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Saturday, August 31, 2019

September 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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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, 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.

September 1st, Sunday, Pilgrim Hall Museum 195th Birthday, at the museum at 75 Court Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Celebrate with birthday cake on the front portico from 11 am to 1pm. Free admission all day, 9:30am to 4:30pm.

September 1st, Sunday, 9:30am – 3:30pm, Soldiers Atop the Mount, at the Mount Independence State Historic Site, Orwell, Vermont.  Reenactors will have a woods skirmish, annual reading of the Declaration of Independence, demonstrate camp life and skills, and have activities for all ages.  Illustrated talks.  $6 per person.  Kid Friendly.

September 3rd, Tuesday, 7pm, Essex, England, Home of the Mayflower? at the Adams Library in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.  Hosted by the Chelmsford Genealogy Club, and presented by Linda MacIver, former librarian at the Boston Public Library. Free to the public. 

September 5 – 8, Thursday to Sunday, Muster in the Mountains, at the Mount Washington Auto Road, Pinkham Notch, NH Route 16, Gorham, New Hampshire plus code 7QQF+P3 Glenn House, Greens, NH (plus codes work like street addresses when an address isn’t available on Google Maps).  Hosted by the Pequawket Alliance. Judged shooting and throwing skills competitions, potluck supper with food judging.  Interested parties contact Robert Ross rfrossjr@gmail.com

September 5, Thursday, 1pm, “Being Pickety”, at the Bedford Public Library, Bedford, New Hampshire.  Author Wendy Walter will talk about the history of Pickity Place, founded by her parents, David and Judith Walter in 1976.  Copies of her book, as well as her mother’s book “Country herb Cooking: Four Seasons of Recipes from Pickity Place” will be available for purchase and signing.  Free to the public.

September 6, Friday, noon, Resources at the Godfrey Memorial Library of Middleton, CT: A library dedicated to Genealogical and Family History Research, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Presented by Albert E. Fiacre of the Godfrey Memorial Library.  Part of the First Friday lecture series. Free to the public. Register here:  https://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1234  

September 7 and 8, Saturday and Sunday, 10am - 5pm, Viking Days, at the Hampton Historical Society's Tuck Museum, 40 Park Avenue, Hampton, New Hampshire.   Join the living history group Draugar Vinlands.  Displays and demonstrations of Viking combat and weaponry, toolmaking, woodworking, clothing, food and drink.  This two day event is free and open to the public. 

September 7, Saturday, 10am - 4pm, Genealogy Open House, at the Vermont Genealogy Library, Fort Ethan Allen (Dupont Hall - entrance on Hegeman Avenue), Colchester, Vermont.  Library tours, exhibits, technology demonstrations, and genealogy books for sale.  Free to the public. Bring a friend.  For more information see www.vtgenlib.org 

September 7, Saturday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Free tour, no need to be a member, no registration necessary. Tour attendees are welcome to stay and use the library following the tour.

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

September 7, 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.

September 7, Saturday, 1pm, Burial Hill Tour:  A Blessing Great but Dangerous: Children in Early Plymouth, hosted by the Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Presented by Dr. Donna Curtin.  Tour begins at the top of the Hill. Free to the public.

September 7, Saturday, 7pm, New England’s Colonial Meetinghouses and Their Impact on American Society, at the Springfield Town Meeting House, 23 Four Corners Road, Springfield, New Hampshire. Hosted by the Springfield 250th Celebration Organization Committee. Presented by Paul Wainwright. Free to the public.

September 9, Monday, 7pm, Treasure from the Isles of Shoals:  How New Archaeology is Changing Old History, at the Camp Morgan Lodge, 339 Millen Pond Road, Washington, New Hampshire. Hosted by the Washington Historical Society and presented by historian J. Dennis Robinson. Free to the public.  A potluck supper will occur at 6pm, with the program to follow at 7pm.

September 10, Tuesday, 6pm, Brewing in New Hampshire: An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State from Colonial Times to the Present, at the Goodwin Public Library, 422 Main Street, Farmington, New Hampshire.  Presented by Glenn Knoblock. Free to the public.

