Bracketts & Babbs

      Klaus Kyle Brackett was born February 19, 1877 to Henry Willis Brackett and Lucetta M. Dolloff.

     The paper was saved because he won the spelling prize in the fifth class in 1887.

     In Klaus's copy of Young Folks' History of the United States, Copyright 1875 and 1886, the last President mentioned was Grover Cleveland and Vice-President Thomas A. Hendricks. President Cleveland was inaugurated March 4, 1885, with Mr. Hendricks, who died Nov. 25, 1885. After his death, a law was passed by Congress that in the case of the deaths of both President and Vice-President, then the Secretary of State should be the successor to the Presidency. Before this the "Civil Service Act" provided that appointments to certain offices were made by competitive examination. There were 38 states at the time.

 Klaus married November 12, 1900 Melissa Louise Babb born February 28, 1884 to Hannibal Babb and Nell Adele Adams.

This photo was in Melissa's wedding album. She was just 16 and Klaus was 23.        In the etiquette of the day, it was considered improper to grin or show your teeth while having a photograph taken. This would explain why in so many of the old photos the people look so somber. I'm not sure what the reason was for this particular rule. Perhaps it was from the length of time required to hold a position in the Daguerreotype of photograph, or from another edict of etiquette wherein loud laughter in mixed company was also considered inappropriate.

Melissa's mother was the school superintendent of  Dixfield, as recorded in the newspaper from 1899. (seen below.)

Nell Adele Adams was born 7 Sep 1861  to George Gordon Byron Adams and Martha Melissa Severy. (more below)
On  9 May 1883 she married Hannibal Babb they had the following children:
          1. Melissa Louise Babb (1884-1969)
          2. Henry Monroe Babb (1886-1968)
 3. Fannie A Babb (1887-1982)
       4. Ethel Marion Babb (1898-1985)

           George Gordon Byron Adams was a nurse in the Civil War. His granddaughter (Fanny Babb) said he died on the way home from the civil war, and his family went to MA to bring the body home. When he enlisted, he left Martha with four children to raise -the oldest only 7 , the youngest (Nell) just a baby. Martha remarried in 1870 to Harvey Kenney and this is the father that Nell knew. So many women during the Civil War were left to run the homes, the farms, and all that entails that they became quite strong and independent. Thus their daughters felt capable of accomplishing anything they chose to do. Many of these daughters decided not to marry, or to remain childless if they did.

           Martha Melissa Severy was the daughter of Silas Severy. Her grandfather was Aaron Severy the original settler of Severy Hill. Martha wrote poetry, I am given to understand, although I have been unable to find any among the family papers.