DOROTHY MAY10 HATHAWAY (Adiel9, John8, David7, Love6, Savory5, Simon4, Arthur3, John2, Arthur1) was born at Fairhaven, Bristol County, Massachusetts, on 23 August 1911, a daughter of Adiel Harvey Hathaway and his wife Julia Reed,[1] and died at Marion, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, on 15 April 1993.[2] She married at Fairhaven on 25 June 1930 WALTER EVERETT LANG.[3] He was born at New Bedford, Bristol County, on 23 February 1908, a son of Julius and Mattie (Sorel) Lang.[4] He died at Marion on 1 September 1975.[5]
Dorothy "Dot" Hathaway attended Fairhaven school: kindergarten at the Annex School, then Tripp School, then Rogers School, wehere she graduated from eighth grade in 1926, then Fairhaven High School. When her mother had a nervous breakdown, Dot dropped out of High School to take care of the home. Two years later, on the day her former classmates were graduating, Dot got married. Dot wasn't sure she should get married and leave home, but her mother said, "We'll manage. You go right ahead."
Walter Lang, of Freetown, Plymouth County, had graduated from the Vocational School at New Bedford and was an electrician. Dot and Walter first lived at East Freetown, while he worked for Howard Maxim of Middleboro, Plymouth County. Their first child, Walter, Junior, was born in 1931. Dot recalled he:
was only 3 days old when they took him to Saint Luke's Hospital in New Bedford. He was bleeding from the gums. They didn't give us much hope of his surviving. He lived anyway.
The family had moved to Lakeville, Plymouth County, by 1932, when Natalie was born, and to Middleboro by 1933, when John was born. John died only a few hours after birth. The Langs then moved back to East Freetown, by the time of Roberet's birth in 1936.
In November of 1936 the Lang family moved to Gelette Road, Fairhaven, and Walter worked for Warren Cheetham, well drilling. This did not work out, so in March of 1937 they moved back to Middleboro. They bought a house and Walter went to work for himself.
Walter, Dot and family lived in Middleboro for twenty-five years, and built up a sizeable business. Dorothy answered the phone and did the bookkeeping for the business.
Dorothy reported:
In 1942 we hired a cottage for the month of August on Quelle Lane in Marion. We were near the beach and the children enjoyed that so much. The following year, in 1943, we bought a cottage on the same street. We needed to get away from the business on weekends and in the summer months. Walter went back and forth. In 1962 we moved down there and winterized it for year around living.This is where Walter died of a massive heart attack, with no warning, in 1975. Dot continmued to live there.[6]
Regarding the children of Dot and Walter:[7]
- Walter, Junior ran bulldozers and heavy equipment. He was injured while leveling ground around a school in Bourne, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. In October 1975 he was struck in the neck by a projectile from a Ramset gun. This is a tool used to secure brick on the outside of a building. Not able to return to that occupation, they moved to Oxford, Oxford County, Maine, where they ran a tree farm and raised animals.
Kerri graduated from Middleboro High School and married at the Episcopal Church in Middleboro. Her family moved to Maine.
Kurt served in the Air Force and was stationed for a time at Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana.
- Natalie graduated from Middleboro High School. Before marriage she worked at the Gas and Electric Department at Middleboro Town Hall. She married Gerry Smith at the Congregational Church in Middleboro. His obituary provides more information on his life:[8]
Gerald T. Smith Marion--Gerald T. Smith, 64, died Sunday, April 13, 1997, at home unexpectedly of natural causes. He was the husband of Natalie A. (Lang) Smith and son of the late Holger G. and Virginia M. (Vokes) Smith.
Born in New Bedford, he was a 1950 graduate of Fairhaven High School and a 1954 graduate of New Bedford Textile School. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Southeastern Massachusetts University.
Originally a boat-builder, he was a furniture builder by trade and a model builder by inclination. For many years, he worked as a foreman and he rose to the position of an assistant supervisor at Brownell Boatworks in Mattapoisett [Plymouth County].
Later, he was a supervisor for the Department of Public Works in Marion. He was also a traffic manager for Gault Transportation. Since 1982 he had his own business called Smith Shops.
