Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Tombstone Tuesday ~ William S. MARSHALL and family, buried in Windham, NH

These tombstones were photographed at the Cemetery on the Plain, in Windham, New Hampshire






WILLIAM S. MARSHALL
DIED
SEPT. 3, 1873
AEt. 57 YRS 1 MO.
[illegible]


EMILY A.
Wife of
WILLIAM S. MARSHALL
Died Feb. 16, 1898,
AE. 74 yrs, 11 mos.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress.



Isa. 63. 6.
We all do fa-
de as a leaf.

EMILY J. MARSHALL
Wife of 
D. F. ROBINSON
Subsequently wife of
E.E. CURTIS
Died Nov. 12, 1880.
AE. 33 yrs. 2 mos.

William S. Marshall, son of John Marshall and Ruth Simpson of Bow, New Hampshire, was born 22 July 1816, died 3 September 1873.  He married on 1 May 1845 to Emily A. Haseltine, daughter of Leonard Haseltine and Mary Merrifield, born 8 March 1823.  [History of Windham in New Hampshire, by Leonard Morrison, page 573].   William lived in Windham and in Londonderry as a carpenter.

Two children:

1.  Emily, born 10 September 1847, died 12 November 1880; married first on 27 January 1867 to D. F. Robinson and had two children: Willie and Lena;  married second to Eugene E. Curtis of Nashua and had four sons:  Clarence, Walter, Charles and Bertie. 

2.  Mary Lizzie, born 3 Feb 1852; married 11 March 1879 to Charles A. Nodding. One child: Leonard
[History of Windham in New Hampshire, by Leonard Morrison, page 624]
  
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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ William S. MARSHALL and family, buried in Windham, NH", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 31, 2017,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/tombstone-tuesday-william-s-marshall.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, January 30, 2017

My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 8 (March 28 - April 14 )

Hoogerzeil, Hitchings and Healey family members in Beverly, Massachusetts
Date unknown

This is the 8th installment of my grandmother's diary from 1920.  Her name was Gertrude Hitchings (1905 - 2001), and she was living on Elliott Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  The diary is a tiny 3", and every Monday I publish a new section, with transcriptions of the tiny handwriting.  You can read the first installment HERE.  I'll post more of this diary every week for Amanuensis Monday.


[Pages out of order]

Sun. Mar. 28, 1920
Got up at 8.30 had break
fast went to church.  Ma
and Pa went down to
Nana’s after dinner. I went
for a little walk with Eunice & Rozella
Home all evening played the
Victrola Ma home 8.15 bed at 9.30

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

Monday 29
Got up at 6.45 went to
school came home at
1.15 stayed home all
the afternoon. Stayed
home all evening and
played games.  Pa over
to Russell’s went to bed 9.45

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

Tuesday 30
Got up at 7.00 went
to school got home at 1.15
worked awhile and then went
down A&P with Marion
stayed at home all
I ??? went to bed 9:30


NOTE:   Here Gertrude goes to church, which was a rare event according to her diary.  I don't know which church she attended.  Her parent's went to "Nana's", which would have been her mother's mother, Mary Etta (Healey) Hoogerzeil, who lived on Bartlett Street near the harbor. She mentions her sister, Eunice, and friends Rozella and Marion.  Russell is her newly married brother, who lived in Lynn. 



[missing pages]
TUES. APR. 6, 1920
                          Fair Windy
Got up at 7.00 went to
school came home at 1.15
had dinner, stayed home all
the afternoon.  Ma went Salem
Pa went to Helen’s got supper stayed.
Pa drown on jury
Home alone all evening and
went to bed at 8.45 PM

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

WEDNESDAY 7
                                 Snow
Got up 7.00 went to school
snowed hard this AM came
home at 1.15 had dinner stayed
home all afternoon. Had
supper and stayed
home all evening went
to bed 8.00

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

THURSDAY 8
                      Windy
Got up at 6.45 AM went
to school got home at
1.15 Nana up all day
Stayed home all afternoon and knitted
After supper went pictures with Ellen
And Brick.  Home 10.45 bed at 11

NOTE:   On these pages Gertrude started to note the weather, which continues for most of the rest of the diary.  There are many missing pages in this section, and some of the pages are no longer sewn into the binding.  Pa went to visit Helen, the eldest daughter who lived nearby, but later moved to Weymouth.  Gertrude mentions, knitting, which was her lifetime hobby until she was in her late 80s. 



