colby clan communications -...

Colby Clan Communications 1

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]

September 2009

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1 From the Editor, Colby Reunion, From the President

6 News from the Members, Treasurer’s Report, Interesting Colby Facts

3 In Memoriam

5 Secretary’s Report

Colby Clan Reunion Amesbury, Massachusetts

Marjorie McCabe’s beautiful flowers at the Macy-Colby

house on reunion day

A Word From the Colby Clan President Hello and Nice To Meet You All! The reunion at the House in Amesbury was really wonderful! It was great to see how wonderful that old house looked with the new roof and the new floor and the great (but low) ceilings. And the sharp new sign out front for all the world to see. I am looking forward to working with all of the cousins to make this an exciting and fun group. I hope to expand the resources, perhaps a website? I would love to hear from anyone with ideas, suggestions – and best wishes! I can be reached best at [email protected] Your new President, Alice Volkert

From the Editor The Colby Reunion at the Macy Colby House was outstanding. We expected 50 people and more than 80 people showed up! Big kudos to Kathy, Marjorie, Luther, and the rest of the committee, who all worked very hard in very hot weather, making the day relaxing and enjoyable for the rest of us. We had a short meeting under a cool, shady grove, and elected a new President! That’s right, Alice Volkert is the new Colby Clan President. Alice has already purchased a web domain for the Clan, so if there are any web masters out there who would like to take on the task of creating and managing a comprehensive Colby Clan site, let her know. Her email is in the next column on this page. We still don’t have a location chosen for next year’s reunion, so we’re hoping someone will volunteer. Let us know by the end of February if you’re interested and feel free to contact anyone if you’d like to know what hosting involves. We’d like to see a big crowd next year too!


The calligraphy certificate for Adeline

The reunion committee

The reunion planners! Luther and Kathy Colby with Marjorie

McCabe

The group photo

The new roof on the Macy-Colby House


I N M E M O R I A M Halstead “Sam” Colby of Bow, NH passed away in December 2008. He was a direct descendant of Abraham Colby, one of the first settlers of Bow. Ralph E. Colby Jr. -- 15 Jan 1929 - 8 Apr 2009 BOURNE - Ralph E. Colby Jr., 80, of Bourne and formerly Brockton, died on April 8, 2009, in Venice, FL, surrounded by family. He leaves his wife Lois A. (Stone) Colby of 56 years. Ralph was raised in Holbrook and served in World War II aboard the USS New Jersey and the USS Wyoming as storekeeper. During Korea, he was stationed in Newport, RI, where his daughter, Linda (Jordan) was born. During the 1950s and through to the 1980s, he was a member and at one time, president of the Holbrook Sportsmen's Club. He competed on pistol teams and was one of the top pistol marksmen in the state. He later was a member and president of a hunting lodge, Camp Mattamiscontis, in Maine. In the 1960s and 1970s, when his sons got interested in hockey, he started lacing Pee Wee skates and became president of Brockton Youth Hockey. Then, when his sons became involved with Berwick Boys Foundation, Ralph became president of the foundation. He retired from the National Cash Register Co. after 40 years of employment and retired to Chatham. In the 1990s and into 2000, Ralph renewed his love of riding motorcycles. He rode the Rolling Thunder in Washington, DC, and visited bike weeks in Laconia (Louden), NH, and Daytona, FL. He was a member of the Cape Cod Cruisers. In addition to leaving his immediate family: wife, Lois and daughter, Linda of Brockton, he leaves sons, Clifford Colby of Orleans, Peter Colby of Jessup, MD, and Richard, who predeceased him in 2007. He leaves his granddaughters, Rachael and Christina Colby of Mashpee; and his informally adopted son, Konur Oz of Yarmouth. Visiting hours and a memorial service were held at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 40 MacArthur Blvd, (Route 28), in Bourne, on Sunday, June 28, from noon to 2 p.m. The service will be followed by a motorcycle procession from the funeral home to the Evergreen Cemetery in Harwich, where there will be a military honor guard. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bourne Senior Center, Main Street, Buzzards Bay, or the Richard E. Colby Memorial Scholarship, Attention: Jill S. Mullen, Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, 352 Pleasant Lake Ave., Harwich, MA 02645. Frank Parker Colby, 85, of Havenwood Health Services Center, Concord, died on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009, of complications of Parkinson's disease. Born in Waban, MA, he was the son of Clara Parker Colby and J. Tracy Colby. He lived in Bronxville, NY, attended Culver Academy in Culver, IN, and graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Parker served in the U.S. Army, 97th Division, in World War II, first in the European Theater and then in the Occupation Army in Japan. Parker is survived by his wife of 62 years, Eleanor Hayeslip Colby; his daughter, Margaret Colby Bittner and her

