Blanchard-Means Family Papers

Background on Blanchard and Means families

Elm Hill Farm in Brookfield, Mass., was the seat of seven generations of the Blanchard and Means families. From the time it was acquired by William Blanchard in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, Elm Hill grew into an estate of nearly 1,300 acres of rolling hills and lush meadows. It was a model farm, home to prize herds of Morgan horses and Jersey cattle, and later it became a genteel country estate graced by extensive flower gardens and elaborate plantings.

In 1773, William and Prudence (Shumway) Blanchard family arrived in Brookfield from nearby Sturbridge bringing the first of five children with them, their infant son Amasa. As he grew into adulthood, Amasa became a skilled joiner and cabinetmaker, using the proceeds from his work to extend his property holdings even before he married in 1797, building his workshop there in about 1800.

From these origins as skilled farmers and artisans, the family rose to wealth, earning their family fortune in the 1830s, though never leaving their home base in Brookfield. Later generations of Blanchards and Means were inveterate travelers, devoted to religious affairs, serving as ministers in the Congregational Church and supporting mission work domestically and abroad

The collection is organized into nine series: Series 1: Blanchard family; Series 2: Means family; Series 3. Other families; Series 4: Richmond Trading Co.; Series 5: Land and property; Series 6: Elm Hill Farm and gardens; Series 7: Photographs; Series 8: Printed materials; Series 9. Realia.

Albert Cheney Blanchard (1808-1874) and Richmond, Indiana

The youngest of Amasa Blanchard's three sons, Albert Cheney Blanchard left Brookfield in 1832 to try his fortune in Indiana. Settling in the town of Richmond, he established a mercantile firm, the Richmond Trading Company, Indiana. With prime land on the Whitewater River, the mercantile company developed a diversified portfolio that included woolen, paper, and grist mills. Luring his brother William to join him in 1835, Albert eventually withdrew from the Trading Company in 1848 when he became president of the State Bank of Indiana, remaining in that position until its charter expired in 1855, and also with a private bank, the Citizens Bank of Richmond.

In 1861, Albert transferred his interest in the bank to his son Albert H., and returned to Brookfield.

Charles P. Blanchard (1843-1895)

The son of A.C. Blanchard and brother of Albert Henry Blanchard, Charles P. Blanchard succeeded his father as resident of the Elm Hill estate, living there with his brother Albert H. Blanchard. A Congregational minister, Charles developed the herd of Morgan horses, passing his love for horses to his daughter Abby Frances. A world traveler and talented photographer

Charles married Annie E. Brown.

Albert H. Blanchard

Thaddeus Rich (1885-1969)

A child prodigy on the violin, Thaddeus Rich was born in Indianapolis on March 21, 1885, and was playing as a soloist with orchestras by the time he was ten. To nurture this rare talent, Rich's parents sent him to Europe, where he earned wide acclaim. At twelve, he entered the Leipzig Conservatory, and after graduating at 15, he performed with the prestigious Gewandhaus Orchestra during the season 1901-1902. Moving to Berlin in 1902, he studied under the great Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim, a collaborator of Brahms, while also becoming Concertmaster of the famed Opera des Westens.

After a final tour of Germany and Austria, Rich returned home to the United States in 1905 to become Concertmaster for the relatively new Philadelphia Orchestra, then under its founding conductor Fritz Scheel. Earning attention for both youth and virtuosity, Rich also toured with the Rich Quartette, which he founded in 1908 with Harry Aleinikoff (second violin), Romain Verney (viola), and Hans Kindler (cello). His career in Philadelphia soared, and in time he became assistant conductor, conductor of the Philadelphia Festival Orchestra (1915-1926), and associate of Leopold Stokowski at Curtis Institute of Music (1925-1926).

A falling out with Stokowski, however, caused Rich to leave the Orchestra in 1926 and he never again enjoyed the same level of attention. Still relatively young man, he served briefly as curator of Rodman Wanamaker's renowned collection of stringed instruments, as a member of the faculty at Temple University, and as conductor of a WPA Orchestra in Philadelphia as part of the New Deal program.

Rich married Almyra Chandler Williams in 1910. Their lone child, Louise Chandler Rich (1912-2009), married Blanchard William Means, and the couple eventually became the last principal residents of Elm Hill. Thaddeus died in Hartford, Connecticut, in April 1969.

Oliver W. Means (1860-1939) and Abby Frances Blanchard (b. 1874)

A Congregational clergyman, Oliver W. Means married C.P. Blanchard's daughter Abby on Sept. 5, 1899. An graduate of Bowdoin College (1884) and the Hartford Seminary (1887), Means spent most of his clerical career in Enfield and Hartford, Conn., although he and Abby maintained a close affection for Elm Hill.

Abby was born in Brookfield on August 10, 1874, the daughter of Charles P. and Annie Blanchard. Their children included Frances Blanchard (1902-1946), Blanchard William (1905-1973), Beatrice Elizabeth (1912-1913), and Oliver William (1915-1946).

During a trip abroad, the Means became interested in the Jersey cattle breed and began raising them seriously at Elm Hill. In 1923, they imported a prize bull, Xenia's Sultan, from the Isle of Jersey. Most famous of all, during an exhibition at the New York World's Fair in 1939, an Elm Hill Jersey heifer named You'll Do Lobelia (1932-1941) was selected by the Borden Dairy Co. as the real-life face of their corporate mascot, Elsie the Cow.

After Oliver's death in 1973, Louise remained at Elm Hill until 2009. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic District in 1991, and five years later, about 1,000 acres of the estate was donated to the Massachusetts Audubon Society as a wildlife sanctuary.

Louise (Rich) Means

The daughter of Thaddeus Rich, Louise married Blanchard William Means in 1932 and settled in Hartford, where Blanchard served as a member of the faculty in philosophy at Trinity College.

Genealogy

Genealogical information and authorities:

Note: Annie Elizabeth Brown Blanchard is daughter of Hammond Brown (1810-1891) and Mary Ann L. Brown.

Note: Louise Chandler Rich Means (1912-2009) is the daughter of musician Thaddeus Rich.