My father has long been an on-again-off-again amateur researcher of his family’s roots in colonial America, Ireland, and England, and I have been researching alongside him for most of my life. Throughout the years we have visited numerous locations, from rural cemeteries in western Massachusetts to small historical societies in Maine and Vermont. We have spent many years inquiring about our family history in various areas across the Northeast. Never did we imagine that someone researching our family history would reach out to us.
In April 2017, a family in Medford, Massachusetts, reached out to my father via his work email. They had purchased and were living in the house my ancestor, Frank Caleb Stowell, built in 1911. The matriarch of the family was researching the history of the house, the background of the man who built the home, and his descendants, in the hopes that what she could gather information for the Medford Historical Society. She also extended an open invitation for our family to come by and see the home. Of course, my father accepted this invitation immediately.
Frank Caleb Stowell, circa 1900-1908
My great-great-grandfather Frank Caleb Stowell was born in Quincy, Illinois, in June 1863.1 He graduated from Somerville High School in 1883 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1887.2, 3 Frank married my great-great-grandmother Eleanor C. Boothby in Somerville, Middlesex, Massachusetts, on 25 August 1892.4 From 1902 to 1927, Frank served as a roadmaster for the Boston Elevated Railway System.5 He worked at the American Fork and Hoe Company as the New England Sales Manager until his death in 1941 at the age of 77 years old. During his career, he patented and provided equipment for the elevated railway systems in Boston, New York, and Brooklyn. Amongst his inventions was the ventilation system used in the elevated railways in both New York City and Boston.6
Before we met the family who now lived in Frank Caleb’s home, my dad and I gathered as much information as we could about Frank Caleb Stowell, Eleanor, and their daughter Lorna Stowell. Ten years earlier we had gone through my grandfather’s home in Naples, Maine, and found a treasure trove of pictures from my dad’s side of the family. This included images of Frank and Eleanor standing beside their 1914-1915 Cadillac in Maine, Frank and Eleanor riding horses in Medford, and Frank’s second home in Hull, Massachusetts, which he purchased in 1907.
When we stepped past the threshold of Frank Stowell’s 1911 New England craftsman-style home, we were amazed at how little the interior of the house had changed. Almost all the original woodwork lining the walls and covering the hallway was still present and had been well cared-for by the house’s five owners. Frank had designed the home and was heavily involved in its construction. The house still had its original oak staircase, handmade stained-glass windows, solid oak pillars in the front living room, and more. We were so grateful that we had been able to find photos of the interior of the home pre-1920, so we didn’t have to imagine how Frank and Eleanor had decorated and staged the home at the turn of the century.
Two views of the front living room in Frank Caleb Stowell’s Medford home, circa 1911-1920
We sat down with the family, sharing the images of the home’s interior as well as pictures of Frank and his family. The matriarch, who spearheaded the research on the Frank’s home, was able to locate the original land records that documented the cost and plans of building the home. She also found Frank’s original patents! For the rest of the day we talked about how her family found the house, the state the house was in when they bought it, and what they had changed. It isn’t every day you find people who are just as interested in family history research, let alone research about your own specific family!
I know from experience that as you research your family history, you develop a clearer picture of your ancestors, and with that comes a feeling of connection. Actual tangible pieces from your ancestor’s life can deepen that connection more than pictures or documents ever could. Objects reveal details about the personality, style, preferences, and thoughts of the people who owned them. With these added details, we can better understand who our ancestors were, and therefore understand more about ourselves. In this instance, we were able to stand in and explore the home which my ancestor not only lived in, but designed and built. The interior had not been altered in any major way, so it was very easy to picture my ancestors occupying it. I could see Lorna, Frank’s daughter, playing the piano in the front living room, Frank drawing up his patents at the large dining table by the butler’s pantry, and Eleanor reading a book by the fireplace.
I will be forever grateful to the matriarch of the house’s current family for reaching out to us. She opened up her home to complete strangers and gave us the opportunity to see the place where our ancestor and his family lived for decades with our own eyes. It was an all-around wonderful experience to see Frank’s home and meet the people who are now taking care of it.
Webinar: Researching the History of a House
Behind the walls of most homes lies a story waiting to be discovered. In this webinar, Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press Meaghan Siekman discusses how to reveal the history of a home using material culture and written records. Watch Now
Notes
1 Frank C. Stowell & Eleanor C. Boothby, no. 286, page 165, 1892, Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915, viewed at Ancestry.com.
2 “Somerville.” Boston Evening Transcript (Boston, MA), Wednesday, 27 June 1883, page 8, viewed at Newspapers.com.
3 “Harvard Commencement.” Boston Evening Transcript (Boston, MA), Wednesday, 29 June 1887, page 8, viewed at Newspapers.com.
4 Frank C. Stowell & Eleanor C. Boothby, no. 286, page 165, 1892, Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915, viewed at Ancestry.com.
5 “Frank C. Stowell.” The New York Times (New York City, NY), Sunday, 2 February 1941, page 44, viewed at timesmachine.nytimes.com.
6 Frank C. Stowell, ventilating system, serial no. 6,579, United States Patent Office, viewed at https://patents.google.com/patent/US1303410A/en.