Document Collection

Reflections by Dorothy Reed

Date: 15 February 1974

On thinking over my years of service as Clerk and assistant Postmaster in the Berwyn Post Office and under four fine gentlemen. First was Wayne Lewis, second Otho Torenner, Theo. C. Lamborn and now retired Larry E. Adams.  The first three are deceased, Theo. C. Lamborn having passed away Feb. 14, 1974.

For going in “cold,” as the expression goes these days, I was put right to work – no nonsense – having been primed by Miss Hattie Dewees not to carry on any flirtations or carry on any undue conversation with the patrons. My training was in accuracy whether with money, records, or the dispatch and sorting of the mail.  Before I became a regular clerk on an annual salary, the hourly rate was 65 cents an hour. Today’s rate is about $4.00.  I made out well except at times there would be a great fanfare by the Postal Dept. to cut down on the hours and once or twice in the middle of sorting a mid-morning’s incoming mail would quit per Washington, D.C.  But as the years went on, it was not an unusual feature. Before too long, the Postmaster would put in an s.o.s. for need in our particular situation.

Miss Martha Henderson was the regular clerk and Mrs. J. Wayne Kirkner (Elizabeth Hayes) came to help at Christmas and to pinch-hit in case of illness.  Mr. Earl Linck also was employed from time to time at the Post Office.  At this time, Mr. Wayne Lewis was Postmaster, who was most kind and understanding of the patrons. Mr. Lewis resigned to stand for election as Easttown’s Tax Collector.

Then Mr. Otho. Torenner who was the Rural Carrier was appointed Postmaster.   Miss Marie Moran of S. Leopard Rd. served as substitute rural carrier for vacation time or in case of illness.  Somewhere in here, Mr. Louis Barns made application to become rural carrier and served until his retirement.  In this period of time, Miss Henderson left and I became the regular clerk until the retirement of Miss Hattie Dewees.

Mr. Torenner left the Post Office at the time of change of the Republican administration to Democratic and Mr. Theo. C. Lamborn became Postmaster.  Today this is not done,  being on merit, and vet being first choice if there is an opening.  Mr. Lamborn served as Postmaster until Dec. 19XX. Then Mr. Adams, who had been the regular clerk, and being a vet, applied and was duly sworn in.

Over the several Postmasters we had several clerks serve both long and short periods of time.  The names appear as I try to recollect and not necessarily in order – Mrs. Kirkner as before mentioned, Earl Linck, Mrs. Fletcher Thomas, Mrs. Fred Koppenhard, Mrs. Margaret McBrearly Connelly, Mrs. William Rambo, Mrs. Joseph Human, Mrs. Charles Swope, Mr. Maurice Fitzgerald.  Mr. Guy Williams, Mr. James Gibson entered the picture in 1955 as carriers joined by transfer from other areas Mr. Brown C. Hall and Mr. Harry Getman. 

One of the moments that comes to my mind is getting house delivery set up - sometime before that, a new patron was most adamant that we have house delivery, having come from a big city. Well, when it came time for house numbers and proper instruction for mailboxes either at the house or at the curbside, believe it or not, that household held on to their P. O. mailbox.  Their reasons were real enough as their children had grown – gone to college, service and marriage – and they felt they would get their mail sooner, more opportunely, due to the number of incoming mail at the time and the P.O. being open on holidays and then certain hours on Sunday.

We had the most interesting patrons. I have in mind one morning when the Governor of Pennsylvania, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, accompanied Mr. George W. Woodruff to the P.O.  Mr. Woodruff was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania at the time and was a graduate of Yale and had on his license “Y89.”  Mr. & Mrs. Woodruff lived at the northwest corner of Bair & Orchard Way  [A] – where the Harrison Hires had lived at one time.

On the southeast corner at Orchard Way and Bair [B], Mr. & Mrs. Edmundo de Angelis lived. They were a most charming and friendly couple.  Mr. De Angelis was a lawyer and a court interpreter.  Rumor had it that Mr. De Angelis was or had been a Count, having come from a noble family from Italy. Mrs. De Angelis was a Florence south and her home had been the south mansion on what is now Lincoln Highway or Route 30 and serves as the “hall” at Devereux Schools.  Mr. & Mrs. De Angelis had a son who died as a child of about 12 or 14 if my memory serves me correctly.

Mr. & Mrs. E. Lewis Burnham (Cara) lived next to the west of Mr. & Mrs. Woodruff [C]. Mrs. Burnham had a nursery school in the garage on Orchard Way.  Mr. & Mrs. George P. Orr and their family were the next family west of the Burnham’s [D].  It had been the home of Peter Burns [look up] and original part dated from 1734 or 54 (?).

At the time that Mr. & Mrs. De Angelis lived on Orchard Way, Mr. & Mrs. S. L. Bodine lived next door [E?]  – east – then the Pinkertons, the Abner Johnston, now ?; where Frank Kelley lives now several families lived – one that I recall were the McFadden’s [F], then opposite Mrs. Frank (Anne) Crawford with Hugh, Barbara (Mrs. Crawford’s sister) and Audrey and the present resident Miss Emma Belle Beal. Then the corner house of Orchard Way (northeast) and Conestoga, the Ritners built their home and now the home of Don & Shirley Hough [G].  At the corner of Orchard, Conestoga and Cassatt, which is now used as school administration office, I once lived. Bob & Marie Doyle made their home as did others including Dr. Ruth Duffy, G.P. at Devereux [H].

