A while ago Walter Hartley gave me a copy of a 1917 newspaper article that he had come across. Just recently, I found a similar copy in papers from Carol Higgins that had been passed on to the museum. The article is sub-titled “Rochester Center Mourns the Death of a Most Estimable Lady” and is both an obituary and a biography of Mary Lewis Hathaway on the occasion of her funeral.
Mary Lewis Hathaway was the oldest child of Capt. Judah Hathaway. She was born at her maternal grandparent’s (the Lewis of her name) home as her father was at sea. When Capt. Hathaway retired from the sea, he became a large landowner in Rochester with both a large farm and a sawmill industry. The home he bought for his family was on today’s Marion Rd.
Growing up in Rochester, Mary attended the town schools, including the Academy in what is now the Church Vestry building. Around 1875, she attended the newly opened Wellsley College for three years, a somewhat unusual path for a woman in the 1800’s.
Upon her mother’s death, she stepped up to the task of becoming the mistress of her father’s home and also, to the raising of her youngest sister who was still a child. As time passed, her grandmother, Mrs. Delia King Lewis, moved in with the Hathaway household when her health began to decline, extending Mary’s duties. She then took care of her father as he too developed health issues leading to his death.
After that, she continued to make sure that the family home remained the center for Christmas and other celebrations with her siblings and their families (which contained many nieces and nephews) in attendance. All of these responsibilities would seem to have kept her busy and at home. However, Mary Lewis Hathaway was much more than just the family caregiver and the maintainer of the family home.
The First Congregational Church was important to her and not just as a Sunday attendee. Her service on the part of the church was extensive. She was a charter member of the “Christian Endeavor” where she held a variety of offices including that of president. She was active in the local union of Christian Endeavor Societies. She would drive her horse and carriage to area meetings, making sure to provide transportation to those who needed it.
She took over the job of church clerk which she held for ten years. She was also a member and officer of Rochester Auxiliary to the Women’s Board of Missions. She was a “skillful and energetic director of the Ladies’ Sewing Circle” as well as its secretary. Perhaps most importantly, she was the Superintendent of the Sunday School beginning in 1908.
One wonders where she found the time, but she also served the town as one of the trustees of the Public Library and secretary of the Library Board. Needless to say, her death in 1917 left large gaps in many local organizations.
Just this past week the 105th anniversary of women finally receiving the right to vote was celebrated. This was accomplished by many strong and dedicated women. Mary Lewis Hathaway, who didn’t live long enough to exercise that right, is only one of Rochester’s many such women whose stories can be found in our town’s history. They were the women who stepped forward to accomplish work important to the town and its people and could also be considered ” most estimable.”
By Connie Eshbach