He was active in church, civic and fraternal organizations. He was involved in RYHA (Rochester Youth Hockey Association) for many years and was a den leader for the Marion Cub Scouts. He was a past master of the Pythagorian Lodge in Marion and a past president of Mektukquaamsett Improvement Association of Marion for many years.
A master of miniature, he was a well known builder and collector of model trains and boats. A feature article on his model building appeared in the Standard Times in April 1990. He also loved to cook. He was a member and past trustee of the First Congregational Church in Rochester [Plymouth County] and a former member of the Hannah Shaw Chapter O.E.S. in Middleboro.
He lived in Mattapoisett until his marriage. He and his wife had been married for more than 35 years.
Survivors include his widow, two sons, Matthew T. Smith of New Bedford and Charles E. Smith of Marion, a brother, Jordan G. Smith of Yarmouthport, a granddaughter, and several nieces and nephews.
He was the father of the late Martin G. Smith and the brother of the late Herbert Smith. . . .
Their first child died of leukemia at the age of four years. They then adopted a child, and soon after had another birth child. Natalie worked as secretrary of the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Rochester.[9]
- Robert took over his father's electrical business for a few years. He later worked at Bridgewater, Plymouth County, as an electrician in a plant. His second wife, Grace, brought to their family two children from a previous marriage.
Dorothy (Hathaway) Lang and her husband Walter had the following children:[10]
1Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915, v. 598, p. 198, e. 60; Births Fairhaven 1911, Dorothy Hathaway, ; digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 1 October 2019).
2Social Security Administration, "U.S. Social Security Death Index," database, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 14 April 2017), Dorothy M. Lang, 033-36-3584. Letter from Eleanor Hathaway Pease Brunelle, to Charles A. Maxfield, 18 October 1995; held in by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
3Dorothy Hathaway Lang, Marion, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, taped interview by Charles A. Maxfield, 13 June 1984; privately held by Natalie Lang Smith.
4Massachusetts Archives, "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910," digital images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 1 October 2019), v. 574, p. 313, e. 555; Births New Bedford 1908; Walter E. Lang.
5"U.S. Social Security Death Index", Walter Lang, 030-03-7864. Dorothy Hathaway Lang, taped interview, 13 June 1984.
6Unless otherwise indicated, information on the family of Walter and dorothy Lang is from the following:
Dorothy Hathaway Lang, taped interview, 13 June 1984. Letter from Dorothy Hathaway Lang, to Charles A. Maxfield, 25 November 1985; held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
7Unless otherwise indicated, narrative information on the children of Walter and Dorothy is from: Dorothy Hathaway Lang, taped interview, 13 June 1984. Letter, Dorothy Hathaway Lang to Charles A. Maxfield, 25 November 1985.
8"Gerald T. Smith," undated clipping, 1997, from unidentified newspaper; Genealogical Collection of Charles A. Maxfield, provided by Eleanor Hathaway Pease Brunelle; privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
9Personal knowledge of the author.
10Unless otherwise indicated, detailed information on the children of Walter and Dorothy is from: Dorothy Hathaway Lang, taped interview, 13 June 1984. Letter, Dorothy Hathaway Lang to Charles A. Maxfield, 25 November 1985.
11"Gerald T. Smith."
12U.S. Social Security Death Index", Robert H. Lang.
Brunelle, Eleanor Hathaway Pease. Letter. 18 October 1995, to Charles A. Maxfield. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
"Gerald T. Smith." Undated clipping, 1997, from unidentified newspaper. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Lang, Dorothy Hathaway. Marion, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Taped interview by Charles A. Maxfield, 13 June 1984. Privately held by Natalie Lang Smith.
________. Letter. 25 November 1985, to Charles A. Maxfield. Privately held by Charles A. Maxfield, Lansdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Massachusetts Archives. "Vital Records of Massachusetts, 1841-1910." Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2019.
________. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915. Digital images. American Ancestors. americanancestors.org : 2019.
United States Social Security Administration. "U.S. Social Security Death Index." Database. Ancestry. ancestry.com : 2017.