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Tuesday, January 25, 2022

A Famous Carriage - Acadia National Park - Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed at Acadia National Park, at the Wildwood stables operated by "Carriages of Acadia".  This is where thousands of tourists take horse-drawn carriage rides every year on the famous carriage roads of the National Park, once part of the wealthy Rockefeller estate. 


The 45 miles of carriage roads of Acadia National park are famous for their beauty.  They were built by the millionaire John D. Rockefeller, who was an equestrian, to ride his horses and take visitors by carriage around the island. There are great views and beautiful stone bridges along the way.  Today tourists walk, bike, ride horses, and take escorted carriage rides through the park on these roads. 

This two dimensional weathervane features a large carriage like the ones used to carry tourists today around the park. It appears to be an old weathervane, with quite a patina on it, so it might be original to the building.  


For the truly curious:

From the National Park Service, "Carriage Roads and Gatehouses of Acadia National Park"  https://www.nps.gov/acad/learn/historyculture/historiccarriageroads.htm   

Carriages of Acadia:   https://acadiahorses.com/  

To see 450 other weathervanes featured at this blog, click here:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   


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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Famous Carriage - Acadia National Park - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 26, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-famous-carriage-acadia-national-park.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Just for Fun! Pilgrim Names Seen Around Plymouth, Massachusetts

 These fun images were photographed around the town of Plymouth last fall during the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Board of Assistants meeting.











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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Just for Fun!  Pilgrim Names Seen Around Plymouth, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 18, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/01/just-for-fun-pilgrim-names-seen-around.html

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Sailing Ship in Maine - Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was spotted whilst driving along Route 1, the coastal route, from Bath to Bar Harbor, Maine. Somewhere near Wiscasset or Damariscotta, but I neglected to write down the location! 


This two dimensional weathervane is mounted above a cupola over a former barn that has been converted into an antique shop.  There are three masts and a very distinctive flag at the stern or the ship, rather like the Betsy Ross 13 star flag.   

Does anyone know the location of this weathervane?  Or the story behind this interesting ship?


To see 450 other weathervanes featured at this blog, click on this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To Cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Sailing Ship in Maine - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 12, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/01/sailing-ship-in-maine-weathervane.html: accessed [access date]). 

Thursday, January 6, 2022

What did Genea-Santa Bring? Christmas Books 2021

 


Every year I post the books that Genea-Santa brought to my Christmas tree.  The photo above shows the genealogy and family history books I received this year.  Last year my haul of gift books was heavily slanted towards the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower.  This year the list is well rounded, and includes two books of historical fiction. Thank you, Santa!

I hope you find a few books on this list for yourself and your family history research, too! 


First Yankee: David Thomson, 1592 - 1628 - The Story of New Hampshire's First Settler, was published in 1997 by Ralph and Matthew Thomson.  Santa bought this edition at the gift shop at the Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park, the location of David Thomson's fishing colony in 1623. David Thomson is my 9th great grandfather, and husband to Amyes Colle.  She was married to two of my 9th great grandfathers - Thomson and also to Samuel Maverick of Boston. I can't wait to read this book! 


This is the sixth edition of the Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, edited by Rhonda R. McClure and published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  I've owned every edition of this book, and find it invaluable for New England family history research.  This edition updates lots of contact information, new resources, and things that I've been waiting for (such as the probate information from Connecticut missing from the last edition).  It looks wonderful, the true test will be actually USING this book for some upcoming projects. 


For a change of pace, I've included two books of historical fiction on this blog post because BOTH have to do with some of my family history.  J. Dennis Robinson, the author of Point of Graves: A New England History Mystery, has always written some of my favorite books, articles and short stories from the New Hampshire seacoast region.  Now he has written a mystery, and I can't wait to read it!  The Point of Graves is one of my favorite cemeteries in New Hampshire, and is featured in the title and on the cover.  I'm looking forward to reading this! 



This little volume was put together by my daughter with highlights of my granddaughter's sixth year on the planet.  She actually makes one of these every year, and I should have included it in previous blog posts.  