FRI. APR. 9, 1920
                      Fair
Got 7.15 went to school
had assembly home at 1.15
Helen & baby up.  Took the
baby down A & P after dinner
Ellsworth came up to supper
Mill & Eunice gone to pictures. Helen
Went at 8.00 home all evening bed at 8.45

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

SATURDAY 10
                         Fair
Got up at 7.30 had
breakfast worked around the
house all day.  Eunice over North B.
Mr. Lowell came up
at ?? After supper went to
Harold H???’s party had swell time
home 12.15 went to bed at 12.30

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

SUNDAY 11
                            Fair
Got up at 9.00 had break
fast home all the morning
Went to walk after dinner.
After lunch went to walk with Eunice
and Alice.  Lou & Mrs. Hall up in
afternoon.  Went to bed at 9.30

NOTE: Here Gertrude's sister, Helen was visiting with her baby.  Apparently Gertrude took the baby for an outing to the A&P (the local grocery store).  Her two sisters Mill [Mildred] and Eunice went "to the pictures" [the moving picture shows].  The next day Eunice went to North Beverly.  I can't figure out Harold's last name, but he had a "swell" party. 


MON. APR. 12, 1920
          Cloudy
Got up 6.30 had breakfast
went to school home 1.15.  Went
down Ella’s 4.30.  Got supper
Marion, Ella up.  Ma & Pa
gone over to Russell’s
Eunice down to Helen’s
Went to bed at 10.45 PM

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

TUESDAY 13
            Rain
Got up at 6.45 had break
fast went to school
home 1.15  home all afternoon
Rained hard all day
Went down Marion’s
after  supper Ma & Pa over
Butlers – I went to bed at 9.30

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

WEDNESDAY 14
                 Fair
Got up 6.45 went to school
7.45.  Went to Helen’s to dinner
Took the baby and all after
noon home 5.45  Home all
evening went to bed at 9.30

NOTE:  Gertrude mentions her friends Marion and Ella.  Her parents are at brother Russell's in Lynn, again, and her 17 year old sister is with her married sister Helen on Tuesday. Gertrude went to Helen's on Wednesday.  

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 8 (March 28 - April 14 )", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 30, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-8-march-28.html: accessed [access date]).     

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Surname Saturday ~ VERRY of Gloucester, Massachusetts


VERRY, VERY, VERREY, VARY

My 10th great grandfather, Thomas Verry, died 29 October 1631 in Strood, Kent, England.  He left his wife a widow with four small children (another one had died about a month before his death).  The widow, Bridget, remarried to Edward Gyles sometime before 1635, which was about the time he immigrated to Salem, Massachusetts.  Bridget (my 10th great grandmother) and Edward Gyles (also my 10th great grandfather, see below) had five children together. 

Bridget is probably a granddaughter or kinswoman to Henry Scudder of Strood, Kent, England, who was the ancestor of other immigrants to New England.   There is an article in The American Genealogist, Volume 72, pages 285 – 300,  by Jane Fletcher Fiske, that explores her English origins.

On 6 October 1635 Edward Gyles was fined 40 shillings for “knoweing his wife carnally before marriage”.  By his first wife, he had two children, Hannah and Matthew (who died on Isles of Shoals in 1667).   Hannah Gyles was the step sister to Thomas Very, one of Bridget’s sons.  Hannah and Thomas Very were married by Governor Endicott "upon the 6th of the 5th mo. 1650” in Gloucester.   They were my 9th great grandparents.

I descend from two of the daughters of Hannah and Thomas Very. The eldest daughter Hannah Very (my 8th great grandmother) married Bartholomew Foster.  Abigail Very (also my 8th great grandmother) married Ralph Andrews.  Abigail’s daughter, Susannah Andrews, married Hannah’s son, Benjamin Foster – they were first cousins and also my 7th great grandparents.

Some VERRY resources:

The American Genealogist, Volume 60 pages 174 – 184; Volume 72, pages 285 – 300 (for the English origins of the widow Bridget Verry Gyles). 

Be very cautious using the VERRY family articles written by Jones Very for the Essex Institute Historical Collections in Volume 1, pages 115 – 116, and Volume 2, pages 35 – 38.  These articles were corrected in the TAG articles above.

The Great Migration Begins, page 764, page 2386 – see the sketch of Edward Giles (second husband of the widow Bridget Verry)

The Giles Memorial, by John Adams Vinton, 1864 for the GILES/GYLES family

My VERRY genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas VERRY, died 29 October 1631 in Stood, Kent, England; married Bridget Unknown.  Five children.  Bridget remarried to Edward Gyles as his second wife and had two more children.

