Today’s post is on one of the items that my Mom, Arlene DeBonis Motter, gave me in a box of family history memorabilia. This is a datebook from 1956, on the leather cover is the image of the R.W. Thorson Company of Boston, Massachusetts. This is a standard datebook that includes addresses, birthdays, and anniversaries of family members. There are also road maps of the 48 states. Note that Alaska and Hawaii did not become states until 1959 so they are not included.
What makes this book so interesting is that on the first page, my Mom wrote the following: “R.W. Thorson where Vincent DeBonis worked sorting leather. Many times I went to work with him and typed on the secretary’s typewriter when I was a child.”.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any historical information regarding the company. Obviously, they were a leather manufacturer in Boston where my grandfather, Vincent DeBonis worked. Unfortunately, I don’t know when or how long he worked at this company.
I was able to find the building, pictured on the cover, on Google Maps. It appears that today, the building houses other businesses.
At first glance this book does not seem to be very important. Clearly, it was to my Mom. It was a memory of spending time with her father in the place where he worked.