Weathervane Wednesday ~ On a building at a prep school

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 was photographed in Connecticut.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #274?  Scroll down to find the answer.

This quill weathervane was photographed at the Founders Hall building at the Loomis Chaffee prep school in Windsor, Connecticut.  I never would have seen this building and it's weathervane except for the fact that we were searching for the Loomis homestead of my 10th great grandfather, Joseph Loomis.  We found his homestead, still standing, right next to Founders Hall.

I have also seen quill weather vanes at other schools, most notably at the former Adams Female Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. It's a very appropriate weather vane for a school building.  This one is very simple, but noticeable from a great distance.

The Loomis Homestead, circa 1640

The Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, Connecticut  http://www.loomischaffee.org/

Click here to view the quill weathervane at the former Adams Female Academy, another famous New England school:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/11/weathervane-wednesday-very-historical.html


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ On a building at a prep school", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 31, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/weathervane-wednesday-on-building-at.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ William Wilson, buried 1773 in Derry, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire. At the time of burial, 1773, this was the town of Londonderry.

HERE LYES THE BODY OF

MR. WILLIAM WILSON  HE

DIED JULY 30 1773 IN THE

22d  YEAR OF HIS AGE.

This little tombstone is a great example of the early Scots Irish carving often seen in this cemetery in Derry, and in some of the early cemeteries in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  The simple symbols at the top and sides of the tombstone are very typical.   I've seen celtic knots, geometric shapes, and here is the heart and coffin.   Does anyone know the symbolism of the upside-down heart?   Is this gravestone attributable to stone carver John Wight? 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ William Wilson, buried 1773 in Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 30, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/tombstone-tuesday-william-wilson-buried.html: accessed [access date]).

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

My parents were married on 29 August 1958 in Hamilton, Massachusetts at the Christ Episcopal Church on Asbury Street.  This building is still there, although now it is the little chapel and a larger sanctuary was built in the early 1960s.

Mr and Mrs. John W. Wilkinson

My parents were married the year there were ten tropical storms.  The morning of the wedding Hurricane Daisy passed within 70 miles of Nantucket.  In Hamilton there was wind and rain, but no major damage.  The power went out but came back in time for the ceremony and reception. My mom wanted a candle lit ceremony and the church didn't allow it, but it might have happened if the power stayed out!  Meanwhile, Hurricane Ella was already forming in the Caribbean, and headed to Texas that same week.  Less than a month later Hurricane Helene hit New England and Nova Scotia, causing major damage along the coast.

Mom and Dad's wedding reception was held at the United Shoe Machinery Corporation Country Club in Beverly.  This was where Mom's father worked, and where my Dad's father's worked, too, right across the street.  This facility still exists, but it is now the public golf course for the city of Beverly, Massachusetts.  "The Shoe" or USMC is now the Cummings Center, an office park.

Left to right:  

Stanley and Gertrude Allen (my Mom's parents), Mr. and Mrs. John W. Wilkinson (just married!),  Bertha and Donald Wilkinson (my Dad's parents)

My parents in the 1980s

from the church directory portrait book, 

First Congregational Church, Holden, Massachusetts

Dad passed away in 2002.

The 1958 Tropical Storms at Wikipedia:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1958_Atlantic_hurricane_season

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 29, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/happy-anniversary-mom-and-dad.html: accessed [access date]).

September 2016 Genealogy and Local History Calendar

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

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September 2, Friday, noon, Using and Evaluating Mug Books, part of the First Friday Lecture series at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Nebury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Presented by Lindsay Fulton, director of research services.  Register here: http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/using-and-evaluating-mug-books

September 3, Saturday, 9:30am,  Hands-on Workshop: Preservation of the Joseph Chase Smith Burial Ground,  off Route 104 in Meredith, New Hampshire (see the link for directions and more information) sponsored by the New Hampshire Old Graveyard Association.  Bring water, snacks, and bug spray (also gloves and a shovel). http://www.nhoga.com/newsletters/2016/2016NHOGA_News%20Fall.pdf   

September 3, Saturday, 6pm, Devil’s Half Acre Walking Tour,  meetup at the Bangor Historical Society, 159 Union Street, Bangor, Maine.  This tour shines a light on Bangor’s wicked side and tells the tale of saloons and brothels.   For more information call 207-942-1900.  Repeated on September 15^th.

September 4, Sunday, 1 - 4pm, Brickwall Meeting at the American Canadian Genealogical Society, 4 Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Email your brickwall problems to acgs@acgs.org a few days prior to the event.  For more information see www.acgs.org    

September 5, Monday, 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 6, Tuesday, 7pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms:  The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Meredith Historical Society Museum, 45 Meredith, 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.  Call 603-279-4617 for more information.

September 7, Wednesday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, at 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston.  10am.  Free to the public.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library and resources following the tour. No registration necessary.

