The Raymond Wheeler Farm Photograph Collection, 1908-1949
Vault B5
Unit 27
Raymond “Gramp” Wheeler using vegetable washer, 1939
EXTENT: One container; 106 images.
ORGANIZATION: Six series: I. Farm machinery, 1937-1948 and undated; II. Farm trucks, 1913-1937 and undated; III. Farm tractors, 1937 and undated; IV. Automobiles, 1910-1937 and undated; V. Crops, 1920-1949 and undated; VI. Farm workers, 1908, 1915 and undated. Arranged chronologically within series.
BIOGRAPHY: The Wheeler family has lived in Concord, Massachusetts since the seventeenth century. The members of the branch to which Raymond Wheeler (1888-1957) belonged are the descendants of George Wheeler, an early Concord settler whose name first appears in Massachusetts’ records in 1640. This collection specifically focuses on Raymond Wheeler, his family, and their farm from the early- to mid-twentieth century.
Raymond Wheeler (born 10 March 1888) married Ruth White Payson in 1910, and after her death in 1940, married Marguerita Cecile Daloz. He died on March 26, 1957 just after his 69th birthday. The children of Raymond and Ruth were Richard, Russell, and Gardner Wheeler. The photographs were passed by Raymond to his son Russell (“Rusty”), who married Marian Alma Harlow. Marian Wheeler was highly respected as a Concord historian. The collection in turn passed on to Rusty and Marian’s daughter, Barbara (Wheeler) LaJeunesse, who donated it to the Concord Free Public Library.
The Wheeler farm was located at Nine Acre Corner in southwest Concord. This land is remarkable for its flat, muddy fields that produce bountiful harvests, contributing to Concord’s importance as a farming town.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: This is a coherent collection that spans the years 1908 to 1949. Though many images are undated, they are almost certainly all from the same era. All photographs in the collection are black and white, and most can best be described as snapshots. All are associated with the Raymond Wheeler farm and his family, who appear to have been quite conscious of the value of documenting their work and lives. Images of vehicles make up the majority of the collection and include Series I: Farm machinery, 1937-1948 and undated; Series II: Farm trucks, 1913-1937 and undated; Series III: Farm tractors, 1937 and undated; Series IV: Automobiles, 1910-1937 and undated. Series V contains photographs of farm-produced crops, 1920-1949 and undated, and Series VI includes four images on mounting boards of farm and boarding house workers, 1908, 1915 and undated.
A number of the farm machinery photographs preserve Raymond Wheeler’s innovative mechanical inventions.
SOURCE OF ACQUISTION: Donated by Barbara Harlow (Wheeler) LaJeunesse, 29 June 2017.
NOTES/COMMENTS: Processing Notes: Other than separating the dated and undated images within the series and the inclusion of Folder 11, the photographs have largely been preserved in the order in which they were received. Information found on the back of the photographs and used verbatim in the finding aid have been enclosed in quotes. The dates on some of the photographs include a question mark. These have been retained in the descriptions. Research Note: Farm Machinery and Equipment, Sixth Edition (1976) by Smith and Wilkes was helpful in identifying some of the machinery.
PROCESSED BY: Anna Hocker, November 2017; additional processing, C. Manoli-Skocay, May 2018.
CONTAINER LIST
Series I: Farm machinery, 1937-1948 and undated
Folder 1: Photographs of farm machinery, 1937-1948
Envelope 1
“Underground pump house at White Pond, Eaton Street,” 1937Envelope 2
Wooden platform with wheel, 1937Envelope 3
Tractor pulling trailer loaded with crops, 9 August 1938Envelope 4
“Uncle Alden” using a trailing plow, 1939Envelope 5
“Raymond’s irrigating system, water from White Pond,” 1942 (two copies)Envelope 6
Tractor and harvesting equipment, “about 1942”Envelopes 7 and 8
Men using a “potato digger and potato picker” at White Pond Plain, 1943Envelope 9
“Harvesting rye at Powder Mill Road, looking west,” 1943Envelope 10
“Irrigation equipment on Powder Mill Plain field,” 1946Envelope 11
View of field from a tractor, 1946Envelope 12
Tillage equipment in field, 1946Envelope 13
New water tank from James G. Grant Co., 1948 [?]Not Enveloped
“Raymond’s designed trailer for hauling potatoes from the field,” 1948Folder 2: Photographs of farm machinery (undated)
Envelope 1
Farm buildings, undatedEnvelope 2
Man working with vegetable washer, undatedEnvelope 3
Small trailer, undatedEnvelope 4
Man using a trailing plow at “Russ Eisenhauer’s house and farm” on Wheeler Road, undatedEnvelope 5
Engine, undatedEnvelope 6
Section of harvesting machinery, undatedEnvelope 7
Engine, undatedEnvelope 8
Unidentified machinery, undatedEnvelope 9
Pipe system, undatedEnvelope 10
Farm building and wooden trailer, undatedEnvelope 11
Coal-burning furnace, undatedEnvelope 12
Packing room, undatedEnvelope 13
Concrete mixer, undatedEnvelope 14
Small engine (outdoors), undatedEnvelope 15
“Pump at White Pond for irrigating Wheeler crops; Raymond’s invention,” undatedNot Enveloped
“Raymond’s invention for hauling ‘dressing’ boxes from Hood Stables in Brighton,” undated
Series II: Farm trucks, 1913-1937 and undated
