The Mystery of the Ladies Auxiliary Holotapes - What Went On Here? - Fallout 4 Lore

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[@nighthawk8412]

The group is a neighborhood watch group of Boston. They have used the moniker Ladies Auxillary of Boston so that they distinguish themselves from the neighborhood watch groups of lower class neighborhoods, although, beyond wealth differences, they are probably not much different from each other when the holotapes were recorded.

[@Vapor413]

Jennifer Montgomery I think neighborhood watch is a more correct definition than vigilante group that Oxhorn refers as.

[@nighthawk8412]

Vapor413 I was using the term to compare them to today's equivalent. However, Oxhorn isn't completely wrong about them being a vigilante group either. Floridian George Zimmerman was in such a group and decided to practice vigilante justice. If society was collapsing like those tapes lead us to believe, more people would act like Zimmerman did and take the law into their hands. At that point they would be less of a neighborhood watch group and more of a vigilante group.

[@psammiad]

I suppose vigilantes are only called so when they try to operate outside of and supersede the law. If law and order has broken down, are such groups still vigilantes?

[@flashstudiosguy]

To an extent, yes. They may claim to stand for Justice but in the eyes of Government Legislation, they'd be classed as Vigilantes because they do not wear or carry a uniform or badge of a peace officer and do not adhere to the legislation that peace officers would be required to adhere to.

[@sm901ftw]

No confirmation but I don't think society was breaking down when this group was operating. They're talking about things like minors drinking in the Revere House, not exactly a top priority if law and orders broken down. The rapid response of the military in Boston shows that here at least order was maintained pretty well up until the bombs dropped, at least on a day to day basis.

[@ambds1975]

I love that they used a local actress for Becka; her accent wahms my haht.

[@ericolesky1569]

Never went inside the Hawthorn house. Never knew he had so many cats lol

[@damiendemers7495]

Lol

[@silentpaw]

I think you may have it backwards. I think Rebeca's maiden name was Hawthorne. She married Jake Lewbowski which would explain why her Mother in Law lives on the other side of town and things like that.

[@TheMadisonMachine]

"Or they're trailer parks." savage

[@mememe6926]

The name Hawthorne, in Massachusetts has always been an upper-class name. In 1692 in the Court of Oyer and Terminer of Salem village, was a judge named Hathorne, who was your typical high up businessmen, Puritan, colonist. He was responsible for wrongful executions based on spectral evidence in the Salem Witch Trials. After the whole ordeal he changed his last name to Hawthorne instead of Hathorne, to in a sense escape his wrongdoings.

[@left-2-write28]

I know I'm two years late, but I appreciate this comment.

[@ZarPof]

1:30, that room can only be accessed via jetpack. What did they do prewar? Use a jetpack too? There's no doors or hatches in that room.

[@oxhorn]

Nice catch

[@landonburlew9597]

thare might have been a fire excspe thare pre war

[@pieguy2011]

this is not a mystery they are a self appointed neighborhood watch

[@ZarPof]

Pieguy How does their being a neighborhood watch give them to ability to walk through walls? Landon Burlew, that would be against fire code and would have been illegal to build. No construction company would have built that...

[@pieguy2011]

hole in the floor could have been a spiral staircase. or just bad map design, as much as I enjoy the fallout series Bethesda sucks at making these games compared to how they used to make them.

[@ARCHMAGOS-RATTLEBONES]

my god...gemma in that third holotape you picked up is the best thing ive ever seen in fallout 4.

[@daisygames932]

Have those two graves in Sanctuary been explained anywhere? They're at the back of the culdesac behind one of the ruined house foundations. I turned them into carrot planters 😆

[@Vagabound]

i guess these are dog graves. In the terminal of the prewar chem seller of sanctuary there is an entry about people who had two big dogs if i remember correct. And in the backyard where the graves are you find a doghouse when you came there for the first time.

[@Coridimus]

Oxhorn, a very interesting bit of lore. I liked it. The only place where my interpretation differed from yours was that I assumed Bekka Linkowski was born a Hawthorne then married a Linkowski.

[@oxhorn]

Good thinking!