September 8, Thursday, 7pm, Witches, Pop Culture and the Past, at the Lane Tavern, 520 Sanborn Road, Route 132, Sanbornton, New Hampshire, hosted by the Sanbornton Historical Society.  FREE to the public.  Robin DeRosa explains that when Salem, Massachusetts tells its witch stories history, tourism and performance collide.  Call 603-286-4596 for more information.

September 8, Thursday,  7:30pm, A Visit with Abraham Lincoln, at the Holderness Historical Society, Curry Place, US Route 3, Holderness, New Hampshire.  President Lincoln, portrayed by Steve Wood, begins this program by recounting his early life, and ends with a reading of the “Gettysburg Address”.  Call 603-968-7066 for more information.  Free to the Public.

September 9, Friday, 1:30pm, DNA Genealogy, Part 2 , at the Rogers memorial Library, 194 Derry Road, Hudson, New Hampshire.  Sponsored by the Genealogy Club, and presented by Dr. Sandy Murray. Free to the public. For more information see www.rodgerslibrary.org or call 603-886-6030

September 9, Friday,  9am – 4:45pm, Star Island Tour, held on the Isles of Shoals, sponsored by the New Hampshire Historical Society,  a grand tour of Star Island and the 140 year old Oceanic Hotel, listed on the 2015 Preservation Aliance’s “Seven to Save” list.    The tour starts with an hour long ferry ride from Portsmouth and includes lunch in the hotel dining room.  Tour choices include: history of the island, current preservation efforts to save historic structures, behind the scenes at the resort, and the island’s environmental sustainability.  $75 for members of the New Hampshire Historical Society or Star Island Corporation, $100 non-members.  Contact Wendy Olcott at 603-856-0621 or wolcot@nhhistory.org.  Register before September 1, 2016 to save your spot.

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

September 10, Saturday, 2pm, Windham Museum Host's Book Signing with a Local Author, at the Armstrong Building, Fellows Road, Windham, New Hampshire.  Derek Saffie, author of Historic Tales of Windham will discuss and sign his new book. Books can be ordered by downloading the order form at this link: http://www.windhamnewhampshire.com/content/about-museum   Mr. Saffie is a native of Windham, a trustee of the Windham Museum, and a member of the Windham Historic District/Heritage Commission.  

September 10, Saturday, 10am, Mount Hope Cemetery – Original Tour, at the Mount Hope Cemetery, 1048 State Street, Bangor, Maine.  Learn little known facts about some of Bangor’s famous and infamous residents.  Sponsored by the Bangor Historical Society, call 207- 942-1900 for more information.

September 10, Saturday, 10am, Downtown Peterborough Walking Tour, meetup at the Monadnock Center for History and Culture, 19 Grove Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire.  Free to the public.  Call 603-924-3235 for more information.

September 10, 2pm and again at 3pm, Saturday, Guided Gallery Tour of the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire.  Included with the price of paid admission to the Historical Society.  See everything from a 500 years old dugout canoe to a 1972 Ski-doo.  Appropriate for visitors of all ages.

September 11, Sunday,  11:30am, Family Stories: How and Why to Remember and Tell Them, at the Deering Community Church, 763 Deering Center Road, Deering, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Deering Community Church.  Free to the public.  Storyteller Jo Radner shares foolproof ways to mine memories and interview relatives for meaningful stories.  Participants will practice finding, developing and telling their own tales. Call 603-529-7764 for more information.

September 13, Tuesday, George Washington Spied Here:  Spies and Spying in the American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783) at the Elkins Public Library,  9 Center Road, Canterbury, New Hampshire.  A multi media presentation by Douglas Wheeler. Free to the public.  Call 603-783-4386 for more information.

September 13, Tuesday, 1pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Ashland School Cafeteria, 16 Education Drive, Ashland, 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. Call 603-968-7716 for more information.

September 14, Wednesday, 6:30pm,  Unfreedom:  Slavery and Dependence in Eighteenth Century Boston, at the Old North Church, 193 Salem Street, Boston, Massachusetts, hosted by the Old North Foundation.  This is a lecture and book signing by author Jared Hardesty.  FREE with registration here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/old-north-speaker-series-jared-hardesty-unfreedom-slavery-and-dependence-in-18th-c-boston-tickets-27072881718?ref=ebtn

September 15, Saturday, 5:30pm, Devil’s Half Acre Walking Tour,  meetup at the Bangor Historical Society, 159 Union Street, Bangor, Maine.  This tour shines a light on Bangor’s wicked side and tells the tale of saloons and brothels.   For more information call 207-942-1900. 

September 15, Saturday, 6pm, Meet the Lighthouse Families of Boston Harbor, Yesterday and Today,  a lecture at the Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts by Jeremy D’Entremont and Suzanne Gall Marsh.  FREE to the public.  Call 617-482-6439 for more information.