September 10, Tuesday, 7pm, I Found My Village!  Now What?, at the Andover Public Library – Memorial Hall, 2 North Main Street, Andover, Massachusetts. Presented by genealogist Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz who will demonstrate the use of church records, passenger manifests, naturalization records, and other documents for Polish genealogy research. Free to the public. https://mhl.org/genealogy-program/2019/i-found-my-village-now-what

September 10, Tuesday, 7pm, “If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?” George Washington’s Runaway Slave, at Elkins Public Library, 9 Center Road, Canterbury, New Hampshire. Portrayed by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti. Free to the public with a grant from the NH Humanities Council.

September 10, Tuesday, 7pm, Edward Moore's Phillipston Family, at the Phillipston Congregational Church, 64 the Common, Phillipston, Massachusetts. Hosted by the Erving Public Library and the Phillipston Congregational Church.  Presented by Sara Campbell. Free to the public. 

September 10, Tuesday, 7pm, Votes For Women: A History of the Suffrage Movement, at the Grantham Town Hall, 301 Route 10 South, Grantham, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Dunbar Free Library, and presented by Liz Tentarelli.  Free to the public.

September 10, Tuesday, 7:30pm, Genealogy Program, at the Thomaston Historical Society, Watts Hall, 174 Main Street, Thomaston, Maine.  Presented by Helen Shaw. Free to the public. Open at 7pm for socializing and light refreshments. 

September 11, Wednesday, 5:30pm, The Music History of French-Canadians, Franco-Americans, Acadians, and Cajuns, at the Castle in the Clouds Carriage House, 586 Ossipee Park Road, Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Presented by Lucie Therrien. Free to the public.

September 11, Wednesday, 7pm, New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them, at the Wilton Public & Gregg Free Library, 7 Forest Street, Wilton, New Hampshire. Presented by historian Jeremy D’Entremont. Free to the public.

September 12, Thursday, 2-3:30pm, Genealogy Research for Beginners with Linda MacIver at the Concord Free Public Library, 129 Main Street, Concord, Massachusetts. This is a six-week course: Sept 12, 19, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24. The first two classes are mandatory and require basic computer skills. Limited to 12 participants. Register at https://concordlibrary.org/news-events/events-calendar

September 12, Thursday, 7pm, Treasure from the Isles of Shoals:  How New Archaeology is Changing Old History, at the Wiggin Memorial Library, 10 Bunker Hill Road, Stratham, New Hampshire. Presented by historian J. Dennis Robinson. Free to the public.

September 12, Thursday, 6:30pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Gilford Public Library, 31 Potter Hill Road, Gilford, New Hampshire.  Presented by Steve Taylor. Free to the public.

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 13, Friday, 1:30pm, Writing Your Autobiography (For Genealogists) at the Hudson Genealogy Club, at the Rodgers Memorial Library, 194 Derry Road, Hudson, New Hampshire. Presented by genealogist Seema Kenney.  Free to the public. 

September 13, Friday, 2pm, Abigail Adams: Independence and Ideals, Pop up Display and Talk, at the Massachusetts Historical Society (display on view until September 21), 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Free to the public. 

September 13, Friday, 7:30  Genealogy Resources at the Boston Public Library, at Brandeis University, Mandel Center for the Humanities, Waltham, Massachusetts. Hosted by TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association, Inc.) and presented by former Boston Public Librarian Linda B. MacIver.  Free and open to the public. 

September 13, Friday, 7pm, Genealogy Resources at the Boston Public Library with Linda MacIver.  Hosted by TIARA (The Irish American Research Association) at Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, Massachusetts.  Come and hear about the collections for genealogists available at the library and from your home 24/7 with your BPL card.  Free to the public. 

September 14, Saturday, 9am – 5pm, New Discoveries in Mayflower Genealogical Research, at the Courtyard Marritt Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Hosted by NEHGS, and presented by Sue Allan, Robert Charles Anderson, Christopher Child, Caleb Johnson, and Simon Neal.  Cost $125 (five lectures plus breakfast and lunch).  See the website for more information and registration. https://mayflower.americanancestors.org 

September 14, Saturday, 10am, Walking Tour: The ‘Squog Cemetery, meet up at the Piscataquog Cemetery at the intersection of South Main Street and Bowman Street, behind the South Main Street Church. $5 Manchester Historic Association members, $10 General public.  This one acre cemetery was acquired by the city in 1915.

