Surname Saturday ~ SMITH of Reading, Massachusetts

SMITH

My 8^th great grandmother Hannah Smith married her husband, George Lillie on 15 November 1659.  Who was her father? According to Robert Charles Anderson in his Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 -1635, Volume VI, pages 351-354, sketch of Francis Smith of Reading, there was no daughter named Hannah.  Francis Smith of Reading only named sons John and Benjamin Smith in his will.

Francis Smith, born in England and died 20 March 1650 in Reading, Massachusetts was  married to Alice Unknown about 1622.  His son John Smith (1622 - 1706) married, as his second wife, Mary Bill, my 1^st cousin 8x removed- granddaughter of John Bill (1598- 1638) and Dorothy Tuttle, my 8^th great grandparents on my father’s side.  Their son, Deacon Francis Smith (1658 – 1744) married Ruth Maverick, my 1^st cousin 9 generations removed, granddaughter of Reverend John Maverick (1578 – 1638) and Mary Gye, my 11 great grandparents. A very tangled tree indeed!  But Francis Smith might not be my 9th great grandfather. 

If Hannah Smith is not the daughter of Francis Smith, she might be the daughter of Matthew Smith, who lived in Woburn, Reading and Charlestown, Massachusetts at this time period.  Anderson supposes that she might be Matthew’s daughter since he did have a child named "Hannah".  There were many other Smith families in Massachusetts, too.

Hannah remains another brickwall ancestress.  Hannah married George Lillie who settled in the west parish of Reading, Massachusetts (a village known as Woodend) and was the schoolmaster. They had four children, and then Hannah died in 1666.  George remarried to a woman named Jane and had two more children. Hannah and George’s son John Lilley,  my 7^th great grandfather,  married Hannah Bassett and removed to Woburn, Massachusetts. 

My SMITH genealogy:

 Generation 1: Hannah Smith, died on 6 May 1666 in Reading, Massachusetts; married on 15 November 1659 in Reading to George Lillie as his first wife.  He was the son of Edward Lillie and Margaret Wharton.  He was born about 1637 and died 14 February 1691 in Reading. Four children. 

Generation 2:  John Lillie m. Hannah Bassett

Generation 3: Phebe Lilley m. Noah Eaton

Generation 4: Katherine Eaton m. John Emerson

Generation 5: Romanus Emerson m. Jemima Burnham

Generation 6: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 7: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 8: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 9:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ SMITH of Reading, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 30, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/surname-saturday-smith-of-reading.html: accessed [access date]. 

August 2016 Genealogy and Local History Event Calendar

For up to the minute updates, see the Nutfield Genealogy Facebook page at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/nutfield.gen/ 

July 27, Wednesday, 6pm, Book Talk: Nathaniel Bowditch and the Power of Numbers, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by author Tamara Plakins Thornton. Free to the public.  Please register at this link:  http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/book-talk-nathaniel-bowditch-and-the-power-of-numbers?pass-through=true

July 28, Thursday, 6pm, Solving Family History Mysteries with DNA, at the Boston Public Library, Copely Square,  Commonwealth Salon, presented by Jennifer Zinck.  Free to all.

July 29, Friday, FREE Fun Fridays sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation at these Massachusetts museums:  the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, the Commonwealth Museum in Boston, Battleship Cove in New Bedford, the Marine Museum in Fall River, and the Nantucket Whaling Museum.

July 29, Friday, 2pm, Augustus Saint-Gaudens Civil War Monuments, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
July 30, Saturday, History Camp Pioneer Valley, at the Kittredge Center at Holyoke Community College.  This is a gathering of adult history enthusiasts for a day of learning and sharing.  You must register to attend.  See the website for more details. http://historycamp.org/pioneer-valley/

July 30, Saturday, 2 – 4pm, Walking Tour: Amoskeag Millyard and the Amoskeag workers Housing District, at the Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, New Hampshire (the tour starts and ends at the museum).  Led by author and historian Aurore Eaton, and  Kurt Sundstrom, the curator of the Currier Museum of Art. $5 Manchester Historic Association and Currier members, $15 non-members.   Please use this link to register:  https://1071.blackbaudhosting.com/1071/tickets?tab=2&txobjid=c521feb7-387a-4dea-9dd9-243238a77c59

July 30, Saturday, Introduction to Genealogy with Edwin W. Strickland II: Internet Resources and Genealogy Software, at the Connecticut Society of Genealogists Library, 175 Maple Street, East Hartford, Connecticut.  $20 per session, open to the public.  Registration information here:  http://www.csginc.org/pdf/event_259.pdf

July 31, Sunday, 10am – 4pm, 2016 Nipmuc Nation Powwow, at the Hassanamisco Indian Reservation, Grafton, Massachusetts.  $4 adults, $2 children, no pets.  For more info contact Sonksq Cheryll Toney Holley 508-853-5575

July 31, Sunday, 11am, Vintage Base Ball Double Header Game, at the Spencer Pierce Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  1860s rules between the Essex Base Ball Association, the Portsmouth Rockinghams, and the Lynn Live Oaks.  Grass field seating (bring blankets or lawn chairs), no reserved seating. Weather permitting. Free to Historic New England members, $5 nonmembers.

