Longmeadow Welcomes First Baby Born in 1924

Lawrence M. Goodwin
Springfield Technical High School
Graduation Photo- 1941

One hundred years ago on January 4, 1924 Longmeadow, MA welcomed its first baby of the new year!  Lawrence Morgan Goodwin was born in Longmeadow on that day.  His proud parents were Sylvester F. and Alice (Morgan) Goodwin.  The Goodwin family lived at 1190 Longmeadow Street. The house is no longer there. In 1924 the Goodwins also had another son and two daughters.  Sylvester Goodwin was the manager of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. grocery store.  The store was one in a chain of grocery stores and it was located in the Colonnade at 477 Longmeadow Street. This grocery store chain is now known as the A & P.  Previously, Mr. Goodwin had been a grocery clerk at the C. L. Wood grocery store located at 776 Longmeadow Street.

C. L. Wood Grocery Store
Date: 1912
Emerson Collection
Digital Commonwealth/ Longmeadow Historical Society

In 1926 the family moved to Woolworth Road (Woolworth Street) in Longmeadow.  New opportunities arose when another grocery store- a self serve store opened.  The name of the store was Thrift Stores, Inc.  It was located at 10 Bliss Road.

Springfield Republican
Nov. 24, 1928
(Click image to enlarge)

 
Mr. Goodwin managed the grocery store.

Source: 1929 Longmeadow Street Directory

Then in 1929 Sylvester Goodwin resigned from this position.

Source:  Springfield Republican
 July 30, 1929

The young man Lawrence M. Goodwin, who was born 100 years ago, grew up in Longmeadow and graduated from Springfield Technical High School in 1941.  On July 9, 1948 he married Ilene Canor in Brattleboro, Vermont.  It was on the same day and in the same place that his younger brother Lynn married Ilene's sister Shirley Canor.  Lawrence was a mechanic.  Eventually, he and his wife Ilene moved to Hampden, MA.  In 1961 he was a service manager at Friendly Ice Cream Corp. at 1855 Boston Road in Wilbraham, MA.     

By taking a quick glance at this individual (who was born 100 years ago) and his family who lived in Longmeadow we are able to learn about residents who lived and also worked in Longmeadow.  So often we think and learn about town residents who took the trolly to work in Springfield, MA.  Some members of the Goodwin family probably did take a trolly into the city.  Lawrence M. Goodwin, his older brother and his sisters probably rode a trolly to attend high school in Springfield.  However, for many years his father's occupation was working and then managing grocery stores in Longmeadow.  A trolly ride was not a necessity for him every day. 

Additional Sources:  1924 Longmeadow Town Report; 1925, 1926 Longmeadow Directories; 1961 Springfield Directory and Vermont Marriage Records.

Written by Judy Moran