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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants

Several months ago Karen Johnson sent me the link to a story she wrote for the Towne Family Association Newletter for July - September 2018.  On pages 79 -81 she wrote a short article called "Gold Country - Zacheus & Phebe Gould Country, that is".  One of the photos in this article featured a wonderful weathervane, and she gave me permission to repost these photos and excerpts from her article about her June 2017 TFA trip to England and her visit to the farm where this weathervane is located.


"Our excursion today took us to GOLD country. That means we traveled through land where Zacheus and Phebe Gould once lived.  The name Gould is sometimes pronounced Gold.  In the records it has been found with many different spellings - Gold, Goolde, Golde, Goold, Goeld, and even Gowle as well as Gould. Gould has been the spelling most commonly used today. This family's treasure was not in gold, but in the land they had acquired and had inherited...

... By 6 June 1626, Zacheus and Phebe Gould had surrendered their land, garden, orchard and buildings in Two Waters... They were moving to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County... Years later, Zacheus Gould's grandson, John Gould, said that "his grandfather Zacheus lived at a place called Hunts Green near Potter Row, belonging to Great Missenden.

In Great Missenden they actually did live on a farm named Hunts Green.  It was located on the boundary of the small parish of The Lee and the little town, but with a large parish, of Wendover, all to the north.  Zacheus also had lands in Wendover Foreign.  The baptisms for the next two children were at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Great Missenden: Priscill on 7 Sep 1628 and John on 29 June 1635...

Our coach traveled through Bovingdon and passed by Venus Hill where Zacheus Gould had inherited land and had lived when he was young.  Here we could see horses grazing on the pasture land.  There is a sign at the bottom of the hill that says Venus Hill.  We passed through Two Waters and visited Hemel Hempstead where Zacheus and Phebe lived with their first three children.

Then we headed to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County to see where Zacheus and Phebe had lived.  They had built a home that Charles Farrow beieves is probably the one called Hunts Green Farm today.  The home has had some new brickwork done and has been expanded. However, the old beams holding up the structure date back to when the Gould family lived there.  We went by Potter Row on our way to and from Hunts Green.

Hunts Green Farm
We felt very fortunate to be able to stop at Hunts Green Farm where we were given a tour by the current owners.  They now have several barns and some additional housing and lots of farm equipment.  Today they grow corn, and there is a delightful weather vane adorning the roof of one structure with a tractor on top letting you know definitely that it is a farm.

To drive through these communities and to be able to see the many places where our Gould ancestors once lived was truly special.  To actually see a farm, walk on the land, and see a home built in the early 1600s where our family once lived was extraordinary....

....Reminder:  The Towne family is related to Zacheus and Phebe Gould through their daughter Phoebe Gould who married Thomas Perkins. Their daughter Phebe Perkins married Joseph Towne in 1663 in Topsfield, Massachusetts."

Are you a GOULD descendant, too?

Zaccheus Gould, son of Richard Gould and Elizabeth Young was born in 1589 in Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, and died after 30 March 1668 in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He married Phebe Deacon, daughter of Thomas Deacon and Martha Field and had six children, three born in Bovingdon and three in Great Missenden.  I descend from Priscilla Gould (about 1625 - 1663) , mentioned above in the article by Karen Johnson, who married John Wildes (about 1619 - 1705).

Thank you very much, Karen Johnson, for the photos and story!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 31, 2019, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-of-interest-to.html: accessed [access date]).



Tuesday, July 30, 2019

August 2019 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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July 29 – August 12, 2019,  Introduction to the Polish Heritage:  A unique insight into Poland’s History, Culture, Folklore, and Traditions.  All inclusive Tour of Poland from Boston.  Sponsored by the Polish Center of Discover and Learning of Chicopee, Massachusetts.  Stas Radosz invites you to join the 10th Edition of the Polish Heritage Tour.  This year features Gdansk in time for the Dominican Fair; as well as the fortified castles of Malbork, Gniew, and Kwidzyn; the prehistoric Slav settlement of Biskupin, and the Beskidy Mountains and the Lemko culture. Space is limited. Check if space is available at 413-592-0001 or email polishcenter@elms.edu 

July 30, Tuesday, 6pm, The Architecture of Thomas Jefferson: Why It Matters Today, at Coolidge Point, 9 Coolidge Point Road, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Presented by professor Henry Adams. Advance tickets required http://jeffersonmemorialcenter.org/ 

August 1 -5, Thursday to Monday,  Parade of Sail, Tall Ships, in Portsmouth Harbor, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Parade of Sail 1:15 August 1st (up the Piscataquar River, under the Memorial Bridge, and turn around back to the State Pier).  Ships will be open for tours 10am – 5pm, August 2- 4, and ships depart on August 5th.