August 3, Wednesday , 6pm, Indian Wars of New England, at the Twin Mountain Town Hall, 92 School Street, Twin Mountain, New Hampshire, hosted by the Twin Mountain Public Library.  Author Michael Tougias describes the French and Indian Wars as well as the Pequot War, King Philip’s War and other important conflicts between early colonists and the Native Americans in New England.  Free to the public.  603-846-5818.

August 3, Wednesday, 7pm, New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones, at the Fritzwilliam Town Library, 11 Templeton Turnpike, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire.  Presented by Glenn Knoblock.  Call 603-585-6503 for more information.  Free to the public.

August 4, Thursday, 6pm, The Search for John Paul Jones, at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Center, 9 Coolidge Point, Manchester, Massachusetts.  A lecture with White McKenzie Wallenborn.  $40 per person.  Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Registration required.  Please call 978-526-1641. 

August 4, Thursday, noon, Flight of the Sparrow, at the Plimoth Plantation Museum, 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, Massachusetts.   Author Amy Belding will explain her fictional account of Mary Rowlandson, who was kidnapped by a group of indigenous people in 1675.  She will discuss what is is like to write a fictional biograpy, and how she researched Rowlandson’s life.  $8 for non-members.

August 5, Friday, FREE Fun Fridays sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation at these Massachusetts museums:  The Old State House in Boston, the Springfield Museums, Historic Deerfield, the Hancock Shaker Village, The Old Manse in Concord, and the Worcester Historical Museum.

August 6, Saturday, 9am – 4:30pm, Filling in the Gaps:  Finding Your Family’s Role in American History, at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, Massachusetts.  Seminar only $65; Seminar and lunch $85.  Experts from NEHGS and the Scottish Rite Museum and Library will demonstrate how to determine your ancestor’s roles in local communities and in American history.  View a full agenda and register at this link: http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/filling-in-the-gaps-finding-your-familys-role-in-american-history?pass-through=true

August 6, Saturday, 10am – 1pm,  American Girl Doll Tea Party, at the Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, New Hampshire, Bring your doll and join us for a guided tour of the Millyard Museum through the eyes of an American Girl.  Followed by a tea party with refreshments and snacks. $10 per person.  Includes tour, lunch and craft.  Space is limited. Call 603-622-7531.

August 6, Saturday, Forefathers Family Fun Day, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  A multicultural celebration with food, dancing, music, crafts and fun for all ages.

August 6, Saturday, Salem Maritime Festival, at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, 193 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts. Come celebrate four centuries of Salem’s maritime heritage!

August 6, Saturday, 10am – 2pm, Old House Doctor, at the White Ellery House, 245 Washington Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts.   The Old House Doctor is sponsored by Historic New England and the Cape Ann Museum.  A drop in event, preservation experts can answer your questions about preventative maintenance, researching old homes, identifying the architectural style, choosing paint colors, and more.  Bring photos and questions for the experts. Pre-registration is not required.  $10 donation.  Call 617-994-6644 for more information.

August 6, Saturday, 6pm, The Bat:  Live Radio Mystery Theatre at the Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, Maine.  A presentation of a 1930s style radio mystery broadcast, complete with period actors, vintage commercials, and sound effects.  $10 Historic New England members, $15 nonmembers.  Bring a blanket, chair and picnic for your comfort and enjoyments.  Call 207-384-2454 for tickets and information.

August 8, Monday, 7pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms:  The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Camp Morgan Lodge, 339 Millen Pond Road, Washington, New Hampshire.  Presented by Steve Taylor.  Hosted by the Washington Historical Society and sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Free to the Public.  Call 603-495-3284 for more information.

August 9, Tuesday, 5:30 reception, 6:15 lecture, Twilight Talks:  The Triple Decker: New England’s Iconic Multi-Family Housing, at the Otis House, 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts. An illustrated lecture by Sally Zimmerman.  $10 Historic New England and Victorian Society members, $12 nonmembers. Registration recommended at 617-994-5920.

August 10, Wednesday, Appleton’s Jackson House, at the Jackson House, 76 Northwest Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  A special tour of the 1664 Jackson House, the oldest timber framed house in New Hampshire.  Light refreshments in the orchard.  Free to Historic New England members.  $10 to nonmembers.  Registration required 503-436-3205.

August 11, Thursday, 10:30am, Mary Todd Lincoln:  Wife and Widow, at the Plymouth Senior Center, 8 Depot Street, Plymouth, New Hampshire, presented by living historian Sally Mummey. Sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Free to the public.  Call 603-536-1204 for more information.

August 12, Friday, FREE Fun Fridays sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation at these Massachusetts museums:  The Concord Museum, the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, Naumkeag in Stockbridge

August 13, Saturday, 10 – noon, Walking Tour: New Century Neighborhood, please meet at the parking lot of the Brookside Congregational Church, on the corner of Elm Street and Clarke Street, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Learn more about the amazing mansions of North River Road and a controversial dump!  Led by local historians John Jordan and Dick Duckoff.  $5 Manchester Historic Association members, $10 to the General Public.  Pre-registration required, please call 603-622-7531. 

