JFK in Nashua, New Hampshire

Fifty years ago today, on 22 November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.  I thought it might be a nice idea to have a good memory of JFK instead of dwelling on the murderous act.

On 25 January 1960 the Massachusetts Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy came to Nashua for the first campaign stop for the 1960 presidential elections. It was his first official election speech, given during a snowfall in front of the Nashua City Hall.  This was the first announcement that he was running for president. In those days, the primary was held in March, and the campaigning began just a few weeks ahead of time.  Today the politicians gear up for the New Hampshire primaries years in advance.  In 1960, the New Hampshire Primary was on March 8th, barely six weeks later!

IN MEMORIAM

PRESIDENT

JOHN FITGERALD

KENNEDY

ON JANUARY 25, 1960

THIS CITY HALL PLAZA

WAS JOHN F. KENNEDY'S

FIRST CAMPAIGN STOP

IN THE NATION FOR

THE PRESIDENCY OF

THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA.

On the back of the pedestal are words from JFK's inaugural address:

LET THE WORD GO FORTH

FROM THIS TIME AND

PLACE, TO FRIEND AND

FOE ALIKE, THAT THE

TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED

TO A NEW GENERATION

OF AMERICANS - BORN

IN THIS CENTURY, TEM-

PERED BY WAR, DISCIPLINED

BY A HARD AND BITTER 

PEACH, PROUD OF OUR 

ANCIENT HERITAGE."

                    JOHN F. KENNEDY

                    JANUARY 20, 1961

Click here for a link to a 2010 Nashua Telegraph article about the 50th anniversary of this event:

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/560476-196/50-years-ago-nashua-greeted-jfk.html 

On 23 November 2011, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood right behind this statue during his campaign during the New Hampshire Primary season, but never once mentioned Kennedy.  Both candidates were from Massachusetts, and both experienced religious prejudice.  Perhaps Romney would have been more successful if he had taken a few moments to mention the man on the pedestal?  On 18 February 1992 Bill Clinton made a campaign stop at this very place, and he won his bid for the highest office.  Yes, he mentioned Kennedy's legacy in his speech.

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The Fitzgerald Family Bible

This family bible was on display at the JFK Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is right next to a small theater showing a film of his inauguration and speech.  You can see this bible under his hand when he was being sworn in as US President.  I wonder if his forebears ever thought this simple family bible would be used to swear-in a president!

 

The Fitzgerald Family Bible

This Bible, an 1850 edition of the Douay English translation, was brought to the United States from Ireland by President Kennedy's forebears.  The front pages contain a handwritten family chronicle dating from 1857.  These notes document the engagement of Rose E. Fitzgerald and Joseph P. Kennedy, their marriage in 1914, and a list of the births of their nine children, including a record of the birth of John Fitzgerald Kennedy on May 29, 1917.

In the second week of January 1961, JFK sent two secret agents to the Dorchester home of his uncle, Tom A. Fitzgerald, who had held and preserved the Bible for many years, and had it ready to go in a shopping bag from a local supermarket.  The agents brought the Bible to Washington, DC, where, on January 20, 1961, President Kennedy used it to take the oath of office as the 35th President of the United States.

Here is a reconstruction of the Fitzgerald genealogy [I couldn't peek at what was in the bible] taken from http://genealogy.about.com/library/family_trees/bl_jfk.htm

Generation 1:  Thomas Fitzgerald abt 1835 - 1885 m. Rosanna Cox abt 1835  - 1879 (both were born in Ireland and married in Boston on 15 November 1857)

Generation 1:  John Francis Fitzgerald 1863 - 1950 m. Mary Josephine Hannon 1865 - 1964 (both were born in Massachusetts and married in Concord, Massachusetts on 18 September 1889)

Generation 2:  Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald 1890 - 1995 m. Joseph Patrick Kennedy 1888 - 1969 (married in Boston on 7 October 1914)

