A Dragon! for Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed over a private residence in Concord, New Hampshire

This three dimensional dragon was found on a garage cupola on South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire.  It's an adorable and whimsical dragon, and I've driven this way for years and never noticed it until winter when all the leaves were off the trees.  It is hard to see when you are whizzing along South Main Street/Route 3A, and very hard to pull over in the traffic and take a good look.  

This dragon has all the details - wings, scales, and an amazing long tail.  It stands above gilded cardinal points (north, south, east and west).  It must have special meaning to the homeowners.  Dragon weathervanes are fairly rare, but I'll post links to three down below for those who are interested. 

For the truly curious:

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

A 7 headed dragon weathervane from Spain:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/weathervane-wednesday-7-headed-dragon.html  

A dragon from Shelburne Farms, Vermont:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/08/weathervane-wednesday-dragon.html  

A dragon at Cambridge University in England:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/weathervane-wednesday-weathervanes-of.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Dragon!  for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 30 April 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-dragon-for-weathervane-wednesday.html: accessed [access date]). 

What are the genealogy resources inside the New Hampshire State Library?

 Last week the New Hampshire lawmakers tried to shutter the New Hampshire State Library, just across the street from the statehouse in Concord.  In my 26 March 2025 blog post I outlined the story of how public reaction was so strong that the lawmakers stopped pushing for closure, but instead cut the budget to the State Library.  The federal government also cut the budget for libraries, including state and local public libraries, so we will have to wait and see how this affects service, staffing, and support for the New Hampshire State Library.

I've been using this library for many years for genealogical research and to study local history.  It's one of the best resources for family history north of the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  It's also located right next across the street to the New Hampshire Historical Society library (another invaluable resource with many compiled genealogies and unique manuscripts), so if you need something additional you can just walk right over.  The Concord Public library is a block away, too.  All three libraries have unique collections.  Only the NH Historical Society requires an admission or membership. 

Inside the NH State Library, behind the circulation desk on the first floor, is the genealogy room, AKA the New Hampshire Room. It looks like the biggest room in the building, and the NH Supreme Court met here until 1970. The card catalog to the entire building is online, there are 4 microfilm readers, and a photocopy machine. There is a computer to access Ancestry. Best of all, the highly trained staff is ready to assist you (mail requests for photo copies are available, too).  In the genealogy room you can find the following items:

County and Town Histories (on the left as you enter), where you can find mentions of the first settlers and many town histories have a genealogy section in the back of the book.  My favorite town histories are those books which have more pages devoted to genealogy than to the history!

Compiled Family Histories, about 2400 books, on the left and back walls. Many are out of copyright and can be found at Archive.org or Google books, but many new books are also on the shelves and unavailable any where else in New Hampshire.  There is a copy of Index to Genealogies in New Hampshire Town Histories, by William Copely, to help you find your relatives and ancestors. 

The Mayflower Silver Books, DAR Lineage books, The Tan Books (Vital Records for Massachusetts towns to 1850), 

American-Genealogical & Biographical Index, Boston Transcript Genealogy Columns (1896 - 1941) on microfiche. 

To the left there are NH Newspapers on microfilm - many are very old newspapers no longer active, some date back to the 1700s.  Also included is the Concord Monitor obituaries between about 1948 to 2014. There are finding aids for the microfilm.  Granite Monthly magazine 1877 - 1930 with an index. The NH Notables series also at Archive.org and Family Search. 

Also in the building:

Early Town Records (about 1640 - about 1830)with a name index.  Some are available on Family Search. Also Town and City Reports from the 1800s to the present (also online at UNH).  The Sargent Name Index to records on microfilm. 

1790 - 1940 NH Census Records 

Gravestone inscriptions from New Hampshire and Maine (more at the NH Historical Society)

Church records (more at the NH Historical Society)

New Hampshire State & Provincial Papers, (40 volumes) with an index (also online at the NH Archives or at UNH). This is a valuable resource I have blogged about many times. 

Many maps including the Sanborn fire insurance maps, county maps, and the 1892 NH Town and City Atlas by D. H. Hurd.  

Directories- town and city directories, phone books (1950s to the present) (The New England Telephone Museum in Warner, New Hampshire also has phone books). 

