It has been two years since I wrote a Newsletter. Many changes have occurred to me, and Kallochs are about to experience a new direction as well by celebrating our 125th Reunion. This is also the hundredth anniversary of the birth of one of our more illustrious members, Edna St. Vincent Millay; and I have chosen a passage from one of her poems which speaks to her longing for Maine. In going through my folder of accumulated “ideas for the Newsletter,” I find some items to be outdated — perhaps repetitive to you — but I have a need to make our history as seamless as possible. I leave the details of the upcoming Reunion to the Committee.
Nancy Kalloch Sack
1990 REUNION
The 123rd Kalloch Reunion was held Saturday, August 25, 1990, at the St. George Grange. Approximately 42 attended. We thank Charlene Black for making the arrangements. The oldest Kalloch attending was Herbert Kalloch, age 95. The longest wed were Paul and Doris Merriam, 55 years. The youngest was Jenna Pettit, age 5. Newlywed was Donna Kalloch Perry Fifield, married August 4, 1990. Farthest traveled were Barbara Loghry from Oregon and the Avery’s from California, and the Kellers from Arizona. There were two families with 3 generations: Nancy Kalloch Sack with son Donald and grand-daughter Maura; and Delores McCarthy with daughter and granddaughter. (Notes on the 1991 [124th] Reunion were in the first Newsletter Supplement)
ANITA FERNALD
Anita, our President for the past several years, is the daughter of Glennys A. Kalloch Gross and is from the Alexander Kalloch line. Born in Camden April 8, 1937, she moved to Groton, CT, at the age of 16. She and her first husband, Allen Charles Fernald, had six children. Anita says she thinks she has set the record for having moved the most in one’s lifetime — has a great interest in Kalloch medical history; i.e. birth defects and particularly the incidence of diabetes. Her avocational interests have mainly been in theatre, with a variety of roles from comedy to Greek mythology - even making puppets. She also enjoys sailing, skiing, bicycling, tennis, and walking.
CORRESPONDENCE
Well over a year ago I received a letter from Mary Leno in California who had given a book report on women’s experiences during the Westward Movement with particular emphasis about her own Kalloch ancestors who went West. She asked about the significance of the Kalloch coffee pot. The best I can tell her is that it was used for coffee at early reunions and somehow survived all these years - coming down to us through Peter Richardson's family. We use it now to collect money! Mary and Richard and Mary's sister arranged to visit me when I went to Albuquerque in 1990 on my way to an Elderhostel in Santa Fe.
Norman Hammond of M. Airy, MD, found a copy of the Newsletter in his mother's effects. He writes that his great grandfather was Vendellyn Keller of Appleton and his grandfather Dr. Benjamin Henry Keller of Thomaston.
Alicia Kay Smith moved to Windsor Manor in Glendale, CA and prepared a wonderful Christmas calendar as a memorial to her uncle Fred Smith and his wife Mary, who were founders of Crescent Beach in Owl's Head.
Liz and Burt Hunt who live in Pepperall, Mass., sent a Christmas card with all their doings. Like others with small children they have found it disconcerting to attend the Grange reunions, but were hoping to attend the 125th. I hope they have been able to do so.
Zora Cunningham, our Killough connection, is planning to attend the 125th. She and her husband are making a cross—country trip of it - at least from Colorado. Her father began the Killough reunions in Jacksonville, Texas; and I’m sure will fill-us all in on details this summer. Zora came to visit with, me on Cape Cod in 1990 and we spent an evening pouring over Kalloch material.
Flora Kalloch Peavey Place is recovering from surgery up in Milo, Maine. Charlene Black and I went to visit her last June (prior to surgery) and had a great visit with her and Max. Flora has more interests than anyone I know and has faithfully kept me apprised of any Kalloch mention from the Fort Fairfield, Maine, paper.
I had a lovely visit with Eleanor Richardson’s daughter, Elise Billings, who is a student at Vassar College in nearby Poughkeepsie, NY. I have been doing research on Edna St. Vincent Millay for a script I have prepared. Elise clued me in on an important new move for Peter Richardson. He will be the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Andover, Mass, as of the first of September, 1992.
OBITUARIES
First in personal importance to me was the death of my father, Colby Bartlett Kalloch on March 8, 1991. He went down in a fashion typical of his life — abruptly and after he had fed my mother. Doing his job as he saw it. Besides being one of the oldest Kallochs at the time - age 92 — he had been extremely supportive of Reunions even when he didn’t come. He personally paid for the entire cost of the Newsletter mailings for a number of the early years. Daddy grew up in Fort Fairfield, leaving Maine after attending Colby College, and ultimately working most of his business life for the New York Telephone company. He and my mother retired to Cape Cod in the early 60’s. He was the’ first Kalloch in my immediate family to leave Maine, and I feel he always regretted it.
On March 23, 1990, Leola Robinson died at age 91. She had attended more Reunions than anyone else, partially because she lived the nearest to the St. George Grange. I did a piece about her in the 1990 Newsletter which told about the plaque she received from the St. George Baptist Church for her many contributions to the Church and the community. She was never a star in the Hollywood sense, but she was in God’s eyes and that was the way she lived.
On June 20, 1990, my mother Leonie L. Kalloch died in a nursing home on Cape Cod. She had been in extremely poor health for years and declined rapidly in the 10 weeks after my father died. My mother was also very supportive of the Reunions, coming with me to the first one I attended in 1975 (when I first met Peter). She often took the responsibility of buying name tags and designed and made the KALLOCH REUNION banner- which we use to direct people. It was through my mother’s keeping track of my Kalloch ancestors that I first became interested in the genealogy and was able to make the early connections for myself. My parents spent many of their retirement years on the Cape enjoying what the area has to give. Unfortunately, in later years illness overwhelmed them and their deaths have brought a measure of peace to two very active lives.
