The discussion about Boardmans and Whitneys seems to have involved so far, the Connecticut Whitneys descended from Henry. There is, however, a Boardman connection in the John & Elinor line as well, although it ends tragically. Audra D. Whitney (John, Jonathan, Joseph, Joseph, Benjamin, David, Daniel, Cyrus), the youngest daughter and sister to David Day Whitney (see "The Scientific Whitneys") married Henry Boardman and together they had six children. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - According to the newspaper account in the "Herald" of Randolph, Vermont, Wed. June 19, 1929 (Section 1): "Passing out from Randolph village on the West Braintree road, one soon comes to a sharp curve. The road, which has been skirting the Branch for some distance, turns away from it. Right at the head of the turn is the small dwelling known as the Dukett place. It used to be called the 'soap house.' "The first of May last this place was rented by Henry Boardman, who had been living for a year or two past in East Randolph, coming there from Brookfield. Earlier he had lived in Chelsea and Northfield. Mr. Boardman, with his family, consisting of wife and six children, took possession and had been engaged in settling and tidying up around. Mr. Boardman had work on the Center road construction job. The children were attending the village schools." In the early evening of June 13, 1929, "the oldest son of the family, Harry, aged 15, and a younger lad, Randolph Bennett, 12," started to go in bathing in the nearby Third Branch, just a few yards from the home. Harry, however was a poor swimmer and got in over his depth. The younger boy tried to help him but was unsuccessful. The alarm spread to the household and both mother and sisters came running. The mother jumped in, then both daughters Ona and Beatrice. "None of them could swim, and being beyond their depth, all soon succumbed in the watery embrace." "The fourth child, Uda, a girl of 10, who retained her self-possession remarkably, ran and awakened the father. Mr. Boardman was a good swimmer in earlier years. Without hesitating he dove from the high rock into the deep hole. Mr. Boardman tried to save his wife and they struggled, clasped together. Once they appeared to be getting to safety, but the man's strength seemed to fail and soon they were beyond help." By the time help arrived, it was too late, and five family members were dead. "The victims were:-- "Henry Charles Boardman, son of Augustus and Elizabeth Lyon Boardman, born in Northfield, Sept. 22, 1877. "Audrey Whitney Boardman, daughter of Cyrus and Luthera Sprague Whitney, born in Brookfield, Jan. 18, 1890. "Ona Mintha Boardman, born Oct. 16, 1911. "Harry Arthur Boardman, born Nov. 25, 1914. "Beatrice Beulah Boardman, born Oct. 2, 1916. "Curiously enough, the above entries were found in the family Bible, and the record stopped with the five victims only. "Brothers and sisters of Mr. and Mrs. Boardman came Monday night and Tuesday. Arrangements were made for the bodies to be conveyed to Northfield, where the funeral will be held at 2 p.m. today, in the Congregational church, with burial at Mt. Hope cemetery. "Mr. Boardman is survived by five brothers and three sisters-Albert Boardman of Barre, David Boardman of Northfield, J.W. Boardman of Northfield Falls, Augustus Boardman of Chelsea, Eleazer Boardman of Northfield, Mrs. Bert Cilley of Barre, Mrs. Walter Peake of Riverton, and Mrs.George Gonyea of South Northfield. "Mrs. Boardman's surviving brothers and sisters are D.A. Whitney of Chelsea, Lee R. Whitney of Washington, David Whitney of Lincoln, Neb., and Mrs. M.L. Hayward of Chelsea. "The brothers and sisters of the victims intend to make homes for the three surviving children" 70 years later, on June 10, 1999, "The Herald," published two articles remembering the tragedy (pp. B-1, B13). One was an interview with Paul Webster a neighbor who was 15 years old at the time. He recalls the trauma of helping his father recover the bodies of the five drowning victims. The second interview was with Uda Boardman Ladd, one of the three surviving siblings, who was 10 at the time. She said she keeps the memories at bay by not thinking much about the tragedy, although she admits to still being afraid of the water and urged her son Wayne and his wife Pat to teach her two granddaughters how to swim. "'You don't want to be down in the dumps all the time,' she said simply, and once a year she visits the Mount Hope cemetery in Northfield, where all five are buried. Aside from that, she's learned not to dwell on it." Mrs. Ladd did recall being particularly close to Harry. "'I remember sitting on that bank, screaming to them to get out,' she said this week. Meanwhile her father dove into the river, only to be overcome by her mother's floundering. "Uda figured her job was back at the house. 'I went back and took care of my younger brothers,' she said. "After the tragedy, family stepped in to offer homes to the remaining three children. Uda and her brother Alfred (7) went to Chelsea, where their uncle Daniel Whitney was a farmer. Both stayed there for the rest of their lives. "Younger brother Everett, then only 5, went to Washington, Vt., where his uncle Lee Whitney owned the village store. "Both Everett and Alfred later served in the Pacific theater during World War II. Both later held factory jobs. Everett was the only family member to leave Vermont, moving to Long Beach, Calif. "Uda graduated from Chelsea High, married Guy Ladd, and helped him with his contract mail route; when he died in 1980 she took it over for 10 years. Her son Wayne now has the route." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As a footnote, Audra (or Audrey) Whitney Boardman was a first cousin to my grandmother Mary Whitney Jahn (their fathers were brothers). My mother Audrey (Audra) Jahn was named after Audra Boardman. By the way, if anyone would like complete copies of the newspaper articles, I'd be happy to copy and send them to you. Karl Schwerin