For the truly curious:

The New Hampshire State Library, 20 Park Street, Concord, NH   https://www.nhsl.dncr.nh.gov/   

The New Hampshire State Library Genealogical Resources:   https://www.nhsl.dncr.nh.gov/collections/genealogical-resources   

26 March 2025 blog post about the New Hampshire State Library budget cuts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-hampshire-state-library-budget-cuts.html  

If you are a member of the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists, there is a video from 15 March 2022 available to members of Rebecca Stockbridge's lecture "New Hampshire State Library's Genealogical Resources" with two handouts.  

Also, see my 10 May 2019 blog post "Researching Your Ancestors in Concord, New Hampshire":   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/researching-your-ancestors-in-concord.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "What are the genealogy resources inside the New Hampshire State Library?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 8, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/what-are-genealogy-resources-inside-new.html: acessed [access date]). 

New Hampshire State Library Budget Cuts

The New Hampshire State Library on the morning of 25 March 2025
while lawmakers were debating its fate across the street in the statehouse

Yesterday, 24 March 2025, on WMUR TV there was a report that a bill would move forward to close the New Hampshire State Library and the Council on the Arts.  Joe Sweeney (R) of Salem stated that "There is no constitutional need to fund the state library" and he proposed eliminating funding.  The parent agency for the state library falls under the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which also oversees historical sites, NH forests and lands, and parks and recreation. 

Immediately on social media there was a firestorm of complaints about closing the state library, with lots of links posted on how to contact members of the statehouse and state senators.  I sent several emails, and I shared this information with my friends, members of genealogy groups, local history in New Hampshire groups, and other groups in New England.  People from as far away as Australia, Washington State, Canada, and California all wanted to know who to contact or how to help.  

Well, the email campaign must have worked, because by 11:30 on Tuesday morning 25 March 2025 the NH statehouse announced that they were no longer considering defunding the New Hampshire State Library.  However, they still had the New Hampshire Council for the Arts on the chopping block. I'm relieved, but still cautious that this does not bode well for the future of the state library or any other public libraries here in New Hampshire, across New England, or across the United States.  WMUR TV also had a story about this reprieve. 

Our New Hampshire State Library is the oldest in the United States.  It was originally founded in 1717 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and then relocated to Concord in 1808.  The granite building at 20 Park Street is located across the street from the New Hampshire State House.  Most state libraries contain state government publications, historical records, legislative documents, maps, statute books, and records unique to the state such as town, city and county reports, family histories, town histories, manuscripts and newspapers. You can see why this is a valuable, one-of-a-kind resource for the citizens of the state.  It is located close to the statehouse so members and staff of the government can quickly and efficiently obtain historical and legislative information from specially skilled librarians.  

I have visited several state libraries across the country from Maine, to Massachusetts, to Hawaii, but the New Hampshire State Library is where I do most of my genealogy and local history research for this blog and for my own family history.  I refer people to this library often, probably at least once or twice a week from queries to this blog. The State Library is a terrific place for authors, historians, and genealogists who travel from across the globe to Concord for their research.  The skilled staff here is ready to assist anyone who shows up, not just lawmakers.  Out of state visitors and even local visitors to this library bring economic benefits to Concord and New Hampshire when they frequent the restaurants, hotels and local businesses.  

On March 14 the White House announced that the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would be "governmental entities [that] shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." We need to be prepared to see libraries across the country face the same fight as the New Hampshire State Library. Since 2015 the IMLS has granted over $15 million to libraries and museums in New Hampshire. The State Library uses these funds for critical programs like the Interlibrary Loan System, digital access to ebooks, and the Talking Book program for the blind. [from an email from Michael Haley Goldman of the IMLS, received 25 March 2025]. 

Tuesday morning, while the lawmakers were debating this controversy across the street in the statehouse, I visited the staff at the State Library and took these photos.  

I will follow up on this story with a blog post about the wonderful genealogical resources available at the NH State Library.  Please, take some time soon to visit this wonderful resource in Concord, New Hampshire. We need to let the librarians and staff know they are valued, and that we are thinking about them and their careers at this stressful time.  

