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BUTTERFIELD FAMILY BLOG
Stories about the Butterfields of Antrim NH and around the world. Sketch of "The Lane" by Chuck McLean for Seeking Parmenter: A Memoir of Place by Charles Butterfield
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WHY DIDN'T BYRON USE A PIECE OF PAPER?
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In the 1970s I found a small wooden cutting board on my late grandfather’s workbench at Butterfield Farm in Antrim NH. This was written in pencil:
(front) Forest Cow alright now. I had to go away. Please call your office. (back) Math calculations including cost/gallon and multiplying by pi |
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Who wrote this?
My grandfather, Byron G. Butterfield (1894-1971, Antrim NH) was a dairy farmer and a carpenter. He kept a small herd of Holsteins, which he had to give up when he was diagnosed with asthma in the mid-1960s. He often wrote with a flat carpenter's pencil sharpened with a jackknife, a tool he told me I should never be without. Left: Byron and Vera Butterfield, Antrim Grange Hall, 1960s. Photo by Barry Proctor.
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Who was Forrest?
Forrest Tenney, DVM (1910-1986, Antrim native) made barn calls for large animals and saw small animals at his office in Peterborough NH. He and Byron had been neighbors on West Street in Antrim in the early 1920s, which is probably why Bryon called him "Forrest" instead of "Dr. Tenney." Most likely Dr. Tenney didn't have a mobile phone or 2-way radio in the 1950s-1960s, so his office left messages for him with his customers. Right: Dr. Tenney's story: Is There a Doctor in the Barn? by Elizabeth Yates
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Mystery Solved?
My grandfather was the oldest of seven farm children who were raised to be responsible and courteous. Even though the cow was 'alright' and he had to leave, Byron made sure to leave a note for the vet, politely adding "Please call your office." Although not parsimonious, my grandfather was a very practical man. Because I knew these people and the times they lived in, I know everything about this message except WHY? Why did my grandfather write on a little cutting board instead of a piece of paper?
My grandfather was the oldest of seven farm children who were raised to be responsible and courteous. Even though the cow was 'alright' and he had to leave, Byron made sure to leave a note for the vet, politely adding "Please call your office." Although not parsimonious, my grandfather was a very practical man. Because I knew these people and the times they lived in, I know everything about this message except WHY? Why did my grandfather write on a little cutting board instead of a piece of paper?
AuthorJane McLean says: I was fortunate to live at Butterfield Farm in the early 1950s and again 1970-1984. I am now retired and living on the rocky coast of Maine. |
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