Nutfield Genealogy

Who was Julius Palmer?

2012-02-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

image from the New York Public Library
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org
Image ID: 1806746

I found many mentions of a Captain Julius A. Palmerin the newspaper articles I saw at GenealogyBank.com when I was researchingQueen Liliuokalani’s trips to Boston, Massachusetts. It appeared that he was her personal secretary,and was also described as a “chamberlain” in several newspapers. When I saw that he was from Boston, Iwondered how hard it would be to research him and his genealogy? Was there a family connection to the Boston Dominisor Jones families? What would I findonline?

First, a simple Google search brought up a book hehad written in 1894, Memories of Hawaii and Hawaiian Correspondence, publishedby the Boston firm Lee & Shepard. This was good clue, since WilliamLee was the nephew to Mary (Jones) Dominis. Lee also published the Queen’s autobiography in 1898, and was mentionedseveral times in the same news paper articles about the Queen’s Boston visit in1897. This book was available to read online, and I saw that it describedPalmer’s visit to Hawaii immediately following the coup d’etat in 1893, but was several years before the 1897 Boston visit.

In her autobiography the Queen states “: “I have found CaptainPalmer to be well informed on all matters relating to Hawaii, whether in thoseearlier days when he visited the Islands under the monarch, or since 1893 underthe rule of the Provisional Government. Like many others I might mention, hewent there soon after the overthrow, and was petted and flattered by the partyin power. But all the time he was quietly investigating the situation forhimself. The result of his observations was a conclusion that the right of theHawaiian people to choose their own form of government should be affirmed, andthat they should be protected in this choice by the power of the United States,in which event he was fully assured that their queen would be overwhelminglyrestored to her constitutional rights.” [Hawaii’sStory by Hawaii’s Queen, by Liliuokalani,Honolulu, Hawaii: Mutual Publishing Company, 1990, pages 322 – 323. Also available to read online throughdigital.library.upenn.edu/women/Liliuokalani/Hawaii/Hawaii.html]

Atthe NEHGS website americanancestors.org I found this marriage:

BoxfordVital Records

Marriages

Page180

“PEABODY,Lucy Manning, and Julious Aboyno Palmer of Boston, Nov. ----, 1827”

Intentionalso recorded

AtFindAGrave I found Julius Auboyneau Palmer http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66968702and Lucy Manning Peabody http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=66970998 were buried in Boxford, Massachusets ata sketch complete with photos, biography and genealogy. Surprisingly, there was no mention of his tripto Hawaii nor his relationship with Queen Lili’uokalani.

Iwent back to the Google Book search with the names of his parents and foundthis on page 389 History of Boxford, Essex County, Massachusetts by SidneyPerley

“1869Julius Aboyneau Palmer (1803-1872) b. in Little Compton, RI, son of Thomas andSusanna (Palmer) Palmer.

Hon.Julius A. Palmer, son of Thomas and Susanna (Palmer) Palmer, was born in LittleCompton, RI, June 14, 1803. His parentswere both descendants of William Palmer- who came over in the ship “Fortune”and landed at Plymouth, Mass. In 1621, - though distantly related to eachother. He went to Boston in 1819, andwas, at the time of his death, the senior member of the firm of Palmer,Batchelder & Co, jewelers, in that city. He was an uncle of Rev. Charles R. Palmer of the Tabernacle Church, Salem;and he delivered the address at the dedication of the new Tabernacle chapel, in1870. He was an ardent temperance man,and was several times selected as the temperance candidate for mayor of Boston. He was a representative to the Legislaturefrom Boston in 1843 and 1851. Retiringto Boxford on account of his age and health, he was elected to the Senate fromEssex County in 1869. This was his lastpublic office. Mr. Palmer was connectedwith many charitable, religious, and reformatory organizations, where he exercisedmarked influence on account of his intelligence and high personalcharacter. He was an active member anddeacon of the Mount Vernon Church, Boston. Deacon Palmer, though living much of the time and doing business inBoston, was nevertheless closely connected with this town, where he held,occupied and improved a valuable estate, and where he gave encouragement to allgood local undertakings. He died inBoston on Thursday, Feb. 15, 1872, and was buried from the Mount Vernon Church,the following Saturday. Mr. Palmermarried Lucy Manning Peabody, daughter of Major Jacob Peabody, a descendant ofCapt. John Peabody, one of the early settlers, who resided in the old mansionthat was razed to the ground by Deacon Palmer.”

Nowthat I know the correct spelling of his whole name I was able to find muchinformation on Julius Palmer, even trees on Ancestry that appeared to have allthe correct birth and death information on the entire family when I checkedwith the Massachusetts vital records. Itwas obvious to me that there was no connection between the Palmer family and tomy Jones ancestors in Boston.

Iwas surprised to find Lucy Manning Peabody, the wife of Julius A. Palmer,already in my family tree. I knew I had Peabodycousins, but there is a closer relationship through her grandmother, LucyManning (1780 – 1813). Her great grandfatheris my 8x great grandfather, Thomas Giddings (1638 – 1681). But this was not a close enough relationshipto warrant some type of cousin relationship between Julius A. Palmer and theQueen. In my opinion, she found him tobe a true kindred spirit in wanting to resolve the annexation of Hawaii in herfavor. And since he was from Boston shealso must have had found something in common with him to strike up a goodfriendship.

Even though I didn't find a "cousin connection" I'm amazed at how much research I can do online. With a newspaper article from GenealogyBank.com in one window, I can open up a second window and quickly find genealogy information on people mentioned in that article. This is great since a lot of this information is vital records and other primary sources. It is also amazing how these Boston and Hawaii families have so many connections. There are several more people I'll be tracing since I found their names in the Queen's autobiography and in these newspaper articles. If you look back, it was from a name in Lili'uokalani's book that started this whole blog back in July 2009 with my very first post!

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Weathervane Wednesday - Yet another Running Horse...

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm nearing the end of this series. There are only so many weathervanes in the Nutfield area (Londonderry and Derry, New Hampshire). This is one of the last I will be posting in the next two months on Wednesdays.

As a challenge, I publish the locations at the bottom of the post so you can see the photo first. After you guess you can scroll down to the bottom to see the location.

Do you know the location of weather vane #28?

This running horse weathervane is located on a cupola on top of a house on Parmenter Road, north of Rt. 102, in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The running horse theme is the most popular weathervane in Londonderry, and I think I have posted at least a half dozen photos of them in this Weathervane Wednesday series.

Click here to see the other weather vanes I have featured in this series.
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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - Two John Karrs

2012-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

These gravestones were photographed at Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire

JOHN KARR
DIED
July 11, 1846
Aged 71 yrs
- - -

According to FindAGrave.com there are five John Karr's buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, but in this section I found only these two stones. This stone was damaged when a tree fell on it during a storm on 4 July 2008, but has been repaired. You can see the original damage at this photo link at FindAGrave.com

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=23546054&PIpi=14553149

JOHN KARR
died Oct. 2, 1784
AEt. 52
MARY
relict of John Karr
died Feb. 2, 1834
AEt. 95
Agnes, Dau. of
John, Mary Karr,
died Aug 10, 1800
AET. 28
Agness, sister of
John Karr,
died Feb. 2, 1817
AEt. 92

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That little Notch on the Massachusetts Border?

2012-01-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

See that little Notch on the Massachusetts/Connecticut border?

You know the one I mean? When you look at the top and bottom (northernand southern) borders on the map of Massachusetts they are mostly straightlines. However, on the southern border thereis a strange little square sticking out that locals call “The Granby Notch” after the Connecticut town witha hole. On the Connecticut side theycall it the “Southwick Jog” after the Massachusetts town that eats into theirterritory. How did it get there? Why is it there?

It appears that my 9x Great Grandfather is to blamefor this strange border notch between Massachusetts and Connecticut. Nathaniel Woodward was born about 1590 inEngland, and he lived in Boston, Massachusetts. It appears that he was a mathematician and a surveyor. In 1638 he ran the boundary line between thePlymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies, and Connecticut. He surveyed land north of the Merrimack Riverand helped to establish the boundary between Charlestown and Lynn.

When I found a mention of Nathaniel Woodward in a2001 New York Times article, I never suspected to find a controversy, but thisnews story explained the puzzle. In 1642 Nathaniel Woodward and his companionSolomon Saffery were hired by the Massachusetts Bay Colony to find the southernborder that ran straight to the Pacific Ocean from three miles south of theCharles River. According to the New York Times:

“Normally, surveyors would simply begintacking westward, marking the state line as they went. But Woodward and Safferywere afraid of being slaughtered by Indian tribes in the untamed New Englandinterior (now known as metropolitan Springfield, Mass.), so the two insteadchose to sail around Cape Cod, down into Long Island Sound and up theConnecticut River, until they reached what they believed was the properlatitude.

In fact, they were about seven milestoo far south. So they fudged the mistake, added a large dip in Massachusetts'southern boundary that took in 108,000 acres of what had been Connecticut, andkept moving west. Down in Hartford, officials quickly learned of the maneuverand demanded a new survey. Massachusetts ignored them. Thus began decades ofNotch-related feuding…

Incredibly, 162 years passed before both statesfinally agreed on a compromise in 1804 that cemented the Notch's currentsmaller size and ended its role in the longest interstate boundary dispute inUnited States history.”

The Woodward Genealogy:

Generation 1: Nathaniel Woodward,born about 1590 in England, died 11 May 1685 probably in Boston, Massachusetts;married first to Unknown, second about 1638 to Margaret Jackson. Five children with first wife, three morewith Margaret. Nathaniel Woodward is my10 x Great Grandfather.

1. Nathaniel Woodward, born about1613, married 1.) Mary Jackson, 2.) Katherine Unknown

2. John Woodward, born about1615, married Sarah Crossman

3. Robert Woodward, born about1618, married Rachel Smith

4. Sarah Woodward, born about 1620

5. Ezekiel Woodward, born about 8 May 1624, diedJanuary 1699 in Wenham, Massachusetts; married 1) Anne Beamsley and had eightchildren, 2) Elizabeth Unknown, widow of John Solart, and had two morechildren, 3) Sarah Edward, widow of Nathaniel Piper. Ezekiel is my 9x GreatGrandfather. I descend from two of hisdaughters with Anne Beamsley (Margaret, born 24 February 1655 who marriedWilliam Andrews; and from Prudence, born 4 April 1660 who married BenjaminMarshall)

Source:

New York Times, “A Blunder in1642 Creates Headaches for Homeowners who Straddle a Border” by Paul Zielbauer,26 January 2001.

The “Southwick Jog” explained bythe Connecticut State Library http://www.cslib.org/jog.htm

Some Descendants of Nathaniel Woodward,Mathematician,compiled by Percy Emmons Woodward, Concord, New Hampshire: Rumford Press, 1940

Some Descendants of Nathaniel Woodwardwho came from England to Boston about 1630, by HaroldEdward Woodward, Boston, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1984

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Surname Saturday ~ Cooke of Salem, Massachusetts

2012-01-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

COOKE

House of Seven Gables
Salem, Massachusetts

Henry Cooke lived in Plymouth for a short time, and settledat Salem, Massachusetts around 1638 as a butcher. He appears many times in the court records ofEssex County for various reasons like defamation, or not returning an axe to aneighbor, or for being fined for “abusing the watch” [see the Recordsand Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volume 1, (1636 –1656), pages 115, 152, 183, 244, etc].

Henry Cooke’s estate was administered on 26 June 1662.

Salem Quarterly CourtRecords, Volume 4, page 100 “Upon furtherconsideration about ordering the estate of Henry Cooke, deceased, it wasordered July 7, 1662, that Isaack, the eldest son, have 24 pounds., and theother children, John, Henry, Judith, Rachell, Mary and Hanna, 12 pounds each,payable at age or time of marriage, and the widow was appointed administratrix”

The Cooke Genealogy:

Generation 1: HenryCooke, born 2 June 1615 in England, died 25 December 1661 in Salem,Massachusetts; married on 29 June 1639 in Salem to Judith Birdsall, daughter ofHenry Birdsall and Judith Kempe, born 2 June 1611 in Norwich, England, and died11 September 1689 in Salem. Ten childrenborn in Salem:

1. Isaac,(see below)

2. Samuel,born 30 July 1641; married Hope Parker

3. Judith,born 15 September 1643; married John Pudney/Putney

4. John,born 6 July 1647; married Mary Buxton

5. Martha,born 15 September 1649

6. Mary,born 15 September 1649; married Robert Moulton

7. Henry,born 30 December 1652; married Mary Hall

8.Elizabeth, born September 1654, died September 1654

9. Rachel,born 25 September 1654, married Elisha Kibbe

10, Hannah,born 9 September 1658; married Daniel Cannady

Generation2: Isaac Cook, born 3 April 1640, diedabout 1692; married on 3 May 1664 in Salem to Elizabeth Buxton, daughter ofAnthony Buxton and Elizabeth Unknown. Twelvechildren born in Salem:

1. Samuel, married Mary Small

2.Elizabeth, (see below)

3.Isaac, born 9 February 1666, died young?

4.Mary, born 12 November 1668; marriedWilliam Johnson

5. Abigail,born 12 July 1670

6. Hannah, born 15 October 1671; married William King

7.John, born 12 March 1674

8. Sarah,born about 1676; married Jonathan King

9. Rachel,born 20 Feb 1676

10.Ebenezer, born 24 December 1677

11.Samuel, born 1 October 1679; marriedElizabeth Wilson

12. Isaac, born 16April 1689

Generation3: Elizabeth Cook married Robert Wilson

Generation4: Isaac Wilson married Mary Stone

Generation5: Robert Wilson married Elizabeth Southwick

Generation6: Robert Wilson married Sarah Felton

Generation7: Robert Wilson married Mary Southwick

Generation8: Mercy F. Wilson married AaronWilkinson

Generation9: Robert Wilson Wilkinson married PhebeCross Munroe

Generation10: Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation11: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

For more Cooke information:

There are very few references to Henry Cooke of Salem inbooks or articles. What I have learnedhas been gleaned from primary source material such as vital records and courtrecords.

There is a good genealogical sketch of Henry Cooke and hisdescendants in The History of Salem, by Sidney Perley, Salem, Mass., 1926,Volume II, pages 43-45, with other references to Henry Cooke throughout allthree volumes.

An Emerson Benson Saga: The Ancestry of Charles F. Emerson and BessieBenson and the Struggle to Settle the United States Including 194 Allied Lines,by Edmund K. Swigart, Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1994, pages 167-8.

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Bucket List Genea Meme

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

Jill Ball,at the Australian genealogy blogger at Geniaus www.Geniaus.blogspot.comhas started a new blogging meme ….

The Bucket List GeneaMeme

The list should beannotated in the following manner:
Things you would like todo or find: Bold Type
Things you haven’tdone or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged toadd extra comments after each item.

1. The genealogy conference I would most like toattend is- RootsTech 2013

2. The genealogy speaker I would most like to hearand see is – Skip Gates

3. The geneablogger I would most like to meet inperson is – Kathleen Brandt from http://a3genealogy.blogspot.com/

4. The genealogy writer I would most like to havedinner with is - Elizabeth Shown Mills

5. The genealogy lecture Iwould most like to present is- (gulp! Ihave to talk?)

6. I would like to go on a genealogy cruise thatvisits the Netherlands

7. The photo I would most like to find is - mygreat grandmother Isabella Bill

8. The repository in a foreign land I would mostlike to visit is British National Archives

9. The place of worship I would most like to visitis – St. Pieter’s Kirk, Leyden, Holland (I'm descended of Rev. John Robinson on both the maternal and paternal side of my family tree, and there are several ancestors buried there as well)

10. The cemetery I would most like to visit is-Westminster Memorial Park, California (my grandparents are buried there, and I've never been)

11. The ancestral town or village I would most liketo visit is -Leyden, Holland (where the Pilgrims lived before coming toMassachusetts)

12. The brick wall I most want to smash is - ElizabethLambert’s (1775 – 1834) ancestry (my 5x great grandmother).

13. The piece of software Imost want to buy - has not been invented yet, the perfect genealogy data basethat produces all the reports and charts I want…

14. The tech toy I want to purchase next is - aniPad

15. The expensive book I would most like to buy is -the Great Migration Series by Robert Charles Anderson - all the volumes!

16. The library I would most like to visit is - SaltLake City, Family History Library

17. The genealogy related book I would most like towrite is - the Descendants of Thomas Wilkinson

18. The genealogy blog Iwould most like to start would be about -(I don’t want to start another blog!)

19. The journal article I would most like to writewould be about - my Hawaii/Boston ancestral connections.

20. The ancestor I most want to meet in theafterlife is - Peter Hoogerzeil (1803- 1889) my 3x great grandfather who was astowaway to America in the 1820s (NOT a myth!).

I invite you to list your genealogy "Bucket List" items in the comments, or go to the Geniaus blog and add your list to Jill's comments. If you have your own blog, please join the meme and pass it on!