For the truly curious:

The 24 March 2025 story on WMUR, "Budget Plan would eliminate New Hampshire State Library, Council on the Arts":   https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-state-library-council-arts-budget/64277841  

The 25 March 2025 story on WMUR, "NH lawmakers back away from plan to eliminate state library after flood of email":   https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-state-library-budget-cut-reversal-32525/64286244   

Wikipedia New Hampshire State Library:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_State_Library  

Wikipedia New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_Department_of_Natural_and_Cultural_Resources    

The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA):  https://www.cosla.org/    

Information about state libraries from the American Library Association:   https://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/state-library-agencies  

A previous blog post written in 2019 about genealogical resources in Concord, New Hampshire, including the New Hampshire State Library:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/05/researching-your-ancestors-in-concord.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "New Hampshire State Library Budget Cuts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 26, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/new-hampshire-state-library-budget-cuts.html: accessed [access date]). 

New Statehouse Statue for Christa McAuliffe at Concord, New Hampshire

 

On Christa McAuliffe's birthday, September 2, 2024, a new statue of her was dedicated on the grounds of the New Hampshire State Capitol building.  There are many statues on these grounds, but this is the first one of a woman.  

Christa had been a teacher at Concord High School, as well as teaching for a short time in Maryland and Bow, New Hampshire.  She applied for the Teacher in Space program in 1984, and was chosen out of over 11,000 applicants. On January 28, 1986 she died aboard the Challenger when it exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, along with six other crew members.   

A dedicated teacher in Concord,

New Hampshire, Christa McAuliffe was selected

to be NASA's first educator astronaut.

McAuliffe and her six crewmates on the

space shuttle Challenger were tragically

lost 73 seconds after launch.  She is 

remembered for her bravery and 

enthusiasm for life and for learning. 

September 2, 1948

January 28, 1986

"I touch the future. I teach"

This new statue is the first statue of a woman and a private citizen on the state house lawn.  It is also the first new statue to be added to the capitol property in over 100 years. The statue is 8 feet tall on a granite pedestal, and is believed to be the first full statue of Christa McAuliffe. The sculptor of this statue was Benjamin Victor, of Idaho.  He has also made four other statues in the US Capitol.  He borrowed an astronaut uniform for the statue from Barbara Morgan, who was Christa McAuliffe's back up for the Challenger mission. 

Nearby is the Christa McAuliffe/ Alan Shepard Planetarium across the Merrimack River near the Community College.  She is buried nearby, too, at the Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord.  

For the truly curious:

Wikipedia article for Christa McAuliffe -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christa_McAuliffe  

A previous blog post about Christa McAuliffe's tombstone in Concord, NH:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/01/christa-mcauliffe-tombstone-tuesday.html

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "New Statehouse Statue for Christa McAuliffe at Concord, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 22, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/10/new-statehouse-statue-for-christa.html: accessed [access date]). 

Votes for Women! The White Farm in Concord, New Hampshire

 

National Votes for Women Trail

Road to the 19th Amendment

Home of Armenia S. and 

Nathaniel White, social

reformers and founders

of New Hampshire Woman

Suffrage Association 1868.

William C. Pomeroy Foundation 2022

                                            Learn more at

                                    nvwt.org

View of the entrance to White Farm

We recently visited the White Farm in Concord, New Hampshire for the New Hampshire Surplus store, which is open on Mondays. This is a fun place to find all sorts of office equipment and government supplies, and to also find bins full of items confiscated by the TSA agents at airports (pocket knives, electronics, snow globes, baseball bats, tools, etc.) as well as things abandoned at airports (books, water bottles, wheelchairs, leg braces, glasses, and other oddities).  I noticed a new sign in front of the entrance, or rather a new sign to me since the pandemic.  I was excited to read about the family that once lived here, but I also wanted to learn more about the sign.  Who was the NVWT?  What was this "National Votes for Women Trail"? What is the William C. Pomeroy Foundation? 

First I tackled the White family.  I googled and searched for more information on Armeia S. and Nathaniel White.  This property on Clinton Street was their dairy farm, but they also had a fine mansion downtown, and White Park is named for them. 

Armenia Smith Aldrich (November 1, 1817 - May 7, 1916) was born in Mendon, Massachusetts to John Aldrich and Harriet Smith.  If you are interested in her ancestry, read the "Cow Hampshire" or the Wikipedia articles listed below. She was descended from many colonial families, including Edward Doty, Francis Cooke, and Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.  She married Nathaniel White and lived in Concord, where Nathaniel had a stage coach business.  Armenia was very interested in reform and progressive movements, including abolition, sufferage, and temperance.  She was elected the first president of the NH Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the first president of the NH Woman Suffrage Association. 

