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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Tombstone Tuesday ~ John Stone, died 1754 Beverly, Massachusetts

This tombstone was photographed at the Abbott Hale Cemetery in Beverly, Massachusetts


Here lies buried ye Body of
Mr. JOHN STONE
who Departed this Life
Dec'mber the 27th
1754
In the 27th Year
Of his Age.

John Stone was born in Beverly on 8 September 1728, the son of Robert Stone and Elizabeth Elliott.  He married Hannah Rea on 18 February 1752 in Beverly, and died about two years later on 27 December 1754.  He was only 27 years old, and left his widow pregnant with a child.  John Stone, Jr. was born 1 April 1755 in Beverly.

Hannah remarried on 2 November 1758 to John Lovitt.

John Stone is my 3rd cousin 7 generations removed.  John's great grandfather, John Stone (1630 - 1691) is the brother of my 8th great grandfather, Nathaniel Stone (about 1632 - 1718) who married Remember Corning.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ John Stone, died 1754 Beverly, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 31, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/tombstone-tuesday-john-stone-died-1754.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, July 30, 2018

August 2018 Genealogy and Local History Calendar




For last minute updates, see the “Nutfield Genealogy” Facebook page at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/nutfield.gen/    Please send new events to me by commenting here at the end of this post, or email vrojomit@gmail.com


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August FREE Fun Fridays, sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation. For a full listing see http://www.highlandstreet.org/programs/free-fun-fridays 

August 3rd   Osterville Historical Museum in Osterville, MA
                   Worcester Historical Museum in Worcester, MA
                   Historic Deerfield, in Deerfield, MA
August 10th Nichols House Museum in Boston, MA
                   Wenham Museum in Wenham, MA
                   Freedom Trail Foundation in Boston, MA
August 17th JFK Library and Museum in Boston, MA
                   Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA
                   Commonwealth Museum in Boston, MA
                   Lynn Museum in Lynn, MA
                   New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, MA
                   Old State House in Boston, MA
                   Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA
August 24th Heritage Museums in Sandwich, MA
                   The Old Manse in Concord, MA
                   Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA
                   Museum of African American History in Boston and Nantucket, MA

August 1, Wednesday, noon, Partisanship & the Origins of the American Revolution in NYC, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The Brown Bag Lunch program allows MHS research fellows to present and discuss their work.  Free to the public, bring a lunch.  No registration required.

August 2, Thursday, 2pm, Black Whalers: The Annual Frank and Bette Spriggs Lecture, at the African Meeting House , 29 York Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts. Presented by Skip Finley, the author of Whaling Captains. Funded by the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Admission by donation. 

August 3, Friday, 2pm, The History of Friendly's Ice Cream, at the Langley Adams Library, 185 Main Street, Groveland, Massachusetts.  Presented by Rose Slate.  This program is geared for adults and young adults, not small children.  Please call and register at 978-372-1732 so that we can make sure we provide enough ice cream treats!

August 3 and 4, Friday and Saturday, Gravestone Preservation Workshop, at the Clarks Cemetery and First Parish Burial Grounds, Gloucester, Massachusetts.  A 2 day workshop to provide basic information and skills for preserving historic gravestones and monuments. This event raises funds for the Christopher P. Robinson International Preservation Trades Exchange Scholarship.  For more information see the web page http://ptn.org/events/gravestone-preservation-workshop-august-3-4-2018 $100 for one day, $150 for both days. Contact Moss Rudley mossrudley@yahoo.com or Jon Apell jwappell@gmail.com or phone 860-558-2785.  

August 4, Saturday, 4pm - 10pm, Gables Fest: Celebrating 350 Years of Stories and Songs, at the House of Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts.  Food, drink, surprises! Tickets start at $15.  Click here for a lineup of performers, food and drink vendors, and ticket information.  https://7gables.org/event/four-centuries-music-festival/  

August 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday, Salem Maritime Festival, hosted by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. The 30th annual festival with new musical acts, entertainment, ships and boats to visit, exhibitors, and demonstrations. Family Friendly. For details see https://www.nps.gov/sama/planyourvisit/maritimefestival.htm

August 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday, Redcoats and Rebels, the largest military re-enactment in New England with nearly 1,000 soldiers portraying British, Irish, Scottish, French, and Colonial Troops.  Included with admission to Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

August 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday, at 2pm, The Wayside Living History Players Present!  At the Wayside, Concord, Massachusetts.  Experience a living history program developed by Concord high school students celebrating the lives of three teenagers who grew up at the Wayside in different time periods from 1775 to 1900.  Free to the public.

August 8, Wednesday, 10am, New Visitor Tour, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 -101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free tour of the country's oldest and largest nonprofit genealogy library and archive.  No need to register.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library following the tour. 