September 15 – 17, New York State Family History Conference, at the Holiday Inn Syracuse, 441 Electronics Parkway, Liverpool, New York.  http://www.nysfhc.org/ 

September 15, Thursday, 1:30pm, The Music History of the French Canadians, Franco Americans, Acadians and Cajuns.  At the Rodgers Memorial Library,  194 Derry Road, Hudson, New Hampshire.  Presented by Lucie Therrien.  Call 603-886-6030 for more information.  Free to the public.

September 15, Thursday, 7pm, Runaway Wives:  When Colonial Marriages Failed, at the Piermont Old Church Building, 130 Route 10, Piermont, New Hampshire.  Present by Marcia Schmidt Blaine, who describes the surprisingly enduring economic and social barriers to runaway wives.  Free to the public.  Call the Piermont Public Library for more information.

September 15, Thursday, 7pm, Vanished Veterans – NH’s Civil War Monuments and Memorials, at the Blaisdell Memorial Library,  129 Stage Road, Nottingham, New Hampshire.  Presented by George Morrison.  Free to the public.  Contact 603-679-8484 for more information.

September 16, Friday, 12 noon, Ratification of the Constitution in New Hampshire, at the American Independence Museum, 1 Governor’s Lane, Exeter, New Hampshire.  Presented by Jere Daniel.  Free to the public. Bring a lunch.

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 17, Saturday, 10am – noon, Walking Tour: The Victorian North End, please meet at the Goodwin Funeral Home parking lot, 607 Chestnut Street on the corner of Harrison Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. See the mansions of Manchester’s successful citizens, including the Straw mansion, the fairgrounds and trotting park, and the site of Webster General Hospital.  Led by local historians John Jordan and Dick Duckoff.  $5 Manchester Historic Association members, $10 general public.  Please pre-register at 603-622-7531.

September 17, Saturday, 1:30pm, Want to Join the DAR?  SAR? Mayflower Society? Early Jamestown Settlers? Etc., at the Connecticut Society of Genealogists Library, 175 Maple Street, East Hartford, Connecticut.  $20 per session, open to the public but please pre-register at 860-569-0002 or csginc@csginc.org

September 17, Saturday, noon, Three Sheets to the Wind – Sea Shanties at the Meeting House, at the Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free with admission to the museum.  Don’t miss the Gloucester based group Three Sheets to the Wind perform traditional sea shanties in a concert for all ages.

September 19, Monday noon – September 21, Wednesday, noon, Wings of Freedom at the Manchester Airport, an exhibit of historic aircraft on the tarmack, with walk through tours, and flights.  Call 978-562-9182 for flight reservations.  No reservations needed for tours.  Organized by the New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society, 27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, New Hampshire. Adults $12 and children  ages 12 and under are $6.

September 20, Tuesday, 6pm,  A Conversation with Stacy Schiff on "The Witches: Salem 1692" moderated by Brenton Simons of NEHGS, at the Rabb Hall at Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts.  Brenton will interview Pulitizer prize winning historian and author Stacy Schiff on her bestseller.  The discussion will be followed by a book signing.  Free to the public. 

September 20, Tuesday, 11am, Abraham and Mary Lincoln:  The Long and the Short of It, at the Carroll County Adult Education,  680 White Mountain Highway, Tamworth, New Hampshire.  Living historians Steve and Sharon Wood portray President and Mrs. Lincoln.  Free to the public. For more information 603-323-5100. 

September 21, Wednesday, Book Event: The Boston Castrato, at NEHGS, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by author Colin W. Sargent, book sales and signing to follow.  Free to the public.  Please register here: http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/book-event-the-boston-castrato

September 23, Friday, 12:15 – 1pm, Middays at the Meeting House:  Restoring Historic Graves Lighthouse, at the Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Owners Lynn and Dave Waller with share the colorful 110 year history of Graves Lighthouse.  $6 admission.  Call 617-481-6439 for more information.

September 23, Friday, 6:30pm, Norman Rockwell is Calling, at the New Hampshire Telephone Museum, One Depot Street, Warner, New Hampshire.  Join Tom Daly, curator of education for the Norman Rockwell Museum, as he tells tales of Rockwell’s work that feature the telephone to add to the story.  Free to the public.  Wine and cheese.  Call 603-456-2234 for more information.

September 24, Saturday, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 -101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library following the tour.  No registration is necessary.

September 24, Saturday, The American Canadian Genealogical Society Fall Conference and Annual Meeting, at the Puritan Restaurant, Pappas Room, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Annual meeting, speakers, buffet breakfast and lunch.  See the website for more information www.acgs.org

September 24, Saturday, 2pm, Collections Highlights Talk: Political Cartoons in the Presidential Election of 1852, at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire.  Join director of collections Wesley Balla for a talk about the 1852 campaign when New Hampshire native son Franklin Pierce ran for president.  Free with admission to the Historical Society.

