FORMER STOUGHTON HISTORIAN & AUTHOR

JOHN E. FLYNN

John E. Flynn was born in Stoughton, Massachusetts 13 October 1880; died 6 January 1964. He was the son of Patrick and Mary Flynn, who were married in Stoughton in 1878.

"Although he never completed public high school, having taken employment as a Postal Worker in Boston to help his family his historical knowledge of the Town of Stoughton is still unmatched.  He concerned himself with his hometown, having little opportunity to travel  Mr. Flynn served as a Town Meeting Representative, member and chairman of the Library Trustees from 1932-1946, a member of the Stoughton Musical Society, President of the Stoughton Historical Society from 1948 to 1954 as well as being the Town Historian.  His writing began after his retirement in 1954.  Within ten years he wrote histories of the Town, of the Catholic Church in Stoughton, of the Stoughton Public Schools and of the local newspaper which he had been compiling when he died on January 6, 1964."

Source: John E. Flynn's, Beyond the Blew-Hills,(Stoughton, Mass., Stoughton Historical Society, 1976), p. iii.

In 1910 John (age 29) was living at 286 Morton Street, Stoughton with his widowed mother Mary (age 58), and his siblings Julia, Patrick J., Johannah, Alice and Nellie. In 1920 John (age 39) was living at 289 Morton Street, Stoughton with his wife Margaret (age 39), daughter Margaret E. (age 9 mos.), and sister Alice Flynn (age 33).  John's father was born in Ireland, and his mother was born in Massachusetts.  He was buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Stoughton.

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