husband, Robert, of Camarillo, CA; his son, Frank P. Colby Jr. and his wife, Beverly, of Lexington, MA; his daughter, Claire Colby-Hielscher and her husband, Raimund, of Dortmund, Germany; and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents, and brothers James Tracy Colby Jr. and Henry Stark Colby. Parker's business career was spent in Detroit, MI, as a merchandising manager at The J.L. Hudson Co. (now Target) and as a vice president in the trust department at The National Bank of Detroit (now J.P. Morgan Chase). Volunteer work, as part of giving back, was an important part of Parker's life as a director of both Goodwill Industries of Detroit and the Detroit YMCA. Later, in retirement, Parker's greatest interest was in the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) branches in Portsmouth and Dover. He also worked with handicapped adults in Dover and Concord. Sailing was Parker's lifelong passion, both on Lake St. Clair, MI, and on the Seacoast. He also enjoyed golf, squash and bowling. A memorial service will be held Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the Havenwood Auditorium at Havenwood Heritage Heights, Concord. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Residents' Fund, Havenwood, 33 Christian Ave., Concord 03301; or to the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 274 Pleasant St., Concord 03301. Bennett Funeral Home in Concord is handling arrangements.

Marceline B. Colby Sept. 22, 1926 - June 3, 2009 Marceline B. Colby, 82, of Damariscotta, passed away early on the morning of June 3 at the Inn at Village Square in Gorham. The daughter of Louis and Minniebelle (Morton) Bellefontaine, she was born in Portland Sept. 22, 1926. Coming to Damariscotta in 1946, she lived at her home until her illness. Mrs. Colby worked as a bookkeeper throughout her life and was employed at Glidden Agency, the Maine Water Company and for many years at Colby and Gale Oil Company. She was an active member at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Newcastle, as well as the American Legion Auxiliary. She was passionate reader, enjoyed handwork and loved the countless trips taken with her husband Earl "Bud" Colby. Mrs. Colby was predeceased by her daughter, Karen Meyers, and her husband Bud. She leaves her daughter, Jayne Flatley and husband Patrick of Windham; sister, Bunny Gamage and husband Edward of Damariscotta; three grandchildren, Caitlin and Erin Flatley of Windham, and Jessica Cilbrith and husband Ryan of Canaan, NH; two great-grandchildren, Alanna and Brayden; and several nieces and nephews. Mass of Christian Burial June 6 at St. Patrick's Church with Rev. Alfred Irving officiating. She was laid to rest with her husband at St. Patrick's Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of the Strong Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 612 Main St., Damariscotta


Secretary’s Report The annual meeting of the Colby Clan Association was held on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at the Macy-Colby House in Amesbury, MA. There were approximately eighty people in attendance. Acting President, Jim Colby offered his thanks, on behalf of everyone present, to Kathy and Luther Colby, Marjorie McCabe, and the entire reunion committee for a wonderful reunion. They worked extremely hard on a very hot day to make the day terrific for us all. Jim made an announcement about the certificate for Adeline on display in the Macy Colby House. The calligraphy work was done by Maggie McNeece in South Portland, ME. It will be framed and presented to Adeline, making her Treasurer Emeritus. He also reminded everyone to sign or write a note in the book being passed around the group. We know Adeline will appreciate hearing from everyone. The Secretary’s Report was given by Barbara Zdravesky; asking for a motion to accept the minutes of last year’s meeting as printed in the September 2008 Colby Clan Communications. The motion was made by Alice Volkert and seconded by Paula Belyea. A vote was taken with all in favor; the motion carried. Jim Colby explained how he has had the bank accounts transferred from Adeline and has created a separate Colby Clan account. Since he has only recently been able to sort out the accounts, he gave an abbreviated Treasurer’s Report. The complete report is printed in this newsletter. We discussed the annual contribution to the Macy Colby House. Jim has received $35.00 from Clan members to add to the annual contribution. He suggested we consider the amount of $400 for the House. Paula Belyea made a motion to donate $400 to the Macy Colby House; the motion was seconded by Pauline DeGusto; the members voted, and motion carried. The total amount will be $435.00. Jim asked all new members to raise their hands to be recognized. He also asked to recognize anyone who was attending a reunion for the first time, as well as those who were visiting the Macy Colby House for the first time. There was no old business to discuss. New business items were 1) the location of next year’s reunion – no one has yet volunteered to host the 2010 reunion. If someone would like to host the group, we will need to know by the March newsletter publication. Please contact Jim or Barbara if you would like to host. 2) voting on a new clan President – since Jim Colby has taken over the Treasurer responsibilities, we need to vote on a new President to relive him of double duty. We asked the group for nominations and Alice Volkert volunteered to be our next President. Al Levesque, of Effingham, NH made a motion to accept Alice as President, which was seconded by Arnold Sears. The members voted and the motion carried. The annual gifts were then presented to the youngest, the oldest, and the person who travled the farthest to attend the reunion. The winners are: Youngest – Sidney Madison, 1 year old, from Concord, NH; Oldest – Harriet Gould, 87 years old, from Amesbury, MA; Farthest distance – Alice Volkert from Orange County, CA. The meeting was then adjourned. Dotty Williamson asked everyone to gather in front of the Macy Colby House for a group photo.