Generation 2: Thomas VERY, born about 1625, died 28 March 1694 in Gloucester, Massachusetts; married on 6 May 1650 in Gloucester to Hannah Gyles (his step-sister), daughter of Edward Gyles and Unknown.  She was born about 1625 and died 25 August 1687 in Gloucester. Nine children, and I descend from two daughters.

Lineage A:

Generation 3A:  Hannah Very, born 31 March 1653 in Gloucester; married on 9 September 1668 to Bartholomew Foster.  He was born about 1646 and died 5 December 1689 in Gloucester.  Ten children.

Generation 4A:  Benjamin Foster m. Susanna Andrews (first cousins)
Generation 5A:  Lucy Foster m. William Younger
Generation 6A: Levi Younger m. Mary Wotten
Generation 7A: Levi Younger, Jr. m. Catherine Plummer Jones
Generation 8A:  Mary Esther Younger m. George Emerson
Generation 9A: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 10A: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 11A:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

Lineage B:

Generation 3B:  Abigail Very, born 16 June 1661 in Gloucester; marriage intention filed 12 December 1682 in Gloucester to Ralph Andrews.  He died on 25 February 1718.  Six children.

Generation 4B:  Susanna Andrews m. Benjamin Foster  (see above)

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


Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ VERRY of Gloucester, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 28, 2017,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/surname-saturday-verry-of-gloucester.html: accessed [access date]). 

Friday, January 27, 2017

February 2017 Genealogy and Local History Event 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 28, Saturday, 9:30am, Caring for your Paper Based Collections Workshop, at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire.  $75 members, $115 nonmembers.  Conducted in conjunction with the Northeast Document Conservation Center.  Space is limited and registration is required at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/caring-for-your-paper-based-collections-workshop-registration-30676090011?aff=erelpanelorg

January 28, Saturday, 6pm, Hearthside Bounty, at the Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Experience an evening in a 19th century tavern with a meal cooked over a hearth, old fashioned entertainment, and a look at table manners in the 1800s.  Music and stories, period games and entertainment.  $54.95 per person, OSV members $49.95.  Registration required at this link:  https://www.osv.org/event/hearthsidebounty/hearthside-bounty-Jan28

February 1, all day, #Genealogy Selfie Day!  http://conferencekeeper.org/genealogyselfie-day/   Last year was such a success that we are doing it all over again!  Post your selfie with the hashtag and spread the fun on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or your blog! Sponsored by Conference Keeper and Geneabloggers.  http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-selfie-day-1-february-2017/   

February 1, Wednesday, 6pm,  Book Event:  The Women of Marblehead, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public. Presented by author Robert Booth.  Register here: https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/book-event-the-women-of-marblehead?pass-through=true 

February 1, Wednesday, 7pm,  Frederick Douglass:  19th Century’s Most Photographed American, at the Norwich Congregational Church, 15 Church Street, Norwich, Vermont.  Free to the public.  http://bit.ly/douglass-feb17

February 2, Thursday, 7pm,  The True Flag:  Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, & the Birth of American Empire, at the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Presented by award winning foreign correspondent Stephen Kinzer and professor Stephen M. Walt.  Free.

February 2, Thursday, 7pm, The Abolitionists of Noyes Academy, at the Rivendell Academy, 2972 Route 25A, Orford, New Hampshire, presented by Dan Billin who will describe how in 1835 abolitionists opened one of the first integrated schools in Canaan, NH with African American Students from Boston and New York, City.  A mob dragged the building off its foundations and ran the students out of town.  Free to the public.

February 2, Thursday, noon, Lunch & Learn:  The Wreck of the Nancy,  at the Henry Hornblower Visitor Center at Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Learn about the five masted schooner Nancy which ran aground on Nantasket Beach in Hull.  Free to members, $8 for non-members.  Bring a bag lunch. 

February 3, Friday, First Friday Lecture: Introduction to Heraldry in America, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Register here  https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/book-event-the-women-of-marblehead?pass-through=true

February 4, Saturday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  No registration needed.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library resources following the tour.  You do not have to be a member to participate.