August 1, Thursday, noon, Lunch and Learn:  Dressed to Kill! At Plimoth Plantation’s Henry Hornblower II Visitor Center, 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Bring your lunch and listen to this lecture by Daniel Rosen, Plimoth Plantation’s top researcher and reproduction fabricators.  He will explain different types of armor, misconceptions about the use of armor, and other topics.  Members free, Non-members $10.  Reserve your place here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunch-learn-dressed-to-kill-tickets-62578874097

August 1, Thursday, 7pm, Author Event: Shocking Family Secrets, at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, Duxbury, Massachusetts.  Presented by author and podcaster Dani Shapiro, who will discuss her story and her new book Inheritance.  Reservations through the Friends of the Duxbury Library:  http://duxburyfol.org/event-tickets/dani-shapiro-tickets-aug-1-at-7-pm-at-dbms

August 2 – 4, Friday to Sunday, Redcoats to Rebels, at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The largest Revolutionary War encampment in New England with over 4,000 spectators. Demonstrations, battles, skirmishes, and a ball at the Bullard Tavern on Saturday night.  See https://osv.org/event/redcoats-rebels  Included with museum admission.

August 2, Friday, 9am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Concord Museum, 200 Lexington Road, Concord, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 2, Friday, noon, Boston In the American Revolution: A Town versus an Empire, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the First Friday lecture series.  Presented by author Brook Barbier.  Free to the public. Register here: https://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1163

August 2, Friday, 9am – 6pm, Free Fun Friday at the Old State House Museum, 206 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 3, Saturday, 10m - 4pm, 17th Century Reenactment and Archaeology at the Alden Reunion, Alden House Historic Site, 105 Alden Street, Duxbury, Massachusetts.  Take a trip back in time as the New Plimmoth Gard re-enacts 17th century military drills and living history demonstrations.  The program will also include a presentation about "The Evolution in Glass Consumption in New England" at 2pm by a UMass graduate student, Grace Bello, spotlighting recent research on the glass fragments uncovered at the Alden house.  Activities for kids and much more. 

August 3, Saturday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free orientation and tour of the oldest and largest non-profit genealogy library and archive in the USA. Membership not required. Tour attendees are welcome to stay and use the library following the tour. No registration necessary.

August 3, Saturday, 11am – 3pm, 17th Century Saturday, at the North Andover Historical Society, 153 Academy Road, North Andover, Massachusetts.  Free to the public.

August 3,Saturday, 10am, Arts and Mysteries Revealed, at the House of Seven Gables, 115 Derby Street, Salem, Massachusetts. Historic trade demonstrations. Family Friendly. Included with museum admission.

August 3 and 4, Saturday and Sunday, Fife and Drum at Fort McClary, Kittery Point, Maine. Fife and Drum corps from all over the Northeast will perform on the grounds of Fort McClary, including the Piscataqua Rangers Jr. Fife and Drum.  Included with park admission. Family friendly.

August 3 and 4, Saturday and Sunday, The Saco River Intertribal Pow-wow, at Hussey’s Field, North Conway, New Hampshire.  Public welcome.  Drumming, dancing, story telling, music, vendors.  Camping available. For information contact Sandy at 603-651-8769.

August 5 and 12, 6:30pm - 8:30pm, The ABCs of Genealogy and Family Research, at the Springfield Museums, 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, Massachusetts. Hosted by Old Bones Genealogy of New England.  Tickets at springfieldmuseums.org 

August 6, Tuesday, 7pm, Discovering New England Stone Walls, at the Lake Sunapee Protective Association, 63 Main Street, Sunapee, New Hampshire. Presented by Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss.  Free to the public.

August 6, Tuesday, 7pm, Tuesday Talks Series – Let’s Talk about the Cemetery, at the Cataumet Schoolhouse, 1200 County Road, Cataumet, Massachusetts. Presented by the Graveyard Girls.

August 6, Tuesday, 7pm, Indian Wars of New England, at the Court Street Arts @Alumni Hall, 67 Court Street, Haverhill, New Hampshire. Presented by author Michael Tougias. Hosted by the Haverhill Library Association with a grant from the NH Humanities Council. Free to the public.