This large format book (380 pages) The Mayflower Quarterly Diamond Jubilee Edition was published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants in 2012.  It was originally sold for $50, but Genea-Santa saw it for sale at the GSMD board of assistants meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  It is still for sale for $15 at the GSMD website, so don't miss out on this lovely book that features a compilation of the "best of the best" from the journal produced by the Mayflower Society. 


This very heavy book (printed on glossy photographic paper and 453 pages) Made in America - The Pilgrim Story and How It Grew was written by James W. Baker, former historian from Plimoth-Patuxet museum (formerly known as Plimoth Plantation).  I've enjoyed his previous books, and this one I started on Christmas night and read straight through to the end!  In this volume he doesn't explore the history of the people known as "The Pilgrims" but he delves into the phenomenon behind their becoming myth and legend.  Very interesting, and very historical in its own way!  


This is another historical novel, Bound For Gold: Novel of the California Gold Rush, by William Martin.  He is the author of many of my favorite historical fiction books such as Back Bay, Cape Cod, and Harvard Yard.  He wrote this book in 2019, but I have not read it yet.  I'm interested not only because I enjoyed his earlier books very much, but because I had an ancestor leave Boston for California as a '49er (he actually returned with a nugget or two!).  This book should prove to be very interesting because William Martin does such meticulous research on his subjects.  I follow him on Facebook, and look forward to reading Bound for Gold. 


This is volume 2 of Early New England Families 1641 - 1700 edited by Alicia Crane Williams.  I own volume 1 and used it a lot for my research, and look forward to having this book on my shelf.  It includes sketches with several surnames from my family tree - Carter, Fairbanks, Glover, Maverick, Stone, etc. These are families that arrived AFTER the Great Migration and are not include in Anderson's series.  These sketches are also available online at the database at AmericanAncestors.org 

I'll let you know later what I think of all these new books!  It will take me some time to read them all!

Christmas Books 2019
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To Cite/Link to this Blog Post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "What did Genea-Santa Bring?  Christmas Books 2021", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 6, 2021, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/01/what-did-genea-santa-bring-christmas.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You! - Who was the Chicken Farmer?

 

Anyone driving through Newbury, New Hampshire on their way to Mount Sunapee has passed this unusual bit of graffiti, which has been on this boulder since the 1970s.  And I'm sure most of the passers-by have wondered "Who was the chicken farmer?"  or "What's the story behind this?"

Over the years the sign has been repainted, and the vegetation has been cleared, making it visible to everyone passing by on Route 103.  In 2011 the New Hampshire Department of Transportation painted over the rock after a graffiti complaint, but this caused a local uproar and the Chicken Farmer sign reappeared and has been freshly repainted annually ever since.  It is such a local favorite, this story even appeared on NH Public Radio's "Fresh Air" as a full episode. 

Originally the rock read "Chicken Farmer I Love You", but after the town of Newbury (less than 2,000 souls in Newbury, and 192 signed the petition) complained to the state of New Hampshire to have their graffiti remain on the boulder, the message now reads "Chicken Farmer I Still Love You".   No one knows the real story, but many people have theories.  I've included some links to stories I found online that explore some of these theories. 

The Chicken Farmer Rock has been the subject of a story in the February 1998 Yankee magazine, bumper stickers, a movie, in the book Chicken Soup for the Lover's Soul, and there is even a Chicken Farmer 5K race every year in Newbury.  If you haven't seen it, take a detour off Interstate 89 and drive along Route 103 to see it for yourself!


For the truly curious:

The Chicken Farmer Rock is on the right side of Route 103 heading west, about 4 1/2 miles after the intersection of Route 114. It is difficult to see heading east, and is located just after Colburn Farm Road. 

Atlas Obscura:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chicken-farmer-rock  

NH PR "What's up with that Chicken Farmer I still love You rock?": https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2017-11-03/you-asked-we-answered-whats-up-with-that-chicken-farmer-i-still-love-you-rock  

Youtube film version of the Chicken Farmer story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK4nK7l9d38&t=1s  

New Hampshire Magazine:  https://www.nhmagazine.com/nh-love-stories-chicken-farmer-rock/  

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To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Chicken Farmer, I Still Love You!  - Who was the Chicken Farmer?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 4, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/01/chicken-farmer-i-still-love-you-who-was.html: accessed [access date]).