Nathaniel White (February 7, 1811 - October 2, 1880) owned a stage coach business, and later a railroad entrepreneur.  He was also interested in progressive ideas and was instrumental in the NH Asylum for the Insane (just down the road from his farm), the NH State Reform School, the Orphanage in Franklin, and the Home for the Aged in Concord.  His farm was originally over 400 acres. He served in the NH state legislature, and ran for governor in 1875 for the Prohibition Party. 

Children of Armeia and Nathaniel White:

1. John A (1838 - 1899)

2. Armenia E. (b. 1847 and married Horatio Hobbs)

3. Lizzie H. (b. 1849 and married Charles H. Newhall)

4. Annie F. (1852 - 1865)

5. Nathaniel, Jr. (1855 - 1904)

6. Selden F. (b. 1857 and died young)

7. Benjamin C. (b. 1861)

In researching this signpost, I learned about the National Votes for Women Trail, which is part of the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites.  The link below has an interactive map with over two thousand sites.  Many of these sites are in New England, and many of those are in New Hampshire!  Who knew? 

The signpost also mentions the William C. Pomeroy Foundation, which helps "communities celebrate and preserve their history" according to their website (see the link below).  Their signage program began in 2006 to place historical markers in NY state. Then the foundation expanded across the country with grants for historical markers in 48 states.  

For the truly curious:

"Cow Hampshire" blog article on Armenia White:  https://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2015/03/24/new-hampshires-leading-suffragist-civil-leader-and-philanthropist-armenia-s-aldrich-white-1817-1916/  

Armeia S. White Wikipedia article:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia_S._White  

Nathaniel White Wikipedia article:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_White_(businessman)  

NH Historical Society on Armenia White  https://www.nhhistory.org/object/313471/white-armenia-s-1817-1916   

NH Surplus - White Farm, 144 Clinton Street, Concord, NH     https://www.das.nh.gov/purchasing/white-farm.aspx   

NH Women's Foundation article on this historical marker:   https://nhwomensfoundation.org/2022/08/11/armenia-white-marker-added-to-the-new-hampshire-womens-heritage-trail/  

The National Votes for Women Trail: https://ncwhs.org/votes-for-women-trail/   

The William C. Pomeroy Foundation:  https://www.wgpfoundation.org/    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Votes for Women!  The White Farm in Concord, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 18, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/03/votes-for-women-white-farm-in-concord.html: accessed [access date]). 

2022 New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation

 

At the statehouse, in Concord, New Hampshire, at 10am on Tuesday, 22 November, 2022 the New Hampshire Governor Christopher T. Sununu signed and presented the annual Thanksgiving Proclamation with members of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society. 

By His Excellency

Christopher T. Sununu, Governor

And the Honorable Executive Council

A Proclamation

In the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Two

Thanksgiving Day

November 24, 2022

Whereas, in the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate the pentiful harvest they reaped following their first winter in North America, and

Whereas, the first national Thanksgiving Day, proclaimed by President George Washington, was November 26, 1789, and President Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed the first annual national holiday in 1863, establishing the date as the last Thursday of November at the behest of nationally celebrated editor and author, and daughter of New Hampshire, Sarah Josepha Hale, and

Whereas, on Thanksgiving Day, New Hampshire citizens and all Americans come together to enjoy the fellowship of family and friends with a feast that symbolizes the many blessings of our lives, and

Whereas, while Thanksgiving is a time to gather in a spirit of gratitude with family, friends and neighbors, it is also an opportunity to serve others and to share our blessings with those in need, and

Whereas, as citizens we pause to consider our good fortunes, and are especially mindful of the heroic men and women who serve and have served our country;

Now, therefore, I, Christopher T. Sununu, governor of the state of New Hampshire, do hereby proclaim November 24, 2022 as Thanksgiving Day in the State of New Hampshire, and call this day to the attention of all citizens.

Given during Executive Council session, this 22nd day of November, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand twenty-two, and of the independence of the United States of America, two hundred forty-five.

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "2022 New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 23 November 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/11/2022-new-hampshire-thanksgiving.html: accessed [access date]). 

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]). 

Hood's Milk, Concord, New Hampshire - Weathervane Wednesday

 This weathervane was photographed over the Hood's Milk office at 330 North State Street, Concord, New Hampshire. 