August 9, Friday, 10am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Hancock Shaker Village, at 1843 West Housatonic Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 9, Friday, 9am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the JFK Hyannis Museum, 397 Main Street, Hyannis, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 9, Friday, 9am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, at 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 9, Friday, 10am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Old Colony History Museum, at Taunton 66 Church Green, Taunton, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 9, Friday, 10am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 9, Friday, 4:30 - 8pm, Portsmouth Historic Sites Associates Twilight Tour:  Fashion!   For one evening every year seven of the historic homesites in Portsmouth open their doors and gardens for this special tour.  Each site offers a special focus such as lectures, story telling, short plays, and light refreshments.  Buy your tickets online here: https://strawbery-banke-museum.simpletix.com/EventDetails/40122/Time/96601/?fbclid=IwAR1I530Qg55Jmb3I1DwD3KoAcDWXgW6EDOSpFnIWaNpYBxZlFvX7WyOfHdE#.XUDy9uhKiUk

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 

August 10, Saturday, 10am, New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones, at the First Free Will Baptist Church, Route 114, North Sutton, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Sutton Historical Society with a grant from the NH Humanities Council.  Presented by Glenn Knoblock.  Free to the public.

August 14, Wednesday, 10am,  New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Free orientation and tour of the oldest and largest non-profit genealogy library and archive in the USA. Membership not required. Tour attendees are welcome to stay and use the library following the tour. No registration necessary.

August 14, Wednesday, 7pm, Discovering New England Stone Walls, at the Moultonborough Public Library, 4 Holland Street, Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Presented by Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss.  Free to the public.
August 15, Thursday, 6 – 8pm, Probate and Legal Documents in New Hampshire for Genealogy Research, at the Hilton Garden Room, Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Presented by professional genealogist Alex Auty. Free to the public.

August 15, Thursday, 5:30pm, A Mid-Summer Night's Cemetery Tour, Pine Grove Cemetery, Manchester, New Hampshire.  $10 Manchester Historic Association members, $15 general public. Please pre-register 603-622-7531.  Live actors will engage guests with first person accounts of some of Manchester's most prominent citizens! 

August 15, Thursday, 6;30pm, “Footsteps Behind Him On The Road”, An Updated Look at Abraham Kimball’s Encounter With The Indians, at the Hopkinton Historical Society, 300 Main Street, Hopkinton, New Hampshire.  The only known account of the capture by Indians of Abraham Kimball (1742 – 1828) came from second-hand information gathered by Alonzo J. Fogg in the 1870s.  However, a letter discovered in the NH State Archives dictated by Kimball himself in 1823 has changed the story. Presented by local historian Steve Thomas, hosted by the Hopkinton Historical Society. Free to the public.

August 15, Thursday, 6:30, Wampanoag Ancestry and Heritage, part of the “Finding Your Ancestors” series at the Mayflower Society House, 4 Winslow Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Presented by Linda Coombs.  Free to the public. For more information see www.themayflowersociety.org

August 16, Friday, 9am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, Boston, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 16, Friday, 10am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Fruitlands Museum, 102 Prospect Hill Road, Harvard, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 16, Friday, 9am – 6pm, Free Fun Friday at the USS Constitution Museum, Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 17 and 18, Saturday and Sunday, Abenaki at the Trading Post, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire. http://www.fortat4.org/events/natives-at-fort/natives-at-trading-post.php This fort had an unusual relationship with the local peoples. Learn more at this weekend event. Kid and family friendly.

August 17-18, Saturday and Sunday, Hillsborough History Alive at Hillsborough, New Hampshire.  For more information https://historyalivenh.org  Many activities, and presentations.  French & Indian War and Civil War battles reenacted in the forest and fields. Encampments, sutlers, craft demonstrations, music and food.

August 20, Tuesday, 7pm, Wit and Wisdom: Humor in 19th Century New England, at the Ashland Railroad Station Museum, 69 Depot Street (Route 132), Ashland, New Hampshire. What did New Englanders do on long winter evenings before cable, satellite, and the internet? Presented by storyteller Jo Radner, hosted by the Ashland Historical Society. Free to the public.

August 20, Tuesday, 7pm, Wild and Colorful: Victorian Architecture in New Hampshire, at the Dover Public Library, 73 Locust Street, Dover, New Hampshire. Presented by Richard Guy Wilson.  Free to the public.

