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My name is Valerie Leuchter (Meserve)(b.1963). I am the daughter of Harry A. Meserve (He has a brother Robert (m. June [Gunther], four children David, Mark, Loretta, and Nancy). Harry is the son of George H.Meserve, Jr. (b. 1903; m. to Frieda (Peaslee)) I have three sisters Debra (m. to Peter Beckwith, three children Christina, Andrew, Amy); Linda (m. to Mario Gonzales, one child Emanual); and Pamela. My mother's name is Dorothy Ruth (Campbell). I was born and raised in Medford, MA. My family still resides there, though I moved to Deerfield, New Hampshire.
My grandfather had two brothers; Lawrence and Robert. Robert (m. Gladys, five children Richard, Bill, John, Roberta, and Jeanne) was a lawyer and served as President of the American Bar Association several years ago. He was also a trustee at Tufts University. Every Christmas Eve, we spent at a family gathering at his home in Waltham. He would sit in the chair in front of the fire place singing, "Good King Wencelot" in his deep baratone voice. Christmas was special and was just not the same if I missed out on the party. Lawrence, the younger of the three (m.Ruth (Pride) had one child, Ronald. He lived in Medford until retirement from the Boston Elevator and then moved to Flo.
When I was young, I spent hours talking about my past family history and looking at old photos with my grandfather. We traveled around town taking photos of past homes he and other family members had lived in. He told me many stories of his childhood. My grandfather was one of the first 25 Professors at Northeastern University. Meserve Hall on campus is named after him. He had many hobbies to include tropical fish raising (He was an active member of the Boston Aquarium Society and editor of their magazine for many years.), clock making, and oil painting (He was an invited member of the Copley Art Society). He told me about one of their homes growing up on Cedar St. in Medford. He said that at the intersection of Fellsway and Salem St. in Medford there was a corn field. He use to roll the silt up in leaves and smoke it. His father was George Harris Meserve, Sr., his mother Florence (Small).
My grandmother also shared many stories. She remembered spending time on her cousins farm in Loudon. She said that they would visit the farm and her mother would "work like a dog there". I visited this farm in the late 80's. It still stands today, although it is in tough shape (Merrills, Blakes, Peaslee). She was a graduate of Burdett won an award for her typing skills. She helped my grandfather get his biography together..I remember watching her type it up! As a child, I remember my grandmother spending hours patiently at the kitchen table while we wrapped her up playing doctor with strips of cloth and administered fake perscription meds of M & M's. She too was an avid artist with sketch and water colors. She also was an excellent cook and the "perfect" grandmother. I remember her mother stayed with her for a while too. We have photos of my sister Pam and I reading books with her in an easy chair in the living room. She was probably about 90 at the time. My grandmother told me that her father (Austin Peaslee) worked for the Charlestown Prison for a while. She remembers that they lived at the Prison yard for some time.
I have alot of photos and artifacts. If you are interested or want to share information with me, feel free to contact me.
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