Generation 3:  John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917 - 1963 m. Jacqueline Lee Bouvier 1929 - 1994 (married on 12 September 1953 in Newport, Rhode Island)

JFK's Inauguration, 20 January 1961

The bible is on the podium

This excerpt from JFK's Inaugural Address is 

inscribed on the wall of the JFK Museum, in the atrium

The JFK Library and Museum, Boston, Massachusetts http://www.jfklibrary.org/
My blog post about visiting the museum, click this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-jfk-museum-boston-massachusetts.html

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The JFK Museum, Boston, Massachusetts

We recently visited the JFK Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.  This is a great place for a "20th Century Americana" experience.  Not only does the museum feature the life, family, and political life of our 35th president, but it also is a great walk down memory lane for those who remember those years.  I was too young to remember John F. Kennedy, or his presidency, but I do remember many of the events immediately following his death.  His legacy, and his family legacy, of things like the Peace Corps, the Civil Rights Movement, the Space Program, Special Olympics and the on going Kennedy politics in the state of Massachusetts were all part of my growing up years. 

Like my recent post about the Wright Museum, or the CCC Museum, this is the type of museum that would be great to visit along with someone from an older generation, or even young people.  Families can generate wonderful memories and oral histories as they discuss and debate the artifacts and items on display at the JFK museum. The history of our recent past can be great conversation starters between generations.

Do you remember when televised presidential election results looked like this?

That is a mechanical tally board behind the news desk, not computer generated images.

Did you notice Walter Cronkite's name on the desk?  Can't you just hear his voice?

Young visitors to the museum had a good laugh at this display of 1960s television!

One lasting legacy of President Kennedy is the "Profiles in Courage" Award,

named for his famous book where he outlined eight famous senators who

took risked their careers by taking unpopular stands for their personal beliefs.

I bought a new copy of this book as my souvenir of our visit, and I remember

reading my father's dogeared paperback copy of Profiles in Courage in high school. 

Derry, New Hampshire native Alan Shepard flew in this space capsule, Freedom 7. on

5 May 1961, a few months before I was born.  This was America's first manned space flight. 

My husband, the aerospace engineer, was thrilled to see this on display.

There are many photographs, displays and artifacts on the Kennedy family at this museum.

I always liked this photo the best, showing a happy family on the eve of World War II,

just before tragedy struck and took the first of JFK's eight siblings. 

There is a special exhibit going on about the Cuban Missile Crisis until 1 December 2013.

Many recently de-classified documents and recordings are part of this exhibit, which focuses on the 

thirteen days in October 1962 when the USA and Russia almost came to a nuclear confrontation.

These two upholstered chairs are the same two chairs shared by Premier Khrushchev

 and President Kennedy in this famous photograph.

Some of the Cuban Missile Crisis exhibit examines the Cold War and how the American people prepared for the event of a nuclear confrontation. These were the recommended items for a family's fall out shelter. How frightening it must have been to have such a scary possibility.  I'm glad I'm too young to remember this era in American History.

My first birthday happened during these famous 13 days in October 1962.  My mother remembers hanging cloth diapers to dry on the line in the back yard, and having the jet fighters from Pease Airforce base flying over the house on their way down the East Coast during the crisis.  This is a memory she has mentioned many times, and after seeing this exhibit I know understand how frightening those 13 days must have been for all Americans.

What memories do you have of this time period? Your parents and older relatives would have great memories to record as part of your family history.  Scary or hopeful, sad or happy memories of the "Camelot Years" when the Kennedy family was in the White House can be a great jump off point to begin a written or recorded conversation with your relatives as part of your genealogy.

The JFK Presidential Museum and Library 

Columbia Point, Boston, Massachusetts

(617) 514-1600   toll free (866) JFK-1960

http://www.jfklibrary.org/

The JFK library is one of 13 Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  Students, researchers and scholars can conduct research at the library in person, or online using the website above.  The mid-20th century life and politics can be a useful tool for understanding the lives and politics of our ancestors during the 1950s and 1960s.  

