Thursday, July 31, 2014

Londonderry, New Hampshire Old Home Days 2014

2013 Old Home Day militia drill at the Londonderry Historical Society's Parmenter barn
Londonderry's 115th annual Old Home Days Celebration will be held August 13  - 17th this year.  Wednesday the 13th is the 8th annual Senior Night, with a an old fashioned cookout at the Lion's Hall pavillion followed by a concert on the common by the Windham Swing Band.  Thursday the 14th is the popular Kids Night with activity tables by local youth organizations, entertainment starting at 5:30 until 8pm, snacks, and loads of fun.  Following Kids Night will be the Movie Mania with movies for ages 12 and up starting at 9pm.   Friday the 15th is the annual Police vs Firefighters softball game at the Matthew Thornton School field at 6pm followed by a concert and fireworks.

The big day is Saturday, August 16th, starting at 8am with the 5k footrace.  You can participate or watch starting on Mammoth Road at the Grange Hall, south to Peabody Row, onto Buttrick Road and back to the Grange Hall for the finish.  Registration starts at 6:45 at the High School.  Following this is the parade at 10:30 rain or shine, starting at the high school, following Mammoth Road to Mack's Apples.


Following the parade there are events at two venues.  First is the Londonderry Historical Society Museum complex on Pillsbury Road.  There will be tours of the Morrison House, the barn, the blacksmith shop and the newly erected carriage shed by members of the Historical Society.  Also on the grounds will be the colonial re-enactors encampment and militia.  They will be shooting off cannons, drilling the children, and demonstrating colonial era cooking and crafts.  There will be a farmer's market, crafts booths, food, music and children's games.


Just a short walk up Pillsbury road to the town common and you will find the booths sponsored by local organizations and businesses featuring food, drinks, games and activities.  The bandstand will have entertainment all afternoon with Londonderry Sings and Applestock, and the Lions will have their annual barbecue.

Sunday August 17th will be an ecumenical church service on the common, followed by a picnic and a Christian Concert.  In case of rain, this event will take place in the Matthew Thornton School gym.

For a history of Old Home Day in New Hampshire, click here:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/08/londonderrys-old-home-day.html  

The Londonderry Old Home Day official website:  http://oldhomedays.com


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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/londonderry-new-hampshire-old-home-days.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Old Bi-plane

Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I started by publishing weather vanes from the Londonderry area, but now I've been finding interesting weather vanes all across New England.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting. Often, my readers tip me off to some very unique and unusual weather vanes, too! Today's weather vane is from Salem, New Hampshire.


Do you know the location of weather vane #167? Scroll down to the bottom to see the answer!



Today's weather vane was spotted on the corner of Main Street and South Policy Road in Salem, New Hampshire. It's not far from Exit 2 of Route 93.  This is a business that deals in private charters for passengers and cargo, so the antique bi-plane weather vane fits right into their aviation theme.  It is a three dimensional weather vane, with lots of detail.  You can even see a tiny propeller in front of the nose of the plane. Although this is a fairly new business, and the the weather vane is not very old, it has a great patina.

The Air Planning website http://www.airplanning.com/

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!


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Copyright 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Aghadowey, Northern Ireland Celebrates “The Moses of the Scots Irish” , Reverend James McGregor

The Aghadowey Presbyterian Church

From The Newsletter website, accessed 27 July 2014

An Ulster History Circle blue plaque is to be erected in Aghadowey, Co Londonderry, on July 28 to the Rev James MacGregor, a Presbyterian minister who led a convoy of Ulster Presbyterians from the Bann Valley region to America in 1718.

MacGregor, from Magilligan and who fought alongside his father at the Siege of Londonderry, was instrumental in the establishment of the Scots-Irish township of Londonderry in New Hampshire.
As well as their strong Presbyterian faith, the Bann Valley Presbyterians brought Irish potatoes to the American colonies, cultivating the crop at Nutfield, over a 144-square mile wilderness they had been given by the colonial authorities.

The MacGregor Presbyterians, who sailed from Londonderry to Boston, came from congregations in the Coleraine, Aghadowey, Macosquin, Garvagh and Ballymoney area.

The blue plaque ceremony on the night of July 28 will be conducted by Gregory S Burton, the US Consul General for Northern Ireland, and by Aghadowey Presbyterian minister, the Rev Robert Kane.
The blue plaque has been organised by the Ulster History Circle together with the Ulster Scots-Agency.
Chris Spur, chairman of the Ulster History Circle, said: “James MacGregor was a man who saw and made history.

“In the Siege of 1689, he is believed to have signalled the relief of Derry; in 1718 he led the great Migration and in 1722 he founded Londonderry.

“The ‘Moses of the Scots-Irish’ brought his people to a new beginning, in a land where their mark is still firm.”

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from The Newsletter website, accessed 29 July 2014
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/plaque-tribute-to-moses-of-the-scots-irish-1-6199376

A Presbyterian minister dubbed the ‘Moses of the Scotch-Irish’ has been honoured at his former church in Co Londonderry with a Blue Plaque.

James McGregor was born in Tamlaghtard near Magilligan Point in 1677 and ordained as the clergyman at Aghadowey in 1701.

He preached in the Irish language for many years but in 1718 - when the effects of the religious persecution of non-Anglicans, bad harvests and soaring rents caused great hardship - he led up to 1,000 immigrants on to five ships bound for Boston, America.

