My Revolutionary War Patriots, Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts

 

The Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial

This is #5 in a series of posts I am publishing this year for the 250th Anniversary of the USA. 

My 5th great grandfather Levi Younger was born on 7 February 1756 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the son of William Younger and Lucy Foster.  He was the second of three sons, and his sister was the famous Thomasine AKA Tammy Younger, "The Witch of Dogtown".  All three brothers were mariners. 

On 17 July 1784, after the Revolutionary War, Levi married Mary Wotten in Gloucester.  She was the Daughter of John Wotton and Mary Hall of Gloucester. Mary was one of nine children in the Wotten family.  Together they had five children of their own, and I descend from their eldest son, Levi Younger, Jr. 

There is very little known about Levi's life in Gloucester.  I know he was a mariner, but was he a sailor?, a fisherman? a whaler? On 13 January 1776, when he was almost 20 years old he enlisted in Captain Bradbury Sanders' Company for a service of 7 months and 18 days.  This company was stationed at Gloucester for defense of the seacoast.  Gloucester is at the tip of Cape Ann, north of Boston, and a strategic seaport for New England.

At some point after his initial enlistment Levi must have re-enlisted in the militia, or perhaps he served as a privateer with a contract with a ship captain.  I can't find any further information on a re-enlistment.  However, he was apparently a seaman captured during the war, imprisoned on a prison ship Favorite, and later sent to prison in England and later exchanged. I found him listed as a mariner aboard the ship General Glover, captained by Nicholas Bartlett, with a crew of 66, captured on 18 October 1779 by the British navy. 

In the book Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the American Revolution, Volume XVII, page 1039: 

Younger, ------, List of prisoners to be returned in exchange for British Prisoners sent to New York in the cartel "Favorite" as returned by Robert Pierpont, commissary of Prisoners (year not given); said Younger, Seaman, to be exchanged for James Price, Seaman.

To confirm that this was actually Levi Younger, I was able to find this document in the Franklin Papers:

From Daniel Edwards et al.

als: American Philosophical Society

L’Orient April 8th: 1782.

Sir

Haveing had the good fortune to make our Escape from Forton Prison in England on the 13th March last and to take a small Sloop from Portsmouth in the Night in which 32 of us landed safe at Cape Bellflour from whence we marched to Le Hague where we met with a French Gentlemen a Commissary who gave us a Pass a pair of Shoes & 10 Livres each to go as far as St. Maloes. When we arrived there 19 of us being not able to travell any farther they went on board a Privateer for a Months Cruize 5 got Passes and have gone to Nantes in order to make the best of their way to America & 8 of us came here for the like purpose wanting to get home as soon as Possible haveing been a long time prisoners some of us sent to England from the West Indies & some from New York. We arrived here the 25th: Ultio. & the American Agent not being here nor no Continental Ships we were Obliged to take Lodgeings for 11 Days before we could get a Vessell to go on Board off & the Capt. has it not in his power to give us any thing but our Victuals for our Work he haveing his Complement of hands already Shipped however he has promissed us a passage home but cannot give us any Money untill he Arrives in Philadelphia. And as there is no other Vessell in the Harbour Bound to America that will Sail this 3 or 4 Months and this Ship being almost Ready to sail we have thought it best to come on Board of her upon them Conditions.

And as we are destitute of both Money and Clothes we have made bold to apply to your Excellency requesting (If you please) some Assistance that will enable us at least to satisfy the Gentleman who was so kind as to take us in and Board us for the above mentioned time. (his Name is John Dager)

Two of us belong to Continental Ships Joshua Goss Midshipman belonging to the Boston Frigate was taken in one of her Prizes on the 8th: of July 1778 by the Porcupine Ship of War of 24 Guns and Carried to England where he has been a Prisoner ever since untill this present Escape.- The Other Eliphalet Rogers belonging to the Alliance Frigate was taken in one of her Prizes the 18th: Septr. 1779 and has likewise been a Prisoner in Forton Prison untill this present time. Therefore they would be extremely Obliged to your Excellency (if in your Power) to advance them a trifle of their Wages as their Necessities at present are very Pressing- Your Excellencie’s granting this our Humble Petition would be gratefully Acknowledged by your Excellencies Most Obdt. Humble Servts.

Daniel Edwards Joshua Goss George Clark James Fuller Elipalet Rogers Robert Fulton Isaac Allen William James His Mark

p.s. There is two more prisoners arived here that wrote to your Excellency from Havre de Grace and two of their Companions that Escaped in the Cartell with the french are detained in the [Kian] at Brest who would be glad of your assistance in setting them at Liberty. their Names are Levi Younger & Bartholemew Cashwood

His Excellency Doctr. Franklin Esqr.