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/

September 24, Saturday, 10am – 4:30pm, A Day Devoted to 18^th Century Medicine, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire.  Included with admission to the Fort.  For more information call 603-826-5700. 

September 24, Saturday, 10am – 4pm,  Museum Day Live!    Free admission for two people to many museums across the USA, sponsored by Smithsonian magazine.   Download your ticket here:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-live-2016/?no-ist 

Some of the participating New England museums are:
Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, in Londonderry, NH
Millyard Museum in Manchester, NH
Wright Museum of WWII in Wolfeboro, NH
Museum of African American History in Boston, MA
The Old South Meeting House in Boston, MA
JFK National Historic Site in Brookline, MA
USS Constitution Museum in Charlestown, MA
Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Edgartown, MA
Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA
The Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, MA
The Witch Museum in Salem, MA
The Springfield Museums in Springfield, MA
The Armenian Museum in Watertown, MA
The Wenham Museum in Wenham, MA
The Maine State Museum in Augusta, ME
The Vermont History Center in Barre, VT
The Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, VT
The Little Compton Historical Society in Little Compton, RI
The Jamestown Museum and Windmill in Jamestown, RI
And many more (check the website: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-live-2016/ )

September 25, Sunday, 2pm, Scots for Sale: Scottish Prisoners of War Slaves in Colonial New England,  Diane Rapaport at the Wenham Museum, Wenham, Massachusetts.

September 25, Sunday, 2pm, Haven to Home:  What America has Meant to Jews, and Vice Versa, at NEHGS, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, A special lecture and exhibit in partnership with the Jewish Heritage Center.  Presented by Michael Feldberg, PhD and curator.  Please register here: http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/haven-to-home-what-america-has-meant-to-jews-and-vice-versa

September 27, Tuesday, 7pm, Irish Genealogy 101, a lecture by genealogist Tom Toohey.  Sponsored by the Central Massachusetts Genealogical Society, and located at the American Legion Post #129, 22 Elm Street, Gardner, Massachusetts.  Guests are welcome for a $2 donation. www.cmgso.org   

September 28, Wednesday, 6:30pm, A Woman That Keeps Good Orders:  Women, Tavern Keeping, and Public Approval, at the Weeks Public Library, 36 Post Road, Greenland, New Hampshire.  Marcia Schmidt Blaine explores the world of female tavern keepers.  Free to the public.  Contact Denise Grimse for more information at 603-436-8548. 

September 28, Wednesday, 6pm, Book Event:  First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama, at NEHGS 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, with author Joshua C. Kendall.  Book sales and signing to follow.  Free to the public. Please register here:  http://shop.americanancestors.org/products/book-event-first-dads-parenting-and-politics-from-george-washington-to-barack-obama

October 1, Saturday, Researching Maritime Ancestors in the National Archives, sponsored by the Maine Genealogical Society – Greater Portland Chapter, 29 Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth, Maine. A presentation by genealogist Jake Fletcher.
October 1 and 2, Saturday and Sunday, Revolutionary War Weekend at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire.   For more information call 603-826-5700 or http://www.fortat4.org/


October 3, Monday,  6:30pm , Witches, Pop Culture and the Past, at the Smith Memorial Congregational Church, 30 West Main Street, Hillsborough, New Hampshire, hosted by the Sanbornton Historical Society.  FREE to the public.  Robin DeRosa explains that when Salem, Massachusetts tells its witch stories history, tourism and performance collide.  Call 603-464-3529 for more information. 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "September 2016 Genealogy and Local History Calendar", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 28, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/september-2016-genealogy-and-local.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ COLE of Charlestown, Massachusetts

COLE, COLL, COWLES, COLES, COALE

Ryce Cole, my 11^th great grandfather, was made member #109 of the church in Boston in 1631.  Rice Cole was admitted as an inhabitant of Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1630.   His first name can be found as Rice or Ryce or Rise in the records, as well as all the surname variations listed above.  Just to make it more interesting, his wife’s name is listed as “Arrald” on her church membership and her will.   Her two sons-in-law listed her as “Harald Coale” on a petition in Cambridge dated 1662. 

Doctor Samuel Fuller, Mayflower passenger, gave medical assistance to some of the Charlestown settlers in 1630.  Several of these families sent their children to live in his household as servants.  In his will he made reference to Elizabeth and Robert Cowles of Charlestown.  They were Rice Cole’s two first children.  Elizabeth Cole (1619 – 1688) is my 10^th great grandmother.  She married Thomas Pierce and had thirteen children.

Notable descendants of Rice Cole are presidents Franklin Pierce and George H. W. Bush.

For more information see:

The Great Migration Begins, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume I, pages 426 – 429.

American Presidential Families, by Charles Mosely, 1993, page 420.

