According to the Portuguese Genealogy Project, Joseph A. Marshall[1] was born on May 23 in 1885 in St. Michael to Joseph Marshall and Mary Machado.[2] That is a bit misleading. Joe was born in the Azores, an archipelago of islands that are a part of the nation of Portugal.[3] St. Michael is the anglicized name for São Miguel Island, the largest of the islands.[4] In the 1930 United States Federal Census, Joseph A. Marshall’s place of birth was listed as Portugal and his language Portuguese.[5] He immigrated to the United States in 1903.[6] His occupation was listed as gardener for a private family.[7]
In fact, Joe had come to America to serve as a gardener on the Colgate estate, where he developed a new variety of marigold.[8] He came in through Fall River, MA,[9] where he had a sister and brother.[10] He worked as a carpenter and a laborer in addition to his gardener duties, and lived on Howard Avenue in Tisbury, MA.[11] The home was listed as being valued at $2,000.00 and was listed as not having a radio or including a farm.[12]
Joe married Angelina Rezendes Borges who had been born in Lowell, MA in 1888, to Manuel Rezendes Borges and Mary Anne Phillips.[13] The marriage would result in 8 children,[14] including Alfred Joseph Marshall, on May 18, 1922 in Tisbury.[15] His draft card indicates he was employed at Pier 9 in New Bedford, Massachusetts for the New England Steamship Company.[16] Alfred would also work for the Massachusetts Steamship Authority,[17] rising to the rank of First Mate on the passenger ferry, the Islander.[18]
Alfred would marry Hilda M. Ferreira on December 25, 1941.[19] She had been born in Oak Bluffs[20] to John D. Ferreira and Mary M. Duart Sylvia.[21] They would have three children, James Joseph Marshall, “Jimmy,” Michael Joseph, and the middle son, Richard Paul “Dick” Marshall born November 24, 1946.[22]
The Marshalls were always handy. Richard Paul “Dick” and his father would teach themselves how to upholster from a book. Thus, was born “House of Marshall Upholstery,” which Richard would operate off and on throughout his career. He would build an apartment complex and years later a house. He married Corrine and had two sons, Richard, Jr., and Gregory.[23] Richard Jr. would eventually move to nearby Nantucket, securing and operating the Pepperidge Farms snack franchise there while working as a manager at the Stop and Shop, and then later becoming a Steamship Authority customs agent. Greg would work at Stop and Shop on the Vineyard as a bagger as well as at the Chilmark Chocolate factory until it closed.[24]
Alfred had a massive heart attack[25] and died during an operation related to it on March 24, 1967.[26] Alfred was 44.[27] He was known as a hard worker who also played hard, and despite his limited height was quite stocky.[28] His funeral was one of the rare occasions when the Steamship Authority shut down all service to the island for reasons other than weather.[29] Hilda would pass away from cancer on November 1, 1970.[30]
Corrine and Richard would divorce. He then married Marcia Jean Ayers, who was born on April 14, 1947 to John and Adeline Ayers of Agawam, MA. She had attended design school in New Bedford and, after a series of mergers between higher educational institutions, was a student for the first year of the new Southern Massachusetts University, later to become known as the University of Massachusetts North Dartmouth, or UMASS North Dartmouth.[31] The two met when she had worked a summer job on the Vineyard at the Art Cliff Diner[32] in Vineyard Haven[33] and he had been working as an SPO.[34] They married and had a son, Jeffrey, and then, two years later moved to Western Massachusetts.[35]
Marica would work as a secretary at Hampden Village Trailer Park, and then at the McDuffie School for the Gifted at Ames Hill Academy in Springfield, MA, before working as a secretary at WGGB Television ABC Channel 40 in Springfield, MA in the program director’s office. She would then work as an administrative assistant at Westfield State College where she would earn her bachelor’s degree at the age of 40. She would then complete a Master of Arts in English from WSC and become a professor at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield,[36] on the grounds of the old Springfield Armory. She would be recognized as professor of the year and made the Liberal Studies department chair. Now retired, she still teaches once course a semester in technical report writing.
Having been promised a job in Westfield as an upholsterer, Dick was surprised to find the job given to someone else after he had relocated to Westfield, MA in 1973. Dick worked as a store manager at Waldbaums Food Mart,[37] then at the Mini Food Basket, and then for Digital Equipment Corporation as a stockroom manager on the grounds of the old Springfield Armory. He divorced again and remarried.
