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Eugene Payson “Gene” True

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Eugene Payson “Gene” True

Birth	:	19 Jul 1859 Hope, Knox County, Maine, USA
Death	:	17 Sep 1940 Wrentham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Burial	:	Hope Grove Cemetery, Hope, Knox County, USA
Coordinate	:	44.2614100, -69.1636700
Description	:	We have a letter written by Gene (as Eugene was called) on 20 February 1876 when he was seventeen years old, from the Normal School in Castine, ME, to his sister, Rose. He told her that he was settled in now that he had been at the school for two weeks; that the examination had been very easy and he was pleased that he had been placed in the advanced course; his subjects were Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography, Physiology, Reading and Spelling; and he had a room at Mrs. Christian's where there were seven other fellows and each of the eight... Read More	We have a letter written by Gene (as Eugene was called) on 20 February 1876 when he was seventeen years old, from the Normal School in Castine, ME, to his sister, Rose. He told her that he was settled in now that he had been at the school for two weeks; that the examination had been very easy and he was pleased that he had been placed in the advanced course; his subjects were Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography, Physiology, Reading and Spelling; and he had a room at Mrs. Christian's where there were seven other fellows and each of the eight students paid her a dollar for the four rooms and for doing their cooking. Family tradition says that Gene did do some teaching before he went to England to join his older brother in business. Another letter by Gene written to his brother, LaForest (called Foss), placed Gene in Liverpool, England, by 2 November 1880. He stayed in England from 1880 until 1891. He married there in 1888 and his first son was born there in 1889. He was in business with his brother, Edward Alonzo (called Lon), until that business was closed and they returned to the States. It might be implied in the following exceprts from a letter by Gene from Liverpool written to his brother Foss, 9 June 1883, that Gene did not feel settled in England and may even have been longing for his boyhood town in Maine: "Fact is I haven't decided in my own mind what I shall do. Lon would like me to stay here and I may do so. I often think it would be better for me to come home. Had I something to do when I got there, or did I know what I want to do, I could soon decide the question. At one time, I did think I would commission you to buy the F. M. farm ... but will not just yet ... should have to borrow money and it looks like rather up hill work. Don't know much about farming and might not be a success. What do you think about it? What price do they put on the farm and what about expenses and return of the farm...? Should I remain here, would hardly feel settled for should Lon give up the business in 5 or 10 years I should give it up too, and would then probably be as undecided as now. If I come home this summer, will wait till I get there and see what jobs seem open to me." Other letters Gene wrote from England indicated that he had "never felt the western fever" and seemed not settled in his mind what his future course should be. After the two families returned to America, they lived together in Newton Highlands, MA, for a short while until Gene and his family moved to Readville, MA. There their second son, Osmond, was born in 1896. One letter of Gene's showed that he supplied Foss with a few products bought in Boston, MA, which Foss sold in his store in Hope, ME. Also, Foss sent to Gene products for him to sell in stores in Boston, and the surrounding areas. All this seemed to be going on while Gene and his brother, Lon, were in business in Boston, the same kind of business they had been doing in England. Gene's son, E. Payson True, indicated that the American business was not as prosperous as the English business had been but one where they made a living and the families always ate three times a day. In E. Payson True's book, Remembrances of E. P. True, p. 45, he states, "... for some reason, we (Gene's family) gave up the house (in Readville) and went to Hope, Maine, in June staying with Uncle Foss and Aunt Kate through the next winter. We came back to Massachusetts in the spring of 1897..." The mystery about this stay in Maine may now be solved with the information in a letter we found among other family letters. This letter was written by Gene in Readville, 12 Feb. 1895, to his brother Foss in Hope. In it he says, "You speak of my going in with you ... I am not in a position to give you much financial aid now, if you have enough business for two, and enough work for two, and can afford to employ me and give me living wages I might but in a 12 months with you and see how I liked it, and if things turned out so I could make an investment, with prospects of fair return, perhaps we could do something. If two were there it would relieve one so he could drum up trade and if orders could be booked forward for the various things you can pack there (Foss owned and ran a canning factory which he started in 1880 as well as the general store at Hope Corner), the canning might be extended to quite an extent." Our guess is that Gene and his family did go to Hope to try out this proposal and found that the trade was not sufficient to support the two families or that the arrangements did not work out to everyone's satisfaction. After that time, Gene seemed to settle down and he and his family lived in Readville and Hyde Park, MA, with Gene working in Boston until he retired. Payson True, Gene's son, said of him that he was a fine man, a good father, was quiet in his speech and actions and had a good sense of humor. Annie, Gene's wife, was a small, precise, English lady, a musician from a musical family who was an accomplished pianist and organist. She and her sister, Jane, wife of Gene's brother Lon, seemed happy in this country even though they were away from their own English relatives. These sisters were welcomed into the large True family which must have seemed to them to be as American as apple pie, were teased about their English ways and joined in the resulting laughter with everybody, and enjoyed their new life here according to the memories of Annie's sons, Payson and Osmond. Eugene Payson and his wife Annie Elizabeth (Milnes) True had two sons: •Edward Payson, b. Bootle, England 30 Sept 1889; d. Concord, MA 7 Feb. 1987; m. (1) Laura Keene Darling; m. (2) Doris (Lyons) Boyd. •Osmond Smalley, b. Readville, MA 4 March 1896; d. Westwood, MA 12 Sept 1979; m. Alma Katharine Barber. No issue.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Eugene Payson “Gene” True's memorial?
Eugene Payson “Gene” True's memorial is located at: Hope Grove Cemetery, Hope, Knox County, USA.
When did Eugene Payson “Gene” True death?
Eugene Payson “Gene” True death on 17 Sep 1940 in Wrentham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Eugene Payson “Gene” True's memorial?
Latitude: 44.2614100
Longitude: -69.1636700