August 13, Saturday, noon, 1:30pm and 3pm, Cooper-Frost-Austin Public Tours, at 21 Linnaean Street, Cambridge, Massachustts.  Explore the rarely open 1681 house, the oldest dwelling in Cambridge.  Space is very limited and tours will sell out.  Free to Historic New England members, $5 nonmembers.  Call 617-994-6669 for tickets.   Repeated again on August 14, Sunday.

August 14, Sunday, noon – 3pm, Fifteenth Annual Phillips House Car Meet, at 34 Chestnut Street, Salem, Massachusetts.  Join Historic New England and the North Shore Old Car Club for this annual event.  See the Phillips family collection of carriages, two Pierce-Arrows and a Model A Ford.  FREE to the public. 

August 14, Sunday, Cooper-Frost-Austin Public Tours (see above)

August 16, Tuesday,  5:30 pm reception, 6:15pm lecture, Twilight Talks:  Going to Town: Shopping in Boston, at the Otis House, 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Author and historian Anthony Sanmarco will lecture on how downtown Boston evolved in the nineteenth century to become the permier shopping district in New England.  $10 for Historic New England and Victorian Society members, $12 for non members.   Call 617-994-5920 for tickets and information.

August 18, Thursday, 6pm,  A Woman That Keeps Good Order:  Women, Tavern Keeping, and Public Approval, at the Upper Valley Senior Center, 10 Campbell Street, Lebanon, New Hampshire, sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Historian Marcia Schmidt Blaine explored the world of colonial female tavern keepers.  For more information call 603-539-5799.  Free to the public.

August 18, Thursday, 7:30 pm, Immigrant Origins: Locating Your Ancestral Town, at the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, presented by genealogist Mary Tedesco.  www.bpl.org  Free and open to the public.

August 19, Friday, FREE Fun Fridays sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation at these Massachusetts museums:  the USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, and The New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston.

August 19, Friday, 4:30 – 8pm, Twilight Tours of Portsmouth, at both the Governor Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street and the Rundlet-May House, 364 Middle Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Advance tickets $18 adults, day of event tickets $20.  Tickets are good for admission to all nine houses in the tour.  See history in a new light- this year’s theme is “To Dine!” and will feature the dining rooms set for dinner.  Refreshments included.  Please call 603-436-3205 for advance tickets. 

August 20, Appraisal Day at NEHGS:  Learn more about your family heirlooms, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 - 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, sponsored by Skinner, Inc.  Cost $20 per item; limit three items per person.  Bring your favorite pieces to NEHGS to receive information and an appraisal value from the experts at Skinner, Inc.  Take a tour of the building, explore the exhibits, and enjoy light refreshments.  All proceeds to benefit NEHGS.  www.americanancestors.org 

August 20, Maine Highland Games, Topsham, Maine, sponsored by the St. Andrew’s Society of Maine.  Includes heavy athletics, heritage workshops and lectures, music and more.  http://mainehighlandgames.org/

August 20, Saturday, 1pm, Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: An American Idol, at the Franklin Pierce Homestead, 301 2^nd NH Highway, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, presented by Alan Hoffman, sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Call  603-529-7406 for more information.  Free to the public.

August 20, Sunday, 10am, Mount Hope Cemetery Tour, at Mount Hope Cemetery, 1048 State Street, Bangor, Maine.  Learn about some of Bangor’s famous and infamous residents during this 90 minute tour.

August 20 and 21,  Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am – 5pm,  Textile Weekend, at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  This year’s theme is 19^th century quilts.  Demonstrations, displays, and --- of handmade artifact and reproduction quits and quilted items such as petticoats, hoods, pockets and bed quilts. Paper piecing workshops for hexagonal quilts. Gallery talks.  1-800-733-1830 for more information.

August 20, 10am, Mount Hope Cemetery Tour, at Mount Hope Cemetery, 1048 State Street, Bangor, Maine.  Learn about some of Bangor’s famous and infamous residents during this 90 minute tour.

August 21, Sunday, 1pm, Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: An American Idol (see above)

August 21, Sunday, 11:30am, Runaway Wives:  When Colonial Marriages Failed, at the Deering Community Church, 763 Deering Center Road, Deering, New Hampshire, hosted by the Deering Community Church.  FREE to the public.  Marcia Schmidt Blaine explores the colonial marriage contract and the economic and social barriers for runaway wives.  For more information call 603-529-7764.

August 23, Tuesday, 7pm, The Family History World in 10 Years Time, a lecture by genealogist and blogger Dick Eastman, at the American Legion Post #129, 22 Elm Street, Gardner, Massachusetts.  sponsored by the Central Massachusetts Genealogical Society.  http://www.cmgso.org/  Guests welcome for a $2 donation. 

August 23, Tuesday, 6pm, Historic Bangor 101 Walking Tour, sponsored by the Bangor Historical Society, 159 Union Street, Bangor, Maine.  207-942-1900 for more information. 

August 24, Wednesday, 7pm,  The Music History of French Canadians, Franco-americans, Acadians and Cajuns, at the Quincy Bog Nature Center, 131 Quincy Bog Road, Rumney, New Hampshire.  Lucie Therrien follows the migration of French Canadians and the evolution of their tradition music.  FREE to the public.  For more information 603-786-2553.