August 8, Wednesday, noon, Connections between Bombay Parsis & Yankees, 1771 – 1861, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  The Brown Bag lunch program allows MHS research fellows to present and discuss their work.  Programs are free and open to the public.  Bring a lunch. No registration is required.

August 8, Wednesday, 12:30pm, Rosie’s Mom:  Forgotten Woman of the First World War, at the Hopkinton Town Library, 61 Houston Drive, Contoocook, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Mercy Hathaway White DAR.  Presented by historian Carrie Brown. Free to the public.

August 8, Wednesday, 6pm - 9pm, Researching Your Ancestry at the UK National Archives, held at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 - 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Three lectures presented by Audrey Collins, a records specialist at the UK National Archives.  6pm, "Digitizing the Collections", 7pm "Civil Registration Indexes of England and Wales", 8pm "New England in the National Archives",  $55 register for your tickets here:  http://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=796  

August 10, Friday, 2:30pm, New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them, at the Golden View Health Care Center, 19 NH Route 104, Meredith, New Hampshire, Presented by lighthouse expert Jeremy D’Entremont.  Free to the public through a NH Humanities Council grant.

August 10 and 11, Friday and Saturday, Celtic Connections Conference: Pathways to Our Past, in Auburndale, Massachusetts.  Delve into your Irish ancestry by attending lectures presented by internationally recognized speakers. Lecture topics include Irish, Scots Irish, Scottish and Welsh genealogy, culture, DNA.  http://celtic-connections.org/  

August 11, Saturday 9am - 4pm, Fiber Revival and Vintage Base Ball, at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, 5 Littles Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts.  Join the Newburyport Spinners Guild for a daylong exploration of fiber arts, including hand-spinning, weaving, metalwork, alpaca and sheep husbandry, rug making, and knitting.  Try your hand at washing, combing, spinning and weaving.  Vendors will offer a variety of natural fiber yarns and equipment.  Vintage Baseball 11am - 4pm Lynn Live Oaks vs. Portsmouth Rockinghams, Lowell Base Ball Club vs. Neshanock Base Ball Club of Flemington.  https://www.facebook.com/events/1843025645997151/  

August 11, Saturday, 10am – noon, Walking Tour: New Century Neighborhood, meet at the parking lot of the Brookside Congregational Church on the corner of Elm Street and Clarke Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. Sponsored by the Manchester Historic Association, $5 members, $10 general public.  Learn about the amazing mansions of Manchester’s North End and North River Road with local historians Dick Duckoff and Matt Labbee.

August 11, Saturday, 1pm – 3pm, A Revolution of Her Own!  Abridged, at the Paul Revere House, 19 North Square, Boston, Massachusetts. Come see the play about Deborah Samson, the first woman to enlist, to fight, and to be honorably discharged from the American Military. Family Friendly. Hosted by History at Play.

August 11, Saturday, 1 – 4pm, An Afternoon of Genealogy, at the American Legion Post #129, 22 Elm Street, Gardner, Massachusetts.  Hosted by the Central Massachusetts Genealogy Society and funded by the Gardner Cultural Council.  Two genealogy talks (one on Polish family history and another on French Canadian family history), information tables, translators for both Polish and French documents, and refreshments. The speakers will be Kathy Krysiak and Jeanne Douillard.  Free, bring a friend and enjoy the afternoon.

August 11, Saturday, 2pm, The Privateer Trail, 117 Cabot Street, Beverly, Massachusetts.  Hosted by Historic Beverly. A walking tour, rain or shine.  In case of severe weather check with Historic Beverly.  $10 for the general public, free for members.  Meet at the Cabot house at 117 Cabot Street.

August 11, Saturday, 2pm, Picnicking Through The Ages, at the Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, Massachusetts. Join Katie Schur, Founder of Picnic Perfect, for a look back through time at picnic styles and practices from the late 1800s through today.  Tickets available at this link: https://events.thetrustees.org/tickets/ItemShow.aspx?Dep=rjCQxGQWO2YuNm/xK8IiRw==&Cat=IaXjBeCsKupT2Y1k1jTTiQ==&It=UFZiNH+4S6M=&d=08-11-2018 $9 members, $15 non-members. 

August 11, Saturday, 7pm, The President on the Penobscot: An Evening with Abraham Lincoln, at the Waterfront Park, 1 Railroad Street, Bangor, Maine.  Cash bar and heavy hors d'oevres at 6pm, presentation at 7.  $35 Bangor Historical Society members, $40 non-members.  Living historian Steve Wood will present himself as President Abraham Lincoln. 