Family Members:

Parent

Edward True Jr.

(1799 - 1871)

Olive King Payson True

(1817 - 1886)

Spouse

Annie Elizabeth Milnes True

(1853 - 1942)

Siblings

Edward Alonzo True

(1836 - 1919)

John Augustine True

(1843 - 1858)

LaForest Payson “Foss” True

(1849 - 1941)

Herbert Leslie True

(1854 - 1934)

Frances Payson “Fannie” True

(1856 - 1947)

Children

Edward Payson “Payson” True

(1889 - 1987)

Osmond Smalley True

(1896 - 1979)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Hope Grove Cemetery
Hope, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2614100, -69.1636700

2. Morey Hill Cemetery
Hope, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2494180, -69.1881720

3. Bolan Hill Cemetery
Montville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2508600, -69.2020200

4. Fletcher Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3053017, -69.1410980

5. Youngtown Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2711000, -69.0972800

6. Hillside Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2985992, -69.1175003

7. Center Lincolnville Burying Ground
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2989006, -69.1130981

8. Cross Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3125000, -69.1361008

9. Lassell-Drinkwater Cemetery
Searsmont, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3218994, -69.1742020

10. Norton Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3048000, -69.1026000

11. Quaker Cemetery
Appleton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2807390, -69.2461470

12. Thomas Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3181910, -69.1263720

13. Pine Grove Cemetery
Appleton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2877998, -69.2453003

14. Oak Hill Cemetery North
Camden, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2119100, -69.1047500

15. Oak Hill Cemetery South
Camden, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2111015, -69.1046982

16. Buzzell Cemetery
Searsmont, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3275630, -69.1497090

17. Heal Cemetery
Searsmont, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3279310, -69.1441300

18. East Union Cemetery
East Union, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2049561, -69.2225647

19. Sprague Cemetery
Appleton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3011017, -69.2518997

20. West Rockport Cemetery
West Rockport, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.1866670, -69.1308330

21. Mount View Cemetery
Camden, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2164001, -69.0738983

22. Butler Cemetery
Union, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2553253, -69.2757711

23. Union Cemetery
Lincolnville, Waldo County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3171997, -69.0813980

24. Hart Cemetery
Appleton, Knox County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2778015, -69.2806015