[@kainschilde209]

Agreed. Given the '50s-based society of prewar America, women keeping their maiden name after marriage wouldn't be a common practice. Especially for an (implied) upper-crust family like the Hawthornes. So I think it more likely that she was born a Hawthorne and married into the Linkowskis. Otherwise a great video and glimpse into pre-war Boston.

[@hutchhound3788]

Amazing. I've literally played this game for over 1000 hours, thought I'd seen all there is to see, and yet I've never came across any of these holotapes. Fallout 4 is a monster of a game.

[@tarheelmp20]

I think Rebecca is a Hawthorne daughter and married into the name lucowski or whatever it was. Which was probably beneath her station which is why her mother in law lives in as rooftop apartment

[@13rnvences]

Years later and here I am, still listening to this lore.

[@lDesdenne]

MY characters name was gemma and when i found the holotape it took me a second to realize what was going on

[@damiendemers7495]

Oh lol

[@hparkes93]

When you think you've done and seen everything in fallout 4....

[@fumarc4501]

I found holotape 8 by pickman's. I would have liked it to have some dramatic conclusion. The Hawthorn in Sanctuary was a drug dealer, so maybe that uncle was a bad guy.

[@silverqoon]

It's this sort of thing that makes Fallout such a great series! The little things make the game so much more enjoyable. One of the things I love finding is Holotapes, they add so much cool lore to the game and set my mind to thinking about what it was like for the folks who recorded them.

[@cookieoppressor9700]

"You wanna talk sometjing really scary? It's the Institute and their synths." Person in Institute Power-Armor stands in front of him. You sir, are a smart-ass.

[@LeBurns-63]

Would like to know more about those named feral ghouls that attack you in town. I always feel like I'm doing something wrong by killing them.

[@brunsssen69420]

LBurhenn No Dont mind kill them ;D I mean when they attack you what can you do apart from defense yourself PS I am not very good in english

[@FlamingVaIIey]

Maybe they were just people the sole survivor used to know before the war and the game is letting you know by giving unique names to them.

[@corpse5985]

those are your neighbors lol

[@barp94]

They were your neighbours that weren't given access to vault 111, you most likely encountered them as you were running towards the vault, as the bombs were dropping.

[@classystegosuarus]

they're ghouls that remind the SS of their neighbors. The SS feels survivor's guilt and sometimes imagines ferals to be their old friends, which is why you can get this encounter more than once.

[@Edenjaede]

hawthorns where mentioned in the drug dealers computer in sanctuary hills

[@mp5073014]

Edenjaede Wasn't there a quest you had to do in Diamond City that required you to bust a drug trade? A bartender gave the quest. And if I'm not mistaken, that Hawthorn guy was in that trade... He went to the upper stadium after you interjected.

[@Edenjaede]

Matthew Pesonen yes there is a quest the bartender gives you, have come across it twice and both times hawthorn doesn't show up there

[@FreedomFTW]

What? Hancock never sent me to finish her off lol

[@Sol17862]

same i chose to betray her and killed her

[@MillieBlackRose]

Wow I never actually went through with it even when evil because I thought I wouldn't get Hancock as a companion.

[@MrPoogly]

I have to say, you went above and beyond on this one Oxhorn. When I found those holotapes I had no idea what the hell was going on.

[@MrKevinEaddy]

Should do a backstory on the Lassiters, or what happened to Henry Cooke..

[@toadfaceass]

Kevin Eaddy great idea! i remember his daughter hounds you about his whereabouts nothing ever came of it for me

[@TheTLProductions12]

toadfaceass if I remember correctly I think I killed that girls father.

[@triggerfairy4070]

I let the ghoul and cooke shot it out.

[@Readasaur]

Gemma was delightful and I hope we find more holo tapes of her adventures.

[@vonneely1977]

Maybe the Fens Street killer got them? Anyway, maybe you could the GECK to see if there's any more tapes that haven't been found yet?

[@damiendemers7495]

Lmao what

[@Ragna___]

GECK? In Fallout 4?

[@tannermaxwell7321]

5 years...I’ve been playing this game for 5 years and now came across one of these tapes for the first time.

[@neatherloard]

I love things like these tapes. they give us fragments, a suggestion of a story, and let us make up what we want to fill in the gaps. I had assumed the Hawthornes where related, but I liked your take on it too.

