There are people we encounter in life that we sometimes find quite fascinating. It might be an individual that you have known for some time or just a person that you encounter during your routine in life. Sometimes these people are referred to as having charisma or are natural-born leaders. They possess an abundance of positive energy and find many that follow them as they traverse through daily events. Perhaps they live around the corner or down the street from you today, or possibly it is just a person you’ve learned about from local lore, a bright and entertaining soul living during a time when life was quite simple and entertainment was at a premium.
Such is the case with a young lady that lived well over a century ago in the town of Hopkinton.
Mrs. John O. Emerson lived with her husband and children on a local farm where they earned a modest but honest living. Mrs. Emerson was the type of person that made her own entertainment and lived her life outside the thoughts of conservative New Englanders of her day. The people living during the mid-1800s were of a serious nature; certainly, there was a need for seriousness and routine to make short order of all of the chores required to survive the cruel New Hampshire winters. However, Mrs. Emerson was the type of individual that wore a smile each day, perhaps sometimes a frown too, when walking to and from town to pick up her basic supplies. I would imagine her as very positive in nature and a friend to those in need.
History tells us about a very daring encounter involving Mrs. Emerson. It was during the early spring period when the ice was just breaking up and freshets would create much destruction along the rivers, washing away bridges and causing the fields to flood. It was a day like this that Mrs. Emerson decided to attend service at her local church in the village. She met with some of her neighbors and decided to walk to the service. There were a dozen people in the small party walking along towards the village when they encountered the river, crossing to join the people gathered at the West Meeting House. The river was still frozen and safe to cross early this Sunday morning and the group proceeded. Upon concluding the service at the meeting house, the afternoon sun warmed them as they started their journey home. The thought was to initially just cross the frozen water upon the ice just as they had that very same morning. Unfortunately, the warmer weather arrived without warning and the ice they planned to cross was breaking apart and floating haphazardly along in the melting river. The natural bridge across the ice had not only melted but was floating about in many small fragments. The people stopped to reflect upon their next option, walking three miles downstream to a safe bridge, though this would require an additional six miles of walking late into the afternoon.
It was without hesitation that Mrs. Emerson announced to the others that she had no plans to walk the additional six miles to cross the swelling river. Once delivering her quick opinion she simple jumped upon the first small chunk of broken ice floating down the river, risking her life certainly, but providing wild entertainment for those more conservative waiting upon the shore. Once safely balanced upon the first floating ice she quickly searched for the next as she plotted her course across the dangerous waters. She quickly jumped to the very next large piece of floating ice, and then again upon the third. The divide between the floating chunks of ice grew greater in distance as she proceeded. It was with great relief to her friends that Mrs. Emerson did indeed arrive safely upon the other side of the river, though with extreme risks involved. Her friends immediately applauded as she bowed to her audience, deciding themselves to walk the greater distance to the bridge so that they could cross safely.
I imagine the story of Mrs. Emerson, jumping across the floating chunks of ice only grew as the years passed. She certainly became a piece of the old Hopkinton lore and we remember her this day for her quick wit and daring effort to entertain her fellow woman from church. Yes, there are people in life that we certainly do sometimes find quite fascinating.