August 11 and 12, Saturday and Sunday, 10am – 3pm, World War I Living History Weekend, at the Wiscassett, Waterville and Farmington Railway, 97 Cross Road, Alna, Maine.  Board the train and take a trip to 1918 as the Great War rages in Europe.  See WW1 living historians practice maneuvers and military drills.

August 12, Sunday, 10am to noon, A Visit with Abraham and Mary Lincoln, at the UMA-Bangor campus near Eastport Hall, 128 Texas Avenue, Bangor, Maine.  The Lincolns (portrayed by living historians Steve and Sharon Wood) will be strolling around the grounds of the "Drums on the Penobscot" Civil War Encampment. 

August 12, Sunday, 10 am - 6pm, NEHGS at Open Newbury, 99 - 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.  Learn more about the New England Historic Genealogical Society, win a raffle, family history themed games and activities, and more.  Newbury Street is closed to vehicular traffic on this day, so plan accordingly.  No registration necessary. 

August 14 – 17, Tuesday to Friday, Scots Irish Reunion: Bringing the Ulster Diaspora to Life, at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.  www.MaineUlsterScots.com

August 17, Friday,  Free Fun Friday at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 - 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Special lectures, 15 minute one-on-one consultations with experts, book conservation demonstrations, and free access to the library usually open only to NEHGS members.  Activities for children and families, story hour, scavenger hunt, and more!  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 17, Friday, 6:30pm, Putting Human Faces on the Textile Industry:  The Workers of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, Divine Mercy Catholic Church, 12 Church Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire. Presented by Robert Perreault.  Free to the public.  Hosted by the Monadnock Quilter’s Guild.

August 18, Saturday, 8am – 6pm, The 40th Annual Maine Highland Games and Scots Festival, at the Topsham Fairgrounds, Topsham, Maine.  11:30 Opening ceremony, massed pipe bands, and parade of the clans. 4:30 Massed Bands and closing ceremonies. http://mainehighlandgames.org/maine-highland-games/

August 18 and 19, Saturday and Sunday, The Historic Hillsborough Living History Event,  Hillsborough, New Hampshire. See the website for more information:  http://livinghistoryeventnh.com/ 

August 14 – 16 Scots Irish Reunion:  Bringing the Ulster Diaspora To Life, at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. Hosted by the St. Andrews Society of Maine and the Maine Ulster Scots Project. Visit www.maineulsterscots.com for more information.

August 15, Wednesday, noon, Lunch and Learn:  Global Perspectives on the Revolution, at the American Independence Museum, Folsom Tavern, 164 Water Street, Exeter, New Hampshire. Free to the public. Bring your lunch. Presented by Rachel Passannante.

August 19 and 19, Saturday and Sunday, Living History Event, at Historic Hillsborough, New Hampshire. http://livinghistoryeventnh.com/ This action packed weekend is held at four locations in the town of Hillsborough, New Hampshire.  2018 is the 10th anniversary! “George Washington” will be in attendance, along with battle re-enactors, musicians, sutlers, crafts, food, children’s activities and more. Tour the Franklin Pierce homestead, wagon rides, trolley tours, etc. Tickets available online through August 18th, and on location on the day of the event for cash only. Proceeds to benefit the Hillsborough Historical Society.

August 22, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Brewing in New Hampshire:  An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State from Colonial Times to the Present, at the Able Ebenezer Brewing Company, 31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, New Hampshire. Presented by Glenn Knoblock.  Free to the public.  Hosted by the Merrimack Public Library.


August 25, Saturday, 10am, New Visitor Tour, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 -101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free tour of the country's oldest and largest nonprofit genealogy library and archive.  No need to register.  Tour attendees are welcome to use the library following the tour. 

August 25, Saturday, noon – 5pm, The 5th Annual Living History Event:  Life During the Battle of Rhode Island, at the Newport Historical Society, 82 Touro Street, Newport, Rhode Island. Tickets at newporthistory.org the event is free, donations are welcome.  Suggested starting point is Washington Square.  Hosted by the Newport Historical Society.

August 30, Thursday, 7pm, New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Ashland Community Church Hall, 57 Main Street, Ashland, New Hampshire.  Presented by Pam Weeks and the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Participants are invited to bring one quilt for identification and/or story sharing.  Hosted by the Ashland Historical Society.  Free to the public. This program is held in conjunction with an exhibit at the Whipple House Museum.

September 1, Saturday, 3pm, “If I am Not for Myself, Who Will Be For Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at the Governor John Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Portrayed by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti.  There will be a special guided tour from 2-3pm, starting from the Portsmouth Waterfront where Ona Judge landed after escaping from George Washington.  You will be taken to sights where she might have found refuge in the Portsmouth Community. The tour will end at the Gov. Langdon House Museum with the living history performance will begin at 3pm. Free to the public.