The new arrivals were not welcomed by the English settlers already there so Rev McGregor led his flock to Nutfield, New Hampshire where they founded the first Ulster Presbyterian settlement on the continent.
The plaque commemorating the achievements of the pioneering minister was unveiled yesterday at Aghadowey Presbyterian by the US Consul General for Northern Ireland, Gregory S Burton, and the current clergyman Rev Robert Kane.

Rev McGregor is reputed to have brought the potato to America where it was cultivated by the new settlers and, having put down roots at Nutfield, the Ulster-born congregation members were granted permission in 1722 to change the town’s name to Londonderry.

The Blue Plaque tribute is the result of collaboration between the Ulster History Circle and the Ulster-Scots Agency.

Author and historian Rick Holmes and his wife travelled to Aghadowey from Londonderry, New Hampshire for the unveiling,

Ulster History Circle chairman Chris Spur described James McGregor as a “man who saw and made history”.

Mr Spur said: “In the Siege of 1689, he is believed to have signalled the relief of Derry; in 1718 he led the great migration, and in 1722 he founded Londonderry. The ‘Moses of the Scots-Irish’ brought his people to a new beginning.”

Ian Crozier, CEO of the Ulster-Scots Agency, said “The Ulster-Scots Agency is delighted to be able to highlight the contribution to another Ulster-Scot who has made a huge difference to the religious landscape of New England and global Ulster-Scots diaspora.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who ran against George W Bush for the presidency in 2004, is a descendant of Rev McGregor.

The Massachusetts senator, on his mother’s side of the family, is a 6th great grandson of the renowned clergyman with a sense of adventure.

To date, the Ulster History Circle - which is funded by donations from individuals and various organisations - has erected a total of 178 Blue Plaques across every county in Northern Ireland.

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“Blue Plaques” are signs installed all over the United Kingdom and internationally to mark historical spots important in British history.  There are some in Paris, Dublin, Australia, Canada and the United States.  They were first introduced by the Royal Society of Arts in 1867 when a plaque was installed to commemorate Lord Byron’s birthplace.  These plaques are similar to the historical markers you can see in the United States by the National Register of Historic Places or other governmental agencies.

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For the truly curious:

The July Bulletin of the Aghadowey Presbyterian Church, scroll down to page 2 for the Blue Plaque announcement for the ceremony and church supper celebration:  http://www.aghadoweypci.co.uk/assets/Announcements.pdf   

BBC News 28 July 2014
“Moses of Scotch Irish” Rev James McGregor to be honoured in Aghadowey
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28500312 

Links to Nutfield Genealogy blog posts about Rev. James McGregor:

16 May 2013 "Celebration in Northern Ireland"
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/12/tombstone-tuesday-rev-james-and-mary.html

27 Sept. 2012 "Aghadowey Session Book at NEHGS"
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/aghadowey-session-book-at-nehgs.html  

8 July 2012 "Nutfield is the scene of a BBC documentary"
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/nutfield-is-scene-of-bbc-documentary.html

1 Sept. 2011 "Original Nutfield Proprietors, 11 April 1719"
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/original-nutfield-proprietors-april-11.html   

21 Dec. 2010  "Tombstone Tuesday - Rev. James and Mary MacGregor of Londonderry"
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/12/tombstone-tuesday-rev-james-and-mary.html


For more information on the Blue Plaques see this Wikipedia article:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_plaque   

Nutfield Rambles, by Richard Holmes is his fifth book on lthe ocal history of Derry, New Hampshire.  http://www.perpublisher.com/per112.html   

The image of the Aghadowey Presbyterian church is from wikimedia commons


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Aghadowey, Northern Ireland Celebrates “The Moses of the Scots Irish” , Reverend James McGregor", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 29, 2014, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/aghadowey-northern-ireland-celebrates.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ William Frederick Harnden, d. 1845 buried at Cambridge, Massachusetts

This memorial was photographed at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.




WILLIAM FREDERICK
HARNDEN
FOUNDER
OF
THE EXPRESS BUSINESS
IN AMERICA
DIED 10 JANUARY 1845
AGED 31 YEARS

The canopy above the urn is carved with the words FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY and JUSTICE.  There is a large dog symbolizing fidelity below the epitaph, and the other sides show carriers delivering packages.

William Frederick Harden was born 23 August 1812 in Reading, Massachusetts and died 14 January 1845 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He founded Harden & Co., one of the first express companies in the the United States.  He was the first person to send express packages by rail, and had trans-Atlantic service to many European cities by ship.  He died bankrupt in 1845 when his health failed and he could not keep up his service.  Harnden's business was the forerunner of modern express companies like UPS and FedEx.

This monument was erected in 1866 by "the express companies of the United States" in his honor.

You can read all about Harnden and his express company in the book History of the Express Business, including the origin of the railway system in America, and the relation of both to the increase of new settlements and the prosperity of cities in the United States, by A. L. Stimson, New York: Baker & Godwin, Printers, 1881.  This book is available to read online at archive.org.

Or the book William Frederick Harnden: Founder of the Express Business in America! by Alfred L. Hammell, Kessinger Publishing Reprints, 2010, a new release of the 1954 original.

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/tombstone-tuesday-william-frederick.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Monday, July 28, 2014

August and September 2014 Genealogy and Local History Calendar

July 30, Wednesday, noon, John Barleycorn vs. Sir Richard Rum: Alcohol, the Atlantic, and the Distilling of Colonial Identity, 1650 – 1800, brown bag lunch series at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Free, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts  http://www.masshist.org/calendar

August 1 – 10, Salem Heritage Days, Salem, Massachusetts, at the Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square,  food, fun, activities for all ages including the Essex Street Fair, the Ice Cream Bowl, and a car show on Chestnut Street. August 2nd is the Salem Maritime Festival hosted by the National Park Service with live music, historical re-enactors, tall ships and interactive programs.