Click here to see all my "20th Century Americana" posts...

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Gift from a First Lady to a President

Every Wednesday for more almost two years Vincent and I have been posting photographs of weather vanes located in or near the Nutfield area (the former name for the land where Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire are now located). Most of them are historically interesting or just whimsical and fun weather vanes. If you know an interesting New England weather vane that could be photographed for this series, please send me an email or leave a comment below.

Today's weather vane was found somewhere in Massachusetts.

Do you know the location of weather vane #106? Scroll down to see the answer....

Today's weather vane was photographed at the JFK Library and Museum on Columbia Point, in Boston, Massachusetts.  This is a wonderful museum on the life and presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.  There are lots of exhibits on the events surrounding his life and term in office, as well as lots of family memorabilia. The card under this weather vane reads: "Jacqueline Kennedy gave the president this sailboat weathervane on his forty-sixth birthday for their home in Hyannis Port." 

JFK was born on 29 May 1917, so she must have given it to him in 1963 for his birthday.  This is poignant since he was killed on 22 November 1963.  It was his last birthday gift from Jackie.  This room was full of photos and memorabilia about JFK's love of sailing and his time served in the Navy during WWII.  You can visit his sailboat, Ventura, just outside the museum.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum www.jfklibrary.org

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

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The JFK Birthplace, Brookline, Massachusetts

The JFK birthplace is a National Park Service museum at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts.  Since it is part of the National Park system, tours are completely free.  It is self guided with an audio device narrated by his mother, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.  The Kennedy House is a very modest house for today's standards, and is furnished closely to how it would appear in 1917 when the Kennedy family lived here, with many of the original furnishings and personal objects.

According to the narration by Rose on my audio tour, baby John was born in the bed closest to the window so the Doctor would have good light during the procedure.  He was born about 3 PM on 29 May 1917, as the second son.   The future president was baptized in the little church down the street, St. Aidan's on 158 Pleasant Street (This building closed as a church in 1999, and is now mixed income housing).   He lived in Brookline for the first ten years of his life. 

This white bassinet held three senators and a president!  

When the family lived here in this house, little John and his older brother Joseph, Jr. would sit in the child's table set up by the window during meals.  One of the little silver cups is engraved with Joseph, Jr.'s monogram.  The table is set with the family's original china and silver, donated to the museum.

The John F. Kennedy Birthplace website is http://www.nps.gov/jofi/index.htm  The house is closed in the winter, and will reopen to the public for tours on May 20, 2012.  It is located only 13 miles from the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester, Massachusetts http://www.jfklibrary.org/  where you can learn about the rest of the president's life, and use the archives.

This is a great trip for genealogists!  The JFK library is located next to the Massachusetts State Archives in Dorchester, and is near the Vital Records.  It is also not far from other Boston repositories of information, such as NEHGS, the Massachusetts Historical Society, The Boston Public Library and the North Eastern Regional  NARA facility in Waltham, Massachusetts.

New England Historic Genealogical Society www.americanancestors.org 

Massachusetts Historical Society www.masshist.org 

The Boston Public Library www.bpl.org

North Eastern Regional National Archives http://www.archives.gov/northeast/boston/

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The JFK Birthplace, Brookline, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 23, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/01/jfk-birthplace-brookline-massachusetts.html: accessed [access date]).

The Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953

A young Senator John F. Kennedy and two teens
tour the tornado disaster in
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 1953

News and photographs of the Joplin, Missouri tornado are filling the airways and newspapers this week. As the death toll mounted, the news reporters began to compare the storm to the Worcester Tornado over sixty years ago. This brought chills up my spine, and my skin began to crawl…

When I was growing up in Central Massachusetts, the adults would speak in hushed tones about the Worcester tornado. We moved to Holden in 1969, more than 15 years after the tornado, but the effects were very visible. The area was heavily forested, but the tornado’s path was still empty and barren of trees. I could follow the path through Holden into the nearby city of Worcester by seeing the lack of woodlands as we drove into the city for shopping or doctor’s appointments. My parents would casually mention that certain landmarks were “due to the tornado.”

