The 200th Anniversary of the Willey Family Landslide in Crawford Notch

 

The original Willey House in Crawford Notch, late 1800s

next to the larger Willey Hotel

NH State Park photo

In 1793 the Willey Family of Bartlett, New Hampshire bought an isolated farmhouse and land in Crawford Notch.  This was about ten miles away from Bartlett, and about 20 miles from North Conway, where their extended family resided.  They named their farm the Willey House Inn, hoping to attract boarders, especially the artists and writers who passed through this area.  In the early 1800s the White Mountains were attracting fame as a tourist destination.  

In June 1826 a landslide in the notch frightened Samuel Willey, the head of the household. He built a shelter near the house to protect his family from another landslide. But later, in August 1826, following a severe two month drought, a heavy rainstorm caused a flood.  The Saco River, across from his farm, rose 20 feet, and a bigger landslide.  

The extended Willey family found the Willey House intact, but the Willey family and their hired men were missing. A rock ledge located above the house divided the landslide rubble, passing the house on both sides.  The house was untouched, but the family was still missing.  It is assumed that they fled to their shelter, but died in the attempt to flee.  Inside the house, there was a bible on the table, and unmade beds. The Conway Historical Society has artifacts from the site, including patchwork of clothing recovered from the house, and a brick. 

Later, search parties found the remains of Samuel Willey, his wife Polly, two children, and the two hired men.  The bodies of three other small children were never recovered.   If they had stayed in the house, they would have survived the disaster. Newpapers of the time carried this story all over the world, and in a twist of fate, it attracted tourists to Crawford Notch. The Willey homesite became the place of a large 50 bed hotel.  This scary story has become a famous ghost tale in New Hampshire.  It was so frightening that Nathaniel Hawthorne turned it into a suspenseful short story included in his book Twice Told Tales.  

Eventually the Willey house burned to the ground in 1898, and the area became a New Hampshire State Park. There is no longer a hotel here, but there is a campground, visitor center, restrooms, and a monument with a plaque commemorating the Willey House and the family that perished in the landslide.  The mountain behind the house was renamed Mount Willey, and the notch retains the scarred landscape of rocks and rubble from the landslide 200 years ago.

The New Hampshire State Park service will hold a commemoration on 28 August 2026 at 11:00 am at Crawford Notch State Park for the 200th year anniversary of the Willey House slide.  The ceremony will be held on the lawn across the street from the Willey home site monument.  After the ceremony, there will be a short history of the landslide.  New signage will be unveiled, and a new display in the Welcome Center will be revealed.  This event is open free to the public. 

Crawford Notch painting by Charles Codman (1880- 1933)

The Willey House can be seen on the right, amongst the rubble

This painting is at the Conway Public Library, Conway, New Hampshire

Yes, the area did attract many painters and artists, but mostly after the disaster

For the truly curious:

"This story will give you the Willeys - literally!",  posted 28 October 2025, the adventure of how I found the final resting place of the Willey family, including those lost in the 1825 landslide:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/10/this-story-will-give-you-willeys.html   

"Happy Halloween! The Story of the Willey Family of Crawford Notch", posted 28 October 2010, the history of the 1825 Crawford Notch Landslide:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/happy-halloween-story-of-willey-family.html 

"The Ambitious Guest!", a short story from Twice Told Tales, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1837

The Willey House, Crawford Notch, NH History, Facts and Folklore, by Rex Wiley, 2021 (available at the gift shop in the Crawford Notch State Park) 

From the Conway Daily Sun newspaper "200 years later, the Willey Slide continues to fascinate us" by Tom Eastman, 21 August 2026, https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/200-years-later-the-willey-slide-continues-to-fascinate-us/article_442f4831-55dc-4257-a9d3-93eb69a1e575.html  

The Willey Family Tree, by Sue and Rick Willey    https://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/pearl/www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/family/willeynh.pdf  

New Hampshire State Parks, Crawford Notch https://www.nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/crawford-notch-state-park  
            The Willey House site is open 9am to 5pm at Crawford Notch State Park
            Park Office 603-374-2272

Wikipedia, "Willey House (New Hampshire)"   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willey_House_(New_Hampshire)   

Appalachian Mountain Club, "The Willey Family Tragedy"   https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/history/the-willey-family-tragedy/    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The 200th Anniversary of the Willey Family Landslide in Crawford Notch", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 26 August 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-200th-anniversary-of-willey-family.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Thomas Homan of Marblehead, Massachusetts

 

In memory of

THOMAS HOMAN

who died Jan. 17, 1832, AEt, 75.