On August 19, 1991, Alta K. Scott died in Connecticut. She was the daughter of Rodney and Edith Kalloch and was born in Fort Fairfield, ME, April 29, 1902. I believe my grandfather, Dr. Herbert F, Kalloch delivered Alta! She leaves her daughter, Dorothy, and two sisters, Flora Place (mentioned elsewhere) and Thelma Bennett of Florida. Thelma is also recovering from serious illness this past year. All of the Kalloch gals have been most interesting for me to meet and supportive in keeping me up to date.
Irving Kallock, husband of Thelma Kallock, passed away March 12, 1992. They lived at 257 North St., Saco, ME.
Marie Keller Hammond, of South Portland, died October 6, 1990 at the age of 88. She was born in Appleton, ME, on January 24, 1902, daughter of Dr. Benjamin H. Keller and Martha Fish Keller and traced her lineage to Alexander, I. She is survived by 6 children, 25 grand-children, and 38 great grandchildren, and felt that helping to raise her great great grandchildren “made this long life worthwhile.”
Marjorie E. (Plummer) Kelley died November 29, 1990, at the age of 78. Born in Dorchester, Mass, in 1912, she spent many years as a receptionist for Quincy Motors and her retirement years in Sandwich, Mass. I used to meet her for lunch when I was on the Cape. She is survived by 2 sons, 2 daughters, and 4 grandchildren.
KALLOCH GENEALOGY
Heartfelt thanks to the Kalloch 18 who bought the hot—off—the-press Kalloch roots which Peter collected. Without their support, Peter would not have been able to publish them for our use.
Ginger August, Barbara Avery, Dorothy Campbell, Rochelle Gardner, Norman Hammond, Debra Heffernan, Kurt Hoffses, Vernon Hunter, Evelyn Kalloch, Alfred Kenniston, Jeanine Lawrence, Mary Leno, Paul & Doris Merriam, Flora Peavey Place, Alicia K. Smith, Mary Tollefson, and Nancy Kalloch Sack.
Paul Merriam has prepared some wonderful indexes for the collection which make it so much easier to look people up. Thanks so much to Peter for his diligence, scholarship, and devotion and to Paul for taking on the responsibility of making the index.
In the introduction, Peter wrote:
Our original ancestor, Finley, it appears was age 14 when he became a father. His son, Alexander I, sold rum to the Indians and later founded the Baptist Church in Warren. Many Kallochs left Maine to work in the textile mills of Mass. While there are famous Kallochs, poets, financiers, publishers, an admiral, mayors, judges, ship captains, a meat packer (Swift) etc., most of us were farmers, sailors, stone cutters, laborers, hunters, few smugglers, etc. We are not one of the first families of America. I feel we should make the most of this. When we talk about the Revolution we will have the perspective of the lower echelons. We have a rich collection of individuals which can add a great deal to the under-standing our kin will have of American history and culture as it really is/was. Most of the people at Reunions do not have the Kalloch surname, which leads me to believe that it is this human interest that will keep us together, not the name.
NEW BOOKS
Doris and Paul Merriam’s son, Paul G. Merriam collaborated on a book entitled, Home Front on Penobscot Bay, Rockland During the War Years — about World War II, It is the first study of a Maine town during the conflict and “captures the tempo of the times.”
NOTE: We plan to have a table of Kalloch—related books for sale at the Reunion, from The Personal Book Shop in Thomaston.
I am not sure if the following is from the above book, but it was in the Rockland paper. Carl Kalloch told of spending seven days and eight nights in a lifeboat after the freighter Sagadahoc sank in the South Atlantic as it was headed with munitions for Durban, South Africa. The captain of the German sub which had sunk them called out, “Happy Rowing,” after unsuccessfully trying to understand from the survivors how to pronounce the name of the ship!
After my mother died in June I headed back to my own roots in Maine and spent a few hours at the Rockland Library looking up notice of the death of my great grandfather Alexander Kalloch, who lived in St. George. I was taken aback by the frankness with which his demise was reported:
Mr. Alexander Kalloch past away Tuesday, January 18 aged 94 years 2 months. Mr. Kalloch was the oldest person in town, having been born here November 13, 1816. He was a man highly respected by all who knew him. He served the town for 20 years as selectman and in the early 60’s was representative to the legislature. He has failed steadily until his death. About a year ago his mind became completely shattered.. . . The gold headed cane given by the Boston Post to the oldest inhabitant now passes to Port Clyde. Mr. Kalloch lost his mind before he received it, so that he could not use it after it was presented.
So much for what could possibly have been a stroke! Other Kalloch remarks I found: Mr. W. H. Kalloch’s numerous successful ventures in detective work are beginning to get on the nerves of local law breakers. That was all the article said but it sure does make you wonder! Also found that Maynard Kinney was hauling wood to Tenants Harbor for H. F. Kalloch. I guess today’s media is not so much different from that of years back?
NOTE from the 125th Kalloch Family Reunion Committee:
Plans are progressing very well for our 125th on August 22. We now have approx. 100 registrants!!! We are looking forward to a great reunion. We thank all the folks who are generously volunteering their time for this event and look forward to seeing you all. The committee meets again - hopefully - May 30th to continue work on this wonderful project.
If you have not already reserved, please do so soon. Time is running out and we will have a deadline for reservations which will be announced in the next supplement.
See you in August!!
Evelyn N. Kalloch, Committee Member