September 1 and 2, Saturday and Sunday, Militia Weekend, at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Cannon and musket demonstrations, martial music, target shooting, and sham battles.  Included with admission to the museum.

Future events:

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


September 15 and 16, Living History Weekend with Warner’s Regiment at the Fort at No. 4, Charlestown, New Hampshire.  http://fortat4.org/calendar.php


September 22, Saturday, 8am – 4pm – The Fall Conference of the American Canadian Genealogical Society, to be held at the ACGS, 4 Elm Street, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Annual meeting, raffles, three speakers – David Vermette, Pierre Gendreau Hetu, and Robert Perrault.

September 22 and 23, 10am – 3pm, Saturday and Sunday, The 14th Annual Portsmouth Fairy House Tour, in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Rain or Shine.  Tickets on sale in July http://www.portsmouthfairyhousetour.com/ or follow on Facebook for the latest news and updates. Proceeds to benefit the historic homes and neighborhood associations of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  More than 250 fairy houses on the grounds of historic Strawbery Banke, the Governor John Langdon House, and in Prescott Park.   

September 28 – 30, Old Planters Reunion, at Historic Beverly, 117 Cabot Street, Beverly, Massachusetts.  Save the date!  More information soon!

September 29, Saturday, 9am – 1pm, Family Research Day – Mini Conference, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 400 Essex Street, Lynnfield, Massachusetts.  12 different presentations in four tracks:  Beginning Research, Technology, DNA and Records. See the website https://www.familyresearchday.com/ .


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.

August 10 – 16, 2019, Founders, Fishermen and Family History Cruise, On Holland America’s ms Zaandam, departing Boston on August 10 for a 7 night trip to Canada, ports include Montreal, Quebec City, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Charlottetown (Prince Edward Island), Sydney, Halifax, Bar Harbor, and Boston, Massachusetts. Speakers include the genealogists Gena Philibert-Ortega, Tami Osmer Mize, and David Allen Lambert. See the website for more information: http://www.oconnelltravel.com/rw/view/38994 

Saturday, July 28, 2018

Surname Saturday ~ WHEELER of Charlestown, Massachusetts



WHEELER

John Wheeler, my 11th great grandfather, was born about 1575 and died 1644.  He had eleven children baptized at Cranfield, England, including Isaac, baptized 13 September 1607 (my 10th great grandfather), and his brother Obadiah, baptized on 10 December 1609, who settled in Concord.  It is unknown if more siblings came to the New World.

Isaac was in Charlestown, Massachusetts as early as 1639, and was admitted as a member of the first church there on 30 September 1642.   He lived in the part of Charlestown that became the town of Malden.  His wife was Frances, her maiden name is still unknown  When Isaac died in 1643, she remarried to  Richard Cook, and then toThomas Green, the father of two of her sons-in-law.   Her daughter Elizabeth, born 8 July 1641 married William Green (my 9th great grandparents), and daughter Sarah, born 16 March 1643, married John Green.  Two Green brothers married two Wheeler sisters.  The boys’ father married their wives’ mother.

Not only is her marriage to Thomas Green interesting, but Frances had a fourth marriage to Joseph Wheeler, the first cousin to her first husband, John Wheeler!

Some WHEELER resources:

The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, by Thomas Bellows Wyman, page 1012
Homer W. Brainard, “Captain Thomas Wheeler and Some of his Descendants”, The American Genealogist, Volume 12, page 6

The Genealogical and Encyclopedic History of the Wheeler Family in America, by Albert Gallatin Wheeler, 1914, see pages 513 – 516 (available online at Archive.org)

The New England Historic Genealogical Register, Volume 4, page 270

MY WHEELER genealogy:

Generation 1:  Isaac Wheeler, son of John Wheeler and Elizabeth Unknown, was baptized on 13 September 1607 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England, died 1645 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married on 9 April 1635 in Cranfield to Frances, the widow of Richard Cook.  Four children.

Generation 2:  Elizabeth Wheeler, born 8 July 1641 in Malden, Massachusetts; married on 13 March 1659 in Malden to William Green, son of Thomas Green and Elizabeth Lynde, as his first wife.  He was born in 1635 and died 30 December 1705 in Malden.  Six children.

Generation 3:  Isaac Green m. Sarah Unknown

Lineage A
Generation 4A: William Green m. Joanna Mendall
Generation 5A: Tabitha Green m. Jabez Robinson
Generation 6A: Elizabeth Robinson m. Ebenezer Crosby
Generation 7A: Rebecca Crosby m. Comfort Haley
Generation 8A: Joseph Edwin Healy m. Matilda Weston
Generation 9A: Mary Etta Healey m. Peter Hoogerzeil
Generation 10A: Florence Etta Hoogerzeil m. Arthur Treadwell Hitchings
Generation 11A:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

Lineage B
Generation 4B: Martha Green m. Peter Robinson
Generation 5B: Jabez Robinson m. Tabitha Green (see above)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ WHEELER of Concord and Charlestown, Massachusetts”,  Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 28, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/surname-saturday-wheeler-of-charlestown.html: accessed [access date]). 