His Wife

TABITHA HOMAN,

died March. 11, 1837. AEt, 73.

Also two Daughters

TABITHA died Aug. 24, 1812, AEt. 35

HANNAH died Feb. 2, 1818, AEt. 32 

[there is a verse under the grass that is illegible]

This is the 13th post I have written this year about a Revolutionary War Ancestor, on the anniversary of the 250th year since the American Revolution.  Thomas Homan was born 24 December 1758 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the son of William Homan and Deliverance Gale.  On 28 November 1782, in Marblehead, he married Tabitha Glover.  She was baptized 10 February 1765 in Marblehead, the daughter of Daniel Glover and Hannah Jillings.  Her father, Daniel, was the brother of the famous General John Glover, who lead his contingent of Marblehead men to help General George Washington.  His regiment was made up entirely of mariners and fishermen, and they served in the battles of New York and New Jersey and helped General Washington cross the Delaware River.

Thomas served in the war early, before his marriage.  He was a private in the Massachusetts 5th Regiment under Captain Putnam in 1776.  This unit was raised by Colonel John Mansfield in May 1775 on the order of the Provincial Congress, and was composed of mostly coastal men and mariners from Danvers, Salem, Lynn, and Marblehead.  They were alongside General John Glover's unit during the Battle of Long Island in August 1776 and in the Defense of New York.  Thomas Homan enlisted on 1 January 1776 under Captain Enoch Putnam's Company and was stationed in Cambridge. In the spring they marched to New York.  They were driven out of New York by the British and when to New Jersey.  He was honorably discharged on 1 January 1777 at Fishkill, New Jersey.

In the Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775 - 1785 I found two mentions of Thomas Homan on page 203, "Homan, Thomas Marblehead.  Descriptive list of officers and crew of the ship "Junius Brutus" commanded by Capt. John Leach, dated Salem June 15, 1780; age 25 yrs, stature 5 ft. 7 in; complexion light, residence Marblehead" and also "Homan, Thomas. Seaman, sloop "Machias Liberty" commanded by Capt. Jeremiah Obrien; engaged Aug. 1, 1776; discharged Oct. 15, 1776; service 2 mos. 14 days; also Seaman, brigantine "Tyrannicide" commanded by Capt. Jonathan Harden; engaged March 4, 1777; discharged Aug. 29, 1777, roll sworn to in Suffolk Co."  These were statements that described his time as a privateer off the New England coast. 

There is a line in the manuscript US Revolutionary War Pension Payments Ledgers, 1818 - 1872, page 33 that Thomas Homan applied for and received a military pension "Massachusetts - Thomas Homan, private, monthly allowance $8, Yearly $48, commencing 23 June 1818, with a note in the margin  "died 19th Janry 1832".  This is confirmed by his death record in the Marblehead Vital Records. 

In the Essex Court records I found this line "For pension certification, T. H. swore to Circuit Court of Common Plea, Salem, "All his real estate is 1 rm in an old house much out of repair $70; 7 chairs w/canvas bottoms .42; 1 old desk $1; 1 maple table $3: $4.42. 1 pine table .75; 1 iron pot .50   1 kettle $1; 1 tea kettle .50; 1 pr tongs .17: $2.92. 1 pr andirons .67; 1 old looking glass .33: $1.00. Age 60, only occup is going out in the harbor fishing in a sm boat; wife a. 52, infirm & unable to do any labor of any conseq; 1 son a. 16."  On 17 July 1818 he swore to the court, Judge Wm Wetmore, the total value of his property (for pension evaluation?) was $78.34.