[@bethanypuleo]

Essentially, she's the lady across the street in Bewitched. A nosey neighbor. 😄

[@Zforce911]

Again, you've shown me more than I knew existed in game about a storyline. I never knew the first part existed, just the apartment near Pickman's. These videos are really a public service lol.

[@kbo8029]

Love those kinds of things in Fallout. Even without any purpose for the plot, that attention to detail just makes it so intriguing and immersive. Its a reward for exploring. First play through I'd avoid fast traveling just so I could run into those interesting little things.

[@cynic5581]

A "ladies auxiliary" is generally used in reference to the wives, sisters, girlfriends, etc of male predominated organizations such as vets (vfw's), firemen, policemen, etc etc. They will contribute to the organization however they see fit. Not that common anymore due to how times have changed (there are women soldiers, policemen, firemen etc) but I've heard it used at VFWs for the women setting up events. So more then likely your assessment is accurate. Great video again keep it up! Watching your videos makes me realize how much of Fallout 4 I overlooked.

[@washnunya]

I really like this one, not all storys need to be part of some elaborate plot or scheme, some terrible tragedy, or even make sense. It's someone and her colorful friends living their lives. You find skeletons all over the place and I like to believe there's a designer making up a tiny story for each one. It probably makes the mundane task of placing random items in the world more interesting and believable. This particular instance happens to have holotapes. Kinda like what alotta people do with settlement building.

[@WastelandSeven]

Cool quirky video LOL. I'm thinking they were more interested in spying on their neighbours than looking for crooks. The whole thing about trying to catch what's-his-name as he snuck out to the bar after his wife was asleep kind of gives it away.

[@davyn70]

I love all the little tiny stories in fallout games, it's great the way they never give you the full story and you get to imagine what might have been. There are so many stories in our human history that require the same guess work. Thanks for these awesome videos on these stories oxhorn. Well done indeed!

[@wawa0]

Thank you, Oxhorn! It's so nice to find connections with prewar life in Fallout 4. And it's even better to watch you finding them piece by piece, giving us an idea about the part of lore we have a limited access to. I would love to watch more videos related to prewar Fallout universe. Great videos, great channel - you're doing a very good job here.

[@Kingpins302]

I highly doubt that the hawthrone that live in diamond city are related to the hawthrones from the hawthrones' estate for three reason: 1. If the hawthrones were wealthy as their estate claims then they wouldn't have survive well in the nuclear fallout due to the lack of skills it would take to survive out in the wasteland. They would probably die out like the Croups did. 2. Hawthrone's real last name is Latimer 3. The only reason why the Latimers are in the Upperstands is because Malcom Latimer, Cooke, and Paul something (I don't remember his name cause I shot him in the face), hit Maloski's safehouse back when they were young and made a fortune off of the chems they stole.

[@jordansimpson9099]

I wanted more info on the ladies auxiliary from Bethesda. I liked the little story behind prewar Boston or the remnants of Boston. I would love a update on this story. So please Bethesda give us a little more.

[@duchessedeberne3909]

Strange, how hidden one holotape was; unreachable without a jet pack. Maybe an unfinished quest?

[@Kvile-zx4sk]

I only knew of the tape above the pickman gallery. Keep up the good work Ox!

[@philiplubduck6107]

i would never have found all 3 of these tape and be able to put together the story behind it all, good job oxhorn

[@jakobscure7963]

The tapes are truly adorable

[@kingdamager7370]

It would be cool if the sole servivor would comment on things like this from the past. Even mentioning to some characters that maybe they new their relatives back before the war. It's like they never knew anyone. It's like the sole survivor lived in a bubble with only their family.

[@TheDevian]

I had only ever heard one or two of them, mainly the one with the girl, and assumed she was looking for an unfaithful spouse, the 'bad guys', she just did not want to talk about that in front of the kid. But having heard the rest, that makes less sense now. XD Didn't know Bobbi went there though, I did not give her the opportunity to go anywhere the one time I did that quest.

[@valiroime]

For those wondering what a "packie" is, it's slang for package store. A "packie" would be known as a liquor store anywhere outside of New England.

[@g0r0keth]

Ladies auxiliary is probably just a neighbourhood watch sort of thing.