The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, by Thomas Bellows Wyman and Henry Herbert Edes, Volume 1, page 228

The Early Genealogies of the Cole Families in America, by Frank T. Cole, 1887, pages 178 – 179.

My COLE genealogy:

Generation 1: Rice Cole, born about 1590 and died 15 May 1646 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married about 1616 to Arrald Unknown.  She died between 20 December and 26 December 1661.  Five children.

Generation 2: Elizabeth Cole, born about 1619, died 5 March 1688 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married 6 May 1635 in Charlestown to Thomas Pierce, son of Thomas Pierce and Elizabeth Carew.  He was born about 1620 and died 6 November 1683 in Woburn.  Thirteen children.

Generation 3:  John Pierce and Deborah Convers

Generation 4:  Ebenezer Pierce and Mary Wilson

Generation 5:  Deborah Pierce and Increase Wyman

Generation 6:  Increase Wyman and Catherine Unknown

Generation 7: Jemima Wyman and Joshua Burnham

Generation 8: Jemima Burnham and Romanus Emerson

Generation 9:  George Emerson and Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10: Mary Katharine Emerson and George E. Batchelder

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder and Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12: Stanley Elmer Allen and Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~  COLE of Charlestown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 27, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-cole-of-charlestown.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Former Elementary School

This is the 5th Anniversary of Weathervane Wednesday!  I've posted 256 different blog posts about historic and interesting weathervanes over the past five years.

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 Hampshire, 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 was photographed in New Hampshire.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #273?  Scroll down to find the answer.

Today's weathervane was photographed above the former Ash Street School, on the corner of Bridge Street.  This building is now the digital marketing company SilverTech, Inc.  This school was built in 1874 with eight classrooms.  Because of the shape of the building each classroom has windows on three sides, and its design won a gold medal in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.  This building was used as the Manchester school administration office until 2005, when it was bought and renovated by SilverTech in 2007.

The weathervane on the clock tower is a filigree arrow. This type of fancy cutwork in weathervanes was popular during the Victorian age when this school was built.  Both the arrow vane and the cardinal numbers are decorated with cut scroll work, which was made easier by newly developed machinery in the late 1800s.

In 1993 the clock tower was renovated, too, and the clockwork and all four wooden clock dials were completely restored.  It is still mechanically wound twice a week.  The clockworks inside are an 1874 Howard.  The wooden dials are finished with 23k gold leaf.  I couldn't find any information on the weathervane, nor if it was restored at the same as the clock tower.  It looks pretty spiffy with a zoom lens or binoculars!

A postcard of the Ash Street School

from the Manchester Historic Association website

catalog number 2012.514.019

The website for SilverTech in Manchester, NH  http://www.silvertech.com/

Wikipedia article on the Ash Street School - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ash_Street_School_(Manchester,_New_Hampshire)  

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

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Former Elementary School", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 24, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/weathervane-wednesday-above-former.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Halbert Morrison, age 2, Derry, New Hampshire

This tombstone is located at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire

The infant's tiny tombstone is located next to his parent's graves

HALBERT

Son of John

Morrison Jr. &

Sally his wife,

died Jan. 10, 1831

AEt. 2 yrs 7 mo.

Here Halbert lies and peaceful is his

                                                rest,

No sorrows now invade his youthful

                                               breast

May guardian angels watch his

                                           little nest

According to The History of the Morison or Morrison Family, by Leonard Allison Morrison,  1880, page 225.

1946 “Dea. Halbert (John1) was born in Ireland in 1685, and died in Londonderry, N.H., June 6, 1755.  He lies buried in that beautiful cemetery, so elevated as to overlook a large extent of territory, and situated near Derry East Meeting-House.”  This was the spot the first settlers of Londonderry chose for their “long, last rest”; and there, in the peaceful blossom of mother-earth, many of them rest, in that sleep which shall be unbroken till the reveille call of the final morning.

Deacon Morison evidently emigrated to this country in 1718 with his brothers James and John, and the early Londonderry settlers, though he does not appear in Londonderry till 1735…  when he appeared upon the scene in Londonderry, and bought 122 acres of land, for “200 pounds”, of John and Christian McNeal.  His name occasionally appears on the records of Londonderry…  It is stated that he was married three times.  His last wife’s name is reported to be Jean Steele.  She died Oct. 19, 1753, aged 53 years.  He died June 6, 1755, aged 70 years… and side by side they rest together…”

Page 230

2003 “John4 (David3, Dea. Halbert2, John1) lived on the farm in Derry, N.H. his grandfather bought in 1735… Late in life he married Sarah, daughter of William Davidson, of Derry, N.H. He was respected by all; he died March 13, 1851, aged 85 yrs; she died Feb. 8, 1873, aged 69 yrs.  Soon after his death, the farm passed out of the possession of the Morrisons.

One child.