Youngest (with her mom) -- Sidney Madison, 1 year old, from

Concord, NH

Oldest – Harriet Gould, 87 years old, from Amesbury, MA


Farthest distance – Alice Volkert from Orange County, CA

Treasurer’s Report Treasurer's Report: 08/31/2008-08/31/2009 N.B. all balances are as of 08/21/2009; all accounts are held at TD Bank, South Portland, ME Assets: $5709.73 CD Receipts: dues, luncheons, deposits from savings acct.

$1818.13 $1316.15 CD

Disbursements: $388.92 newsletters/postage $ 368.51 Savings Acct $258.23 MacyColby house/luncheon

expenses $ 735.98 Business Checking Acct $435.00 MacyColby house/annual donation $8130.37 total assests

$1082.15 total disbursements Respectfully submitted: James F. Colby, treasurer

News from the Colby Members

Sent from Paul & Myrna Toutant of Concord, NH: Shea Colby wins Mt. Washington bike race PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. (AP) -- Bicyclists shared the grueling road up New Hampshire's Mount Washington with a moose on Saturday for the annual Newton's Revenge race to the summit. Anthony Colby of Durango, Co., raced of sight of everyone else as he covered the 7.6-mile course in 53 minutes and 50 seconds, four minutes ahead of the second-place finisher, Christopher Hong, of Lutherville, MD. Marti Shea of Marblehead, MA, led the women at 1:08:42, seven minutes ahead of Karen Smyers of Lincoln, MA. A moose shared the road with the 142 cyclists, wandering onto the course at the three-mile mark. It retreated to the woods before the riders passed by. Newton's Revenge is held on the same course as the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb which attracts 600 riders each August.

Gene Colby of Waterford, ME writes that his oldest grandson, Daniel Colby, was just awarded Eagle Scout rank. He is the 4th generation of Eagle Scout’s in Gene’s family. John Kingsbury Colby is curious to know what his Colby line is. If anyone is able to help him, he can be reached at [email protected] Lee Ann Orlando (nee Slocum) of Williston, VT has received the Distinguished Faculty Award by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Norwich University. The award was presented by Dr. Linda Lucas, program director for the university’s master of education program in which Orlando is an instructor and course developer. The award is given in recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching, advising, and mentoring, as well as a depth of originality and scholarly achievement.

Published in The Burlington Free Press on August 5, 2009: IN LOVING MEMORY OF NEAL CUMMINGS SLOCUM JANUARY 6, 2008 - AUGUST 5, 2004 Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Compassionate and selfless friend, Patient teacher and skilled craftsman. You made the world a better place And are forever in our hearts. With love, Beverley, Lee Ann, Dean, Kirsten, Alex and Patrick Beverly Slocum of Burlington, VY writes that her granddaughter, Kirsten Bonson returned from spending a year teaching English in Ehime-Ken, Japan. She is now harvesting eye corneas from organ donors to fill the needs of people who need to regain their eyesight.

