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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Surname Saturday ~ WALKER of Lynn, Massachusetts


WALKER

There were many men named Richard Walker in Massachusetts in the 1600s. According to the book The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620 - 1633, there were men named Richard Walker in both Salem and Boston in the 1630s, and a Richard Walker marriage record in Ipswich in 1661.  None of these men appear to be related to the Richard Walker of Lynn.  

Richard Walker (about 1611 – 1687) was my 10th great grandfather.  The first written record of him was made in Lynn, Massachusetts when he became a freeman on 4 March 1633/4.  He also lived in Boston, and in Reading, towns which border Lynn.  He served many offices in Lynn such as selectman and as Deputy to the General Court.  He was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1638, and Captain of the Reading militia in 1651.  In 1670 he was made Deputy governor of Nova Scotia under Sir Thomas Temple. 

Richard Walker was married twice.  First to Jane Talmage, and had a son named Shubal (Shubael).  His second wife was my 10th great grandmother, Sarah, who had four children, including a daughter, Tabitha (b. 1647), my 9th great grandmother, who married Daniel King of Salem.

According to Robert Charles Anderson’s book The Great Migration Begins, volume III, page 1911 “On June 1676 Richard Walker, aged about sixty-five years, and William Cowdrey, aged about seventy-three years, deposed that “they were present when Mr. Daniell King of Lyn made his will, and afterward Mr. John Blanoe understanding that he was not mentioned was much troubled and sent his wife to her father and to them to induce him to include him”  [ Essex Quarterly Court Records 6:300].    The Daniel King mentioned was the father of my 9th great grandfather, Daniel King, husband of Tabitha Walker.  The John Blaney mentioned was his brother-in-law, husband to his sister Hannah King.

Some WALKER resources:

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620 – 1633, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume III, pages 1908 – 1912 for a sketch of Richard Walker

History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts, by John L. Shorey, 1865

A Genealogical Register of the First Settlers of New England, by John Farmer, 1829, page 302

Genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, by Joseph Savage

My WALKER lineage:

Generation 1:  Richard Walker, born about 1611 probably in England, died 18 May 1687 in Lynn, Massachusetts; married first to Jane Talmadge (one child), married second to Sarah Unknown (four children).  Sarah Walker died 21 December 1695 in Lynn.

Generation 2:   Tabitha Walker, born 9 November 1647 in Reading; married on 11 March 1662 in Lynn to Daniel King, son of Daniel King and Elizabeth Guy.  He was born about 1636 in Salem and died about 1695. Eleven children.

Generation 3:  Hannah King m. John Bacon
Generation 4:  Tabitha Bacon m. Jonathan Glover
Generation 5:  Daniel Glover m. Hannah Jillings
Generation 6:  Tabitha Glover m. Thomas Homan
Generation 7:  Betsey Jillings Homan m. Jabez Treadwell
Generation 8:  Eliza Ann Treadwell m. Abijah Hitchings
Generation 9:  Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis
Generation 10:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil
Generation 11:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ WALKER of  Lynn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 30, 2017, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/surname-saturday-walker-of-lynn.html: accessed [access date]).

Friday, December 29, 2017

January 2018 Genealogy and Local History Event Calendar


Genealogy Events Calendar

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


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January 3, Wednesday, noon, Excavating the Western Indian Mound and Building the American Archive, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Presented by Derek O’Leary of the University of California, Berkeley.  Free to the public. 

January 5, Friday, noon, American Passage: The History of Ellis Island, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Part of the First Friday lecture series.  Presented by Dr. Vincent J. Cannato.  Please register online:  https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/american-passage

January 6, Saturday, 9:30am, Irish Study Group, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Contact Mary Ellen Grogan at megrogan@ix.netcom.com for more information. Everyone is welcome and attendees are invited to stay and use the library resources afterwards.  No registration necessary.

