Top photo: Barbara G. Davis and Select Board member Jennifer Glass.. Bottom photo: Jane L. Bartter (right) with daughter Pam Bartter.
Jane L. Bartter and Barbara G. Davis — a combined 199 years old — were recently honored as the oldest living Lincoln residents.
The women were each presented in their homes with a replica of the Boston Post Cane and a certificate by Select Board Member Jennifer Glass and Council on Aging & Human Services Director Abigail Butt. They were also formally recognized at the January 31 Select Board meeting.
The Boston Post Cane tradition began in 1909 when Edwin Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post, gave gold-headed ebony canes to 700 New England towns with the intent that they be distributed to the “oldest male citizen” in each community. In 1930, after much contentious debate, New England women earned the right to receive the cane. Today, over 500 canes are known to be in circulation, with over 150 in Massachusetts. Lincoln’s original cane is displayed in Bemis Hall along with a plaque listing Lincoln’s known recipients.
Jane Lillard Bartter, age 100, was born on July 10, 1921, in Marion, Mass. Because her father was headmaster of Tabor Academy, Jane was one of only four girls to attend the all-boy’s school at the time, graduating in 1937. After graduating from Smith College, she was recruited to help the war effort as a code breaker in Washington, D.C., where she met her husband, Fred. They were married in 1946 and their lives together were characterized by a commitment and service to whichever community they lived.
Bartter continues to live independently and her daughter, four grandchildren, and five great-grandsons who visit frequently. She has been a volunteer and advocate for children’s literacy, effecting political change, feeding the hungry, and acts of service.
Barbara Greene Davis, just shy of 100, was born on February 24, 1922. After her mother’s death in 1930, she and her brother went to live with her aunt, who was fortunate to have a good job during the Great Depression. In 1943 Barbara, like most of her female classmates, signed up to serve in World War II. She was an Army nurse for two years and was stationed in France and then Nuremburg, Germany.
In 1954 Barbara and her husband Ron moved to Lincoln where they raised their five children and eventually owned and operated the “Thoreau’s Walden” bed and breakfast. She has dedicating years of service to the St. Anne’s Service League and the Council on Aging and Human Services.