2004.  Halbert; d. Jan. 10, 1831, aged 2 yrs. 7 mos.” 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Halbert Morrison, age 2, Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 23, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/tombstone-tuesday-halbert-morrison-age.html: accessed [access date]).  

Surname Saturday ~ SAWTELL of Watertown and Groton, Massachusetts

SAWTELL  SARTELL  SATELLE  SATELL  SATLE

There are several good sources of information on the SATELL family of New England.  The first is an article in the NEHGS Register “Richard Sawtell of Watertown, MA”, Volume 126 (1972), pages 3 – 17. One of the authors of this early article was John Brooks Threlfall who wrote a book Fifty Great Migration Colonists to New England and Their Origins in 2008 which updated a lot of the information on the SATELL family. 

Richard Sawtell, my 10^th great grandfather, was baptized on April 7, 1611 at Aller, Somerset, England, the son of John Sawtell and Agnes Pittard.  There are many records in Somersetshire of the SAWTELL family.

The first record of Richard Sawtell in New England was on July 25, 1636 on the list of proprietors of Watertown, Massachusetts when he received Lot 8 in the 4^th division as a single man.  His brother, Thomas Sawtell, was made a freeman in Boston in 1649, where he died childless in 1651 and named his brother Richard and a sister Ann Kendrick of Muddy River (Suffolk County Probate #111).

Richard Sawtell removed from Watertown to the new settlement of Groton in 1655, where he again received a large grant of land as one of the first, original proprietors.  He was made the first town clerk, and the records show that he was highly educated.  Richard’s homestead was one of five garrison houses in Groton.   There were several raids and massacres in Groton during King Philip’s War, so the family removed back to Watertown.   Two of his sons went back to resettle the town of Groton.  He was chosen to be a selectman in Watertown in 1689.

Richard Sawtell adopted the illegitimate son of Zechariah Smith in 1670.  In 1672 he sued Thomas, John and Joseph Smith for the child’s estate.  They were charged with illegally administering the estate.

In his will, dated May 16, 1692, Richard Sawtell left his lands in Groton and Watertown to his wife, with instructions to his son Obadiah to work the land in Groton, and instructions to his son Enoch to work the land in Watertown. 

Richard Sawtell is the ancestor of presidents Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon.

My SATELL genealogy:

Generation 1:  Richard Sawtell,  son of John Sawtell and Agnes Pittard, was baptized on 4 April 1611 in Aller, Somersetshire, England, died on 21 August 1694 in Watertown, Massachusetts; married first on 5 February 1627 in High Ham, Somersetshire to Elizabeth Pople, daughter of William Pople.  Married second in 1637 to Elizabeth Waite, daughter of Phineas Waite and Mary Hubbard.  Eleven children with Elizabeth Waite, all born in Watertown.

Generation 2:  Hannah Satell, born on 10 December 1642 in Watertown, died 18 February  1723 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married on 13 July 1665 in Woburn to Increase Winn, son of Edward Winn and Joanna Unknown.  He was born 5 December 1641 in Woburn and died 14 December 1690 in Woburn.  Nine children.

Generation 3: Mary Winn m. Nathaniel Wyman

Generation 4: Increase Wyman m. Deborah Pierce

Generation 5: Increase Wyman m. Catherine Unknown

Generation 6: Jemima Wyman m. Colonel Joshua Burnham

Generation 7: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 8: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

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

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 ~ SAWTELL of Watertown and Groton, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 20, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-sawtell-of-watertown.html:  accessed [access date]). 

A New Hampshire Yankee in New York City - searching for family landmarks

In which we explore three boroughs of New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan) searching for landmarks like home addresses, schools, churches and places of employment...


Last weekend we did a whirlwind weekend trip to New York City to see where my husband grew up.  We brought my mother-in-law from Spain, so she could see all the places we only knew from stories and photographs.  It was a fun trip, and we covered a lot of miles in two days.  If you take a similar trip to New York City, a GPS and Google maps with street view is very important!

214 Montrose Ave, Brooklyn, NY

My husband was born in Manhattan while his father was working at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.  This is a prestigious address for employment, but their places of residence were much more modest.  At the time he was born, my husband lived at 214 Montrose Avenue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.  This was a two story apartment building where he grew up in the 1960s.

Montrose Avenue Subway Station

The two story original building was gone, and was replaced by this four story apartment building.  Most of the neighborhood was the same, including a laundromat across the street and the subway station on the corner.  One block down the street at 138 Montrose Avenue is the Most Holy Trinity church, flanked by the parochial elementary school and convent.  Vincent attended this school until fifth grade.  Vincent's Mom is still friendly with neighbors she met in this neighborhood over 50 years ago.