[@joeturner2532]

Time to break out the ol' jet pack and go exploring. I swear, every time I watch one of your videos I find a new thing to do

[@GMSquared]

Where have you been for the past year!? You are making me excited about playing this game again. You're so amazing and professional. Thank you for making content

[@MagatsuOoyodo]

first i found them in my playthrough i was confused and didn't find the latter 2 tapes but as usual you explain it very good thanks Ox :D

[@hopewec]

I think that these little tapes are a nice touch, just to add to the background.

[@nbmoleminer5051]

hopewec I agree.

[@Phoenix-ej2sh]

I think there has to be more to this. And I'm convinced the Zetans, Eddie Winter, and the last mayor of Boston are somehow involved.

[@mp5073014]

The Hawthorn house in Sanctuary has a terminal with some guys ledger. The guy apparently sold drugs to certain people... You can go on a quest in Diamond City with a bartender. The quest requires you to bust up a drug trade.. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Hawthorn in that "drug bust"? It was some guy in the upper stands in Diamond City... It's been a while since I did the quest, but if it was Hawthorne then we can put two and two together. I know somebody here knows what I'm talking about. If not, I'll do the quest again and let you know in a day or two.

[@dannyb2344]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the bushes color changing glitches in fallout

[@LucienTheLuckless]

The real Nathanial Hawthorne (famous author) was born in Massachusetts, I'd just assumed it was his place.

[@palsygaming1790]

I’ve put hundreds of hours into this game and have never stumbled across this. Your channel is such a treasure trove of cool stuff!

[@metalchono]

Actually, from what I understood, this neighborhood watch started because of Jake's suspicious behavior (since the niece asks why are they spying on him and if he's a bad guy), making me think that he had an affair or something else. When she recruits her friend, they're still on neighborhood watch duties, but since her friend still doesn't understand what they are doing and due to her behavior of anger, starting past 4 minutes after 7 o'clock, makes me think that she was considering a fixated event (such as an appointmemt of her husband with her lover) and the last one, could be where her husband usually met with his lover. To me, sounds like suspicion of infidelity, but without much evidence to support it, but that's my opinion as well. Still, it was fun to hear.

[@Deca4531]

I have really been hoping you would do a video on this. I had found tape 5 but never knew about the others. A great video Ox, i cant wait for more.

[@crosssworn703]

I love the story. Little bits and pieces of the past that we can't connect to the game or do anything with. It makes the world feel a little bit bigger.

[@kermitkerman8794]

Non essentiel to the main storyline, yes. But the idea of finding little things like these holotapes in and around the commonwealth add a lot to the experience of the game and incites you to go looking in that (maybe) empty building just in case... I know the comment is a year late, recently discovered your channel love the fallout lore keep it up

[@pixiesuesi2659]

the Ladies Auxiliary is like a neighbour hood watch

[@Nord_Kitten]

i just dont like how the holotapes arent named 1 2 and 3, i get it, there where other holotapes that got destroyed or something so you aren't getting a clean one two three story, but still, it makes me think that there are other holotapes that are missing that i can collect.

[@christophercrafte]

Nord Kitten wouldnt you just try and find 4 and above?

[@jesseramsay3975]

Jake's mom wasnt a Hawthorn by by blood so after his father passed the family set he up out of the way enough support not to be accused of neglect but basically cutting them out of the Family.

[@omartawakkol2042]

6:55 my first act once I started settlement building was to scrap all the mailboxes 😂

[@klingon20002000]

friend of mine said he found a holotape of the Ladies Auxillary in Diamond city. Tape #1

[@KujoTV]

I only ever found tape 8. And yes it confused me because I was sure it meant there were at least 7 others I never found. It's a shame there are only 2 more.

[@SuperGewd]

4:13 we could all use a Gemma in our lives! I got two lovely old gals, and I swear I absolutely adore them!

[@mightymouse4134]

I love your very Tom Hanks voice and descriptions around backstory for fallout 4 keep em coming

[@pbsixgun6]

The Hawthorn 'Uncle' might have been the one living in sanctuary and since he was a 'drug dealer' was the reason he was being spied on by the auxiliary ?

[@silverwave2238]

I only ever found one inside the Hawthorne estate house and I have put in hundreds of hours!!..guess it says something about not fast travelling everywhere!..but they have always intrigued me so thanks for enlightening me Oxhorn!..love this series,keep up the great vids!