Addressed: His Excellency / Doctr. Franklin Esqr. / At / Paris.

Notation: [torn: Edwar]ds Daniel, [torn: Goss J]oshua, &c. L’ori-ent [torn] 1782.

It appears that when the ship General Glover was captured, the seamen were imprisoned by the British at the imfamous Forton Prison in Gosport, England. Some of the prisoners made an escape in March, and were taken to the Netherlands, and later to St. Malo.  They were separated, and some made it back to the colonies. It must have been quite an adventure, but by 1782 they were back home. This document addressed to Benjamin Franklin, who was the ambassador to Britain during the war, asks for Levi Younger to be released from the cartell in Brest, France. We know that Levi made it home, because in 1784 he married Mary Wotten in Gloucester. This is interesting to me because Benjamin Franklin is a cousin on my paternal side, and Levi Younger is on my maternal side of the family tree. 

Forton was an infamous prison.  It was originally a naval hospital, but later used during the American Revolution and the war of 1812 as a prisoner of war camp. The conditions were brutal, and many prisoners died or were hanged as traitors and pirates.  Most of the prisoners had spent time on prison ships in New York Harbor before being transferred to Forton.  

In the Salem Gazette, 11 March 1806, page 4, there was a notice for the estate of Levi Younger of Gloucester. "Notice is hereby given that the subscriber has been duly appointed administratix of the estate of Levi Younger of Gloucester, mariner, deceased, and has taken upon herself that by giving bends, as the law directs.  All persons having demands against the said estate, are requested to exhibit them for settlement- and those indebted to make payments to: Mary Carter, Admin'x Gloucester, Feb. 4th, 1806."  The Essex County Probate records state that Levi Younger died intestate.  His wife, Mary, had remarried to John Carter on 24 October 1801 in Gloucester.  We have not found a death record for Levi Younger, but he must have died sometime before 1801, leaving Mary with five children between the ages of 6 and 15 years old. 

I find the story of Levi Younger to be fascinating for many reasons. First, although we know almost nothing about his personal life, his harrowing capture, imprisonment and escape survive through federal records.  He must have had a very hard life, as a mariner in New England and died young. Perhaps he died at sea? Perhaps he died from his hardships as a prisoner of war.  Perhaps we will never know? 

In a twist of fate, Levi Younger, Jr., my 4th great grandfather, was also a privateer during the War of 1812, and he was also captured by the British.  He was held on board the prison ship Royal William. I'm not sure of how he was released, but by 1816 he was back in Gloucester and married my 4th great grandmother Catherine Plummer Jones on 23 October 1816.  She was the sister of Mary Lambert Jones Dominis, the mother-in-law to Queen Lili'oukalani. 

For the truly curious:

Kaminkow, Marion and Jack. Mariners of the American Revolution. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1996 

 Franklin Papers, Volume 37, page 116, letter from Daniel Edwards about the Escape from Forten Prison

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the American Revolution, Vol. XVII, page 1039

The first blog post in this series

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

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

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

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

The Younger family:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/surname-saturday-younger-of-gloucester.html   

Tammy Younger, the Witch of Dogtown:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/02/tammy-younger-witch-of-dogtown.html  

A blog post on Levi Younger, Jr. and his capture during the War of 1812:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/levi-younger-mariner-and-prisoner-of.html  

Also,

An interesting article about Forton Prison during the American Revolution:

https://allthingsliberty.com/2021/01/plight-of-the-seamen-incarceration-escape-or-secured-freedom/  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots, Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 14, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html: accessed [access date]). 

Look what I found on online! A Golden Wedding Announcement for a wedding 110 years ago!

 

From The Daily Item, Lynn, Massachusetts, Tuesday, February 18, 1964, page 15

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The Item Salutes Today

Ex-Stiles St. Couple Note 50th Anniversary

Marking Golden Anniversary are former West Lynn residents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Pogson. The couple is celebrating 50 years of marriage today at their home, 738 54th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, Fla.  Mr. Pogson retired from General Electric Co. River Works in 1952.

(This is the 1360th Greater Lynn couple to be saluted by The Item for having attained a half centry or more of married life.  A handsom illuminated scroll suitable for framing, with the name and marriage date of the couple will be present to them by The Item.  Greater Lynn residents are invited to submit the names of other couples about to observe their golden wedding day.)

A former West Lynn couple, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Pogson, now residing at 738 54th Ave. North, St. Petersburg, Fla., are today celebrating their gold wedding anniversary.