August 21, Wednesday, 7pm, Family Stories: How and Why to Remember and Tell Them, at the Freedom Town Hall, 16 Elm Street, Freedom, New Hampshire. Presented by storyteller Jo Radner, with foolproof ways to mine memories and interview relatives for meaningful stories.  Participants will practice finding, developing and telling their own tales. Free to the public.

August 21, Wednesday, 7:30pm, New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them, at the Holderness Free Library, 866 US Route 3, Holderness, New Hampshire.  Presented by lighthouse historian Jeremy D’Entremont. Free to the public.

August 22, Thursday, 11am, History of the Coast Guard, at the Essex National Heritage Area, Salem Ferry Dock, 10 Blaney Street, Salem, Massachusetts. Come aboard the Naumkeag to explore the harbor on a 1 ½ hour trip with John Galluzo, a Coast Guard historian.  $25 adults. $18 Children. Essex Heritage Members receive a 20% discount.  No one under 4 years old, and must be capable of negotiating the boat ramp without assistance. No bathroom on board. Call 978-224-2036 for more information.

August 22, Thursday, 6:30pm, Treasure from the Isles of Shoals: How New Archaeology is Changing Old History, at the Rye Public Library, 581 Washington Road, Rye, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Rye Historical Society. Presented by historian J. Dennis Robinson.

August 23, Friday, 10am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 23, Friday, 9am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Boston Athenaeum, 10 ½ Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 23, Friday, 10am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Fort Devens Museum, 94 Jackson Road #305, Devens, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 23, Friday, 10am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Freedom Trail Foundation, 139 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Tour passes will be given away starting at 10am on a first-come first-served basis. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 23, Friday, 10am – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at the Heritage Museums and Gardens, 67 Grove Street, Sandwich, Massachusetts. Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 23, Friday, 10am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Museum of African American History, 46 Joy Street, Boston, Massachusetts and at 29 York Street, Nantucket, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 24 and 25, Saturday and Sunday, Living History with Warner’s Regiment, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire. The village will be alive with demonstrations, artisans, vendors, hearth and campfire cooking, and more. http://www.fortat4.org/events/warner/warner-regiment.php

August 24, Saturday, 2pm, Digging Into Native History in New Hampshire, at the Conway Public Library, 15 Greenwood Avenue, Conway, New Hampshire. Presented by Robert Goodby. Free to the public.

August 24, Saturday, 8:15am - 12:30, Lakes Region Genealogy Interest Group Mini Genealogy Conference, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 388 North Main Street, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Open to the public. Presenters will be Lori Lyn Price. 

August 24, Saturday, 2:30pm, Difference of Opinion: The Divided States of America, Hosted by the Historical Society of Cheshire County, at 246 Main Street, Keene, New Hampshire.  Patriots and Loyalists in Cheshire County represented by re-enactors portraying Abner Sanger and Mary Stiles, adult siblings with opposing views of the American Revolution.  

August 25, Sunday, 10am – 6pm, American Ancestors at Open Newbury Street 2019, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Join NEHGS for a car free day on Newbury Street. Vendors will offer special activities, deals, and experiences.  NEHGS will have free entry to the first floor of the library with family history themed games and activities, special offers, and a raffle. No registration is necessary.

August 25, Sunday, 11:30am, “If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at the Deering Community Church, 763 Deering Center Road, Deering, New Hampshire. Portrayed by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti. Free to the public with a grant from the NH Humanities Council.

August 26, Monday, 2:15pm, Rosie’s Mom: Forgotten Women of the First World War, at the Havenwood Auditorium, 33 Christian Avenue, Concord, New Hampshire.  Hosted by Havenwood Heritage Heights with a grant from the NH Humanities Council.  Presented by historian Carrie Brown.  Free to the public.

August 27, Tuesday, 7pm, The Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters, at the meeting of the Central Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc., in the upper hall of the American Legion Post #129, 22 Elm Street, Gardner, Massachusetts. Presented by Kathy Kaldis. We are always thrilled to have visitors at our meetings. 

August 30, Friday, 8:30 – 5pm, Free Fun Friday at Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, Massachusetts, Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 30, Friday, 9am – 4pm, Free Fun Friday at the Osterville Historical Museum, 155 W. Bay Road, Osterville, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Highland Street Foundation.