Opposite corner northwest was the home of Mrs. R. MacNamee [I], whose husband had been school Superintendent or Principal of the High School [check].  Her daughter, Mrs. William Penn Bentz, studied for the opera and Mr. Bentz was a church organist.  They had two daughters Betty & Eleanor – all five moved to New York. Mrs. McNamee told me that her home had been over at what is Swiss Pines – that was when she was a child.*

The next house west was built by Mr. Francis Okie and the Hadleys lived there and until recently Dr. & Mrs. Richard (Jane) Bolsher [J].  The next house was the home until the recently deceased Honorable Howard S. Okie [K]. Mr.Okie was active in many ways and especially the T.E. History Club.

The next place where Conestoga High School is - was the Tobaco Farm [L?]. The house that stands at corner of Irish & Conestoga and Martin’s lake was the home of the late Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Rieben (Margaret Lewis [M?].)  Mrs. Ethel L. Walton, present occupant.  Barns were on both sides of Conestoga Road but as I remember them mostly stone _____ - now the site of attractive homes.

*The Bentzes had a dog called “Perk” white bull of some kind. Perk escorted all to the train and even went to the Berwyn movies, Berwyn Roller Rink.

Coming east next to north Berwyn School, Mr. & Mrs. N. B. Rumrill with daughter Elizabeth and son Henry. Mr. Rumrill was an organist, enjoyed book collecting, had a scientific mind, compiled a perpetual calendar, and erected on his property an observatory [N].

At what is now 765 Conestoga Road is the present home of Mr. & Mrs. Robert Donnelly (Roseanne) and their four sons, Rob Jr., Joseph, Michael and Patrick, Jr.  Before the Donnellys moved here, several years ago Mrs. Roy Hunter (Elsie) and her Aunt Miss Sallie Hoffman – built 1911 [O].

Next, the home of the late Mr. & Mrs. William T. Mansley (Ruth L.); this house was built in 1923 by ________ & Edwd. (?) Edna (?) Warner. Mr. Warner and his brother had the  ________ business [P].

Opposite the Donnelly and Mansley home was that of the late W. C. Latch and daughter Josephine – for a short time home of the S. B. Vogans and now present home of George C. Cauffman and family – five daughters and two sons [Q].

Between the Houghs and the Cauffmans, two ranch type homes have been built – next to the Houghs – Mr. & Mrs. ______ then the Norcinis next to Cauffmans.

The corner house at Conestoga & Bair now owned by the Ongs – was once home of the Newbolds [R] – Mrs. William C. Schultz of Berwyn Baptist lived there with her two sisters. The Ongs have five or 7 children (?), two or three of college age.

To the east are new houses on property that was once the home of Mr. Oliver H. Bair and his daughter Miss Mary Bair and it was known as “Hillcrest.”  Miss Lilly Endicott was a member of the Bair household [S].

Next to the Bair estate was the home of Mr. F. L. Burns who was a charter member of T. E. History Club [T]. Mr. Burns was an ornithologist and as I remember a room of the building off to itself for his collection. Next came the “Sageheis” home later the Millers and present owners (?)[U].  Mr. Sagehar was a lawyer and also pastor at one time of Baptist Church in the Great Valley. Next to it is a new house, then the home of Miss Martha Dewees and her late parents, Mr. & Mrs. Seely Dewees [V?].

Coming back to Conestoga Road near Bairs are (?) and just east of the Mansley home is the present home of Mr. & Mrs. Lee Krow (Judy). The house was built by Mr. & Mrs. John Heagy, who sold it to Mr. & Mrs. R. W. Rauch, who sold it to the Krows [W?].

Next the Fred Wilsons – with two boys James (Jamie) and Richie, the Rands (Cindy & Jeff), the Fletcher Thomases, the Doug Purdys daughter of Helen Dottie Armstrong & Eddie Hayes, then the Charles Vogans [X?].

All the houses on Conestoga Road and Cassatt were on the former farm (?) [Look]

3/21/74

In last evening’s Bulletin and in Today’s Post, the death of E. Swift Newton is announced; Mr. Newton’s services to be at noon Saturday in Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley Forge, PA. 

Mr. Newton’s first wife was Ethel Jennings, whom he called Angel. Angel was a nurse in the First World War and they had four daughters. Recently the Newtons have been living in Dublin, Ireland, where Mr. Newton died.

I remember while working in the Post Office one holiday when there was “service” – a special delivery came for the Newton family and as they lived beyond the mile limit of delivery which at that time was done by a lad – who if I remember correctly was paid 8 cents for a letter and a slightly higher fee for packages depending on the weight. The boy had to walk or use a bicycle and would have to arrive at the Post Office by 7 a.m.  (I sort of got carried away here by details of service to J. Q. Public.) Well, to get on with the holiday, we phoned the Newton household (we had no phone in the Post Office at the time and had to go to the Berwyn Hardware, a door or so away, and Cass Tolinger was Proprietor.)  Well, Mr. Newton came blustering in the Post Office shortly before 9 a.m. in pajamas, dressing gown and flapping bedroom slippers and hair tousled.  Mr. Newton’s language was colorful, which matched his get-up of the moment.

Remember visiting at the chapel one Sunday and not having seen him for years. He grabbed me like a long lost relative, but I doubt that he remembered my name.  Mr. Newton’s mother was most charming, a lady if ever there was one.  About 1939, Mrs. Newton was in the Post Office and I remember that she was most distressed at the moment and over the next four or five years proved to be correct. Mrs. Newton had just heard Hitler sounding off.  The Newtons had many relatives living in Europe and had reason to be alarmed.

Mr. A. E. Newton wrote many books, especially “The Paoli Local” which gives a picture of the Main Line at the time. He, too, was a colorful figure at the time.  Miss Caroline Newton is still living at her home in Daylesford.