HASKELL Family Reunion

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From Our Kitchen
Benjamin Stacy Haskell
by Jean Loesch Krauklin
(Continued from page 1)

Ben had some good friends in Berlin; Mr. Colbath, cashier at the local bank, Mr. Corbin, a mayor of the city (NIBROC paper towels were named for him), and Mr. Stanley, a plumbing business owner. They would go hunting for partridge, woodcock, rabbits, coots, deer, even bear, in fall and winter. We always had dogs, pointers or beagles--sometimes as many as six; they lived outside. In spring and summer it was fishing time for everything from smelts in the smallest brook to halibut in the deep sea. Ben kept a motor boat at Errol, 30 miles upriver from Berlin. For a supply of baitfish Ben had built a small pond near our house; we used it for swimming. At Deer Isle he had a succession of boats, including a "peapod" that he could sail like a master, but his favorite was a rather large working lobster boat. Our family often had delicious trout, salmon, and halibut; we didn't care much for dining on rabbits and coots, no matter how mother fixed them.
Occasionally Ben and his friends would travel farther afield in their hunting and fishing expeditions. They went north to Canada on a long trip once, returning with some yard-long salmon that he preserved in the Berlin town icehouse. In other sports travel, Ben went to boxing matches in Boston, and baseball games here and there. Also, Ben was a winner at skeet shooting, and he had a large and valuable collection of hunting guns.
Ben had musical talent also. A self-taught fiddler, Ben had a couple of violins, and he would sometimes entertain us children with his lively renditions of "Oh Dem Golden Slippers," "The Wreck of the Old 97" and many other tunes. He knew how to play chords on the piano, and taught me to accompany him after we acquired a piano (brother Bob still has that piano). I still have one of the violins. Dad had fun with music, and he encouraged us kids to do the same.
I'm sure Ben had other talents as well, but he had no interest at all in building or tools. I never saw him with a hammer, shovel, rake, screwdriver or any other tool in his hand, but Bob remembers him trimming trees in back of the farm, carefully saving the birches.
Around 1942, when the war began to impose inconveniences on the small businessman such as price controls and labor freezes, Ben sold the machine company and devoted his working time to the Berlin City National Bank. He had been on the Board of Directors for many years and its President as well. Essentially, Ben retired in his mid-fifties; he was a savvy stock market investor. Ben bought a new car every year, a distinct pleasure for him and for us children when he drove us to school after our noontime dinner. The cars were usually Buicks.
Mother had played a lot of bridge with her women friends, and after a while, Ben took it up also. He did not follow any rules or pay attention to his partner's cues, but nevertheless he had some innate strategy that seemed to work, because he was a frequent winner!
Around the age of 60 Ben showed signs of diabetes, and he eventually lost a leg from the knee down; after that he was pretty much confined to the house. He had a prosthetic leg but seldom used it; he used a wheelchair. His bed was moved downstairs, and a bathroom added nearby. Television had just arrived on the scene, a great blessing for Ben, especially the Lawrence Welk Show. The best gift I ever found for Dad was a gadget with a 20-foot wire from his bedside to the TV; when he didn't want to hear the irritating ads, he could turn the sound off. This was long before the "mute" button came along, or the remote control!
When Bob, the youngest child, was through high school and off to Bentley School of Accounting, Ben decided around 1952 that he wanted to spend more time in Deer Isle. He decided to have the farmhouse on his property remodeled, with an oil heater in the living room. He and Mother would then leave for Maine early in May and stay there until October. He would gladly have stayed there year-round except (as he once said) "It costs too much to die in Maine" -- so for inheritance tax purposes he stayed a citizen of New Hampshire.
These last few years Ben managed to have a good life even with his artificial leg and wheelchair. Dr. Harry Kopfmann became a good friend. At this time Ben was the sole owner of The Ark, which had not been open since 1942. He tried to sell the place by placing ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He finally got rid of the maintenance and painting problems by selling the old homestead to a Connecticut woman who bought it mostly for the antique furniture. She paid $6000, I believe; years later The Ark (Pilgrim's Inn now) was resold for about a million dollars.
Ben's life ended on September 25, 1966 at age 75 after he had a heart attack at home in Deer Isle, and another one in the Blue Hill Hospital. He had provided generously for his family, and we have vivid memories of our esteemed progenitor!
jlk
Revised 4/12/03

Any comments or questions? Contact
louise@loesch.net
S i t e d e s i g n b y W e b f a i r