August 31 – September 1, Saturday and Sunday, Let History Ring:  Casting a New Ship’s Bell for the Mayflower II, at the Bus parking lot of Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Join the bell makers from The Verdin Company as they bring their mobile foundry to Plimoth Plantation for a weekend long bell casting.  Dignitaries and honored guests will ring the bell for the first time before it is transported to Mystic, Connecticut for installation on the Mayflower II prior to her official launch on September 7th.  Free to the public.

August 31, Saturday, noon - 4pm, Lexington's Spinning Protest, on Harrington Road, across from the Battle Green, Lexington, Massachusetts. This is the 250th anniversary of the 1769 spinning protest.  There will be spinners in period dress, interpreters sharing information on the craft of spinning, plus a preview of the 2020 Buckman Tavern exhibit on women and political protest. Free and open to the public. 

August 31, Saturday, 1pm, 1:45, and 2:30, Rendezvous with Rachel Revere, at the Paul Revere House, 19 North Square, Boston, Massachusetts. Tickets at www.paulreverehouse.org This is a short play about the wife of the famous Paul Revere.

Upcoming events:

September 7, Saturday, 2 – 3pm, See the Mayflower II Launch! At the Mystic Seaport Museum’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard, 75 Gerenmanville Avenue, Mystic, Connecticut.  More details to come  https://www.plimoth.org/calendar?trumbaEmbed=date%3D20190907#/?i=1

September 13 and 14, Maine Genealogical Society Fall Annual Meeting and Conference “Unraveling Your Roots: DNA and Genealogy Weekend”, at the Fireside Inn & Suites, Portland, Maine.  Friday 1/2 workshop for intermediate DNA family researchers (limited spots available) and an opening reception, and  Saturday Conference and Annual Meeting with two national Keynote Speakers:  Karen Stanbary “DNA Ethics and Sprising Results” and Patricia Hobbs “Problem Solving with DNA Case Studies”.  See www.maineroots.org

September 21 and 22, Saturday and Sunday, 10 – 3pm both days, The 15th Annual Portsmouth Fairy House Tour, hosted by the Friends of the South End, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  This is the world’s largest fairy house tour!  There are more than 250 fairy houses built by professional artists, community members, and students on the grounds of Strawbery Banke, Historic New England’s Governor John Langdon House, and in Prescott Park. Tickets available online starting August 1, 2019 http://www.portsmouthfairyhousetour.com/ 



September 21, Saturday, 8:30am – 5:30pm, Founder’s Footsteps:  Mayflower and Cape Cod Tour, starts at Plimoth Plantation museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Enjoy fall on Cape Cod as you walk in the footsteps of colonial and indigenous communities with Plimoth Plantation historians.  $90 for members, $105 for non-members.  Bring lunch, or enjoy a catered box lunch for $15.  Call Hillary Goodnow at 508-746-1622 x 8287 or email hgoodnow@plimoth.org

September 21, Saturday, 1pm – 4pm, Genealogy Workshop: Researching Early New England Ancestry, at the Folsom Tavern 164 Water Street, Exeter, New Hampshire.  Presented by David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist at the New England Historic Genealogy Society. Tickets at www.independencemuseum.org

September 28 and 29, Saturday and Sunday, Return to Fort at No. 4: Revolutionary War Weekend, Charlestown, New Hampshire. Revolutionary War reenactments on both Saturday and Sunday, sutlers, encampment, food, and activities. http://www.fortat4.org/events/rev-war/revwar.php  
September 28, Saturday, American Canadian Genealogy Society Fall Conference, at the Puritan Restaurant, Manchester, New Hampshire.  See the website for details.  https://acgs.org 


September 28, Saturday, 9:30am – 3pm, Rhode Island Genealogical Society All Day Meeting, at the Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1817 Warwick Avenue, Warwick, Rhode Island. See the website for details https://rigensoc.org  

October 19, Connecticut Society of Genealogists Annual Family History Seminar, at the Four Points Sheraton, 275 Research Parkway, Meriden, Connecticut. 


May 21, 2020, Thursday, noon – 5pm, Welcome Home, Mayflower II, at Pilgrim Memorial State Park, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Come celebrate the return of the newly restored Mayflower II to her home berth in Plymouth harbor.  The celebrations will continue all Memorial Day weekend.

April 14, 2021 – April 17, 2021, NERGC 2021 (The New England Regional Genealogical Conference), at the Mass Mutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts. http://nergc.org/ 

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Happy 10th Blogoversary to Nutfield Genealogy!