Bucket photo courtesy of the Mary Rose Trust [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Queen Liliuokalani in the Headlines, 1894

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

Another genealogy blogger, Kim Von Aspern, author ofthe blog “Le Maison Duchamp” at http://lemaisonduchamp.blogspot.com/recentlywrote to me that she had seen an unusual news headline about “Queen Lila Kalei”in a South Carolina newspaper in 1894. Ihad seen similar accounts in many other newspapers, with varying degrees ofaccuracy about the incident concerning Queen Liliuokalani after she was forced from the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii. I’llreprint them here, along with the Queen’s own words about that time in herlife, and a timeline about her monarchy and her losing the throne, with Hawaii’seventual annexation. You can draw yourown conclusions.

From Google Book Search

OurPaper, Volume 10, by the Massachusetts Reformatory,Concord, Mass. 20 October 1894, Page 667“Before the steamer Araw left Honolulu a rumor was in circulation that QueenLiliuokalani had gone crazy. The reportwas not credited, although for several days she had not left the house she wasoccupying”

The same article was also found in the Worcester Daily Spy, Worcester,Massachusetts, 15 October 1894, page 7, and also in the Patriot, Pennsylvania, 16 October 1894, page 8 “Queen Lil ReportedCrazy”, and many other newspapers on GenealogyBank.com.

Boston Journal,Boston, Massachusetts, 16 October 1894, page 5

“LiliuokalaniInsane

TheReport to that effect in Circulation in Honolulu

Victoria,BC, October 15, Before the steamer Arawa left Honolulu a rumor was in circulationthat Queen Liliuokalani had gone crazy. For several days she had not left the house she was occupying.

Washington,October 15- No information has been received in Washington confirmatory of thereport that Queen Liliuokalani has become insane. It is not believed. For some days after the receipt of theintelligence that the republic had been recognized, the queen remained in herroom, refusing to see anyone except intimate friends. More recent advices state that she sufferedsubsequently from slight illness, but the latest reports show her to haverecovered. She is living quietly at herresidence on the street in the rear of the national palace. It is believed that the new rulers of therepublic will make the deposed Queen a suitable provision as soon as shemanifests a disposition to cultivate good relations between herself andPresident Dole’s ministry.”

The same article was also found in the Boston Daily Advertiser, Boston,Massachusetts, 16 October 1894, page 5.

A different article from the Oregonian, 16 October 1894, page 2

“TheEx-Island Queen

Thereis no Disposition to treat Liliuokalani Harshly

Washington,October 15 – No information has been received in Washington confirmatory of thereport that Liliuokalani has become insane. In well-informed circles it is not believed. The fact is known here that the queen isgreatly chagrined at the action of this government in recognizing the newrepublic. Up to the very moment theofficial announcement of the recognition was received, she believed that itwould be denied, and that President Cleveland either would assist her to thethrone again or at least mediate in such a way between herself and therepublican leaders as would leave her virtually mistress of the situation. For some days after the receipt of theintelligence that the republic had been recognized the ex-queen remainedsecluded in her rooms, refusing to see anyone except her intimate friends. More recent advices state that she sufferedquite recently from slight illness, but the intent reports show her to haverecovered. She is living quietly at herresidence on the street immediately in the rear of the national palace. It is believed that the new rulers of therepublic will make the deposed queen a suitable provision, and this willprobably be done as soon s she manifests a disposition to cultivate goodrelations between herself and President Dole’s ministry. It is said that not only is there no dispositionto treat her harshly, but, on the contrary, to accord to her every properconsideration.”

Queen Liliuokalani, in her own words:

"I found to my horror, when the newspaperscame to Honolulu from the United States, that the President and the Americanpeople had been told that I was about to behead them all! There is an oldproverb which says that "a lie can travel around the world while the truthis putting on its boots." That offensive charge was repeated to my hurt asoften as possible; although I immediately send my protest that I had not usedthe words attributed to me by Mr. Willis in our informal conversation, and thatat my first official interview with him I had modified (so far as my influencewould go) the law of all countries regarding treason.” page248
And...

“Weary withwaiting, impatient under the wrongs they were suffering, preparations wereundoubtedly made amongst some in sympathy with the monarchy to overthrow theoligarachy. How and where these were carried on, I will not say. I have noright to disclose any secrets given in trust to me. To the time of which I nowwrite their actions had been peaceful, out of respect and obedience to theirqueen. If, goaded by their wrongs, I could no longer hold them in check withreason; if they were now, by one accord, determined to break away, andendeavor, by a bold stroke, to win back their nationality, why should Iprohibit the outburst of patriotism? I told them that if the mass of the nativepeople chose to rise, and try to throw off the yoke, I would say nothingagainst it, but I could not approve of mere rioting.
On Jan. 6,1895, came the beginning of a revolt. For three months prior to that date myphysician, Dr. Donald McLelan, had been in attendance on me, and, as I wassuffering very severely from nervous prostration, prescribed electricity. Fortwo years I had borne the long agony of suspense, a terrible strain, which atlast made great inroads on my strength.” pages 263 – 264

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Timeline:

14 January 1893 Queen Liliuokalani announced shewould draft a new constitution to replace the “Bayonet Constitution” forced onher brother, the previous monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

15 January 1893 Marines from the cruiser Bostoninvade Honolulu and the “Committee of Safety” forces Queen Liliuokalani fromthe throne by 17 January.

31 January 1893 President Benjamin Harrison attemptsto deny the Provisional Government from taking Hawaii, but the House and Senatedeny his bill. The new president, GroverCleveland sends James Blount to investigate.

18 December 1893 Blount’s report against thetakeover is submitted to Congress. Heagrees that Liliuokalaniis the constitutional ruler of Hawaii. Nothing happens. A counter revolution fails. Dole is now president of the Republic ofHawaii.

On 24 January 1895 Queen Liliuokalani signed herabdication. In October of that year shewas tried for treason and sentenced to confinement in her room at IolaniPalace. During her confinement she composedthe “Queen’s Prayer” and stitched the famous quilt on display today in theimprisonment room.

In 1896 she was freed but remained under duress ather nearby home, Washington Place.

12 August 1898 the US flag was raised in Honolulusignaling annexation. Liliuokalaniremained secluded at Washington Place. Later that year she traveled to the UnitedStates to petition the president, and to visit her husband’s family in Boston.

1916 marked the year of Prince Kuhio’s lawsuit to unsuccessfully declare Liliuokalani incompetent and takeover her Waikiki land that she willed to her Hawaiian Children's Trust.

Queen Liliuokalani died on 11 November 1917.

Queen Lili'uokalani with her grandchildren
photo taken about 1917

Obviously the stress of the overthrow did not prevent the Queen from taking the reins as the strongest supporter of her people's rights after annexation. She was an elegant and well spoken advocate for Hawaiians in Washington. After all this, her autobiography is still considered one of the best books describing this time period. She even remained a quiet force throughout Prince Kuhio's attempt to discredit her in her last years. Whatever she experienced in 1894, it was just a small setback that she overcame with true Queenly dignity.

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Sources:

Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole v. Liliuokalani, SupremeCourt of Hawaii, 23 Haw. 457: 1916 http://www.angelfire.com/big09a/KuhioVLiliuokalani1916.html

Hawaii’sStory by Hawaii’s Queen, by Liliuokalani, Honolulu,Hawaii: Mutual Publishing Company, 1990.

A blog post I wrote about Yellow Journalism and Queen Lili'uokalani
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/world-newspaper-and-yellow-press.html

Another blog post I wrote about Queen Lili'uokalani and her Boston relatives, and their reaction to rumors in the press during her visit to Boston:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/05/amanuensis-monday-boston-press-reports.html

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Weathervane Wednesday - Is a Wind Sock a Weathervane?

2012-01-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm nearing the end of this weathervane series. There are only so many weathervanes in the Nutfield area (Londonderry and Derry, New Hampshire). This is one of the last weathervanes I will be posting in the next two months on Wednesdays.

As a challenge, I publish the locations at the bottom of the post so you can see the photo first. After you guess you can scroll down to the bottom to see the location.

Do you know the location of weather vane #27?

A windsock is a type of weathervane used at airports. This one was photographed at the Manchester Airport, just on the Londonderry side of the border by the runway. Windsocks indicate wind direction, just like a weathervane, and also indicate the wind speed by the angle of the fabric cone. They are used at airports, yacht clubs, and even at chemical plants. Decorative windsocks are popular in Japan.

The first airfield was built in Manchester in 1927. In the 1930s a neighborhood kid, Alan Shepard, ran errands here! During World War II the airport was expanded as Grenier Field. In 1961 the art-deco style terminal was replaced with a "modern" building, that was replace again in 1992 with an even more modern terminal and runway expansion. In 2004 the small art-deco style terminal was moved across the runway and converted into the New Hampshire Aviation Museum.

Click here for a post about the New Hampshire Aviation Museum

Manchester Airport historical information http://www.flymanchester.com/about/history.php

Click here to see the other weather vanes I have featured in this series.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Two William Karrs

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

These grave stones were photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire. They are side by side in a plot full of other Karrs, so I assume they are relatives.

HERE LYES THE BODY OF MR.
WILLIAM KARR HE DIED
MARCH 23d 1754 AGED 62

MY BODYS TURNED INTO DUST
THIS DUST SHALL YET ARISE
AT RESURRECTION OF THE JUST
TO SOUND JEHOVAH'S PRAISE

According to the Granite State Monthly, Volume 5, page 117 in an article labeled "Some Old New Hampshire Burial Places" by Anabel C. Andrews, there is a list of epitaphs at the burial ground in Thornton's Ferry, Litchfield, New Hampshire (right next door to Londonderry), and a very similar epitaph is found on the gravestone of a Mrs. Margaret White, in the same time period. If it wasn't winter, and if the ground wasn't covered with snow, I might have gone over to photograph this stone for comparison!

In memory of
WILLIAM KARR
Who died
Aug. 31, 1837
Aged 69
- o -
My father wills me in his arms
And willingly I go
With cheerfulness I bid farewell
To everything below.

The inscription on the second gravestone is from an old hymn:

Readiness for Death. C. M.

My Father calls me to his arms,

And willingly I go ;

With cheerfulness I bid farewell To everything below.

My tender parents, kind and dear,

I bid farewell to you

Though nature feels tis sad and hard

to speak the word "adieu".

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Genealogy Lectures at Lowell 3 March 2012

2012-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

Pollard Memorial Library
Lowell, Massachusetts
March 3, 2012
for info sfougstedt@mvlc.org
http://www.pollardml.org/

The JFK Birthplace, Brookline, Massachusetts

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

The JFK birthplace is a National Park Service museum at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts. Since it is part of the National Park system, tours are completely free. It is self guided with an audio device narrated by his mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. The Kennedy House is a very modest house for today's standards, and is furnished closely to how it would appear in 1917 when the Kennedy family lived here, with many of the original furnishings and personal objects.

According to the narration by Rose, baby John was born in the bed closest to the window so the Doctor would have good light during the procedure. He was born about 3 PM on 29 May 1917, as the second son. The future president baptized in the little church down the street, St. Aidan's on 158 Pleasant Street (This building closed as a church in 1999, and is now mixed income housing). He lived in Brookline for the first ten years of his life.

This white bassinet held three senators and a president!

When the family lived here in this house, little John and his older brother Joseph, Jr. would sit in the child's table set up by the window during meals. One of the little silver cups is engraved with Joseph, Jr.'s monogram. The table is set with the family's original china and silver, donated to the museum.

The John F. Kennedy Birthplace website is http://www.nps.gov/jofi/index.htm The house is closed in the winter, and will reopen to the public for tours on May 20, 2012. It is located only 13 miles from the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, Massachusetts http://www.jfklibrary.org/ where you can learn about the rest of the president's life, and use the archives.

This is a great trip for genealogists! The JFK library is located next to the Massachusetts State Archives in Dorchester, and is near the Vital Records. It is also not far from other Boston repositories of information, such as NEHGS, the Massachusetts Historical Society, The Boston Public Library and the North Eastern Regional NARA facility in Waltham, Massachusetts.

New England Historic Genealogical Society www.americanancestors.org

Massachusetts Historical Society www.masshist.org

The Boston Public Library www.bpl.org

North Eastern Regional National Archives http://www.archives.gov/northeast/boston/

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Buffum of Salem, Massachusetts

2012-01-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

BUFFUM

Robert Buffum was born about 1590 at Buffum,Yorkshire and was married twice in England before coming to Salem,Massachusetts. In October 1649 he was granted 40 acres inwhat is now known as “Buffum’s Corner” (near Boston and Essex Streets in Salem). The Buffums were early Quakers. His family was fined regularly for notattending the preferred meetings of worship (they skipped Puritan services), and so they show up in court records.

Robert Buffum’s will was witnessed by his Quakerfriends and neighbors who would not “swear on the book” and so the document wasrefused by the court. His wife Tamosinwas administrix of his estate. Theinventory was made on 15 November 1669 and this named his children.

“OnNov 25 1668, Mary Neale testified that when her father, Robert Buffum was sick,she tended to him until he died, and heard her mother, Tamosin asked her fatherseveral times to make a will: of which he seemed to take little notice till alittle before his death when he said that he would have his son Joshua have adouble portion, and for the rest of the children, he would make no differencebetwixt them, for, he said, that they are yours as well as mine. About the sametime other testimony was taken, Gertrude Pope, widow, testified that being atthe house of Robert Buffum, while he lay at his death bed, he would have me andElizabeth Kitchen take notice of what he has said, as to his estate, he wouldleave to his wife, for she had helped him to get it and the children were hers.Testimony of Elizabeth Kitchen to the same effect. Petition of john Wilson,William Beanes and Jeremiah Neale, children and heirs of Robert Buffum humbly showththat 'whereas our father Robert Buffum died intestate and an inventory of hisestate was brought in by relict Tomosin and she appointed administratrix, etc,who since that time has disposed of the same according to her fancy oraffection led her, or else keepeth the same still in her hands; we yourpetitioners, being children of the deceased, humbly conceive that as children,we ought to according to the law of God and this jurisdiction each of us tohave a share or portion which is our right, and therefore humbly do supplicatethis honored Court as fathers of this country to our causes into your pious andChristian consideration and be fathers to us in helping us to that we who arethe children may not be deprived of which we humbly conceive according to lawof God and this jurisdiction is ours. We subscribe yours in all service tocommand.” From One Hundred and Sixty Allied Familiesby John O. Austin, Salem Press, 1893.

Robert Buffum was buried in the Old Burying Groundin Peabody, but his remains were removed to Harmony Grove Cemetery near thewestern entrance. In 1991 the Buffum Family Association erecteda memorial stone which you can see at this link to his sketch at FindAGrave.comhttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7885479

My lineagefrom Robert Buffum:

Generation1: Robert Buffum, born about 1590, sonof James Bougham and Margery Raylton, died before 2 December 1669 in Salem,Massachusetts; married first to Margaret Blessing on 23 August 1613 at St.Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England (no surviving children);married second to Tamoson Ward on 11 August 1634 at the Church of St.Lawrence, South Walasham, Norfolk,England. She was the daughter of GeorgeWard and Dionis Burrow, born about 1606 and died 23 March 1688 in Salem,Massachusetts. She married first to JohnThompson on 29 November 1632 at the St. Nicolas Church, Great Yarmouth, and hadone child, Margaret, born about 1632.

Children byTamosen, born in Salem:

1. Joshua Buffum, born 22 February 1635, marriedDamaris Pope

2. Mary Buffum, born about 1637, marriedJeremiah Neal

3. Deborah Buffum, born 1639 (see below)

4. DamarisBuffum, born 30 January 1641

5. Robert Buffum, born 30 November 1643, diedJune 1645

6. LydiaBuffum, born 19 February 1644, died 1718

7. Sarah Buffum, born about 1648, marriedWilliam Bean

8. Caleb Buffum, born 29 July 1650, marriedHannah Pope, sister to Damaris above.

Generation2: Deborah Buffum, born 1639, died about 1668; married on 12August 1658 in Marblehead, Massachusetts to Robert Wilson, born about 1630 anddied on 18 September 1675 in Deerfield, Massachusetts at the Bloody BrookMassacre. Two children. You can read about the tragic story ofDeborah Buffum, persecuted for showing up naked to the Salem village Puritanmeeting and for being a professed Quaker, at this link:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/02/love-story-too-sad-for-valentines-day.html

Generation3: Robert Wilson married Elizabeth Cook

Generation4: Isaac Wilson married Mary Stone

Generation5: Robert Wilson married Elizabeth Southwick

Generation6: Robert Wilson married Sarah Felton

Generation7: Robert Wilson married Mary Southwick

Generation8: Mercy F. Wilson married Aaron Wilkinson

Generation9: Robert Wilson Wilkinson married Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation10: Albert Munroe Wilkinson marriedIsabella Lyons Bill

Generation11: Donald Munroe Wilkinson marriedBertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

For moreinformation:

Buffum Family History, compiled by Owen A. Perkins, Fort Worth,TX, 1975 (two volumes)

BuffumFamily Association

2945Peppertree Drive

Lexington,KY 40513

859-219-8632

http://buffumfamilyassociation.com/ email buffumfamily@yahoo.com

Buffum FamilyMuseum

8335 BostonColden Road

Colden, NY114033

There is a sketch in Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, by Walter Goodwin Davis, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1996, Volume III, pages 405-8.