Home Family History Family Tree Photo Album Reminiscing Reunion Info Family News Address Book From Our Kitchen		Benjamin Stacy Haskell by Jean Loesch Krauklin (Continued from page 1) Ben had some good friends in Berlin; Mr. Colbath, cashier at the local bank, Mr. Corbin, a mayor of the city (NIBROC paper towels were named for him), and Mr. Stanley, a plumbing business owner. They would go hunting for partridge, woodcock, rabbits, coots, deer, even bear, in fall and winter. We always had dogs, pointers or beagles--sometimes as many as six; they lived outside. In spring and summer it was fishing time for everything from smelts in the smallest brook to halibut in the deep sea. Ben kept a motor boat at Errol, 30 miles upriver from Berlin. For a supply of baitfish Ben had built a small pond near our house; we used it for swimming. At Deer Isle he had a succession of boats, including a "peapod" that he could sail like a master, but his favorite was a rather large working lobster boat. Our family often had delicious trout, salmon, and halibut; we didn't care much for dining on rabbits and coots, no matter how mother fixed them. Occasionally Ben and his friends would travel farther afield in their hunting and fishing expeditions. They went north to Canada on a long trip once, returning with some yard-long salmon that he preserved in the Berlin town icehouse. In other sports travel, Ben went to boxing matches in Boston, and baseball games here and there. Also, Ben was a winner at skeet shooting, and he had a large and valuable collection of hunting guns. Ben had musical talent also. A self-taught fiddler, Ben had a couple of violins, and he would sometimes entertain us children with his lively renditions of "Oh Dem Golden Slippers," "The Wreck of the Old 97" and many other tunes. He knew how to play chords on the piano, and taught me to accompany him after we acquired a piano (brother Bob still has that piano). I still have one of the violins. Dad had fun with music, and he encouraged us kids to do the same. I'm sure Ben had other talents as well, but he had no interest at all in building or tools. I never saw him with a hammer, shovel, rake, screwdriver or any other tool in his hand, but Bob remembers him trimming trees in back of the farm, carefully saving the birches. Around 1942, when the war began to impose inconveniences on the small businessman such as price controls and labor freezes, Ben sold the machine company and devoted his working time to the Berlin City National Bank. He had been on the Board of Directors for many years and its President as well. Essentially, Ben retired in his mid-fifties; he was a savvy stock market investor. Ben bought a new car every year, a distinct pleasure for him and for us children when he drove us to school after our noontime dinner. The cars were usually Buicks. Mother had played a lot of bridge with her women friends, and after a while, Ben took it up also. He did not follow any rules or pay attention to his partner's cues, but nevertheless he had some innate strategy that seemed to work, because he was a frequent winner! Around the age of 60 Ben showed signs of diabetes, and he eventually lost a leg from the knee down; after that he was pretty much confined to the house. He had a prosthetic leg but seldom used it; he used a wheelchair. His bed was moved downstairs, and a bathroom added nearby. Television had just arrived on the scene, a great blessing for Ben, especially the Lawrence Welk Show. The best gift I ever found for Dad was a gadget with a 20-foot wire from his bedside to the TV; when he didn't want to hear the irritating ads, he could turn the sound off. This was long before the "mute" button came along, or the remote control! When Bob, the youngest child, was through high school and off to Bentley School of Accounting, Ben decided around 1952 that he wanted to spend more time in Deer Isle. He decided to have the farmhouse on his property remodeled, with an oil heater in the living room. He and Mother would then leave for Maine early in May and stay there until October. He would gladly have stayed there year-round except (as he once said) "It costs too much to die in Maine" -- so for inheritance tax purposes he stayed a citizen of New Hampshire. These last few years Ben managed to have a good life even with his artificial leg and wheelchair. Dr. Harry Kopfmann became a good friend. At this time Ben was the sole owner of The Ark, which had not been open since 1942. He tried to sell the place by placing ads in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He finally got rid of the maintenance and painting problems by selling the old homestead to a Connecticut woman who bought it mostly for the antique furniture. She paid $6000, I believe; years later The Ark (Pilgrim's Inn now) was resold for about a million dollars. Ben's life ended on September 25, 1966 at age 75 after he had a heart attack at home in Deer Isle, and another one in the Blue Hill Hospital. He had provided generously for his family, and we have vivid memories of our esteemed progenitor! jlk Revised 4/12/03
		Any comments or questions? Contact louise@loesch.net S i t e d e s i g n b y W e b f a i r