September 14, Saturday, 10:30am, Wild Ireland at the Acton Memorial Library, 486 Main Street, Acton, Massachusetts.  Sponsored by the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Middlesex Chapter https://www.msoginc.org  Free and open to the public. A collection of unusual stories and myths that Thomas Toohey has gathered on his 19 trips to Ireland. They are examples of the types of stories that would enhance anyone's family history! 

September 14, Saturday, noon – 5pm, Salem Spice Festival, at Pioneer Village: Salem 1630, Forest River Park, Salem, Massachusetts. FREE admission. Come celebrate Salem’s four hundred year history of spices, herbs, and tea.  Vendors, music and 17th century recipes. Family and kid friendly.

September 14, Saturday, 2pm, New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Crapo Building (Town Hall), 1411 Route 117, Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. Hosted by the Richardson Memorial Library, and presented by Pam Weeks.  This program will be part of Sugar Hill Quilts, which is being held at the Sugar Hill Historical Museum & Burpee House.  Participants are invited to bring one quilt for identification and/or story sharing. Free to the public.

September 15, Sunday, 10am – 6pm, American Ancestors at Open Newbury Street 2019, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Center, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. A car free day on Newbury Street when vendors offer special activities, deals, and experiences. NEHGS will participate with free entry to the first floor of the library and archives, family history themed games, activities, special offers, and a raffle. Free to the public.

September 15, Sunday, 11:30am, Abby Hutchinson’s Sweet Freedom Songs: Songs and Stories of the Struggle for Abolition and Woman Suffrage.  At the Deering Community Church, 763 Deering Center Road, Deering, New Hampshire. Presented by living historian Deborah Anne Goss. Free to the public.

September 15, Sunday, 1 - 3:45pm, An Afternoon with Steve Morse, at the Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington, Connecticut.  Hosted by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. He will present two lectures:  One-Step Webpages: A Potpourrit of Genealogical Search Tools, followed by The History of the Geography of New York City.  Free to the public. 

September 15, Sunday, 2pm, Martha Codman Karolik and Maxim Karolik: An Unlikely Union and a Lasting Legacy, the first inaugural "Notable Resident" lecture at the Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts.  Suggested donation $8 per person, please reserve your seat with Becky Putnam at 978-601-8725 or visit the Harmony Grove Website at www.harmonygrovesalem.org  

September 15, Sunday, 3pm, Family Stories: How and Why to Remember and Tell Them, at Veterans Hall, 927 NH Route 103, Newbury, New Hampshire. Hosted by the Newbury Historical Society, and presented by storyteller Jo Radner. Participants will practice finding, developing, and telling their own tales. Free to the public.

September 15, Sunday, 3 -6pm, The Brewster Book Manuscript, hosted by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants at the Mayflower House, 4 Winslow Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Presented by eminent Mayflower researchers Caleb Johnson and Simon Neal. 

September 17, Tuesday, 5:30pm, Discovering Stone Walls, at the Historical Courthouse, 20 Courthouse Square, Ossipee, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Ossipee Historical Society, and presented by Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss.  Free to the public.

September 17, Tuesday, 6pm, Biographer Susan Ronald with Conde Nast: The Man and His Empire, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Center, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  $35 includes a guaranteed seat and a signed book. $12 general admission.  Presented by author Susan Ronald.  Register here:  https://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1230  

September 17, Tuesday, 6:30pm, Stark Decency: New Hampshire’s World War II German Prison War Camp, at the North Hampton Public Library, 237A Atlantic Avenue, North Hampton, New Hampshire. Presented by Allen Koop.  Free to the public.

September 17, Tuesday, 6:30pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers, at the John O’Leary Adult Community Center, 4 Church Street, Merrimack, New Hampshire.  Presented by Steve Taylor. Free to the public.

September 18, Wednesday, 10am, New Visitor Tour of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Free tour, no need to be a member, no registration necessary. Tour attendees are welcome to stay and use the library following the tour.

September 18, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Tavern Talk: Understanding Community from Historical Perspective, at the Folsom Tavern, 164 Water Street, Exeter, New Hampshire. A panel discussion lead by experts fro the Exeter Public Library, Exeter Historical Society, the Gilman Garrison House, and from the American Indepence Museum.  FREE to the public.