Most Holy Trinity, Brooklyn, NY

Vincent had his baptism and made his first communion in the Most Holy Trinity church.  Unfortunately it was closed when we dropped by, but we were able to get a photo through the window.  It is a lovely old church built by German immigrants in 1841.  It was almost burned to the ground by Bill "The Butcher" Poole's gang of "Know Nothings" (anti immigrant gang) in the 1850s during a period of anti-Catholic sentiment.  Holy Trinity is still a thriving community today, although the school has been closed.

PS 175, Forest Hills, Queens, NY

Around 1970 Vincent's family moved from Brooklyn to the Forest Hills area of Queens.  He attended 5th grade at PS 175 on 64th Street near Yellowstone Boulevard, where their apartment was located.  This school is now called the Lynn Gross Discovery School.  On that August Saturday the playground was full of kids and parents - kids speaking dozens of languages. It was a great sight!

A typical apartment building on Yellowstone Blvd.

We couldn't find the exact address where they lived on Yellowstone Boulevard.  The entire street was lined with brick apartment buildings that all looked alike.  This is the one that Vincent and his mother think was their home (or one similar to it!).

Nearby Yellowstone Boulevard was the site of the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows.  This spot held a lot of memories for Vincent and his mother.  She still has a souvenir plate and photographs of the World's Fair.  We stopped first at the Queen's museum, which by the way, was the United Nations headquarters in the 1940s before the Manhattan headquarters compound was completed in 1952.  Serendipity!  Inside the museum is an exhibit of 1964 World's Fair memorabilia and the "Panorama of New York" which was one of the rides back in the day.  It is no longer a ride, but it is still a huge scale model of the entire five borough area.

1964 World's Fair, Spanish Pavilion
That's Vincent and his mother in the middle!

Unisphere, 1964 World's Fair, NYC

The Queen's Museum building

Right behind the Queen's Museum is the iconic Unisphere which is often featured in movies and on TV.   This was a great time for a photo of Vincent and his mother.  The observation towers, which used to house a restaurant on top, are still standing nearby.  Maria told me that they ate in that restaurant at least once.

1964 World's Fair streetlights at Canobie Lake Park, Salem, NH

[Serendipity!  Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire has many of the World's Fair features near the park entrance including some futuristic looking street lights and trash cans.  Check them out the next time you are there.  We lived nearby in Londonderry for 33 years and didn't know about this bit of trivia!  Apparently many World's Fair features were auctioned off after the fair ended, and this is where some of those items ended up.]

United Nations Headquarters
Manhattan, New York

From Queens we traveled over the Hudson River to Manhattan to see the United Nations headquarters.  Unfortunately there are no guided tours of the General Assembly building on weekends, but we had a lot of fun walking around, eating lunch in the cafeteria, peeking in the bookstore and gift shop, and reminiscing.  Vincent's father was employed there during turbulent times in the 1960s and he witnessed Krushchev banging his shoe on the UN podium (a month before Vincent was born),  the Bay of Pigs incident, the Vietnam War, Civil Rights and other exciting history.

The new Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan
see through the car roof window

After our walk around the UN, we drove the length of Manhattan down Fifth Avenue to see the new Freedom Tower and Battery Park.  We also drove up to Hastings on Hudson, where my mother-in-law used to work for a publisher named Morgan and Morgan in the 1960s.   This is a cute little village in Westchester County.  Maria used to take the train from Brooklyn, to Grand Central Station, and then all the way to Hastings on Hudson every day (19 miles north).  The little storefront that used to be the publishing office is now a driving school.  Morgan and Morgan published photography books, including books by Ansel Adams.  Maria remembers meeting Ansel Adams in the office in Hastings on Hudson!

The former offices of Morgan and Morgan Publishers

Maria at work at Morgan and Morgan
in the late 1960s

Although this is all recent family history, my husband and his mother had not been back to see all these locations since the 1970s.  It was fun to listen to them reminisce as we toured New York.  I hope you will take the time to bring your family back to see where you and your loved ones lived, worked, worshipped and went to school, too.

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For the truly curious:

PS 175 Lynn Gross Discovery School  http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/28/Q175/default.htm

1964 World's Fair at Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_New_York_World%27s_Fair

The Queen's Museum
http://www.queensmuseum.org/  

A YouTube video of Most Holy Trinity Church at Christmas Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6b6Ks8Cbbo

Most Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/Roman-Catholic-Parish-of-Most-Holy-Trinity-St-Mary-28302113051/  

United Nations Visitor's Center
http://visit.un.org/


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A New Hampshire Yankee in New York City - searching for family landmarks", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 18, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-new-hampshire-yankee-in-new-york-city.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Take Two! A Replacement Weathervane

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 was photographed in New Hampshire.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #272?  Scroll down to find the answer.

