Tracing their roots
Four generations of Simonds family reunite in Fitchburg
By Andrienne Clark and Laurie Marhoefer Staff Writers FITCHBURG— Sentinel and Enterprise newspaper
When members of the Simonds family came to Fitchburg Saturday from all parts of the United States, the gathering was more than a family reunion. It was a reunion with the city. The Simonds name is indelibly imprinted on Fitchburg. The family owned Simonds Saw and Steel Co. until 1965. This year the Simonds decided to make their family Christmas celebration a more formal event by visiting Fitchburg, Spencer W. Simonds said. “We wanted to have the younger generation understand their roots,” said Spencer Simonds, who is a real estate developer in Hanover, N.H. “It was a strong relationship, and Fitchburg has been good to the Simonds family. It grew a great company and the success of the company depends on the people working there.” That is why over 40 people, representing four generations of the family, traveled from as far away as California to tour the Simonds Industries Inc. plant and its Simonds museum on Intervale Road, visit the homesteads of several ancestors, and see the first Simonds Saw and Steel factory in west Fitchburg.
During the tour of the plant, Ruth Simonds West said that although she has visited the factory many times, most of her family had not seen it. “It’s part of our past,” West said. Jack Keena, who worked at Simonds Industries for 36 years – 11 of them as plant manager at the Fitchburg facility – before retiring in 1992, joined the family at the plant. He said it was exciting to see so many Simonds there. “Simonds is a household name,” he observed. Although the family now has no direct ties to Simonds Industries, “We are very honored it still carries the family name,” said Spencer Simonds. Abel Simonds initiated the family’s link to the city when he opened a scythe shop in west Fitchburg in 1832. His four sons diversified the business to include production of a wide range of steel-cutting tools. The scythe shop became Simonds Manufacturing Co. and later Simonds Saw and Steel Co. Selling Simonds Saw & Steel after 133 years was a business decision, Spencer Simonds said. When the business was sold, few members of the family were living in Fitchburg. Although he grew up in Fitchburg, Spencer Simonds attended high school elsewhere and after that did not spend a lot of time here. “The opportunities I found in my profession were outside of Fitchburg. The family interest was based around Simonds Saw and Steel. When it was sold, opportunities were found elsewhere,” Spencer Simonds said. However, while they lived here, and even after they moved away, Spencer Simonds’ family maintained ties to Fitchburg. His father, John Simonds, and his uncle Gifford Simonds were very involved in starting the Applewild School, Spencer Simonds said.The new wing of the Fitchburg Art Museum is named the Harlan K. and Elsie D. Simonds Building. One gallery is named for John Simonds and another was recently dedicated to Margaret Simonds Sinon. Simonds Sinon, who died June 26 in Darien, Conn., was the most generous benefactor the museum has ever had, said Peter Timms, the museum’s executive director. Several years ago, she gave $1 million to the museum, the largest gift ever received by the museum, he said. She also gave $1.5 million to the Capital Campaign for HealthAlliance for a regional cancer center at HealthAlliance/Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg. The center will be named Simonds-Sinon Regional Cancer Care Center. The gift was the largest single gift in HealthAlliance’s history. In her will she left an additional generous bequest to HealthAlliance. At one time Simonds Saw and Steel was located in a factory on North Street. In 1931 it moved to a new manufacturing facility on Intervale Road. The building was the first to be built without windows. Because it traces its origins to Abel Simonds’ scythe shop, Simonds Industries is the oldest cutting tool manufacturer in North America. In the mid-1990s the former Simonds Saw and Steel factory on North Street and its tall chimney were torn down to make way for the new Fitchburg Central Fire Station. Simonds Industries salvaged some of the chimney bricks and used them for a border around a garden outside the Intervale Road plant. Today, Simonds Industries makes industrial saws that cut both metal and wood at plants throughout North America and Europe. Since 1988 the company has been owned by a group of private investors. It is the largest industrial saw producer in North America, said its president and CEO, Ray J. Martino. The Fitchburg City Council recently approved tax increment financing for Simonds Industries. The reduction in taxes helps companies that are investing in their businesses and creating jobs. Simonds Industries plans to hire 40 more people over the next two years, said Ilda M. Thibodeau, corporate human services manager.
