arthur t stoddard and helen l cowing

Arthur Stoddard and Helen L. Cowing married in Weymouth on May 11, 1884. Arthur was 23 years old, Helen was 19.  They were married by clergyman Jacob Baker.  I am not sure why they would marry in Weymouth. The only connection I find that Helen has to Weymouth is her father. Even though she lived in South Scituate with her family before she was married, her father George Cowing was originally from Weymouth, MA.  Maybe the Cowings still had a connection to a church in Weymouth and this is where they married.  It could also be that they knew clergyman Jacob Baker, and wanted him to marry them.  There does not seem to be a connection with Arthur to Weymouth.

Helen grew up only about 6 houses down the street (in South Scituate) from her future husband, Arthur; which is probably how they met. You can see from the South Scituate map from 1879 how close their families lived.

South Scituate, 1879 : Residence of Helen Cowing's family and Arthur Stoddard's family (DT Stoddar and GC Cowen)

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After they married, Helen and Arthur lived on High Street in Norwell, MA as recorded in the 1900 and 1910 US Federal censuses.  Plymouth County has deeds to land records online, searchable starting from 1926.  I was able to locate an earlier deed through a reference from a deed of Arthur's daughter.  The deed is dated August 27, 1885 and describes the sale of an acre of land easterly on High Street from Charles Scully to Arthur Stoddard, for ninety five dollars.  (Plymouth County Deeds, Book 536 p 135).  This must have been Arthur's first purchase of land after his marriage to Helen, and seems to be the place they remained throughout their lives.  Arthur did purchase an additional half acre of land from Charles Scully for sixty five dollars on High Street in 1901. (Plymouth County Deeds, Book 828, p 132) 

The town of South Scituate changed its name to Norwell in 1888; so this land Arthur purchased was close to where both Helen and Arthur grew up; actually the same town.  You can see on the 1903 Norwell map below how close High Street in Norwell is to Washington Street (then in South Scituate), where they grew up.  In fact, in the 1903 map, both Helen's mother, Lydia Helen Cowing; and Arthur's mother, Maria Stoddard (Mrs. DT Stoddard) are still living in the houses the raised their families in.  By that time, both the father of Arthur and Helen had passed.  Arthur and Helen were the only children from both families that stayed in Norwell.  Their siblings moved to other towns in Massachusetts, such as Weymouth, Brockton, Hingham, and Malden.

Norwell, 1903 : Residences of Arthur and Helen Stoddard; mothers Mrs. DT Stoddard (Maria) and Helen Cowing (Lydia)

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Helen and Arthur had three daughters, Nellie, Ethel, and Carrie. Ethel was my great grandmother.  Their daughters stayed close; even after two of them, Nellie and Ethel, married.  Both daughters remained in Norwell with their growing families.  They had a total of 15 grandchildren. Helen was alive to see only 8 of their grandchildren born, Arthur was alive for all of his grandchilren's births. Unfortunately, two of those grandchildren died within a few days of birth.  Their other daughter Carrie, never married; and is still living with Helen and Arthur in the 1910 census.     

Carrie did not stay too long with Arthur and Helen, as she moved to Brockton to be a school teacher.  Unfortunately, things to did not go well for Carrie.  Helen and Arthur had to experience the death of their daughter, Carrie, by suicide.  Carrie died only a year before her mother Helen. The article in the newspaper at the time stated Carrie was a teacher and that she was having a hard time with her students. There was another article later stating this was not the case; and they did not know the reason for the suicide. This must have been a very difficult time for Helen and her family.

death of carrie e stoddard, school teacher November 22, 1913

death of Carrie Stoddard from Fitchburg Sentinel November 22, 1913, page 1

My grandmother (Ethel's daughter Helen, probably named after her grandmother) never got to meet her grandmother; as Helen Lydia (Cowing) Stoddard died on Decembe 11, 1914 at a young age of 49 years.  She died of Acute Bright's Disease.  Helen's mother, Lydia, also survived her by 5 years.   

Arthur Stoddard lived another 19 years after his wife's death.  In 1916, a couple of years after Helen's death, Arthur purchased another acre of land from Charles Scully on High Street in Norwell.  In 1920 Arthur is living with his brother, Joseph Stoddard, neighboring both of his daughters, Nellie and Ethel, still on High Street.  By 1930, Arthur has moved in with his daughter Ethel on High Street. There are some deeds dated in 1950 and 1961, showing that Arthur's land was eventually in the hands of his daughters, Ethel and Nellie. (Plymouth Deed Book 2161, page 216) 

1920 census Arthur Stoddard Norwell, MA

I am fortunate enough to have a picture one of the houses on High Street, which I believe was on the land that Arthur bought. According to the information handed down to me from my family, this house was Ethel's, Arthur's daughter and my great grandmother.  I believe that is Ethel standing in the doorway.

Ethel Stoddard Torrey's house on High Street, Norwell, MA

Ethel Stoddard Torrey's house on High Street, Norwell, MA in winter

Arthur died from cancer of the intestine on January 24, 1934 in Norwell, MA; at the age of 73.  Helen and Arthur are buried at the Washington Street Cemetery in Norwell with their daughter Carrie, and Helen's father George C. Cowing.  Helen's mother is also buried at this cemeter, but I have not found her stone and her name is not carved on Helen's gravestone.  In one of the above mentioned deeds, Arthur's probate is listed as Plymouth Probate # 44165; unfortunately, Plymouth Probate records are not available online so I was not able to view this document.  

From blog post arthur t stoddard helen l cowing

To do:
1. Find connection to Jacob baker - Arthur sibling also married by him - or to church in Weymouth?
2. Arthur's Probate : Plymouth Probate # 44165

helen l. cowing stoddard

Helen L. Cowing, my great-great grandmother, was born March 22, 1865 in South Scituate, MA. Her parents were George Clinton Cowing and Lydia Helen French.

Helen was the second oldest of four children to George and Lydia.  She had an older sister, Mary and two younger brothers, George and Percy.  Percy was actually born much later than the rest of the siblings.  Helen was fifteen years older than Percy and would only live in the same house as him for about 4 years. 

1870 census

From helen lydia cowing

1880 census

From helen lydia cowing

Helen was 19 years old when she married Arthur T. Stoddard in Weymouth on May 11, 1884.  They probably met when they were young, as they lived only six houses apart, according to the South Scituate map from 1879.  I have written a bit about Arthur and Helen in this blog post; which includes the map of South Scituate for 1879.

After they married, Helen and Arthur lived on High Street in Norwell, MA.  The town of South Scituate changed its name to Norwell in 1888, so they were still living close to home; really in the same town as they grew up in.   Helen's siblings did not stay in Scituate/Norwell, but moved to towns of Malden, Brockton and Hingham in Massachusetts.  They probably did not see much of each other once they married and had families of their own.  Helen and Arthur had three daughters, Nellie, Ethel and Carrie in Norwell.

Helen died at a young age of 49 years, of Acute Bright's Disease. Helen is buried at the Washington Street Cemetery in Norwell with her husband Arthur, her daughter Carrie, and her father George C. Cowing.


Helen was survived by her mother, her husband and two of her daughters, Ethel and Nellie.  As I wrote in another blog post, her daughter Carrie took her own life a year before Helen died.  Her two surviving daughters did marry and had children of their own, all in Norwell, MA.  Helen was alive to see 8 out of 15 of her grandchildren born; although, two of those grandchildren died within a few days of birth.  My grandmother (Helen, probably named after her) never got to meet her grandmother, Helen.  She was born 15 years after Helen died.  She never spoke much about her family, maybe because she did not know all that much herself.