Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Burying Ground of the First Settlers, Newbury, Massachusetts




The First Burying Ground of the Settlers,  Newbury, 1635 is also known as the First Burying Ground. It is located on Route 1A (238 High Road), near the border of the town of Rowley.  You will find it on the left as you head north on Route 1A.  The original meeting house was located  nearby.  When the meetinghouse moved closer to the Merrimack River, another burial ground was established near the new building (now known as the First Parish Burying Ground.

This burial ground is not very visible from the road, and is set back quite a way from Route 1A.  The white sign is easy to miss.  The GPS coordinates are latitude 42.7703, longitude 70.84379. 

This burial ground is cared for by the organization known as The Sons and Daughters of Newbury. Memorial stones can be installed in memory of first settlers by contacting the Sons and Daughters of Newbury for approval.  All memorial stones must have the wording "In Memory Of".  The public is always welcome to visit this little cemetery. 

The bronze plaque on the right post reads:
FIRST BURYING GROUND
NEWBURY
This burying ground was
laide out in 1635 by the first town 
selectmen and restored in 1929 by
William and Jane Dole Moore
in memory of Richard Dole
and the first settlers


My 11th great grandfather, Edmund Greenleaf, who married Sarah Moore.  I descend from two of his children - Judith (1625 - 1705) who married Tristam Coffin and Henry Somerby, and also from Stephen Greenleaf (1628 - 1690) who married Elizabeth Coffin and Hester Weare. 

In memory of
CAPTAIN
EDMUND GREENLEAF
Born Jan. 2, 1574
Died Mar. 24, 1671

 

A ship detail on the tombstone for Edward Woodman


In memory of
Mr. EDWARD WOODMAN
who came from England and
settled in Newbury in 1635.
"A man of talents, influence,
firmness and decision."
He served faithfully for man years
as Selectman, Deputy to the General
Court and Commissioner.
He died about 1690. 


This is my 11th great grandfather's memorial tombstone erected by descendants.

In memoriam
PERCIVAL LOWELL
Born 1571 in 
Somerset Co., England
Merchant of Bristol, 
came to Newbury 1639
Died Jan. 8, 1665



In memory of
Anthony Somerby
Died July 31, 1636
AEt. 76 yrs. 


For the Truly Curious:

The Sons and Daughters of Newbury webpage for this burial ground:   https://www.sonsanddaughtersofnewbury.org/the-burial-ground   

A short tour of the Burying Ground of the First Settlers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Froy-qpsRt4 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Burying Ground of the First Settlers, Newbury, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 25, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/10/burying-ground-of-first-settlers.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Queen Isabella's Castle, Segovia, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday


 


Today's weathervane was photographed above the castle known as the Alcázar in Segovia, Spain.  There were several of these arrow weathervanes above the turrets, and all were alike.  They were metal, without gilding or compass points. The weathervanes are best viewed from the plaza by the front entrance to the castle. 

The Alcázar is a famous castle built in the 11th century as a fortress and a palace for twenty two monarchs of the Almoravid dynasty.  The most famous monarch to reside here was Queen Isabella of Castile.  This is a fairytale like castle with moat, courtyard, turrets, and a large keep.  The interior is richly decorated with gilding and tapestries.  There are several museums inside, a throne room, armory, treasury, grand halls, and a chapel. The Hall of the Monarchs (Sala de los Reyes) was commissioned by King Alfonso X (1252 - 1284) with a frieze of carved rulers of Castile and Leon.  You can read more about this at a blog post I wrote in 2010 HERE.  


We took our granddaughter to visit the Alcázar last year, because her name is Isabella, too!  Not only that, but some of the monarchs carved inside the Room of the Monarchs are our ancestors, including Alfonso IV and Queen Berengula.  You can read more about these ancestors HERE

For the truly curious:

Alcázar de Segovia (available in English):  https://www.alcazardesegovia.com/    


My 2010 blog post about the ancestors carved into the walls of the Alcázar of Segovia:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/09/wordless-wednesday-last-week-in-spain.html   

Click here to see over 475 other weathervanes featured at this blog:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Queen Isabella's Castle, Segovia, Spain - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 19, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/10/queen-isabellas-castle-segovia-spain.html: accessed [access date]). 

Friday, October 14, 2022

A Double Ghost Sign in Concord, New Hampshire - Funny Friday




This is a double ghost sign.  You can see an advertisement for Coca Cola, and also a taller advertisement for Gold Medal Flour.  I can't tell which one is older.  Both are visible heading south on Main Street, to the left, south of the New Hampshire State Capital Building.  I've been noticing many ghost signs in the Manchester, New Hampshire area - perhaps I will feature more in upcoming blog posts. 

A ghost sign is an old hand painted advertisement on the side of a building, usually faded but still legible. They are also known as "fading ads".  You can find them on brick buildings or on the sides of barns.  

For the truly curious: 

The Ephemera Society of America, ghost sign page:    https://www.ephemerasociety.org/ghost-signs/  

The Ghost Signs Facebook page (mostly UK):    https://www.facebook.com/ghostsigns/   

The San Francisco Ghost Sign Mapping Project:  https://sfghostsigns.com/  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Double Ghost Sign in Concord, New Hampshire - Funny Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 14, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/10/a-double-ghost-sign-in-concord-new.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Lempster, New Hampshire Meetinghouse - Weathervane Wednesday

 





This weathervane was photographed over the steeple of the historic meetinghouse in Lempster, New Hampshire. This building is on the corner of Allen Road, Lempster Street and North Pitkin Road.  It hasa simple banner style weathervane, with no compass points.  It appears to be cast iron, with no gilding visible (if it was ever gilded in the past?).  The steeple also contains a Revere bell dated 1824.

This meetinghouse was built in 1794 about a mile away, and moved to its current location in 1822 and the steeple was added.  It was a church for many years, and the meeting space was known as "Union Hall" from 1858 to the 1870s.  The Lempster High School was upstairs in this building from 1872 until about 1892.  There was a public library in this building until 1966. The Silver Mountain Grange, number 196, rented the upstairs of this building in 1897 with a 99 year lease. The members of the grange took on the responsibility of restoring this meetinghouse when it fell into disrepair. 

Today it used as a town hall.  In 1980 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2008 it received funds for restoration from the New Hampshire "Moose Plate" or Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, also known as LCHIP.  



1794 Lempster
Meetinghouse
This property has been protected
with assistance from the
NH Land and Community
Heritage Investment Program
2008




For the truly curious:


Also see the book Sacred and Secular: Historic Meetinghouses and Churches of the Monadnock Region, 1750 - 1850, 2006, published by the Historical Society of Cheshire County. 

Click here to see over 475 other weathervanes featured at this blog:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Lempster, New Hampshire Meetinghouse - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 5, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/10/lempster-new-hampshire-meetinghouse.html: accessed [access date]).