February 7, Tuesday, 7pm, Throat Distemper 1735, at the Exeter Historical Society, 47 Front Street, Exeter, New Hampshire.  Presented by curator Barbara Rimkunas. $5 donation for non-members.  Refreshments at 6:30.  http://supportus.exeterhistory.org/

February 5, Sunday, American Canadian Genealogical Society Brick Wall Meeting, at the ACGS Library, 4 Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire.  The first Sunday of the month 1pm - 4pm.  Please email your brickwall challenge a few days prior to ACGS@acgs.org.  For more information see www.acgs.org

February 7, Tuesday, 7pm,  An Evening with Authors Susan Maycock and Charles Sullivan, at the Harvard Coop, 1400 Massachusetts Avenue, 3rd Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Cambridge Historical Society.  The authors of the new book Building Old Cambridge will present and sign books.  Light refreshments to follow.  Free event, register here http://bit.ly/2j5OvoX

February 8, Wednesday, 6:30pm,  New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Wadleigh Memorial Library, 49 Nashua Street, Milford, New Hampshire.  Presented by Pam Weeks, free to the public.

February 8, Wednesday, 7pm,  Civil Wars: A History in Ideas, at the Harvard Book Store, 1256 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Present by Harvard professor David Armitage, who will discuss his latest book.  Free to the public, with book signing.

February 8, Wednesday, 6:30pm, New England Quilts and The Stories They Tell, at the Wadleigh Memorial Library,  49 Nashua Street, Milford, New Hampshire.  Presented by Pam Weeks.  Free to the public.  Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council. 

February 10, 11 and 14 (Valentine's Day), 7pm, Unconditional Love:  The Leters of John and Abigail Adams, at the Boston Tea Party Museum,  $39 per person, $59 per couple.  Actors will read these famous letters.  Your tickets include a glass of champagne (sparkling cider, wine or beer) per person, tea, fruit and cheese.  Additional drinks available for purchase.  Reservations at (866) 955-0667.  

February 11, Saturday, 9:30 – noon, Irish Study Group, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  No registration needed.  Attendees are welcome to use the library resources following the tour.  You do not have to be a member to participate.  Contact Mary Ellen Grogan at megrogan@ix.netcom.com for more information.

February 12, Sunday, 1 – 3 pm, “Second Sunday” Open House and Tours at the Golden Ball Tavern Museum, 662 Boston Post Road, Weston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public. Free parking.  For more information www.goldenballtavern.org

February 12, Sunday, 2pm, When America First Met China, at the Needham Historical Society, 1147 Central Avenue, Needham, Massachusetts.  Free to the public, presented by author Eric Jay Dolin. 

February 14, Tuesday, 7pm,  I Can’t Die But Once – Harriet Tubman’s Civil War, at the Hampstead Public Library, 9 Mary E. Clark Drive, Hampstead, New Hampshire, at living history presentation by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti.  Free to the public.

February 15, Wednesday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  No registration needed.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library resources following the tour.  You do not have to be a member to participate.

February 15, Wednesday, 7:30, The History of the Railroad in Ipswich, , one of the Wednesday Evening Lectures in the Appleton Room of  the Ipswich, Museum Heard House, 54 South Main Street, Ipswich, Massachusetts. Presented by Allen MacMillan, retired railroad engineer.  Members free, non-members $10.

February 16, Thursday, noon, Larz and Isabel Anderson:  Wealth and Celebrity in the Gilded Age, at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public, no registration necessary.  This talk is presented by author Stephen T. Moskey.  

February 16,Thursday,  6pm, Author Talk:  Of Arms and Artists:  The American Revolution through Painter’s Eyes, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. $10 registration fee (members and fellows are free).  Pre talk reception at 5:30pm. For more information http://www.masshist.org/calendar

February 16, Thursday, 7pm, Family Tree Maker: An Overview for Beginners, at the Memorial Hall Library, 2 North Main Street, Andover, Massachusetts. A membor of the library genealogy club, Horace Waters, will lead an hour long look at this powerful software package.  Attendance limited to 5  so that the Q&A period will be productive.  Sign up at 978-623-9436.  

February 16, Thursday, 7pm,  New England’s Colonial Meetinghouses and Their Impact on American Society, at the Kelley Library, 234 Main Street, Salem, New Hampshire, sponsored by the NH Humanities council.  Presented by Paul Wainwright. Free to the public.

February 18,  Saturday, 10am – 1pm,  Colonial Food for Thought:  A Newport Eats Living History Event, at the Colony House,  Washington Square, Newport, Rhode Island,  http://www.newporthistory.org/events/event/colonial-food-for-thought-a-newport-eats-living-history-event/   Free to the public.