August 1, Friday, noon, Character Detectives: Female Physiognomists in the Early American Republic, brown bag lunch series at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Free, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts  http://www.masshist.org/calendar

August 2, Saturday, 10:30 – noon, Placing Ancestors in Historical Context, at the Brewster Ladies Library, Route 6A, Brewster, Massachusetts sponsored by the Cape Cod Genealogical and Falmouth Genealogical Societies, presented by the internationally famous genealogist, John Philip Colletta.  Open to the public, pre-registration required. $20 for members of either CCGS or FGS, $25 for non-members.  Contact David Martin at davidmartindr@aol.com or see the website http://blog.capecodgensoc.org/2014/07/john-philip-coletta-coming-to-cape-cod.html

August 2, Saturday, 9am – 4:30pm, NEHGS Family History Day 2014, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus, One day workshop by the experts at the New England Historical Genealogical Society to show you the best practices in genealogy.  Sponsored by MyHeritage. Click here for more information and registration https://regstg.com/Registration/Introduction.aspx?rid=0aa22e42-d991-48ab-bd5c-68e504e3e206 $40 per person by July 18th, after July 18th $80 per person.  Optional lunch $18 per person.  One on one consultations with NEHGS genealogists available (25 minutes) for $30 per person.

August 2, Saturday 17th Century Saturday at the Whipple House in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  FREE tours of the 1677 Whipple House and the authentic reproduction 1657 Knight House.  Demonstrations of spinning and weaving on the Whipple House lawn.  

August 2 and 3, Saturday and Sunday, Redcoats and Rebels, at the Sturbridge Village Museum, Sturbridge, Massachusetts, the largest military re-enactment in New England with 1,000 soldiers portraying British, Irish, Spanish, Scottish, French and Colonial troops. For more information see this link https://www.osv.org/event/redcoats-rebels-0
August 4 and September 1 Discover Quincy Days, experience Quincy, Massachusetts and its rich history for the price of one $5 wristband.  http://thequincychamber.com/news/discover-quincy-days

August 3, noon, Vintage Baseball Doubleheader, Newburyport Clamdiggers vs. Portsmouth Rockinghams, at the Spencer-Peirce Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  Watch two games play baseball with 1860s rules.  Grass field seating, bring blankets and lawn chairs, no reserved seating. Weather permitting, please call  978-462-2634 for more information.  Free to Historic New England members, $5 non-members.

August 6th, Wednesday, noon, “The Day of Sainthood has Passed”: American Abolitionists and the Golden Moment of the Civil War, 1861 – 1865, brown bag lunch series at the Massachusetts Historical Society, Free, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts  http://www.masshist.org/calendar

August 7, Thursday, noon, Lunch & Learn, Visual Images of Metacomet after King Philip’s War, at Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Bring your lunch, or buy one in the visitor center, and listen to a presentation by Joyce Rain Anderson.  Free to members, $8 non-members.

August 8, Friday, 11 am – 12:30pm Walk with Washington, at the Gov. John Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  $6 Historic New England members, $12 non members.  Walk the streets of Portsmoth in the footsteps of George Washington when he visited in 1789.  Registration required call 603-436-3205

August 9, Saturday 11am – 1pm, Beacon Hill Walking Tour, Otis House, 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts $6 Historic New England members, $12 non-members. Registration required 617-994-5920. 

August 12, Tuesday, reception at 5:30, lecture at 6:15pm Twilight Talks- Chronicles of Old Boston, at the Otis House, 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts, $10 Historic New England members and Victorian Society members, $12 non-members.  Registration required call 617-994-5920.

August 13, Wednesday, 5 – 6pm, Appleton’s Jackson House, at the Jackson House, 76 Northwest Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Free to Historic New England members, $10 non-members.  A special tour of the 1664 Jackson House, focusing on William Sumner Appleton’s 1924 restoration.  Light refreshments in the orchard.  Registration required 603-436-3205.

August 13 - 17, Londonderry, New Hampshire 115th Annual Old Home Days, Events Wednesday through Sunday, but don't miss the big day on Saturday, August 16th with a town parade, and the Londonderry Historical Society complex on Pillsbury Road will be open with tours of the Morrison House, Parmenter Barn, Blacksmith shop and carriage house.  Re-enactors will fire canons and show off their encampment. There are children's games, militia drills and crafts.  Visit crafters and farmers market.  Food, music and much, much more. See the information at the website http://oldhomedays.com/  

August 15, Friday, 11am – 12:30pm, Walk with Washington (see above)

August 16 and 17, Saturday and Sunday, Living History Event at Hillsborough, New Hampshire, Meet George Washington, go to school with Laura Ingalls Wilder, make butter, watch the canons roar, pan for gold and play period music, games.  Food, music, costumes, and artisans.  See the website http://livinghistoryeventnh.com/

August 16, Saturday, 11am – 1pm Beacon Hill Walking Tour (see above)

August 17, Sunday, 5:30 – 7pm, The Way They Were, at the Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, Maine, Go behind the scenes to learn about the daily routine of domestic servants, registration required, 207-384-2454

August 17, Sunday, 2:30 – 4:30 Afternoon Tea, at Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House, 75 Eastern Point Boulevard, Gloucester, Massachusetts, $25 Historic New England members, $35 non-members, an elegant tea on the terrace overlooking Gloucester harbor, with tea sandwiches and music.  Sunhats recommended. Rain or Shine.  Registration required 978-283-0800.

