This collection of biographies has been compiled by dedicated FHC volunteers Dawne Buckley, Martha Davidson, Mark Galluzzo, Pat Lavin, Dana Ricciardi, and Jane Whiting. This project highlights individuals – farmers, entrepreneurs, inventors, teachers, artists, soldiers, philanthropists, etc. – to tell the larger story of Framingham’s rich history. | biographies.framinghamhistory.org
Few people have had such a great impact on the Boston sports scene as Charles F. Adams (1876-1947). A Vermont transplant who made his home in Framingham, Adams brought the Bruins to Boston, was a major contributor to the construction of the Boston Garden, led the effort to build Suffolk Downs, and for several years was a minority owner of the Boston Braves. All of this was accomplished while he was the treasurer, director, and eventually chairman of the board of the First National chain...| Framingham Biographies
The year is sometime before 1998, you’re heading north on Prospect Street. On the right hand side of the road you see a rustic sign reading Woodside Cottages in front of a weathered cape cod style house set on a large wooded lot. You wonder what are the Woodside Cottages: perhaps a long ago resort, vacation rental properties, or just some family’s getaway compound? Woodside Cottages were none of the above. They were in fact a private sanatorium established by Dr. Frank Wallace Patch...| Framingham Biographies
“Framingham men have been among the first, the finest, the bravest…willing to endure personal sacrifice so that all may enjoy the liberties and freedoms that are ours today.” – Historian Tom A.C. Ellis1| Framingham Biographies
Nevins Hall …. We’ve all been there, perhaps to attend a town meeting, a holiday concert, a wedding, or a prom. In 1994, President Bill Clinton gave a speech there, and in 2016, author David McCullough capped off “Framingham Reads Together” with a talk about his book The Wright Brothers. Political debates and early voting also have taken place in this space. Ever wonder how it got its name? | Framingham Biographies
Josiah Adams (1781-1854) was the fifth child and second son born to Moses and Abigail (Stone) Adams. While little is known of Josiah’s childhood, we do know that he was educated at home by his father (New 156). Moses, a Harvard educated minister residing and preaching in Acton, was a firm believer in the value of education. Beside his own children, Moses also prepared some of the local boys for admission to college. | Framingham Biographies
The intersection of Edgell Road, Water Street and Edmands Road has always been a busy crossroads. In colonial times, today’s Water Street and Edmands Road formed the East-West path connecting Saxonville and Marlborough. In the mid-1700s, improvements were made to the South Path and Sudbury Road, which is today’s Edgell Road. These road improvements enticed more and more people to settle in the area. By the mid to late 1700s the intersection was home to many businesses, including Captai...| Framingham Biographies
In nineteenth century America, the exhibition of so-called “freaks of nature” was a popular and accepted form of entertainment. These exhibits were promoted as being morally uplifting and educational (Fordham 208). Audiences included not only the curious from all social classes, but also physicians and scientists interested in studying human anomalies. There were different kinds of exhibitions: small traveling shows, permanent museums, and sideshows attached to traveling circuses. | Framingham Biographies
In the Nobscot section of Framingham there lies a hidden paradise, a forty-five acre garden of native wildflowers. This garden, aptly called Garden in the Woods,was the dream of one man, Will C. Curtis (1883-1969).| Framingham Biographies
Life in England had become unbearable under King Charles I due to heavy taxation and political and religious unrest. Like so many others, John, Bent, Sr. and his wife Martha, with their 5 small children, decided to emigrate to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in search of civil and spiritual freedom. In April 1638, they set sail out of Southampton, England on board the ship Confidence. At the time, John Bent, Jr. (baptized 1636-1717) was only two or three years old. The family settled in Su...| Framingham Biographies
Ralph T. Noonan (1909 – 1986) was born in Clinton, Massachusetts on October 27, 1909. His family was of Irish ancestry. And, like so many Irish, Ralph’s grandparents, the Foleys and the Noonans, came to America in the 1860s. On December 30, 1908, Catherine Foley (26) and Michael T. Noonan (33) were married by Reverend T. K. Heffernan at St. George’s Church in Saxonville. After their marriage, Michael and Catherine moved to Clinton where their four children were born.| Framingham Biographies