In 2012 I published a "Weathervane Wednesday" of this weather vane, but it looked like this:

It appears that sometime in the last few years the Friendly's on South Willow Street in Manchester, New Hampshire replaced their old, familiar weather vane with the cursive letter "F" for a simple outline of an ice cream cone.  I don't want to appear cynical, but as a historian and as a genealogist who deals with handwriting, and a lot of old fashioned handwriting from generations past, is this due to the fact that handwriting is not taught in school anymore?   Don't children recognize the letter "F" for "Friendy's" or do they need the obvious ice cream cone?

To see my original 2012 "Weathervane Wednesday" post, click here:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/weathervane-wednesday-brought-to-you-by.html

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Take Two!  A Replacement Weathervane", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 17, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/weathervane-wednesday-take-two.html:  accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ John and Mary (Hogg) Stinson, buried in Derry, New Hampshire

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

MEMENTO MORI

ERECTED                       LIKEWISE

In Memory of                 In memory of

  Mr. John Stinson            Mrs. Mary Stinson

who departed                  relict of     

          this Life                   Mr. John Stinson

Febry ye 6th AD        who died Octr.

1785                        4th 1793

      In the 89th                  In the 90th year

Year of his                   of her age

age                                 

John Stinson was born about 1695 and died 5 February 1785 in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  He immigrated to Portsmouth in 1727 and married Mary Hogg.  She was born about 1703 and died 4 October 1793.  Mary Stinson was enumerated in the first federal census in 1790 in Londonderry.

John and Mary Stinson had ten children.  Several sons went on to settle in Starkstown (now Dunbarton, New Hampshire).   Another son, David, was killed by the Indians when captured along with the Stark brothers (John and William) on 28 April 1752 along the Pemigewasset River in Northern New Hampshire.  One of the Stinson daughters, Mary, married Captain William Stark.  Another daughter, Betsey (Jane),  married Stephen Holland, the British Spy around 1751.  You can read all about this Loyalist spy at this link:  

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/tombstone-tuesday-jean-holland-died.html    

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ John and Mary (Hogg) Stinson, buried in Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 16, 2016, (   http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/tombstone-tuesday-john-and-mary-hogg.html:  accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ WINN of Woburn, Massachusetts

Edward Winn, my 10^th great grandfather, came to New England about 1635 with his wife and three eldest children.  On 8 February 1640/1 Edward Winn was listed as one of the original men of the town of Woburn, Massachusetts.  The first European child born in Woburn was his fourth child, and my 9^th great grandfather, Increase Winn.

Edward Winn was made a freeman on 10 May 1643 in Woburn.  He is mentioned frequently in the Woburn town history, town records, and served as a selectman in 1669.  There is now a Winn Street in Woburn, and just by coincidence, our daughter lived off Winn Street in her first apartment after graduating from college. 

Edward Winn’s will [Middlesex Probate (6:11-2, File #25243)]  was dated in Watertown, Massachusetts on 6 May 1682 and proved 6 October 1682.  It mentions his son Increase Winn, Sarah Winn (daughter of son Joseph), three Cleaveland grandchildren and three Polley grandchildren.  The probate inventory was taken on 11 September 1682 by Deacon Josiah Converse and Ensign James Converse of Woburn, ancestors on my paternal side. 

Some notable descendants of Edward Winn include both President Herbert Hoover (1874 – 1964) and President Grover Cleveland (1837 – 1908).

For More WINN information:

Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families, Edmund Janes Cleveland, 1899, three volumes

History of Woburn, Massachusetts, Samuel Sewall, 1868

“Doubt About the English Origins of Edward Winn and Moses Cleveland of Woburn, Mass” by Martin Hollick, in  MASSOG: A Genealogical Magazine for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,  Volume 32, pages 57 – 58.

My WINN genealogy:

Generation 1:  Edward Winn, died 5 September 1682 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married to Joanna. Four children.  Married second to Sarah Beal.  Married third to Ann Unknown, widow of Nicholas Wood and William Page. 

Generation 2:  Increase Winn, born 5 December 1641 in Woburn, died 14 December 1690 in Woburn; married on 13 July 1665 in Woburn to Hannah Satell, daughter of Richard Sawtell and Elizabeth Pople.  Hannah was born 10 December 1642 in Watertown, Massachusetts, and died 18 February 1723 in Woburn.  Nine children. 

Generation 3: Mary Winn, born 1 May 1670 in Woburn, died 7 June 1743 in Woburn; married on 28 June 1692 in Woburn to Nathaniel Wyman, son of Francis Wyman and Abigail Reed.  He was born 25 November 1665 in Woburn and died 8 December 1717 in Woburn.  Twelve children.   Mary remarried on 30 November 1720 in Woburn to John Locke, son of William Locke and Mary Clark.  No children.

Generation 4: Increase Wyman m. Deborah Pierce

Generation 5: Increase Wyman m. Catherine Unknown

Generation 6: Jemima Wyman m. Joshua Burnham

Generation 7:  Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 8:  George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

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

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 ~ WINN of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 13, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-winn-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]).