A Poem "At Beaver Lake"

On April 12, 1719 Rev. James MacGregor
held the first church service in Nutfield on the shores of Beaver Lake

At Beaver Lake

"...a hiding place from the winds and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land"

--Ezekiel 32:3, from the first Nutfield sermon by the Rev. James MacGregor, Beaver Lake April 12, 1719

As evening fell along the shore,

worried too much about the rent,

I think of kin, anxious and poor,

       that crossed the sea

to a new and dangerous continent.

       Follow me.

Through miles of wilderness they took

their bearings in a trackless wood.

They settled by West Running Brook,

      weary but free.

The fathers said they'd found it good.

     Come with me. 

How did those immigrants endure?

How did they make it through that year?

They, too, were fearful and unsure

     of what would be.

I thought I heard the sermon here.

    Believe in me.

                                       -- Robert Crawford

                                           Derry, New Hampshire Poet Laureate

Robert Crawford read "At Beaver Lake"
during the Founders Day celebration in April 2019
in Derry, New Hampshire

For the truly curious:

"Derry Names Its First Poet Laureate"  Derry News

https://www.derrynews.com/news/derry-names-its-first-poet-laureate/article_a09042db-4188-5661-bc00-29b185d043f1.html  

-------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Poem "At Beaver Lake" ", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 28, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-poem-at-beaver-lake.html: accessed [access date]). 

CLARK – Descendants of Nutfield Minister Rev. Matthew Clark

[Note:  I will be doing a series of genealogical sketches on the early Nutfield settlers in advance of the 300th anniversary of Founders Day, April 12 - 14, 2019 in Derry, New Hampshire.  If you have additional notes on the first few generations of the Clark family, please comment below or send me an email at vrojomit@gmail.com, and I will edit this sketch.  These sketches will be used and distributed to the public and to descendants at the Founders Day activities.]

Matthew Clark, born about 1660 in Northern Ireland, and died in Londonderry, New Hampshire in February 1735/6 .  He was a Lieutenant during the Siege of Derry from 19 April to 10 July 1689, where he was wounded in the temple.  His wound never healed and he always wore a black patch. He was ordained in 1697 and served in Kilrea and Boveedy in County Derry.  On 28 April 1729 Matthew Clark left his congregation and came to Londonderry, New Hampshire to meet up with kin who were probably his children.

The Rev. James MacGregor had just died in Londonderry, New Hampshire when Rev. Clark arrived.  Since the town needed a minister they made him an offer, which he first refused, but then took the second offer and stayed as their minister for six more years.  He married Rev. MacGregor’s widow, Mary Anne Cargill, and died 27 February 1735/6. .  When he died, according to legend, his coffin was carried by fellow veterans of the Seige of Derry.

It is not proven that these were his children by a first marriage, but since they all named descendants “Matthew” he was probably their father or close kin.

      1.       Matthew, died 28 May 1781 by drowning near Amoskeag Falls; married to Elizabeth Lindsay on 15 April 1722.  Children:  Margaret, Jean, George. 

      2.       James, born about 1692, died 13 October 1768 age 77 years.  He was one of the original sixteen Nutfield grantees. James Clark married first to Elizabeth Fulton, widow of James Wilson on 22 May 1722 (the mother of Ocean Born Mary Wilson); married second to Margaret Unknown. Children born in Londonderry: John born 31 March 1723 married his cousin Margaret Clark; Samuel born 12 April 1726, died 27 November 1792, married Mary Unknown and resided in Windham; George born 15 April 1728; married Mary Wilson and had thirteen children; Elliner born 20 April 1730, died 21 September 1808, married Robert Hemphill of Windham and had nine children; Matthew born 30 June 1732, died 22 January 1805; married first Margaret Anderson, married second Margaret Unknown; and Mary born about 1740 and married William McAllister and lived in Antrim, New Hampshire.

      3.       John, died 12 January 1720/1 and was the first death recorded in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  The land he was granted in 1722 was deeded by his brothers James and Matthew on 28 January 1725/6 (NH Deed 14: 445)

      4.       Agnes, married Samuel McKeen on 15 August 1723, and had eleven children.

      5.       Thomas, arrived in 1720 to Londonderry as a servant of James McKeen.  Was granted land with his brother George.  Disappears from the Londonderry, New Hampshire records by 1733.

