Hopedale History May 15, 2011 No. 180 The Dutcher Family and Business Hopedale in May Animated history of Hopedale (Hopedale history boiled down to two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. If watch it, you might find it a bit strange. It’s my first attempt at using a program available on YouTube to produce an animated slideshow.) During the second half of the twentieth century, there was probably no one in Hopedale better known to other Hopedale residents than Larry Heron. Here’s an article about him written in 1950. Deaths of Hopedale High Alumni members – April 2010 through March 2011. Peter Metzke sent links to a couple of old movies you can watch on YouTube. Here’s one from the 1920s titled Boston Common and Proper. And here’s one showing the wild traffic in New York in 1928. The guy who’s looking for a ride to Yankee Stadium (starting at 1:40) will be familiar. The Boston one takes a little under ten minutes and New York is a bit over five. Warfield family genealogy. Recent deaths <><><><><><><><><> The article below is a shortened version of a piece by Peter Hackett. Click here to read it in its entirety. The complete article includes some paragraphs about Dutcher and Hopedale streets, in addition to what you’ll find here. The Dutcher Family and Business By Peter Hackett While Draper is synonymous with Hopedale, so also if to a lesser extent is Dutcher. In researching this article, I was much surprised to learn that the Dutchers who settled in New Netherlands (New York) were Huguenots in France before they went to Holland, where they resided 100 years or more. (Adin Ballou’s ancestors, also, were Huguenots.) In all early records of Albany and Ulster counties of New York, the Dutcher name is spelled with the prefix “de” corroborating the family tradition as to the French origin of the name. George Otis Draper, in the Cotton Chats of November 1901 writes, “In collecting information as to the relative effect of those now deceased, on the present Hopedale industry, it is truly pertinent to refer to one not joined by tie of relationship to the Draper family, but intimately associated with all the early growth of their business development. “While Ira Draper invented the first rotary temple, and while George Draper continued its control by improvements, a new competitor appeared in the field soon after 1850, which seemed well designed to lower the Draper prestige. “Elihu C. Dutcher, born Nov. 9, 1802 (prob. in N.Y. – lived in Vt.) and his brother, Warren W. Dutcher, born July 4, 1812, together invented and patented the original Dutcher temple. E.D. and G. Draper purchased the half- interest of Elihu in 1854 and persuaded W.W. Dutcher to remove his home (from North Bennington, Vt.) to Hopedale in 1856. “Elihu purchased a farm in Wisconsin with the proceeds of his sale, but died of cholera the second day after his arrival there. His brother lived among us until his death, 1880. “Warren W. Dutcher was an extremely ingenious inventor, taking out 20 patents, mainly on temples and machines by which to manufacture them. His machines for setting temple teeth are practically unequalled in the line of automatic mechanism and several of his ideas were never patented, but used under lock and key in order to prolong the monopoly of use beyond the 17 years granted under patent rights. “Mr. Dutcher was also intimately associated with our foundry department, originally a separate corporation. He became a large stockholder in various Hopedale companies, and his family continues the interest. His son, Frank J. Dutcher, has been continually associated with us also and now (1901) holds the position of assistant agent and director of the Draper Company. (Frank Dutcher later became company president.) “It is certainly a tribute to the founders of the temple industry that the business, originating with them, still furnishes the entire demand in this line. So far as we are aware, no temples are manufactured in the country outside our Hopedale works.” In Ballou’s history, we read, “F.J. Dutcher is an executive businessman of great trustworthiness, in the same corporation honored by his father. He was commissioned as a justice of the peace, June 23, 1874. He is a man of genius, intelligence, and solid moral integrity.” Hopedale, you will recall, is one of the state’s younger towns, being incorporated in 1886. On the school committee for many years appears the name Frank J. Dutcher. In its effort to maintain the beauty long associated with its model-town name, the company fostered prize winning contests for beautiful and well kept yards and lawns. Here in brief and excerpt form are the rules as given in the Cotton Chats of November 1903: To the Tenants of the Draper Company – One first prize $10; Twelve Second Prizes $7.50 each; Forty Third Prizes $5 each. These prizes will be awarded on the condition of the premises for the season, and the yards will be inspected by the Committee from time to time. Signed, J.B. Bancroft and Frank J. Dutcher. Milford Daily News, August 5, 1978. The Dutcher Family Hopedale History Email Menu HOME . |