Mr. and Mrs. Pogson, who lived 40 years at 31 Stiles St., West Lynn, were married in All Soul's Church in England, Feb. 18, 1914.  Natives of Leeds, England, they came to this country shortly after their marriage.

They have been residing in Folorida since Mr. Pogson's retirement in 1952 from the General Electric Co. River Works, where he had been employed 37 years as a tool and die maker.  Now they return annually to visit their family and spend the Summer at Alton Bay, N.H.

There are four children, Mrs. George Davis and Arthur Pogson, both of Saugus; Miss Beatrice Pogson, who resides with them in St. Petersburg; Mrs. Ernest Tarbox of Millbury and four grandchildren. 

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My great aunt Hilda Mary Pogson was my grandmother's sister.  She was the eldest of three children of John Peter Bawden Roberts (1865 - 1925) and Emma Frances Warren (1865 - 1927).  Hilda was born 14 May 1891 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, and she died 1 July 1990 in Marlborough, Massachusetts.  Hilda and Herbert Pogson were first cousins.  Herbert's mother, Sarah Anne Roberts was the sister to John Roberts.  Herbert was born 6 August 1889 in Leeds, and died 11 January 1971 in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

This is the All Soul's Hood Memorial Church where they were married.  My grandmother wrote about this church in her diary.  She loved the church and all its social events including Sunday school, the "Needle Brigade" which made things to sell in the church bazaar, and the Girls Friendly Society. This church is still standing in Leeds. 

All Soul's Church 1907

Herbert's parents owned a drapery store in Armsley, a section of Leeds.  In my grandmother's diary she wrote "I remember going over there when I was a little girl.  We used to visit them.  And I loved to go in the store and my uncle would let me measure the ribbons and I thought that wonderful.  It was quite a nice store and they sold a lot of lovely things and they had five girls and just this one boy, Herbert."  Herbert came to Boston in 1911 aboard the ship Franconia, and on the ship manifest he listed his occupation as "mechanic", his father as "Mr. Pogson" and his address as "Ramsey House, Hill Lane, Armsley, Leeds". He also appeared on the ships manifest of the Bohemian on 18 March 1914 (one month after his marriage) with his wife Hilda, and the port of arrival was Boston. 

Some time before 1915 Hilda and Herbert came to Massachusetts and lived at 60 Colon Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  In 1915 Hilda's parents, brother and sister all came to the United States and lived at 7 Dearborn Avenue, a few blocks from Hilda and Herbert's house.  In 1917 the Pogson family removed to nearby Saugus, Massachusetts. 

I have found several other ship's manifests showing Herbert visiting England in 1920 (with his wife and two small children- Dorothy age 4, and Hilda age 2), 1949, 1957 and 1960.  

Herbert died in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1971and is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery.  When she was widowed Hilda moved from St. Petersburg back to Massachusetts where she lived at her daughter's house until she went to the Bolton Manor Nursing Home in Marlborough.  She died there in 1990 and is buried next to Herbert in St. Petersburg.  I remember visiting with Herbert and Hilda when I was a small child, and I loved to hear them talking in their Yorkshire accents, like my grandmother.    

Photo from the 1970s - from left to right

Hilda (looking at the camera), her eldest daughter Dorothy May, her daughter Hilda Bertha, my grandmother Bertha Louise, and in front is Hilda's youngest daughter Beatrice. 

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Look what I found on online!  A Golden Wedding Announcement for a wedding 110 years ago!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 4, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/03/look-what-i-found-on-online-golden.html:  accessed [access date]). 

A Mayflower Themed Weathervane in Dorking, UK - Weathervane Wednesday

Dorking, Surrey, England is the birthplace of William Mullins, a passenger on the ship Mayflower in 1620.  He brought his family to the New World – including his wife Alice, and his teenaged children, Joseph and Priscilla Mullins.  Yes, that Priscilla!  The one who married John Alden, and made famous by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1858 poem The Courtship of Miles Standish. This terribly romantic poem is pure fiction, but also quite a bit of famous Americana.

We know a lot about Priscilla, but not too much about the rest of the Mullins family. Two older children stayed behind in England (William and Sara).  Priscilla survived the first winter in New England, but both her parents and her brother died during the “starving time”.  William dictated his will to Governor John Carver before he died, and it was written down. We know some details about his life from that will, which still survives today, including the fact that William Mullins was a cobbler, and he brought a large number of shoes (21 dozen shoes and 13 pairs of boots!) on board the Mayflower. Alice, his wife, has no known maiden name.