Several neighbors had survived the tornado’s devastation. The young mother who lived next door had three toddlers, and would come to hide in our cellar whenever there were thunderstorm warnings. My mom would bring out boxes of Ritz crackers and peanut butter, and my sister and I would entertain the babies whenever storms passed over. At the time I didn’t understand her fear. She was just a small child herself when her home was destroyed in the Burncoat neighborhood of Worcester.

I would overhear women telling of how their children were injured in the storm, including a boy who was sucked out a living room window. Men would tell my Dad how belongings were found miles away, and miraculously returned. As a child I had visions of Dorothy and Toto’s flying house racing through my mind whenever we had severe storm warnings. It all seemed like fairy stories, too terrible to believe.

In my hometown of Holden, nine were killed, and then the tornado moved through Worcester, where another sixty residents died. A total of 94 people died, 1288 were injured and 10,000 were homeless. This was a staggering loss for the time, with a loss of 4,000 buildings and hundreds of automobiles. The damage was estimated at $53 million dollars in 1953. Debris was later found in the Atlantic Ocean off of Weymouth, Massachusetts- over 50 miles away. Worcester is a thousand miles away from tornado alley, but it was still a victim.  It held the unfortunate record of most destructive tornado for over 60 years, until this month when Joplin was hit.

When I was much older I saw the photographs of the tornado damage, and there were annual TV news reports on the storm’s anniversary. Not too long ago my daughter applied to Assumption College in Worcester. I took her to the main office for her entrance interview and spent my time perusing a display about the tornado. I didn’t know the campus was originally on Burncoat Street in Worcester. I didn’t know that the original campus was destroyed.  Later in 1953 Miss Jacqueline Bouvier, fiancée of Senator John F. Kennedy, presented a $150,000 gift from the Kennedy Foundation towards rebuilding a new campus on Salisbury Street. A priest and two nuns died in the storm, but no students died since summer break had just begun.

Today, the storm damage is barely visible. The great empty fields near the Great Brook Valley housing development are now covered with mature trees and new industrial buildings. There are no more vacant lots, since they have long been rebuilt with new homes or businesses. The earth has healed. I know that for now the people in Missouri will think that peace of mind is a fairy tale, but their pain will also fade and become barely visible. Barely… because I know at least one woman in Holden who still hides in the cellar when the thunderstorms pass through.

[The above photo is from MSNBC.com, at this link you can read about the Worcester tornado and also see a rare movie about the tornado  (in three parts on YouTube.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJciyLvvfKI&feature=youtu.be  ]

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Worcester Tornado, June 9, 1953", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 26, 2011, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/05/worcester-tornado-june-9-1953.html: accessed [access date]). 

50 Years Ago Today - A bit of NH Trivia

This information was sent to me by my friend Dean Dexter, Governor of the New Hampshire Mayflower Society, and author of the blog "New Hampshire Commentary" http://nhcommentary.com/

New Hampshire U.S. Senator and former governor Styles Bridges, the senior Republican in the senate, escorts the incoming first lady to her husband's inaugeration, with outgoing First Lady Mamie Dowd Eisenhower, The White House, January 20, 1961. Archives Life magazine.

This was the Kennedy inauguration. There is a traditional "coffee" at the White House with the in-coming and out-going presidents, just before the inaugural ceremony at the Capitol. Senator Styles Bridges was the top ranking Republican in the U. S. Senate at the time, and on the inaugural committee. He was President Pro-Tem of the senate when the Republicans were in the senate majority in 1952, and chaired by Eisenhower Inagural Committees.

Dean Dexter's page about Styles Bridges is at this link:

http://nhcommentary.com/styles_bridges.html