[@mildredmarshall4460]

very interesting...I never knew these tapes were there.

[@TheGrace020]

Mildred

[@lollipopdragon]

Did this list include the holotape on the roof that you need a jet pack to get to? I like these little holotapes. Wish they would have led to a quest of some kind.

[@Sylphella]

I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but "packie" is slang for "package store" or liquor store. The slang is a bit esoteric, but completely appropriate for the setting. (I don't know if any other places picked the slang up, but it's sland most commonly used in Massachusetts. -I should know, I grew up in an area that's an hour away from Boston.-)

[@CH-hw3zf]

This is the first video that I knew nothing about. Awesome story

[@left-2-write28]

I think that the reason there are so many references to the last name Hawthorne is that in actual Boston history, there are two important Hawthorne's. One is the Judge Hawthorn that had an important role in the Salem Witch Trials. He was the main judge that was most influential in the harsh sentences. The second and my personal favorite, was the author of The Scarlett Letter, who actually changed the spelling of his last name due to wanting to distance himself from his ancestor I mentioned above. Both the Judge and Author both had great effects on Boston, the former by shaping the punishments of "witches" and the latter by writing a literary masterpiece that challenged the status quo of his time. For those that havent read The Scarlett Letter, I highly suggest it. Very thought provoking read.

[@onyxnyro852]

The most likely case is that the Hawthornes that live nextdoor to the soul survivor own the apartments and they are named after the family that owns them hence "Hawthorne Estates"

[@osiris9128]

pocket full of hawthornes

[@vincegawtee]

Underrated

[@alexsarinana8222]

Hawthornes were a very well known abd affluent family dating back to colonial times. One being Nathaniel Hawthorne author of the red badge of courage, who also had a family member that was a judge during the Salem witch trials. with the inclusion of the witchcraft museum in the game one can draw the conclusion that those on the holotapes are from the same family and are in fact upper society.

[@VAULT-TEC_INC.]

Thieve tapes were funny and it was one of the more obscure things I loved finding as I explored the Commonwealth.

[@landmind666]

i wonder what happen to the tapes that were in the home before having to go into vault 111, the ones with family recordings that we can't listen to at the begining

[@MrPepsicola123]

7:34 that house was a drug den, the guy was making drugs in his backyard and selling it to addicts.

[@Dipstikk]

These ladies are out to stop a roving troop of escaped Robotniks who are running around Boston with their nads out

[@maclean295]

I can remember talk of there being an "unknown secret" laying within Fallout and our only hint was a terminal within the game. I always thought that terminal was a part of it. I think there might be an underlying tale of the Hawthorne family in the entire Fallout series (Bethesda world; 3, NV and 4) Hawthorne is a character from Fallout 3 if I remember correctly Lucky 38, Penthouse Suite, there is a unique bottle of Scotch called "Jake Juice" which may be relevant, never understood it until now Oxhorn, look into this with me, I may be onto something and I need a hand

[@Guoenyi]

Wait! How come I never received this quest called "The Big Dick"?

[@ishtar0110]

+Guoenyi 😂😂😂😂 "The Big Dick"!! Actually, that could fit as the quest title too now that I think about it, considering what the quest was about. (the quest was The Big Dig, btw)

[@beardedgeek973]

Very late here, but the Hawthorne living in the modern luxury haven of Sanctuary Hills was not your average back alley dealer. He sold drugs not only to his upper middle class / lower upper class neighbors but one of his regulars is a supermodel or famous actress as far as I remember. My guess is that he definitely is part of the extended wealthy old money Hawthorne family.

[@mr.thecoin1261]

Rebeca = Batman. illuminati confirmed 10/9999 ign kill me please

[@mr.thecoin1261]

k

[@krunk1025]

fuck you

[@mr.thecoin1261]

k

[@roxanne1762]

The only family I like from the upper stands. The Hawthorns are very civil and kind whenever you speak to them

[@Quasihamster]

Speaking of the Abernathys, their story would be worth a closer look as well.

[@gizmoandbackgaming]

Now that I know there are two more tapes I can go get them and add them to my collection. Very interesting content. Thanks.