August 20, Wednesday, 6pm New England Powder Houses, at the House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts, a lecture by Matthew Thomas, Free to members, non-members $15, reservations recommended 978-744-0991 ext. 104

August 22nd,  Friday, 11am – 12:30pm, Walk with Washington, (see above)
August 24, Sunday, 10am, Vintage Baseball Quadruple Header, Newburyport Clamdiggers vs Lynn Live Oaks, Portsmouth Rockinghams vs Lowell Baseball Club (see above)

August 29 – 31st, 30th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival, at Gloucester, Massachusetts in the harbor and nearby. http://gloucesterschoonerfestival.net/ Fireworks on the 30th, parade of sail on the 31st.

August 29, Friday, 11am – 12:30pm Walk with Washington (see above)
August 30, Saturday, 10am – noon Face and Families: Folk Art Portraits at Cogswell’s Grant, 60 Spring Street, Essex, Massachusetts, $5 Historic New England members, $15 non-members.  Registration required 978-768-3632

September 1 Discover Quincy Days, experience Quincy, Massachusetts and its rich history for the price of one $5 wristband.  http://thequincychamber.com/news/discover-quincy-days

September 4, Thursday, noon, Lunch & Learn: The Restoration and Re-Launch of the Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan, at Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Bring a lunch, or buy one in the visitor center, and listen to Dr. Elysa Engelman of the Mystic Seaport speak about the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, originally launched in 1841.  Free to members, non-members $8.

September 5, Friday, 11am – 12:30pm Walk with Washington (see above)

September 6, Saturday, 11am – 3pm Jackson Hill Cider Day, at the Jackson House, 76 Northwest Street, Portsmouth, NH.  Free to Historic New England members, $6 non-members, $3 children.  Held grind apples and press cider. Watch artisans demonstrations, children’s games, crafts and seasonal refreshments, too. Tour the 1664 Jackson House.  Call 603-436-3206 for more information.

September 6, Saturday, 11am – 1pm Beacon Hill Walking Tour (see above)

September 6 and October 4, Discover Quincy Days (see above)

September 6 and 7,  Saturday and Sunday, noon and 1:30 pm The Way We Worked: Domestic Help Wanted, at the Roseland Cottage, 556 Route 169, Woodstock, Connecticut, $5 Historic New England members, $15 non-members.  See Roseland Cottage through the eyes of applicants of the house’s many domestic servant positions.  Registration required 860-928-4074

September 7, Sunday, noon, Vintage Baseball Double-Header, Lynn Live Oaks vs Newburyport Clamdiggers, at the Spencer-Peirce Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  Watch two games play baseball with 1860s rules.  Grass field seating, bring blankets and lawn chairs, no reserved seating. Weather permitting, please call  978-462-2634 for more information.  Free to Historic New England members, $5 non-members.

September 11, Thursday, 2:30 – 4:30pm Capturing Beauport, at the Sleeper-McCann House, 75 Eastern Point Boulevard, Gloucester, Massachusetts. $25 Historic New England members, $50 non-members.  Have you ever wanted to take photos of Beauport’s interior? Now is your chance for a regular tour with extra time for photography.  There is also a chance your favorite image will be chosen to be made into a postcard for sale in the museum shop.  Registration required 978-283-0880.
September 12, Friday, 11am – 12:30pm Walk with Washington (see above)

September 12, Friday, 8:30 – 10am Inside Haymarket, a tour departing from the corner of Congress and Hanover Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. $25 Historic New England members, $35 non-members.  Enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the market as it opens for the day, learn the history, and hear from the president of the Haymarket Pushcart Association.  Sample fruits, vegetables, cheese, and even pizza.  Registration required 617-994-5920

September 13, Saturday, 11am – 1pm Beacon Hill Walking Tour (see above)

September 14, Vintage Baseball Double Header, Lowell Baseball Club vs. Portsmouth Rockinghams,  at the Spencer-Peirce Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  Watch two games play baseball with 1860s rules.  Grass field seating, bring blankets and lawn chairs, no reserved seating. Weather permitting, please call  978-462-2634 for more information.  Free to Historic New England members, $5 non-members.

September 19, Friday, 11am – 12:30pm Walk with Washington (see above)

September 20, Saturday, 11am – 1pm Beacon Hill Walking Tour (see above)

September 20-21, Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 3pm, The 10th Annual Portsmouth Fairy House Tour, on the grounds of Strawberry Banke, the Governor John Langdon House, Prescott Park and Peirce Island in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  The tour occurs rain or shine. Introduce these historic sites to your kids while touring over 150 handcrafted fairy houses hidden in the gardens and landscaping.  Proceeds to benefit the museum’s “History in Reach” fund, advance tickets are $25 per family, $12 per adult, $8 seniors, $4 per child 3 -12, and tickets purchased on the day of the event are $30 per family, $15 per adult, $10 per senior, $5 per child 3 -12. Purchase tickets online at www.portsmouthfairyhousetour.com

September 20, Saturday, 2 – 3:30pm “Am I not a Man and a Brother?”: A recreation of an Abolitionist Meeting” at the Roseland Cottage, 556 Route 169, Woodstock, Connecticut.  Free to Historic New England members,  $5 non-members. Registration required 860-928-4074

September 26, Friday Walk with Washington (see above)

September 27, Saturday, 2pm, Colonial Garden Talk, by Roby Kanter, , at the House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts, a lecture by Matthew Thomas, Free to members, non-members $15, reservations recommended 978-744-0991 ext. 104

September 27, Saturday, 11am – 1pm, Beacon Hill Walking Tour (see above)

October 1 – 31st, 33rd Annual Salem Haunted Happenings, all over Salem, Massachusetts, see the website http://hauntedhappenings.org/ Grand Parade, Street Fairs, Family Film nights, costume balls, ghost tours, haunted houses, live music and theatrical presentations.

