Elders

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee
and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

"I grew up on the South Road. My father was John Bassett. Oh, we had quite a farm. It was at least a hundred acres. It was on both sides of the road. My father had cows, and the sheep, and oxen and the horse. We had ducks. There were turkeys. He used to sell turkeys, ship them off-Island Thanksgiving and Christmas. I remember him crating them up. I suppose Bart Mayhew picked them up and took them to the steamship wharf.

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

"I go back quite a long ways. I was born in 1903. William Allen was my father’s name, and Sarah Allen was my mother’s name. She was a Hammett. My father’s people, they came over on the Mayflower, and they settled in Chilmark. So I have quite a title to my name.
"My father was a farmer.

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee
and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

"I was born on Canonicus Avenue in Oak Bluffs on April 6, 1931 down near Farm Pond to Jesse Steere and Florence Catherine Steere. When I was born Mother was eighteen and Dad was forty-two.

This post was contributed by Linsey Lee
and The Martha's Vineyard Museum

"And there were plenty of cranberry bogs on the Island when I was younger. There was one, two down by Lake Tashmoo, then the big one, Evan Bodfish’s on the Lambert’s Cove Road. Then the next one around was Howland’s.