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Emanuel Charlton: Tributes and Remembrances By Bob Murdock - January 9, 2004 We are collecting remembrances from anyone who knew Euel. Readers are invited to add their own thoughts. See the note on contacting us at the end of this document. From Priscilla Januskiewicz, niece: Memories of Emanuel Early in November 2003, Joyce, Donna and I took Mum to see her older brother, Euel, who, at 95, was living in the Montello Manor nursing home in Lewiston, Maine. He was very happy to see us, and especially pleased to see his sister, Ona. His daughter, Joan, brought him out to her car in a wheelchair and we all went out for supper. Euel opened a few gifts and he in particular liked the moose- in- the-sleeping -bag puppet we had given to him. With a little-boy twinkle in his eye, he maneuvered it with his hand to everyone’s delight. He still remembered the monologues his mother used to recite, and, as we were eating, he gave us a rhythmic rendition of the song, The Old Maid and the Burglar. We stayed overnight in a nearby motel, and the next morning we all went out for breakfast, accompanied by Joan’s daughter, Cristen, and her two young children, Chloe and baby Charlie. (Charlie’s first name is Charlton, after his great-grandfather who was called Uncle Charlie by many members of the family.) Joan brought old family photos, a few of which we had never seen before. Euel sat beside Ona and we all enjoyed hearing several of his old stories again. One of them was about the day that he and Mum were hitchhiking together in Gardner where they were living at the time. Euel said to Ona, “I’ll hide down there in the bushes, and you thumb a ride. When a car stops for you, I’ll jump in. They won’t stop for me, but they’ll stop for you.” When a car stopped, Euel ran up, out of his hiding place in the bushes and jumped in with his sister. Mum remembers another time, when they were younger, at the Marlboro Branch School in Marlboro, VT. Grandma and Grandpa Charlton had moved to a small farm in Marlboro in 1918 from Williamsville, VT. Grandpa had given up preaching because of his poor eyesight and the family raised chickens and sheep for food, and a cow for milk. The family also ate whatever wild game could be found, such as deer and woodchuck, and also frog’s legs and fish that the kids caught in the nearby brook. The school was a one-room school house and Grandpa Allen served as a janitor and started the wood stove early in the morning so the room would be warm when the children arrived. One of Euel’s chores was to shovel out the outhouse daily. There was one teacher for all the grades. One day, Ona was called upon to make a sentence using the word, “woodchuck.” She stood up beside her desk and said, “We eat woodchuck!” Her brother, Euel, immediately said in a loud voice, “WE DO NOT!” Ona remembers looking at him with her mouth open and thinking, “He knows we do, but doesn’t want anyone else to know it.” Ona remembers that Euel was quite popular with the girls in high school. She says, “When the girls found out that I was Euel’s sister, they all gasped in astonishment and said, ‘He’s your brother?’” Ona was three years younger, and didn’t understand why the girls would want to fall in love with her brother. Soon enough, Euel and Ona grew up, married and had families of their own. Mum says, “Memories never fade” and those precious memories continue to give her pleasure as she recalls the happy times she and her older brother had so long ago. From Bob Murdock, nephew: I first knew Euel in Gardner, Mass. when I was just starting school. He was a down-to-earth, pleasant guy who had recently married Sadie Harding, one of the kindest ladies I had ever met. Before long, they moved to Maine, and I didn't see Euel again for a long time. When I learned that he was operating a plant nursery, I knew he was really down to earth. In November, 1996 I saw both Euel and Mal at my mother's memorial service. I was proud to sit in the front row beside Euel in the chapel, and when it was time to sing, I shared a hymnal with him. I will never forget the hymn, "Bringing Out the Sheaves." This 88-year-old gentleman sang it with great gusto! He probably could have sung all the verses without a book. Nancy and I live in Baltimore, but in 1998 our vacation travel fortunately included the wonderful Charlton picnic in Leeds, Maine. The celebration at the Charlton estate was for Euel's 90th birthday, and also for Euel and Sadie's 68th wedding anniversary. Imagine! We enjoyed chatting with both Euel and Sadie; in fact, she sat beside me at the picnic table. Sadie remembered that she had been a baby sitter for us when I was very young. Euel regaled us with stories from his younger days. And he said "I don't know why there has to be such a big deal about a birthday!" But I could tell that he was pleased that so many people came. Mal couldn't make it, but Judi was there, and so was one of Mal's wives, Esther. Ona and daughter Donna came, and I represented Christel. I don't remember seeing anyone from Elna's family. The weather threatened all day but the rain kindly waited until we finished the picnic. Then we went into their big garage, already set up, for more food, conversation, and salty stories from Euel. A jolly good time. From Nancy Murdock, Bob's wife (Jan. 8, 2004): I first met Emanuel Carlson Charlton at the celebration of his parents’ 45th or 50th wedding anniversary. Over the years, as a grammar school friend of Lennie’s, I had heard his name, which I thought was very exotic. How would one even spell it? Ewell? We did have a family in Hubbardston by that name. They operated a small ice cream shop out of their home. I was actually a tiny bit disappointed to hear that it was a nickname for Emanuel. At the 50th, I learned that Euel was a man who could make things happen. He left Mom and Dad’s house for a short while and returned with 50 yellow roses for his parents. He said they were from all of the children. I was stunned to see so many expensive flowers in one bouquet. Euel said he had simply gone to the wholesale florists’ place to pick them up. He acted as if we all would know where that was and would think nothing of it. I believe he may have operated a flower shop in Maine, because he had a card to show that he was eligible to buy from the wholesaler. The roses were little tight blossoms, and he said, “These will all open up in two days and be even more beautiful.” I wouldn’t have needed his card to prove his credentials; obviously he knew his roses! Since he was so far north from Hubbardston, we didn’t see Euel often. Lennie had told me about his full range of children with J names, another interesting fact about Euel. But he was much older by the time I discovered his sense of humor. He could really tell a story! Sometimes I had to ponder a while before I knew if he was putting me on, but the twinkle in his blue eyes was a good clue. I also recall his telling me about his fishing camp on a lake in Maine. He said that he had bought it before it became popular with rich men, and he’d never have been able to afford it later. It sounded like one of those great spots where you can get really nice photos of the scenery while the non-vegetarians are frying the freshly caught fish for lunch. My favorite tale of his had to do with a trip he took to Alaska in a small plane. In his 80s, he was in a place where he figured it would be his best chance ever to go to Alaska. Airplane tickets were beyond his reach, however. So he asked who delivered the mail to the spot he wanted to see. He made an arrangement with the pilot of the mail plane, who gave him a wonderful ride, complete with commentary on the scenery. He described the thrill when the pilot swooped down and then up the side of a mountain. He said he figured he had already had a good life, so if he died doing the thing he most wanted to do (a lifetime goal of his), it would be fine! We enjoyed attending the big party for Euel’s 90th birthday and his and Sadie’s 68th wedding anniversary in 1998. It rained partway through the afternoon, and we all congregated in their garage and Joan’s house. When it came time for someone to cut the cake, she asked if he wanted to see it first. He thought a second and said, “Oh, I’ve seen so many cakes,” and waved it away. I got a sense then of how old he really was, and how carefully he was focusing on what he wanted to remember and what he still wanted to do. I feel fortunate to have known Uncle Euel. |
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