November 19, Wednesday, 6pm, The Schooner Fame, by Capt. Mike Rustein, , at the House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts, a lecture by Matthew Thomas, Free to members, non-members $15, reservations recommended 978-744-0991 ext. 104

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/august-and-september-2014-genealogy-and.html

Copyright 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Happy 5th Blogoversary to Me!

This photo is from our wedding anniversary dessert at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada 

I started this blog on July 27, 2009 with a story about my brickwall Hawaiian cousins.  At first I was writing genealogy stories only for my family, but I slowly gained readers over the first year.  Since then I have written almost 1650 posts, and have been read more than 850,000 times.  Last November "Nutfield Genealogy" had 38,517 page views in one month, according to the statistics on my Blogger page, an all time high for me.

This is a big THANK YOU to all my blog readers and blog followers.  Thanks for all your wonderful comments and collaborations.  THANK YOU also to all my guest bloggers, most of whom have gone on to start their own wonderful genealogy blogs.

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-5th-blogoversary-to-me.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Surname Saturday ~ WELLS of Ipswich, Massachusetts

WELLS


There were two Thomas Wells living in Ipswich, Massachusetts at about the same time.  No kinship has been proven to the other Thomas Wells who married Naomi Marshall.  No kinship has been proven to the Dr. Richard Wells, living at the same time nearby in Salem, Massachusetts (although an early NEHGS Register article Volume 4, pages 11 and 12 name Thomas Wells of Ipswich as a “physician” because he left a “physicke” book to his son in his will. This error was repeated in Joseph B. Felt’s book History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton, 1834).   There was also a woman named Ann Wells, age 20, who arrived with Thomas Wells on the same ship but according to genealogist Robert Charles Anderson, there is no kinship connection.

Thomas Wells arrived in the New World aboard the Susan & Ellen in 1635, aged 30.  He was made a freeman in Ipswich, Massachusetts on 17 May 1637.  He appears in many town records, as juror and constable, and as a land owner.  He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1644.  His lengthy will named his wife and all his children. He owned many books and maps, and he signed his own name.  His wife, Abigail, also left a will dated 22 July 1671, which included many goods, but no real estate.

"Know all Men By These PrSents, that I, Thomas Wells, of Ipswich, in the county of Essex, being weake of body, yet of pfect memory... make this my last will and testament in maner follwing...

Itm. I give and bequeath unto Abigaill my wife eight pounds yearly, to be payd unto her out of my Lands... and this is to be payd yearly in wheat, malt, porke and Indian corne... Also I give unto her to have one of the best roomes in the house, viz: either the hall or the parlour (at her choice)... and to have free liberty to bake, brew and wash etc. in the kitchen, and free liberty to lay her corne, meale, and mault etc in the hall chamber, and free use of garden ground where she liketh best and to have it well fenced in and to have land duly tilled to sow flax seed on... and freedom in both cellars as shee needeth and shall have suficiency of firewood pvided and seasonably layd in... and free liberty to keepe three or four hens and a pigg or hogg in ye ground and yards; and shall have the sixt part of the fruite that shall yearly grow in the orchyard...

Item I give unto my said wife the old bay mare (she uses to ride on) and the bridle, pillion seate, and pannell, and two cowes (att her choice) and to have the keepeing of a horse or mare and two cowes for her use both sumer and winter and good houseroome for them in winter... allsoe I give unto her the bible she uses and the booke called the Soule's prparation for Christ and that of Perkings upon the Creed and the bedsted we lye on, and the beding, curtaines and valens thereunto belonging (exsepting the blue rugg) and to have the best green rugg in leiw thereof; and I give unto her the best chest and the inlayd box with TW upon the lidd and to have one halfe of the lynen and lynen cloth and the third of the woolen cloth yt is in the house or in yarne or cloth at the weavers... and one halfe of the pewter that was her own fathers and the pewter pint pott and a brase or iron pott at her choice; and I give unto her the iron skillet and some of the best spoones and a good poringer and a coopell of saucers at hir choice and the best low chaire and hir little chaire and a good cushen and one of the great wheeles and a little spinning wheele and the warming pan...

Ite My will is that my said wife shall have the free use of my kettle... or milke vessells &c. shee needeth and of any other small things in the house... and to have freedome at the well for water and liberty for hir clothes or anything elce to be spred &c. where she pleaseth...

Ite Whereas John Wells (my second sonn) hath received of me a deed of gifts of all the lands I had at the town of Wells in the province of Maine being the quantity of thre hundred and fiftye acres (more or less) arrable meddow and pasture together with two cowes and ten pounds fifteene shillings yt I have payd (at his request) unto Stephen Kent of Haverill, in cattle upon a bill due from Francis Littlefield (his father-in-law) with several other things all wch he hath received of me in liew of his portion...

Ite I give unto my sonn John Wells ten pounds to be payd unto him or his assigns within three years next after my decease five pounds thereof in cattle, neate and in good condition and the other five pounds in wheat, malt and Indian corne in equall p'portion... and I give unto him my cloke, and one of the great pewter candlesticks wth the top thereof and two great saucers and two little saucers more and I give unto Sarah his wife (my daughter-in-law) one five shilling piece of gould...

