.M. Francis)

As I sit on my desk trying to make a concise report on Albion Downe's house, I am finding a few things I'd like to re-examine when I go back to the Historical Society tomorrow.

My inventory only listed "Bond Street" as an address and 1909 as a year, I believe I got that from looking at building specifications at the Historical Society that did not have an address number. When I go back to research tomorrow, I will find the building specs once more to double-check for an exact address and confirm the year.

After looking at the housing survey in Fitchburg conducted in 1977 and 1999, I have found an entry for 62 Bond Street, that listed the house being of the Queen Anne style and it's resident as Albion Downe. This might be the information I need, but I'd still like to re-examine the building specs. The year for the build date is listed as 1895-1910.

The only information I found about Albion Downe the person was a single letter of correspondence between a former director of the Historical Society and a person that may have been researching him.

Some of the information from the letter is as follows:

"His father, Edwin P. was with the Fitchburg Mutual Life Insurance [Company]. His mother was Jennie. A brother, Albro F., and a sister, Sylvia, are also in the family."

Albion worked as a clerk for Parkhill Mills and rose to the position of paymaster. From 1929 until 1952 he was with the Fitchburg Savings Bank.

Fig. 1: Parkhill Mills in Fitchburg (photo courtesy of boston.com)

According to the letter from the director, Albion Downe seemed to be constantly moving. "In the 1909 Directory he is listed at 50 Arlington Street; in 1921 at 32 [which may be 62] Bond Street, and from 1922 to 1956 at 38 School Street. In the 1957 Directory he lived at 35 Pearl Street and was there until his death."