September 18, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Discovering Stone Walls, at the Plaistow Public Library, Plaistow, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Plaistow Historical Society, and presented by Kevin Gardner, author of The Granite Kiss.  Free to the public.

September 18, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Poor Houses and Town Farms: The Hard Row for Paupers, at the Conway Public Library, 15 Main Street, Conway, New Hampshire.  Presented by Steve Taylor. Free to the public.

September 18, Wednesday, 7:30pm, Abraham and Mary Lincoln: The Long and the Short of It, at The Center at Eastman, Draper Room, 6 Club House Lane, Grantham, New Hampshire.  Presented by living historians Steve and Sharon Wood portraying President and Mrs. Lincoln.  Free to the public.

September 19, Thursday, 5pm, Book Signing and Talk: Manchester, NH’s Shoe Industry, at the Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford Street, Manchester, New Hampshire. Join authors Kelly Kilcrease and Yvette Ladzowski as they introduce their new book: Manchester’s Shoe Industry.  Free with admission to the museum.  Please RSVP to history@manchesterhistoric.org or call 603-622-7531.

September 19, Thursday, 6:30pm, Three Genealogists: Rediscovering Mayflower Women’s Roots, at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts. Presented by Mayflower researchers and genealogists Caleb Johnson, Simon Neal and Sue Allan.  They will present this public talk with more on what has been uncovered about the women of the Mayflower based on the latest research. Refreshments at 6:30, program at 7pm.  Tickets $15, $10 members. Reservations required.

September 19, Thursday, 6:30, Erin in the USA: Irish Research on this side of the Atlantic, part of the “Finding Your Ancestors” series at the Mayflower Society House, 4 Winslow Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Presented by genealogist Michael Brophy.  Free to the public. For more information see www.themayflowersociety.org 

September 19, Thursday, 7pm, New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Minot-Sleeper Library, 35 Pleasant Street, Bristol, New Hampshire. Presented by Pam Weeks. Participants are invited to bring one quilt for identification and/or story sharing. Free to the public.

September 20 - 22, New Hampshire Highland Games, at Loon Mountain Resort, Lincoln, New Hampshire.  Music, dance, Scottish culture, traditional skills and athletic competitions, and more.  Genealogy workshops with Joan Barnes and Dr. Carol Gardner- see the link https://nhscot.org/pdf/Seminar%20Descriptions%20072919.pdf for more information.  Tickets available online at www.nhscot.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, Free Museum Day, across New England and across the United States.  Participants are allowed to download one ticket per email address.  The ticket provides free general admission for two people.  Download your tickets here (also find a list of participating museums):  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2019/ 

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, 11am, The Tumultuous Life of Austin Wall, at the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Bristol Chapter meeting at the Somerset Public Library, 1464 Country Street (Route 138), Somerset, Massachusetts.  Business meeting at 11am, presentation at noon. Free to the public. Presented by Sara Campbell. 

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 21, Saturday, 1pm, Songs of Emigration: Storytelling through Traditional Irish Music, at the Brown Memorial Library, 78 West Main Street, Bradford, New Hampshire.  Presented by musician Jordan Tirell-Wysocki playing his fiddle and guitar. Free to the public.

September 21, Saturday, 1 - 2:30pm, Introduction to Genealogy with Linda MacIver at the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library 345 Main Street, Wakefield, Massachusetts.  This is a six-week course: Sept 21, Oct 5, 12, 26, Nov. 9 and 23.  The first two classes are mandatory and require basic computer skills. Limited to 20 participants.  Register at https://www.wakefieldlibrary.org/upcoming-adult-programs/introduction-to-genealogy-2/

September 21, Saturday, 4pm, (Pre-talk reception at 3:30) Can They Do It? Divisions on the Road to the 19th Amendement, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by Allison K. Lange of the Wentworth Institute of Technology, Corine T. Field of the University of Virginia, Minish Sinha of the University of Connecticut, and Barbara F. Berenson. Free to the public. Registration required.  www.masshit.org   

September 22nd, Sunday, 1pm, Brewster Book Launch and Signing, at Pilgrim Hall Museum, 75 Court Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Hosted by the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants.  View the rare and unique manuscript by William Brewster, and learn more about the new book by Caleb Johnson and Simon Neal.  Free and open to the public.  First come first served seating. Refreshments and book signing by the authors and special guest, genealogist Sue Allan. 

