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From: "Bradford Miter" <>
Subject: RE: [MAHAMPSH-L] COUCH/RIPLEY - Northampton
Date: Tue, 3 May 2005 21:42:13 -0400
In-Reply-To: <ee.12758d91.2fa926f3@aol.com>


Jim,

How nice of you to get all this together for me. I hope I can do the same
for someone else in the future. The obituaries really will give me
something to chew on as well as affirming what I am dragging out of the
census records at Ancestry.com.

I understand from another kind soul who has written me off the list that the
house at 13 Cherry may well be still standing and I'll be going by the
address on the 22nd of the month. If it were not a Sunday, I would have
been able to stop at the historical society and library.

Now, as I live just north of Hamilton, Ohio, I'll have to drop down and see
about that paper mill that Bradford Couch built there. It was also a
surprise to find that Elbert L Couch was a singer. His mother's sister was
supposed to have been in light opera!

Thank you,

Brad
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Subject: Re: [MAHAMPSH-L] COUCH/RIPLEY - Northampton


Hello Brad
Northampton city directories from 1887-1895 show that Bradford M Couch lived
at 13 Cherry St. I include the list I copied below. Bear in mind that houses
were renumbered at various times over the years. I also found obits for
Bradford and Elbert, they may help you with your research.
Jim Carroll

1887-8 Bradford M Couch machinist + iron founder, opp freight depot Florence
h 13 Cherry
Elbert M foreman B M Couch h 21 N Main Florence
Henry L pattern maker B M Couch bds 21 N Main Florence
1889-90 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert L emp Hill Mach Works bds 21 N Main Florence
Elbert M supt Hill Mach Works Florence h 21 N Main Florence
Henry L carpenter bds 13 Cherry
1890-91 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert L emp Hill Mach Works bds 21 N Main Florence
Elbert M supt Hill Mach Works h 21 N Main Florence
Henry L carpenter bds 13 Cherry
1891-2 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert L rem Hartford Ct.
Elbert M emp WSFA Co h 21 N Main Florence
Henry L rem Bellows Falls Vt.
1892-3 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert M mach h 21 N Main Florence
1893-4 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert M machinist bds 13 Cherry
1894-5 Bradford M Couch h 13 Cherry
Elbert M machinist bds 13 Cherry
1895-6 Elbert M Couch supt N Cylce Co. h 13 Cherry
1896-7 Elbert L Couch vocal teacher bds 13 Cherry
Elbert M emp N Cycle Co h 13 Cherry
Thomas E.H. student bds 13 Cherry

Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton MA) Monday June 24, 1895
Obituary
Bradford M Couch
Bradford M Couch, 76, for years a prominent millwright in this city, died at
one o'clock this morning at his home on Cherry street. Since early in the
spring there had been a general breaking down of his health, and about a
week ago he lost the use of his lower limbs.
He was born and brought up in Lee, Mass., and came to this city about 35
years ago for the purpose of building the paper mill at Paper Mill village.
He has continued to live here ever since, and had been engaged in erecting
some of the largest paper mills in the world, and fitting them with
machinery. He erected one in Hamilton, O., the paper mill for Platner &
Smith in Lee, also several in Dalton and Holyoke.
For a time he had a machine shop in the building on Pleasant street now
occupied by the Damon Narrow Fabric Co., and a few years afterward he bought
the machine shop of the Sheffield foundry at Florence, soon after the
failure of that company. In 1889 he sold out to Arthur G Hill and since then
has not been engaged in active business.
Mr. Couch was a remarkable mechanic and builder. He was an honorary member
of the Masons. He leaves two brothers, Henry in Lee, and Charles, in
Pittsfield. He has seven surviving children: Mrs Helen E. Chadwick of New
York, Leroy of Dayton, O., E.M. Couch of this city, Dr. Louis B Couch of
Nyack, N.Y., Mark E., a lawyer in North Adams, Mrs. W. E. McMann of New York
and Dr. Frank Couch of Dalton.
Mr. Couch was a member of the Methodist church, and Rev. W.F. Cook will
officiate at the funeral, which will be held Wednesday at 2:30.

Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton MA) Wednesday March 26, 1930
Obituary
Elbert M. Couch
Elbert M. Couch, aged 82, passed away last night at the home of his son,
Elbert L. Couch, at New Rochelle, N.Y. Mr. Couch was born in Lee, this
state, and was for many years a resident of Florence, where he was head of
the B.M. Couch Machine shop (now the Norwood Engineering company plant)
founded by his father. Mr. Couch was also well known here as a singer. He
was a man of many fine qualities, of neighborly and social nature, and he
made many friends. He removed to Hartford, Ct. several years ago, but of
late had lived with his son, at whose home he died. Mrs. Couch died a number
of years ago, and he is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Helen Wooley of
Providence, R.I.; three sons, Elbert L. of New Rochelle, N.Y., Thomas E. of
Hartford, Ct., and Dr. Arthur R. of Hartford, Ct. Mr. Couch was a prominent
and active member of the Odd Fellows, being a past noble grand of Nonotuck
lodge and a past chief patriarch of Mount Holyoke encampment. The burial
will be in Bridge street cemetery Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock, and
Nonotuck lodge of Odd Fellows of this city will have charge of the service.

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