Ten years ago I started the Nutfield Genealogy blog.  I didn't know that I would be still be writing this so many years later.  I didn't know that I would make so many new genealogy and local history friends through this blog.  I didn't know that it would lead to me speaking at local events.  I didn't know that I would still be finding so many more things to write about my ancestors.  Surprise! 

Thank you to Vincent, for the wonderful photography you see here at Nutfield Genealogy, and for accompanying me on on all those cemetery tours, visits to archives, and other "genea-jaunts". Now that he is retired I might get him to write a guest blog or two. 

Thank you to all of you who read my blog, especially those of you who write comments and emails. Without the support from the public, many of you I've never met, I don't think I would still be blogging today. 

Thank you to my family, too.  Especially those of you who give me story ideas, read my blog faithfully, send family photos, and put up with my constant questions and inquiries! 

Let's see how many more years this will continue!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy 10th Blogoversary to Nutfield Genealogy!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 27, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/happy-10th-blogoversary-to-nutfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Friday, July 26, 2019

Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial 1965 - Photo Friday

Another digitized slide from my grandparent's collection.  My grandparents, Donald and Bertha (Roberts) Wilkinson came to visit us in 1965 while we were living in Beverly, Massachusetts. We must have taken a drive to Gloucester.  Of course, my grandfather was famous for chopping off heads in photos, and this one is no exception!



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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial 1965 - Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 26, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/gloucester-fishermans-memorial-1965.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - Pest #2

Another special edition of "Weathervane Wednesday!"

Several years ago I posted this giant ant weathervane at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/weathervane-wednesday-giant-bug.html 


Recently I found this weathervane just across Route 101, at the interchange with Route 13 in Milford, from the ant weathervane:


This giant winged termite weathervane sits above the corporate offices of JP Pest at 101 Emerson Road in Milford, New Hampshire.  I don't know why I didn't see this one when I blogged about the ant weathervane five years ago!  It certainly is an appropriate companion to the ant weathervane, just across the highway.   I'm sure that ants and termites are two of the top pests that this company is called in to eradicate.



This is the JP Pest building at 101 Emerson Road, near the interchange with Routes 13 and 101 in Milford. If you look quick when you approach this exit as you travel on Route 101 you can see both weathervanes (the ant and the termite).  If you are on Route 13 you should take a short five minute detour onto Emerson and Hammond Road to see both. They are two of the most unique weathervanes in New Hampshire, and are just minutes from each other!

Click here to see the JP Pest ant weathervane:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/weathervane-wednesday-giant-bug.html 

Click here to see over 400 other "Weathervane Wednesday" posts!
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Pest #2", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 24, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-pest-2.html: accessed [access date]).

Friday, July 19, 2019

Squeezed into a VW Bug! Photo Friday


In the late 1960s my Uncle Richard Wilkinson, my grandfather Donald Wilkinson, and my cousin Ricky all drove from Long Beach, California to our house in Beverly, Massachusetts in this little Volkswagen Beatle.  They were met by my grandmother, Bertha (Robert) Wilkinson, my aunt Luanne and cousin Debbie, who had flown to Boston.  Can you imagine driving all that way in a little car with luggage strapped to the roof?  What an adventure!


Here we all are in our house at 7 Dearborn Avenue in Beverly.  My uncle Richard is in the rocking chair, and that's my cousin Sue (with the braids) sitting on the floor.  My cousin Ricky is in the blue shirt, with his Mom, Luanne, my aunt Shirley Wilkinson, and my Mom in the nurses cap (she must have just arrived home from work at Beverly Hospital).  My Dad's head can be seen from behind in the foreground. 


Here are the three Wilkinson brothers.  They all grew up in this house at 7 Dearborn Avenue, Beverly, Massachusetts.  From left to right, Robert Munroe Wilkinson (1927 - 2005), Richard Albert Wilkinson (1932 - 2015), and my Dad, John Warren Wilkinson (1934 - 2002).  I don't have many photos of them all together since Uncle Richard lived in California. 

Thank you again, cousin Steve, for the digitized images from your photo collection!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Squeezed into a VW Bug!  Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 19, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/squeezed-into-vw-bug-photo-friday.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - A Church in the Pyrenees

 Another Weathervane Wednesday photo from Spain!

This week's weathervane was photographed in Ochagavia, Navarra, Spain while we were driving to the village where my mother-in-law was born up in the Pyrenee Mountains.  Ochagavia (or Otsagavia in the Basque language Euskera) is near the border of France, and where the Irati National Forest is located.  Many tourists visit this area in the summer for hiking.  It is a very picturesque village of about 530 people.



