So I am on Santa’s Naughty List. I have not submitted a Bits & Pieces since July. We began an administrative project and the next thing you know, I completely dropped the ball on Bits & Pieces.
So in the spirit of Christmas and trying to move back to the Nice List, I decided that the last Bits & Pieces of 2023 will center around Christmas in Douglas.
Today I want to highlight C.H.B. (Carrie Hunt Bryant) Fielitz. Mrs. Fielitz was born in March 1858 to Caroline Augusta Hunt and George P. Bryant. She was the granddaughter of Deacon Warren Hunt (prominent Douglas citizen) and Martha Kelley.
In either 1946 or 1948, while in her early 90s, Mrs. Fielitz wrote “East Douglas First Christmas Tree”. She passed away at 92 on June 8, 1948. Her story tells of the first Christmas Tree as well as some of the history of the Hunt Family:
It was over 80 years ago and they had never seen one — those stern old Puritans had an idea it was something to do with the Catholic Church. My mother — who had spent the first years of her married life in Worcester and had seen Christmas there said, “I am going to have a Christmas tree.” So father and I went into the woods and cut a large balsam and sat it up in the dining room. It was trimmed with strips of popcorn — candy canes — nuts — little candles — and cotton for snow. Only kind Providence knows why we didn’t set the house on fire — altho there were several pails of water all ready for an emergency.
Mother invited all the family of Hunts — they were a little doubtful but — they finally all came and brought their children — and their presents that were piled under the tree — and cakes of all kinds — and there was lemonade and coffee. Father was Santa Claus — all dressed in a red coat with a red hat. Well as I said before they all came, there was Uncle Anderson and Aunt Nancy — they lived in the house at the head of the street and Cousin Charles Hunt who always opened every prayer meeting with his prayer of “Kind and Indulgent Father” and Uncle Leander and Aunt Mary — who became a famous Temperance leader and lecturer — and at seventy studied German — went across and lectured to the German students — it was only the other day that I saw the W.C.T.U. was celebrating her birthday. Then there was Aunt Persis and Uncle Oliver (they iced opposite). Aunt Persis was the one who said to her daughter, “Julianne, lend me a breast pin, I have to lead the prayer meeting.” Aunt Mary and Uncle Joseph – she was considered the most wonderful housekeeper. Uncle Joseph had come in through the wood shed to be sure his shoes were clean. Cousin Charles and Aunt Harriet — her sons, George and Henry Hutchin became prominent citizens of Worcester — especially Henry became a rich man — they were connected with the Knowles Loom Works. Otis Hunt was Grandfather’s own brother — the others were only half brother and sisters. He had a son, Franklin, who was killed in the Civil War and a daughter, Mary Louise, who married a Manchester man. Of course, (#1) Grandfather and Grandmother Hunt were there and (#2) Uncle Frank and Aunt Eunice and (#2) Uncle William and Aunt Laura. It was needless to say a good time was had by all and after that each family in turn had a tree. Mother had converted them.
Notes :
1 – lived in Hathaway’s house
2 – lived next door “ “
My grandparents
There was a double wedding. Laura and Eunice sisters from the neighboring town of Dudley, I think, William and Frank cousins.
It should be noted that there are multiple places that this piece has shown up in throughout the archive. The December 1998 issue of The Douglas Herald has an excerpt from this piece. The preface comments that it was written in the early 1900s and instead of… “over 80 years ago…”, “over 40 years ago…” was used. However, there are two sources, one a scrapbook from the Second Congregational Church that has the piece written in 1948, and the second from the Anthony H. Coppola Collection that has the piece written in 1946. I have chosen to use these two sources to date the piece as they are manuscript items instead of a newspaper article.
Wishing everyone Happy Holidays! And my archive resolution for 2024 is to make sure that Bossman has a Bits & Pieces in his hand monthly!