August 26, Friday, FREE Fun Fridays sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation at these Massachusetts museums:  Old Sturbridge Village, The Freedom Trail Foundation in Boston, The Museum of African American History in Boston, and the Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum in Lenox.

August 26, Friday, 7pm, Outdoor Screening:  Woolworths: Remembering Haverhill’s Shopping District, at Goecke Park, 51 Merrimack Street, Haverhill, Massachusetts.  This film includes interviews with Haverhill residents who remember a vibrant shopping district in the center of the city.  FREE to the public.  617-994-5970 for more information.

August 27, Saturday, 1pm – 5pm, Naval Impressment: a 1765 Reenactment in Colonial Newport, at Washington Square, Perotti Park and the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House in Newport, Rhode Island.  Costumed interpreters will recreate a naval press gang incident.  For more information email Liz@newportrestoration.org

August 27, Saturday, 6:30pm, Native Legends: An Evening of Storytelling, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire.  603-826-5700 for more information.


September 5, Tuesday, 7pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms:  The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Moultonborough Historical Society Museum, 45 Main Street, Moutonborough, New Hampshire.  Steve Taylor presents how paupers were treated in these facilities and how reformers eventually succeeded in closing them down. FREE to the public.  Contact 603-279-4617.  

September 9 – 10, Western Massachusetts Genealogical Conference, details coming soon.

September 17,  Saturday, Maine Genealogical Society, 40^th Anniversary Conference, Keynote speaker will be Judy Russell, “The Legal Genealogist”, at Jeff’s Catering, Brewer, Maine, for more information see this link www.maineroots.org or MGS, Box 2062, Waterville, Maine, 04903

 September 24 and 25, Saturday and Sunday, The 12^th Annual Portsmouth Fairy House Tour,  Rain or shine, tickets go on sale in July, Advance ticket prices are $25 per family, $12 per adult, $8 seniors, $4 children ages 3 – 12.  In the historic South End Neighborhood of Portsmouth, the grounds of Strawbery Banke, the Governor John Langdon House and in Prescott Park.  You are invited to build your own fairy house on Peirce Island and to see “Fairy Houses – the Ballet” in Prescott Park on the Festival Stage. All proceeds benefit the organizations and community groups that make the Fairy House tour possible. http://www.portsmouthfairyhousetour.com/


October 15, Saturday,  Connecticut Society of Genealogists Seminar.  At the Four Points Sheraton, 275 Research Parkway, Meriden, Connecticut.  Come spend a day with Dick Eastman.  Open to the public.  See the flyer for more information and registration information:  http://www.csginc.org/pdf/event_261.pdf

October 22, Saturday, all day, The Battle of Red Horse Tavern, at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts.  This is an annual one-day Revolutionary War era battle re-enactment and fair.

April 2017, NERGC 2017, at the Mass Mutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "August 2016 Genealogy and Local History Event Calendar", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 30, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/august-2016-genealogy-and-local-history.html: accessed [access date]).

Happy Blogoversary, Nutfield Genealogy!

Happy 7th Blogversary to me!

The very first blog post written for Nutfield Genealogy was published on July 27, 2009 and it was titled "Hawaii - The Boston Connection to a Royal Lineage".  I wrote it days before this date, but hemmed and hawed about going "live" online with my family history.  Finally I got up the nerve to push the button - and a blog was born!

I never thought that when I started this blog I would still be writing posts seven years later.  I saw this as an experiment. I thought I could take the past 30 years worth of research and turn it into stories.  Maybe my Mom and a few cousins would read the blog.  I certainly never expected to meet so many "new-to-me" cousins, or to have so many guest bloggers, or to find myself researching new ideas to support my old research just for blogging purposes.  Wow!

Another big surprise is Weathervane Wednesday.  I have rarely missed posting a weather vane photo and story on a Wednesday in the past five years.  Today is a rare exception.  I've posted 269 weathervane stories, and have pre-published weathervanes up through early 2017 (thanks to a few "guest weathervane spotters"!).  I never expected Weathervane Wednesday to turn into such a feature on my blog.

Here are a few statistics on Nutfield Genealogy:

1,728,734   total pageviews!
283             followers on Blogger  (another 137 on Networked Blogs)
2214           published posts
4559           comments
59,394        readers in the month of April 2015 (a record for me!)

57              Amanuensis Monday posts
23              Black History posts
47              Civil War posts
22              Family Reunion posts
7                Guest bloggers
118            Historic Sites posts
58              posts about Queen Lili'uokalani
43              posts mentioning NEHGS
20              posts mentioning NERGC
80              Revolutionary War posts
50              posts about genealogical serendipity
228            Surname Saturday posts
75              posts about technology
14              Thanksgiving posts
307            Tombstone Tuesday posts
269            Weathervane Wednesday posts
51              Wordless Wednesday photos
30              posts about World War II

I love your blog comments, your email and your discussions on Facebook.  Thank you for being one of my readers.  Please continue to send your notes, photos, comments, suggestions and weather vane photos!  And your cousin connections!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy Blogoversary Nutfield Genealogy!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 27 July 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/happy-blogoversary-nutfield-genealogy.html:  accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Jean HOLLAND, died 1768 in Londonderry (now Derry), New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.

