Newton Joseph Guild
also written Newton Guild, Newton in the book
Biography
Described as of Coventry, Vermont; lineage said to go back to 1509 in Scotland. Held 39 patents for paper manufacturing, pulp mill apparatus, scales and stoves. Owned land on Lake Wabedo and received royalties on his own and some of his father’s patents. Died at age 58 of consumption, which the passage defines as encompassing serious lung diseases. His estate went to his three children; its size and details and the fate of his patents are unknown. Family stories describe an underdeveloped ear and cheek. death date recorded both as “May 29, 1901” and as “1901” in the book; kept as written. Floyd's grandfather; had a thick head of coarse black hair and a prominent widow's peak. Mechanically inventive. Clarence Newton received his middle name in Newton’s honor; Newton is also said to have died only a few months before Clarence’s 1902 birth. Owned land on Wabedo Lake and left Adah an inheritance. The passage explicitly says it is unknown whether the later resort land was bequeathed to Adah by him.
Timeline
June 24, 1874
Newton and Carrie marry
History of the Guild Family1901; also described as only a few months before Clarence’s 1902 birth
Death of Newton and Bernal’s inheritance
Bernal used his inheritance to buy a fine horse and a new Colt .45 revolver.
History of the Guild FamilyMay 29, 1901
Death of Newton Guild
Died at age 58 of consumption, nine years after Carrie.
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 Daniel William
History of the Guild Familydate not given
Birth of Bernal Almond
History of the Guild Familydate not given
Birth of Adah Sophrona
History of the Guild Family
Stories mentioning Newton
- Dad's Beginnings and Family ResemblancesThe family recounts Floyd Raymond Guild's farm birth, parents, inherited appearance, and full and half-siblings. They remember the infant death of Harold Herman and state that eight of Olive's ten children lived well into old age. The passage contains conflicting ages and dates for Olive and calls the Vosburg children both half-siblings and stepsiblings.
- 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.
- A Snowstorm, an Open Door, and a Growing FamilyDrawing partly on Floyd’s accounts, the family recounts Dan and Bernal’s rented farm and Olive’s desperate appeal after Clarence Vosburg’s accidental death. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and housekeeping, initially unaware of her two oldest daughters. Olive and Dan married in 1899 and had five children, two of whom died young. The account also recalls Carrie’s devout household and Bernal’s departure after Newton’s death to sell sewing machines, including his meeting with Belle Woodley.
- 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
Family corrections
Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.
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