February 18 and 19, The New England Reenactors Fair, at the Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Over 40 vendors will offer items from World War II and all other time periods.  There is a lecture series and hands-on workshops.  Saturday evening 6:30 – 9pm social event with cash bar and food available.   $10 per person one day admission, $15 per person full weekend.  Children 13 and under are free.  For more information contact Richard Eckert nereenactors@gmail.com 

February 19, Sunday, 2pm, Eastern European Genealogy Research, at the Portsmouth Public Library Levenson Community Room, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, presented by Jennifer Shoer. Co-sponsored by the Ranger Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  No registration necessary.  Free to the public.

February 20, 1pm, A Visit with President Lincoln, at the Concord Museum, 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, Massachusetts.  Presented by living historian Steve Wood as Abraham Lincoln.  Recommended for all ages.  Non members $15/$7 child or members $10/$5 child.  Ticket price includes museum admission.  Reserve a seat online http://www.concordmuseum.org/Visit-President-Lincoln-2017.php

February 21, Tuesday, 6:30pm, Mary Todd Lincoln:  An Unconventional Woman, at the Hampton Falls Free Library, 7 Drinkwater Road, Hampton Falls, New Hampshire.  Presented by living historian Sally Mummey.  Free to the public.

February 21, Tuesday, 7pm, New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them, at the North Hampton Public Library, 237A Atlantic Avenue, North Hampton, New Hampshire.  Presented by Jeremy D’Entremont.  Free to the public.

February 21, Tuesday, 7pm, “If I am Not For Myself, Who Will Be for Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at the Dover Public Library, 73 Locust Street, Dover, New Hampshire, presented by living historian Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti.  Free to the public.

February 21, Tuesday, 10am, Discovering Your Family History at the National Archives, presented by Jake Fletcher, for the Cape Cod Genealogical Society, at the Brewster Ladies Library, 1822 Main Street, Brewster, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.

February 21, Tuesday, noon, Lincoln's White House, at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Fee to the public. Author James Conroy will present his new book about the White House from 1861 to 1865.  No registration necessary. 

February 21 – 23, Tuesday or Thursday, 9am – 1pm, February Vacation History Adventures, at the Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland Maine.  For grades 3 -6, $25 per child, scholarships available.  Tuesday will be Foods of our Forefathers, and Thursday will be be Pastimes & Playthings: Discover the fun.  Register your child at lhannington@victoriamansion.org or kneumann@mainehistory.org

February 22, Wednesday, 6pm,  MIT:  History and Architecture, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, $10 registration fee (free to members and fellows).   https://www.masshist.org/calendar 

February 23 – 25, Winter Research Getaway at NEHGS.  Escape to the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston for three days of research, consultations, lectures and social events.  Register here:  https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/winter-research-getaway?pass-through=true

February 25, Saturday 1 – 4pm, Locate! Research! Analyze! Learn how to start your  Family Genealogy Workshop, at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire, sponsored by the New England Historical Genealogical Society.  Presented by Lindsay Fulton of NEHGS.  Space is limited and registration is required at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/starting-family-genealogy-workshop-registration-30676474160?utm_term=eventurl_text#tickets  member of NHS or NEHGS $35, nonmembers $50. 

February 25, Saturday, 6pm,  Hearthside Bounty, at the Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Experience an evening in a 19th century tavern with a meal cooked over a hearth, old fashioned entertainment, and a look at table manners in the 1800s.  Music and stories, period games and entertainment.  $54.95 per person, OSV members $49.95.  Registration required at this link:  https://www.osv.org/event/hearthsidebounty/hearthside-bounty-Feb25

February 25, Saturday, 9 – 4pm, Woman’s Wrapper Class, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire.  $55 includes coffee/tea and lunch.  A basic sewing class to creat an 18th century woman’s wrapper (banyon), an informal, full length, slightly fitted gown. A great addition to a renactress’s wardrobe.  Snow date TBD. To register email info@fortat4.com   100% of the proceeds from this class to benefit the Fort at No. 4. 

February 25, Saturday, 10am – 11am,  Henry Longfellow Birthday Celebration, sponsored by the Longfellow House, 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Meet up at the Story Chapel in the Mount Auburn Cemetery, just up the street at 580 Mount Auburn Street.  Speaker Jeffrey Hotz, and following the talk there will be birthday cake and refreshments, and a wreath laying at Longfellow’s grave (weather permitting).

