In celebration of Norwood’s 150th Anniversary, the Norwood Historical Society would like to pay homage to the “wonderful women “ of our town’s history. These women contributed to the building and formation of Norwood in less visible ways than those of their male counterparts; but their contributions were invaluable. They are the “quiet heroes” of our town.

We at the Historical Society will be celebrating the “wonderful women” of our town’s history throughout the sesquicentennial year. We begin with Anna Day, who hosted a celebration of the new town’s incorporation at her home on March 6, 1872. We look forward to marking that anniversary this spring, following in the spirit of her generosity, hospitality, and civic-mindedness.

January

Anna Day

By Norwood Historical Society Board Members Laurie Kearney, Linda Rau, & Karen DeNapoli

Anna Day was born in 1836 in South Dedham to Lyman Smith and Melinda (Guild) Smith.  She was educated in local schools along with her brothers Charles and John.  Her father, Lyman, and Joseph Day learned and worked in the leather trade in Norwood.  Joseph’s son, Lewis, and Anna attended the same church and knew each other their entire lives.  In 1856 they married; and in 1864, their son Fred was born.

In 1859, they moved into their new home—  a mansion that Tyler Thayer had built at 93 Day Street called “Bullard Farm”.  This is the present day site of the Norwood Historical Society.  By this time, Lewis was running the Day family business and was one of the wealthiest men in South Dedham.

Anna was known as a generous and kind person.  She was liberal minded and unprejudiced and had a philanthropic philosophy.  She worked at the North End Union and was a trustee of the Westborough Insane Hospital.  She also supported many other charitable organizations.  

Because of their standing in the community and their civic mindedness, the Day Family were at the forefront of significant town events.  The 1872 reception commemorating Norwood’s founding was held at the Day House.

In 1903, the Day Family donated the chapel of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Highland Cemetery as a tomb for their family and as a chapel for the town.  The last wishes of Anna were that all of her remaining assets would be used to fund a home for the aged.

Although this never came to be, the remaining money was donated to local institutions for the care of the elderly.

Anna died in 1922 and is entombed in St. Gabriels, alongside Lewis, in the chapel they dedicated to their parents.

Sources: Norwood A History, Patricia Fanning.

Archives, Norwood Historical Society

Memorial Encyclopedia of the State of Massachusetts 

History of Norfolk County

February

Ann Elizabeth Tanneyhill

By:  Norwood Historical Society Board Members Laurie Kearney, Linda Rau, & Karen DeNapoli

To commemorate Black History Month and to honor the first Black woman from Norwood who achieved professional status and recognition in the Urban League, it is with pride that we present Ann (Anna) Elizabeth Tanneyhill.  Ann was a civil rights activist before her time—she was called “The Urban League Jewel of New England.”

In 1906, there were two Black families living in Norwood—the Diggs family and the Tanneyhill family.  Mrs. Diggs and Mrs. Tanneyhill were sisters.  Anna was born January 19, 1906, in Boston to Adelaide (Grandison) Tanneyhill and Alfred Tanneyhill.  She was named for Anna Day and her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Weems, and chose to be known as “Ann” in her adult life.  In 1917, she was a member of the Norunda Camp Fire Girls of Norwood.  She grew up and was educated in Norwood—graduating from Norwood High School in 1923.  Alfred was a coachman and butler to the Day family.  Her mother was a typesetter at the J.S. Cushing Company. Anna’s maternal grandfather was one of the first Black trade union members in the country and the first Black to attend Dalhousie College in Halifax.

As a young girl, Ann worked with Fred Holland Day collecting material for a genealogical study of the Day family and a history of Norwood.  She attended Simmons College on the advice of and with tuition assistance from Fred Holland Day and graduated in 1928.  

Her first job was with the Urban League (UL) in Springfield.  Ann started working at the UL in New York and began her master’s degree in vocational guidance and personnel administration at Columbia University.  In 1938, she was the first Black to receive this degree and the first woman at the UL to acquire professional status.

From 1931-1946, Ann directed the Vocational Opportunity Campaign for Young Blacks.  She felt that Black boys and girls should be encouraged to enter any field they have the interest, aptitude, and ability for. Ann wrote booklets, speeches,radio scripts, and organized seminars.  She worked for Black employment on the subways, the Telephone Company, and the defense industry during WWll.  In the 1960’s Ann continued to work and bring pressure on various industries—particularly in the insurance field.  In 1961, she was appointed Assistant Director for Public Relations.  

During her 50-year career, Ann was a mentor to thousands of Black students and teachers.  One of these young students was Coretta Scott who became the wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Ann served on the board of the National Vocational and Guidance Assoc. where she fought to abolish the segregated chapters.  In 1970, the Ann Tanneyhill Award was established by the UL; and in 1971, she received the Simmons College Alumnae Award.  In 1971, Ann retired from the UL but continued on as a special assistant.

Ann retired to Mashpee where she lived next door to her sister, Gertrude.  She and her brother, William, operated a service station and general store in town.  She was chairwoman of the Mashpee Historical Commission where she collected material and artifacts on the American Indians.  The present-day collection is named in her honor.

Ann (Anna) Elizabeth Tanneyhill passed on May 15, 2001, in her 95th year.