September 22, Sunday, 2pm, New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell, at the Hancock Historical Society, 7 Main Street, Hancock, New Hampshire. Presented by Pam Weeks. Participants are invited to bring one quilt for identification and/or story sharing. Free to the public.

September 24, Tuesday, 7pm, Songs of Emigration: Storytelling through Traditional Irish Music, at the St. John’s Parish Hall, 270 Stark Highway North, Dunbarton, New Hampshire.  Presented by musician Jordan Tirell-Wysocki playing his fiddle and guitar. Hosted by the Dunbarton Historical Society. Free to the public.

September 24, Tuesday, 7pm, When There Is No Doctor: Home Remedies of 17th Century Boston, at Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Registration required for a fee at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/when-there-is-no-doctor-home-remedies-of-17th-century-housewives-tickets-51971395844

September 25, Wednesday, 7pm, A Walk Back In Time: The Secrets of Cellar Holes, at the Fitzwilliam Town Library, 11 Templeton Turnpike, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire.  Presented by Adair Mulligan.  Free to the public.

September 26, Thursday, 6pm, Biographer Brian Jay Jones with Becoming Dr. Suess, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Center, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Cost $35 includes guaranteed seat and signed book, or $12 general admission.  Presented by Brian Jay Jones.  Register here:  https://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1235 

September 27, Friday, 1pm, The Ancestry and Descendants of Captain Myles Standish, Mayflower Passenger, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Center, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Presented by Gary Boyd Roberts and Tim Salls, in partnership with the Society of Myles Standish Descendants. .  Free to the public. Register here: https://my.americanancestors.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=1233 

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, 8am – 3pm, American Canadian Genealogy Society Fall Conference, at the Puritan Restaurant’s Pappas Room, 245 Hooksett Road, Manchester, New Hampshire.  See the website for details and to register online:  https://acgs.org  Speakers will include Michael J. Leclerc, CG, and Patrick Laroix, PhD.

September 28, Saturday, 9:30am - 11:30am, Drawing from the Past:  A History Comics Workshop, at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, Concord, New Hampshire. Tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/history-comics-workshop-drawing-from-the-past-registration-67804327569?fbclid=IwAR3_mXv5wCo2wPXk-qijjVBmJu_sAeUl1Y89RK66vrLG0LJE3mMMRRuiYFU or register by phone with a credit card at 603-856-0621.  $10 members, $12 non members.  Join cartoonist Marek Bennet for a hands-on workshop exploring history comics.  Kid friendly for children 10 and older.

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 

September 28, Saturday, 2pm, Primary Sources for Fashion and Costume History Research, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  Presented by Kimberly Alexander of the University of New Hampshire and by Sara Georgini, MHS.  Free to the public. Please pre register at www.masshist.org  

September 28, Saturday, 2pm, Robert Rogers of the Rangers, at the Bath Public Library, 4 West Bath Road, Bath, New Hampshire. Hosted by the Bath Historical Society, and presented by George Morrison. Free to the public.

September 29, Sunday, 3pm, Family, Memory, Place: Writing Family Stories, at the Plainfield Town Hall, 1079 Route 12A, Plainfield, New Hampshire.  Hosted by the Plainfield Historical Society. This is an interactive workshop led by Maura MacNeil.  Free to the public.

October 2, Wednesday, 2:30pm, The Capital Crime of Witchcraft:  What the Primary Sources Tell Us, at the New Hampshire Veterans Home, 139 Winter Street, Tilton, New Hampshire. Presented by Margo Burns. Free to the public.
October 5 and 6, Saturday and Sunday, Women of the Fort, at the Fort at No. 4, 267 Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire.  This living history weekend is dedicated to the lives of women of the Colonial Period. Crafts, demonstrations, vendors, and more.  http://www.fortat4.org/events/women/women-of-the-fort.php


Future Events:


November 16, Saturday, 1 – 4pm, Genealogy Workshop: Writing Your Family History, at the Folsom Tavern, 164 Water Street, Exeter, New Hampshire.  Tickets available at www.independencemuseum.org Presented by Penny Stratton, retired publishing director at NEHGS. 