Friday, July 27, 2018

Happy 9th Blogoversary to Nutfield Genealogy



Back on 27 July 2009 I started this blog, never thinking that nine years later I would still be posting stories online.  But here we are!  When I look at my first blog posts I can still remember how fun it was to write up those family sketches and push the “publish” button.  Can you believe that I still feel that same excitement when I post stories today?

Of course, it wouldn't be half the fun if it weren't for my readers.  I truly do enjoy your comments and email, and the replies I see on Facebook.  Thank you to each every one of you!


Here are some fun statistics about the Nutfield Genealogy blog-

I have written and published 2783 blog posts

327 Surname Saturdays
405 Tombstone Tuesdays
353 Weathervane Wednesdays

My all time most popular post was written on 30 December 2012 about a favorite Christmas gift.  It has been viewed almost 250,000 times, but it especially popular each December.    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-favorite-christmas-gift-you-might.html 

The list of 9 generations of Surnames from my family tree has reached over 22,000 hits.  Is one of your family names on this list, too?

Facebook is by far the biggest referring website for links to my blog, followed by Google, Buzzfeed, Pinterest (and I don’t even do Pinterest anymore, although I still have an account), Bing and other bloggers (thanks!). 

This past year I wrote four new blog posts that have already reached my top ten most popular list:

1.       Megan Markle’s New Hampshire Roots

2.    How Genealogy Literate Are You?

3.     Stephen Hopkins of Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England

4.       Colonial Boston in Miniature Dioramas and in Giant Murals (in the same spot!)

People use some interesting keywords to end up at my blog.  The top ten keywords are:
1.       White horse
2.       Maria del rosario cayetana alfonsa
3.       Flora Stewart  (a story about her is also my second most popular blog post)
4.       Nutfield Genealogy
5.       Duchess of alba
6.       Kilcher family tree
7.       Thanksgiving proclamation
8.       Tombstone
9.       Villar de ciervo Salamanca (where Vincent’s grandmother was born in Spain)
10.   Weathervane

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy 9th Blogoversary to Nutfield Genealogy", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 27, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/happy-9th-blogoversary-to-nutfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Primitive Horse

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 Maine.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #373?  Scroll down to find the answer.





This very large weathervane above the barn behind the Wine and Cheese Deli in Wells, Maine looks home made.  At a distance it looks like a wooden weathervane, but in the close up photograph I can see rivets, so perhaps it is cut from some kind of sheet metal?  What ever it is made of, it is large and visible from quite a distance down Route 1.  However, I'm sure that most people are busy checking out the large yellow wheel of cheese and the gray mouse above the entrance to the cheese shop instead of noticing the weathervane.

The running horse weathervane is the most popular weather vane in New England, although in other parts of the country the cow and rooster are very popular for barns, too.

Click here to see my blog post about the mouse and cheese shop:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/05/20th-century-americana-wine-and-cheese.html 


Click here to see ALL the "Weathervane Wednesday" posts:

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  A Primitive Horse", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 25, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/weathervane-wednesday-primitive-horse.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elizabeth Langdon Peirce, died 1732 Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Point of Graves, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.


HERE LYES ye BODY OF
Mrs. ELIZABETH PEIRCE
WIFE TO Mr. GEORGE
PEIRCE DEDd MAY
ye 4th  1732 IN ye
45th YEAR OF HER AGE.

Elizabeth Langdon, daughter of Tobias Langdon and Mary Hubbard, was born 16 September 1688 in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and died 4 May 1732 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  She married George Peirce, son of Daniel Peirce and Elizabeth Milward,  and they had seven children:  Mehitable, Tobias, Sarah, George, Dorothy, Mary and Martha.

 For more on the Peirce family see:

The Peirce Family Papers, held at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Findingaids/peirce_family.pdf   

The Pierce Genealogy, by Frederick Clifton Pierce, 1880 is available online at archive.org and also completely scanned digitally at Google Books. See page 235 for George Peirce and his wives.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elizabeth Langdon Peirce, died 1732 Portsmouth, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 24, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/tombstone-tuesday-elizabeth-langdon.html: accessed [access date]).