This weathervane is an ancient two dimensional weathercock with a large lightning rod next to it.  In 1794 the French invaded this region and destroyed 182 houses, and tried to destroy the church of San Juan Evangelista.  This church dates from the 11th century, and was rebuilt in the 16th and 17the centuries.  I'm not sure when the weathercock was placed on the tower, but it appears to be ancient.

Click here for another weathervane we spotted in Ochagavia, which reflects the history of a witchcraft hysteria in the 1500s:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-spanish-witch.html 


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - A Church in the Pyrenees", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 17, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-church-in-pyrenees.html: accessed [access date])/

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

July 20, 1969 - Remember the Alamo?

On July 16, 1969 Apollo 11 launched from earth to the moon and a few days later on July 20 Neil Armstrong became the first human to ever step foot on the lunar surface.  Do you remember what you were doing on that day?

That date was in the summer between first and second grade for me. We lived in Holden, Massachusetts, recently arrived from the town of Beverly. I don't remember the moon landing at all because it happened at night and I was probably asleep. But my husband was a little bit older than me, living in Europe (a different time zone) and he grew up to become an aerospace engineer, so of course he remembers this historic event!

Vincent was spending the summer with his grandparents in the little village of Miraflores de la Sierra outside of Madrid, Spain.  They didn't have a TV, so they went, with many other villagers, to the pub in the main square of this village called "El Alamo" (translation "poplar tree") because of the big, ancient tree that grew in the middle of the street.  When I visited the village of Miraflores with him in 1986 this is what the tree looked like.  It was during this visit that I first heard him tell me the story of watching the moon landing under this tree.  He told me that the TV was inside the pub and he watched the astronauts through the plate glass windows from the outside plaza.

1986, Miraflores main plaza under the Alamo tree

Several years later, when we returned to the village in 2010 we learned that the alamo tree had died and had been cut down.  However, new growth was emerging from the top of the stump, so we are hopeful that this landmark still exists! 

2010

2010

Another family story about July 20, 1969.  On that very day of the Apollo Moon Landing my first cousin was stationed in the Army in Mexico City.  He had to visit a local doctor due to "Montezuma's Revenge", and there was a very pretty receptionist. He ended up marrying her.  They have been married more than 45 years!

1970 Mexico


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "July 20, 1969 - Remember the Alamo?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 16, 2019,  ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/july-16-1969-remember-alamo.html: accessed [access date]). 

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Happy 150th Birthday to the Mount Washington Cog Railway!

Cog Railway 2009

In the 1850s Sylvester Marsh almost died while hiking on Mount Washington.  While musing about a better way to reach the summit of the North East’s highest mountain, he thought about building a railroad.  Marsh designed a unique kind of cog railroad called the “Marsh Rack System”, the first mountain-climbing cog train in the world.  His plan was ridiculed in the state house and in newspapers, but he persevered.

Sylvester Marsh finally received a charter in 1858 to build a railroad which opened on 3 July 1869. It has brought a new kind of tourist to the summit of Mount Washington for the last 150 years.  Thousands of people ride the cog railroad every year, and it is estimated that over 5 million have ridden “The Cog” in the past 150 years of its existence.  One of the first passengers was President Ulysses S. Grant. 

The ownership of the railway has changed hands from Marsh to the Boston and Maine Railroad, to Henry Teague, to Dartmouth College and then back again to the Teague family until 1983.  Now it is operated by the Presby family. 

You can hike Mount Washington, or you can drive up the auto road, take the snow coach or snow cat in the winter, or take the cog railway.  At the summit there are many great views of four states and Canada, and even the Atlantic Ocean and Boston on clear days. There are several races including a bike race to the summit, an auto race, and a motorcycle race to the top.   The top of the mountain has an observation deck, the weather observatory, and the granite Tip Top House museum built in 1915.

About 150 people have died attempting to climb Mount Washington since 1849.  You can read all about these tragedies in Nicholas Howe’s book Not Without Peril, published in 2000 and republished in 2009.  Our beloved “Cog” remains a favorite, safe, and fun way to reach the 6,288 foot summit, with only two accidents in it’s entire 150 year run.  I'll bet your relatives, family members, and ancestors have visited Mount Washington, too.