March 14 and 15, 2020, History Camp Boston, https://historycamp.org/   

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/ 

Friday, August 30, 2019

Seen at the Mayflower House


Last week I was at the Mayflower Society house in Plymouth, Massachusetts for a meeting. Before the meeting started I took a few minutes to peek around the house (it was my first visit!) and take a few photographs.  The rooms are beautifully decorated with memorabilia and displays. 



This piece of paper was on a table display inside the Mayflower House.  It caught my eye because I'm an Emerson descendant, too!  Perhaps you can make a cousin connection through one of the surnames listed here, too.



My 2x great grandmother, Mary Katharine Emerson (1847 - 1932) was a cousin to Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Here are their common ancestors:

Generation 1:  Thomas Emerson married Elizabeth Brewster
Generation 2:  Joseph Emerson m. Elizabeth Bulkely
Generation 3:  Peter Emerson m. Mary Brown        (brothers)     Edward Emerson m. Rebecca Waldo
Generation 4:  Brown Emerson m. Sarah Townsend                    Joseph Emerson m. Mary Moody
Generation 5:  John Emerson m. Katherine Eaton                       William Emerson m. Phebe Bliss
Generation 6:  Romanus Emerson m. Jemima Burnham             William Emerson m. Ruth Upham 
Generation 7:  George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger            Ralph Waldo Emerson (1805 - 1882)
Generation 8:  Mary Katharine Emerson (my 2x great grandmother, 4th cousin once removed from the poet)

I also have a second Emerson lineage from Thomas Emerson and Elizabeth Brewster, through their daughter Elizabeth (1623 - 1700) who married John Fuller.

Here is Ralph Waldo Emerson's Mayflower lineage:

Generation 1:   John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley (both were Mayflower passengers)
Generation 2:   Hope Howland and John Chipman  (my 9th great grandparents)
Generation 3:   Lydia Chipman and John Sargent  (I descend from her sister Hannah)
Generation 4:   Lydia Chipman Sargent and Joseph Waite, Jr.
Generation 5:  Hannah Waite and Phineas Upham
Generation 6:  Hannah Upham and John Haskins
Generation 7:  Ruth Haskins and William Emerson
Generation 8:  Ralph Waldo Emerson

(this was an entirely female lineage, so Ralph Waldo Emerson carried Elizabeth Tilley's mitochondrial DNA!)

My lineage from Hope Howland and John Chipman (Generation 2):

Generation 3:  Hannah Chipman and Thomas Huckins
Generation 4:  Hope Huckins and Benjamin Hamblin
Generation 5:  Hannah Hamblin and Jonathan Crosby
Generation 6:  Ebenezer Crosby and Elizabeth Robinson
Generation 7:  Rebecca Crosby and Comfort Haley
Generation 8: Joseph Edwin Healy and Matilda Weston
Generation 9: Mary Etta Healey and Peter Hoogerzeil
Generation 10:  Florence Etta Hoogerzeil and Arthur Treadwell Hitchings
Generation 11: Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandmother)

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

To Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Seen at the Mayflower House", Nutfield Genealogy, August 30, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/seen-at-mayflower-house.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

A Poem "At Beaver Lake"

On April 12, 1719 Rev. James MacGregor
held the first church service in Nutfield on the shores of Beaver Lake

At Beaver Lake

"...a hiding place from the winds and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land"
--Ezekiel 32:3, from the first Nutfield sermon by the Rev. James MacGregor, Beaver Lake April 12, 1719

As evening fell along the shore,
worried too much about the rent,
I think of kin, anxious and poor,
       that crossed the sea
to a new and dangerous continent.
       Follow me.

Through miles of wilderness they took
their bearings in a trackless wood.
They settled by West Running Brook,
      weary but free.
The fathers said they'd found it good.
     Come with me. 