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Mysterious Mrs. Munroe Grout

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

On Monday I posted some GenealogyBank.com news clippings I found about my Great Grandfather Albert Munroe Wilkinson (1860 - 1908). In one, a mysterious aunt named "Mrs. Munroe Grout" in the article, had given him a gift of seven silver table spoons for his wedding gift. The news story mentioned that there were "many costly and elegant gifts" but it made special mention of Mrs. Grout. As a clue to finding her identity, I noted that although my Great Grandfather was married in Salem, Massachusetts, this was written up in the Boston Herald newspaper.

Why would a Salem wedding be written up in the social pages of the Boston newspaper? At first I considered that Great Grandfather had married the daughter of a prominent music professor, which was also mentioned in the paper. Then I wondered if Mrs. Grout was herself a socially prominent Bostonian?

The next clue was the name Munroe. The spoons mentioned in the article were engraved with names of Munroe ancestors. Albert's mother was Phebe Cross Munroe (1830 - 1895) daughter of Luther Simonds Munroe and Olive Flint, who resided in South Danvers, now Peabody, Massachusetts. When I looked through all the siblings of Phebe, none married a Grout. In fact, none of the Munroe's in my database had married a Grout. I was stumped.

So, I did what most people do when it is late at night and the local library is closed. I turned to the internet, and tried to find vital records for marriages and deaths with the Grout name. I also used Google, and found this interesting excerpt in Google Books from Genealogicaland Personal Memoirs relating to the families of Boston and EasternMassachusetts , by William RichardCutter, 1908, Volume 1, page 264, “OliveAdeline, born Salem, [daughter of Luther Simonds Munroe and Olive Flint] January 18, 1836, died Charlestown,Massachusetts, November 29, 1905; married John H. Grout."

This stumped me again because I already had a marriage for Olivia Adeline Munroe in the 1851 Danvers Vital Records, listing her as marrying someone named Corydon B. Green, as a first marriage at age 16. Then I found this:

Mass VR, Volume88, page 171

Town ofBrookline, Mass. Marriages

April 22,1855, groom -John H. Grout, res. Beverly, teamster, b. Danvers, parents John and Sally, firstmarriage; bride - Ada Munroe, age 19, res.Beverly, b. Danvers, parents, Luther S. andOlive, first marriage

Well, Auntie Grout claimed both were first marriages. And they are both obviously Olivia Adeline Munroe, who was born in Salem on 18 January 1836 to parents Luther Simonds Munroe and Olive Flint. There must be a good story here, but I haven't found the answer to this one yet. But back at GenealogyBank.com I did find some interesting news clippings...

BostonJournal

22 December1896

Page 10

MortuaryNotice

“Mrs.Grout’s Funeral

The funeralof Mrs. John H. Grout, Jr. was held at the Little Church Around the Corner onBullfinch Place yesterday at noon. Rev.C. Elliott conducted the exercises.

The casketin which reposed the remains was literally buried beneath a wealth of floraltributes from members of the family, newspaper men and intimate friends of thefamily. The pall bearers were E. S.Anderson, Dr. F. F. Roby, W. M. and J. F. Nickerson and Albert Wilkinson.

Theinterment was in the family lot at Danvers.”

The LittleChurch around the corner was “The Bullfinch Place Chapel” , a UnitarianUniversalist church in the West End of Boston. Thepapers for this now gone church are at the Harvard Divinity School Call numberbMS 2, Bullfinch Place Church Records 1826 – 1957. The Rev. Christopher Rhodes Elliot (1856 – 1945) was pastor from1894 – 1927 and his papers are also at the Harvard Divinity School, call numberbMS75.

At Ancestry.com:

1870 FederalCensus, Boston, MA, Ward 4,

Grout, John, H, age 38, stable keeper, b. Mass.

Addie M, age 32, keeping house, b.Mass.

Jr. John H, age 12, attendsschool, b. Mass.

Frank B., age 10, attends school, b. Mass.

And at the Massachusetts Vital Records available online at NEHGS

Mass VR Volume 1905/23 page 96

deaths

Olive A MGrout

Boston, 17Mouton St.

Nov. 29,1905, age 69 y 10m 11d

Maiden name-Munroe

Husband’sname John H. Grout

BirthplaceDanvers

Father-Luther S. Munroe

Father’sbirthplace- Danvers

Mother-Olive Flint

Mother’sbirthplace – Danvers

Occupationat home

BurialDanvers

Undertaker-John Bryant’s sons

Cause –Fibroid Tumor- at least a year

Contributory– exhaustion- 3 weeks

Signed –John Duff, MD

Back at GenealogyBank.com:

BostonJournal

June 29 1899

“Obituary

John H.Grout

At theresidence of his son, Frank B. Grout in Andover, John H. Grout of Boston diedyesterday. He was born in Danvers in1832. Early in life he was engaged in theexpress business, and later as a hotel manager in Boston. At the time of the great Boston fire he was amanager of the Winthrop House, and for the past 22 years of the Windsor Hotel.

For manyyears he was a familiar figure among the horsemen of this city, and nearlyevery day could be seen behind a good “goer” on the road. He had been the owner of many fasthorses. While a faithful attendant athorse races about Boston for more than a generation, he always made it a rulenever to bet.

Mr. Groutwas a cousin of Congressman Grout and ex- Governor Grout of Vermont, and his son,John H. Grout, Jr., is now United States Consul at Malta.”

which led to finding this at Google Books:

Who’s Who inNew England, by Albert Nelson Marquis, 1909

Page 437

“Grout, JohnHenry, consul, b. Beverly, Mass, 4 Dec. 1857, son of John H. and Olive Adeline(Munroe) G, descendant of Munroes of Lexington fame; ed. Pub. Schs., St.Johnsbury (Vt) Acad., Chauncy Hall Sch., Cambridge, Mass., and Boston LatinSch., m. 1^st Boston , Josephine Bussell (now deceased); m 2d,Ventnor, Isle of Wight, June 11, 1904, Kitty Emily Austin. Served in editorial dept., Boston Herald 11yrs, and later on other Boston papers; for a time in employ Mex. Central R. R.,and paymaster La. Lighterage and Jetty Co. in const’n of jetties at Tampico,Mex.; apptd. Am. Consul, Bermuda, Jan. 14, 1893, retired, Oct. 1893; apptd. Consulat Malta, Jan. 10, 1898; promoted to Odessa, Russia, Jan. 9, 1908. Mem. Mass. Militia 7 yrs. Mason (18 degrees).Home: Boston, Mass. Adress: AmericanConsulate, Odessa, Russia.

No wonder Auntie Munroe Grout could afford to give her nephew such a fine wedding gift! But there is still the lingering mystery of her first husband, Mr. Corydon B. Green... why is it that one mystery always leads to another in genealogy?

Click this link to read about the original Boston Herald news article from 1894 that mentioned Mrs. Munroe Grout: http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/amanuensis-monday-great-finds-at.html

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Weathervane Wednesday - A Giant Grasshopper!

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

This giant grasshopper is located on a garage cupola on High Range Road in Londonderry. It is well set back from the road, only visible when the leaves are off the trees in the winter time. I photographed this last week. This grasshopper weather vane reminds me of the gilded grasshopper on top of Boston's Faneuil Hall building, which is one of the most famous weather vanes in the USA. It was created by Shem Drowne in 1742, and is four feet long and weighs eighty pounds!

Shem Drowne is one of my first cousins, 8 generations removed. His grandparents were Walter Abbott (about 1602 - 1667) and Katherine Clarke, my 8x Great Grandparents. He was a colonial coppersmith in Boston, and was the first documented American weathervane maker. He was the third son of Leonard Drowne, a ship builder in Kittery, Maine. His mother, Elizabeth Abbott (1652 - 1704) was sister to my 7x Great Grandmother, Mary Abbott who married William Caverly.

The weathervane atop Faneuil Hall in Boston, MA
A Wikimedia Commons photo by Sesmith

Click here to see the other weather vanes I have featured in this series.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

18 January 1893 ~ The Kingdom of Hawaii is overthrown

2012-01-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

On this day in history, 18 January 1893, the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by the Committee of Safety, a group of American businessmen, and Queen Lili'uokalani was deposed. Although many nations condemned their actions, including the United States, the Republic of Hawaii was in control of the islands for many years, until annexed by the United States in 1898.

This image is from the book The Passing of Liliuokalani by William C. Hodges,
published by the Honolulu Star Bulletin, 1913, page 26

This photo was taken in 1897 when she was in Boston, Massachusetts to visit her husband's family on her way to Washington, DC to petition the president. Queen Lili'uokalani did not spend her years after the Kingdom of Hawaii in seclusion, but she continued to work tirelessly for her people to restore their rights.

The Queen's Imprisonment and her famous quilt

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/08/treasure-chest-thursday-imprisonment.html

The Boston Connection to the Kingdom of Hawaii

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/07/hawaii-boston-connection-to-royal.html

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Tombstone Tuesday ~ McDuffee

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

This ledger stone is located at Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, New Hampshire. All the inscription is crowded in the top of this gravestone, and the rest of the stone is blank! It is a very large stone, with plenty of room for the rest of the family, but apparently they were buried elsewhere?

The path of the just is as the shining light
ERECTED IN MEMORY OF
DANIEL McDUFFEE
and Mrs. RUTH his wife
HE departed this Life Apr
the 2d 1767 In the 76th Year
of his age.
Likewise the departed wife
Novr ye 9 1778. In the 86th Year
of her age.

a detail of the carving

This style of gravestone
is called a ledger stone

Daniel McDuffee was born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland about 1692. He married Ruth Britton about 1717 in Northern Ireland, and had nine children. He was a blacksmith and locksmith in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and died on 2 April 1767. His parents, John and Martha McFee/McDuffee came to Northern Ireland from Argyleshire, Scotland.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Amanuensis Monday ~ Great finds at GenealogyBank.com

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

Albert Munroe Wilkinson
born 7 November 1860, Danvers, Massachusetts
died 12 May 1908, Brookline, Massachusetts
I wonder if this is how he dressed up at weddings?
He's very dapper in his white tie!

I recently renewed my subscription to GenealogyBank.com and have been looking up ancestors in the Historical Newspapers collection. To my surprise there were several news articles about my great grandfather Albert Munroe Wilkinson I hadn't seen before.

Boston Herald, 3 June1892

page 5

"Munroe- Mansfield

Mr. William F.Munroe of Peabody and Miss Clara B. Mansfield of Salem were wedded in the FirstChurch at Salem last evening. The youngcouple stood beneath a handsome floral arch, and Rev. George C. Cresseyperformed the ceremony.

The Bride was given awayby her uncle, Mr. Hubbard Breed. MissAlice Hubbard Breed was the maid of honor, and Mr. Albert Wilkinson was thebest man.

There was a reception atthe home of the bride's uncle on Federal Street, and the couple left on a latetrain for a wedding trip. Returning,they will reside in Peabody."

In this news clipping Albert served as best man at his cousin's wedding. In the next, I found an announcement of his own engagement to my great grandmother... followed by a little article about their wedding reception.

BostonJournal

27 September1894

Page 4

“Personal

Theengagement of Miss Isabella Bill, daughter of Prof. C. R. Bill of Salem, andAlbert M. Wilkinson of Peabody is announced. The marriage will take place on October 18 next.”

BostonHerald

21 October1894

Page 27

“At thewedding of Mr. Albert Munroe Wilkinson and Miss Isabell Lyons Bill, daughter ofProf. Bill of Salem, which took place on Thursday evening last in that city,among the many costly and elegant gifts, was one that was simple, elegant anddecidedly unique. It was present by theaunt of the groom, Mrs. Munroe Grout of Boston. It consisted of a set of table spoons, seven in number, in a handsomecase, marked on the inside “Genealogical.” Following back from the name of the bridegroom, each spoon was engravedwith the name, date and place of birth of an ancestor in direct line to the olddays of Scotland, in the history of which the Wilkinson family claims a proudplace."

The "Genealogical Spoons" mentioned above are still in my family, and my uncle in California has them in his possession. We have often wondered where they came from, and who had them engraved. Now, because of this little article in the social pages of the Boston Herald we now the story. By the way, the spoons trace the Munroe family names back to William Munroe, who came to Massachusetts from Scotland as a prisoner of war in 1651, and was sold into servitude [they do not have the name WILKINSON]. Each of the seven spoons names a Munroe ancestor. I spent several hours on GenealogyBank and other websites trying to figure out who was this aunt "Mrs. Munroe Grout". It is an interesting story I will post on Thursday.

click here for Part 2:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/mysterious-mrs-munroe-grout.html

for more information about Genealogy Bank see the website

http://www.genealogybank.com/

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Surname Saturday - Wilson of Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts

2012-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

WILSON

Robert Wilson was born about 1630, and lived inSalem, Massachusetts. It is unknownwhere he came from before he arrived in New England, and it is unknown when hearrived. However, he left some veryinteresting, yet sad and sorrowful, records during his life.

His first wife was Deborah Buffum, daughter ofRobert Buffum and Tamosen Ward. In 1662,as the mother of two infant children she professed to being a Quaker, which wasdangerous in Puritan Salem, Massachusetts. Not only that, she went naked to the Puritan meetinghouse to protest the“spiritual nakedness”. She was sentencedto be tied to a cart and whipped until she came to her own house. Daniel Rumball, the constable “was loathe todo it, but was ordered to do his duty. RobertWilson (it may be presumed in collusion with Rumball, though neither was aQuaker) followed after, clapping his hat sometimes between the whip and hiswife’s back.” (from the book ThePeabody Story by John A. Wells, 1973, Essex Institute, Salem, MA, pages136 -7)

Although kindhearted Robert Wilson helped his wife,she died soon after in 1668. Robertremarried to Anna Trask, the widow of Joseph Perry Foster, in 1674. They hadone child together before he was called to join the Essex County militia withCaptain Thomas Lothrop to protect Deerfield, Massachusetts. Seventy men, along with Robert Wilson, werekilled at in a massacre at a brook near Deerfield on 18 September 1675. Only seven or eight men escaped thismassacre. The brook was renamed “BloodyBrook”.

From the Essex Quarterly Court Records, volume 6,leaf 19

Administrationupon the estate of Robert Wilson, intestate, was granted 28, 4m, 1681 unto Ann,the relict, who brought in an inventory amounting to about 150 pounds, andwhereas there is some legacy or something of an estate of Tamosen Buffum'swhich of right is to belong to Robert and Deborah, children of the deceased,the court ordered that Ann should pay out of this estate into the inventory, toRobert the eldest son 14 pounds, and to Deborah aforesaid, children by hisfirst wife, and to Anna, John, Mary and Elizabeth children by Ann, 7 poundseach, at age or marriage, the house and land to stand bound by security.

If you look at the genealogy below, youwill notice a lot of Robert Wilsons, and the Essex County records are full ofeven more Robert Wilsons. How did Imanage to figure out which Roberts belonged to what lines? Not without help! I was at the New EnglandHistoric Genealogical Society library one day, and when I had trouble finding abook on the shelves the librarian, David Dearborn, asked me which surname I wasresearching. When he heard I was lookingfor Salem, Massachusetts Wilsons he introduced me to a series of books writtenby researcher Ken Stevens of Walpole, New Hampshire. Ken Stevens wrote all his books about Wilsons from all over New England. I wrote to Mr. Stevens (it was before email)and he sent me all his research notes on the Salem Wilsons. He had not included these particular Wilsons in a book yet. Heconfirmed my line, too! The NEHGSlibrary has his papers on Wilson research in their manuscript collection. Kenneth C. Stevens passed away in 2010.

My Wilson lineage (note the five RobertWilsons and one Robert Wilson Wilkinson in the first eight generations!):

Generation 1: Robert Wilson, born about 1630, died on 18September 1675 in Deerfield, Massachusetts at the Bloody Brook Massacre; married first to Deborah Buffum,daughter of Robert Buffum and Tamosen Ward, on 12 August 1658 in Marblehead,Massachusetts. She was born about 1639and died about 1668 and had two children including Robert Wilson, Jr. (seebelow). He married second to Anna Trask,daughter of Henry Trask and Mary Southwick, widow of Joseph Perry Foster, andhad one child.