HERE LYES THE BODY

OF JEAN HOLLAND

DAUGHTER TO STEPH^N

HOLLAND AND

JEAN HOLLAND DE-

PARTED THIS LIFE JANRY

10^TH 1768 AGED 7 MONTHS

7 DAYS

Stephen Holland was born about 1733 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.  He was a member of Roger’s Rangers and was wounded at the battle of Fort William Henry and wounded again at the battle of Quebec.  He received a pension for her service and wounds, and removed to Londonderry and lived on a plot of land in East Derry across from the present day First Parish Church.  Colonel Holland opened a tavern here.

He married Jane/Jean Stinson around 1751 and they had nine children live to adulthood.  Jane/Jean is the only one buried in Derry (then known as Londonderry, New Hampshire). 

In 1773 the town of Londonderry proclaimed allegiance to Governor Wentworth, an appointed Royal Governor during the midst of pre Revolutionary War unrest. Holland was suspected of being the author of this proclamation. When the town of Londonderry called a town meeting to send delegates to the Exeter Congress that same year, Holland, as Justice of the Peace, ordered the meeting closed.  Holland was a very unpopular man while the rest of Londonderry’s inhabitants were patriots. Some suspected that Holland was a British spy.

To save face Holland stood up at a town meeting in 1775 and proclaimed his allegiance to the patriot cause.  The men at the meeting voted they were “satisfactory for his conduct” and a month later they elected him as moderator in place of the usual moderator, Matthew Thornton, who was at the Provincial Congress.  On June 18, 1775 Holland secretly went to the seacoast to recruit a militia of 200 men to assist the British.  He even signed the Association Test in 1776, which swore allegiance to George Washington.  He had fooled the town one more time!

Later, in 1778, he was found out and his property was confiscated and sold by the Committee of Safety.  On the same day the following other men were banished, too:  Richard Holland, John Davidson, James Fulton, Thomas Smith, and Dennis O’Hala.   There was a Captain Stephen Holland in the Prince of Wale’s American Volunteers in 1782.  His final burial place is unknown (and probably not in the Derry or Londonderry area!) 

You can read more about Colonel Stephen Holland “Spy Master” at this link to an article written by Richard Holmes, the Derry Town Historian:  http://www.londonderrynh.net/2014/08/stephen-holland-spy-master/75199

The recantation of Stephen Holland:  http://amarch.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/niu-amarch%3A83278

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Jean HOLLAND, died 1768 in Londonderry (now Derry), New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted  July 26, 2016, (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/tombstone-tuesday-jean-holland-died.html: accessed [access date]).  

Transcription of an Early Nutfield Map

Last week I published a blog post about the first plots of land granted to families in Nutfield.  It was an extremely popular post, generating over 1000 hits in just a few days.  There were lots of comments on Facebook and email about the early Nutfield families and their surnames.  A reader asked about the names on the map I used to illustrate this post.  This map was taken from Willey’s Book of Nutfield.  She couldn’t read the tiny handwriting and she wanted to know the names.  Below I will transcribe the names from this map.

On the left side of the map (South):

James and John Doak. Nutfield.

Sixty Acres laid out Sept. 29, 1720

Recorded Oct 1, 1720

Henry Green. Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded October 8, 1722

Abel Merrill. Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Robert Doak.  Nutfield

Alexander Walker. Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded Dec.ber. 9, 1725

Alexander Walker. Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded Dec.ber 9, 1725

John Clark.  Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded Dec. 25, 1720

James Anderson.  Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded March 2, 1721

James Alexander.  Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out Feb. 1719

Recorded Nov. 5, 1720

James Morrison. Nutfileld

Sixty acres laid out Feb. 1719

Recorded Nov. 5, 1720

John Mitchell. Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out 1720

Recorded May 24, 1721

Archilbald Clendennen.  Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out March 15, 1719

Recorded April 4, 1729

John Barnard.  Nutfield

Sixty acres laid out March 15, 1719

Recorded April 4, 1720

James McKeen and Sons.  Nutfield

One hundred and twenty six acres

Laid out August 5, 1719

Recorded July 20, 1720

Jonathan Tyler. Nutfield

Forty-five acres

Laid out Sept 20, 1720

Recorded Sept. 28, 1720

Down the middle of the map are a road and a brook running north to south

The road is labeled “Road laid out by the selectmen June 1, 1723”

The brook is labeled “West running brook along which the first sixteen families settled”

To the right of the brook (North) are two parcels.  The western parcel is labeled “John McConoghy. Sixty acres laid out in Nutfield 1720.  Recorded Feb. 15, 1722”  and the other is labeled “Common Field”

Next, to the north are plots laid out west to east:

James Gregg

Two lots of sixty acres each

Laid out in Nutfield 1720

Recorded July 13, 1720

John Gregg

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield March 1720

Recorded July 13, 1720

James Clark

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield 1720

Recorded Dec. 25, 1720

James Nesmith

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield Feb. 5, 1720

Recoded Oct. 4, 1720

Revd. James McGregor

Sixty acres in Nutfield

Laid out in 1720

Recorded March 24, 1720

Allen Anderson

Robert Wear

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield Aug.  1719

Recorded July 20, 1720

John Morrison

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield March 1720

Recorded July 20, 1720

Samuel Allison

Sixty acres laid out in

Nutfield 1720

Recorded March 22, 1720

Thomas Steele

John Stewart

Fifty one acres laid out in

Nutfield 1720

Recorded Feb. 25, 1722

Across the map running south to north is a road labeled “Road laid out June 1, 1723”

There is a road running north of the brook labeled “Road laid out Oct. 23, 1723”

North of the plots of land are several landmarks labeled “Beaver River and Meadow”,  “Gristmill”,  “Sawmill” June 7, 1719” and  “Meeting house January 11, 1720”

At the top of the map is a compass and a label that reads:

“Prepared and drawn

By Revd. J. G. MacMurphy

All rights reserved”

And a  line labeled “one hundred rods” for scale.