January 6, Saturday, 1pm – 3pm, Taking Your DAR membership Further: Preparing Supplemental Lineage Society Applications, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.   Representatives of the Paul Revere Chapter of the DAR will walk you through the steps of preparing supplemental lineage society applications.  Participants are invited to use the resources at the NEHGS library following the event.  Please register online:  https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/taking-your-dar-membership-further-preparing-supplemental-lineage-society-applications

January 9 – 13  The NEHGS Library and Archives will be closed

January 10 – February 14th, Wednesday Evenings, Free Winter Classes at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, 749 E. Industrial Park Drive, Manchester, New Hampshire.  This is the 19th year of free six week classes on First Amendment Media Law, Broadcasting, Digital Media, Multimedia Storytelling, Digital Audio Production, and an online Editorial Cartooning class for students ages 16 and older.   The classroom classes are free of charge for Students of all ages – middle schoolers to retirees are welcome.  Register at www.loebschool.org or call 627-0005.  Contact David Tirrell-Wysocki dtwysocki@loebschool.org

January 11, Thursday, 6pm – 9pm, Phillips Library Public Forum, at the Peabody Essex Museum (Morse Auditorium), 161 Essex Street, Salem, Massachusetts.  For the public to attend a meeting on the plans to move the library collection to Rowley for the next several years.  For more information see the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/savethephillipslibrary/about/

January 13, Saturday, 1:30pm, Archaeology for Genealogists, at the Wayland Public Library, 5 Concord Road, Wayland, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Middlesex Chapter of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists.  Presented by Tonya Largy.

January 14, Sunday, 1pm, Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Civil Rights Legacy, at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Volunteer docent Stephen Pinkerton will review the legacies of civil rights litigants and jurists buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Weather permitting, the presentation will be followed by a short walking tour.

January 15, Monday, 6:30pm, “If I am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at the Hooksett Public Library, 31 Mount Saint Mary’s Way, Hooksett, New Hampshire.  Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti portrays runaway slave Oney Judge Staines, who escaped to New Hampshire from George and Martha Washington.  Free to the public.

January 16, Monday, 5:15pm, The Fight Before the Flood:  Rural Protest and the Debate over Boston’s Quabbin Reservoir, 1919- 1927, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by Jeffrey Egan of the University of Connecicut, comment by Karl Haglund, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Free to the public but registration is required.  Please email seminars @masshist.org or call 617-646-0579. 

January 17, Tuesday, 6:30pm, “If I am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at the George Holmes Bixby Memorial Library, 52 Main Street, Francestown, New Hampshire.  Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti portrays runaway slave Oney Judge Staines, who escaped to New Hampshire from George and Martha Washington.  Free to the public.

January 17, Wednesday, noon, Skulls, Selves and Showmanship:  Itinerant Phrenologists in 19th Century America, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by Kathrinne Duffy of Brown University. Free to the public.

January 19, Friday, 10:15am, New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Community Church of Durham, 17 Main Street, Durham, New Hampshire. Sponsored by the Durham Newcomer’s Unlimited.  Pam Weeks will tell about world history, women’s history, industrial history and just wonderful stories in her presentation.  Participants are invited to bring ONE quilt to share for identification and story sharing. Refreshments at 10am, program begins at 10:15am.  Free to the public.

January 20, January 27, and February 3, Saturdays, 2pm – 4pm, Building Your Genealogical Skills (A Three Session Course) at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  $75.  Presented by genealogist Ann Lawthers.  For more information and registration, see this link:  https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/building-your-genealogical-skills-three-session-course-winter

January 20, Saturday, 3pm – 8pm, Old Newbury Day Open House, at the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Tour the house, enjoy hot cider and donuts, and walk to the town sponsored bonfire.

January 20, Saturday, 1pm – 4pm, Using DNA in Family History Research, at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire.  $35 members, $50 nonmembers.  A workshop presented by Tom Dwyer, cosponsored by the NH Historical Society and the New England Historic Genealogical Society  Please register online:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/using-dna-in-family-history-research-genealogy-workshop-registration-39258174256?utm_term=eventurl_text

January 20, Saturday, 1pm, Digging into Native History in New Hampshire, at the Durham Town Hall, 8 Newmarket Road, Durham, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Durham Historic Association.  Free to the public.  A multi media presentation by Robert Goodby. 