Generation 2: Robert Wilson, born about1662, and died before 17 January 1717; married about 1685 to Elizabeth Cook,daughter of Isaac Cook and Elizabeth Buxton. Four children. He is listed in his grandmother’s will(Tamosine Buffum, Essex County Probate #30139). He was the first Wilson to own property near the Wilson Square area ofwhat is now Peabody, Massachusetts.

Generation 3: Isaac Wilson, born about1691; married Mary Stone, daughter of Samuel Stone and Mary Treadwell, on 9January 1718 in Salem, Massachusetts. Six children. He was a carpenter.

Generation 4: Robert Wilson, born about1724, died before 10 July 1782 in Danvers, Massachusetts (now Peabody); marriedto Elizabeth Southwick, daughter of John Southwick and Mary Trask on 26 May1744 in Salem, Massachusetts. Four children. He was a prominent potter who lived where Route 114 now crosses Route128 in Peabody. The Wilson family burialground still exists there behind the Kappy’s Liquor Store. The Wilsons were known for black pottery thatcan be seen on exhibit at the Peabody Historical Society.

Generation 5: Robert Wilson born about1746 and died 4 June 1797 in Danvers (now Peabody); married on 23 March 1775 inDanvers to Sarah Felton, daughter of Malachi Felton and Abigail Jacobs. Nine children. He is buried at the Wilson burial ground, andSarah was buried in 1836, forty years later, across the street at the Feltonburial ground.

Generation 6: Robert Wilson, born 5 September1776 in Danvers, died on 9 November 1803 in Danvers; married on 8 May 1800 toMary Southwick, daughter of George Southwick and Sarah Platts. Two children. Robert and Mary Wilson are buriedat the Wilson burial ground.

Generation 7: Mercy F. Wilson, born 17June 1803 in Peabody, died on 9 October 1883 in Peabody; married on 23 June1829 in Danvers to Aaron Wilkinson, son of William Wilkinson and Mercy Nason,born in South Berwick, Maine on 22 February 1802, and died on 25 November 1879in Peabody, Massachusetts. Eleven children.

Generation 8: Robert Wilson Wilkinson m.Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 9: Albert Munroe Wilkinson m.Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10: Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha LouiseRoberts (my grandparents)

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This Wilson family has not been writtenup in any compiled genealogy or articles in any genealogical journals. Ken Stevens had notes on this lineage, buthad not finished his research on the other lines of the Salem/Danvers/PeabodyWilsons for a book or article. Most ofwhat I put together here was gleaned from vital records and probate. There is a bit of information on the Wilsonpotters to be found in books on the subject, such as this excerpt fromEarly New England Potters and Their Wares by Lura Woodside Watkins,Harvard University Press, 1950, pages 65-66.

"TheWilsons were a prominent family of artisans. Their homestead included the land near 141 Andover Street and eastwardwhere 128 now crosses it. The first twopotting Wilsons were sons of Robert, a farmer. They were Robert, known as Robert, Jr. who remained in Danvers, andJoseph, who went to Dedham and thence to Providence, Rhode Island. When Robert, Jr., died in 1782, he leftproperty worth 627 pounds, including six lots of land, his house, barn,potter's shop, and cornhouse, a riding chair, and a large personal estate. He seems to have done well in his trade. His son Robert, known as Robert 2d, and ayounger son Job were potters. By anorder of the court, Robert 3d, as administrator of his father's estate, wasobliged to sell a large part of the elder Robert's property to pay certaindebts. This was not done until April 9,1793, when two thirds of the land and buildings, and an interest in thebusiness was aquired by Isaac Wilson 3d. He, too, was a craftsman in clay. The three Wilsons ran the shop together for a time, but Robert 3d, andJob both passed away before 1800, while Robert's son Robert, who had worked buta short time as a potter, died three years later at the age oftwenty-seven. Upon Isaac's decease in1809, this early pottery must have come to an end."

For more information on Robert Wilson’swife, Deborah, and her “Naked Protest” see my blog post about this story atthis link:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/02/love-story-too-sad-for-valentines-day.html

Formore information on the Wilson Burial Ground in Peabody, see this link:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/09/buried-at-mall.html

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Deadline Approaching for the 2012 New Hampshire Mayflower Memorial Scholarship

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

The 2012 New Hampshire Mayflower Society Memorial Scholarships are available to any college student (undergraduate or graduate) or high school senior. You don’t need to be a member of the Mayflower Society, but members and relatives of members will receive preference (defined as members, junior members, siblings, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren). Applicants with no affiliation to the NH Mayflower Society are also invited to apply.

This is one of the few Mayflower scholarships in the USA awarded to non-members. Applicants MUST be able to attend the award ceremony, in person, in May 2012, in New Hampshire. It is expected that at least two to four scholarships of $500 to $1000 will be awarded in May 2012.

Applications and instructions are available at the website http://www.nhmayflower.org/ and applications and all required paperwork are due strictly before February 15, 2012. They may be mailed to:

Heather Rojo
NH Mayflower Scholarship Committee Chair
71 Old Nashua Road, Apt. 45
Londonderry, NH 03053

Or you may email Heather Rojo at scholarship@nhmayflower.org for more information and further instructions. The New Hampshire Mayflower Society may also be found on Facebook.

The 2011 NH Mayflower Memorial Scholarship recipients

The requirement to attend the spring meeting of the NH Mayflower Society may be waived at the discretion of the NH Mayflower Governor due to such issues as travel distance, illness, or death in the family. Should the recipient receive a waiver from the Governor due to a hardship, a letter from the recipient to the Society must be submitted to be read at the meeting, as well as a photograph of the recipient for display. In such cases, parents or relatives may attend the award ceremony to accept the award on the recipient's behalf.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday - Another Eagle

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting photographs of the many, many weather vanes in the Nutfield area (near Derry and Londonderry, New Hampshire). If you want a challenge, I'll post the locations at the bottom of the page so you can scroll down far enough to see the photo, but not the location, and try to guess where you may have seen these lovely weathervanes.

Do you know the location of weather vane #25?

This weather vane can be found on Smith Lane in Londonderry, New Hampshire, between Mammoth Road and Rockingham Road, behind the Mobil gas station. This is the only house on Smith Lane. Although eagles are usually found on large civic buildings and city halls, this one is on top of a tiny one story house!

Click here to see the other 24 weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - Grizel Holmes

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

These head and foot stones are located at Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, New Hampshire.

Memento Mori
ERECTED
In Memory of
Mrs. GRIZEL HOLMES
wife of
Eldr. JOHN HOLMES
who departed this life
Febr. ye 25th 1788
Aged 78 years

Retire my friends dry up your tears
I shall arise when Christ appears

Mrs. Grizel
Holmes

Grizel Givean was the wife of Elder John Holmes of Londonderry, New Hampshire. She was born about 1712 in Northern Ireland. John Holmes was born in Aghadowey, Londonderry, Northern Ireland about 1709 and he died on 7 December 1777. He signed the Association Test in Londonderry, New Hampshire in 1776. This was written by the New Hampshire Committee of Safety, and required that all adult males take up arms against the British, and to collect the names of those who refused to sign.

On page 277 of Rev. E. L. Parker's History of Londonderry, 1851 (in the genealogical section of the book there is a chapter on Abraham Holmes, father of John Holmes).

"His son, John, who was ten years old when he came to this county, was also an elder in the same church, during the long ministry of the Rev. Mr. Davidson. He settled on the farm now owned and occupied by William M. Holmes, in Londonderry. He married Grizel Givean. They had nine children, three sons and six daughters; namely, Sarah, Margaret, Abraham, Eleanor, Robert, Mary, Thomas, Mary Ann, and Martha..."

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

American Canadian Genealogical Society ~…and why you shouldn’t jump to conclusions…

2012-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is the tale of another "new to me" library...

American Canadian Genealogical Society
Manchester, New Hampshire

I've lived in Londonderry, New Hampshire for 28years. My town borders Manchester, NewHampshire, which is a much larger city. For years I have known about the American Canadian Genealogical Societyon Elm Street. Out of curiosity, I oftenask about the library, but I’ve always been told that it was for “FrenchCanadians”. So I never visited. Not even once.

And so for all this time I travel all the way toBoston to use the library at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, andpay $30 to park downtown. Or I travel upto Concord, New Hampshire (not too far, maybe 20 minutes further thanManchester) to use the New Hampshire Historical Society Library or the NewHampshire State Library. All are goodgenealogical libraries, with differing collections and specializations.

Finally, I saw genealogy blogger, Lucie Consentino,post on Facebook that she was going to visit the ACGS library, and she asked “Anyoneelse I know going?” I wrote back that I’dlike to join her. Lucie is the author ofthree blogs, all specializing in Acadian genealogy. Then, genealogy blogger Cynthia Shenetteasked to join us, and I was beginning to think about passing on the visitbecause Cynthia also has French Canadian ancestry. Was this going to be a bust? Well, maybe I’d join them for an hour just tosee the library. After all, it was only$5 for a day pass.

Well, to make a long story short, I went to ACGS toresearch a Mayflower line. And I wasthere from before 10 AM until 4PM, and I have to go back because I have a listof books I haven’t finished looking at , and another shelf full of stuff (I saw on the way out the door) toperuse. I was amazed at what I found,and humbly admit that from now I will not pre-judge any repository ofgenealogical information. Nor anywebsite. You never know what you willfind.

As well as being a well stocked library (you can seetheir card catalog online), it is also a society which means that as well as Lucie,I now know half a dozen members and they have all given me good information,hints, clues and ideas for my family research. Eight of us went to lunch together, which mean more schmoozing,genealogy chat and laughter. We had agood time, and that is worth its weight in gold.

By the way, both Cynthia and I joined ACGS asmembers. It is a small fee, as far asgenealogy societies charge, and I have well made up for it without payingdowntown Boston parking fees. Parking atACGS is FREE!

Cynthia stated on Facebook “had a great day at the American-Canadian Genealogical Societyin Manchester, NH with Lucie LeBlanc Consentino and Heather Wilkinson Rojo. I found records for my grandfather and my great grandfather, as well as my great grandfather's four wives and for some of his 25 children! Sixty four records in all! Wow!"

My new Facebook friend,lunch companion and ACGS president of ACGS, Gerry Savard stated “I enjoyedmeeting everyone. I’m glad it was aproductive day. Societies offer one onone guidance that is hard to get hanging over a keyboard. Also, since we encourage conversation in thelibrary, many connections have been made by individuals hearing someone talkingabout a common ancestor. It’s a greatplace for sharing, socializing and researching.”

Comparison chart:

Library Day Fee Membership/ 1 year

New England Hist. Gen $15 $79.95

American Canadian Gen. Soc $5 $35

NH Historical Society $7 $40

NH State Library FREE FREE

Portsmouth Athenaeum FREE $225

UNH Dimond Library- Special Collections FREE FREE

Manchester Historic Association $8 $30

Center for Lowell History- ULowell FREE FREE

Don’t forget your own local library! (and don't forget that each archive/library/society has its own special collections, its own strengths on the shelves and on line)

For more information:

AmericanCanadian Genealogical Society

4Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire (603) 622-1554

websitehttp://acgs.org/

Facebookpage https://www.facebook.com/ACGS.Society

map of Manchester with a star on ACGS
from Mapquest.com

LucieLeBlanc Consentino’s websites:

Lucie’sLegacy http://lucieslegacy.blogspot.com/

AdacianAncestral Home http://acadian-ancestral-home.blogspot.com/

WhispersThrough the Willows http://whispersthroughthewillows.blogspot.com/

Acadian& French-Canadian Genealogy and History Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/224797574204625/

CynthiaShenette’s blog:

HeritageZen http://heritagezen.blogspot.com/

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Surname Saturday - Worcester

2012-01-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

WORCESTER

William Worcester's signature
in the 1635 Olney Parish Register

The Reverend William Worcester attended St. John’sCollege at Cambridge University in England in 1620. He was ordained as a deacon on 21 December1622 at Peterborough Cathedral, and was vicar of Olney from 1624 to 1636 until he was suspended for refusing to read an edict from the King which allowedsports and games on the Sabbath. His beliefs had begun to mirror the Puritans. He cameto America after this and was settled as the pastor of the first church gathered at Salisbury,Massachusetts about 1638.

The place in Salisbury's Colonial Burial Ground, believed to be his burial spot, was marked with a bronze tablet which reads “Herelies buried the body of Rev. William Worcester, the first minister ofSalisbury, who came from England about 1639 and died 1662. This stone was laidon his grave to prevent disinterment by wolves. This tablet is affixed by hisdescendants, 1913."

As I mentioned in my sketch of Reverend Joseph Hull http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/surname-saturday-hull.html, it is a blessing to have a minister as an ancestor because they left so many interesting records.

The Worcester Genealogy:

Generation 1: William Worcester, probably the son of Joseph Worcester of Rugby,Warwickshire, England, married first Sarah Unknown. She died in Salisbury, Massachusetts 23 April1650, married second on 23 July 1650, Rebecca Swaine, who died in Ipswich,Massachusetts on 21 February 1695. Shehad been previously married first to Henry Bylie, second to John Hall. Her fourth husband was Samuel Symonds. Thirteen children:

1.Mary, buried about 1630 in Olney

2.Patience, buried 19 November 1630

3.Samuel, born in England, died 1681 Lynn, Massachusetts, married ElizabethParrott

4.Susannah (see below)

5.John, baptized at Olney on 26 March 1636 and buried at Olney on 26 March 1637

6.William, baptized at Olney 15 January 1638, died at Boston 1683; marriedConstant Unknown

7.Sarah, died at Salisbury 1 April 1641

8.Sarah, born at Salisbury 4 April 1641

9.Timothy, born at Salisbury, 14 May 1642, died 1672, married Susannah Unknown

10.Moses, born at Salisbury 10 November 1643; married first Elizabeth Stuart, secondSarah Remick Soper

11.Sarah, born at Salisbury 22 April 1646, died 9 January 1649/50

12.Elizabeth, born at Salisbury 9 April 1648, died 1649

13.Elizabeth, born at Salisbury 9 November 1649, died before 1662

Generation 2: Susannah Worcester, baptized at Olney on 5May 1634; married on 4 October 1653 to Thomas Stacy. He was born about 1620 in England and died 23July 1690 in Ipswich. Five children:

Generation 3: William Stacy married Mehitable Weymouth

Generation 4: Mary Stacy married John Thompson

Generation 5: Mary Thompson married Richard Nason

Generation 6: Mercy Nason married William Wilkinson

Generation 7: Aaron Wilkinson married Mercy F.Wilson

Generation 8: Robert Wilson Wilkinson married PhebeCross Munroe

Generation 9: Albert Munroe Wilkinson marriedIsabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

William Worcester’s will was proved in the Norfolk countycourt, Massachusetts. A copy made fromthe original is on file in the probate office at Salem, and can be read in TheEssex Antiquarian, Volume XI, #2, pages 60 -61. There is a book The Worcester Family in America byJohn P. Worcester, 2005, available to view online at familysearch.org. An article in The American Genealogist Volume 71, pages 50- 51 discusses hispossible English origins.

There is also a good website http://www.worcesterfamily.com/first.htm

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Swamp Yankees

2012-01-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm from a family of Swamp Yankees, and I have proof.

If you're wondering what the heck I'm referring to, you must not be a New Englander. Here, a Swamp Yankee is the equivalent of a Southern Redneck, or as close to it as I can imagine. While looking for an "official definition" I turned to Wikipedia, and found this: "The term "Yankee" connotes urbane industriousness, while the term "Swamp Yankee" signifies a more countrified, stubborn, independent and less refined subtype." That definition seems to be a bit of a euphemism. Everyone knows that Swamp Yankees are not of Mayflower ancestry nor of good Puritan stock, but descended of the less desirable immigrants who left England, and retreated to the swamps of New England to live as they pleased, unencumbered by society in general. The term "Yankee" seems to be positive, while "Swamp Yankee" is definitely a more pejorative term.

My proof is the Wilkinson Swamp in Effingham, New Hampshire. There is even a Wilkinson Brook and a Wilkinson Swamp Road in Effingham. Descendants of Thomas Wilkinson of Portsmouth lived there, and still live in the area. We even summered at Lake Balch without even knowing we had cousins nearby. It was in carefully reconstructing the family tree, with local vital records, that I recently found this branch of the family. This is an interesting part of New Hampshire, where Route 153 winds into Maine, and then back into New Hampshire, and back in to Maine. Lake Balch straddles both states. In 2000 Effingham had a total population of 1,200 people.

Carroll County, New Hampshire
Effingham is located on the Maine border

In my book, the Swamp Yankees are salt of earth types. They may seem laconic, but are willing to share and befriend anyone, regardless of status or origin. They may not be the wealthy branch of the family, but they are the most interesting! No pretentions here. They'll pull up a rocking chair on the front porch and watch the out of staters bid on junk from the barn, and make a profit off of it. You've seen them, with the bathtubs being recycled as watering troughs for the cow in the pasture, and every car they've ever owned parked in the dooryard just in case scrap parts are needed in the future...