I was lucky enough to visit Dorking in 2017 with a tour sponsored by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. We saw the house where the Mullins family lived, which is marked by one of England’s famous blue plaques seen at historic sites.  Dorking is about 35 miles from London.

Just recently a local artist created a fantastic art installation for Dorking. This is a fantastic weathervane installed near the William Mullins house.  The ship Mayflower is featured on the weathervane, the William Mullins house, as well as sea birds, and sea creatures such as a whale and an octopus. What a wonderful tribute to the Mayflower, as well as a fun thing for descendants and Mayflower cousins to visit!  It is one of the most elaborate weathervanes I have ever seen!

This new weathervane is entitled “Mayflower Weathervane” and was created by the Fire and Ice Gallery. It was installed in March 2023.

 For the truly curious:

A blog post about the new Mayflower weathervane: 

https://newleatherheadliving.wordpress.com/2021/03/21/fire-and-iron-gallery-commission-celebrates-dorkings-mayflower-heritage/ 

Caleb Johnson’s page about William Mullins:   http://mayflowerhistory.com/mullins-william 

Wikipedia’s article on William Mullins:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mullins_(Mayflower_passenger) 

My blog post about visiting Dorking in 2017:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-william-mullins-of.html 

A “Weathervane Wednesday” post about another weathervane (a “weathercock”) I spotted while in Dorking:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/weathervane-wednesday-ancestral-church_29.html 

Click here to see more than 500 more Weathervane Wednesday posts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “A Mayflower Themed Weathervane in Dorking, UK – Weathervane Wednesday”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 21, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-mayflower-themed-weathervane-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Samuel Roberts, buried 1881, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom - Tombstone Tuesday

 It's Tombstone Tuesday! Today's tombstone was photographed by Laura Cleaver for the Find A Grave website, at the Leeds General Cemetery in Leeds, Yorkshire England. 

"SAMUEL ROBERTS, WHO DIED JULY 4th 1881

AGED 52 YEARS"

I was surprised to find my 2nd great grandfather's gravestone on the Find A Grave website, and it is the first overseas tombstone I have found.  Samuel Roberts, the son of John Roberts and Hannah Westerman, was born about 1829 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.  He married Mary Anne Stott on 21 March 1853 in Leeds.  She was the daughter of James Stott and Sarah Heseltine, born 29 October 1831 in Leeds and died in March 1912 in Settle, Yorkshire.  Samuel and Mary Anne had ten children, three went to the United States including my great grandfather John Peter Bawden Roberts (1865 - 1925) who immigrated to Beverly, Massachusetts in 1915 via Ellis Island.

Samuel raised his family in the slums of Yorkshire. He worked as a laborer in factories, and according to several census records he was described as an "engine man" or "engineer".  This means he operated machinery in the factory.  He lived in the Woodhouse section of Leeds, in 1871 his residence was 25 Woodhouse Street, and in 1881 his residence was 17 Rhodes Buildings.   His death record lists his occupation as "engine tender".  

Samuel died on 3 July 1881 (according to the death record) and was buried on July 6th.  His gravestone lists the death on July 4th.  The informant was his son Arthur.  There are 14 people listed on the gravestone, all unrelated (I checked).  That seemed strange to me, so I did some investigating online.  What I found was surprising to me as an American, but not so strange to Europeans.   

Leeds in the 19th and early 20th century was a factory town.  The slums were horrific.  I have an oral history recorded on a cassette tape, and narrated by my grandmother, Bertha Roberts (1897 - 1990).  Her stories reminded me of books like Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt. The city was overcrowded with laborers and their families. The cemeteries were overcrowded, too.  

Samuel was buried in a "guinea grave" at the Leeds General Cemetery, also known as Woodhouse Cemetery or Woodhouse Lane Cemetery.   A guinea grave was a grave for 12 - 20 people, and the family paid one "guinea" for this priviledge.  According to a Facebook forum for "Leeds Family History" a guinea was 21 shillings or a little more than a pound in today's money.  Paupers would be buried in a common grave for free.  Thank goodness for these informal genealogy groups on Facebook!  Through this group I was referred to another group "Friends of Woodhouse Cemetery", where I learned more history of this burial ground.  Members of these groups gave me a great history of the guinea graves, and of the slums in the Woodhouse neighborhood. 

UPDATE:  After this blog post was published online on March 12, a woman named Yvonne Sutton and her sister Linda Goodwin read the post and then took more photos of Samuel's gravesite.  Scroll to the bottom to see what she posted on the "Friends of Woodhouse Cemetery" Facebook group!  