You can find the recordings of these plots of land in the book Early Records of the Town of Londonderry, Windham and Derry, NH. 1719 – 1745, edited by George Waldo Brown, Manchester, NH:  Manchester Historic Association, 1914.  For example on pages 20 and 21 you can see the following entry for Jonathan Tyler’s plot of land:

Nutfield septem ye 20^th 1720

Laid out to Jonathan Tyler by order of the Comity of Nutfield afore said a Lott of Land Containing fourty five acres which is to made up sixty acres in the first draught of the Common Lands buted and bounded as followeth beginning at the nor west Corner at a stake and heep of stons from then runing a due south line by marked tres and Joyning all the way upon mr Mc Keens Lott unto Leverets farm from thence running a due east line thirty Rhod to the bounds first mentioned to gather with an intrest in the Common or undevided Lands within the said township equal to oather lotts in said Town

James mc Keen

James Gregg

Samu Graves

Robart Wear

John Moreson

John Goffe

      Commite

Recorded this 28 September 1720  Pr John Goffe Town Clerke

 To make this map easier to read I have rotated it 45 degrees from the original view so that the handwriting can be read from left to right.  You can also download the map (which is a JPG file) and then zoom in to read the handwriting.  This map is from page 8 of Willey's Book of Nutfield, by George Frankly Willey, 1869, which can be read online at this link:

https://archive.org/details/willeysbookofnut00will

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Transcription of an Early Nutfield Map", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 25, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/transcription-of-early-nutfield-map.html:  accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ FISKE of Salem, Wenham and Chelmsford, Massachusetts

FISKE, FISK

John Fiske, my 9^th great grandfather, was born in South Elmham, Suffolk, England and attended King’s College in Cambridge where he studied medicine and received a diploma in 1625.  He married Ann Gipps and removed to Massachusetts in 1637 on board the Mary Ann, with his wife, two sisters, mother (who died at sea) and younger brother, William.  

John Fiske first taught grammar school in Cambridge, and then in Salem where one of his students was the young Sir George Downing (my 9^th great grand uncle, sister to my ancestress Lucy Downing (1625 – 1697) wife of William Norton).   George Downing became minister for Cromwell and Charles II,  and he owned the house at which is now the  famous #10 Downing Street, residence of the Prime Minister.

His first three children were born in Salem, and then he removed to Enon (now the town of Wenham) where he was ordained there as the first minister in 1644.  His daughter Ann, my 8^th great grandmother, was the first child to be baptized there in 1646.  He later removed to Chelmsford to be the first minister there in 1655.  His wife, Ann, died before him in 1672 and he remarried to Elizabeth, the widow of Edmund Henchman. 

Ann, his daughter, in 1677 married Capt. John Brown of Reading as his first (of three) wives. His third wife was Elizabeth (Bulkley) Emerson, who was also my 8^th great grandmother, wife of Reverend Joseph Emerson (1620 – 1680), a minister at Ipswich, York, and Wells, Maine.   Ann and John Brown had a daughter, Mary (1678 – 1740), who married Peter Emerson (1673 – 1751), the son of Elizabeth and Joseph Emerson.   Peter had been raised by John Brown as an orphan, and married his stepsister.

More FISKE resources:

“Genealogical Research in England: The Fiske Family”, by G. Andrews Moriarty, New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Volume 86 (1932), pages 406 -35 and Volume 87 (1933), pages 141 – 46, pages 217 – 224,  and pages 367 – 374 and Volume 88 (1934) pages 142 – 146, pages 265 – 273, pages    (The English origins of the ancestors of Rev. John Fiske)

Genealogical Dictionary of New England, by James Savage,  Volume 2

The Notebook of Reverend John Fiske:  1644 – 1675, edited by Robert G. Pope, 1974

Fiske and Fisk Family, Being the record of the descendants of Symond Fiske, lord of the manor of Stadhaugh, Suffolk County, England, from the time of Henry IV to date, including all the American members of the family, compiled by Frederick C. Pierce, 1896,  also available online at archive.org

My FISKE genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Fiske, son of John Fiske and Anne Lawter, baptized 20 March 1608 at St. James, South Elmham, Suffolk, England, and died 14 January 1677 at Chelmsford, Massachusetts;  married first to Ann Gipps; married second on 1 August 1673 in Chelmsford to Elizabeth Unknown, widow of Edmund Henchman. Six children with Ann.

Generation 2: Anna Fiske, born 15 January 1646 in Wenham, died 30 May 1681 in Reading, Massachusetts; married on 30 May 1677 in Chelmsford to John Brown, so of Nicholas Brown and Elizabeth Unknown.  He was born about 1634 in Malford, Worcestershire, England and died 12 March 1717 in Reading. Two children.