January 20, Saturday, 2pm, Harnessing History:  On the Trail of New Hampshire’s State Dog, the Chinook, at the Wilmot Community Association Red Barn, 64 Village Road, Wilmot, New Hampshire.  Presented by Bob Cotrell.  The Wilmot Community Association meeting at 1pm, the program to follow at 2pm.  Free to the public.  Sponsored by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

January 20, Saturday, The Woman Inventor as a Political Tool of Female Suffragists: Patents, Invention, and Civil Rights in the 19th Century United States, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boyston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Free to the public.  Registration required.  Email seminars@masshist.org or call 617-646-0579. 

January 23, Tuesday, 7pm, Rethinking Resistance:  Ona Judge, the Washington’s runaway slave and the meaning of escape, at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Presented by Erica Armstrong Dunbar from her new book Never Caught: The Washington’s relentless pursuit of their runaway slave, Oney Judge, nominated for 2017 National Book Award. Dr. Dunbar’s talk will be followed by a facilitated discussion by Dr. Jennifer Thorn and Dr. Beth Salerno. Free to the public.

January 24, Wednesday, 6pm, Growing Up with the Country: Family, Race, and Nation after the Civil War, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Presented by author Kendra Taira Field.  Book sales and signing to follow.

January 28, Sunday, 4pm, New England’s Colonial Meetinghouses and their impact on American Society, at the Amherst Congregational Church, 11 Church Street, Amherst, New Hampshire.  Paul Wainwright tells the story of the society that built meetinghouses, and used them, and the lasting impact on American culture.  Free to the public.

January 31, Wednesday, noon, Indian Doctresses: Race, Labor, and Medicine in the 19th Century United States, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by Angela Hudson of Texas A&M University.  Free to the public.

February 1, Thursday, 4pm, , Harnessing History:  On the Trail of New Hampshire’s State Dog, the Chinook, at the University of New Hampshire,  Dimond Library Special Collections, 18 Library Way, Durnham, New Hampshire.  Presented by Bob Cotrell.   Hosted by UNH.  Free to the public.  Sponsored by a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

 April 7-8, Massachusetts Genealogical Council 2018 Seminar, at the Courtyard by Marriot, Marlborough, Massachusetts.  DNA track with Jennifer Zinck on Saturday, and an all day track on genealogy with Dr. Thomas Jones on Sunday.  Register online for one or both days. http://www.massgencouncil.org/2017/2018-seminar/ 

May 19, Saturday, Blaine Bettinger (Genetic DNA expert) at the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists in Concord, New Hampshire.  More information coming soon.

July 7, Saturday, Jill Morelli, Certified Genealogist, will speak at the Falmouth Genealogical Society in Falmouth, Massachusetts.  TBD.

July 7, Saturday, History Camp Boston, at Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts.  and History Camp Weekend http://historycamp.org/boston 

13 September, Thursday – Saturday, The 2018 New York State Family History Conference, at Tarrytown, New York.  More information coming soon.

April 3-6, 2019,  New England Regional Genealogical Conference NERGC in Manchester, New Hampshire at the Radisson Hotel on Elm Street.  http://www.nergc.org/2019-conference/ for more information.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "January 2018 Genealogy and Local History Event Calendar", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 29, 2017, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/january-2018-genealogy-and-local.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Behind the Tavern

I post another in 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 Massachusetts.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #343?  Scroll down to find the answer.





This simple black arrow weathervane is affixed to the chimney of an outbuilding behind the Bullard Tavern on the village common of Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum and re-created village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  This weathervane is difficult to see because it is behind the tavern.  It is best viewed from the garden of the Salem Towne House.

This tavern was not moved here from another location, but it was built in 1947 as a restaurant.  Upstairs recreates a tavern with a barroom, and downstairs is now a cafeteria and restrooms. It is one of the few reproduction buildings at Old Sturbridge Village.  