The sad thing about the Leeds General Cemetery is that it belongs to the University of Leeds, who removed almost all the gravestones to create a greenspace for their campus known as St. George's Field.  Most of the surrounding area known as Woodhouse is part of the university, too, and the addresses I have from census records for Samuel are now new university housing.  Originally there were over 80,000 burials in this cemetery, most without memorial stones in guinea graves. Very few stones are still there, and the chapel is still standing, so it is a miracle that this stone with Samuel Robert's name survives.

As an American we are not accustomed to the practice of cemeteries without "perpetual care".  I have seen in Spain that bodies are placed in rented niches for a few years, which are later cleaned out and then the niche is rented to another family.  In England the graves are not "perpetual" either, and especially paupers' graves or common graves such as these guinea graves.  

I have not visited the city of Leeds.  I'm hoping to someday see the church where the Roberts family worshipped (All Soul's Hook Memorial), the streets, and this cemetery.  I can find records of other family members in this cemetery, but this is the only one with a photograph of a surviving tombstone. 

This house stood on Rhodes Buildings where Samuel Roberts lived in Leeds, around the time of his death.  Thank you to the Leeds Libraries Leodis website  https://www.leodis.net/   

Updated photos, with kind permission from Yvonne Sutton and Linda Goodwin:

This photo and the maps below will help me to locate the gravesite. The gravestones were all moved, and many buried, to another location, to form the university parkland. 

For the truly curious:

Samuel Roberts at Find A Grave:  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/226194619/samuel-roberts  

"Friends of Woodhouse Cemetery" at Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1765932953450945  

The University of Leeds maintains a website with a database of burials at the Leeds General Cemetery.  Here is a link to the record for Samuel Roberts:   https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/546233/roberts_samuel?selection=Leeds%20General%20Cemetery%20Burial%20Registers%20Index&archiveLocationOfOriginals=433&resultLength=60&resultOffset=7&fbclid=IwAR3f7Jdc43AcKSycGhOQBGoQ1MQfW_Zgi9BvHM-jS_zYEwycpr1iWnaoEn4 

Surname Saturday blog post for the ROBERTS family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/surname-saturday-roberts-of-leeds.html  

This link is part four of a transcription my grandmother's audio tape, describing her childhood in Leeds:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/05/amanuensis-monday-berthas-audio-tape.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Samuel Roberts, buried 1881, Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 14, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/03/samuel-roberts-buried-1881-leeds.html: accessed [access date].

Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants

Several months ago Karen Johnson sent me the link to a story she wrote for the Towne Family Association Newletter for July - September 2018.  On pages 79 -81 she wrote a short article called "Gold Country - Zacheus & Phebe Gould Country, that is".  One of the photos in this article featured a wonderful weathervane, and she gave me permission to repost these photos and excerpts from her article about her June 2017 TFA trip to England and her visit to the farm where this weathervane is located.

"Our excursion today took us to GOLD country. That means we traveled through land where Zacheus and Phebe Gould once lived.  The name Gould is sometimes pronounced Gold.  In the records it has been found with many different spellings - Gold, Goolde, Golde, Goold, Goeld, and even Gowle as well as Gould. Gould has been the spelling most commonly used today. This family's treasure was not in gold, but in the land they had acquired and had inherited...

... By 6 June 1626, Zacheus and Phebe Gould had surrendered their land, garden, orchard and buildings in Two Waters... They were moving to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County... Years later, Zacheus Gould's grandson, John Gould, said that "his grandfather Zacheus lived at a place called Hunts Green near Potter Row, belonging to Great Missenden.

In Great Missenden they actually did live on a farm named Hunts Green.  It was located on the boundary of the small parish of The Lee and the little town, but with a large parish, of Wendover, all to the north.  Zacheus also had lands in Wendover Foreign.  The baptisms for the next two children were at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Great Missenden: Priscill on 7 Sep 1628 and John on 29 June 1635...

Our coach traveled through Bovingdon and passed by Venus Hill where Zacheus Gould had inherited land and had lived when he was young.  Here we could see horses grazing on the pasture land.  There is a sign at the bottom of the hill that says Venus Hill.  We passed through Two Waters and visited Hemel Hempstead where Zacheus and Phebe lived with their first three children.

Then we headed to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County to see where Zacheus and Phebe had lived.  They had built a home that Charles Farrow beieves is probably the one called Hunts Green Farm today.  The home has had some new brickwork done and has been expanded. However, the old beams holding up the structure date back to when the Gould family lived there.  We went by Potter Row on our way to and from Hunts Green.

