The Bangor Daily News from Bangor, Maine • 67

S' ALL 1 rugs is a nice way to go: on By Sylvia Leigh Special to the NEWS ORONO you get hooked on hooking it Seems like you stop doing everything else After I start-' ed hooking I stopped knitting I slopped crocheting All I do is said Linda Beutel Rug hookers talk that way And while it may take the outsider a moment to adjust to the lingo it is as natural as air to hobbyists like Beutel who began hooking rugs about eight years ago when she met teacher Polly Gordon at a rug-hooking exhibition The Orono woman had never seen hooked rugs be- fore and the beauty of the finished product so captivated her that she arranged to start lessons that fall been taking classes with Gordon ever since This past summer Beutel conducted her own rug-hooking demonstration at the Old Town Museum where accompanied by Gordon she displayed completed pieces and worked on an unfinished rug rugs are made with strips of wool not yarn" she explained have a machine that cuts the material into strips I work on burlap and pull the wool up But giving them away is no way to take care of hejr Christmas gift list she points out get enough she explains rug I made for my wedding present took two Two things toconcern rug-hookers are cleaning and cats The rugs can be neither washed nor dry-cleaned according to Beutel If the cUrt cannot be removed by vacuuming or wiping them off with ammonia the only recourse is to pull out the hooking and redo the area: Obviously as Beutel says really put thetrf on the floor very As for the cats well the rugs are 100 per- cent wool animals love says Beutel a hooked rug anywhere in the room my cats will make a beeline for it where they want to sleep When 1 hooking a rug in the winter the cats will come and lie in the middle of it I let them stay there because their hair makes it dirty and they love to knead' the rugs They can do more damage to a hooked rug because they can pull out those Sylvia Leigh is a freelance writer who lives ip Limestone through with a hook The pressure from filling in all the spaces holds the material in place" Usually she buys her patterns pre-printed on a very fine-quality burlap which she explains is made just for rug-hooking The wool she buys from Gordon who purchases it by the bolt and dyes it because that is the only way they can get the colors they want you get it already dyed it's only one explains Beutel IJofiy dyes it she will dye one color in eight or more different shades so how we get the shading in our flowers and Not only is rug-hooking a rewarding hobby it is kinder to her hands than are the needle crafts she used to enjoy according to Beutel have arthritis in my hands and had to give up working on just about everything else because knitting and crocheting make my hands she explains I work on rugs for some reason I have any trouble at all I can work on them for hours and not feel any effects on my hands I think because of the way the hook is made I can knit for about an hour and my fingers she adds hooking a loop of wool with a practiced gesture can see your picture really develop and the finished product is just so She goes to rug-hooking class once a week usually five or six of us there and Roily helps us with color and design and sells us all the supplies been teaching about 10 years and has some people been with her all that time She even teaches over the phone and by mail We have quite a little gang Polly calls us her For Beutel the result of associating with other rug-hookers is to spur her to greater effort see what everybody else is doing and you see all these beautiful finished products As working on one project your always on what going to do next because you just work fast enough You see all these gorgeous rugs and pictures and you just want them she explains Although Beutel has made rugs for years she says she has only two that kept for herself because she gives them away to members of her family never ever consider selling one because nobody could offer enough to make me Teel gotten my worth out of she says spent so much time working on these rugs I get personally involved with Sylvia Leigh photoS Polly Gordon left and Linda Beutel Beutel works with the hook (center photo) hooked rug showing underside as neat as the topside (right photo) Club project turns into full-scale family reunification job i i I' I I proves conclusively that the man was not snot and that he was not killed by a train" is related in the newspaper article suggests something stronger like acid or pure alcohol or perhaps wood alcohol but most the article continues man was in agony before his Address inquiries to Family Ties co Connee Jellison PO Box 58 Salisbury Coye Me 04672 who was a victim of Bowdoinham mystery Date unknown but featured date of Dec 16 at Bowdoinham where an Abial Kincaid was found dead Professor Franklin Robinson of Bowdoin College had received word that the victim had died of some poison acid pure alcohol His testimony ruled out a murder theory but he concluded the man died in great agony started out as a church club project for my