The "LNP Living: Paper Trail - Part III" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching the archives of Lancaster Newspapers once again trying to piece together information about my family tree.  My father died a few years ago and he would often tell me about his father who died when he was only 6 years old.  He never had much of a chance to know his father, and then when his brother died in an automobile accident (story posted yesterday) when he was only 11 years old, he became the oldest living male in his direct family.  

Front side of the note I found. Click to enlarge.

Well, during the search of old photographs and scrapbooks to find photos of the first home that my wife Carol and I shared in 1967, I came upon one more member of the Woods family.  A small double-sided note in a plastic sleeve led me to a story about Mr. Maris Woods who I have figured to be my Great Grandfather.  The small note was dated Wed. 15th Feb. (year unknown) and read:  Hi Paul and Dottie (my mother and father).  Here is Pop's article.  Sorry I don't have all of it.  At the end of the note was:  "Pops" birth date, 1863 and in my father's printing read "Died 3-18-1947."  Well the newspaper article began with.....""LIFE BEGINS AT 70 - -"  It continued in headline size type.....Man, 73, Keeping Young Making Children's Toys.  There was a photograph of Maris Woods seated on his chair at the Hubley plant brightening up the models of toys which will be turned out by the thousands.  

Article on my Great Grandfather
Maris Woods

The story told about Maris being a pattern-maker at the Hubley Manufacturing Company in Lancaster.  Also said that he lived at 450 East Ross Street in Lancaster, PA and began working for the firm in 1894 when it made metal trains, banks and horse-and-carriage toys.  He also helped design toy automobiles and airplanes.  His case is typical of the many which disprove the belief that folks past 70 should retire.  He did have difficulty hearing, but he was in good command of his faculties.  In the next paragraph of the newspaper story he says:  "I don't think. there's a man living now, ever did live, or ever will live, that should have all the power that President Roosevelt wants."  And then, the story told me to see "MEN" on page 11.  Well, that wasn't part of what I found in the scrapbook, but I knew exactly where to find "MEN".  I didn't have any dates except the couple on the small note, so I figured out how old he was and when he was born and Viola!  I narrowed it down to 1937 and while looking at the back side of the article saw they had a light snow the day before.  Knew it was a winter month.  Then I read another article on the reverse side of the article with a headline that read "France Takes Over Big Arms Factory" and was dated PARIS, March 13.  BINGO! I pulled up the Lancaster New Era paper from March 13, 1937 and there was the photo of my Great Grandfather working at his bench at Hubley Toy.  My father later worked at Hubley Toy running a stamping press.  One day he got a finger in the way of the stamp and it removed it from his hand.  That was the last day Dad worked at Hubley.  The remainder of the story on page 11 told of a man who was 80 and still operated a truck farm.  He remembered the day that the bridge at Columbia, PA was set on fire to prevent the Confederates from crossing the river and heading to Philadelphia.  A final sentence tells of David E. Binkley who is eighty years old and still feeds his cattle daily.  I love to read the old stories.  Takes you back to a time when the biggest care in the world was how long you would live and still be able to work.  I am so glad I have found the "Archives" page on Lancasteronline.com.  I will be making more use of it as I go through the remainder of my old photos and scrapbooks.  Might be able to do some more research on my family.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.