Hunts Green Farm

We felt very fortunate to be able to stop at Hunts Green Farm where we were given a tour by the current owners.  They now have several barns and some additional housing and lots of farm equipment.  Today they grow corn, and there is a delightful weather vane adorning the roof of one structure with a tractor on top letting you know definitely that it is a farm.

To drive through these communities and to be able to see the many places where our Gould ancestors once lived was truly special.  To actually see a farm, walk on the land, and see a home built in the early 1600s where our family once lived was extraordinary....

....Reminder:  The Towne family is related to Zacheus and Phebe Gould through their daughter Phoebe Gould who married Thomas Perkins. Their daughter Phebe Perkins married Joseph Towne in 1663 in Topsfield, Massachusetts."

Are you a GOULD descendant, too?

Zaccheus Gould, son of Richard Gould and Elizabeth Young was born in 1589 in Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, and died after 30 March 1668 in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He married Phebe Deacon, daughter of Thomas Deacon and Martha Field and had six children, three born in Bovingdon and three in Great Missenden.  I descend from Priscilla Gould (about 1625 - 1663) , mentioned above in the article by Karen Johnson, who married John Wildes (about 1619 - 1705).

Thank you very much, Karen Johnson, for the photos and story!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 31, 2019, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-of-interest-to.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervanes in Boston, England

I posted a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday for the last several years.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  This is the last weathervane post of the series!  I hope you've enjoyed these Weathervane Wednesday posts. 

Today's weather vanes were photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #400?  Scroll down to find the answer.

These weathervanes were photographed on the tower above the "Boston Stump" or St. Botolph's church,  in Boston, Lincolnshire, England.  The name of the town "Boston" is thought to derive from "St. Botolph's town".  We were visiting Boston during our tour of England and Holland with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites Tour last year.

There appear to be eight weathervanes on the octagonal tower above the church.  Each is a gilded banner, and very shiny in the sunlight.  However, the tower is extremely tall at 272 feet height, and we could only see these weathervanes using the zoom lens on the camera.  You can see the sunlight glinting off the banners from a great distance.  This tower is so tall, sailors at sea use it as a landmark!

There is a "Puritan Path" of markers outside the
church, memorializing the Puritans who left
Lincolnshire for Boston, Massachusetts

"1630 John Cotton bids farewell to his parishoners on the the Arbella"

This church is very important in New England history.  The Puritan leader Rev. John Cotton was a vicar at St. Botolphs in the 17th century.  He encouraged a large number of his congregation, on board the ship Arbella and other ships in the Winthrop Fleet, to leave for New England in 1630.  By 1633 Rev. Cotton also left, and he founded and named Boston, Massachusetts.  There is a Cotton Chapel inside St. Botolph's church now, as well as a model of the Mayflower (the Pilgrim Fathers were imprisoned in Boston for trying to escape to Holland).   I had several ancestors believed to have been on board the Arbella, including Samuel and William Chesebrough, William Beamsley, Edward Converse, Mattias Irons, Edmund Lockwood, Thomas Mayhew, and Ezekiel Richardson.

Five men from Boston, England became Governors of Massachusetts - Richard Bellingham, Thomas Dudley, Simon Bradstreet, John Leverett and Francis Bernard.

I think that this church and it's weathervanes are a nice way to wrap up this series of 400 weathervane posts for "Weathervane Wednesday".  I can't think of a town or church in England that influenced migration and family history as much as the "Boston Stump".

I hope you enjoyed this series!

Click here to read about our day in Boston, Lincolnshire, England:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/along-pilgrim-trail-boston-lincolnshire.html

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervanes in Boston, England", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 30, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/weathervane-wednesday-weathervanes-in_23.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervanes of a famous English University

I posted a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  This series is drawing to a close next week when I publish my 400th weathervane post!

Today's weather vanes were photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #399?  Scroll down to find the answer.

These weathervanes were photographed when we toured Cambridge University in England as part of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites Tour in 2017.  We visited Cambridge because the passenger William Brewster attended Peterhouse College at Cambridge.  And the pastor to the Pilgrims, Rev. John Robinson, my 11th great grandfather on both my maternal and paternal sides of the family tree, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1596 from Corpus Christi College and he earned his Master of Arts in 1599. 

This weathervane and the two below are just interesting banner weathervanes we spotted as we wandered the streets of Cambridge.  I'm not sure what the buildings are, but they are part of the University.