Sources: “Black Women Oral History Project” Harvard University 

Patriot Ledger, 1922

Boston Herald, 4-21-1925

Springfield Union, 10-30-54

Cape Cod Times, 5-19-01 The New York Times, 5-20-01

You can learn more about the Tanneyhill and Diggs families and find additional resources about Ann Tanneyhill on the Norwood Historical Society website as part of our online exhibit:  https://norwoodhistoricalsociety.org/the-tanneyhill-diggs-families/

March

Clara Wentworth (Rich) Berwick Walker

By:  Norwood Historical Society Board Members Laurie Kearney, Linda Rau, & Karen DeNapoli

The Norwood Historical Society would like to highlight the life of Clara Wentworth (Rich) Berwick Walker, one of Norwood’s Wonderful Women who was responsible to contributing to the growth of our town. Clara was a very unusual woman for her day. For approximately thirty years, from 1917 to around 1947, she was the president of Berwick & Smith, the printing department of the Norwood Press. This position was not a traditional role for a woman at that time, and yet, Clara did not hesitate to leave her socialite life behind and do something very unconventional for a woman – to be the president of a large company.

Clara Wentworth Rich was born April 26,1873 in Cohasset, Massachusetts. She was the firstborn child of Charles H. Rich and Clara Bourne Pratt, and was the sister of Martha (Rich) Fleming, wife of Charles Fleming, President of E. Fleming & Co., part of the Norwood Press. The Rich family moved to Cottage Street around 1875, and were part of Norwood’s growing middle-class. Charles was a foreman mechanic at the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad car shops. Clara was educated in Norwood’s public schools, and then attended Boston University’s School of Business Administration. She was married first to Walter Jones Berwick, October 2, 1895, in Norwood. He was the son of James Berwick, owner of Berwick & Smith. Walter worked for his father as the treasurer of the company. Early records show the couple lived with her parents on Cottage Street. This couple had been married for over twenty-three years when Walter died. They had no children.

Clara, as the wife of one of Norwood’s important businessmen, did not work outside of the home. She was a housewife. In that role, she would have hosted many gatherings for some of Norwood’s elite residents. Her name appears as a member of several organizations. She was one of the founding members of the Norwood Historical Society and the Norwood Women’s Club, and she formed an association, the Massachusetts Protective Association ation for Horses, and served on its board. They actively petitioned the state to make streets safer for horses as newly tarred roads were slippery, especially in the winter. She even enjoyed golfing with family and friends. In 1911, Clara and Walter bought a large lot of land behind the Rev. Jabez Chickering house and it was here where they build their new home. Clara seems to have led the kind of life a well-connected woman of that time would have led—quiet and involved in philanthropic endeavors.

Clara’s husband, Walter Berwick, died unexpectedly in 1917. Her father-in-law had died the year before. So Clara took over the running of Berwick and Smith. It was a position she held for approximately thirty years. In the 1920 census, she lists her job as a “manager at a printing co,” and in Norwood’s local directories throughout the 1930s and 1940s, as well as inprofessional directories, she is listed as the President of Berwick & Smith.

Clara remarried June 10, 1919 to John Jacob Walker, in Livingston, South Dakota. Walker was eighteen years younger then Clara. This couple enjoyed leisure time at their retreat in Orland, Maine. They also enjoyed traveling abroad. Over the years they visited Europe, Asia, China, Japan, Alaska, and Africa. During their travels, Clara began collecting art and antiques, eventually amassing a very impressive collection. In 1933, she was a charter member of The Early American Glass Club, a branch of a national glass collectors club, in Boston. In 1945, John Walker left the family home, moving to New York. Soon after he left, he sent a letter to Clara demanding $200,000 to “regain his self-respect.” Eventually some sort of settlement was agreed upon, and a divorce was granted in 1950.

Clara was a collector of fine art and by the 1950s she began donating her collections to museums and universities. In 1952, she exhibited a part of her silk oriental rug collection, which was part of an art collection she gave to Brandeis College in Waltham, MA. In 1958, she donated her collection of 170 glass items to the Smithsonian. This collection included a rare grouping of early American Glass from Stiegel, Amelung, and Sandwich. In 1959, she donated her collection of 100 rare ivory pieces to Trinity College. In the 1960s she donated more art to the Smithsonian including : seven oriental rugs, some robes and ceramic pieces, seventy-four pieces of rare early American glass, and twenty-two European and Asian ivories. When her estate was auctioned off in 1965, the auctioneer stated he was selling antique, Victorian, and other furniture, as well as china and glass from the Berwick estate.

Clara Wentworth (Rich) Berwick Walker died December 28, 1964 in Norwood, just a few months shy of 92 years old. She led an incredible life, yet when one searches for information on it, very little can be found. Growing up in a middle-class family and then becoming one of Norwood’s socialites, after her first husband died, she put that traditional life style behind her to run the family business, a large printing company with clients all over the world. She held this position for approximately thirty years before retiring, but what can be found on her are snippets of her social life and her philanthropic donations. There is nothing on her professional life except for listings in directories. This really speaks to how professional women were viewed at the time. Silently.

Photo credit: Pamela Butler from FindAGrave.com

Sources: Ancestry.com genealogical database. Archives, Norwood Historical Society.

Norwood Historical Society exhibit, The Printing Industry of Norwood. Online at https://norwoodhistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/the-printing-industry-of-norwood-a-lasting-indelible-i....