After a brief return to the Vineyard, where he lived while still commuting to work in Springfield thanks to a carefully managed schedule, he returned to Western Massachusetts when it became clear a transfer to Eastern Massachusetts would not be possible, and when a second wife found she, too, could not stand the long winters on the Vineyard away from her family. He built a house by hand as he had his apartment complex decades earlier. He also took up an interest in farming setting up several animal pens he built himself on his father-in-law’s farm. Once, while in a meeting with high-ranking Digital officials, his boss came running in yelling, “Dick! It’s Myrna! Your wife called! She is having the baby!”[38]
Dick, never having been a fan of meetings in general, eagerly took this as his chance to leave. Myrna was indeed in labor. She was not however, his wife. Myrna was his goat. His wife’s name was Cindy, and was of the Brzoska farming families of Southwick, MA.[39]
After Digital closed their plant at what had formerly been a sizable part of the old federal Armory in Springfield, MA,[40] Dick reopened House of Marshall Upholstery. After several years, he was approached by a company that contracted with the Department of Mental Health to provide vocational services to manage its upholstery vocational rehabilitation programs. After years of this, he ended up moving back east again to East Falmouth, MA, and worked across Vineyard Sound, back at Martha’s Vineyard, as an Employment Coordinator for a MA DMH Clubhouse psycho-social rehabilitation facility named Daybreak.[41]
Having survived his own heart attack at fifty, as well as a bout of prostate cancer at sixty, he retired. Having moved back to Southwick after a stint as a part-time snowbird in Florida,[42] he works part time at the Stop and Shop grocery store in the produce department just to keep busy and to stop driving his wife crazy. He finally completed a lifelong goal of becoming a ham radio operator.
His third son would work in career development for many years, first at a psychosocial rehabilitation facility, then as a vocational rehabilitation vendor for transitional assistance clients, then at a One Stop Career Center funded under the Wagner-Peyser Act,[43] and then at a college. He would marry Megan Nicoli. He would have a daughter, Teagan Elizabeth Marshall, who would go on to nursing school at NYU, and a year after working as a nurse, enter medical school. Graduating from Cornell-Weil, she would undertake a surgical residency at New York East Presbyterian Hospital, where she is probably removing someone’s gallbladder as you read this. Dick’s older son would marry a woman named Erin, and have two daughters, Sara and Emma Marshall, who continue to advance in high school.
The family was not untouched by sensational history. A relative, Mary Sullivan was an alleged victim of the Boston Strangler in Boston, MA.[44] The murder spree and ensuing court case would be followed across the nation. It is worth noting that there is some question as to whether the Boston Strangler, Albert H. DeSalvo actually committed this 11th and final crime, however, or if he even was the Boston Strangler.[45]
Bibliography
Massachusetts, U. S. Death Index, 1901-1980, 4, no. 109, 282. Reference number F63.M363 v.142/143. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true.
Portugal Online. “The Azores Islands.” Accessed December 9, 2021. https://portugalonline.com/portugal/places/azores-portuguese-archipelago.
The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado.” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families. Accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
Brian VanHooker, “A Night at the Dry-Town Bar Where You Have To Bring Your Own Booze,” Mel Magazine, 2019, https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/a-night-at-the-dry-town-bar-where-you-have-to-bring-your-own-booze.
United States Census Bureau, “1930 United States Federal Census.” Accessed December 9, 2021. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true
United States, Department of Selective Service. Registration Card. Order Number 10,299. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true.
[1] One unsolved mystery is how a Portuguese man from the Azores showed up in Fall River, Massachusetts with the last name of “Marshall.” For decades it was believed it had been an anglicized form of the family name “Machado.” However, it seems that was a maternal last name, and that the Marshall was independent of it, and that, indeed, the family name was Marshall in the Azores. Many in the family would be eager to know the explanation for this.
[2] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[3] Ibid.
[4] “The Azores Islands,” Portugal Online, accessed December 9, 2021, https://portugalonline.com/portugal/places/azores-portuguese-archipelago; It is worth noting that the Portuguese found the marvelous qualities of kale centuries before it became the vegetable of the moment for elite tastes in America. Kale soup is a treasured Portuguese dish that can include the Portuguese sausage linguica, or, when made properly, the Portuguese sausage chourico (pronounced like “Sharice”). Both are made in Massachusetts with a particular brand, Gaspars, established out of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, minutes away from the University of Massachusetts North Dartmouth. For more on this please visit Gaspars.com, accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.gasparssausage.com/. One can tell where in Portugal one originates from by their kale soup recipe. In the Azores, it properly features a clear chicken stock, whereas on the Iberian Peninsula, it is made in a cream sauce. In Southeast Massachusetts the Azores clear broth is dominant. In Western Massachusetts in Ludlow, MA, a suburb of Springfield that also has a large Portuguese community, it is the cream variety. This reflects that the Azores were a major source of immigration to Southeast Massachusetts, whereas Ludlow, MA tended to be settled more by populations from the Iberian Peninsula. For individuals from the Azores, cream-based kale soup is considered to be on the same level of heresy that a proper New Englander might view red Manhattan chowder.
[5] U.S. Census Bureau, “1930 United States Federal Census,” accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true/.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Personal conversation with Richard P. Marshall.
[9] Ibid.
[10] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[11] Ibid.
[12] U.S. Census Bureau, “1930 United States Federal Census,” accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true/.
[13] Ibid.