Monday, July 23, 2018

Update on the Nutfield 300th Anniversary Events

The steeple and bell assembly was removed from the tower
at the First Parish Meetinghouse in 2015


I recently had great tour of the First Parish Meetinghouse in East Derry, New Hampshire with Paul Lindemann.  The structural base of the church tower has been completed, and they are hoping that the top of the steeple will be returned and refitted above the clock on the tower this fall or early next spring.  The entire belfry has been rebuilt, and will be moved by crane to the tower top.  The hope is for the church bell to be rung for the first time at Founders Weekend, April 12 – 14, 2019.

Please help with the fundraiser for the steeple at the crowdfunding website!  Every amount donated will be matched dollar for dollar by a New Hampshire state LCHIP grant! 


Paul Lindemann shows where the old staircase used
to block the original entrance to the meetinghouse




Here is a timeline of Nutfield Anniversary events for 2019 in Derry, Londonderry,  and Windham

Founders Weekend April 12 – 14, 2019 at the First Parish Meetinghouse in East Derry ( The Rev. James MacGregor gathered his flock of Ulster Presbyterian settlers under a tree at Beaver Lake in East Derry for the first sermon in Nutfield on 12 April 1719)  This event will include a dinner, a Saturday forum with history talks, artisans, cemetery and village tours, family activities, a Saturday night gala at the Opera House, and a Sunday Church service with the steeple bell ringing.

Strawberry Festival June, 2019, Windham –Historical commemorations and the traditional strawberry events on the common

July 4th, 2019,  Derry – Speeches, Open the Old Time Capsule, Parade and Fireworks

Old Home Day,  August 17 , 2019, Londonderry –Parade, Historical Society exhibits and encampment, tours of the Morrison house, family events on the common, music, food, and more.

Derryfest September, 2019 -  Set a New Time Capsule, Speeches, activities in MacGregor Park

NOTE:  Are you a descendant of an original Nutfield Scots Irish family?  Are you interested in attending some of these 2019 events?  Are you just interested in following the news about Nutfield's Anniversary?  Please click on this link and submit the form for the mailing list so you can be included in on the planning and all the latest news:


Here are some additional links and website to help you keep up with the latest information on these events, and other news about the history of Nutfield, please see the following websites:

"Nutfield History" – a blog by Paul Lindemann
https://www.nutfieldhistory.org/ 

History & Meetinghouse - updates on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/nuthist/  

Also for local history, the Derry History Museum:

https://www.facebook.com/DerryHistoryMuseum/  
http://www.derryhistorymuseum.org  

Friends of the Meetinghouse  (First Parish in East Derry, NH)

https://fotmh.org

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Update on the Nutfield 300th Anniversary Events", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 23, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/update-on-nutfield-300th-anniversary.html: accessed [access date]).

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Surname Saturday ~ GREEN of Malden, Massachusetts


GREEN / GREENE /  GRENE

I have another GREEN ancestor I have already featured at this blog, Bartholomew Green (about 1590 – 1636) of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  They do not appear to be kin.

Thomas Green, my 9th great grandfather, arrived in Massachusetts aboard the ship Planter in 1635/6.  In 1646 he was living at Lady Deborah Moody’s farm in Lynn, Massachusetts, and by 1650 he was a resident of Malden.  He had a 63 acre farm located in what is now the Melrose and Wakefield border.  He was a farmer, and was elected a selectman in 1658, and a juror several times for Middlesex County.

There were two Thomas Greens living in Malden at this time.  This Thomas Green is called “senior” and his son is “Thomas Green junior”.  The other Thomas Green had no suffix after his name.  My ancestor Thomas Green left a will dated 12 November 1667, proven on 15 January 1667/8.  It doesn’t name his wife, but it names all his children.

Two of his children are my ancestors. His son William, my 8th great grandfather, was born in 1625 and settled in Malden.  He was a freeman in 1668, selectman in 1678, 1683, and 1702.  His son, Isaac Green, my 7th great grandfather, left Malden and settled in Falmouth, on Cape Cod, where he is buried. I descend from his daughter, Martha, born in 1705, my 6th great grandmother who married Peter Robinson, the great great grandson of Rev. John Robinson, pastor to the pilgrims.

Thomas’s daughter, Hannah Green (1647 – 1721) is also my 8th great great grandmother. She married Joseph Richardson and removed to the town of Woburn, which was settled by Malden and Charlestown residents.    Joseph Richardson was a member of Major Samuel Appleton’s militia and was engaged in the Great Swamp Fight on 19 December 1675.  They had five children.

Some GREEN resources:

The New England Historic Genealogical Register, Volume 16, page 74  and also Volume 61, page 65

The Payne-Joynce Genealogy website:  https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/  

Descendants of Thomas Green of Malden, Massachusetts by Samuel S. Green, 1858

The Greenes of Rhode Island with Historical Records of England Ancestors, by Louise Brownell Clarke, 1903.