How did those immigrants endure?
How did they make it through that year?
They, too, were fearful and unsure
     of what would be.
I thought I heard the sermon here.
    Believe in me.
                                       -- Robert Crawford
                                           Derry, New Hampshire Poet Laureate


Robert Crawford read "At Beaver Lake"
during the Founders Day celebration in April 2019
in Derry, New Hampshire


For the truly curious:

"Derry Names Its First Poet Laureate"  Derry News

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Poem "At Beaver Lake" ", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 28, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-poem-at-beaver-lake.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Tombstone Tuesday - Alice Ayers (1664 - 1717)


HERE LYES ENTTRD
Ye BODY OF ALLICE
AYERS WIFE TO
EDWARD AYERS AGED
53 YEARS DIED Ye
9 OF FEBRUARY
1717/8

Alice Shapleigh was the wife of Edward Ayers, a Portsmouth blacksmith.  She was born about  1664, and may have been the daughter of John Shapleigh and Sarah Withers (granddaughter of Alexander Shapleigh and Elizabeth Tellman).  Edward Ayers was the son of Captain John Ayers and Susannah Symonds, married in Ipswich about 1644.  Edward was born 12 February 1658 in Ipswich, and died before 27 June 1723 in Greenland (near Portsmouth), New Hampshire.  His second wife was Hannah Martyn, and his third wife was Margaret Williams.

Edward and Alice had eight children:  Elizabeth (married Moses Ingraham), Edward, Susannah, Abigail, Mary, Hannah, Phebe, and John.

I love the spelling on this tombstone, and the finely carved death's head that has survived the ravages of time, even though this burial ground is withing a few yards of Portsmouth harbor with it's salty air and weather.

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday - Alice Ayers (1664 - 1717)", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 27, 2019 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/tombstone-tuesday-alice-ayers-1664-1717.html:  accessed [access date]).

Saturday, August 24, 2019

A Merrimack River Tour

The Merrimack River in Dracut, Massachusetts

I live only a mile or so from the banks of the Merrimack River in Manchester, New Hampshire. I know that the Scots Irish settlers in 1719 sailed (or rowed?) up the Merrimack River from Maine to Methuen to join their pastor, Reverend James MacGregor who was temporarily in Dracut.  From that point, sixteen families followed MacGregor to view the Nutfield Grant of land in what is now New Hampshire.  They liked what they saw, and they settled there permanently.

I have often wondered how they sailed (or rowed) up the Merrimack to Methuen.  I've seen the river from the land all my life. I've never been out on the river.  My daughter belonged to a crew team in Nashua, and the river was often too low to row, or too high to row, or just enough water for a crew shell.  Her crew in college rowed on the Merrimack in Lowell, above the dam, in several regattas. What was the river like before it was dam controlled?  Where did the Scots Irish, who came up the Merrimack River, put in along the river in Haverhill (which included parts of Methuen in 1719)?

Last week I took my first ride on the river with the Clean River Project out of Methuen.  This lovely tour is a fundraiser for the Clean River Project, which has been cleaning up the Merrimack River, mostly the 8 miles between Lawrence and Lowell, since 2005.  Seeing the river from the middle of the water gives an entirely new perspective to the size of the boats that could have fit up the river (probably quite large), and where they might have landed (there are currently many beaches and places for putting in boats, and most probably date back to 1719).

It is still unknown exactly where the Scots Irish landed along the river, but you might want to take this tour yourself to see if you can conjecture just how and where they might have been.

Captain Dennis gave us a lovely tour, with historical and
natural history lessons, and a sing-a-long or two! 

An island near Methuen, Massachusetts

A view of Lawrence, Massachusetts


We saw a lot of wildlife including cormorants, geese, ducks
and several blue herons
This is a photo of one of the traps set up on the Merrimack River by the
Clean River Project to catch trash floating downriver

This is one of those traps we saw along the Andover shoreline
We passed under the Route 93 bridge twice

This is the boathouse for the Greater Lawrence Community Boating program.
Dozens of kids waved to us from the docks and porches!

The Merrimack River is no longer an urban sewer along this stretch of New Hampshire and Massachusetts.  It has been cleaned up and the shoreline preserved as conservation land. We observed lots of wildlife, and people swimming and boating.  Thanks to organizations like the Clean River Project, the Merrimack is again being used for recreation and tourism.


"The ROBERT"
by Londonderry artist Tom Abruzese
An image of the ship that carried Nutfield 
settlers to New England in 1718.
Made from the shell from a Butternut Tree
growing on this property and matchsticks. 



