What’s this? An award for the oldest person in town? And a member of our family tree held that distinction the last year of her life?

That relative is Amelia Waliski, the sister-in-law of Grandma Vayo’s sister Eva. Amelia lived her entire life in Monmouth, Maine.

God bless her, Amelia was just nine months short of the centennial mark when she passed away on November 18, 2009.

Amelia’s obituary praised her for being a family caretaker, especially with her sister Lena, who lived nearly 62 years with Down syndrome (life expectancy was just nine at the time).

She also “worked out” some over the years, at a woolen mill and a felt mill. Information from the U.S. Census states she completed an eighth-grade education.

Amelia’s obituary also mentioned – but didn’t explain – she was the recipient of a “Boston Cane.”

It didn’t take much snooping around to discover the story of this charming tradition.

The Boston Post Cane originated in 1909. It was the brainchild of Boston Post newspaper publisher Edwin A. Grazier.

There’s a wonderful website that details the history of the Boston Post Cane.

Here are just a few of the facts they’ve gathered:

• The Boston Post originally offered the Cane to 700 towns in four New England states: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
• Yes, this is a physical cane, awarded to the oldest person in town.
• The canes were made in New York. Ebony, with a 14-carat gold head and a ferruled tip.
• Inscribed on the head: ~ Presented by The Boston Post to the oldest citizen of (name of town and state) ~ To Be Transmitted. (In other words, it was a traveling trophy.)
• In 1924, Mr. Grazier died, and the Boston Post was now in his son Richard’s hands. It went out of business in 1957.

Here’s my favorite fact:

In 1930, after considerable controversy, eligibility for the cane was opened to women as well.

That was in plenty of time for Amelia:

The cane is intended to be passed along when the recipient has, uh … passed away. Many communities now award a certificate and keep the original cane on display.

Apparently, some of the canes disappeared over the years. Others got rather beat up:

But what a story those canes could tell. I hope Amelia got to hold on to hers for at least a while. We know she would have taken excellent care of it.

How touching to see that Amelia and her sister Lena are at rest, buried side by side, in Kennebec County, Maine.

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