1. "Whitehead item"
Posted by harry on Apr-29th-03 at 9:27 AM

As far as I can see this eBay food market brochure has no connection to Sarah Whirehead.  Her husband's name was George.  But it does have some coincidences on it.



The name Whitehead, he sells mutton and fish amongst other things and he's located on South Main not too far from the A. J. Borden building.



(Message last edited Apr-29th-03  9:29 AM.)

Now wouldn't that be a coincedence to find out that the mutton the Bordens ate as their last meal on earth came from Whiteheads? 

It says the brochure is from 1904.  I wonder if the shop was there in 1892 and this is where Abby was headed to buy the meat for supper? Both Emma and Lizzie said Abby did the grocery shopping every day.

That is a cool find, Har!

It looks like a long way to go for shopping.



(Message last edited Apr-29th-03  9:07 PM.)

Back then Second Street , our area, was bordered by Rodman and Borden Streets.

Here is Whitehead info from Rebello, 23:

1. Sarah Bertha "Bertie" Gray, born in 1864, and died in 1932.
m. George W. Whitehead, born in 1861, and died at the age of 38
in 1898. The marriage produced two children.
1. Abby B. Whitehead, born July, 1884, and died in Warwick, Rhode Island, at the age of 89, May 9, 1974.
m. Charles E. Potter
2. George O. Whitehead, born, March 1887.

That's our 'lil Abby and her brother George.  He was born 1887.
No Edmund, here, but we don't know much about the Whiteheads.

From Mrs. Churchill's inquest testimony, pg. 126:
Q: Do you know where the Borden's marketed?
A: I dont. I think to Whitehead's, I am not sure.

So there was a Whitehead's market in 1892, whether in the same location as on the brochure I don't know, or whether owned by the same people I don't know.

Thanks for that info Carol.

I knew I had numerous copies of postcards and photos of downtown Fall River in the early 1900's so I browsed and found one that shows Whiteheads. 

In this postcard, c1905, the Whitehead's store sign can be clearly seen in the lower right hand corner, the first building to the left of the City Hall.

The postcard shows a wider area than this but I had to reduce it in size due to the limitations on posting.



(Message last edited Apr-30th-03  3:19 PM.)

Ooo, now thats creepy cool, the Borden's mutton may have been from Whitehead's.  I wonder why Abby didn't shop at Hudners, it sounds as though it was walking distance. 

According to Kieran's testimony it was approx. 900 feet from 92 Second St. to City Hall.  Whitehead's store was next to City Hall as shown in the postcard.

That's maybe a 5 minute walk at most.  And that's a slow pace.

That's less than a football field distance?

No, it's 3 football fields.  A football field is 100 yards or 300 feet.

Well, gee, he could have said it was 3 football fields.
I'm terrible at math.
I actually have a notation here where I divided 12 into 900.
I have NO idea why!  (I thought I was getting over 80 yards!)
If I can eyeball it in person I can tell how many football fields.
That's how I measure my neighborhood.
Or how far it is to the nearest 7-11.
I haven't had my sugar yet today.
I am going to go have pancakes!

That's a wonderful post card you shared.  Probably the shop was always located there as it looks like a very established one. Looks like there is some sort of advertising just above the Whitehead sign (2.50 something) and I don't know what White Tail-- refers to. But the people on the street, their clothes and carriages, the carts and it looks like a street car coming down the road on the left hand side all give the flavor of the age. It would be interesting if one of those people had something to do with the Borden case but we will never know.

NB by limiting the size you can prevent anyone from copying and selling it, if that is important to you.

Inquest
Emma
109
Q.  Who did the marketing?
A.  Father or Mrs. Borden, I dont know.
Q.  Who usually?
A.  I dont know, one or the other.
Q.  Do you know where the marketing was done?
A.  No.
Q.  Didnt have any particular place?
A.  We always had the groceries from Mr. Wades and John M. Deane's. My sister used to order a great many things from John M. Deane's.
Q.  Was that a meat market?
A.  No Sir.
Q.  Where was the meat usually purchased?
A.  I dont know.
Q.  Who usually purchased the meat?
A.  Father or Mrs. Borden.

Isn't it amazing that a woman Emma's age didn't even know where the household's marketing was done?  From the time I was a small child, I always knew where our groceries came from.  Those "girls" certainly led sheltered lives!

I was thinking the same thing.  But Emma did finally come up with an answer.
When she says Wade's store, does it sound like they order up the groceries and it's delivered?
And it doesn't have meat I guess.

I see in Mrs. Churchill's Prelim. testimony, 272, that she was at M.T.Hudner's that morning, that it is at So. Main, and it has MEAT.

In the Trial, 345, Mrs. Churchill & the questioner describe it as only a little north, but on a parallel street.  She gets her meat there, tho that Thursday she wanted 3 items.  Her brother works there and she also asked him to send a telephone message To someone From someone in her house.

So, I'm thinking maybe she shops at Hudner's because she might get deals through her brother.

She says Abby goes to Whitehead's store, she thinks (Maybe for the meat, which in that Borden family might be twice a week) also because it is somehow in the family, being  a store called Whiteheads?
BUT, I am under the impression that Sarah Gray did *not marry well* in George Whitehead [c. 1883], so maybe it is an in-laws shop?
I could see Abby walking 3 football fields distance twice a week for the meat, if Andrew didn't bring it home, to get a deal from Whiteheads.[This last sentence is my assumption]