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These two weathervanes were on two buildings directly across the lane from famous Eagle pub where Watson and Crick relaxed in between their research on DNA at Cambridge University.  You can read more about our visit to this pub at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/where-did-watson-and-crick-hang-out.html   

I love the dragon weathervane, and I'm sure there is a story to this choice, but I couldn't find it.  The banner weathervane next door appears to have a design embossed into the metalwork, but it is impossible to see if it is just decorative, or perhaps it is numbers or words? 

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This odd weathervane was above the tower of St. Benet's Parish Church.  I can't decide if this is a banner style weathervane, or perhaps a wind paddle with an interesting counterweight.  This is the oldest church in Cambridgeshire, and the oldest building in the town of Cambridge.  The tower was probably built between 1000 AD and 1050 AD.  It is next to Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University. 

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervanes of a famous English University", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2019,(https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/weathervane-wednesday-weathervanes-of.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Weathervane at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England

I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  This series of 400 weathervane posts is almost complete, and will be posted by the end of this month.

Today's weather vane was photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #398?  Scroll down to find the answer.

The local songbirds enjoy
perching on this!

Mayflower and Great Migration historians and genealogists will recognize Scrooby as the birthplace of the Pilgrim Father William Brewster ( 1568 - 1644).  Brewster was the elder and leader of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  William Brewster's father was the Bailiff of the manor house at Scrooby.  Scrooby Manor is famous in Mayflower history as the place where secret meetings of the Separatist movement took place between 1606 and 1607, before the Separatists fled to Holland.

This weathervane is over the village Anglican church, St. Wilfrid's, built in the 15th century.  The steeple has an octagonal spire. William Brewster probably worshiped in St. Wilfrid's before attending services at All Saints Church in Babworth where the Separatist Rev. Richard Clyfton inspired William Brewster and William Bradford to form their own congregation at Scrooby Manor.

I visited Scrooby and Scrooby Manor last year with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites tour.  We were given a private tour of Scrooby Manor by author Sue Allan, and lunch at the nearby Separatist Inn by the members of the Pilgrim Fathers UK Origins Association.

Our tour group at Scrooby Manor

You can read about our trip to Scrooby at this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/along-pilgrim-trail-scrooby-manor.html    

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Weathervane at Scrooby Manor", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 16, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/weathervane-wednesday-weathervane-at.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Seen on the Waterfront in Plymouth, Devonshire, UK

I post another in a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting. 

Today's weather vane was photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #396?  Scroll down to find the answer.

There will only be 400 posts in this series!  Stay tuned for the last four Weathervane Wednesdays!

This weathervane was spotted on a rainy, stormy day in Plymouth, Devonshire, England.  We were with the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites tour, visiting the Plymouth Steps where the Pilgrims stepped off their homeland and boarded the Mayflower for a new life in the New World.  As part of a special treat, a harbor cruise was arranged for us.  Unfortunately the weather was so awful that we had to turn the tour boat around and head back to the bus.

However, along the way I did spot this weathervane.  It was on a wall near the Royal Navy Yard.  This simple arrow weathervane has a nice green patina from being located so close to the sea.  Many mariners must have consulted with the wind direction from this weathervane.

Somewhere along the way out of the harbor we also passed this little lighthouse. I didn't realize it had a weathervane until we got home and looked at the photos on our large 30 inch monitor.  I hope you can see this bonus weathervane in the photo!

Vincent was out in the pouring rain taking the photographs.  This was my view as I rode out the storm from the relative comfort of the cabin indoors...

Click here to read my blog post about our day in Plymouth, Devonshire, England:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/along-pilgrim-trail-mayflower-leaves.html 

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Seen on the Waterfront in Plymouth, Devonshire, UK", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 2, 2019 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/weathervane-wednesday-seen-on.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Ship above a Bank at a famous Harbor in England

For the last several years I have posted a story about a weathervane every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane was photographed in England.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #395?  Scroll down to find the answer.

This series will end with the 400th post soon.  Stay tuned!

This weathervane was photographed in the picturesque harbor town of Dartmouth, Devonshire, England.  We were on the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Historic Sites tour and saw this weathervane as we exited our tour bus.  The Mayflower tour was in Dartmouth, because this is where the Mayflower and her sister ship Speedwell returned for repairs after heading for the New World.  The ship Speedwell was leaking badly, and was repaired in Dartmouth at Bayard's Cove. The Pilgrims left Dartmouth on 20 August 1620.  The repairs did not work, and the two ships later returned to Plymouth where the Speedwell was abandoned, and some passengers were loaded onto the Mayflower and others returned to London.  The Mayflower finally left Plymouth in September 1620 for the New World. 