The H. P. Hood Milk Company began as a delivery service in Charlestown, Massachusetts.  The owner, Harvey Perley Hood, expanded his business by buying a dairy farm in Derry, New Hampshire in 1856 and delivering the milk to the Boston area by train.  Hood's milk grew throughout New England and nation wide.  For years the main plant in Charlestown, Massachusetts was seen by millions of people just off the overhead I-93 expressway just outside of Boston, but it is now closed.  

This two dimensional dairy cow weathervane is very appropriate for this building, don't you think?  

For the truly curious:

"H.P. Hood, Derry's Famous Milk Man"  2009:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/09/h-p-hood-derrys-famous-milk-man.html  

To see almost 450 more weathervane posts, click here!

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

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hood's Milk, Concord, New Hampshire - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 22, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/10/hoods-milk-concord-new-hampshire_01269621597.html: accessed [access date]). 

Patriot's Day

Patriot’s Day, 19 April 1775

The Lexington Minute Man Statue
Photographed on 19 April 2000 - The 225th Anniversary of the Battle

“On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year”

                                From The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The year 1975 is one I always remember because it was the year I decided to trace my family tree.  I was only thirteen years old, and I lived in Massachusetts.  It was the prelude to the nation’s Bicentennial celebration, and in 1975 Lexington and Concord celebrated the 200^th anniversary.  There were re-enactments going on all around me that year, including the Knox Trail, Evacuation Day, Bunker Hill, etc.  One of the first discoveries I made while tracing my family tree was to find my MUNROE ancestors who were at the Battle of Lexington.

On 19 April 2000 we took our daughter to see the 225^th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington re-enactment, which involved getting to the Lexington Green at o’dark hundred to get a good spot right by the ropes which marked off the battlefield.  The battle begins every year at dawn.  It was a very odd feeling to watch your family members being shot and killed at a battle re-enactment.  You can read about that experience at this link… 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/battle-of-lexington-re-enacted.html

Did you know that 2025 will mark the 250th anniversary of this famous battle?  Plans are already underway to commemorate this event.  The website Revolution 250 has been set up for this anniversary https://revolution250.org/  

Here are some old images from our family slides that I digitized, showing our visit to the 225th anniversary re-enactment in Lexington.  The quality is poor, but it brings back memories of that event…

Originally the eight men who were killed at the Battle of Lexington were secretly buried,
later they were re-interred on the Battle Green under this obelisk.
I always bring flowers for this spot, because two 5th great grand uncles are buried here,
Robert Munroe (1712 - 1775) and Jonas Parker (1722 - 1775) (married to Lucy Munroe).
 These two uncles were also the first two men to fall at the Battle of Lexington,
also veterans of the French and Indian War. 

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Patriot's Day", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 19, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/04/patriots-day.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts

Last week we took a walk by the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts.  I have never seen the inside of this historic house museum, even though I am related to the Emerson family of Concord.  It was built in 1770 by the Reverend William Emerson, just in time to experience one of the first battles of the American Revolution.  It is located by Concord’s Old North Bridge where the battle of April 19, 1775 was fought between the American patriots and the British.

First, a little family history! The Rev. William Emerson is my 2^nd cousin, seven generations removed. We share Joseph Emerson (about 1621 – 1680) and his wife Elizabeth Bulkely (1638 – 1693) as our common ancestor.  My line of Emerson ancestors lived nearby Concord in Reading, Massachusetts until the 1800s when my ancestor Romanus Emerson (1782 – 1852) removed to South Boston.  He was from a family of eleven children, and eight brothers.  Of those eight brothers, four lived to adulthood and became ministers. Romanus studied for the ministry, too, but due to a “speech impediment” (according to a compiled genealogy of the family) he went to Boston and became a famous atheist!

The great writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) lived in Concord and was the grandson of Rev. Phebe Bliss. Ralph Waldo Emerson was from a line of five out of six generations of minister Emerson ancestors in a row, and he studied to be a minister, too. His brief ministry included being ordained at Boston's Second Church and being the chaplain of the Massachusetts legislature, but it all ended when he began to doubt his faith. He went to Europe and returned to Concord to become a popular lecturer, and later a philosopher and writer.  It was perhaps the influence of this famous writer and his transcendentalist friends, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, that made this house so important and historic. 