Old Sturbridge Village website:  www.osv.org     


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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Behind the Tavern", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 27, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/weathervane-wednesday-behind-tavern.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Some FULLERs from Reddenhall, Norfolk, England

These tombstones were photographed at St. Mary's churchyard in Reddenhall, Norfolk, England.  This is the church where the FULLERs, Mayflower passengers, worshiped before coming to the New World.


Here Lyeth ye Body of
SAMEUL FULL[ER]
Who De????



(left)  Here Resteth ye Body
of ESTHER ye Wife
of SAMUEL FULLER
who Died Oct. ye 21
1742 Aged 53 Year

(right)  In Memory
 of
PETER FULLER
Servant at
Scole Inn
Who died Sept 28
17??


There were several other later FULLER tombstones.  I don't know how these people might be related to the Mayflower passengers Dr. Samuel Fuller and Edward Fuller.  This is a very small church in a very small town, so chances are that they are probably kinfolk.  You can read more about our visit to the St. Mary's church in Reddenhall, and the FULLER family, at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-fullers-of.html 

Here are some other views of this picturesque churchyard:







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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Some FULLERs from Reddenhall, Norfolk, England", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 26, 2017, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/tombstone-tuesday-some-fullers-from.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, December 25, 2017

Christmas 1974 in Holden, Massachusetts

On Christmas Eve Dad played a wise man in the church nativity,
then Santa for the neighbor's grandchildren.
He used the same white beard twice that night!

For several years in a row my sister and I
painted the picture window with a Christmas scene

A very skimpy looking tree.  All the tinsel didn't help. 

Opening our Christmas stockings on Christmas morning

My little sister opening gift books.
I love her fuzzy slippers! 
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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Christmas 1974 in Holden, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 25, 2017, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/christmas-1974-in-holden-massachusetts.html: accessed [access date]).

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Surname Saturday ~ BACON of Dedham, Newton, and Salem, Massachusetts

The grave of Tabitha (Bacon) (Glover) Jillings
at Marblehead, Massachusetts

BACON / BACCON

Michael Bacon (1569 – 1648), my 11th great grandfather, came from Suffolk County, England with his wife, three sons, a daughter, and their families to Dedham, Massachusetts.  He was one of the original signers of the Dedham agreement in 1633.  That record says he was from Ireland. According to tradition, he returned to England and was back in Dedham by 1640. 

Michael Bacon’s will is dated 14 April 1648, and he died on 18 April.   His will mentions his sons Michael, Daniel and John, and his daughter Sarah Bancroft.  His wife Alice died on 2 April of the same year.  I descend from son Daniel Bacon (about 1620 – 1691), my 10th great grandfather. 

Daniel Bacon was an original proprietor at Woburn, Massachusetts.  You can read his name on the list of the 32 original signers of the Woburn Orders 18 December 1640.  He removed to Bridgewater , and then later exchanged his land in Woburn (with his nephew Michael Bacon) for land in a part of Cambridge that is now the town of Newton, Massachusetts.  This deed states that he was formerly of Bridgewater, now of Cambridge.  His wife, Mary Read, was from Bridgewater.  Daniel Bacon was a tailor. His seven children are recorded in Newton.

In the next generation I descend from Daniel Bacon, Jr. (about 1641 – 1720), my 9th great grandfather.  He was a ship carpenter and had a small shipyard in Salem, Massachusetts on a creek that was known as Knocker’s Hole.  This land is near Mill Street in Salem today.   The History of Salem, by Sidney Perley, lists many ships built by Daniel Bacon in this shipyard.   Daniel Bacon married Susanna Spencer.  In his will he left everything to his wife, with the agreement that when she passed away the property would be divided into five parts for his five children.

Next I descend from the youngest son, John Bacon, who was already deceased when his father wrote his will.  His children inherited from their grandfather.  John Bacon (1681 – 1716), 8th great grandfather, was also a shipwright.  After his early death, his wife remarried to Joseph Willard.  I descend from John Bacon’s daughter Tabitha who married Jonathan Glover.  Tabitha and Jonathan had four sons, and all served in the Revolutionary War.   One of these sons was the famous Major General John Glover (1732 – 1797), the maritime hero of the American Revolutionary War.   I descend from their son youngest, Daniel Glover (b. 1734/5). 