My GREEN genealogy:

Generation 1: Thomas Green, born in England, died 19 December 1667 in Malden, Massachusetts; married on 26 June 1627 in Malden to Elizabeth Unknown.  She had ten children.  He married second Frances Watson, the widow of Isaac Wheeler and Richard Cook. 

Lineage A:

Generation 2A:  William Green, born 15 December 1635 in England; died 30 December 1705 in Malden; married on 13 March 1659 in Malden to Elizabeth Wheeler as his first wife (the daughter of Isaac Wheeler and Frances Watson, she had six children); married second on 6 February 1695 to Isabel Farmer, daughter of John Farmer and Isabella Burbage (she had no children).

Generation 3A: Isaac Green, born about 1666 in Malden, died 4 January 1739/40 in Falmouth, Massachusetts; married about 1693 to Sarah Unknown as his first wife (six children); married second on 6 August 1716 in Falmouth to Judith Betell. 

Lineage A1:

Generation 4A1:  William Green, born 20 November 1696 in Malden, died about 1773 in Falmouth; married 26 May 1726 in Falmouth to Joanna Mendall, daughter of John Mendall and Joanna Standike.  She was born 13 May 1690 in Rochester, Massachusetts; and died before 3 May 1773. 

Generation 5A1:  Tabitha Green, born 18 December 1726 in Falmouth; married on 7 January 1748 to Jabez Robinson, son of Peter Robinson and Martha Green (see below).  He was born 9 June 1726 in Falmouth.  Five children.

Generation 6A1:  Elizabeth Robinson m. Ebenezer Crosby
Generation 7A1:  Rebecca Crosby m. Comfort Haley
Generation 8A1:  Joseph Edwin Healy m. Matilda Weston
Generation 9A1:  Mary Etta Healey m. Peter Hoogerzeil
Generation 10A1: Florence Etta Hoogerzeil m. Arthur Hitchings
Generation 11A1:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

Lineage A2:

Generation 4A2:  Martha Green, born 28 October 1705 in Falmouth; married on 18 July 1724 in Falmouth to Peter Robinson, son Of Isaac Robinson and Hannah Harper. He was born 15 December 1701 in Falmouth, and died after 1772.  Seven children.

Generation 5A2:  Jabez Robinson m. Tabitha Green (see above)

Lineage B:

Generation B2:  Hannah Green, born 7 February 1647 in Woburn, Massachusetts, and died 20 May 1721 in Norwich, Connecticut; married on 5 November 1666 in Woburn to Joseph Richardson, son of Samuel Richardson and Joanna Thake.  He was born 27 July 1643 in Woburn, and died 5 March 1718 in Woburn.  Five children.

Generation B3:  Mary Richardson m. James Fowle
Generation B4:  Mary Fowle m. James Simonds, Jr.
Generation B5:  Caleb Simonds m. Susanna Converse
Generation B6:  Ruth Simonds m. Andrew Munroe
Generation B7:  Luther Simonds Munroe m. Olive Flint
Generation B8:  Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Wilson Wilkinson
Generation B9:  Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill
Generation B10:   Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

See this link for my ROBINSON lineage back to Rev. John Robinson, pastor to the Pilgrims:

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ GREEN of Charlestown and Malden, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 21, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/surname-saturday-green-of-malden.html: accessed [access date]). 

Thursday, July 19, 2018

Genealogy Research at the Phillips Library



There are some genealogy researchers who never had the chance to do research at the old Phillips Library.  And there are others who have been waiting for years for it reopen.  Since it won't reopen any time soon in Salem, and is now relocated to Rowley, there are some things you need to know if you want to research the Phillips Library collections.

The reading room is located at the Peabody Essex Museum Collections Center at 306 Newburyport Turnpike (Route 1) in Rowley, Massachusetts.  If you are familiar with Rowley, it is less than a mile from the Agawam Diner, heading north towards Newburyport, in the old Schylling toy distribution warehouse.  Look for the red sign on Route 1, left side northbound or right side southbound (its not too big and hard to read the lettering).

Researching at the Phillips Library is free.  There is no day fee required, nor is a membership required.  You don't need a researcher card, like at NARA in Washington or at AAS in Worcester.  Parking is free, and abundant. For folks who used to take public transportation, this new facility is 3 or 4 miles from the Rowley train station, and there is no bus or taxi service. I'm not sure if Uber covers Rowley, but that would be a commuters only possible option since it is a very long walk with no sidewalks on the side of busy highways. 

The Phillips Library reading room is only open to drop-in patrons on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm.  No Saturday hours.  It is open by appointment on Mondays and Fridays from 10am - 4pm.  This fall the hours will be changed and/or extended so email or check the website.

The Phillips Library is a closed-stack library.  You must request items by filling out call slips and the staff will retrieve them and bring them to you in the reading room. 