[14] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm; The other children were Emma, 1909, George Joseph, 1916, Frank 1918, Irene, 1924, Stanley, 1925, Dorothy, 1928, and Joseph, Jr. 1934.
[15] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[16] United States Department of Selective Service, Registration Card, order number 10,299, https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true.
[17] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm; Access to Martha’s Vineyard, which is an island, is dependent on ferry service from particularly Woods Hole, MA, a section of Falmouth, MA. For more on the Massachusetts Steamship Authority, please visit: https://www.steamshipauthority.com/?.
[18] Personal conversation with Richard P. Marshall.
[19] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[20] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm; Oak Bluffs was known as a “wet” town whereas Vineyard Haven was a “dry” town regarding alcohol until recently, as documented in; George Brennan, “Alcohol Fuels Vineyard Haven Revival,” MV Times, November 15, 2017, accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.mvtimes.com/2017/11/15/alcohol-helps-fuel-vineyard-haven-revival/; Brian VanHooker, “A Night at the Dry-Town Bar Where You Have To Bring Your Own Booze,” Mel Magazine, 2019, https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/a-night-at-the-dry-town-bar-where-you-have-to-bring-your-own-booze.
[21] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[22] Ibid.
[23] “Corinne[sic] Hatt Was Smiling Presence at Post Office,” Vineyard Gazette, December 17, 2009, accessed December 9, 2021, https://vineyardgazette.com/obituaries/2009/12/18/corinne-hatt-was-smiling-presence-post-office.
[24] Julia Wells, “Chilmark Chocolates Will Close at Year End,” Vineyard Gazette, February 8, 2019, accessed December 9, 2021, https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2019/02/08/chilmark-chocolates-will-close-year-end.
[25] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Massachusetts, U. S. Death Index, 1901-1980, 4, no. 109, 282. Reference number F63.M363 v.142/143. https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/179554461/person/292345675832/hints?usePUBJs=true.
[28] Personal conversation with Richard P. Marshall.
[29] Ibid.
[30] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm; Grandson, Jeffrey Ayers Marshall, would not have the chance to meet either of them, not having been born until 1971. As of this writing, all three of the Marshall boys are still alive.
[31] Interview conversation with Marcia Sias, the former Marcia Ayers Marshall (nee, Marcia Jean Ayers).
[32] For more on the Art Cliff Diner please see: “Diner History,” The Art Cliff Diner, Accessed December 9, 2021, http://artcliffdiner.com/.
[33] Ibid.
[34] Personal conversation with Marcia Sias, the former Marcia Ayers Marshall (nee, Marcia Jean Ayers); Special Police Officer, similar to a deputy.
[35] To this day Richard Paul Marshall cringes when he thinks what his apartment complex would be worth today if he still owned it given the explosive increase in price values on Martha’s Vineyard.
[36] For more on Springfield Technical Community College please see Springfield Technical Community College, accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.stcc.edu/.
[37] A local grocery store from years gone by, for more on this lost grocery store, please see: Albert Scardino, “Waldbaum To Be Sold to A. & P.” New York Times, November 27, 1986, https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/27/business/waldbaum-to-be-sold-to-a-p.html.
[38] Personal conversation with Richard P. Marshall.
[39] Myrna, who had been pregnant by a volatile studding animal named Roscoe, successfully delivered her baby, and mom and baby were able to rest comfortably on the farm following the delivery. Roscoe’s whereabouts after the birth have not been confirmed.
[40] His son Jeffrey would later work in that same building as a Workforce Investment Act Counselor for the One Stop Career Center. DEC actually utilized the space opposite Springfield Technical Community College long after the armory had ceased operations. It is now an office park that is somewhat of a technological business incubator, although in recent years more not-for-profits have moved in, and even a charter school. For more on this location, see Springfield Technology Park, accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.springfieldtechnologypark.org/.
[41] Dick Marshall would actually follow in his son Jeffrey’s footsteps, who had begun working in that role at the same model program in Springfield, named the Lighthouse, years earlier.
[42] Many retirees from Massachusetts will split time between Massachusetts and Florida to enjoy the better parts of the weather seasonally.
[43] For more on the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended, see: “Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933, as amended,” accessed December 9, 2021, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/american-job-centers/wagner-peyser.
[44] “Family of Joseph A. Marshall/Machado,” Notes on the Portuguese Marshall families, The Portuguese Genealogy Project of Martha’s Vineyard, accessed December 9, 2021. http://history.vineyard.net/mvpgp/marshall.htm.
[45] Guy Gugliotta, “DNA Tests Cast Doubt In Boston Strangler Case: Evidence Could Exonerate Longtime Suspect,” Washington Post, December 7, 2001. ProQuest Historical Newspapers; Indeed, Mary Sullivan’s body was exhumed and DNA tested and the results cast doubt on the identity of the Boston Strangler actually being Albert DeSalvo as noted also in: Julion Borger, “DNA Tests Clear Man Convicted As Boston Strangler,” Guardian, December 7, 2001. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
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