Some BACON resources:

The History of Salem, by Sidney Perley (three volumes)
Bacon Genealogy: Michael Bacon of Dedham, 1640, and his descendants, by Thomas Williams Baldwin, 1915.
The Genealogical Dictionary of New England, by James Savage, Volume 1, page 90

My BACON genealogy:

Generation 1:  Michael Bacon, baptized on 6 December 1579 in Winston, Suffolk County, England, died on 18 April 1648 in Dedham, Massachusetts; married on 20 September 1607 in Winston to Alice Blower.  She was born about 1581 and died 2 April 1648 in Dedham.  Five children.

Generation 2:  Daniel Bacon, born about 1620, died 7 September 1691 in Newton, Massachusetts; married about 1640 to Mary Read, daughter of Thomas Read and Rachel Unknown.  She died on 4 October 1691 in Newton.  Eight children.

Generation 3: Daniel Bacon, born about 1641, died 1720; married on 1 August 1664 in Salem to Susannah Spencer, daughter of Michael Spencer and Isabel Unknown.  She was born about 1643 probably in Lynn, Massachusetts, and died 1719 in Salem.  Seven children.

Generation 4:  John Bacon was born 24 January 1681 in Salem, died 29 February 1716 in Salem; married on 20 January 1702 in Salem to Hannah King, daughter of Daniel King and Tabitha Walker.  She was born aobut 1681.  Six children.

Generation 5:  Tabitha Bacon, baptized on 20 July 1712 (with three of her siblings) in Salem, Massachusetts, died 7 March 1785 in Marblehead, Massachusetts; married on 23 February 1727 in Salem to Jonathan Glover, son of Jonathan Glover and Abigail Henderson.  He was born 14 December 1702 in Salem, and died August 1737 in Salem.  Four children.  Tabitha remarried to Thomas Jillings on 15 July 1756.

Generation 6:  Daniel Glover m. Hannah Jillings (step siblings)
Generation 7:  Tabitha Glover m. Thomas Homan
Generation 8:  Betsey Jillings Homan m. Jabez Treadwell
Generation 9:  Eliza Ann Treadwell m. Abijah Hitchings
Generation 10: Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis
Generation 11:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil
Generation 12: Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ BACON of Dedham, Newton, and Salem, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 23, 2017, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/surname-saturday-bacon-of-dedham-newton.html: accessed [access date]). 

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Blog Caroling ~ Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"


Posted today for Footnote Maven's traditional blog caroling, held every year at Christmas time by the genealogy blogging community!  You can see her announcement here at his link (and there is still time to post YOUR favorite carol, too!)
 http://www.footnotemaven.com/2017/12/fms-tradition-of-blog-caroling-2017.html 


First Church,
Cambridge, Massachusetts

My Dad's favorite carol was "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day".  I don't know if he knew the story behind this carol, but I tend to think that perhaps he did.  My Dad was a history buff, and he liked to recite lots of poems by Longfellow. He and his brother, my Uncle Bob, could recite the entire "Wreck of the Hesperus" from memory.  Dad knew most of "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" as well as the parody version about William Dawes.  This carol featured today was originally a poem written by Longfellow in 1863 in the middle of the Civil War.

The Civil War was a horrific time for all Americans, but especially for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  In 1861 his wife was burned to death when her dress caught fire.  In 1863 his son was wounded in battle.  The entire poem includes several references to the war that are not included in the carol version put to music in 1872.   I'll include all the verses below. 

In the poem, a man (Longfellow himself?) hears the bells peal on Christmas Day, but he doubts there will ever be peace on earth because "hate is strong".  The bells call back the hopeful message that "The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With Peace on Earth, Good Will to men."  