Folder 3: Photographs of farm trucks, 1913-1937
Envelope 1
Man leaning against truck loaded with boxes, 1913Envelope 2
Man driving an Anson Wheeler truck, 1913Envelope 3
Man standing next to an Anson Wheeler Estate truck, 1916Envelope 4
Buick Truck, November 1917 (two copies)Envelopes 5 and 6
Two men standing in the snow next to a truck hauling split wood, 1918Envelope 7
Aunt Edith Ackerman’s Nine Acre Corner Community Market truck; “Russ (Rusty Wheeler) on the running board,” 1918Envelope 8
Anson Wheeler Estate truck loaded with produce; boy on running board, 1924Envelope 9
Fully loaded “Mack Truck,” ca. 1929/1930Envelope 10
Truck loaded with crops, in front of barn, 14 September 1937Envelope 11
Flatbed truck, 25 March 1937Envelope 12
Fully loaded truck on road, 14 September 1937Folder 4: Photographs of farm trucks (undated)
Envelope 1
Man unloading a truck, undatedEnvelope 2
Front of loaded truck, undatedEnvelope 3
Men shoveling material from the back of a truck, undatedEnvelope 4
Pick-up truck, undatedEnvelope 5
Pick-up truck in front of barn, undatedEnvelope 6
Man driving fully loaded truck, undatedEnvelope 7
Truck with covered load in front of house, undatedEnvelope 8
Man unloading produce from truck, undatedEnvelope 9
Large cargo being secured on truck (C.E. Hall and Sons/Truckmen/Somerville), undated
Series III: Farm tractors, 1937 and undated
Folder 5: Photographs of farm tractors, 1937
Envelope 1
Man driving a Caterpillar tractor, 2 June 1937Envelope 2
Man driving a Farmall tractor, 1937Envelope 3
Man and three children on a tractor, in field, 24 June 1937Folder 6: Photographs of farm tractors, undated
Envelope 1
“Joyce’s horse,” undatedEnvelope 2
Man mowing field, undatedEnvelope 3
Man driving a tractor in field, undatedEnvelope 4
Man driving a tractor in field, undatedEnvelope 5
Man driving tractor, harrowing field, undatedEnvelope 6
Front/grill of Caterpillar tractor in cornfield, undatedEnvelope 7
Man on tractor plowing field, undatedEnvelope 8
Man driving Caterpillar tractor, hauling trailer, undatedEnvelope 9
Two men on tractor, plowing field, undated
Man and three children on a tractor, in field, 24 June 1937
Series IV: Automobiles, 1910-1937 and undated
Folder 7: Photographs of automobiles 1910-1937
Envelope 1
Ruth Wheeler “perhaps on her honeymoon with Raymond to Peak’s Island in 1910”Envelope 2
Trefethen family with driver Raymond Wheeler in car in front the “Big House” at Wheeler farm, “around 1912” [all figures are identified on the reverse]Envelope 3
Cars lined up along unidentified road, “about 1912”Envelope 4
Car in driveway, “license plate 100475,” 18 May 1937Envelope 5
Two adults, small child in car, March 1937Envelope 6
Car parked in front of house, March 1937Folder 8: Photographs of automobiles (undated)
Envelope 1
Parked cars belonging to people gathered for the Boston Market Gardener’s Association Annual Meeting, which “met every other year at the farm,” undatedEnvelope 2
Rear of a LaSalle sedan, driving on wooded path, undatedEnvelope 3
Car in snow bank, “3607 license plate in the family since Russ Wheeler’s birth in 1912,” undatedEnvelope 4
A LaSalle sedan driving near entrance to White Pond, undatedEnvelopes 5 and 6
Man standing between two cars in the snow, license plates 0286C and 01582E, undatedEnvelope 7
Car parked in wooded area, license plate 3607, undatedEnvelope 8
Car outside a house, undatedEnvelope 9
Car parked in front of house, license plate 3607, undatedEnvelope 10
People looking at cars in a lot, undatedEnvelope 11
Car with a flatbed trailer driving through a field, undated
Series V: Crops, 1920-1949 and undated
Folder 9: Photographs of crops, 1920-1939
Envelope 1
Trucks in field hauling winter squash, ca. 1920 [?]Envelope 2
Freesias in a greenhouse, ca. 1930sEnvelope 3
Freesias in a greenhouse, ca. 1935 [?]Envelope 4
Farm workers filling sacks with potatoes, 21 September 1937Envelope 5
Farm workers packing corn, ca. 1938Envelope 6
Farm worker packing corn, ca. 1941Envelope 7
Tomatoes in baskets in “Header Building” also known as “Wash House A,” 1943Envelope 8
View of fields, looking toward Route 117, from porch at the farm, 1949Not Enveloped
Raymond “Gramp” Wheeler using vegetable washer, 1939Folder 10: Photographs of crops, undated
Envelope 1
Potato washer (“Raymond’s invention”), undatedEnvelope 2
View of farmhouse from across field, undatedEnvelope 3
“Prime greenhouse cucumbers,” undatedEnvelope 4
Farm worker holding “greenhouse rhubarb,” undatedEnvelope 5
Rhubarb slicer, undatedEnvelope 6
Unidentified crop in field, undatedEnvelope 7
Man in “corn house,” undatedEnvelope 8
Powder Mill Road cornfield, undatedEnvelope 9
Alden Wheeler holding “prize Hubbard squash,” undatedNot Enveloped
“Raymond’s vegetable washer,” undated
Series VI: Farm workers, 1908, 1915 and undated
Folder 11: Farm workers, 1908, 1915 and undated
“Farm Help in Boarding Houses,” 1908 [some of those pictured are identified on reverse]
Two farmhands at boarding house, ca. 1915 [?]
“Boarding House Help,” Anson Wheeler Estate, undated
“Farm help at 1st boarding house,” undated
Aunt Edith Ackerman’s Nine Acre Corner Community Market truck;
“Russ (Rusty Wheeler) on the running board,” 1918
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