Thomas and Tabitha had seven children:

1. Hannah, born about 1783, died 1 February 1819 (see tombstone above), unmarried?

2. Thomas, born about 1785, died at sea (served on board the USS Constitution in 1812), married Sarah Bowden Dolliber and had two daughters. died in either 1820 or later as a merchant seaman

3. Tabby, born about 1787, died 26 August 1812 (see tombstone above), unmarried?

4. Polly, born about 1790, died 23 February 1800, unmarried?

5. Betsey Jillings, baptized 14 October 1792, died 6 April 1874, married Jabez Treadwell (my 4th great grandparents).  She had seven children with Jabez, and he died in 1840. She married second to John Russell of West Cambridge.  He was a cordwainer (shoemaker).  

6.  Jonathan Glover, born about 1795, died 1813 at sea on board the Privateer Polly 

7. Captain William, born 10 November 1803, died 19 November 1853, married to unknown and had a son George W. Homan in 1833.  Captain George W. Homan served at sea from 1847 as a boy on board his father's ship Atlas, until 1871 as the captain of the ship Lincoln to Peru and the Puget Sound. 

Thomas died on 20 January 1832 in Marblehead.  Thomas Homan's probate papers (died intestate) are filed in Essex County 3 July 1832, Case number 13757.  Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)  

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB515/rd/13767/13757-co1/245366433    His probate packet runs for over 45 pages with inventories, affadavits, and it was finally settled 21 May 1839, well after his death, and a few years after his wife's death!  His son, Capt. William Homan, was the last petitioner in the case. 

Tabitha Glover Homan is listed as the head of the household in the 1830 Federal Census of Marblehead.  She outlived her husband, dying on 13 March 1837.  Thomas and Tabitha are buried at the Old Burial Hill in Marblehead, Massachusetts.  She died testate and her probate records were recorded on 18 April 1837.  

For the truly curious:

Surname Saturday, HOMAN of Marblehead, 2027:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/surname-saturday-homan-of-marblehead.html 

Surname Saturday, GLOVER of Salem and Marblehead, 2017:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/surname-saturday-glover-of-salem-and.html 

Other blog posts about my Revolutionary War Ancestors: 

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

#9 Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html  

#10  Robert Wilson of Danvers, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-robert.html   

#11  Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/06/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-amos.html   

#12 George Flint of Reading, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/07/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-george.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Thomas Homan of Marblehead, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 19, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-thomas.html: accessed [access date]). 

Wachau Valley, Danube River, Austria for Weathervane Wednesday

This weathercock is above the Durnstein Abbey, famous for the blue and white tower.  The weathercock above the church is typical of European weathervanes, since the 9th century when there was a Papal decree for each church to feature a rooster in honor of St. Peter's denial of Christ three times before the cock crowed on Good Friday. The original chapel was built in 1372, and in the 15th century an Augustinian Abbey was founded here.  In the 17th century it was renovated into this baroque style complex. 

This banner style weathervane is above a tower near the Danube and the town of Emmersdorf an der Donau. You can see the Emmersdorf Railway Viaduct (Bahnviadukt Emmersdorf) in the first photo. The tower is above the Rothenhof Castle. This castle dates from the 16th century, with 18th century renovations.  It is open for events and as a hotel.     

The Wachau Valley of the Danube River runs 22 miles from Krem,  just west of Vienna, to Melk, home of the famous Benedictine Abbey with the fantastic library. We cruised along this stretch of the river in May earlier this year, and photographed many villages, vineyards, castles, abbeys, and monuments. There were a few more weathervanes than these two, but they were too far away to zoom in with our cameras.  One of the most interesting places we passed was Durnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was captured and imprisoned in a castle on top of a mountain in 1192.  

This monument marks the spot where Richard I "Lionheart" was captured on 20 December 1192

For the truly curious: 

Wachau Valley at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wachau  

Click here to see over 550 more weathervanes featured on Weathervane Wednesday:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Wachau Valley, Danube River, Austria for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 12, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/wachau-valley-danube-river-austria-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

The 136th Locke Family Association Reunion

The Locke Family Association

Center Cemetery, Rye, New Hampshire

On August 25, 1891 the descendants of John Locke (1627 - 1696) of Rye, New Hampshire gathered in the town hall for a family reunion.  The next day was the 195th anniversary of John Locke's death, and the meeting continued at the town hall to organize a permanent organization. This was the birth of the Locke Family Association, which continues to hold annual family reunions, even through war times.  It is considered to be the oldest family association in the United States.  