Generation 3:  Mary Brown m. Peter Emerson

Generation 4:  Brown Emerson m. Sarah Townsend

Generation 5: John Emerson m. Katherine Eaton

Generation 6: Romanus Emerson m. Jemima Burnham

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

Generation 10: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ FISKE of Salem, Wenham and Chelmsford, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 23, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/surname-saturday-fiske-of-salem-wenham.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Vroom! Vroom!

It's Weathervane Wednesday!

I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane is from a reader, and it was photographed in New Hampshire.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #269?  Scroll down to find the answer.

Once again, genealogy blogger June Stearns Butka has found an interesting weather vane to feature for Weathervane Wednesday!  This time she found this whimsical chopper atop a residence in Atkinson, New Hampshire.  If you look closely you will see that this residence actually has two weathervanes.  The other one is an eagle above the main house.  The chopper cycle is above the garage.

I love this three dimensional chopper.  I've seen several motorcycle weather vanes and featured them here on my blog, but this is the first chopper.  It has a modified long front end, just like in the movie "Easy Rider".  My guess is that someone who lives here, or who lived here in the past, was a real enthusiast of motorcycles and perhaps they even owned a chopper! 

Thanks again, June!

June Stearns Butka's genealogy blog https://damegussie.wordpress.com/   

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Vroom!  Vroom!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 20, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/weathervane-wednesday-vroom-vroom.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Susan Julia (Morrison) Cutting (1807- 1831) of Derry, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.

SUSAN JULIA

Wife of

MR. LEWIS CUTTING

Who died

Sep. 25, 1831

AEt. 24

A wife so true, there are but few,

And difficult to find;

A wife more just, and true to trust

There is not left behind.

B. DAY;  LOWELL.

Susan Julia Morrison was born in Derry; married in 1830 in Lowell, Massachusett to Lewis Cutting, son of John Cutting and Cynthia Warren  He was born 29 August 180 in Weston, Massachusetts and died 26 August 1889 in San Francisco, California.  Susan  was only 24 years old when she was buried here at Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, and left one child, Lewis Morrison Cutting, who removed from Derry to Stockton, California.  Her husband was an overseer at the Hamilton Mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.   Descendants of Susan are eligible for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution because her great great grandfather was John Morrison (1749 – 1840), present at the Battle of Bunker Hill under Captain George Reid and Colonel John Stark of Londonderry.  She was a descendant of John Morrison, an emigrant from Aberdeen, Scotland. 

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~npmelton/sjbcutt.htm  is a link to a biography of Lewis Morrison Cutting.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~  Susan Julia (Morrison) Cutting (1807- 1831) of Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted  July 19, 2016,  (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/tombstone-tuesday-susan-julia-morrison.html: accessed [access date]).

First grant of land in Nutfield, June 1719

A lot map of Nutfield from Willey's Book of Nutfield

Nutfield, June 1719

Laid out by order of the Commite of the above said town to William Humphery a Lott of Land in said Town Containing sixty acres and is bounded as followeth begining at a pine tree marked at the west corner at the hed of a Greit swamp from thence running east south east to a birtch tree marked standing in the swamp and so Continuing the same coarse to a stake standing by haverill line Joyning all the way upon Alexander Nickols lott from thence runin north as haverhil line runs unto a Chestnut tree marked standing by the afore said Haverhil line from thence runing south west to a greit dry chestnut tree marked and so continuing the sam line to a log bridg and ash tree Joyning John Bars lott and from south thence to the bounds first mentioned* to gather with an intrest in the common or undivided lands within said Township equall to oather Lotts in said Town.

                                            David Cargill
                                            James Gregg
                                            Samll Graves
                                            John mcneel
                                            Hew mnt Gumery
                                            John Goffe
                                                          Commite

Recorded this 10th of January: 1720/21
                                            Pr John Goffe Town Clerke

*Written over the last four words is the statement "Alexander Nikolses Lott"

transcribed from Early Records of the Town of Londonderry, Windham and Derry, N.H. 1719 - 1745, edited by George Waldo Brown, Manchester, NH: Manchester Historic Association, 1914.

-------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "First grant of land in Nutfield, June 1719", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 18, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/first-grant-of-land-in-nutfield-june.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ AYER of Salisbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts

AYER, EYRE, AYRES, and other variations (The Essex Antiquarian article listed below* has 29 spelling variations found in New England records).

My 10^th great grandfather was John Ayer, whose arrival in New England is unknown despite the fact that several online and print sources claim he arrived on the Mary Anne in 1637 or the James in 1635.  He is not listed on the passenger lists of either ship.  John married a Hannah, maiden name unknown, around 1620 somewhere in England and they removed to Salisbury, Massachusetts about 1637.   He is on a list (undated) of men who were granted land in the first division of Colchester (renamed Salisbury).  His youngest child, Hannah (my 9^th great grandmother) is the only Ayer child of John’s listed in the Salisbury vital records.  She was born 21 December 1644.

In 1645 John and his son, John Jr., owned land in Haverhill, Massachusetts in an area now known as Ayers Village.  They were both made Freemen at Ipswich on “4^th day 9^th month 1645” ( 4 October 1645). 