February 27, Monday, 6pm,  Author Talk:  Self  Evident Truths: Contesting Equal Rights from the Revolution to the Civil War, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by author Richard D. Brown.  $10 registration fee (no charge for MHS members or fellows) https://www.masshist.org/calendar 

February 27, Monday, 6:30pm, Rise of the Rocket Girls:  The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon, at the Work Bar Cambridge, 45 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA.  The riveting true story of the women who launched America into space presented by Nathalia Holt, author, with book signing.  http://www.harvard.com/event/nathalia_holt/   Free to the public.

February 28, Tuesday, 7pm, Central Massachusetts Genealogical Society Meeting:  Using Land Records in Your Family Research, at the American Legion Post #129, 22 Elm Street, Gardner, Massachusetts.  Guests are welcome for a $2 donation.  See www.cmgso.org  Genealogist Sara Campbell will be presenting. 

February 28, Tuesday, 7pm,  A Personal Homage to Robert Gould Shaw and the Men of the 54th, presented by the Marlborough Historical Society at the Peter Rice Homestead, 377 Elm Street, Marlborough, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.

March 1, Wednesday,  10am, A Soldier’s Mother Tells Her Story, at the Marion Gerrish Community Center, 29 West Broadway, Derry, New Hampshire, sponsored by the Amoskeag Questers, and presented by living historian Sharon Wood as Betsey Phelps, the mother of a Union soldier from New Hampshire.  Free to the public.

March 2, Thursday, 6pm,  A Children’s Photo Album, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  $10 registration fee (free to MHS members and fellows).  https://www.masshist.org/calendar   Pre talk reception at 5:30 pm.

 Upcoming:

March 11, Saturday,  9:20am – 4:30pm,  Hacking Heritage Unconference, at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities at Smith Buonanno Hall, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.  Who decides what is preserved? How are these decisions made? Who funds heritage preservation? Why? See this link for more information http://blogs.brown.edu/hackingheritageunconference/

March 11, Saturday 9am - 3pm (rain or shine), Museum Clean up Day, at Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  It is the 70th anniversary of the museum.  Come help it shine for this special season.  We need people to help rake leaves, paint, set up exhibits and much more.  A complimentary lunch and a free pass will be provided for all volunteers.  Bring the whole family! 

March 18, 2017 History Camp Boston, at Sargent Hall, Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts.

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

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Published under a Creative Commons License

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "February 2017 Genealogy and Local History Calendar", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 27, 2017,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/february-2017-genealogy-and-local.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Another Historic Church

I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weather vanes 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 #295?  Scroll down to find the answer.







This beautiful weathervane was photographed on the steeple of the Bedford Presbyterian Church in Bedford, New Hampshire.  This gilded weather vane features an arrow shot through the moon, balanced by decorative circles and a large wind vane.  I haven't found any history on this weathervane, but in examining the close up photos I wondered if this design represented the sun, moon and planets? This weathervane is also the symbol of the Bedford Historical Society, and is featured on their newsletters and website.  See the link below.

The Bedford Presbyterian Church was founded by Scots Irish settlers who used to travel twelve miles and cross the Merrimack River to worship in Londonderry, New Hampshire (now the present day East Derry, New Hampshire). In 1755 a meetinghouse was built (still stands down the road on the corner of Meetinghouse Road and Bedford Center Road), and it was used for religious services for 75 years.  This building you see in the photograph was constructed in 1832.

The Bedford Historical Society  http://www.bedfordhistoricalnh.org/    (check out the weather vane!)

The Bedford Presbyterian Church website  https://bedfordpresbyterian.org/

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Another Historic Church", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 25, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/weathervane-wednesday-another-historic.html:  accessed [access date]).

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Edward Aiken, died 1747 in Londonderry, New Hampshire and his wife, Barbara

These tombstones were photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.  At the time of death, this was the town of Londonderry.


HERE LIES BURIED
THE BODY OF MR.
EDWARD AIKEN
WHO DEPARTED
THIS LIFE NOV.
15th 1747 IN THE
86th YEAR OF
HIS AGE


HERE LIES BURIED
THE BODY OF MRS.
BARBARA THE WIFE OF
MR. EDWARD AIKEN
DIED AUGUST 3rd
??? IN THE
????? [underground]

There were three  AIKEN brothers, James, William and Edward,  who settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire in 1722.  They were Scots who came from Northern Ireland.  Edward was born about 1660 and he was first married to an Elizabeth in Ireland, and then he married a Barbara as his second wife.  He settled in the "Aiken Range" of Londonderry, New Hampshire which was 40 acres recorded as Lot #15 on June 21, 1723.  His children were Nathaniel, James, William, and Eleanor.

