— A Southwick Time Machine Original   Around 6 o’clock on the evening of Saturday, August 19, 1922, Mrs. Joseph Bouchard of West Springfield, Massachusetts, received a telephone message she would never forget. The caller was Mrs. Cora Root of Southwick, a member of the well-known Root family, which operated a large tobacco farm in town. She informed Mrs. Bouchard that her daughter, Zelia, had married Mrs. Root's son, Carleton E. Bigelow, that afternoon in Westfield, and that the newlyweds had left on their honeymoon in Northampton. She then hung up the receiver. Despite the telephone call, Mrs. Bouchard refused to believe the marriage had actually taken place. The following day, Zelia's parents traveled to Southwick. They went to the Root farm with the local deputy sheriff and then brought their daughter back to West Springfield. The events quickly erupted into a public dispute between the two families over the bride's age, her home life, and even who had purchased her cl...

   — A Southwick Time Machine Original | Tribute Long before she became the legendary Ms. Newman of Southwick High School, Jean Margaret Trombla had already shown an extraordinary gift for words. She won national writing contests, studied journalism, published poetry, and even spent time working in Hollywood before finding her true calling in the classroom. This is the Southwick Time Machine's tribute to the late, great Ms. Newman. Jean Margaret Trombla’s story begins in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she was born on November 29, 1931, to Daniel C. Trombla and Margaret E. (Miller) Trombla. During this time, the Tromblas lived at 167 Massachusetts Avenue. Around 1932, they moved to 106 Amherst Street and eventually relocated to 194 School Street in Agawam. Jean grew up alongside her older brother, Alan J. Trombla. While living in Springfield, the family attended Hope Congregational Church.    Jean M. Trombla, circa 1944   In 1947, while a junior at Technical H...

  — A Southwick Time Machine Original   On a Tuesday, April 30, 1844, a grim discovery was made in the Connecticut River at Suffield. A body had been found floating in the river. Authorities believed the deceased was a man around fifty years old. He wore black pantaloons and a vest, but no coat. There was little to immediately identify him, though the contents of his pockets offered several clues. Among his possessions were a pocketbook marked "E. F. P. Jeffreys'," a three-bladed knife bearing the name Perkins, a pair of silver-bowed spectacles, a half-dollar piece, and a vial labeled "Moore's Essence of Life," a popular patent medicine of the era.   A bottle labeled "Essence of Life"   As was customary, a jury of inquest was assembled to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death. After examining the body and evidence, the jurors returned a verdict of accidental drowning. The body appeared to have been in the river for several weeks. Beyo...