
Abbie Judd, library trustee, librarian, and widow of a Westborough’s dentist, had one of the first “horseless carriages” in the town.Photo/Courtesy of the Reed Collection of the Westborough Digital Archive
By Kate Tobiasson // Contributing Writer
WESTBOROUGH – Names like Harvey, Brigham, and Whitney have cemented their place in Westborough’s heritage. Their contributions to society have earned a spot amongst others deemed historically significant.
Still, there are many nameless faces whose photographs fill the archives. One of Westborough’s historians, Dr. Charles H. Reed, worked for decades to collect correspondences, diaries, maps, photographs, and postcards connected to Westborough’s history. The collection was donated to the Westborough Public Library by Dr. Reed’s daughter, who continued his work after Dr Reed passed. Today, many of these items have been digitized; all are available to the public in The Westborough Center for History and Culture at the Westborough Public Library.
Amongst the items of the Reed collection were artifacts pertaining to a number of the more famed members of Westborough’s history. Included with these items were several photos of Abbie Judd, a woman whose character and boisterous spirit shined in the century’s old photographs of the Reed Collection. Despite the handful of photos bearing her image, there were no documents or correspondence explaining her role in Westborough’s history in the expansive Reed collection.
Hundreds of years of the Westborough Chronotype have been converted from microfiche to a searchable online database of PDFs. The August 2, 1935, edition revealed Abbie Judd’s obituary:
“Mrs. Abbie F. Judd, 80, widow of Dr. Orville W. Judd and a member of the Westborough Public Library trustees for the past 40 years and librarian until she resigned two years ago, died this morning at the Tomlin Rest home on Milk Street. Mrs. Judd resigned as a librarian when her health began to fail and for a while, she made her home in Framingham and Natick but returned to Westboro last year. She came to Westboro from Webster, where she was born, and for many years she was an active member of St Stephens’ Episcopal church, the Guild of the Church, and the Westborough Historical Society…”

Abbie Judd frequently hosted musicals in her Westborough home on West Street, a common social practice of the late 19th century, where local musicians would gather in a local home to perform for friends. Photo/Courtesy of the Reed Collection of the Westborough Digital Archive
Further snippets from the Chronotype revealed that Judd lived with her husband, who was one of the only dentists in Westborough at the end of the 19th century. Abbie hosted regular meetings for the “Thursday Club,” a group of women who gathered weekly to rehearse music, discuss books, and share friendship. She served as president of the Women’s Club at St Stephen’s Church, and was often listed in concert with Annie Fales, the beloved Westborough schoolteacher.
Frequently, Abbie hosted musicales at their West Street home, a common social practice of the era, where local musicians would gather in a local home to perform for friends. These concerts would be rehearsed, and as hostess, Abbie held a spot of honor amongst the townsfolk.
The New Year’s Eve Musicale of 1889 was described in the Chronotype:
“Given at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Judd, on the evening of Dec 29th. About fifty persons were present… The first part of the program was devoted to the Norwegian composer, Greig. Mrs. Judd gave a commentary upon the works of Grieg selected for the evening’s program, devoting most of her time to a synopsis of Ibsen’s drama, Peery Gynt, and the accompanying Grieg music. All the pianoforte work and the songs were excellently well done, and reflect credit upon our local talent.”
The photographs of Abbie Judd document her beloved dog, Bobby, who loved being by her side. She is shown atop her quadricycle, one of the first horseless carriages in town. Later in life, her work at the library and willingness to share her opinions on texts was also rather novel, and nonetheless appreciated by a number of townspeople.
Abbie Judd was neither an inventor, merchant nor life-saving physician. She was a gregarious woman who enjoyed the company of others, appreciated great music and literature. Breadcrumbs of her past help to tell her story, and shine light on what life was like in Westborough over a century ago.