For more about the Aiken family, please see this link:
http://www.nh.searchroots.com/HillsboroughCo/Merrimack/documents/aiken-genealogy.txt  

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Edward Aiken, died 1747 in Londonderry, New Hampshire and his wife, Barbara", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 24, 2017,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/tombstone-tuesday-edward-aiken-died.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, January 23, 2017

My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 7

Beverly High School, 1874 - 1923
It still stands on Essex Street, Beverly, Massachusetts
This would have been where Gertrude went to school in 1920

This is the 7th installment of sections of my grandmother's diary from 1920.  Her name was Gertrude Hitchings (1905 - 2001), and she was living on Elliott Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  The diary is a tiny 3" and every Monday I publish a new section, with transcriptions of the tiny handwriting.  You can read the first installment HERE.  I'll be posting new installments of this diary every week for Amanuensis Monday.


March 22 - April 8 (missing pages)

MON. MAR. 22, 1920
Got up at 7.00 went to
school home at 1.15 had
dinner. Went down the store with
Eunice at 4.30.  Stayed
Home all evening and
Studied.  Quite warm all
Day. Went to bed at 9.45

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

TUESDAY 23
Got up at 6.30 took 7.45
car to school and 1 o’clock car
home had dinner.  Mrs. Butler
over. Went down the A & P
with Marion.  Marion up
after supper Ma & Pa over to
Butlers.  Went to bed at 9.30

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

WEDNESDAY 24
Got up 6.30 went to
school.  Went down Helen’s
to dinner stayed all the
afternoon came home 5.00 had
supper went out a little while
on the bikes came in and studied bed 10.15

[NOTE:  Gertrude mentions going back and forth to school by trolley car. Also, dinner was the mid-day meal, and supper was the evening meal.  She mentions Eunice her 17 year old sister, and Helen, the eldest sister who was married by this time and had small children at home.]




[The pages are out of order]

Thurs. Mar. 25, 1920
Got up at 6.45 went to
school went to Salem with
Ma after school to get my hat
fixed over.  Came home 4.30 had
dinner.  After supper went down
A&P with Marion and then
Went down ??  bed at 10.

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

Friday 26
Got up at 7.00 went to school
Had a swell play home at 1.15
Worked part of the afternoon
Then went out with Bertha
?? on the bicycles came in
got supper stayed home all
evening and read went to bed 9.30

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

Saturday 27
Got up at 7. had breakfast
Eunice went to North Beverly
Worked all morning and after
noon went riding 4. O’clock
took a bath before supper home
all evening wrote letters bed at 9.30


[NOTE: I love the little note about getting Gertrude's hat fixed over for spring. That was a very frugal thing, instead of getting a new hat!  I imagine that there were silk flowers or new ribbons added to her hat by a milliner.]

March 28 - April 3, 1920

Sun. Mar. 28, 1920
Got up at 8.30 had break
fast went to church.  Ma
and Pa went down to
Nana’s after dinner. I went
for a little walk with Eunice & Rozella
Home all evening played the
Victrola. Ma home 8.15 bed at 9.30

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

Monday 29
Got up at 6.45 went to
school came home at
1.15 stayed home all
the afternoon. Stayed
home all evening and
played games.  Pa over
to Russell’s went to bed 9.45

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

Tuesday 30
Got up at 7.00 went
to school got home at 1.15
worked awhile and then went
down A&P with Marion
stayed at home all
evening went to bed 9.30    

[NOTE:  On March 28th there is a rare entry about attending church.  That same day Gertrude's parents visited "Nana", who was my 2x great grandmother Mary Etta (Healey) Hoogerzeil (1852 - 1932).  She lived on Bartlett Street, where Ma (Gertrude's mother, Florence Etta (Hoogerzeil) Hitchings (1871 - 1941) grew up.

On the 29th Pa went to visit Russell, who had recently married and was living in Lynn, Massachusetts.

On the 30th Gertrude went with her friend, Marion, to the A&P.  The A&P was a grocery store.  It was located on Cabot Street when I lived in Beverly in the 1960s, but I don't know where it was located in 1920.]