[@tonym.9930]

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a native of Massachusetts. He wrote "The Scarlett Letter'. If you are not familiar, it's about Puritan laws and the protagonist is made to wear an "A" painted on her clothes in red as punishment for adultery. She was beset upon by what loosely amounts to a ladies auxiliary for her sins. The tapes sounds like they deal with some of the same issues. He also wrote "The House of The Seven Gables" about a spooky old mansion in Salem, MA. These stories inspired H.P. Lovercraft and his influence on the lore of the Fallout games is well known. So I don't actually have a theory but there is plenty more to this Hawthorne thing that might help you smart people figure it out.

[@michaeltelson9798]

There is a short song by Woody Guthrie called “Lady’s Auxiliary” which he was asked to write for the ladies supporting unions. It is kind of nebulous and confused.

[@Zimke42]

Hawthorne is a common upper-class name around Boston, but it is also the name of a bar inside the Commonwealth Hotel, some call the best bar in the US. Also, G-ma or other similar spellings are often a shortening of Grandmother. I wonder if this wasn't what she was calling the elderly woman on the holotape.

[@JokeeGA5]

Makes no sense that they would go out. I mean, Martial Law rule number 1, no going outside without a permit after dark.

[@iikkuowo6735]

maybe they had different martial law rules/different stages of martial law ALSO a vigilantee wouldnt give a shit because they do that because they think the local authority isnt doing enough

[@TheTallGuy1992]

Probably right. It could be that rougher areas would of had stricter regulations and rules while more lawful and orderly areas could of been granted more freedoms. this would also make people want there to be less trouble and could of helped form groups like this. pure speculation yes but with dealing with such little info what isn't.

[@TheDevian]

Also being rich, it is likely that they did have special exceptions, bribed people, or just thought they were above the law.

[@flashstudiosguy]

This might even have been before Martial Law got really heavy, since they feel ok to go outside armed with only pepper spray, flashlight and whistle. Is a shame that Boston PD and the Military don't say anything about them being a nuisance..

[@TheDevian]

True enough, I don't believe they were dated...

[@baserdrvnyc8861]

Great vid,love your consummate exploration of the game!

[@aribantala]

This story kinda makes me remember about the famous British Sitcom "Dad's Army". A bunch of old geezers managing themselves to be a "Home Guard" or British Citizen militia. Becka here kind of reminds me of the leader of the company "Captain Mannhering" where he is looking all "prim and proper" and always "make all according to the books" (How Becka address herself in her recording). Sue reminds me of "Private Pike" on how clumsy she is and all oblivious. Gemma reminds me of both "Private Frazer" and "Private Godfrey". She is a wee too old so her preceptions are that like Godfrey but she is also the Wise sounding one like Frazer

[@ArrogantAngel]

lol the records of the neighborhood watch ladies group XD i really wish there was a whole set of these tapes or even a mission related to it somehow.

[@jaredlucev4481]

Probably an abandoned quest to get the tapes back to Hawthorne.

[@mikeh6109]

hey Oxhorn did you check out sanctuary Hawthorne residence before the bombs drop at the start? Also do you have the amazing murder mystery of vault 118 on your list of things to do? I'm imagining your voice narrating that quest and with all the lore and chatter involved I think it would be your best one yet!!

[@nonayurbusiness6544]

Inspire, inspire, inspire! No need to thank me for the inspiration. Jokes aside, keep them coming, a lot of the lore you have started to point out lately, especially this one, goes unnoticed through regular gameplay, it's nice to see them come together, even if they aren't always a complete story.

[@tommyg2543]

You the best man :D Your videos have so much information, I just love it!

[@rogermalone673]

Hmmm you know what this reminded me of a bit.? Fallout: New Vegas Wild Wasteland encounter near Cerulean Robotics where the old ladies come out of nowhere and attack you with rolling pins ( Maud's Muggers I think they were called ) only the women in the Ladies Auxiliary weren't muggers.

[@AutodidacticPhd]

There has to be something more to this, like a cut quest or pop culture reference. Arranging to have 5 different voice actors doing lines with connections across multiple characters and locations... that isn't something you just throw in on a whim like all the teddy bear vignettes or prewar skeletons on beds/toilets. (edit: for example, one naive assumption might be some kind of reference to the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wrote the Scarlet Letter and lived in various places in the area, including Salem and Concord... though one might wonder why those aren't the locations involved with these characters/holotapes)