My Dad would have loved to have met this branch of the family. During summer vacations he used to scour the area around Lake Balch for junk yards, antiques and oddities. We even ate breakfast regularly in a hardware store, which was of endless fascination to me as a little girl. It was fun to eat pancakes and look around at bait, tools and toilet plungers. (Mom wasn't so sure it was fun.) Every week we visited an old barn in Parsonsfield, Maine that was stuffed with things for sale such as musty books, stuffed moose heads and strange farm implements. My Dad would spend the afternoon wrangling the price down on something odd to bring home. Maybe the guy who owned the barn was a distant cousin?

The Little Red Convertible in 2008, near Lake Balch,
at the old barn full of "antiques" in Parsonsfield, Maine

Through the power of Google I found the following excerpt about a Wilkinson who lived in Effingham. It is amazing to me how this one little scrap of a story brought the family alive in my imagination:

"The following pages tell of good neighbors and bad, community pillars and local characters, well-to-do folks, and those not so, hard work and memorable fun times; all of these are seen through the eyes of a city boy [Allen Crabtree] transplanted with his family to the wilds of a small New Hampshire town....

There used to be a fella by the name of Henry Wilkinson. Henry had a Model T Ford truck chassis that he'd built a house on. He used to come up over to Clough City and stay in the yard where Charles Edwards lived, spend his summers fishing, and go trapping in the fall. They used the house, but they had their motor home there. Henry was 75 years old and had worked in the Haverhill hospital tool shop. He was born on the Wilkinson Road, and he taught me how to set traps for mink and also showed me how to catch trout in Wilkinson Brook. You could see trout 8, 10, 12 inches long laying in the pools there, and you couldn't get them to bite, but Henry showed me how to fish those holes and catch those fish.

My brother John and I used to walk out there three, four nights a Week to play cards with him and Mrs. Green. Sometimes it'd be ten o'clock before we'd leave, and we used to walk back home. When we came by that big rock where the headless man is supposed to be on moonlit nights, we used to kind of shy through there. We never happened to see that guy, and haven't seen him yet, but we were sure he was there somewhere just waiting to jump us!"

The William Henry Wilkinson from the story was born on 3 January 1850 in Effingham, and died 12 January 1934 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He is my second cousin 4 generations removed. William was the son of Rufus Wilkinson and Catherine Bunker, who had 10 children and at least eight were born in Effingham. Rufus Wilkinson was the grandson of James Wilkinson (about 1730 - about 1800) and Hannah Mead (1730 - 1759), my 5x Great Grandparents.

William Henry Wilkinson was married three times, in 1870 to Emma Hayden, in 1888 to Estelle V. Saunders, and last in 1922 to Alice F. Tilton. William had three children with Estelle, all born in New Hampshire or Maine. He was a machinist at the Haverhill Water Works and is buried at the Linwood Cemetery. I previously blogged about a news clipping of William Henry Wilkinson, describing how he owned the first automobile in Haverhill. This Stanley Steamer as probably also the first car to have an accident in Haverhill, too! You can read about it at this link:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/amanuensis-monday-first-automobile-in.html

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"Uncle Charlie's Tapeworm and other Effingham Yarns" as told by Allen F. Crabtree, Jr. to Allen F. Crabtree III, http://www.crabcoll.com/journal/charlie.html accessed on March 18, 2004

Wilkipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_Yankee

Click here to see the descendants of Thomas Wilkinson, or see the link at the top of the page

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday - Prancing Horse

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

Do you know the location of weather vane #24?

This prancing horse can be seen on Litchfield Road in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The horse theme is the most common type of weather vane in Londonderry. It can be found in all sorts of forms- running, standing, and pulling all sorts of wagons.

Click here to see the other 23 weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Upcoming events at NEHGS

2012-01-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

The New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts is ringing in the new year with some fantastic education programs for the months of January and February!

January 2012 New Visitor and Welcome Tour

When: January 4, 2012 10:00AM - 11:00AM

Where: NEHGS

99-101 Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

Description: Starting your family genealogy can seem a little daunting at first. There is so much information found in a variety of locations. Let NEHGS help you make sense of it all by attending this FREE lecture for both members and non-members. This talk introduces you to the NEHGS research library, located at 99-101 Newbury Street in Boston.

Founded in 1845, NEHGS is the country’s oldest and largest non-profit genealogy library and archive. With more than 15 million artifacts, books, manuscripts, microfilms, journals, photographs, records, and other items, NEHGS can provide researchers of every level some of the most important sources of information.

You will also have an opportunity to describe your research interests to one of our expert genealogists on staff, who can offer some advice on how to proceed. The program starts with a thirty-minute introductory lecture and will be followed by a tour of the library and its vast holdings. Make plans to start your genealogy with this great tour.

Using AmericanAncestors.org - January

When: January 11, 2012 10:00AM - 11:00AM

Where: NEHGS

99-101 Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

Description: The NEHGS website, AmericanAncestors.org, is full of great features, tools, resources, and content that highlights NEHGS’ national expertise in genealogy and family history. We now have more than 200 million searchable names covering New England, New York, and other areas of family research dating back to 1620. We invite you to attend this free lecture to learn more about this incredible online resource.

February 2012 New Visitor Welcome Tour

When: February 4, 2012 10:00AM - 11:00AM

Where: NEHGS

99-101 Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

Description: Starting your family genealogy can seem a little daunting. There is so much information to be found in a variety of locations. Let NEHGS help you make sense of it all by attending this FREE lecture for members and non-members. This orientation and tour introduces you to the NEHGS research facility, located at 99-101 Newbury Street in Boston.

Founded in 1845, NEHGS is the country’s oldest and largest non-profit genealogy library and archive. With more than 15 million artifacts, books, manuscripts, microfilms, journals, photographs, records, and expert staff to help you navigate it all, NEHGS provides the access you need to research your family history.

You will also have an opportunity to describe your research interests to one of our expert genealogists on staff, who can offer advice on how to proceed. The program starts with a thirty-minute introductory lecture and will be followed by a tour of the library and its vast holdings.

Black Families in Hampden County - Lecture and Book Signing

When: February 8, 2012 6:00PM - 7:00PM

Where: NEHGS

99-101 Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

Description: Join us for an evening with former Executive Director of the Springfield Museums and author Joseph Carvalho III, as he shares his revised edition of Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts 1650-1865, recently published by NEHGS. The book presents genealogical, biographical, and historical information about African American individuals and families who lived in the area now known as Hampden County in western Massachusetts. For this event Carvalho will discuss the genesis of the book project and the development of the African American community in western Massachusetts from its earliest colonial origins to the end of the Civil War. The lecture will be followed by a book signing.

Getting Started in Genealogy

When: Wednesdays, February 15, 22, 29 6 –8 p.m.

Description: How does one go about getting started in genealogy? There are plenty of websites, libraries, and printed sources available, but access to all that information can leave a beginner feeling overwhelmed. Let an NEHGS expert help navigate the first steps in tracing family history. Senior Researcher Rhonda R. McClure will share her knowledge and helpful strategies for beginning a family history journey in this three-part course. Pass this information on to that friend or family member who has been looking for the right place to start their own research! Tuition: $30. Registration required; register online or by phone at 617-226-1226. More information is available on AmericanAncestors.org.

Tombstone Tuesday - Gregg Family

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

These gravestones were found at Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry, New Hampshire. Two of the stones are newer than most of the stones around them, but they are in terrible condition. Both are broken, and the stone of Mrs. Martha Gregg is missing the top. The other stones are in good condition.

HON.
DAVID A. GREGG
DIED
May 16, 1866
AEt. 78 yrs
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Faith, Hope and Charity
Loved to the Better Land
When the Spirit, whispers
"All is well."

[missing]
Wife of
DAVID A. GREGG
Born at Northfield, NH
Died at Exeter, NH
Feb. 9, 1843
AEt. 45 yrs

SACRED
To the memory of
LYDIA SULLIVAN
wife of
DAVID A. GREGG,
Born at Exeter, NH
Oct. 4, 1806
Died in this Town
June 2, 1849
AEt 42 yrs & 8 Mos.

CHARLOTTE E.
dau. of
D.A. and C. B. Gregg
died
Feb. 16 1859
Aged 4 yrs

Affectionately
to the memory of
GEORGE SULLIVAN
EDWARD IRVING
Twin children of
DAVID A. AND LYDIA S.
GREGG
who died the 28th and 19th
of September 1854

David A. Gregg had three wives, Martha Hunt Allen, Charlotte Butler and Lydia Sullivan. From the death date, the broken wife's stone must be Martha Hunt (Allen) Gregg. The twin boys were six years old and died within 9 days of each other.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The Long History of New Hampshire’s First in the Nation Presidential Primary

2012-01-02T04:00:00.000-08:00

We have a secret ballot in the United States. But wouldn’t it be fun to know how yourancestors voted? In today’s post I’m just rambling on about history, nothing inparticular about genealogy today…

A NH "expert". We're all experts every four years!

We removed to New Hampshire from Massachusetts in 1984. It was apparent to me right from thebeginning that it was a very political state. New Hampshire’s General Court is one of the biggest political bodies inthe free world, with 400 members. Eachlegislator represents about 3,300 residents. If this were the case in California, their house would have over 11,000 legislators. If this were the case for the United StatesHouse of Representatives, there would be almost 100,000 representatives. New Hampshire holds elections every two yearsfor senators, legislators, and the governor. New Hampshire, like the other New England states, still holds townmeetings every year. Most people aretalking politics all the time, or campaigning for local or statewide positions.

The "Ballot Room" at the Balsams

New Hampshire has only three delegates selected in theprimary, due to its small population, but the first primary gives it enormousmedia coverage, as well as a tradition of being a proving ground forcandidates. The world descends on thetiny town of Dixville Notch, where the two dozen or so voters file ballotsright after the stroke of midnight in the Ballot Room of the BalsamsHotel. The media frenzy to report thefirst election results is almost comical. Until 1992 the candidate who won New Hampshire won the federal election(in 1922 Bill Clinton lost to candidate Paul Tsongas).

NH Secretary of State William Gardner
addressed the NH Mayflower Society on the NH Presidential Primary

This past November, the New Hampshire Society of MayflowerDescendants invited the New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner to bethe luncheon speaker at the Compact Day meeting. You have all seen him on TV due to thecontroversy this year on setting the date of the New Hampshire PresidentialPrimary election. Mr. Gardner battled severalstates who challenged New Hampshire’s “First in the Nation” status for thepresidential primary election. He cameto the rescue by reminding everyone that by our state constitution NewHampshire is entitled to this special status, and so the date was set forJanuary 10, 2012.

At this luncheon Mr. Gardner gave an interesting history ofNew Hampshire’s “First in the Nation” status, which I will attempt to summarizehere. When the states ratified theconstitution, New Hampshire was the seventh state to sign, thus the 2/3majority passed it as law. Since thenNew Hampshire was given special status to vote first. The idea for the first political partyconvention was proposed in Concord, New Hampshire in1832. When the convention was held in Baltimore InJuly 1832, the newspapers credited New Hampshire with the idea.

New Hampshire has held a political party primary for thepresident elect since 1916. You can seememorabilia, news clippings pamphlets and political pins from all the primaryelections at the New Hampshire Historical Society Museum and in the displaycases of the Balsam’s Ballot room. Several more populous states have attempted towrestle the “First in the Nation” status from New Hampshire, but New Hampshirehas stood its ground, usually by moving the date up from March town meeting tokeep the election first. The earliest New Hampshire primary was moved all the way up to January 8^th in 2008.

Yours Truly perusing the memorabilia
at the Balsams Ballot Room

....and, just in time for the New Hampshire primary, Ancestry.com has come out with its usual presidential genealogy connections between candidates. See this link:
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/ANCESTRYCOM-Reveals-Mitt-Romneys-Presidential-Genes-2012-GOP-Hopeful-Is-Related-Six-NASDAQ-ACOM-1600492.htm

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Links for those who are truly curious about the “First inthe Nation” Presidential Primary:

The officialstate of New Hampshire webpage on the First-in-the-Nation Primary election

http://www.nh.gov/nhinfo/highlights.html

TheSecretary of the State of New Hampshire website for the 2012 PresidentialPrimary (where you go to fill out the paperwork if you want to be on theballot, see a sample ballot, etc.)

http://www.sos.nh.gov/presprim2012/index.htm

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_primary

The Balsams Hotel Ballot Room history webpage http://thebalsams.com/history

Live Free or Die Alliance http://www.livefreeordiealliance.orga non-partisan, non-profit providing objective information about issues and candidatesto New Hampshire citizens

A “Why NH?”sort of article from seacoastonline.com

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20111222-NEWS-111229914

Occupy Dixville Notch Primary at Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/events/277870278929224/

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Surname Saturday - Stacy

2011-12-31T04:16:00.000-08:00

STACY

There is a record for the marriage of SimonStacy and Elizabeth Clark in Chester’s “LondonMarriages” that reads: "SimonStacy of Bocking, Essex County, Clothier, and Elizabeth Clerke of Theydon Garnon,said county, spinster, daughter of Stephen Clerke of same, Yeoman, married atTheydon Mount, Essex County, November 6, 1620." Simon Stacyarrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1637 with his family. He left no will, and there is no deathrecord. His wife left a will in 1669naming many items for her children, which showed she was living well as awidow, even after her husband’s death.

The StacyGenealogy:

Generation 1: Simon Stacy, son of Thomas Stacy, born about 1602, Bocking, Essex,England, and died in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married 6 November 1620 at TheydonMount, Essex, England to Elizabeth Clark, daughter ofStephen Clark and Elizabeth Reynolds. Seven children:

1. Susannah, born about 1629, married Joseph French

2. Thomas (see below)

3. Simon, born about 1637, married Sarah Wallis

4. Ann, born about 1641,married

5. Mary, born about 1645, married Samuel Mears

6. Sarah, married William Buswell

7. Elizabeth, married William Adams

Generation 2: Thomas Stacy, born about 1630 in Bocking, England,and died 23 July 1690 in Salem, Massachusetts; married 4 October 1653 inSalisbury, Massachusetts to Susannah Worcester, daughter of the Reverend William Worcester and Sarah Brown. She was born about 1630 in England, died in 1688. He was about 16 years old when he arrived in the New World. He removed to Salem, where he was a miller. Five children:

1. Thomas, born 6 July 1654, married Hannah Hicks

2. William, (see below)

3. Rebecca, born 7 Dec 1657, married James Burleigh

4. John, born 16 March 1666, married Mary Clarke

5. Susanna, born 16 January 1667, married John Marston

Generation 3: WilliamStacy, born 21 April 1656, died 5 March 1706 in Kittery, Maine; married on 25May 1685 in Kittery to Mehitable Weymouth, daughter of Edward Weymouth andEsther Hodson. She was born in 1669, anddied 13 January 1753 in Berwick, Maine. William inherited the mill from his father. He was a witness in the trial of BridgetBishop for witchcraft in 1692. Seven children:

1. Mary (see below)

2. Hester, born 22 November 1693, probably died young

3. William, born 12 January 1696

4. Samuel, born 19 April 1698, married Mary Pray

5. Elizabeth, born 10 August 1701, probably died young

6. Benjamin, born 17 November 1704, married Lydia Libby

7. Mehitable, born 4 April 1706, married Joseph Emery

Generation 4: Mary Stacy,born 6 April 1690 in South Berwick, Maine, and died 12 January 1753; married on22 June 1709 to John Thompson, son of John Thompson and Sarah Emery. He was born about 1684 in Kittery, and diedin 1753. Three children

Generation 5. Mary Thompson married Richard Nason

Generation 6. Mercy Nason married William Wilkinson

Generation 7. Aaron Wilkinson married Mercy F. Wilson

Generation 8. Robert WilsonWilkinson married Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10. Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha LouiseRoberts (my grandparents)

There is a sketch of the Stacys inGenealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire by Charles T. Libby andWalter G. Davis. There are also sketchesof Simon, Thomas and William in the Genealogical Dictionary of New England,Volume IV, pages 159 – 160. The name is spelled STACY, STACIE, STACE, or evenSTASY in records. There is a book SimonStacy and his Descendants by Virginia McCann, Ukiah, California, 1978.

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The Nutfield Genealogy Top 10 for 2011

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is the time of the year that David Letterman and Time magazine and other media outlets publish their "Top 10" lists for the year. So, thank you to everyone who read Nutfield Genealogy this year. These are the top 10 stories at Nutfield Genealogy according to statistics provided by Blogger

1. Hezekiah Wyman and the Legend of the WhiteHorseman (over 1200 page views andcounting since I wrote this story for Patriot's Day in April 2011!)