      6.       George, also a servant to James McKeen, also disappeared from the Londonderry records by 1733. 

      7.       Alexander, married Jane McGregor, daughter of Rev. James MacGregor, was a doctor in Portsmouth.  Jane was buried at Forest Hill in East Derry with the epitaph “Mrs. Jane Clark, relict of Dr. Alexander died Sept. 25, 1778 in her 67^th year”.

    

      Note:

          There is also a Robert Clark who appears to be completely unrelated to the above CLARK , was born about 1720, died 20 April 1775, married Letitia Cochran. He came to New England about 1725 and lived northwest of Beaver Pond.  Eight children: William, married Anne Wallace and removed to New Boston;  John, married Nancy Stinson; Samuel, married Sarah Holmes and Janet Barnett; Ninian, married Mary Ramsey and removed to New Boston; Jane, married James Crombie who removed to New Boston; Letitia, married Samuel Wallace and Robert Moor; Agnes, married William Anderson; and Elizabeth, married Andrew Mack

For more information:

“Rev. Matthew Clark of Ireland and Londonderry, N. H.” by John B. Threlfall, The American Genealogist, Volume 48 (1972), pages 21 – 26.

History of Londonderry, by Rev. Edward L. Parker


Click here for links to the sketches of all sixteen first Nutfield settlers: 
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/p/nutfields-first-16-settlers.html 

------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "CLARK – Descendants of Nutfield Minister Rev. Matthew Clark", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 9, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/02/clark-descendants-of-nutfield-minister.html: accessed [access date]).

MacGREGOR - Early Nutfield Settler

The tombstone of Rev. and Mrs. James McGregore
Forest Hill Cemetery, East Derry, New Hampshire

[Note:  I will be doing a series of genealogical sketches on the early Nutfield settlers in advance of the 300th anniversary of Founders Day, April 12 - 14, 2019 in Derry, New Hampshire.  If you have additional notes on the first few generations of this family, please comment below or send me an email at vrojomit@gmail.com, and I will edit this sketch.  These sketches will be used and distributed to the public and to descendants at the Founders Day activities.]

MacGregor – Descendants of Rev. James MacGregor of Nutfield

alternate spellings: MacGregor / McGregor / MacGregore / and possibly Greg / Gregg / 

The Reverend James MacGregor, born about 1677, was the pastor of the Aghadowey Presbyterian church in Northern Ireland.  He was the son of a military Captain, but his parents are unknown.  MacGregor often mentioned he was from Magilligan, but it is unknown if he was born there, or just grew up near there.  Rev. MacGregor would have been about age 12 during the Siege of Londonderry, and stories say that he was the young boy who fired the cannon that signaled the end of the siege.

 There is no record of James McGregor matriculating or graduating at the University of Glasgow, according to their archivist.  Since the name McGregor was outlawed in Scotland during the time he would have attended (1693 – 1784) he might have used an alias [A James Greg graduated in 1696].  

Rev. MacGregor was ordained at Aghadowey in 1701, and then brought his flock to New England in 1718, and founded Nutfield (Londonderry) in April 1719.  Because he brought members of his parish with him, he is often referred to as the "Moses of the Ulster Scots".   He married Marion Cargill, daughter of David Cargill, in Londonderry, Ireland on 29 March 1706. He died in Londonderry on 5 March 1729, and she died there on 1 January 1735/6.  They are buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery behind the First Parish Meetinghouse, the parish he founded in 1719. 

Children:

     1.       Robert

     2.       Daniel

     3.       David, born in Ireland on 6 November 1710, married Mary Boyd, and became a minister like his father.  He died 30 May 1777 at age 68.  Mary died 28 September 1793 at age 70.  Nine children – David, Robert (married Elizabeth Reid, daughter of General Georg Reid, settled in Goffstown), David (graduated Dartmouth, was a Captain in the Revolutionary War), James (married Margaret Holland, daughter of Colonel Stephen Holland), Elizabeth, Margaret (married James Rogers), Mary Anne (married James Hopkins), Jane (married Robert Hunter), Mary (married Robert Means of Amherst)

     4.       Jane

     5.       Alexander, had a daughter Susannah (1742 – 1817) who married Thomas Burnside. A grandson was Major-General Ambrose Everett Burnside of the Civil War.

