Halifax, Nova Scotia and the Boston Christmas Tree

On December 6, 1917, a Norwegian vessel and a French munitions ship collided in the harbor in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The explosion, one of the largest accidental explosions in history, destroyed much of the city of Halifax. Boston, Massachusetts authorities learned of the disaster by telegraph, and quickly organized and dispatched a relief train to assist survivors. A blizzard delayed the train, which arrived in the early morning of December 8 and immediately began distributing food, water, and medical supplies. Numerous personnel on the train were able to relieve the Nova Scotia medical staff, most of whom had worked without rest since the explosion occurred.

In 1918, Halifax sent a Christmas tree to Boston as a token of gratitude for their support. The tradition was revived in 1971 and has continued ever since.  This tradition is a symbol of the strong bond between the two locations. The tree, the City of Boston, Massachusetts’ official Christmas tree, is typically a large white spruce and is displayed on the Boston Common, with a lighting ceremony taking place in late November or early December. 

Even before this tragic incident and the unbreakable bond between these two cities, Norwood had become home to many immigrants from Nova Scotia. Many are interred in Old Parish Cemetery. Here are a few of them:

Charles A. Brooks and Catherine Madora Webster Brooks were born and married in Nova Scotia, Canada. They moved to South Dedham where Charles was a blacksmith. They had twelve children, born between 1867 and 1887: Elizabeth “Minnie” Amelia, Lillian, Charles E., Herbert, C. Webster, Jennie, Harriet, William, Minnie Elizabeth (born in 1880, four years after the first Minnie passed away), Sarah, Frank, and Nina. Several of their children were interred in Old Parish Cemetery, lot 69, before being removed to Highland Cemetery, lot 36, in 1899. Charles A. Brooks passed away on March 6, 1899 after which his widow, Madora Webster Brooks ran a boardinghouse in the family home at 152 Railroad Avenue, the corner of Railroad and Market Streets. Catherine Madora Webster Brooks died in 1919.

Marshall E. Brooks was born on October 4, 1847 in Nova Scotia, Canada. He emigrated with his wife, Amelia S. Angus (1852-1876). Marshall and Amelia had several children including Frank (1875-1875) and Ella Mary (1873-1884), who died of consumption. Their daughter, Violet Leonora Brooks, later Pond, (1872-1950) appears to be their only child to reach adulthood. Marshall Brooks was employed as a wheelwright, one who makes or repairs wooden wheels. He likely found work at a local carriage shop or at the railroad car shops. Amelia Brooks died on January 24, 1876 of consumption (tuberculosis) at the age of 24. Marshall Brooks remarried; his second wife, Isabel, passed away in 1922. Marshall Brooks died in 1927 at Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he was residing with his son. The family is interred in lot 96 in Old Parish Cemetery.

Sarah A. Godfrey was born on February 20, 1801 in Nova Scotia, Canada. She was the daughter of Elisha and Elizabeth Godfrey. In June of 1821, Sarah Godfrey married Daniel Webster who was also born in Nova Scotia. The couple had eleven children: Elisha, Edwin, Daniel, Mary, Matthew, John, Lawson, Godrey, Mary Elizabeth, Henry and Clara, all born in Canada. At some point, Sarah Webster made her way to South Dedham, later Norwood. A nephew, Charles Adrian Bishop, who had been born in Nova Scotia in 1859, lived with her. Bishop was a tannery worker. Bishop later married and moved to Hill Street and later boarded with a family on Washington Street. Sarah A. Webster died on July 19, 1889, of Old Age. She was interred in Old Parish Cemetery in lot 13. The gravestone also bears the name of Bishop. Her nephew Charles A. Bishop, who died in 1929, and his son, Frank Bishop, who passed away in 1890, are also buried here.

William Horton and his wife, Harriet Brooks Horton, both born in Nova Scotia, were living in Norwood in 1880. William Horton was working in the Railroad Car Shops and Harriet was keeping house. Also living in the household were their son, John W. Horton, another car shop employee, and his wife, Emily K. Haynes Horton. They were both born in Nova Scotia as well. It is unknown how long the family remained in Norwood. Harriet J. Brooks Horton died on November 10, 1886 in Cambridge, Massachusetts of heart disease. The stone which was erected in Old Parish Cemetery for her is badly damaged. The fragment left standing reads: Erected by \ WILLIAM HORTON \ in memory of his wife \ HARRIET J. \ Died Nov. 10, 1886. \ Aged 54 yrs 6 mos. When William Horton passed away is unknown. Both are interred in lot 98.

The Brooks, Webster, and Bishop families were all interrelated, part of a chain migration from Nova Scotia to South Dedham.

Hannah Roach was born around 1835 in St. John’s, Nova Scotia. She married William Flavel on October 6, 1851 in Boston. She was 16. William, a cabinet maker, had been born in 1831 in England. William and Hannah Flavel had eight children: William, John, Mary Elizabeth, Eleanor, Clifton, Lydia, Lucy Ann, and Thomas. Hannah Roach Flavel died on April 22, 1864 of consumption. She was 30 years old and left William with children between the ages of 1 and 12. Hannah’s marble stone stands in lot 148 of Old Parish Cemetery.