Ite. Whereas my two eldest daughters viz: Sarah Massie of Salem and Abigaill Tredwell of this towne hath eache of them had thirtye pounds in leiw of there portions my will is that Sarah Massie or her assignes shall have a good cow or to the value of four pounds ten shillngs in other cattle... and alsoe to have the benefitt of the grase of a little peace of salt marsh ground adjoyneing to the northwest end of Mr. Wades neare unto Hogg Iland and my daughter Sarah to enjoy the use of this until the decease of my brother Massie her father-in-law and then to returne unto my executor. Allsoe I give unto Abigail Tredwell my daughter my six acre lott of salt marsh &c that lyes in Plumb Iland... or a good cow...

Ite. I give and bequeath unto Thomas Wells my youngest sonn two hundred and fiftie pounds sterl. in leiw of hir portion to be payd unto him... out of my housen and lands where I now I dwell within seven years, foure month and nyne or ten days next after the sayd Thomas Wells my sonn doe come to the full age of one and twenty yeares Viz: one hundred pounds to be payd at or before the twentieth or one and twentieth day of the third month comonly called May next com twelvemonth after the sayd Thomas Wells my sonn doe come to the age of one and twenty years (whose birth day was upon the eleaventh day of the eleaventh mo. Anno Dom: one thousand six hundred forty-six); forty pounds thereof to be paid in cattle... and in horse-kynd viz: in geldings and the horse- kynd not exced the sum of eight pounds... and thirty-six pounds thereof to be payd in wheate and barley malt... and twenty-foure pounds thereof to be payd in Indian corne, pease, porke and sheepe... and the other hundred pounds to be... payde... wth in three yeares next after the...day... of payment of the former hundred pounds... and the remaining fiftye pounds to be... payd... within the prementioned seaven years, foure months and nyne or ten dayes...

Ite. My will is that if my executor... doe not duly and faithfully pay and discharge this two hundred and fiftye pounds... the sayd Thomas Wells... shall... take possession of the housen and lands where I now dwell... until the whole be discharged...

Ite. My will is that if the said Thomas... shall dye and decease this life before he come to... full age... yn ye executor of this my last will shall pay unto the rest of my children the full sum of one hundred and forty pounds viz: unto John Wells or his survivers the full sum of forty pounds and the other hundred pounds to be equally porportionned and divided among my other five daughters... Viz: to Sarah Massie of Salem, to Abigail Tredwell of this towne, to Elizabeth Wells, Hannah Wells and Lidia Wells my daughters... the forty pounds to my son John Wells and the twenty pounds apeece to Sarah Massie and to Abigaill Tredwell and Elizabeth Wells (my three eldest daughters) to be payd unto them accordingly as is engaged unto their Bro: Thomas Wells, both for kind and quality... and the other twenty pounds apeece to Hannah Wells and Lidia Wells my own daughters shall be payd unto each of them... in wheat, barly, malt, porke, pease and Indian corne...

Item. My will is that Thomas Wells my youngest son, shall quietly posses and enjoy for his use the parlour chamber of this house where now I dwell and have free liberty for fire wood until he marry and yt he shall have his diate and washing while he keeps here at the cost of my executor untill he come to the age of 22 years, 4 months and ten days.

It. I give unto my son Thomas Wells all the bookes I bought for his use and my three phisicke bookes and the booke called the Orthodox Evangelist, the greate sermon booke, and Hyeling's Geogripha, and the little chest and table (he made) that stand in the hall chamber and my white box, and the chist plankes to make him a chist on, and the little iron canlestick, my white rule, my red pensheare, and my penknife and my sword and scabbitt and my firelock muskett wth a square barrell, and the mould, worme and scourer &c. Alsoe I give unto him the little bedstead in the hall chamber, and the little fetherbed therto belonging, and a paire of good sheets, and the red blankett and the blue rugg, and a good pillow and pillow beere. Allsoe I give unto my son Thomas my silver bowle, and one two-and-twenty shilling peece of gould, and I give unto him all my right and interest of the bond that is due unto me from goodman John Andrews of this towne, carpenter save only six pound ten shillings therof to my son Nath. Wells and wch makes the rest that he hath already had yr of twentye pounds, and this I give unto my son Thomas, towards his charges of his goeing to the colledge and for bookes and apparrell &c. or to put him to Mr. Allcocke or the like, and I give the new picktures viz: of the King and Queene and of the Five Sences... Allsoe my stufe clothes and a paire of my best stockings.

Ite. I give unto Elizabeth Wells, Hanah Wells and Lidia Wells my three youngest daughters each and every of them thirty-five pounds a peece to be payd... within one year next after they marry or when they come to the age of one and twenty years; twenty pounds thereof to be payd in cattle... and in sheepe... and the remaineing fifteene pounds in each and every portion to be payd in wheate, barly, malt, porke and Indian corne, in equall p'portion... allsoe my will is that every of these my daughters shall have each of them a bible and every of them a good chest...

Ite. I give and bequeath unto Sarah Massie of Salem and to Abigaill Tredwell of this towne and to Elizabeth Wells and Lidia Wells my owne daughters, each and every of them two halfe crowne peeces of English money... and I give unto Hannah Wells my daughter one ten shilling peece of gould... all wch money... I have already given them into the hands and custody of Thomas Wells my youngest son whom I trust and confide in, to give the same as I have bequeathed unto his three younger sisters...