     6.       Mary, married James Paul, daughter Mary married John Weir.

     7.       Elizabeth

     8.       Margaret

     9.       John

    10.   James

For more information:

“The Presbyterians of Magilligan Ancestral Guide 1600 – 1900”, by Stephen McCracken and Fiona Pegrum, 2019

Clan Gregor Society:  http://www.clangregor.com/  

MacGregor/ Gregor DNA Project at Family Tree DNA

https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/mac-gregor/about/background     

Aghadowey: A Parish and its Linen Industry, by Rev. T. H. Mullin, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1972

The History of Londonderry, by Rev. Edward Lutwyche Parker, 1851  


Click here for links to the sketches of all sixteen first Nutfield settlers: 
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/p/nutfields-first-16-settlers.html 


Also:
Thank you to Stephen McCracken of the Facebook page "1718 Society" for pointing me to some additional resources for the genealogy of Rev. James MacGregor. 

Window inside the
First Parish Meetinghouse
memorializing
Rev. James McGregor,
Marion Cargil,
Rev. David MacGregor,
and Mary Boyd.

------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "MacGREGOR - Early Nutfield Settler", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 25, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/macgregor-early-nutfield-settler.html: accessed [access date]). 

Aghadowey's Story of the 1718 Exodus from the Lower Bann Valley to New England

In June 2018 there was a commemoration remembering the Scots Irish migrants to the New World in Aghadowey, Northern Ireland at the local Presbyterian church .  This event was called "Sailing Off to New Beginnings: The story of the 1718 exodus from the Lower Bann Valley to New England".   This Anniversary service was attended by the local congregation and members of the Clan Montgomery who had traveled from the USA.  Over the next several nights there were three additional talks by historians about the Scots Irish migration.

In 1718 Reverend James McGreggor and members of his congregation at Aghadowey, plus other families from the Bann Valley, left Northern Ireland in five ships and landed in Boston, Massachusetts.  They spent the first winter in Maine, and then members of this group dispersed.  Some stayed in the Casco Bay region, some went to Massachusetts and became the Nutfield settlers, and others went on to Boston or Worcester.

A quote from Jennifer Cunningham of the Aghadowey Presbyterian Church:

"At the beginning of January I volunteered to help with preparing an event in June as I was aware that we were going to have American visitors and that it would be good to inform local people about the 1718 exodus and the events surrounding it and the reasons for it. I met with our then minister Dr. Kane and our clerk of Session William  I said that I would mount an exhibition in the Sunday School. We started with a special service on the Sunday with a guest preacher The Very Rev. Godfrey Brown and as well as local people and guests we were joined by a party of 18 Americans from the Clan Montgomery Society of America.  After the service everyone present went to the Sports Hall for a lunch provided by the ladies of the congregation.  Then during the week we had 3 evening talks. We held these in the church so that we had PowerPoint facilities and so that the service and talks could be recorded. We manned the exhibition during the month of June and then opened it after that on request right up to the end of August." 

Jennifer asked me if I would put these audio files of the four presentations up on my blog, and I'm honored to present them here.  Just click on the links and wait for the file to download.  When you see the audio player, just click on the arrow to play the audio file.   The Irish accented voices are just lovely and the information about the migration is priceless.

Enjoy these four audio file presentations via YouTube!


         1.) The Very Reverend Godfrey Brown's service: 

         2.)  Professor Linde Lunney:

         3.)  George Dallas: 

         4.) Allison McCaughan: 

Many thanks to Jennifer Cunningham for the photos and audio files included above.

---------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Aghadowey's Story of the 1718 Exodus from the Lower Bann Valley to New England", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 1, 2018,  ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/10/aghadoweys-story-of-1718-exodus-from.html: accessed [access date]).

April 12, 1719 ~ The First Sermon at Nutfield

Illustration of the first sermon in Nutfield from Willey’s Book of Nutfield

In 1718 Reverend James MacGregor left his church in Aghadowey, Northern Ireland with a large number of his parishioners.  They came to Boston, and eventually to Maine and then to Haverhill, Massachusetts.  In April 1719 a group of these Scots Irish men came to investigate an area north of Haverhill that was “abound with nut trees”.  They brought Rev. MacGregor and their families back with them to this land, which they called Nutfield.  On 12 April 1719, since there were no buildings, Rev. MacGregor gave his first sermon under a large oak tree on the banks of Beaver Lake in what is now East Derry, New Hampshire. This is considered the founding of Londonderry, New Hampshire, and the founding of the first Presbyterian church in New England.