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


Clean River Project   https://www.cleanriverproject.org/ 

Merrimack River Tours  https://merrimackrivertours.weebly.com/about.html

A blog post about Pulpit Rock, where the Nutfield settlers paused for a religious service on their way from Methuen to Londonderry, New Hampshire:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-roadside-plaque-you-have-probably.html

The Greater Lawrence Community Boating Program:  http://www.boatingprogram.com/ 

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Merrimack River Tour", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 24, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-merrimack-river-tour.html: accessed [access date]).

Friday, August 23, 2019

1979 Egypt Trip - Vintage Family Photo Friday


When Vincent was growing up he was very lucky to travel all over the world. His father worked for the United Nations, and his mother worked for Iberia Airlines. This meant that if there was room stand-by on a plane, they could travel anywhere.  They went to Asia, South America, Europe and in 1979 they went to Egypt.  A few weeks after this trip Vincent was back at MIT, and I was matriculating at Lesley College.  We met each other just about at this time. 

If you have ever been to Cairo, or seen a documentary, you can tell that these sites have changed a lot in the past forty years. The photos are faded not due to poor quality film, but because they were stored in Puerto Rico where the intense heat, humidity, and ocean air unfortunately caused degradation. 










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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "1979 Egypt Trip - Vintage Family Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 23, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/1978-egypt-trip-vintage-family-photo.html: accessed [access date]).

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Weathervane Wednesday - An Old Church

Another "Weathervane Wednesday" from Exeter, New Hampshire...



Last week I featured the very detailed, gilded ship weathervane from on top of the Philips Exeter Academy Building, and this week it is the simple arrow weathervane from the Exeter Congregational Church.  These two weathervanes are located just a few blocks from each other.

This weathervane sits above the United Church of Christ on 21 Front Street.  This congregation was gathered in 1638 by the Reverend John Wheelwright who was exiled from Puritan Massachusetts.  The current building was erected in 1798 and is the fifth meetinghouse for this congregation.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.  Abraham Lincoln attended services here while visiting his son at the Philips Exeter Academy, and his pew is marked.  In the John Irving novel A Prayer for Owen Meany the protagonist attends this same congregation. 


The Congregational Church in Exeter:  http://www.exeterucc.org/  

Click here to see over 400 other Weathervane Wednesday posts:

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - An Old Church", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 21, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/weathervane-wednesday-old-church.html: accessed [access date]). 

Monday, August 19, 2019

Scenes from the 120th Annual Londonderry Old Home Day


Rain held off, the skies opened up to bright blue, and the 120th annual Old Home Day in Londonderry was a terrific celebration.  Since we were commemorating the 300th anniversary of the founding of Nutfield there were extra activities on the common and at the Morrison House Museum, especially historical re-enactors and activities related to the Scots Irish settlers.


The 1st New Hampshire Regiment was encamped all day at the grounds of the Morrison House doing military drills, cooking demonstrations, and live cannon firings.  Children had a chance to play colonial games and "drill" with the regiment. 


Inside the Parmenter barn, and all around the museum grounds, traditional craftspeople and re-enactors were making rope, wooden barrels, needlework, working tin, basketmaking, working with horn, making corn husk dolls, processing flax and weaving, demonstrating blacksmithing and gunsmithing, and animal husbandry.  



Inside the Morrison house visitors toured the 18th century dwelling, took tours, and consulted with Yours Truly about their Nutfield ancestors.  I had descendants come and talk with me about their BARNETT, MACK, TODD, NELSON, CLARK, GREGG, NESMITH and other ancestors. 





On the common there were two booths dedicated to the Nutfield 300th celebration and the restoration of the First Parish Meetinghouse in East Derry.  There was historical information on display, as well as the commemorative medallions for sale and other souvenirs.





The NHSCOT Pipes and Drums marched in the Old Home Day parade and gave demonstrations on the museum grounds. There was a free 45 minute class for youths and adults to have a chance to learn to play the pipes.  


The pig roast was a success with all the pulled pork, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon and cold drinks selling out early.  The pig was donated by Turcotte Tree Service, and the corn was donated by the Cross Family of Londonderry.  All proceeds from the food sold are going towards repairs to the Historical Society buildings, especially the Morrison House roof and entryway. 


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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Scenes from the 120th Annual Londonderry Old Home Day", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 19, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/scenes-from-120th-annual-londonderry.html: accessed [access date]).