You can read about our day in Dartmouth at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/12/along-pilgrim-trail-speedwell-is.html 

This finely detailed, three dimensional weathervane is located on a cupola above the NatWest bank along the waterfront in Dartmouth.  Just coincidentally, it is next door to the Dartmouth Museum which has exhibits about the history of the town, including the Mayflower.  Did you know that Henry Hudson landed at Dartmouth on his voyage home from North America?  And Dartmouth's harbor was a base for the American forces during WWII and for the D-Day landings? 

Although the Mayflower was a large part of Dartmouth history, the town has such a rich maritime story that I cannot presume this weathervane depicts the Mayflower.  But it is fun to imagine!


Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Ship above a Bank at a famous Harbor in England", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 26, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/weathervane-wednesday-ship-above-bank.html: accessed [access date]). 

Why do we say “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit” on the 1st of each month?

"Even Mr. Roosevelt, the President of the United States, has confessed to a friend that he says 'Rabbits' on the first of every month—and, what is more, he would not think of omitting the utterance on any account." – Newspaper article, The Nottingham Evening Post, 27 November, 1935.

I always say “Rabbit” three times on the first day of the month.  I try to make it the first thing I say that morning.  It goes back to my childhood. When I was a little girl, I never knew what the day of the month it was until I got to school.  But on the first of the month it would be a contest to see who would remember first.  Usually some other kid would shout it out while walking to school, and we’d all repeat it to the next kid we saw. And so it would travel through the neighborhood.

Now I post it every month on Facebook. If you are a Facebook friend, you know I also put up a picture of a rabbit, too.  Or three rabbits. I didn’t know why we say it three times. I didn’t know why we say it in the first place.  Finally, fellow genealogist Dan Young asked me, “Do you have a blog post on the history of why we say Rabbit?”

So here it is- the reason why we say “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit”!

It turns out to be a British custom that was carried to North America.  Over there people say “Rabbits” or “White Rabbits” or repeat “Rabbit” some number of times for good luck in the new month.  According to Wikipedia, northern New England is where this custom is most prevalent in the USA.  In Britain, It is more common in Scotland than in England.

Rabbits are considered lucky in the British Isles- think of the lucky rabbit’s foot. Rabbits are a tradition sign of fertility (remember the Playboy symbol?). White rabbits are especially lucky or magical, and we all know this from the color of most magician’s rabbits. One of the articles I linked below said that FDR not only said Rabbits on the first of the month, but he carried a rabbit’s foot in his pocket for good luck.  Maybe he was just super superstitious?

What is the symbolism of the “Three Hares” often seen carved on churches in England or medieval manuscripts? Well, according to Wikipedia again, it is also seen all over Europe and the Middle East. Is it a symbol of the trinity?  Is it from the pagan Celts? This symbol appears to be a puzzle, just like the fact that although each of the three rabbits appears to have two ears, there are only a total of three ears.  Check out the website for the Three Hare Project, which has published a new book on this subject:

http://www.chrischapmanphotography.co.uk/hares/index.html 

The Three Hares: A Curiosity Worth Regarding, by Tom Greeves, Sue Andrew and Chris Chapman, Skerryvore Productions,UK, 2016

Variations on this theme:

Be the first to say “Rabbit” for good luck

It must be the first words spoken aloud that morning

If you repeat the word “Rabbit” the rabbit will run away with your problems

If you forget to say rabbit first thing, reverse your bad luck by saying “Tibbar” before bed.

Drink a Rabbit Rabbit beer from New England’s Lamplighter Brewing Co. (Cambridge, MA)

Buy a dress from the fashion company Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit  Designs (Google it!)

Gilda Radner used the “Bunny Bunny” version every month

For the truly curious:

From NPR’s “A Way with Words”

 https://www.waywordradio.org/rabbit-rabbit-tibbar-tibbar/   Click to listen

Mother Nature - 

https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/videos/did-you-say-rabbit-rabbit-morning

Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_rabbit_rabbit  

Yankee Magazine -  https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-environment/rabbit/  

Bangor, Maine Bangor Daily News –

 http://mainemorsels.bangordailynews.com/2017/11/26/maine-people/do-you-say-rabbit-rabbit/

Rabbit Rabbit Day on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RabbitRabbitDay/  

Blame it on Nickelodon?  https://www.refinery29.com/2016/11/131510/rabbit-rabbit-meaning 

The Three Hares from Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Why do we say “Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit” on the 1st of each month?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 1, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/06/why-do-we-say-rabbit-rabbit-rabbit-on.html: accessed [access date]).