Ite. I give unto Abigaill my wife the third part of the English money wch shall remaine and be left and not payd unto the legatees yt is deceased in England and kindred of our Uncle Lumpkins; and my will is that my sayd wife shall have the tuission of my daughter Elizabeth Wells and my daughter Lidia Wells untill they marry or come to the age of one and twenty years...

Item. My will is that Mrs Mary Rogers of Rowley shall have th tuission and education of my daughter Hannah Wells untill she marry or come to the age of one and twenty years, the sayd Mrs Rogers will please to doe me that favour

Ite. I give unto my cousin Mary Baker (alias Lowe) of Colchester, soe much New England money as equivalent to fiftye shillings Old England money and my will is that my executor doe faithfully endeavor to convey the same unto her it being in reference to an agreement between both my brother Warners and myselfe in answer to a request of our Aunt Lumkin (alias Stone) late deceased, and to take the advice of my Bro: Daniell Warner about the conveighing of the same...

Ite. I give and bequeath all the rest of my whole estate both moveable and unmoveable, p'sonal and reall, houses and lands, unto Nath: Wells my eldest son pvided he doth fully acept heerin to be my executor... Allwayes p'vided that if the sd Nath: Wells dye and cease this life wth out any issue of male... my will is that then... the sd housen and lands heire in Ipswich bounds shall returne unto the sd Thomas Wells my youngest son... and the sd Thomas my son then to pay unto Lidia, Nath: wife (my daughter in law) the sum of forty pound wth in one yeare and halfe next after the decease of Nath: her husband... And the sd Thomas... shall pay unto the sd Nathaniells children the sum of one hundred and forty pounds the one halfe in cattle... and in horse kind... and the other half... to be payd in wheate, malte, porke, pease and Indian corne... Alsoe my will is... that my son Nathaniells children shall have the sum of eight pounds yearly payd by my son Thomas Wells... towards there bringing up whilest they come to the age of fifteene years...

Ite. My will is that if the sd Nath... dy and cease this life without isue of male... then the sayd Thomas Wells... shall pay unto my son John Wells his Bro:... the sum of 40£...

Fynally I desire my liveing and faithfull friends Thomas Bishop, Senr and Mr. Thomas Andrews to be the overseers of this my last will and testament and to be the gardians of my sonn Thomas Wells dureing the time of his mynority and nonage to whom I give as a token of my respect and love ten shillings apeece.

In wittness wherof and to wch I the above named Thomas Wells Senr have heer unto set my hand and seal dated the 31 of the fifth mo: comonly called July in the eighteenth yeare of the raigne of or Soveraigne Lord, Charles the Second by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred sixty-six.

Prme Thomas Wells Senr"(3)


For more information:

Thomas Wells is not mentioned in Martin Hollick’s book New Englanders in the 1600s

There is a lengthy sketch of Thomas Wells of Ipswich in the book The Great Migration, Volume VII, pages 294 – 300. 

My WELLS genealogy:

Generation 1: Thomas Wells, about 1605 in England and died 26 October 1666 in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married by 1636 to Abigail Warner, daughter of William Warner.  She died 22 July 1671 in Ipswich.  Seven children, and I descend from two daughters.

Line A:

Generation 2: Elizabeth Wells, born 31 July 1646 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, died 9 June 1731; married on 6 June 1668 to John Burnham, son of Thomas Burnham and Mary Lawrence. He was born in 1648 and died 12 January 1704 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Nine children, and I descend from three sons.

Line A1:
Generation 3: John Burnham m. Sarah Choate
Generation 4: John Burnham m. Rachel Smith
Generation 5: Dorothy Burnham m. Abner Poland
Generation 6: Abner Poland m. Sarah Burnham
Generation 7: Sally Poland m. Henry Burnham
Generation 8: Sarah Ann Burnham m. Samuel Mears
Generation 9: Sarah Burnham Mears m. Joseph Gilman Allen
Generation 10: Joseph Elmer Allen m. Carrie Maud Batchelder
Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

Line A2:
Generation 3: Thomas Burnham m. Susannah Boardman
Generation 4: Stephen Burnham m. Mary Andrews
Generation 5: Joshua Burnham m. Jemima Wyman
Generation 6: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson
Generation 7: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger
Generation 8: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 9: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen (see above)

Line A3:
Generation 3:  David Burnham m. Elizabeth Perkins

Line A3a:
Generation 4: David Burnham m. Elizabeth Marshall
Generation 5: Amos Burnham m. Sarah Giddings
Generation 6: Judith Burnham m. Joseph Allen
Generation 7: Joseph Allen m. Orpha Andrews
Generation 8: Joseph Gilman Allen m. Sarah Burnham Mears (see above)

Line A3b:
Generation 4: Westley Burnham m. Deborah Story

Line A3b1:
Generation 5: Westley Burnham m. Molly Woodbury

Line A3b1A:
Generation 6: Asa Burnham m. Polly Bray
Generation 7: Lydia W. Burnham m. Samuel Mears
Generation 8: Samuel Mears m. Sarah Ann Burnham (see above)

Line A3b1B:
Generation 6:  Henry Burnham m.  Sally Poland
Generation 7: Sarah Ann Burnham m. Samuel Mears (see above)

Line A3b2:
Generation 5: Sarah Burnham m. Abner Poland
Generation 6: Sally Poland m. Henry Burnham (see above)

Line B:
Generation 2:  Abigail Wells, born about 1642, died 16 June 1677; married on 19 June 1661 in Ipswich to Nathaniel Treadwell, son of Thomas Treadwell. He was born 13 March 1637/8 in Ipswich, died 11 January 1726/7 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Seven children.