1955 Mount Washington, with the railway visible.
Photo by Jack Wilkinson, my Dad

This image was digitized from a slide purchased at the
Cog Railway giftshop in 1969 by Don Wilkinson, my grandfather


For the truly curious:

The Mount Washington Cog Railway    https://www.thecog.com/  

Mount Washington Observatory  https://www.mountwashington.org/ 

Mount Washington Observatory Webcams:

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Happy 150th Birthday to the Mount Washington Cog Railway!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 13, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/happy-150th-birthday-to-mount.html: accessed [acess date]).

Friday, July 12, 2019

On top of Mount Wachusett - Photo Friday



This photo was from about 1970.  It shows my Dad, and my cousin Steve, with his sister Susan, myself (with the long braid), and my little sister.  We were on top of Mount Wachusett in the fall.  I can just see a few leaves with color just behind the stone wall.

We moved to Holden, Massachusetts in 1969 and taking visiting relatives to Mount Wachusett was big deal.  In those days we could see Mount Wachusett from our back porch, and that view was later blocked by growing trees and new housing built behind us.  I have lots of other photos from the summit with other cousins, like these photos HERE.

Thanks to my cousin Steve for digitizing this image from his family photo collection!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "On top of Mount Wachusett - Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 12, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/on-top-of-mount-wachusett-photo-friday.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - A Spanish Witch

This weathervane was spotted in Spain...


We visited Spain earlier this year, and took our mother-in-law up to the province of Navarra to see the village where she was born in the Pyrenee mountains. You can read all about that trip HERE.  On our way through the mountain valleys we passed through the village of Ochagavia (Otsagabia) and decided to stop for lunch.  The restaurant we first stopped at was closed. While turning the car around in the parking area we spotted this weathervane over a residence.


I didn't know why there was a witch weathervane here until I got home to New Hampshire and Googled the history of this little village.  It seems that in the 1500s the Inquisition was investigating cases of witchcraft in the Valley of Salazar, particularly in the village of Ochagavia, which culminated in 1539.  The mayor of Ochagavia was accused of holding meetings of witches.  I suppose that this history is as much a part of local lore as witches and witch weathervanes in Salem, Massachusetts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - A Spanish Witch", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 10, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-spanish-witch.html: accessed [access date]).

Friday, July 5, 2019

Photo Friday - First Communion Boys in Spain

When Vincent's cousin in Spain let us photograph a large stash of vintage family photos, we found a lot of first communion photos from 100 years ago to today.  I was fascinated by the photos of little boys, because in Spain they dress them up in military uniforms instead of suits.  These little uniforms range from very fancy to sailor outfits, complete with formal white gloves.  What a curious tradition!

José Manuel García, Madrid, Spain
late 1930s

Cousin Chemari, Madrid, Spain circa 1960
Cousin Gerald Zato, Barcelona
circa 1930
I love the lace and white gloves! 
Cousin Jesus Caravantes, dated 1958 on the back
It is the only communion photo without a
military uniform

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Photo Friday - First Communion Boys in Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 5, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/photo-friday-first-communion-boys-in.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - A Weathercock in Spain

Another special edition of "Weathervane Wednesday"!  This weathervane was seen in Spain.


Weathercocks are ancient weathervanes that have their origins in a papal edict.  In the 9th century Pope Nicholas I ordered the churches in Europe to place a rooster symbol on their roofs or steeples. This was to remember the bible story where Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed. Many of the roosters were placed on weathervanes since they were on top of the steeples.  You see many weathercocks on old churches, especially in Europe.

This weathercock was photographed on the top of the steeple of Santa Engracia church in Uztarroz, Navarra, Spain.  This village is high in the Pyrenee mountains that separate Spain from France.  We were visiting Uztarroz specifically to bring my mother-in-law to see the church where she made her first communion on 4 May 1941. You can read more about that trip HERE.



The church of Santa Engracia was built in the 1500s.  The wood in the choir has been dated to 1591.  There is a pipe organ in the church that was built by Matias Rueda in 1738 and it is considered one of the best Baroque period organs in the world. 

The village of Uztarroz has only 160 people according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica in Spain.


A blog post about our trip to Uztarroz:

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - A Weathercock in Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 3, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-weathercock-in.html: accessed [access date]).

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Our Anniversary Today!


We were married on this day at the First Church in Holden, Massachusetts and had our wedding lunch at the William Paul House, which is now a Chinese restaurant!  Don't we look like babies in this photo?  Can you believe I still have those champagne glasses, too? We'll toast ourselves tonight.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Our Anniversary Today!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 2, 2019,  (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/our-anniversary-today.html: accessed [access date]).