eight-year old son and an Eagle Scout project for my 16-year old cousin has blossomed into a full scale family re-unification writes Margie Burnett of Old Town aunt and I have been working on our family tree only since May and I have already found two brothers I never knew I had and now we are searching for a third brother who was placed for adoption in 1962 or at birth What started out as a two-oman project has spread to encompass 18 states and more than 70 family members We have uncovered eight to 12 generations of our family and hope readers can help with more on Isaac Foster and Isaac Jr "The petition you printed in a recent column is from either Gray or Argyle Maine for one of the men my ancestor was born in Gray and moved to Bradley then helped settle Birch Stream Settlement later known as Argyle He was an Argyle town selectman for 40 years He was a court justice in 1881 and representative in the Legislature from WHITEWATER MANEUVER 1910 MORRISON Need help with my Morrison line which begins in 1690 with Daniel at Rowley Mass Daniel Morrison Jr was in Wells Maine by 1715 and at New Limerick by 1817 ie Samuel Morrison (1761-1842) I wish to discover specifically the maiden name of Sally who md Isaiah Morrison 1784-1874 She was 1792 Where is she buried? Need to know what the initial stands for in Benjamin name He md Catharine McGary and he was the son of Isaiah Benjamin and Catharine had three children Collins 1841 Bain-bridge Decatur (1843-1911) and Thackera Taylor 1849 What became of Collins and Thackeray? Are there any photos existing for Morrisons who settled in Aroostook County? Wish to correspond with descendants of this line and compare notes Jenni-lr Morrison 53 School Street Augusta 1941 MILLIKEN-BUTLER Who was Martha Butler wife of James Millikent? Where did she come from hwere was she born and who were her parents? When were Martha and James Milliken married? Was James father Benjamin Milliken and Lucy Banks? Barbara Roderick RR i Box 425 Woodland Me 04694 1942 LORD-PHI LBRICK Does the name Peter Ross Lord appear on your family records? He was born in Lebanon Maine July 10 1816 md May 6 1836 to Sarah Ann Phil-brick and he died Dec 13 1863 Where did he die? Sarah Ann died Feb 3 1866 at Quincy Mass but according to Mass ARchives and Quincy Vitals are no records of Merle Graffam 2827 Westbrook Driver Building 34 Apartment 513 Fort Wayne Ind 46805 1943 K1NCAID-GROVER Searching for information on Kincaids especially about my grandmother Mary Elizabeth Kincaid Wiscasset April 7 1864 Married Francis Cushman Grover about 1877 she only thirteen years old I enclsoe a newspaper clipping of Abial Kincaid which is undated and newspaper is known only as Express' He may have been a brother to my grandmother I will gladly pay postage to anyone having information Barbara Sibley 56 Graves Road Greenfield Mass 01301 The newspaper clipping to which Barbara refers shows a photo of Abial Kincaid By Connee Jettison 1864 to continues Margie Foster-Burnett Margie Burnett needs to know the parents of Isaac Foster Sr who he married etc He was born March 18 1743 in Gray died in 1785 and buried in Patience Cemetery in Gray Responses should be sent to Burnett at 15 Meadow Lane Old Town 04468 Penobscot Valley Chapter of the Maine Genealogical'Society will meet Nov 13 at Kinsley House in Hampden with Connee Jellison as guest speaker The meeting will begin at 2 pm and is open to the public Refreshments will follow On Dec 11 members will participate in Christmas customs of our ancestors and on Jan 8 Lois Woodcock will speak on Canadian Research in Ontario The Mount Desert Island Area Genealogical Society elected new officers at a recent meeting: president Ralph Long vice-president Austin Carter secretary treasurer Margaret Bailey The next meeting will be held Oct 27 at 7 pm at Jesup Library in Bar Harbor Members are asked to bring their five-generation chart and be prepared to explain their research problems The meeting is open to the public 1939 SMILEY I am seeking information about the Smiley family of Kennebec County especially the descendants of Asa and Sarah Smiley of River Road Sidney He was born 1795 and had the following children 1 Ann 2 Rodolphus 3 Henry 4 Olive 5 Fanny 6 Asa 7 Charles and 8 Daniel Daniel was my great-grandfather and his son Bertrand was my grandather who lived in Revere Mass Bertrand Smiley had one brother Arthur and three sisters Lucy die and Mabel Mrs Teddy Goodrich 8200 Kern Avenue Gilroy Calif 95020 Genealogists to meet SCARBOROUGH Census records will be the focus of the quarterly meeting of the Maine Genealogical Society on Saturday Nov 5 at Wentworth Elementary School on Route 114 in Scarborough Speakers will include author and historian William Jordon Jr of Westbrook who will speak on the lifestyle at the time of the 1790 census Other speakers will be Ann Lain-hart of Boston on state census records Me-linde Lutz Sanborn of Derry NH on census records at the National Archives in Waltham Mass and Danny Smith of Augusta on census schedules and indexes at the Maine State Archives Picton Press will give a reception