Generation 3: Nathaniel Treadwell m. Hannah Unknown
Generation 4: Jabez Treadwell m. Lucy Haskell
Generation 5: Nathaniel Treadwell m. Mary Hovey
Generation 6: Jabez Treadwell m. Betsey Jillings Hovey
Generation 7: Eliza Ann Treadwell m. Abijah Hitchings
Generation 8: Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis
Generation 9: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil
Generation 10: Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (see above)

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/surname-saturday-wells-of-ipswich.html



Copyright © 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Friday, July 25, 2014

The Patton Homestead and Archives, home of two General George S. Pattons, in Hamilton, Massachusetts


I took a trip through time with my Mom this week.  No, we didn't have access to a DeLorean time machine, but while riding in my little Hyundai together on our way to Hamilton, Mom shared some great stories with me.  We were on our way to Hamilton, Massachusetts to tour the archives at four star General George S. Patton’s estate (the World War II general).  Mom grew up down the street from this estate, and had lots of memories of playing in and around the main house, barns and 500 acres of fields and woods.  She had never been inside the main house, and now was her chance.  It had been the residence of the Patton family from 1928 until 2012. 

Several years ago, Joanne Patton, the widow of Major General George S. Patton (the Vietnam era general) donated the main house and 27 acres of land to the town of Hamilton.  It houses the Patton Family Collection, which is managed by Gordon College’s Institute for Public History. 

Carol Mori, archivist
giving a tour of the Patton Homestead

The current archivist of the Patton Homestead archives, Carol Mori, gave a great tour of the many artifacts, photographs, paintings, military memorabilia, books and documents under her care.  This was a special series of tours available only for Wednesdays during the month of July 2014. This library was built as a first floor wing to the Homestead in the 1930s by General Patton and his wife Beatrice Ayer Patton for their retirement after World War II.  As you all know, history intervened and General Patton was killed in a jeep accident in 1945.  He never returned to Hamilton, Massachusetts to enjoy his new wing of the homestead.

Can you find the 5 "George Smith Pattons" on this chart?
One of the two Juniors was the famous WWII general,
but it is confusing because there were two General George Smith Pattons!

Did you know there were five George Pattons?  The first George Patton was a military officer for the Confederacy during the civil war.  The second George Patton died young, but not before he fathered the George S. Patton who would become the four star general during World War II.  The fourth George S. Patton was a major general during Vietnam.  The fifth George Patton is still alive, but he was born mentally challenged and is living with a caretaker in Colorado. 

Mom remembers playing in this meadow behind the main estate house
and seeing the barns and horses. She said it still looks exactly the same.

My mom was thrilled to be inside the main house!
Here she is examining military memorabilia.
Mom used to peek in the windows as a child.

Mom grew up playing with the children of the estate workers.  She especially remembered the six children of the caretaker, who lived above the barn.  Certain things in the yards of the estate were objects she remembered, like the cast iron jockey hitching post by the kitchen door.  She remembered the cook in the kitchen wing giving them cookies, and her brothers camping out at the bottom of the meadow by the Ipswich River.   One vivid memory she remembers was of peeking into the windows, because all the kids wanted to see General Patton’s pistol!

In 1950 one of General Patton’s tanks from World War II was donated to the Town of Hamilton.  That same year my grandfather, Stanley E. Allen, was a member of the recreation committee.  The committee accepted the tank and placed it in the center of town at what is now called Patton Park.  I remember playing at this playground as a kid, and being able to climb inside the tank to sit on the driver’s seat and peek out through the slits.  Sometime in the 1970s the hatch to the tank was welded shut, but kids still climb all over the tank. 

My daughter climbing on the Patton tank in Hamilton's Patton Park 2004.
I played on this tank, too, as a kid.
This little boy on the tour wore his "Generals" tshirt-
the mascot of the Hamilton-Wenham regional school system.
Another generation of kids learning about the Patton family. 
The Patton Homestead at 650 Asbury Street in Hamilton, Massachusetts is not currently open to the public, except for occasional special tours like the one I took with Mom.  Any inquiries should be directed to the Town Manager of the Town of Hamilton, Massachusetts.  The Patton Family archive is available for research by appointment.  Please contact:
Phone 978-468-1849
Town of Hamilton, Massachusetts webpage for Patton Homestead  http://hamiltonma.gov/Pages/HamiltonMA_Patton/index

The former master bedroom is now the archive
I wish I had a good reason to do some research here!
Look at the label on this file drawer:
"GSP Baby records/ School essays - '32
Diaries/ SCD Leadership letters/ rosters
GSP bibles/ war crimes file / evaluation
reports/medals/citations/ photos
GSP personal caputred weaons & permits"

This is Four Star General George S. Patton's personal office

This is Four Star General George S. Patton's personal library,
His son's office, Major General George S. Patton of the Vietnam War,
was located below, but was destroyed in a fire that almost consumed both libraries.

Green Meadows Farm, the current home of the Patton family (on land adjacent to the Patton Homestead)   http://www.gmfarm.com/history  at 656 Asbury Street, South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

A link to the obituary of General George S. Patton 30 June 2004 New York Times

There is also a General Patton Museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky  http://generalpatton.org/       

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The URL for this post is
 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-patton-homestead-and-archives-home.html

Copyright © 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo