Boston Post Cane Recipients
List of Recipients
Joseph Warren Welch—Recipient in 1909. Born February 19, 1824, Died March 4, 1910, at age 86.
John M Hodgdon—Born August 12, 1824, Died October 6, 1914, at age 90.
Oscar Poor—Born October 1, 1827, Died August 22, 1916, at age 90.
Alexander Adams--Recipient in 1916,
J. Ross Kenniston—Recipient on November 16, 1917. Born September 10, 1836, Died April 18, 1921, at age 85.
John A. McInnis—Recipient on May 7, 1926. Born June 24, 1844, Died 1929 at age 85.
John H. Blair— Recipient in 1929. Born July 25, 1842, Died January 6, 1930, at age 87.
Christopher C. Colby— Born September 11, 1845, Died March 11, 1936, at age 90.
Lewis A. Moore—Born December 12, 1847, Died February 5, 1940, at age 92.
Captain Benjamin Spurling—Recipient in July 1940. Born July 22, 1848, Died October 17, 1945, at age 96.
John W. Dearborn—Recipient on January 10, 1946. Born April 14, 1857, Died May 6, 1953, at age 96.
Frederick A. Carleton—Recipient on January 22, 1959. Born January 8, 1861, Died February 1, 1963, at age 102.
John “Jack” Fish— Recipient in April 1969. Born March 19, 1871, Died December 25, 1973, at age 102.
Evelyn Foye—Recipient in January 1974. Born July 26, 1874, Died January 23, 1979, at age 105.
Nellie Webber— Recipient in 1981. Born September 16, 1881, Died May 5, 1989, age 107.
George Brittain— Recipient in March 1990. Born August 28, 1883, Died November 18, 1990, at age 107.
Nell Kemp—Recipient in 1991. Born June 19, 1893, Died May 16, 1992, age 98.
Winifred Diggins—Recipient in May 1997. Born February 26, 1899, Died January 15, 2000, at age 100.
D. Arthur McKown—Recipient in June 2000. Born May 2, 1900, Died June 6, 2004, at age 104.
Dorothy Abbott—Recipient on July 14, 2005. Born June 4, 1906, Died February 6, 2007, at age 100.
Evelyn Hartung Keene—Recipient in December 2007. Born August 13, 1907, Died April 11, 2015, at age 107.
Florence Haggett—Recipient in September 2015. Born November 13, 1912, Died March 10, 2019, at age 105.
Lucille Machon—Recipient in April 2018. Born January 22, 1917, Died March 8, 2019, at age 105.
Edna Greenleaf— Recipient in August 2019. Born August 5, 1919, Died July 26, 2021, at age 102.
Evelyn L. Snowman—Recipient in December 2021. Born February 5, 1927, Died January 12, 2022, at age 95.
Robert A. Hanley Jr. —Recipient in April 2022. Born January 11, 1925, Died May 12, 2022, at age 94.
Paul B. Adams—Recipient on July 22, 2022. Born March 7, 1925.
Recipients' Biographies
Joseph Warren Welch
First Recipient of the Boothbay Harbor Boston Post Cane
Joseph Warren Welch was born in Boston on February 19, 1824. He moved to Boothbay Harbor in 1877 and lived here until his death on March 4, 1910, at age 86. During his lifetime, Welsh served in the Civil War and had 7 children.
Evelyn Foye
First Woman to receive the Boothbay Harbor Boston Post Cane
Evelyn Foye was born in Boothbay Harbor on July 26, 1874. She lived in the harbor for her entire life until her death on January 23, 1979 in the harbor. She received the Boston Post Cane before her 100th birthday in 1974. Evelyn Foye was the first woman to recieve the Boston Post Cane in Boothbay Harbor.
Oscar Poor
Oscar Poor was born on October 1, 1827. He spent a lot of his life on different ships traveling the coast of the United States as the cook onboard and was a survivor of multiple shipwrecks. Oscar worked as the summer cook at Spruce Point and was the third recipient of the Boston Cane and lived to be 90 years old. Oscar Poor died on August 22, 1916. Oscar Poor had 11 children, 37 grandchildren, and 36 great-grandchildren, which, as the Boothbay Register points out, earns him the distinction of having the most children and grandchildren in the surrounding towns.
Captain J. Ross Kenniston
J. Ross Kenniston was born on November 16, 1917. He "has gone to all the oceans in sailing ships" as the Boothbay Register states. Kenniston was also in command of many ships. Upon his retirement in Boothbay Harbor, he took over a real estate business and also helps with his son's news store. Kenniston was said to be very sprightly for his age of 82 and was very involved in town until his death on April 18, 1921. He held the cane for four years, after receiving it on November 16, 1917. He was the fifth recipient of Boothbay Harbor's Boston Post Cane.
John H. Blair
John H. Blair was born on July 25, 1842 in Boothbay Harbor. He learned to be a civil engineer at a school in Massachusetts. Upon returning to Boothbay, he entered into the milling business, milling logs into lumber at Adams Pond to be used in building shops on Townsend Avenue. Blair also worked as the superintendent of the town's water works, using his teachings in civil engineering to draft and plot land use. Blair also built many cottages on Southport, selling them. John H. Blair recieved the Boston Post Cane in 1929 and died on January 6, 1930 at age 87.
Christopher C. Colby
Christopher C. Colby was born on September 11, 1845 in Westport. Colby worked on the water in his early life fishing for mackerel and travelling on schooners to Georges and Western Banks. Colby was a member of the Boothbay Lodge, Knights of Pythias. He died on March 11, 1936, at the age of 90.
Lewis A. Moore
Lewis A. Moore was born on December 12, 1847. Moore was involved in the newspaper printing business, owning a printing business in Gardiner, a newspaper in Damariscotta, and a printing business in East Boothbay. Lewis Moore passed away on February 5, 1940, at the age of 92.
Captain Benjamin Spurling
Benjamin Spurling was was born on July 22, 1848 moved to Boothbay 50 years before his death on October 17, 1945 from Southwest Harbor. He is said to walk everyday, even at age 91. He was a recipient of the Boston Post Cane in 1940, holding the cane for five years. He was 96 when he died.
Frederick A. Carleton
Frederick A. Carleton was born on January 8, 1861. He grew up in Whitefield, Massachusetts. When he was younger, he worked as a buyer for the C. Brigham Milk Company of Boston and as a grocer in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He also worked in the lumber business, and as an erector at BIW. Carleton, in his retirement, owned and operated a tourist home, a gas station, and overnight camps. Carleton died on February 1, 1963 at the age of 102. He was a recipient of the cane on January 22, 1959.
John "Jack" Fish
John "Jack" Fish was born on March 19, 1871, in Eastport. He moved to Boothbay Harbor early on in life and helped establish the town's sardine canning factories. Fish was known for his quick canning of sardines and was heralded as one of the best in the business. He also worked as a plumber and moved to Monhegan later on in life. Fish is also a member of the Freemasons and was, perhaps, the oldest Mason in Maine at the time. He passed away at on December 25, 1973, at the age of 102.
Nellie Webber
Nellie Webber was born on September 16, 1881. She remarked to the Boothbay Register that she has a friend that tells her she will live to 106. Webber, in fact, lived to age 107 until her passing on May 5, 1989. She received the Boston Post Cane in 1981 and held it for 8 years.
George Brittain
George Brittain was born on August 28, 1883, in St. John, New Brunswick. George worked as a salesman for the Terry-Cradock Shoe Company for 40 years. He moved to Maine when his son wrote to him from Korea telling his father, "Dad, buy a piece of property in Maine." Brittain bought 160 acres in South Bristol. Brittain attributes his old age to "minding [his] own business."