Some people claim that John’s wife Hannah was a Webb or an Everard.  There is no proof that she is a sister of John Everard alias Webb.  She is not listed in his will even though she was alive when the will was proved.  Her children were listed as cousins and as the children of John Ayer, so there is a possible kinship somewhere.   The Ayer family is not listed on the James, which brought John and Stephen Everard from England.  You can read more about John Everard alias Webb at the website http://www.webbdeiss.org/webb/johnwebb_aliasevered.html by Jonathan Webb Deiss.  This website has a great list of sources.

John and Hannah Ayer’s daughter married Nathan Parker and was living in Ipswich.  She was hanged for witch craft on 22 September 1692 during the Salem witch hysteria. 

There are several famous AYER descendants including Laura Ingalls Wilder and President Gerald R. Ford.  A locally famous descendant, James Cook Ayer (1818 – 1878) was the namesake of the town of Ayer, Massachusetts.  He was the brother of the wealthy industrialist Frederick Ayer (1822 – 1918) and grandfather of Beatrice Banning Ayer, wife of General George S. Patton. 

Some AYER resources:

Ayer is not listed in the Great Migration series, so we know that Anderson did not consider John Ayer as a passenger on the James.  Besides the vital records, court records, and the usual Genealogical Dictionary of New England by Savage or Pioneers of Massachusetts by Pope there are two other good sources for more information on the Ayer family.

* “The Ayer Genealogy”, in The Essex Antiquarian, October 1900, Volume IV, No. 10, pages 145 – 150 (available online at www.americanancestors.org for members of NEHGS).

The Ayer Genealogy “Descendants of the Immigrant John Ayer of Haverhill, Massachusetts” compiled by Janson Ayer  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ayergenealogy/index.html

My AYER Genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Ayer, born about 1582 and died 31 March 1657 in Haverhill, Massachusetts; married about 1620 in England to Hannah Unknown. She was born about 1598 and died 8 October 1688 in Haverhill.  Nine children.

Generation 2: Hannah Ayer, born 21 December 1644 in Haverhill; married on 24 March 1662/3 in Haverhill to Stephen Webster as his first wife.  Six children.  He remarried to Judith, widow of William Broad. 

Generation 3: Abigail Webster m. Samuel Berry

Generation 4: Jotham Berry m. Mary Bates

Generation 5: Rachel Berry m. Ithamar Mace

Generation 6: Abigail Mace m. Simon Locke

Generation 7: Richard Locke m. Margaret Welch

Generation 8: Abigail M. Locke m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katharine Emerson

Generation 10: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ AYER of Salisbury and Haverhill, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 16, 2016,  (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/surname-saturday-ayer-of-salisbury-and.html:  accessed [access date]).

First Communion Photos from Spain over the years

During travel to visit Vincent's family in Spain I have seen many first communion ceremonies in the local churches.  The girls always wear the traditional white dresses and veils, but it is interesting to see that the boys dress all in variations of sailor outfits.

Here are some old photos from the Garcia family photo albums of these interesting first communion outfits.

1940s, this is Vincent's first cousin once removed

Early 1960s, Vincent's second cousin

Around 1970

Early 1990s

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "First Communion Photos from Spain over the years", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 15, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/first-communion-photos-from-spain.html:  accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Pet Hospital

It's Weathervane Wednesday!

I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane is from a reader, and it was photographed in an original Nutfield town.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #268?  Scroll down to find the answer.

Today's weathervane was photographed by June Stearns Butka, a genealogy blogger from Merrimack, New Hampshire.  She has helped me find some great weather vanes in the past.  This is one from Derry, New Hampshire located atop a cupola above the Derry Animal Hospital on Tsienneto Road.   Their website says that the Derry Animal Hospital has been here since 1967, and accredited since 1972.

This is a finely detailed three dimensional horse and buggy.  The horses legs and the wheels of the buggy are very delicate.  I love the look of the vehicle in motion, with all four of the horse's hooves in the air.  It's a very whimsical weathervane, and appropriate for the animal hospital.  Thanks, June!


The Derry Animal Hospital website:   http://derryanimalhospital.com/

June Stearns Butka's genealogy blog:  https://damegussie.wordpress.com/

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Pet Hospital", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 13, 2016, (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/weathervane-wednesday-above-pet-hospital.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ David and Martha Deming, Wethersfield, Connecticut

This tombstone was photographed at the Ancient Burial Ground in Wethersfield, Connecticut

In Memory                  In Memory

of Lievt.                  of Mrs. Mar

David                    tha wife of

Deming he               Lievt. David

died Febr. ye 17           Deming.   She

1777 in ye 75              died Septr ye 7

Year of                     1763 in ye 62

his Age.              Year of

                             her Age.

I love double tombstones.  This one has souls with heads shaped like light bulbs, close set eyes and a distinctive bulbous nose I've only seen in Wethersfield.  Other soul's head noses seen in this same burial ground are triangles.  Very peculiar, don't you think? 

---------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~  David and Martha Deming, Wethersfield, Connecticut", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 12, 2016, (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/tombstone-tuesday-david-and-martha.html: accessed [access date]).