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/hezekiah-wyman-and-legend-of-white.html

This storytook place on the day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, when HezekiahWyman taunted the British regulars who were retreating back to Boston. They called him “Death on the Pale Horse” andprobably a lot worse names, too!

2. TreasureChest Thursday – Publishing a Book for my Blog (almost as many hits as #1)

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/treasure-chest-thursday-publishing-book.html

This post shows how I usedBlurb.com to produce a hardcover book version of my blog, and why I preferredBlurb over other self publishing book companies.

3. CanobieLake Park, Salem, New Hampshire

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/08/canobie-lake-park-salem-new-hampshire.html

Canobie LakePark opened in 1902 as a trolley park to attract folks to use the trolleysystem on weekends, and it is still open! I think many of the page views on this post are due to folks Googlingfor information for a visit to this amusement park, more than actually wantingthe history.

4. The Carole Brinkman Unsolved Murder Mystery

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/carole-brinkman-unsolved-murder-mystery.html

This storywas inspired by a bit of research I did for my cousin, who had bought a 1960s camerawith a roll of undeveloped film. Heasked me to research the owner so he could return the film, and I was shockedto find out it belonged to a young lady who had been murdered! Many of the comments I received are fromtownspeople who remembered the murder.

5. TheMidnight Ride of William Dawes

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/midnight-ride-of-william-dawes.html

Did you knowthat Paul Revere did not set out alone on the night of 19 April 1775? There were actually almost 100 riders outthat night, but William Dawes accompanied Paul Revere for a large part of hisride. I’m glad to see the name “WilliamDawes” showing up through Google searches.

6. MyMayflower Passenger Ancestors

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-mayflower-passenger-ancestors.html

This is acompendium of lists written by other Geneabloggers of their Mayflowerancestors, published the week of Thanksgiving 2011. I hope to make this an annual post, so watchfor it again in 2012.

7. TheFace of Genealogy

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/face-of-genealogy.html

This isanother compendium of blogger posts of thosewho participated in providing lovely family photos, old and new, in response toan offensive article published by the website LA Weekly about the SouthernCalifornia Genealogical Society Jamboree in June 2011. I love how the blogging community respondedwith this lovely tribute. Thank youeveryone!

8. ThanksgivingProclamation 2010

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-proclamation-2010.html

In 2009 and2010 I posted a photo of New Hampshire’s Governor Lynch on the event of hissigning the annual Thanksgiving Proclamation. The New Hampshire Mayflower Society requested a proclamation for 2011,but it was left off the docket in the rush of changing the date for the NewHampshire Presidential Primary date in November. This must be the reason why so many folkssearched out another proclamation post this year, but it never appeared! We’ll try again next year!

9. TheNew England Geneablogger Bash

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-england-geneablogger-bash.html

This was mypost with photos for the first ever New England Geneablogger Bash, which washeld by a small group of brave bloggers on the eve of Hurricane Irene.

10. AVisit to Plimoth Plantation

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/visit-to-plimoth-plantation.html

A post withmany photos of the living history museum at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It’s difficult to NOT get good photos here,and I’m sure it was popular with internet searches and kids.

Stay tunedto see what ends up being the most popular posts next year! I’m always surprised by the posts that end upbeing hits with my readers. If you didn’tsee your favorite story here, please leave me comment! I’d love to know what you enjoyed reading atNutfield Genealogy in 2011.

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My Favorite Posts for Nutfield Genealogy 2011

2011-12-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

These weremy favorite posts for 2011. Most of myfavorites are on this list because they turned out to be such fun to research,but some of them were my favorites because they generated so manycomments. I love getting comments andmaking contact with readers, especially if we end up having “cousin connections”or similar research interests.

If you don’tsee your favorite story on this list, leave me a comment! I’d love to know what you enjoyed readingthis past year at Nutfield Genealogy.

Heather’s 2011Favorites

1. – 4. My Dad’sCollege Paper on the Massachusetts Underground Railroad

Part 1 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-dads-college-paper-on-underground.html

Part 2 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-dads-college-paper-part-2.html

Part 3 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/dads-college-paper-part-3.html

Part 4 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-dads-college-paper-part-4.html

This almostwasn’t even a post. It started as asimple comment on Facebook when I said that I had found my Dad’s 1954 collegereport. I had more than a dozen peopleask me to post it online. I thought thatwas an interesting idea, and took on the challenge of transcribing the report and alsodoing some of my own research on the people Dad had contacted in 1954. I posteda bit of genealogical serendipity in Part 4.

5. Five Kernels of Corn for Thanksgiving

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/five-kernels-of-corn-for-thanksgiving.html

AND 6. FiveKernels of Corn- An Update

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/five-kernel-of-corn-update.html

I had funresearching the origins of this little story passed on to Mayflowerdescendants, and then I had even more fun researching why it was only a myththanks to comments left to me by my Mayflower cousin, Ginny Mucciaccio, formerGovernor of the Massachusetts Mayflower Society (she is also my cousin throughthe Wyman Family of Woburn, Massachusetts).

7. Veteran’sDay Transcription Project

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/veterans-day-transcription-project.html

In 2010 and2011 I started transcribing the veteran’s memorials and honor rolls inLondonderry for Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Here I invited other genealogy bloggers tojoin me, and I had a great compendium of participants from six states and theUnited Kingdom. By transcribing thehonor rolls, we make the name available to search engines on the internet, andthus descendants and family members can find their veterans’ names. This is a project I hope to continue in 2012.

8. RebrandingHistory

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/rebranding-history.html

This storywas inspired by a visit to the grand re-opening of my ancestor’s house inLexington, Massachusetts, which turned out to be a “rebranding” of the museumwith a completely different focus, not on the family who lived there, but onthe British Regulars who attacked their town and tried to burn down the home. It received several good comments, lots ofemail, and inspired two blog posts by Bill West and J. L. Bell. It wasall good commentary, for and against, representing different points of view ona controversial subject. Thank you tothose who participated!

9. Draperand Maynard Sports Equipment

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/08/draper-and-maynard-sports-equipment.html

This was somuch fun to research. I took a simplelittle story told by my uncle, about his visit to a relative’s factory when hewas a little boy. There was a lot ofhistory behind his little memory!

10. The NationalArchives – They read my Blog?

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-they-read-my-blog.html

This was afollow up to a post I wrote about going to Washington DC to visitthe National Archives to see a specific document first hand- only to be turnedaway. Surprise, surprise! They liked the first post enough to writeback to me, and to send me a fine hi-res photograph of the document inquestion. It was a win-win situation foreveryone! The link to the first post ishttp://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html This was the post that I spoke about on the GeneaBlogger Talk Radio Show. Thanks, Thomas MacEntee!

Stay tunedtomorrow to see the posts that were actually the most popular stories with myreaders on my blog this year, according to the statistics provided byBlogger.

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Weathervane Wednesday - I'd rather be Sailing!

2011-12-28T04:04:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting photographs of the many, many weather vanes in the Nutfield area (near Derry and Londonderry, New Hampshire). Today's weather vane is nearby, but not in Derry or Londonderry. If you want a challenge, I'll post the locations at the bottom of the page so you can scroll down far enough to see the photo, but not the location, and try to guess where you may have seen these lovely weathervanes.

Do you know the location of weather vane #23?

This beautiful copper sailboat is located on the cupola atop of the Fred Fuller Oil and Propane building in Hudson, New Hampshire, at 12 Tracy Lane. It is visible from Route 102 (Ferry Road and the corner of West Road). This business has been operating in New Hampshire for over 40 years at several locations. We can only guess that perhaps Mr. Fuller is a weekend sailor? The business website is http://www.fullers.com/

Click here to see the other weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - Captain James Gregg

2011-12-27T03:42:00.000-08:00

IN
Memory Of
Capt. James Gragg
who died
March 10th 1758
In ye 85th year
of his age

Captain James Gregg was one of the original charter settlers of Nutfield, then Londonerry, now Derry, New Hampshire. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland and was in Northern Ireland with his parents before coming to New England. He married Janat Cargill, daughter of Captain James Cargill. He built the first grist mill in Londonderry. For more information on the Greggs see http://www.colonialgreggs.gfhp.co.uk/

For more genealogical information on some Gregg descendants see this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/colonel-william-gregg-of-londonderry.html

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Merry Christmas from our house!

2011-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

from all of us to all of you!

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday - Emery

2011-12-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

EMERY

Anthony Emery arrived in Boston aboard theship “James” on 3 April 1635 with his wife, children and his brother John. They all settled in Newbury, Massachusettsuntil about 1640, when Anthony removed his family to Dover, New Hampshire. He was one of the signers of the “DoverCombination” on 22 October 1640. He rana tavern, which burned down in 1643, and this petition allowed him to stay inbusiness:

"Right worp com of theMassachusetts

The humble peticon of Anthony Emryof Dover

Humbly showeth

Unto your good worp that yourpoore peticonr was licenced by the towne abousd to keept an ordinary wh shdgive Dyet & to sell beere & wine as was accustomed & sithence therewas an order that none but one should sell wine upon which there hath beenecomplaint made to your worp as Mr. Smyths saith & hee hath in a mannerdischarged your petr weh wilbe to your petr great damage haueing a wife & 3children to maintain & not a house fitted for present to liue in haueinghad his house & goods burnt downe to the ground "Humbly beseeching yorworp to bee pleased to grant to your petr that he may sell wine & that Mr.Smyth may be certified thereof hee keeping good order in his house & heshall as hee is in Duty bound pray for your worps health & happyness."

On 7 March 1643/4, "AnthonyEmery of Dover, his petition is refered to the next Cort at Dover, & hee isalowed liberty to draw out his wine in the meane time."

By 1649 he had removed again, this time to Kittery,Maine near Sturgeon’s Creek, where he was fined in October 1650 for sellingalcohol without a license, but at the same time granted an order to keep an “ordinary”(tavern) and also a ferry. Later, therewere several people from Kittery and Dover rounded up for entertaining Quakers,including Anthony Emery. He was finedthe heaviest, ten pounds and ten shillings for lying to the court. He tried to deed his land to his son, James,so he could leave Kittery for Rhode Island, but his wife changed her mind andsued him for her portion and returned to Kittery. Apparently they never lived togetheragain. He was a freeman and shoemaker inPortsmouth, Rhode Island by 1660 and apparently died there sometime before 8June 1681 when his will leaves his land to his daughter, Rebecca.

The Emery Genealogy:

Generation 1. Anthony Emery, baptized on 29 August 1601 in Romsey,Hampshire, England as the son of John Emery and Agnes Northend, and diedperhaps on 30 March 1680 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island; married Frances Unknown.Three children.

1. Rebecca Emery, married first Robert Weymouth, second ThomasSadler, third to Daniel Eaton of Little Compton, Rhode Island.

2. Unknown Emery

3. James Emery (see below)

Generation 2: James Emery, baptized at Romsey, Hampshire, England on 18 September 1631,married first to Elizabeth Unknown mother of his children, married second toElizabeth (Newcomb) Pidge, widow of John Pidge. Seven children:

1. Elizabeth Emery, born about 1657, married Sylvanus Nock

2. James Emery, born about 1658, married Margaret Hitchcock

3. Sarah Emery (see below)

4. Zachariah Emery, bornabout 1662, married Elizabeth Goodwin

5. Noah Emery, born about 1663, married Elizabeth Unknown

6. Daniel Emery, born 13September 1667 married Margaret Gowen

7. Job Emery, born 1670 married Charity Nason

Generation 3. Sarah Emery married John Thompson

Generation 4. John Thompson married Mary Stacy

Generation 5. Mary Thompson married Richard Nason

Generation 6. Mercy Nasonmarried William Wilkinson

Generation 7. Aaron Wilkinson married Mercy F. Wilson

Generation 8. Robert Wilson Wilkinson married Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10. Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha LouiseRoberts (my grandparents)

There is a sketch of Anthony Emery in TheGreat Migration: Immigrants to America, by Robert Charles Anderson,George F. Sanborn and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Volume II, pages 441 – 446. There is a book Genealogical Records ofDescendants of John and Anthony Emery of Newbury, Mass., 1590 – 1890,by Reverend Rufus Emery, 1890.

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Follow Friday – some favorite websites

2011-12-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of blogs I have enjoyed this past year. I tried to list ones that are not genealogy websites, butstill of interest to genealogists or historians.

http://boatbuildingwithburnham.blogspot.com/ Harold Burnham, wooden ship builder inEssex, Massachusetts. If you have ancestry from Essex, someone in your family tree probably built ships!

http://boston1775.blogspot.com/ J. L. Bell, author and historian, writes about Boston on the eve of the American Revolutionary War.

http://www.earlyamericancrime.com/ Anthony Vaver, author and blogger writes about crime and punishment in Colonial and Early America.

http://heritagepaperdolls.blogspot.com/ Melinda Bowers, this one is just for fun!

http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/ Peter M, writes about the weird and interesting folklore from New England.

A blog from the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester,Massachusetts http://pastispresent.org/ Very interesting stories based on "stuff" from their collections. This is the archive where I first discovered genealogy research when I was a teenager, because it was within bike riding distance from my house!

http://rockynook.blogspot.com/ Every summer there is an archeological digat the homestead of the Howland family (of the Mayflower) in Duxbury,Massachusetts. Follow the dig, or readpast posts about what they have discovered.

http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/ each post is a full biography of a woman inhistory, including wives of Founding Fathers, wives of Patriots, and women whowere famous on their own (inventors, writers, spies, etc.)

an assortment of New England genealogy websites new to me:

Bloodlines of Salem,a collection of information and links pertaining to Salem, Massachusetts circa1692, the year of the witchcraft hysteria http://bloodlinesofsalem.org/index.htm

Digital Commonwealth a collection of links to materials held by Massachusettslibraries, museums, historical societies and archives http://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/

The ItalianGenealogical Society of America http://www.italianroots.org/

My Kennebunks,the history of the Kennebunks, Maine by Sharon Cummins http://www.mykennebunks.com/

Nashua, NH History 1900 – 1950 http://www.nashuahistory.com/site/nashuahistory_1900.htm

Seacoast NewHampshire history, news, arts,tourist information and even a blog- allhosted by Portsmouth, NH historian J. Dennis Robinson http://www.seacoastnh.com/

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Genea-Santa came early this year!

2011-12-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Scene by Tasha Tudor,
one of my favorite New Hampshire illustrators

Here are some major genealogy gifts I received this year. I was amazed when I looked through my blogposts from 2011 and I found ten big discoveries or experiences that enhanced mygenealogy research:

1. The maiden name of my 4x great grandmother In TheBatchelder, Batcheller Genealogy by Frederick Clifton Pierce, 1898 sheis known as just “Nancy”. I never founda death record for her . I finally foundher daughter’s marriage and her daughter’s death record, which named her asNancy Thompson. She married JonathanBatchelder on 11 February 1822 in Belmont, New Hampshire, but that record doesn’tgive her parents, Darn! Stay tuned… this one isn't a post quite yet!

2. I got to go to theSouthern California Genealogical Society Jamboree! Yahoo! http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-hampshire-yankee-at-jamboree.html

3. The City ofBeverly helped me to find my 3x Great Grandfather’s military records, and hisdeath in June 1862 in Saint Charles, Arkansas during a battle which sunk hisvessel, the USS Mound City a Union iron clad ship. http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/healey-square-beverly-massachusetts.html

4. Thanks to ThomasMacEntee and Flip-Pal to receive a portable scanner as part of the Simple GiftsGenealogy Blog Hop promotion. http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/flip-pal-blog-hop.html I had fun creating some heritage Christmasgifts, and also scanning dozens of family photographs!

5. I discovered a great genealogical resource at the HamptonHistorical Society Library http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/10/another-new-to-me-repository-of.html and I plan to visit often to check out thebooks and materials on their shelves.

6. I enjoyed mysecond visit to the Mayflower Triennial Congress in Plymouth, Massachusetts andmet dozens of Mayflower cousins, heard some terrific lectures by leadingPilgrim researchers http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/women-of-mayflower-project.html,and got to visit Plimoth Plantation again http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/visit-to-plimoth-plantation.html,and the Jabez Howland House for the first time http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/howland-spoon.html

7. Made a cousin connection for my husbandthrough my blog http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/01/gracias-eduardo.htmlwhen a second cousin recognized a photo I had posted of their great grandparents. It was a fun international reunion!

8. In October I wasinvited to meet up with the Legacy 2011 Genealogy Cruisers when they had theirport of call at Boston, and we had a fun day at the New England HistoricGenealogical Society http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/10/legacy-genealogy-cruise-hits-boston-and.html

9. The New EnglandGeneabloggers had their first Bash at our home in August, and we missedHurricane Irene! It was a wonderful giftto meet lots of bloggers I had only previously known online. http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-england-geneablogger-bash.html

10. I had a chance to visit the National Archives inWashington DC, but didn’t get to see the document I wanted to view inperson. But when I blogged about myexperience, the archivists relented and sent me a fine high quality digitalimage of my ancestor’s discharge from the Revolutionary War, signed by GeorgeWashington http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-they-read-my-blog.html Yahoo, again, for the power of blogging!