in honor of the new MGS publication Families in 1790" Members may purchase the book from MGS at a discount and nonmembers may purchase copies Irom Picton Press Vendors will have other genealogical books and materials available for sale as well Registration will begin at 8:30 am with a fee of $3 Participants should park in back of the school The public is invited NEWS Photo by torn Hindman Dave Beaulieu Bangor plays Penobscot River rapids at Bangor Dam telephones were sturdy technologically elegant A few months back in a column about the office I worked in as a young boy I mentioned the fact that there were still candlestick-type phones in use in that business as late as 1960 This resulted in some skeptical inquries which prompted me to send a copy of the column to the retired switchboard operator Two weeks ago I received a package containing one of the candlestick phones which The switchboard operator had saved when they were replaced in 1962 Not only was I excited by the memories summoned up by the sight of that phone but it got me thinking about the history of the telephone and its present role as a unique collectible Old telephones do have some value to collectors as decorative objects but they are primarily valued by those who appreciate their technological simplicity Anyone who nas gone through the efforts to convert one of the old wooden case magneto-type phones to be used today may come to the realization that unless you have your own switchboard or private phone company these models are better off left as decorative objects These beautiful phones with their oak or walnut Cases nickle-plated bells and magneto cranks are vital in the restoration of a period interior or the recreation of a setting such as a store or office Some people have gone so far as to replace the works of these phones with modern ones in order to make them useable To the purist however the crank phone is best when found in original condition In some cases these early hones which are still in relatively good supply will ring less money than later models which can be used Another type of phone which Is still relatively plentiful is the smaller wood-case type which was used as part of an office or home internal communication system Invariably these phones were powered by batter far more desirable for those who wish to use them The phone sent to me from the old office had been in the office and was the only dial phone in the usiness establishment All the others were hooked into the switchboard At that old office we made a quantum leap from candlestick phones and a switchboard to high-tech modern system Most people made a more gradual transition which saw once-common models slowly vanish from the scene In most homes and offices the candlesticks were replaced with the first so-called cradle phones The early cradle phones were simple and elegant with a well-deserved reputation for indestructibility The cradle phone slowly evolved with various design changes through the 1930's 40's and These changes were at times barely perceptible But the resulting model of the late and early was a triumph of simple technology attractive functional design and a piece of equipment which never wore out I have one of these phones in my office and every time I look at it I am reminded of the old murder mysteries in which the victim is dispatched with a telephone receiver Invariably the type used was the rugged1 late model I can attest to the weight of these beasts A long phone conversation can be compared to an aerobics workout Even tough there are many modern copies of vlnlagfe phones available most do not measure up in terms of authenticity of detail For the average homeowner who is only trying to achieve the of an old phone these copies are fine But the true vintage phone enthusiast will settle only for an original in working condition Robert Croul lives In Newburgh ies located in cellars or closets and they had separate bell boxes and no crank Again these phones are of interest as decorative objects and they are important in the restoration of period settings but they are not of great interest to real telephone buffs Early phones can be compared to early radios: They have a special following but the real enthusiasts who appreciate technology as well as design seem to be more interested in the later models which became common after the turn of the century The so-called candlestick phone was patented around the turn of the century and became commonplace in homes and offices during World War I These phones were the property of Ma Bell and were predominantly manufactured by Western Electric They are known for their sturdy simplicity and technological elegance Candlestick phones appeared in several varieties including the nickle-plated versions prized by collectors today The vast majority of these phones were plain black although the enamel covered brass Many home-owners have stripped these and polished the brass While this may make for a pretty display piece it is frowned on by serious collectors It is harder to find dial-model candlestick phones and this makes them.