HINT:  You can email in advance at research@pem.org and the staff will have your desired items waiting for you when you arrive at the library.

HINT:  from the reference librarian "We do not pull materials after 3:30 pm, and cannot guarantee that we can pull materials on demand between noon and 1:00 PM.  Contacting us ahead of time will allow us to have materials ready no matter your arrival time.  Also, if someone knows what they want, but cannot locate a call number, or has questions about manuscript finding aids, we can offer guidance in advance, which is less disruptive to other patrons who may be using our reading room."  Experienced researchers are probably accustomed to requesting items ahead of time at other archives and libraries, and the Phillips Library uses the same system.

Before your visit peruse the online catalog, known as Philcat, to see if there is something unique in the collections that you cannot see elsewhere.  These are the materials you probably want to see first during your visit to the Phillips Library reading room.  You can find Philcat at this link:  https://www.pem.org/visit/library/catalog   There are also finding aids, but the website links are currently broken.  There are a few collections digitized and available to see online.  The reference librarian has been very good about answering email within a few days.

You may photograph some items at the Phillips Library.  There are a few restrictions. The reference librarian stated "Manuscript collections may have restrictions in the deeds of gift, placed on them by donors that we need to honor.  We do allow photography of published material within our collection, but insist that it can be for research purposes only, so that it falls under Fair Use, and does not violate copyright laws."

Some items in the card catalog Philcat are not available to researchers.  According to the reference librarian: "...items that are restricted from researchers are due to conditions outlined in the deed of gift.  There are only a few collections that have restrictions, and most have an appointed person to contact for exceptions. Others just have a date after which the restriction ends.  Restrictions should be listed in the catalog record/finding aid.  To see an example, please enter "MH 176" into the Philcat search bar and view the corresponding record."   Follow this search and read the interesting label on the notes on this card catalog item.  Special requests must be made in advance if you want to view this item.

As a genealogist, some of the manuscripts and family papers stored here are the items I find the most interesting and important to my research. If you are researching any maritime ancestors, the ships logs, shipping records, and related items are equally important.  The only family papers that are currently digitized are from the WINTHROP family.   According to the reference librarian "We are currently working to set up a digitization priority list.  It will most likely be based on how frequently collections are used and preservation needs.  I anticipate some of the Salem founding families will be among the first, such as the Derby papers, but as we haven't yet completed the prioritization list, I cannot tell you which families will be included."   This means that a visit to the reading room is important for anyone who wants to see these items that have not yet been digitized.

The Phillips Library is not a genealogy library.  There are no genealogists on the staff.  You won't find a bookcase of the "Tan Books" (Massachusetts vital records to 1849), or city directories, or any other books in the reading room.  All books are in the closed stacks.  There are a few vital records books and town directories that relate to Salem and Essex County in the card catalog.  The rest are either not here, or available at Google Books or Internet Archives, or at other libraries with good genealogy resources.  Some of the strengths of the Phillips Library collection can be see online at the website https://www.pem.org/visit/library 

When you arrive, the old rules from the old Salem Phillips Library still apply.  You must store all bags, coats, and pens in the available storage lockers.  You may bring your laptop, phone or digital camera.  I did not see any photography cradles or similar equipment for photographing fragile manuscripts or books. Perhaps they are brought out as needed?  According to a blogger Robin Mason, who has used the new reading room, you must buzz in at the front door, and then check in with a guard who will give you a pass that must be returned to the guard before you leave the collections building.  She also gave the hint that multiple manuscripts can be ordered on the call slip for manuscripts, but non-manuscripts must be ordered one at at time using a different style of call slip.

Other trivia:  There are lockers in the hallway outside of the restrooms.  I saw a water fountain in the hallway. Water bottles are not allowed inside the reading room.  There is no break room available to eat a snack, sip a drink, or have a sandwich at lunchtime.  I suppose you could slip out to your car to drink a coffee or eat a sandwich if you are on an all day visit, or you could run down the street to the Agawam diner.  Nearby are a McDonalds, a Dunkin' Donuts, a Chinese restaurant, and a pizza place.

I can't wait to have my first research trip to this new reading room soon!  I enjoyed the open house last weekend very much, and will cherish my chance to actually walk through the stacks of the Phillips Library and linger over the section with boxes and boxes of family papers.

For the truly curious:

My blog post about the Phillips Library open house:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-sense-of-place-phillips-library.html 

Robin Mason's blog post about the library:
https://www.witchesmassbay.com/2018/07/11/why-go-to-rowley-salems-pem-research-library-of-course/ 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Genealogy Research at the Phillips Library", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 19, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/genealogy-research-at-phillips-library.html: accessed [access date]).