I went to college in Cambridge, Massachusetts just a few blocks from Longfellow's house.  There are several churches near here, just across from Harvard Yard which also has chapels with bells. I remember hearing the bells and thinking of this poem.  Recently I went back to Cambridge to photograph some of these churches for my usual "Weathervane Wednesday" blog posts, but I'll include some of the photos for this blog post, too. 



Christmas Bells
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And though how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth", I said:
"For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"


First Unitarian Church,
Cambridge, Massachusetts


Blog Caroling from previous years:

2009 "Christmas in Boston"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/12/blog-caroling-christmas-in-boston.html

2010  "Jingle Bells"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-caroling-james-pierpont-and-jingle.html

2011 "The Holly and the Ivy"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-caroling-holly-and-ivy.html  

2012 "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/blog-caroling-o-little-town-of.html

2013  "Si Me Dan Pasteles"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/12/blog-caroling-si-me-dan-pasteles.html

2014  "Over the River and Through the Woods"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/12/blog-caroling-over-river-and-through.html

2016 "O Holy Night"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/blog-caroling-oh-holy-night.html

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Blog Caroling ~ Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 21, 2017, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/blog-caroling-longfellows-i-heard-bells.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Meetinghouse

I post another in 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 Massachusetts

Do you know the location of weathervane post #342?  Scroll down to find the answer.




This gilded, swallow tailed arrow weathervane can be seen on the steeple above the "Center Meetinghouse" at Old Sturbridge Village museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  This building was originally the Baptist Church built in 1832 in Sturbridge.  It was moved to the living history museum in 1947.  The interior was restored to look like the original interior in the 1830s. 

The Old Sturbridge Village website:   www.osv.org    


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

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  Above a Meetinghouse", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 20, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/weathervane-wednesday-above-meetinghouse.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Tombstone Tuesday ~ The burial ground at St. Mary's church, Rotherhithe, London, England

I visited the burial ground of St. Mary the Virgin church in Rotherhithe, London, as part of the Historic Sites tour of the General Society of Mayflower descendants.  Captain Christopher Jones, master of the Mayflower, was buried here in 1622, but has no tombstone since it was lost when the church was rebuilt in 1715.  Three of the four owners of the Mayflower are buried here, including Jones.  I thought I would show you the cemetery instead of just one particular grave stone today.






This 1995 St. Christopher statue
commemorates Capt. Christopher Jones
of the Mayflower


My blog post about St. Mary's Church in Rotherhithe is at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/weathervane-wednesday-church-in-england.html 

A blog post about the historic Pilgrim sites in Rotherhithe:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/along-pilgrim-trail-mayflower-returns.html 


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ The burial ground at St. Mary's church, Rotherhithe, London, England", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 19, 2017, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/tombstone-tuesday-burial-ground-at-st.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, December 18, 2017

Along the Pilgrim Trail ~ The Mayflower returns to Rotherhithe, London, England

Along the Pilgrim Trail, Part 23

The Mayflower Pub, Rotherhithe, London
and 43 members of the Mayflower Society Tour

Vincent and I recently took the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites Tour of England, Wales and The Netherlands along with 41 other enthusiast participants (known as "The 43").  We traced the footsteps of the Separatists and the Mayflower passengers and crew all around these countries with some amazing tour directors, guides, historians and authors.  We were given access to places off the usual tourist trails, and behind the scenes.  We had a wonderful time, and this is the last blog post of this series.

Since October I have been blogging about our tour to England and Holland with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  For 22 posts I have traced the footsteps of our Pilgrim ancestors from the origins of the Separatists in Babsworth and Gainsborough, to the home villages and parishes of the Pilgrim Fathers and Mothers, to their escape to Holland, and back again to England before finally departing Plymouth in Devonshire in 1620.  Many readers never knew all these stories, and it has been interesting to relive the adventures of these early colonists before they even came to the New World.

In the 22nd post the Separatists and the adventurers left Plymouth.  Most of you know what happened next when they crossed the stormy Atlantic Ocean for 66 days, landed at Cape Cod, searched for a place to plant their colony, and endured a terrible winter when 50 of the 102 settlers died.  However, by springtime they had made alliances with the Native Wampanoag people, planted their first crops, and were on their way to surviving in New England.

