Links to Photo Panels Photos 1 – 20 Photos 21 – 40 Photos 41 – 60 Photos 61 – 78 Click on thumbnail to access the full-sized photographs

The Helena (Drozd) Ferris Snapshot Album My Mom had a small album made of black construction type paper that was given to her by my grandmother. The album contained 78 snap shots dating from about 1915 to 1925 - mostly taken in Middlefield. A few views are from West Springfield where my grandmother grew up. There are many shots of Walt and my Mom as infants and young children - as would be expected in an album belonging to a young mother. There are other photos of her parents and brothers, her new husband and the farm life of taking care of the many animals. There are early photos of Mable and Gertrude Ferris – my grandfather’s sisters. Some persons are not identified. There is one photo of 3 young boys who might have been the “State” children who have been mentioned as a possibility. There are several views of my grandfather training young horses. He was employed as a teamster at a lumber yard in the 1920 census so I suspect this was an important part of his life. There are some pictures from the old Henry Ferris farm on West Hill where they lived before buying their own farm on Town Hill Road in April of 1921. I believe the new farm was 16 acres for which they paid $1,500. Charles Ferris sold the West Hill farm to John Drozd in 1911 instead of turning it over to his son John. I suspect he needed the money. Charles was only 46 years old when he moved to Wyben and had received the West Hill property in 1897 from his own father. Henry and Selina Ferris are living in Chester by 1900 where they celebrated their 60^th anniversary in 1901. Both die at the West Hill home with Charles as informant, Selina in 1904 and Henry in 1906. In 1910 John Drozd was a machinist living in Ludlow and his son Carl was living in a boarding house in Westfield while working at the Pope automobile factory. I don’t know where John lived after the sale? Carl Drozd was 22 and Gus was 12 at the time of the sale. John Ferris was also 22 in 1911. From the Springfield Republican 13 March 1912: “John Drozd of Whitney street (Ludlow) has bought a large farm in Middlefield. His family soon will move to that town and his son Carl will cultivate the property while Mr. Drozd remains here to retain his position in the Ludlow Manufacturing Associate’s machine shop.” The 26 October 1912 issue in the Middlefield news states: “Miss Helen Drozd” was appointed as Ceres (one of the goddess offices in the grange) and became a charter member at this first organizational meeting. The 1915 Springfield directory has Carl living at 414 Plainfield St. The following year John and Gus are with him – all are machinists. Helen is working at 279 Dwight St. The Drozd farming experiment must have quickly failed. Helen and John marry in July of 1918. They are living at the farm on West Hill in the 1920 census. Why did they buy the house on Town Hill Road instead of remaining on West Hill? Howard Knickerbocker Middlefield, May 2017