Reverend MacGregor’s first sermon was based on the bible passage from Isaiah XXII 2 “And a man shalt be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

Happy 299^th Birthday, to Londonderry and Derry!

"This cairn marks the place where the first sermon in Nut-
field was delivered by Rev. James MacGregor, April 12,
1719.  Near by, Hannah Dustin spent her first night in cap-
tivity, March 15, 1697."
[This cairn no longer exists on the banks of Beaver Lake]

Click here for a list of the original sixteen families in Nutfield:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/original-nutfield-proprietors-april-11.html

Click this link for news about the big 300th anniversary celebration in 2019:
https://www.nutfieldhistory.org/nutfield300th 

--------------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “April 12, 1719 ~ The First Sermon at Nutfield”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 12, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/april-12-1719-first-sermon-at-nutfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Roadside Plaque You Have Probably Never Noticed in Pelham, New Hampshire

In 1718 a group of Scots Irish settlers from Aghadowey, Northern Ireland left with their minister, Rev. James MacGregor, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Boston, Massachusetts. They had permission to settle in Maine, but after spending a cold, hungry winter there, they looked for a new settlement.  In 1719 Rev. MacGregor accepted a temporary position as minister in Dracut, Massachusetts, west of Haverhill on the Merrimack River.  The settlers heard of a grant of land about eight miles north, and wanted to investigate it for their settlement.  Some of the men joined MacGregor and walked from Dracut north.

Along the way these men rested by these rocks for a short Sunday service with Rev. MacGregor.  This spot is known locally as Pulpit Rock.  It is on the east side of Route 38, just north of the Dracut, Massachusetts border, in what is now the town of Pelham, New Hampshire.  I imagine that these Scots Irish settlers must have followed roughly along the current road of Route 38 through the towns of Pelham and Windham up to Beaver Lake in East Derry, New Hampshire.  This is where they approved of the land, and brought their wives, children and families to what became known as Nutfield, and later known as Londonderry, New Hampshire.  On Sunday 23 April 1719 Rev. MacGregor gave another sermon to these families on the banks of Tsienneto or Beaver Lake, which is symbolically the founding date for Londonderry.

PULPIT ROCK

MARKS THE SITE

WHERE THE FIRST SERMON WAS PREACHED

IN WHAT IS NOW PELHAM N.H.

ON A SUNDAY IN APRIL 1719

BY

REV. JAMES McGREGOR

WHO WITH OTHER PIONEERS

ENROUTE FOR PERMANENT SETTLEMENT

STOPPED HERE TO KEEP THE SABBATH

ERECTED BY

PELHAM LADIES CLUB

1932

Caveat!

This is not a bucolic, scenic spot along the highway for tourists tracing their roots, or the routes of the Nutfield settlers.   This spot is located in a busy industrial retail area about one mile north of the border on Route 38, with no parking.  I had to pull over into the mud, between a pile of snow and the roadkill remains of a large raccoon.  Be careful, because there is a very steep ditch along the road.   Once you have found a place to park, be careful walking down the side of the ditch because there is loose soil and gravel and you can tumble down the grade.

At the bottom of the ditch I surprised a basking snake.  I wasn't prepared for this on April 2nd, between two snow storms and in the cold weather.  I actually prefer this time of the year for exploring landmarks, cemeteries and historical markers because it is usually between mud season and poison ivy/snakes/mosquitos.  Usually.

If the town of Pelham is expecting this marker to be an attraction in the wake of the 300th anniversary celebrations of Nutfield (neighboring towns of Windham, Londonderry and Derry), they might want to spiff up this historic marker a little bit this year.

