23. Thomas Isaac Slack5 Boak (John William4, Thomas3, John2, Robert1 James) was born in Ellery Twp, Chautauqua Co, NY January 23, 1890. Thomas died February 7, 1969 in Milford, New Haven Co, Ct, at 79 years of age. His body was interred May 1969 in Long Island Sound.
He married twice. He married Anna Delora Sampson in Westfield, Chautauqua Co, NY, July 15, 1915. Anna was born in Gerry, Chautauqua Co, NY April 8, 1894. Anna was the daughter of Alexander Frederic Sampson and Lillian Josephine Akin. Anna died March 8, 1990 in Cheshire, New Haven Co, CT, at 95 years of age. Her body was interred May 1990 in Fluvanna, Chautauqua Co., NY. Anna D. died peacefully in her sleep one month before her 96th birthday at the Elim Park Baptist Home where she had lived since 1976. In May, 1990 the three sons of Anna D. Sampson (Thomas, Charles and John Boak) arranged that her ashes be brought to the cemetery at Fluvanna, NY where they were interred in the Sampson family plot next to her mother. Also interred in the same lot, though unbeknown to us or to the cemetery authorities at the time, are the ashes of Leighton Soule, his wife Berdessa, and their daughter Edith Baker. Their are no markers to show the locations. A marker is there for Alex Sampson, as well as markers for wife Lillian and for Anna D. Sampson. A brief commital service was held at that time. Fluvanna is very close to where the Sampson family home was. The BOAK family plot is adjacent to the Sampson plot in this cemetery. In the Boak plot are buried Thomas, Ann, Edward Boak Margaret (and her Husband), of my grandfather's family, as well as my grandfather, John W. Boak, his wife, as well as their daughter Hattie and their son, William. Another daughter, Margaret, is buried nearby in the plot of her husband's family (Lawson). Anna Delora ("D") Sampson lived on various farms in the Chautauqua Co. area with her family as they moved from place to place. CBS noted 9 locations between 1887 and 1906 with the last place being "Louck's Place" which must be the home at Dutch Hollow with which I am familiar. Her childhood was a happy, though not affluent one, with her parents, her brother and two sisters. She went to Jamestown High School and then to Teacher's Training Class in Westfield where she graduated in 1912. She taught school for one or two years in the Maple Grove School (one room schoolhouse) near Chautauqua Lake. In 1915, after her marriage to TISB who lived on the family farm nearby, they moved to Oswego, NY where he was briefly employed by the NYCRR. There followed the moves outlined in the notes attached to the TISB record. Three sons were born to them--Tom and Chuck in New Jersey and Jack in Seneca Falls, NY. Many moves were made in their lives; including moves between and within communities it amounted to 15-20. ADB thus became an expert in homemaking, decoration and raising children. She was an expert in the collecting, gaining knowledge of, and caring for antiques. She was a devout member of the Christian Science Church, read and studied the Bible exhaustively, and practiced her religion faithfully in her every day life. Following the divorce in July 1956 she purchased a home in Mt. Carmel, CT and later moved to an apartment in New Haven. After several other living locations of varying lengths, she moved, in January 1976, to Elim Park Baptist Home in Cheshire, Ct where she lived until her death.
He married Josephine Russell in Unknown, July 1956. Josephine died August 12, 1992 in Milford, CT.
Thomas graduated in Ithaca, New York, 1914. Institution: institution unknown. Thomas I. S. Boak was an enthusiastic sailor--in later years from the Pequot Yacht Club, Southport, Ct. It was his wish that his ashes be scattered in Long Island Sound from the yacht club committee boat in the area where the club sailing races were held. This was done in the Spring of 1969. My father, TISB, Sr., was born on the family farm near Jamestown, NY. He was graduated from Jamestown High School in 1909 and entered Cornell University in the fall of 1910. His mother was the person who encouraged him to go to college and he largely supported himself by working his way through by waiting on table at a boarding house. He was a very active undergraduate and among other things was on the wrestling team. He was never defeated in all of his bouts and was team captain in his senior year. He was graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 1914. His first job was with the New York Central RR in Oswego, NY where he worked for about one year. He was married in July, 1915 to Anna Sampson, a girl from a farm near to where he was born and they set up housekeeping in Rochester, NY where he had a job with a company called "Art In Buttons". This company manufactured buttons from nutmeats. Sometime prior to 1917 he went to work for Western Electric Co. in the New York area and moved to Newark, NJ. Son, Charles, and I were born in the New Jersey location. In 1922 he moved to Seneca Falls, NY where he went to work for Rumsey Pump Co., then the oldest pump manufacturer in the U. S. In 1927 he moved to the Gould Pump Co., the largest such company in the U. S., which was also located in the same community. Shortly he was made Works Manager of that operation, but as a result of the depression and its effects, he was let go by the family owners in early 1932. He went to work for the Western Cartridge Co. as a cost reduction expert to get their recently purchased company, Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New Haven, Ct. on its feet in October, 1932. He did so and subsequently lead this company including its substantial contribution to the World War II effort, until 1952. He was also made a director of the parent company. He left WRA Co. in Janury 1950 when he disagreed with some of the policies of the owners, the Olin family. He then became President of the Plume and Atwood Manufacturing Co. of Waterbury, Ct., an old line brass company. He lead this company through the building of a new plant in Thomaston and Hurricane Hazel which devastated the new plant in August, 1955. He retired in February, 1958. He divorced our mother in July, 1956 and married Miss Josephine Russell and they moved to Milford, Ct. where he resided until his death. In his latter years he was plagued with illness, something he had never had in all his previous years. He served 10 years as Alumni Trustee (1938-1948), was very active in civic affairs in New Haven as well as in industry circles throughout his career. His avocation was Cornell University. He was an ardent sailor on Cayuga and Seneca Lakes in Central New York and on Long Island Sound from the Pequot Yacht Club in Southport Ct. His boats were two Star Class boats and then he acquired an Atlantic Class sloop.
Thomas Isaac Slack Boak and Anna Delora Sampson had the following children:
+ 29 i.Thomas Isaac Slack6 Boak Jr. (still alive).
+ 30 ii.Charles Edward Boak (still alive).
+ 31 iii.John Boak 9 (still alive).
Send email to preparer: tom@theboaks.com
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