Heyward Emerson Canney was an interesting Littleton native. Born 26 Feb 1890 to George W. Canney and Alice B. Bradley, he graduated from Lawrence Academy and fell into secretarial work. For 4 years he served as secretary to Dr. Samuel Smith Drury, rector of St. Paul’s School Concord, NH. During WWI, he served in the Navy as an apprentice seaman. Eventually, he ended up as private secretary to one of the partners of a large financial and investment firms on Wall Street, staying up all night writing his novel “Sentry” which was published in December 1928. It got mixed reviews. One article says “The main situation is hardly plausible. Some will consider it preposterous. There may be some local tradition in Littleton or its neighborhood which justifies it….The setting is clearly defined 20 miles due east of Wachusett and directly south of Monadnock.”
He died in August 1966 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow, Concord, Ma. This is fitting since his namesake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, is there as well.
We have similar story as the one in Sentry supposedly happening in Littleton to a man named Johnny Putt and Mr. and Mrs. Thompson of New Estate Road which may have inspired Canney. An account recorded by Martha H. Kimball in 1888 which was passed on to her niece, Faith Kimball, then to John A. Kimball is posted here.
Also, from Margaret Drury’s Scrapbook:
“Putt, John: an eccentric colored citizen who lived a hermit’s life and died at an advanced age. When fairly along in years he married the widow of one Thompson, who served in the war of 1812. But one fine day the return of said Thompson proved that she had had no claim to the title of widow. The disappointment of both men was very great. It was decided that they should stand up, side by side, and let the woman choose between them, the left-over to be comforted with fifty cents and 2 gallons of rum. The woman chose Thompson, the first husband, and Johnny Putt, in his grief, retired to this secluded spot and lived a hermit’s life (lived back of C.A. Kimball’s farm) enlivened probably by hunting and varied basket-making.” (C.A. Kimball lived in house across from Littleton Animal Hospital torn down in 2019).
There are limited copies available of Canney’s book on various websites.