Also, I discovered lots of books, blogs, websites, andgenealogy friends online and at the Hudson Genealogy Club that meets everyfirst Friday at the Rogers Public Library in Hudson, New Hampshire. It’s been an amazing year!

Thank you Genea-Santa Claus!

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Weathervane Wednesday - Above a Beauty Parlor

2011-12-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

I've been collecting photographs of the many, many weather vanes in the Nutfield area (Derry and Londonderry, New Hampshire). Today's weather vane is nearby, but not in Derry or Londonderry. If you want a challenge, I'll post the locations at the bottom of the page so you can scroll down far enough to see the photo, but not the location, and try to guess where you may have seen these lovely weathervanes.

Do you know the location of weather vane #22?

This weather vane is located at 5 West Broadway on the corner of Martin Street, in Derry, New Hampshire, on the turret above the Iredesa Beauty Salon. It appears to be a fine copper weather vane with a nice green patina, but most of the cardinal letters are missing except for the E "east".

Click here to see the other weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - Currier Fitz

2011-12-20T04:20:00.000-08:00

This gravestone was photographed at Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry, New Hampshire.

SACRED
To the memory of
CURRIER FITZ
Died Jan. 20, 1844
Aet. 77

SARAH
his wife
Died June 10, 1846

GEORGE FITZ
Son of Currier Fitz amd Sarah Fitz
Died at Winnsborough S. C.
March 29, 1826
Aet 25

B. DAY LOWELL

In the first photo, this might look like a normal sized stone, but don't be fooled by appearances. I am still amazed at how tall some of these stones are in my area. I'm 5'7" tall, so this is an enormous stone, carved by the prolific stone carver Benjamin Day of Lowell, Massachusetts. It must have been some feat to get these enormous stones to Derry, New Hampshire from Lowell, Massachusetts before paved roads.

Currier Fitz married Sarah George, and he was also a soldier in the American Revolution. The name is seen spelled FITZ, FITTS or FITCH. The son, George, was a rector at Mt. Zion College in South Carolina, and died young there. Another son, the Reverend Daniel Fitz, was a pastor at Ipswich, Massachusetts.

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Christmas Shopping in Madrid, Spain

2011-12-19T03:22:00.000-08:00

Our family outside of the Madrid Department Store
El Corte Ingles in 2006

Plaza de Sol, Madrid, Spain

This post is for the Geneabloggers Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com/ and today's theme is "shopping". My favorite place for Christmas shopping has to be in Madrid, Spain. We have visited my in-laws in Madrid four or five times for Christmas, which is fun because Christmas lasts until January 6th in Spain, which is the day gifts are exchanged and the night that children receive presents from "Los Reyes Magos" or the Three Kings. All of Madrid is lit with hundreds of light displays and nativity scenes.

Buying figures for your home nativity set at the Plaza Mayor,
in Madrid-- there are hundreds of stalls selling nativity figures, animals
tiny trees, buildings and supplies of all kinds!

The Plaza Mayor, or main square, is set up as a giant "Mercado Navideño" or Christmas Fair, selling decorations, gifts, and best of all, hundreds of stalls selling pieces for nativity sets from one inch to life size. You can buy figures of the Holy Family, the wise men, animals, and of course, hundreds of townspeople for your own "Belen" (the Spanish word for Bethlehem). Most Spanish nativities feature many townspeople, including shepherds, tradespeople, Roman soldiers, and peasants. Every Spanish nativity has a tiny well, and many have a naughty little figure called the "el cagón". The well is for a popular Christmas carol about Mary washing Jesus's swaddling clothes in a well, and the other... well, it's so naughty you will just have to Google it!

On the streets of Madrid at Christmas time you can sit
on a King's lap, instead of Santa's lap.
This is my daughter with one of the 3 Kings, 1998

The Mercado Navideño also sells masks and costumes for the "Dia de los Innocentes" or Day of the Innocents on December 28th. This is the day that marks the massacre of the "innocents" by King Herod in the Bible story. In Spain it is celebrated like our Halloween, when children dress up in costumes as disguises. There are also decorations for sale for New Year's Day, and Christmas Trees for sale, although most people celebrate Three Kings instead of Santa Claus in Spain. The 12 Days of Christmas between December 25th and January 6th are a busy time with lots of parties and celebrations in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries! It all ends when there is a huge parade down the Avenida Castellana when the Three Kings arrive in Madrid, complete with horses, camels, elephants and gifts, and it is televised for the children all over Spain.

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday - Thompson

2011-12-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

THOMPSON/ THOMSON

Thompson's Island, Boston, Massachusetts

David Thompson (1592 – 1628) is a favorite ancestor because ofall the terrific adventure stories about him in early New HampshireHistory. But he is also a favoritebecause his wife, Amyes Colle, is related to me two ways. The first way is through hermarriage with Thompson in 1613 because I descend from their son, Miles Thompson my ancestor. The second way I am related to Amyes Colle is that her second marriage was to Samuel Maverick, son of my other ancestor John Maverick (1578 –1636). Yes, it is a tangled genealogy! Amyes Colle is thought to be the first white woman permanently settled in New Hampshire.

It is hard to summarize David Thompson in a short blogpost. He was an agent of Sir FerndinandoGorges, and he first visited New Hampshire in 1616. By 1621 he had established a trading post atOdiorne Point on the New Hampshire seacoast. It was the first year round station, although the coast had been visitedin the summer for many years. I bloggedabout Odiorne Point at this link: http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/surname-saturday-odiorne.htmlwith some photos of the early settlement sites. Thompson’s fort was known as Pannaway, andhe had a fur trading business with the Indians as well as a salt cod fishingenterprise for the fishermen working out at the Isles of Shoals. The exact location of Fort Pannaway is unknownsince the area was disturbed for the construction of both Route 1 and FortDearborn during World War II.

An early sea captain, Christopher Leavitt, visited Pannaway in the summer and fall of 1623 and describes David Thompson as a scholar who entertained visitors and strangers with graciousness and hospitality.

He also had a station in Boston Harbor now known as Thompson’sIsland, where he removed from Pannaway around 1626. This island is now the Thompson IslandOutward Bound Education Center, and part of the Boston Harbor Islands NationalRecreation Area. This is where David Thompson disappeared in1628. His widow married Samuel Maverick,who lived on Maverick’s Island, another island in Boston Harbor that is nowlocated under filled land for Logan Airport. There is a monument to David Thomson at the cemetery in Odiorne Point,New Hampshire.

Many people have written about David Thompson over theyears, from Edward Winslow and William Bradford of the Mayflower, to Charles W. Brewster the 1800’snewspaper columnist in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to present dayhistorians. There are many tales of his adventures, andmy personal favorite is one where Miles Standish appeared at Pannaway to begfor salt cod in 1623 to keep the Pilgrims at Plymouth alive. It was the cause of the second day ofThanksgiving at the Plymouth colony! See the link below for more on this story...

Thompson/Thomson Genealogy

Generation 1. DavidThompson, born 1592, son of Richard Thompson and Florence Cromlen ofClarkenwell, England, and he is presumed to have drowned or disappeared offThompson’s Island in Boston harbor in December 1628; married on 18 July 1613 inSt. Andrew’s, Plymouth, Devonshire, England to Amyes Colle, daughter of WilliamColle and Agnes Bryant. She was bornabout 1592 and died in 1649 in Massachusetts, and was married second to SamuelMaverick, brother to my 10 x great grandfather, Moses Maverick (1578 – 1636). Five children:

1. AnnThompson, died young

2. PriscillaThompson, born before 1616, died about 1635

3. JohnThompson, born 5 January 1619 in Plymouth, England; married Sarah Woodman

4. AnnThompson, died young

5. MilesThompson (see below)

Generation2: Miles Thompson was born about 1626 inNew Hampshire and died before 30 June 1708 in Berwick, Maine; married about1652 to Anne Tetherly, daughter of William Tetherley and Christian Thorne. She was born about 1632 and died after 1717in Berwick. Seven children:

1. AnnThompson, married Israel Hodson

2.Bartholomew Thompson, died unmarried

3. MaryThompson, born about 1659 and married Thomas Rhodes

4. JohnThompson, (see below)

5. SarahThompson, married James Goodwin

6. AmyThompson, married Daniel Goodwin

7. ThomasThompson, married Sarah Furbush

Generation 3: ThomasThompson, born about 1662, died about 1702; married about 1683 to Sarah Emery, daughterof James Emery and Elizabeth Unknown. Three children.

1. MercyThompson, married Philip Stackpole

2. ElizabethThompson, married Mainwaring Hilton

3. JohnThompson (see below)

Generation 4. JohnThompson, born about 1684 in Kittery, Maine, died about 1753; married on 22June 1709 to Mary Stacy, daughter of William Stacy and Mehitable Weymouth. She was born on 6 April 1690 in SouthBerwick, Maine and died 13 January 1753 in Kittery. Three children:

1. JohnThompson, born 10 November 1711, married Mary Unknown

2. MaryThompson (see below)

3. NoahThompson, born 15 March 1713 in Berwick, married Susannah Place

Generation5. Mary Thompson married Richard Nason

Generation6. Mercy Nason married William Wilkinson

Generation7. Aaron Wilkinson married Mercy F.Wilson

Generation8. Robert Wilson Wilkinson married PhebeCross Munroe

Generation9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson marriedIsabella Lyons Bill

Generation10. Donald Munroe Wilkinson marriedBertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

A book about David Thompson is First Yankee: David Thomson 1592-1628, by Ralph E. and Matthew R. Thompson, originally printed in 1979,reprinted by the Piscataqua Pioneers. There are sketches of David Thomson in the GreatMigration Begins, Volume III, pages 1807-1809, and in the New EnglandHistoric Genealogical Society Register,Volume 9, pages 110 – 116. You can findsketches of the Pannaway settlement in any good New Hampshire history.

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A great website for Thompson genealogy, with links to other websites http://www.wellswooster.com/tommies/

The Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center website http://www.thompsonisland.org/

Charles W. Brewster’s excerpt about “Old Pannaway” http://seacoastnh.com/brewster/85.html

How David Thompson “saved” the Pilgrims, by present day PortsmouthHistorian J. Dennis Robinson http://seacoastnh.com/history/contact/turkey.html

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Follow Friday ~ North Country Chronicles

2011-12-16T04:00:00.002-08:00

Londonderry's Civil War Monument

I recently received some email from Marcia Gulesian. She was researching Lorenzo Wight, a Londonderry resident who served in the Civil War. While searching for more information on him, she saw his name on my post about the names on the Londonderry Civil War Memorial on the town common. She contacted the through the Londonderry Historical Society, not knowing that all genealogy queries are forwarded to me! I was on vacation at the time and referred her to the town librarian for a look up. Later I was able to find Lorenzo in the town vital records, listed as Lorenzo White, who died in St. Augustine, Florida during the Civil War. After a few emails back and forth we realized that we were both genealogy bloggers in New Hampshire. Serendipity!

On 15 December 2011 Marcia posted a story on her blog about the Wight family at this link http://north-country-chronicles.blogspot.com/2011/12/wights-of-gilead-maine.html I invite you to read the story, and to check out her whole blog. She did a great job explaining how she pieced together all the members of the Wight family. It has been fun to find a new genealogy blogger, especially one with Londonderry connections!

Lorenzo Wight's name
on the honor roll on the
Londonderry Civil War Monument

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The North Country Chronicles Blog
http://north-country-chronicles.blogspot.com/

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The Boston Tea Party ~ 16 December 1773

2011-12-16T04:00:00.001-08:00

On my Christmas Tree, 2011

The Boston Tea Party took place on 16 December 1773,and was an act of violence and treason. There is no official list of participants, especially since the men whothrew the tea into the harbor were committing a crime. There is a list at the Boston Tea PartyMuseum website that contains the names of men “documented” to have been at theevent. http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/. The “Sons of Liberty” chapter of the SAR hasa list of 58 men at this link http://www.revolutionarywararchives.org/tealist.html

In various records, I’ve found several members of myfamily tree who claimed to have been at the Boston Tea Party. Who knows for sure? What do you think?

Robert Hichborn was the brother in law to my 6x greatgrandfather Daniel Glover (1735 – abt 1790). He had several famous military brothers, including General John Glover(1732 – 1797). Robert Hichborn was a sailmaker andshipbuilder who lived on Anne Street in Boston’s North End, near the site ofthe Boston Tea Party. He was a member ofthe Sons of Liberty and was also an officer in the American Revolution. In the Massachusetts Historical SocietyProceedings Volume 20, page 11, he was listed along with 25 men, including PaulRevere, to guard the tea (guard?). Thisis the same bunch accused of tossing it into the harbor.

Nathaniel Frothingham (1746 – 1825) is a 2^ndcousin seven generations removed, grandson of my 7x great aunt Hannah (Rand)Frothingham (1672 – 1760), great grandson of my ancestors Thomas Rand and SarahEdenden. He was a Boston coachmaker or “chaisemaker”and is listed on the Tea Party Museum website, as well as on the SAR list.

Major Robert Davis (1747 – 1798) was a descendant ofmy ancestors John Gore and Rhoda Gardner. He was an officer in the American Revolution, and a member of theAncient and Honorable Artillery Company. He was said to have been a member of the Boston Tea Party in compiledgenealogies, and was also a Freemason. Heis on the museum list, and the SAR list has him as an “importer of groceriesand liquors”. I wonder if he wasinvolved with importing tea?

John Holyoke (1743 – 1807) was married to ElizabethTreat (1747 – 1830) my 2^nd cousin 8 generations removed. He served in the American Revolution andclaimed to have participated in the Boston Tea Party. “Mr. HOLYOKE never, never confirmed the tale;the whole party was pledged to secrecy” [ Holyoke, A North American Family 1637 - 1992, John GibbsHolyoke, Gateway Press, Inc. (Baltimore, 1993)] He is not on the lists at the museum or SAR. I’m inclined to think he was telling hisgrandchildren a tall tale.

Serendipity! Last month I was pleased to find out that fellow genealogy blogger, DebRuth, had made a “cousin connection” with me when she was researching her husband’sancestor James Starr. She was excited tofind out that James was a member of the Sons of Liberty, and he hadparticipated in the Boston Tea Party. Starr is listed on the museum website. She wrote about our cousin connection at this link: http://deb-adventuresingenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/surprise-connection-hello-cousin.html

There was a Josiah Snelling listed on the page ofparticipants from the Boston Tea Party museum, but there are no details abouthim. My 4x great grandmother, CatherinePlummer (Jones) Dominis, had a sister, Sarah Dargue Jones (1794 – 1875) whomarried Enoch Howes Snelling in Boston. Enoch had three cousins named Josiah Snelling, born in 1735, 1741 and1757. The last one would have been only16 years old in 1773. All theseSnellings lived along the waterfront in Boston, mostly in the North End, wherePaul Revere lived, too. I’m pretty surethat the Josiah Snelling on the list is one of these cousins, or maybe even oneI don’t have in my Snelling database.

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The list of participants from the Boston Tea PartyMuseum can be seen at this link:

http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/participants-in-the-boston-tea-party

There is also a running theme at J.L. Bell's Blog "Boston 1775" about the participants at the Boston Tea Party. He writes posts every December about the possible men who were documented to be at the event, believe it or not. You can find his blog at this link http://boston1775.blogspot.com/

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Huge leaps forward and some steps backward

2011-12-15T10:34:00.001-08:00

I’ve been doing genealogy a long time. In the 1970s I mentioned that I was drivingto Boston to take a look at the US Federal Census Indexes at NEHGS, so I couldwrite to NARA for a copy of a census record. I was talking to someone who remembered doing genealogy research beforethe invention of photocopies. She saidshe that remembered having to drive to NARA in Washington to look at themicrofilm back in her early days of genealogy research. Then we discussed her grandfather, who researchedgenealogy before microfilm was invented. Together we wondered how he researched with census records. We knew he used them, but we had no idea howit was done at the turn of the 20^th century.

Now I can sit at home in my PJs, anytime of night and dayand not only look at a census index, I can pull up the image of the recorditself! Within minutes I can comparerecords from several decades in the United States, or even check those inCanada or the UK. It often makes meshiver when I think about the possibilities. Sometimes I will show someone new to genealogy how to look up a FederalCensus record, and they are amazed, too. You don’t have to be an “old timer” in genealogy to appreciate the powerof the internet.

After almost two decades of records appearing online freelyand in exponentially increasing frequency, there have been a few small stepsbackward. Due to the proliferation of “identitytheft” several states have started requiring a few hoops you must go through inorder to obtain records, and this is not just on line. Here in New England there are states thathave cracked down on researchers. Formany years Connecticut has required genealogists to present a researcherID. This is easy to obtain, but requiresplanning ahead, and has caught many people off guard. Last year Maine implemented the same.

