Adah Sophrona
known as Sophrona, Aunt Sophrona
also written Adah, Adah Sophrona, Aunt Sophrona, Sophrona, Adah Sophrona Guild Beckman in the book
Biography
Floyd’s aunt. Her husband is said to have squandered most of her inheritance on a failed furniture store venture. Family stories said she was proud to have inherited Newton’s underdeveloped ear and cheek. Olive’s sister-in-law; had nine children. Olive considered them the worst behaved but never turned them away. Floyd's aunt. Died at age 38 of tuberculosis when Floyd was nine. Bore nine children, eight of whom survived her. Described as a beautiful redhead with her father Newton's smallish right ear. Her husband squandered her inheritance in a bad business deal.
Timeline
1875
Adah Sophrona's birth
History of the Guild Familywhen he died
Newton’s estate passes to his children
The size and details of the estate are unknown.
History of the Guild Familydate not given
Birth of Adah Sophrona
History of the Guild Familydate not given
Adah’s inheritance lost in a furniture store venture
Frank is said to have squandered most of Adah’s inheritance in a failed venture with two crooked partners.
History of the Guild FamilyAt age 38; Floyd was 9
Sophrona dies of tuberculosis
Left eight surviving children.
History of the Guild Family
Stories mentioning Adah
- Carrie’s Roots and a Treasured Lock of Red HairThe family traces Carrie’s Fairbanks ancestry and Newton’s Guild ancestry, notes the neighboring family grave sections near Dedham’s old St. Paul Church, and recounts Carrie’s birth, marriage, children and death. A lock of her red hair passed from Belle to Barbara Guild Miller. Floyd was born after both grandparents had died.
- Inventive Hands and the Fortunes of an InheritanceNewton’s mills, repair shop, patents and royalties illustrate what the family calls the Guild tinkering trait. The account also credits Thaddeus Fairbanks and Mr. Morse with scale and engine innovations. After Newton’s death, Dan supported his family with his inheritance, Bernal became a traveling salesman, and Frank Beckman lost most of Adah’s share in a failed furniture store venture.
- A Family Resemblance RememberedFamily stories said Newton passed an underdeveloped ear and cheek to Adah, who was proud of the resemblance; similar transmission was believed to involve Floyd’s children and Bernal’s son. The passage identifies the condition as Hemifacial Microsomia, gives an occurrence rate of about one in 5,600 births, and asserts that the family’s repeated occurrences were chance rather than genetic inheritance.
- Hard Work, Strong Tempers, and Lasting Family TiesThe family describes poverty, shared winter coats, uncertain meals, Dan’s mechanical ingenuity and repair shop, and the heavy household work borne by Olive and her daughters. Severe arthritis and unproved suspicions of infidelity colored Olive’s marriage and behavior. Recollections differ sharply: some emphasize harsh discipline and complaints, while grandchildren recall kindness and others see a devoted couple with stubborn tempers. Dan’s brief 1925 departure ended in his return, and they never divorced. The narrative also remembers affectionate sibling bonds, Floyd’s signature practice, and Olive’s willingness to shelter daughters between marriages. Sweeping judgments about the Vosburg and Guild children are presented as family opinions rather than independently established facts.
- Sophrona's Children and the Love That Helped Edith HealAdah Sophrona Guild Beckman died of tuberculosis at 38, leaving eight surviving children after Samuel's fatal poisoning at two. Her widower Frank married Clara, who severely abused little Edith and was imprisoned after Frank discovered the abuse. The family concealed the imprisonment with a brain-tumor story. Frank later married Mary, whose love helped Edith recover. Edith became a tender mother, and her daughter Gerri supplied details. The account also recalls Adah's lost inheritance and Frank's later Wabedo Lake resort.
Referenced in
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