Winnifred Diggins
Winnifred Diggins was born on February 26, 1899, in New York City, where she grew up in the borough of the Bronx. In her early years, Diggins modeled and danced with the RKO circuit. She also served as the Secretary of New York City. She lived in Massachusetts and Virginia, where she ran a dairy store, for a number of years before moving to Boothbay Harbor in 1985. Diggins received the Boston Post cane in 1997 and passed away in 2000.
David Arthur McKown
David Arthur McKown was born on May 2, 1900, in Boothbay Harbor. McKown served as a chairman and selectman of the Boothbay Harbor Town office, helping hire 3 town managers. He also served on the Appeals Board, the Budget Committee, the Jury Commission, the School Board, the School Board, and was the Chairman at the time of the Boothbay Region High School being built. He also worked for the Department of Marine Resources and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. McKown received the Boston Post Cane in 2000 and held it for four years until he passed away on June 6, 2004, at the age of 104.
Dorothy Abbott
Dorothy Abbott was born on June 4, 1906. Abbott is an honorary trustee of the Boothbay Region YMCA where she served for 23 years and the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library where she served for 47 years. She has also served as the deacon for the Congregational Church, president of the Congo Guild, and sang and taught choir. Dorothy was an involved citizen, volunteering at St. Andrews and acting as the Isle of Springs correspondent for the Boothbay Register. Abbott received the Boston Post Cane on July 14, 2005. She held it until she passed on February 26, 2007 at the age of 100.
Evelyn Hartung Keene
Evelyn Hartung Keene was born on August 3, 1907. She recieved the cane in December of 2007 and held it until she passed on April 11, 2015 at the age of 107.
Florence Haggett
Florence Haggett was born on November 13, 1912, in Boothbay Harbor. She was an active member of the Boothbay Harbor Methodist Church where she sometimes teaches Sunday School. She also enjoys sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Haggett received the Boston Post Cane in September of 2015 and held it for four years until her passing on March 10, 2019, at the age of 105.
Lucille Machon
Lucille Machon was born on January 22, 1917, in Boothbay Harbor. She went to college in Portland for one semester, then came home due to homesickness. She spent a lot of her time travelling to Nashville, Tennessee, Prince Edward Island, and California. The house she lives in now was ferried to the mainland from Squirrel Island. She was incredibly surprised to receive the cane and was nominated by her children. She received the cane in April of 2018 and held it until her passing on March 8, 2019.
Edna Greenleaf
Edna Greenleaf was born on August 5, 1919, in Skowhegan. She moved to Boothbay to work for and live with a woman in East Boothbay. After marrying her husban, she moved into his mother's house on Barter's Island. Edna had a proclivity and love for cooking and baking. She worked for 26 years cooking breakfast at Captain Fish's and continued to bake for Brown's Wharf. She received the Boston Post Cane at a ceremony where her 100th birthday was also being celebrated in August of 2019. She held it until she passed on July 26, 2021.
Paul B. Adams
Paul B. Adams was born on March 7, 1925, in East Boothbay. Paul attended the Coburn Classical Institute in Waterville and Colby College. He joined the US Navy in 1943 as a submariner. After the war, he moved to California and got a degree in forestry at the University of California. Adams worked for Southern Pacific Railroad for 17 years and ran an insurance business for 23 years. Paul moved back to Southport in 1983 and has resided in the Boothbay Region ever since. He recieved the Boston Post Cane on July 22, 2022 and has held it ever since.
References
Boothbay Register Archives
Boothbay Harbor Town Office. “Boston Post Cane.” Boothbay Harbor Town Office, www.boothbayharbor.org/uploads/visual_edit/boston-post-cane.pdf. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.
The Boston Post Cane Information Center. “Maine.” The Boston Post Cane, bostonpostcane.org/the-canes/maine. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.
The Boston Post Cane Information Center. “Origins of the Tradition.” The Boston Post Cane, bostonpostcane.org/origins-of-the-tradition. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.