Last week the Locke Family Association met again in Rye, Raymond, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire for the annual family reunion.  We cruised Portsmouth Harbor in the gundalow "Piscataqua", held a family business meeting in the VFW hall in Raymond followed by a cookout lunch and catered barbecue dinner at Pawtuckaway State Park, and a Sunday trolley ride past historic and family sites in Portsmouth and Rye with our cousins. 

The gundalow "Piscataqua" in Portsmouth Harbor

The Locke Family Association business meeting,

new business, swearing in new officers, financial reports and more. 

At beautiful Pawtuckaway State Park we enjoyed an afternoon of burgers and hot dogs, lawn and board games, swapping family stories, a catered dinner, and no mosquitos! 

On Sunday we all enjoyed the trolley ride through Portsmouth and Rye, seeing historic sites and lots of Locke family homesteads and burial places.  We ended the tour with the annual family photo at the Locke memorial in Central Cemetery. 

For the truly curious:

The Locke Family Association website:  https://www.lockefamilyassociation.org/  

Locke Family Association on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/lockefamilyassociation  

Other Locke related blog posts:

An Indian without a nose   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/indian-without-nose.html 

also https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/07/john-locke-he-cut-off-indians-nose-with.html  

Surname Saturday - Locke of Rye, New Hampshire   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/surname-saturday-locke-of-rye-new.html   

2021 Locke Family Reunion   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/08/2021-locke-family-reunion.html 

2013 The 123rd Locke Family Reunion   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-123rd-locke-family-reunion-concord.html   

Locke Burial Ground, Rye, New Hampshire   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/07/tombstone-tuesday-locke-burial-ground.html  

My ancestor Richard Locke, buried in Chichester, New Hampshire     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/tombstone-tuesday-leavitt-cemetery.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The 136th Locke Family Association Reunion", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 8, 2026, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-136th-locke-family-association.html: accessed [access date]). 

Matthias Church on the Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary for Weathervane Wednesday

 

It is difficult to see in the photo below, but there are three weathervanes on the facade of the Matthias Church.  Above the main door to the entrance there is a weathercock, and to the left are two banners. The rooster is a common weathervane above churches, ever since the 9th century Papal degree by Nicholas I stated that all churches display a rooster as a Christian symbol (acknowleging repentence for St. Peter's denial of Jesus three times before the cock crowed). The banner weathervanes were probably once painted with some sort of symbol or crest or royal standard. 

The Matthias Church is inside the Buda Castle complex above the city of Budapest, Hungary. This church dates back to 1015.  The official name is the Coronation Church of Our Lady, and it was founded by St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary.  There is a statue to St. Stephen next to the church. The name of the church doesn't refer to St. Matthias, but to King Matthias Corvinus the Fair, who expanded the church in the 15th century to include the featured weathervanes and facade. It was restored again the 19th century. 

The roof of the church is very colorful, and the peaks and towers all have finials, but only the two featured weathervanes on the front are true wind indicators. 

One of the more interesting finials atop a Matthias Church tower is the raven with a ring in its mouth (see above).  It is not a weathervane.  King Matthias has a legend that a raven once stole his golden ring.  The raven was found and the ring returned to the king, and that raven became the symbol of the Hunyadi family, as an emblem of royal destiny and divine rule. You can see this symbol in several other places in Budapest, including the Beggar's gate. King Matthias was known as the "Raven King".  

Interior of the Matthias Church

For the truly curious:

The Buda Castle website:   https://budacastlebudapest.com/matthias-church/  

Matthias Church on Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church  

Click here to see over 550 other weathervanes featured at Weathervane Wednesday:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Matthias Church on the Castle Hill in Budapest, Hungary for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 5, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/08/matthias-church-on-castle-hill-in.html: accessed [access date]).