Part One  posted December 5, 2016

Part Two posted December 12, 2016

Part Three posted December 19, 2016

Part Four posted December 26, 2016

Part Five posted January 2, 2017

Part Six posted January 16, 2017

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Grandmother's Diary ~ Part 7", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2017 (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/my-grandmothers-diary-part-7.html: accessed [access date]).  

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Surname Saturday ~ LAMBERT of Boston


LAMBERT / LOMBARD / LAMPORT / LAMPERT / LUMBARD

Lambert family, probably of Boston, is one of my biggest brickwall mysteries in my family tree.  My 5th great grandmother, Elizabeth Lambert (about 1775 – 1834) was described as a Boston debutante by her grandson, Governor John Owen Dominis of Hawaii.  However, I am unable to find out anything about her LAMBERT family except for one tantalizing clue.  She had a possible sister, Sarah, who married a John DARKE/DARGUE in 1796.   Elizabeth named her eldest daughter, Sarah Dargue Jones (about 1794 – 1875) after this sister. 

Elizabeth and Sarah Lambert would have been born in Boston around the time of the Boston military occupation by British troops prior to 1775. They probably were not even born in Boston at all.  Civilians fled Boston during the occupation.  In 1768 the British had deployed two regiments, or 2,000 soldiers, to restore order.   A fleet of British war ships crowded the harbor, which was closed.  Then, in 1775, the British retreated from the battles of Lexington and Concord to Boston, which was held under Seige by militas and the Continental Army.  Most civilians fled, or at least sent their wives and children out of the city.  Most of those left behind were Loyalists.  If the Lamberts were here before or during the military occupation and the Seige, where did they go during the conflict?  This might be where Elizabeth and Sarah were born, or where their parents married. 

Bostonians reclaimed Boston after “Evacuation Day” on 17 March 1775 when the British fleet departed Boston Harbor with troops and Loyalists aboard.   Citizens returned to Boston to rebuild the city, which had been ransacked.   The population of Boston in 1765 had been about 15,000 people.   The number of people in Boston fell by 2/3 during the 1770s to a low of less than 6,000. 

In 1793 Elizabeth Lambert married Owen Jones, the son of a British customs official.  Were they loyalists? I have no proof one way or another.  They had eight children, six daughters who all married well, and two sons who died young.  One son died as a young child, the other died unmarried at sea.  My Lambert lineage daughters out, and my 4th great grandmother was Catherine Plummer Jones (1799 – 1828) who also died young after giving five children to her mariner husband, Levi Younger, of Gloucester.

The Lamberts and the Joneses lived in Boston’s North End neighborhood.   Owen Jones lived on Ship Street,  Hanover Street, and Tileston Street.   Records were found in the New North North church and at the 2nd Baptist Church. 
Interestingly, Elizabeth (Lambert) Jones’s obituary was carried in the Nantucket Inquirer on 11 February 1834.  Did she have relatives on the island of Nantucket?  

Unfortunately, It is difficult to find vital records or any other type of information on Boston families during and before the Revolutionary War.  And LAMBERT and all its spelling variations were very common.  There were many LAMBERT families in Boston and other parts of Massachusetts.  I have had some luck searching church records, newspapers, and other sources. 

If anyone has a clue as to the identity of this LAMBERT family, please leave a comment or email vrojomit@gmail.com

My LAMBERT genealogy:

Generation 1:   Unknown Lambert; married and had two daughter (probably more children)  1.) Elizabeth 2.) Sarah Lambert born about 1776 and died 3 September 1796, married on 1 Dec 1793 to John Darke/Dargue

Generation 2:  Elizabeth Lambert, born about 1775, died 6 February 1834 in Boston; married on 11 May 1793 at the 2nd Baptist Church, Boston, Massachusetts to Owen Jones, son of Owen Jones and Ann Unknown.  He was born about 1678 in Wales, and died 22 April 2850 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.  Eight children.

Generation 3:  Catherine Plummer Jones, born about 1799, died 2 May 1828; married on 23 October 1816 in Gloucester, Massachusetts to Levi Younger as his first wife.  He also married Jane Unknown, who died 26 November 1845 in Boston;  and Margaret Unknown, who died 21 February 1895. Five chidren.

Generation 4:  Mary Esther Younger, born 17 Feb 1826 and died 7 January 1913 in Boston.  Eight children.

Generation 5:  Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 6:  Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 7:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~  LAMBERT of Boston", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 21, 2017,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/01/surname-saturday-lambert-of-boston.html: accessed [access date]).