The Founders: Charles Alexander Longe

[3/12/1942] Funeral Services Held Monday for Charles A. Longe.

SPRINGFIELD - Charles Alexander Longe, 69, died at his home on Pine street on the evening of March 6, after a long illness. Born at Mt. Holly, August 22, 1872, the son of Oscar and Emma Little Longe, Mr. Longe had lived most of his life in Springfield, where he was employed at the Jones & Lamson Machine company. He was one of the original members of the Springfield Telescope Makers and a long time member of the Odd Fellows.

Mr. Longe is survived by his wife, Edna (Shattuck) Longe, a son, Nelson, of Springfield, and two daughters, Mrs. Bert Curs and Miss Dorothy Longe of Springfield. Two brothers, Leon, of Springfield and Adelbert of Rutland, also survive him, as well as seven grandchildren: Mrs. Lewis Heath of Chester, Edith and Myrtle Bigelow, Doris and Norman Cyrs , and Elizabeth and Norman Longe of Springfield.

Funeral services were held at Davis Memorial chapel March 9, at 2 p. m., with the Rev. Lawrence Larrowe of the Methodist church officiating. Memorial services were held at the chapel by members of Springfield Lodge No. 42, I.O.O.F. Burial was in Oakland cemetery. C. B. Damon, Roy J. Lyon, C. Raymond Ranney, Ellsworth Johnson, E. V. Flanders, Robert Finn, Leon Longe and Adelbert Longe were bearers.

Among those from out of town attending the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Heath of Chester, Elmer Bigelow of Shutesbury, Mass., Adelbert Longe of Rutland, Kendall Longe of Andover, Mass., Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hopkins of Wallingford, William Gardner of Perkinsville, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton Taylor of Weston, Marvin Howard and James Perkins of South Londonderry.

Source : "Springfield Reporter", 3/12/1942

Records : 1920, 1930 census, dc

Notes: Cause of death : Congestive cardiac failure (3mos.) due to Rheumatic heart disease and arteriosclerosis (years)

Club Activities

Porter had been communicating with James Hartness for years prior to coming to Springfield and knew quite a bit about Hartness' sundials and turret telescope. One would expect that Porter's getting to know Charlie Longe was an easy matter, as Longe had helped build the Hartness equatorial. He would also build the first of the group's scopes.

Dec 12 1920 SR : [...] Later on Charlie got his hands to work making, and finally assembling, the heavy parts of the now famous Hartness Turret-design Equatorial telescope. In fact he put the whole mechanism together practically, and helped start the instrument to keep step with the stars. And now Charlie has a 4-inch reflecting telescope of his own make, the mirror of which was made for him by Russell W. Porter, another man who has found Charlie to be rather indispensable in an emergency. But more of this telescope subject some other time. Enough to say that Charlie reminds us of Teddy Roosevelt's saying : "I like my job."

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