On 5 April 1621 Captain Christopher Jones and his crew returned to England.  None of the colonists decided to return with him, although he offered to bring anyone who wanted to return.  They returned to London in 31 days, less than half the time it took to get to Cape Cod. 

Less than a year later, Captain Jones died in Rotherhithe, a neighborhood along the Thames River in London.  This was where the Mayflower landed on her return.  Jones’s widow and the other three owners of the Mayflower (Jones was the fourth owner) applied for an appraisal of the ship in 1622. It appraised for 128 pounds, 8 shillings, and 4 pence.  The ship was then probably scrapped.

Rotherhithe is a place where you can see many memorials to Capt. Christopher Jones, and to the Mayflower.  My two favorite memorials are the statue called “Sunbeam Weekly and the Pilgrim’s Pocket,” and the Mayflower Inn.  The Mayflower Pub, where descendants are invited to sign a book and list their Mayflower ancestors.  The Mayflower originally sailed from near this pub, which was originally called “The Shippe”, and then rebuilt in the 18th century and renamed “The Spread Eagle”, and then renamed “The Crown”. We also visited St. Mary’s Church, where Capt. Jones is buried, and there is a plaque commemorating the Mayflower.

This is the last of the blog posts, because this is where the Mayflower came to rest, and was eventually scrapped.  The story doesn’t end here, because the colonists that Capt. Christopher Jones left behind prospered, and were eventually joined with their beloved kinfolk and friends from Leiden when the ships Fortune and James arrived in the subsequent years.

You know the rest of the story!

Sunbeam Weekly and the Pilgrim's Pocket
This statue is named for a popular series of children's historic comic books.
The little boy is reading about the history of America,
and a Pilgrim is looking over his shoulder. 
The Pilgrim's pocket includes a lobster, a guide to London, and a cross.  


St. Mary's Church, Rotherhithe, where Capt. Christopher Jones is buried


This is Yours Truly, signing the book for descendants at the Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe.
We all had a nice lunch, and all signed the book.  This was one of the highlights of the entire trip for me!







The Mayflower Pub in Rotherhithe website:  http://www.mayflowerpub.co.uk/


Other blog posts in this series:
  
Part 1 of this series "Babworth, Nottinghamshire":

Part 2 of this series "Scrooby Manor"

Part 3 of this series “Gainsborough, Lincolnshire”:

Part 4 of this series "Harwich, Essex, home of the Mayflower"

Part 5 this series "Stephen Hopkins of Upper Clatford, Hampshire"

Part 6 of this series "William Mullins of Dorking, Surrey"

Part 7 of this series “Edward Winslow of Droitwich, Worcestershire”

Part 8 of this series "The Fullers of Reddenhall, Norfolk":

Part 9 of this series "John Howland of Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire":

Part 10 of this series "Tilley and Sampson of Henlow, Bedfordshire":

Part 11 of this series "William Bradford of Austerfield, Yorkshire":

Part 12 of this series "Francis Eaton of Bristol":

Part 13 of this series "James Chilton, Robert Cushman of Canterbury, Kent, England":

Part 14 of this series "Fishtoft, Lincolnshire where the Pilgrims were betrayed":

Part 15 of this series "Boston, Lincolnshire, where the Pilgrims were jailed":

Part 16 of this series "Immingham, Lincolnshire to Holland":

Part 17 of this series “In Exile in Amsterdam”:

Part 18 of this series “St. Pieterskerk in Leiden, The Netherlands”:

Part 19 of this series "Touring Leiden":

Part 20 of this series "Delfshaven, Holland"

Part 21 of this series “Dartmouth, Devonshire”

Part 22 of this series “Plymouth, Devonshire”


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Along the Pilgrim Trail ~ The Mayflower returns to Rotherhithe, London, England”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 18, 2017, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/along-pilgrim-trail-mayflower-returns.html: accessed [access date]).