Lewis Mason Witherell (1851-1938)
Lewis M.. Witherell (my great grandfather) started a carpentry business in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1883 and in 1911 was joined by his sons Robert and Lewis, Jr., to form L.M. Witherell and Sons, Builders. The firm built many notable buildings in the Taunton area, including the Crocker Building, Court Street; the Newbury Apartments, Church Green; the Winthrop House, corner of Union and Main(?); the Walter N. Smith House, Prospect Street; the Baylies estate, Williams Street (demolished when the new high school was built); Cole Memorial Chapel, on the Wheaton College Campus in Norton; and St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in the Whittenton section of Taunton.
Advertisement from the 1900 Taunton Directory.
Lewis married Josephine Seaman of Pugwash, Nova Scotia, on May 5, 1878.
Page from family bible of Lewis and Josephine Witherell
Josephine and Lewis Witherell in next to last seat of touring car in Toronto
Close-up of (left to right) Josephine, Lewis, unidentified, and Florence Witherell (daughter of Josephine and Lewis)
Souvenirs from visit by L. M. Witherell to Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893
56 Dean Street, Taunton. The home of L. M. Witherell, and, until 1939, the home of his daughter Florence and her family.
L. M. Witherell was an active member of the Masonic Lodge.
L. M. Witherell aboard his boat, named Gertrude
In 1911, L. M. Witherell traveled to Europe with a party led by Rev. and Mrs. Joel H. Metcalf. They departed from Boston on July 1 bound for Naples aboard the S. S. Canopic. On September 2 they boarded the S. S. Arabic in Liverpool for the return trip to Boston. Both steamships belonged to the White Star Line, whose S. S. Titanic sank on her maiden voyage in the following year. The Titanic held twice as many passengers as the Canopic.
L. M. Witherell kept a journal of his trip to Europe. A copy of the journal can be found at the bottom of this web page.
A gathering of the Witherell clan at Prospect Place, Taunton, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1931, in celebration of L. M. Witherell's 80th birthday
Front row from left: Gordon Hill, Mildred Hill, Florence (Witherell) Williams, Carlotta (Hemenway) Witherell, Esther Hill, Rachel (Walker) Witherell, Ruth Williams, Lucy (Witherell) Hill, Lorraine Williams, Ramona Williams, Lewis M. Witherell. Back row: Ernest Hill, Lucille Williams, Charles Williams, Lewis M. Witherell Jr., Robert Witherell, Myron Hill, Warren Hill, Paul Witherell (son of Robert and Rachel). Absent: Betty Witherell (daughter of Robert and Rachel).
L. M. Witherell in his later years
L. M. Witherell Obituary
My Witherell and Williams ancestry came about through the marriage of my maternal grandfather, Charles R. Williams, and my maternal grandmother, Florence G. Witherell. Interestingly, the two lines are connected. L. M. Witherell's ancestors include Richard Williams and John Deighton.