Interesting Colby Facts Sent by Bob Colby: I did a quick Google search and found these entries. Anyone else have something different? Surname: COLBY "Colby" surname origin England name This interesting surname is locational from "Colby", a place in Norfolk and Westmorland, and "Coleby" in Lincolnshire, so called from the Old Norse personal name, "Koli", a by-name

Cont. on page 7


Cont. from page 6 for a person of swarthy appearance, from "kol" (char) coal, and the Old Norse "byr", settlement. Colby in Norfolk was recorded as "Colebei" (Domesday Book 1086) in Linconshire) COLBY Gender: Masculine Usage: English Pronounced: KOL-bee [key] From a surname, originally from various English place names, derived from the Old Norse nickname Koli (meaning "coal, dark") and býr "town" -- Colby is a place name deriving from the parish of Coleby, which lies seventeen miles northwest of Semperingham, and six miles south of Lincoln. There is also a parish of Colby in Norfolk, next to Beccles, and it too seems to have been the source of a quite unrelated Colby clan. There are also villages called Colby in Westmoreland, in Yorkshire, and one in Denmark. The name is of Viking origin and means coal place. There are a number of places in England containing Cole, such as Coleridge, Colclough, and Colebrook. The by- suffix is the Viking word meaning homestead or farm. Thus, Coleby was probably a farmstead where charcoal was made in ancient times by Viking settlers.

You may purchase a CD of photographs of the Macy-Colby House. Email Kathy Colby at [email protected] to purchase one.

Another Colby website by Bill Brady: http://www.pincumbe.com/colby/index.htm I also found this website by someone named Helene: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9004/Colby.html

Clemmens-Colby Family An Old-timer and Premier Historical Society Volunteer

Originally Published In Village News 1998 Contributed by the Fallbrook Historical Society

Don Rivers, President Clemmens - Colby Family History

Albert B. Clemmens and brother Andy, sons of Andrew and Mary E. Clemmens, settled in Fallbrook in 1905. They worked at the Charles H. Pratt Olive Company for $15 a month plus room and board until they had saved enough money to buy land of their own. Albert purchased 13 acres (at $5 per acre) at a location now bounded by Alturas Lane, Clemmens Lane and Ammunition Road. In 1911, Albert married Carrie E.Colby. Carrie's grandmother was Candice Richardson, one of the early pioneers who came west to the San Luis Rey Valley by covered wagon in the spring following the Donner Party episode of 1846. Miss Florence Colby, sister of Carrie, was principal at the West Fallbrook Grammer School for a period prior to 1931. The Clemmens property originally bordered the Odd Fellows Cemetery on the south, and when Clemmens Lane was extended to Alturas, two pie-shaped sections remained south of the lane. Albert donated these two sections to the cemetery and many members of the Clemmens and Colby families are buried in the northeast section. Albert and Carrie had five sons, all born and educated here in Fallbrook. One son, Charles, was lost during World War II, and two are deceased, but Al and Marion remain. Marion has lived in Fallbrook most of his life.

Marion Clemmens Today Marion married Esther Lee Barnes from Vista in 1939. On July 17 of this year he will celebrate his 80th birthday. After working for the U.S. Post Office for 23 years he retired in 1972. He is probably busier today than he was while working. In addition to being on the Board of Directors of the Fallbrook Historical Society, Marion works nearly every day at the museum complex which includes the new building housing our History Museum, the Ford Car Museum w/Meeting Room, the Gem and Mineral Museum, the Pittenger Farm House Museum and a field display of Antique Agricultural Equipment. We also have a newly acquired "Out House" donated by Hilda Hroch that has been newly refurbished by Marion but is only for "display" not for "use". The grounds and buildings of the museums show the love and dedication that is given to mowing, blowing and putting in new plants, maintaining the irrigation system, besides keeping the buildings themselves functioning. Marion generously does all these duties on a volunteer basis. Because of his approaching 80th birthday Marion could use a helping hand in maintaining the buildings and grounds of the museum. Anyone who is so inclined can contact him at the museum most any day. For the last several years, the Historical Society has sponsored the Old Timers Picnic, formerly coordinated by Hilda Hroch and other volunteers at Live Oak Park. Now Marion not only attends as an "old timer" but he also helps prepare the location for the many people who attend and enjoy potluck together. From the website: http://home.znet.com/schester/fallbrook/history/memories/clemmens_colby_family.html


Barbara J. Zdravesky 123 Mulberry Street Pawtucket, RI 02860

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