From this sign by the Old Manse:

"The Reverend William Emerson (1743 - 1776), grandfather of writer Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), built this house in 1769-70.  On April 19, 1775, family members watched from the house as British soldiers and local militia fought the battle that started the American Revolution.

The Old Manse then played an important role in America's literary and cultural revolutions.  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) wrote Nature here in 1834-35, an essay that sparked the Transcendental movement.  Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 64) lived here from 1842 - 45).  His collection of short stories, Mosses from an Old Manse, gave the house its nickname, a Scottish term for 'minister's house." 

Rev. William Emerson became a chaplain to the Continental Army, then died in October 1776 on his way home from Fort Ticonderoga. His widow remarried to his successor, the Rev. Ezra Ripley, and continued living at the Old Manse.  Ralph Waldo Emerson lived here with his step-grandfather in 1834 while writing Nature. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne and his new bride, Sophia Peabody, moved here in 1842, and Henry David Thoreau dug them a garden.  One famous legacy that Hawthorne and his wife left at the Old Manse was a a short passage they etched in the window of his study with her wedding ring diamond. He also wrote many of his tales here, some which were included in Mosses from an Old Manse (1846), and others published later. New Hampshire's only US president, Franklin Pierce, was a guest of the Hawthorne's while they lived at the Old Manse.  Hawthorne removed to Salem in 1845, and returned to Concord in 1852 to live at the historic house called The Wayside.  

The house was owned by the Ripley family until 1939 when it was donated to the Trustees of Reservations.  It was a National Historic Landmark in 1966.  The house is open for guided tours by the Trustees of Reservations in the summer, see the website (below) for more information. It is located adjacent to the Old North Bridge, the Minuteman Statue, and the battlefield.  There is a restroom across the path to the Old North Bridge, and if you follow across the bridge and up the hill, you will reach the US National Historic Site interpretive center with more restrooms, giftshop, and small museum. It is also within walking distance of the Concord Common and the Sleep Hollow Cemetery with Author's Ridge where Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing, Louisa May Alcott and others are buried. 

For the truly curious:

The Old Manse, 269 Monument Street, Concord, Massachusetts

The Old Manse website:   https://thetrustees.org/place/the-old-manse/   

The US National Park Service website:  https://www.nps.gov/places/the-old-manse.htm   

My EMERSON Surname Saturday sketch, with eight generations of Emersons from Thomas Emerson the immigrant to Ipswich, Massachusetts down to my great great grandmother, Mary Katharine Emerson (1847 - 1932):  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

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To Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 12, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-old-manse-in-concord-massachusetts.html: accessed [access date]).

New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation 2020

 

Usually here on my blog I post photos of the annual Thanksgiving Proclamation ceremony from the New Hampshire Statehouse in Concord, New Hampshire.  It is an tradition that goes back decades.  Even George Washington signed a Thanksgiving Proclamation, and other illustrious presidents such as Abraham Lincoln continued these ceremonies.

Considering the pandemic and social distancing, when I contacted New Hampshire Governor Sununu's office this fall about the Thanksgiving Proclamation they assured me that they would indeed still do a proclamation.  Of course, there would be no ceremony, and no pardoning of a turkey, but the tradition would live on.  

I just received the proclamation in the mail, and I will turn it over to our new New Hampshire Mayflower Governor, Penny Webster, and it will become part of our archives.  I arrived unceremoniously in the mailbox, with no ceremony in the historic statehouse executive council chamber, no government officials, no handshakes, no hugs, and no pardoned turkey waiting in the room.  But it is still a tradition that New Hampshire will carry on, no matter what!  

2019 Thanksgiving Proclamation
with Governor Sununu

2016 Thanksgiving Proclamation
with Governor Maggie Hassan

2013 Thanksgiving Proclamation

with Governor Maggie Hassan

2010 Thanksgiving Proclamation

with Governor John Lynch

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Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation 2020", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 20, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/11/new-hampshire-thanksgiving-proclamation.html: accessed [access date]). 

Christa McAuliffe - Tombstone Tuesday

This tombstone was photographed at Calvary Cemetery in Concord, New Hampshire.  Today is the 34th anniversary of the Challenger shuttle disaster on 28 January 1986.