Many other states across the US are starting to changeaccess to records. How do I knowthis? Facebook, Twitter, genealogy blogsand email have all brought me messages about bills up before the stategovernments in faraway places like Pennsylvania [Vital Records Bill SB-361]. Not only do I know about this bill, I knowabout the grassroots efforts against it, and about the meetings, discussionsand public hearings for and against. This is a good thing!

The internet has brought records into our living rooms, butit has also brought information about access to records right into my lap. Only a small percentage of records have beenscanned or transcribed for internet access. But a huge percentage of records have been discussed, cataloged, indexed,chatted about or written about on the internet. If it’s not accessible, someone on the internet has written about how tofind it, who to contact, where it is located, how to write or call for copies,and maybe even reviewed the contents. This is one of the good things about using the internet for research, sinceyou have no excuse for not being prepared to visit any repository or libraryanymore.

As access to records change, for the better or for theworse, at least we can remain prepared. Allthis discussion is invaluable. Someonelooking for the most obscure bit of data on someone who lived one hundred ortwo hundred years ago can still find clues online, or at least hook up withsomeone who can help out. It is thepeople, volunteers and paid staff, all working behind the scenes, that makethis possible. And even when we loseaccess to a repository, or lose an entire website (like the current shut downof Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness) through this incredible web of people online we can piece together newways of finding the same answers, clues, sources and data.

I know that my research has become much richer since Irecognized the fact that joining in on the discussions, blogging and onlinechatting is the new way of finding resources… even if those resources aren’tinternet based. Anyone who toils away alone on theirgenealogy research is missing out on the biggest advance in genealogy- thepeople online and in person at your local or state genealogy clubs and societies. A network of people can be morevaluable than a network of data. Peopleworking together can overcome loss of record access, temporary or permanent.

Keep up the discussion! In Maine Rep. Deborah Sanderson sponsored LD 258 to amend LD 1781 whichpassed last year and closed vital records for 100 years. There is also Maine LD 388 which will lowerthe fee for the state researcher ID card, and make it last for two years. You can tell that lawmakers arereconsidering their previous votes, especially when tourism and the localeconomy is affected by closing down access to Maine’s rich archives. We are making a difference!

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This post is a response to Thomas MacEntee’s Open ThreadThursday discussion for 15 December 2011 at this link:

http://www.geneabloggers.com/eat-our-own-genealogy-industry/

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Fort Ticonderoga

2011-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga saw two wars, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. It was originally built by the French to control the southern end of Lake Champlain, and it is located in upstate New York. It has been controlled by the French, British and Americans at different time periods. During the Revolution, the cannons were removed from Ticonderoga and dragged across Massachusetts all the way to Boston during the winter of 1775 and 1776. In May 1776, the cannons played a key role in the British evacuation of Boston.

My father, the history buff, took my mother to visit Fort Ticonderoga during their honeymoon in 1957. We visited here in 2003 with my in-laws from Spain.

He's holding his ear because a
cannon just went off!

The view of Lake Champlain
from Fort Ticonderoga's walls

The following men in my family tree were stationed at or marched to Fort Ticonderoga:

1. Eli Skinner (1760 - 1851) enlisted at age 14 as a fifer, and marched to Fort Ticonderoga on 6 January 1777, where his regiment remained for three months. Eli is the brother to my 5 x great grandfather, Charles Skinner (1748 - 1837)

2. Israel Hutchinson (1727 - 1811) was the Lt. Colonel of a regiment from the Salem, Massachusetts area that captured the cannons from Ticonderoga, and helped to bring them to Boston. He is a 2nd cousin, 7 generations removed, we have a common ancestor in Richard Hutchinson, (1602- 1682) immigrant to New England.

3. Francis Towne (1737 - 1811) Served as Captain of a regiment garrisoned at Fort George and Fort Ticonderoga from 3 December 1776 to 12 March 1777. He is a second cousin 8x removed on the Towne lineage, and his wife, Phebe Towne is a 6x great aunt, half sister to my 6x great grandmother, Ruth Johnson (1731 - 1800). (They were both daughters of Rebecca Towne, born 1700)

4. Amos Towne (1737- 1793) another 2nd cousin, 8 generations removed, was a Lieutenant in Colonel Brewer's regiment at Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Valley Forge.

5. Abel Platts (1704 - 1777) was a Captain who marched with his company to Fort Ticonderoga in 1777, just months before he died at home in Rindge, New Hampshire. He was a brother to my 7x great grandfather Moses Platts (1707 - abt. 1753).

6. Nicolas Caverly (no dates) was a soldier under Colonel Pierce Long at Fort Ticonderoga in 1777. He is a second cousin 6 generations removed.

7. John Caverly (1725 - 1790) first cousin, 7 generations removed, nephew of my 7 x great grandmother Elizabeth (Caverly) Wilkinson. He was a soldier under Captain James Arnold at Fort Ticonderoga.

8. Henry Dearborn (1751 - 1829) was a doctor in New Hampshire and an officer in the American Revolution who served at Ticonderoga, Valley Forge, Monmouth and was in command of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment at Yorktown. He was later retired, but then appointed Major General of the Militia, he was a congressman, and secretary of war in 1809 under President Thomas Jefferson, minister to Portugal in 1822 and 1824. He was a nephew of my 7x great grandmother, Elizabeth (Dearborn) Garland (1692 - 1770).

9. Timothy Mixer (1748 - 1831) served in many battles in the Revolutionary War starting with the Lexington Alarm in 1775. He was in Captain Alexander Robbe's company which answered the Ticonderoga Alarm in 1777. He was the brother to Lucy (Mixer) Munroe Simonds, my 5x Great Grandmother.

10. John Pember (1751 - 1827) served as a Sergeant in Captain Benjamin Throop's company, stationed at Ticonderoga in 1776 during a smallpox epidemic. He married my 4x great aunt, Lucretia Bill in 1774.

11. Jacob Flint (1751 - 1835) enlisted for five months at Ticonderoga under Captain Stinson. He is a second cousin 6 generations removed.

12. Eliezar Gould (b. 1720) was on the expeditions to Ticonderoga and Crown Point during the French and Indian War. He is a second cousin, 9 generations removed.

The following men were killed in Battles at Fort Ticonderoga:

1. Nathan Burnham (1721 - 1758) was killed at Braddock's Defeat at the Battle of Ticonderoga on 8 July 1758. He was the brother of my 6x great grandfather Stephen Burnham (1715 - 1790).

2. Andrew Gould (1751 - 1777) killed at the Battle of Ticonderoga on 20 September 1777. He is my third cousin, 8 generations removed. Our common ancestor is immigrant Zaccheus Gould (1589 - 1668) of Topsfield, Massachusetts.

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Fort Ticonderoga Website http://www.fortticonderoga.org/

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday - A Trolley Car

2011-12-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

Do you know the location of weather vane #21?

Today's weather vane #21 is located in Library Park, Hudson, New Hampshire, at the intersection of Derry Street and Ferry Street (the intersection of Rt. 102 and Rt. 111) . Recently the Hudson Historical Society gave a presentation about the old railroad and trolley lines in Hudson, and they mentioned that this was the old trolley stop for the line that ran to Litchfield and Manchester. The trolley stop is the stone bench on the corner, near the old library, and the weather vane atop the bandstand honors it's history.

Click here to see the other weather vanes in this series

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - The Lake Family

2011-12-13T03:50:00.000-08:00

These gravestones were photographed at the Pine Ground Cemetery in Chichester, New Hampshire

Pine Ground Cemetery, Chichester, New Hampshire
on Route 28

[Front of the stone]

THOMAS LAKE
BORN IN ENGLAND 1734
DIED IN CHICHESTER 1816
HIS WIFE
EUNICE SEAVEY 1804
1767 THOMAS LAKE 1856
HIS WIFE
REBECCA BLAKE 1832
1837 ANN LAKE 1840

[Back of the stone]

1775 ROBERT LAKE 1858
HIS WIFE
HANNAH BLAKE 1813
1778 WILLIAM LAKE 1852
HIS WIFE
HANNAH TRUE 1836
1812 JOHN LAKE 1814
1809 EUNICE LAKE 1866

Thomas Lake was born about 1734 in Portsmouth, England. He arrived in New Hampshire at age 14, and appears in records in Portsmouth and Rye, and then settled in Chichester. He married Eunice Seavey, the daughter of William Seavey and Hannah Unknown, who was the widow of John Davis. Eunice and Thomas had eight children (she had four Davis children, too). The sons marked with * are listed on the gravestone.

1. James Lake born 13 August 1765, married Mehitable Berry

2. * Thomas Lake born 10 June 1767, married Rebecca Blake

3. John Lake born 21 March 1769,

4. Anna Lake born 26 May 1771, married Richard Rand

5. Martha Lake born 21 March 1773

6. * Robert Lake born 8 May 1775, married Hannah Blake

7. Rebecca Lake born 23 December 1776, married Jonathan Leavitt

8. * William Lake born 20 February 1779, married Sally Leavitt

The John Lake b. 1812 and Eunice Lake b. 1808 were children of William Lake and Hannah True, grandchildren of Thomas Lake the immigrant from England.

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Blog Caroling - The Holly and the Ivy

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is my 2011 contribution to the Blog Caroling Carnival hosted by the Genealogy blogger named Footnote Maven at this link:
http://www.footnotemaven.com/2011/12/do-you-hear-what-i-hear.html

The Holly and The Ivy

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood, the holly bears the crown.

Refrain:

Oh, the rising of the sun and the running of the deer,

The playing of the merry organ, sweet singing in the choir.

The holly bears a blossom as white as lily flower,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to be our sweet saviour

Refrain

The holly bears a berry as red as any blood,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do poor sinners good.

Refrain

The holly bears a prickle as sharp as any thorn,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ on Christmas Day in the morn.

Refrain

The holly bears a bark as bitter as any gall,

And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ for to redeem us all.

Refrain

This is me, trying to learn to play a few Christmas Carols on my ukulele. That was my husband, sneaking around with his iPhone recording me in secret. The cat is hiding... (can you blame her?)

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday - Hull Update

2011-12-10T09:07:00.001-08:00

Hull Update

This is an update to my HULL surname sketch posted earlier at this link http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/surname-saturday-hull.html

I have some additional information about ReverendJoseph Hull thanks to reader Martin Hollick, a former genealogy blogger. He informed me that Hull had two wives andseventeen children as listed below, and his English ancestry has beenconfirmed. Again his TWO wives arestill unknown, although even more has been found about Reverend Hull.

Martin gives some good sources I didn’t have:

RobertCharles Anderson The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-1635 (NEHGS, Boston, 2003), Vol. III: 452-460

AncestralLinesby Carl Boyer, 3rd (Santa Clarita, CA, 1998, 3rd ed.)

GenealogicalDictionary of ME and NH by Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby, and WalterGoodwin Davis (Portland, 1939, reprinted Baltimore, 1988)

The American Genealogist Vol. 68 (1993)p. 149

Heard-HurdGenealogy 1610-1987: Some Descendants of John and Elizabeth (Hull) Heard ofDover, New Hampshire by Charles Samuel Candage and Ralph Ernest Peak(Picton Press, Camden, ME, 1988)

TheAncestors and Descendants of George Hull 1590-1659 and Thamzen Michell ofCrewkerne, Somerset England, Dorchester, MA . .. by Robert E. Hull (Gateway Press,Baltimore, 1994)

Generation 1: Reverend Joseph Hull, son of Thomas Hull and Joanne Peson, born in 24April 1596 in Crewkerne, England, died on the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire on19 November 1665. He married first about 1620 to Joanne Unknown inEngland. She died about 1635. He married second to Agnes about 1635. Seventeen children:

With Joanne:

1.Joanna, born about 1620

2.Joseph, born about 1622

3.Tristram, born about 1624, died about 1666, married Blanche unknown (see Bill West's post at this link http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2011/12/bad-blanche-hull.html)

4.Temperance, born about 1626, died after 1685, married John Bickford

5. Elizabeth (see sketch in yesterday’s post)

6. Griselda, born about 1630

7. Dorothy, born about 1632

WithAgnes:

8. Hopewell, born about 1637, died about 1693

9. Benjamin, born 1639, died before 1693,married Rachel York

10.Naomi, born 1639

11.Ruth, born 1641

12.Dodovah, born about 1642, died about 1682

13.Samuel, born about 1644

14,Phineas, born about 1646, died about 1693

15.Captain Reuben, born 1649, died about 1693, married Hannah Ferniside

16.Ephraim, born about 1650

17.Priscilla, born 1651, died 1652

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Surname Saturday - Hull

2011-12-10T03:35:00.000-08:00

HULL

Please see an important update at
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/surname-saturday-hull-update.html

The Isles of Shoals are
six miles off the coast of New Hampshire

My 9x great grandfather Joseph Hull was a minister. He left a great paper trail. Ministers can be dream ancestors forgenealogists because of the plethora of records. He graduated from Oxfordon 14 November 1614 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He served as curate at Colyton in Devonshire. Later he was ordained in the Church ofEngland on 14 April 1621 as called to be rector at Northleigh in the Diocese ofExeter. During this time period he beganto believe in “non-conformist” ideas. Thereis no record of his marriage, and his wife’s name is known only as "Agnes". This is odd, considering how much other information is known about Joseph Hull’s life.

Reverend Hull led 106 people from Somersetshire (about 20families, his wife, 7 children and 3 servants) and arrived in Massachusetts on7 June 1635. He was a freeman inWeymouth in September 1635 and preaching in a church as an Episcopalian, butcausing dissention. He moved to Barnstablein 1639 and Yarmouth in 1641 (both towns are on Cape Cod) but was temporarily excommunicated by Governor Winthrop because he left Weymouth without askingpermission.

By 1643 he was the minister in York, Maine. By 1652 he was back in Launceston, Cornwallleaving all his children but one In Massachusetts. In 1662 he was “ejected from the rectory of Buryan, Cornwall County, England.” Again he came to America and this time wentto New Hampshire. He first served asminister at Oyster River (now the city of Durham, New Hampshire) and thensettled as minister at the fishing colony on the Isles of Shoals where he remained until his death in 1665. Although he moved around New England and back and forth across the Atlantic, he left enough of a paper trail along the way for historians to follow his movements as a minister.

The Hull’s Company ship had a list of passengers compiled byJohn Porter, deputy clerk to Edward Thoroughgood on 20 March 1635. They left from Weymouth, England and namedtheir settlement in Massachusetts after this port.

The Hull Genealogy:

Generation 1: TheReverend Joseph Hull was born about 1595 in Crewkerne, Somersetshire, England,and died 18 November 1665 on the Isles of Shoals off the coast of NewHampshire. The name of his wife is knownonly as Agnes. Seven children all bornin England:

1. Joanna,born about 1620, married first to John Bursley, second to Dolor Davis who is my10x great grandfather with his first wife, Margery Willard.

2. Joseph,born about 1622

3. Tristram,born about 1623, married Blanche Unknown (see Bill West's post at this link: http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2011/12/bad-blanche-hull.html )

4.Temperance, born about 1626, married John Bickford

4.Elizabeth, born abut 1628 (see below) my 8x great grandmother

5. Griselda,born about 1629, married James Warren

6. Dorothy,born about 1631, married Oliver Kent

Generation 2: Elizabeth Hull, born about 1628 in Northleigh,Devonshire, England, and died 30 November 1706 in Dover, New Hampshire; marriedabout 1643 in Northleigh to John Heard, born 29 November 1612 in Batcombe,Somersetshire and died 17 January 1689 in Dover. Fifteen children.

Generation 3. MaryHeard, born 26 January 1650 m. John Ham

Generation 4. MercyHam m. Richard Nason

Generation 5. Richard Nason m. Mary Thompson

Generation 6. Mercy Nason m. William Wilkinson

Generation 7. Aaron Wilkinson m. Mercy F. Wilson

Generation 8. Robert Wilson Wilkinson m. Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10. Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha LouiseRoberts (my grandparents)

Accounts of the Reverend Hull’s life can be found in the Historyof the Township of Durham, New Hampshire by Everett S. Stackpole,Lucien Thompson and Winthrop S. Meserve, 1913, in the book The Isles of Shoals in Lore andLegend, by Lyman V. Rutledge, 1965, and in The Isles of Shoals: An HistoricSketch by John Scribner Jenness, 1975. A good account of his earlyyears in Massachusetts can be found in Volume 1 of The History of Weymouth,Massachusetts, 1923, and page 73 lists the passengers in the HullCompany ship.

There are sketches of Rev. Hull’s life also in TheGreat Migration: Immigrants to New England, by Robert Charles Anderson,George F. Sanborn and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, 1999, Volume III, pages 452 – 460and also in Ancestral Lines by Carl Boyer, 1998, pages 318 -324.

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