While we were visiting this cemetery to photograph this tombstone, a bald eagle flew up from the Merrimack River and flew over the cemetery and landed in the trees behind the gravestones.  I thought it was very appropriate for the moments after we were thinking about Christa McAuliffe and the other Challenger astronauts.

S. CHRISTA McAULIFFE

SEPTEMBER 2, 1948 - JANUARY 28, 1986

WIFE  MOTHER  TEACHER

PIONEER WOMAN

CREW MEMBER, SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER

AMERICA'S FIRST ORDINARY CITIZEN TO VENTURE

TOWARD SPACE

SHE HELPED PEOPLE. SHE LAUGHED.  SHE LOVED AND IS LOVED.  SHE APPRECIATED THE WORLD'S

NATURAL BEAUTY. SHE WAS CURIOUS AND SOUGHT TO LEARN WHO WE ARE AND WHAT 

THE UNIVERSE IS ABOUT.  SHE RELIED ON HER OWN JUDGEMENT AND MORAL COURAGE

 TO DO RIGHT.  SHE CARED ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF HER FELLOW MAN.  SHE TRIED

TO PROTECT OUR SPACESHIP EARTH.  SHE TAUGHT HER CHILDREN TO DO THE SAME.

Click here for a 2010 blog post about my memories of this day in 1986:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/january-28-1986.html  

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Christa McAuliffe - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 28, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/01/christa-mcauliffe-tombstone-tuesday.html: accessed [access date]).

2019 New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation and Turkey Pardon

This morning, at the Executive Council meeting in the New Hampshire statehouse in Concord, Governor Christopher Sununu proclaimed the Thanksgiving holiday for 2019.  Also, following the Thanksgiving Proclamation ceremony, he pardoned a turkey. 

Ten members of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society

with Governor Chris Sununu

The Governor, Executive Council and New Hampshire Mayflower Society

Governor Rojo and Governor Sununu

Governor Chris Sununu, the NH Attorney General, and

the Executive Council all voted on pardoning this suspicious character,

at turkey from Sanbornton, New Hampshire. 

"Joanna" the turkey received a full pardon

New Hampshire Mayflower Society Governor Rojo with the 2019 Thanksgiving Proclamation

The Thanksgiving Proclamation reads:

The State of New Hampshire By His Excellency Christopher T. Sununu, Governor and the Honorable Executive Council

A Proclamation

In the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Nineteen  THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2019

WHEREAS, in the autumn of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate the plentiful harvest they reaped following their first winter in North America; and

WHEREAS, the first national Thanksgiving Day, proclaimed by President George Washington, Was November 26, 1789, and President Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed the first annual national holiday in 1863, establishing the date as the last Thursday of November at the behest of nationally celebrated editor and author, and daughter of New Hampshire, Sarah Josepha Hale; and

WHEREAS, on Thanksgiving Day, New Hampshire citizens and all Americans come together to enjoy the fellowship of family and friends with a feast that symbolizes the many blessings of our lives, and

WHEREAS, while Thanksgiving is a time to gather in a spirit of gratitude with family, friends, and neighbors, it is also an opportunity to serve others and to share our blessings with those in need; and

WHEREAS, as citizens we pause to consider our good fortunes, and are especially mindful of the heroic men and women who serve and have served our country;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRISTOPHER T. SUNUNU, GOVERNOR, of the State of New Hampshire, do hereby proclaim, NOVEMBER 28, 2019 as THANKSGIVING DAY in the State of New Hampshire, and call this day to the attention of all citizens.

Given at the Executive Council Chamber, this 25th day of November, in the year of Our Lord, two thousand nineteen, and of the independence of the United Sates of America, two hundred forty-three. 

See the turkey pardon here from WMUR TV:

https://www.wmur.com/article/governor-pardons-2-year-old-18-pound-turkey-from-sanbornton/29959021

One of our junior members was also on a video!  See Sophie Morrow interviewed here:

http://indepthnh.org/2019/11/26/sophia-morrow-of-brentwood-readies-to-rock-thanksgiving/?fbclid=IwAR2sTPNBd9Gdq4wbvytkdVKezlJVKW8kgW5OehVX0_DUEogh8ipf-3hkcvM   

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "2019 New Hampshire Thanksgiving Proclamation and Turkey Pardon",  Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 25, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/11/2019-new-hampshire-thanksgiving.html: accessed [access date]).