For more information see:

Willey’s Book of Nutfield, by George Franklyn Willey, page 51

Fritz Weatherbee’s version of the story of Pulpit Rock, from WMUR TV’s “Chronicle”:

http://www.wmur.com/article/fritz-wetherbee-pulpit-rock-in-pelham/9636301 

“Our Scotch Irish Roots”, by Richard Holmes, at the Londonderry Online News website, posted July 2014:

http://www.londonderrynh.net/2014/07/our-scotch-irish-roots/74985

My follow up blog post about Pulpit Rock in Pelham, New Hampshire, April 26, 2018:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/more-about-pulpit-rock-in-pelham-new.html   

--------------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Roadside Plaque You Have Probably Never Noticed", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 6, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/a-roadside-plaque-you-have-probably.html: accessed [access date]).

Mini MacGregor Reunion in Derry, New Hampshire filmed by the BBC

Last week I posted about the BBC Northern Ireland's trip to Derry, New Hampshire to film the sites where Rev. MacGregor brought his flock from Aghadowey to Nutfield, New Hampshire. They filmed at the Derry History Museum, downtown, the MacGregor Public Library, the First Parish Church and at Settler's Row in the Forest Hill Cemetery.   They were also planning to find the spot by Beaver Lake where Rev. James MacGregor preached his first open air sermon upon founding the Nutfield settlement.

At the MacGregor Library the film crew filmed the "Derry Room" where historical manuscrips, genealogies and local history are stored. There is a fine old stained glass window that used to be in the MacGregor home at this location, before it was donated for a public library. Downstairs, in the meeting room, MacGregor descendants and descendants of other early Nutfield setters gathered to meet up with some MacGregor descendants from Northern Ireland. A fine time was had by everyone who attended.

MacGregor and Nutfield Settler descendants waiting to meet their Northern Ireland cousins

My neighbor, Ken Brewer, meets his Irish MacGregor cousins

Ainsley and Alan Laughlin from Northern Ireland met with their distant
cousins, and also local Derry residents like Phyllis Katsakiores, Derry's state
representative, and Rev. Dr. Deborah Roof of First Parish Congregational
Church in East Derry ( which was once Rev. MacGregor's parish church)

Recognize this image on the cake? 

Some links to the historic places in Derry, NH visited for BBC filming:

Derry History Museum:   http://www.derryhistorymuseum.org/

MacGregor Public Library:  http://derrypl.org/ 

First Parish Church:   https://fotmh.org/ 

Forest Hill Cemetery:  http://forest-hill-1721.webs.com/ 



------------------------------------

To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Mini MacGregor Reunion in Derry, New Hampshire filmed by the BBC", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 4, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/mini-macgregor-reunion-in-derry-new.html: accessed [access date])/

The BBC Northern Ireland Filming in Derry, New Hampshire This Weekend

BBC Presenter Gavin Andrews with two descendants of Rev. MacGregor
Alan Laughlin (left) and his son Ainsley (right) preparing their genealogy
journey to Nutfield to meet up with American cousins

On Saturday March 3 2018 at 12.30pm there will be a small gathering of Reverend James McGregor descendants, historians, enthusiasts and other early settler Nutfield families in the Function Room at Derry Public Library and we would love to see you there. 

The gathering is part of a three-part living history and genealogy series for BBC Northern Ireland where BBC presenter Gavin Andrews takes McGregor descendant Alan Laughlin and his son Ainsley from Ireland to ‘Nutfield’ to learn more about the McGregor legacy.  Alan will be very moved to meet you all, weather permitting. 

12.30pm - Function Room at Derry Public Library, 64 E Broadway, Derry NH 03038

1.00pm - The film crew, TV presenter and Alan and Ainsley (fellow descendants arrive) and a light lunch is served.

3.00pm - The film crew will be moving on to explore other locations however you are very welcome to stay at the library and enjoy the company.

-------------------------

The BBC Northern Ireland crew will be filming in Maine and New Hampshire for this three part television series where Irish descendants of Rev. MacGregor come to meet their American cousins in America.  Reverend James MacGregor left Aghadowey, Northern Ireland in 1718 with his Scots Irish flock and brought them to Puritan Boston, where they were not welcome as Presbyterians. They were sent to Casco Bay in Maine, where they spent a very cold, harsh winter.  In the spring some of the Scots Irish went up the Merrimack River to Haverhill, where they heard of a place to settle in New Hampshire.  They went to scout out this land and brought Rev. MacGregor and sixteen families to what was known as Nutfield in April 1719.  This grant of land eventually became known as Londonderry.  Over time, Londonderry was divided in to today's towns of Derry, Londonderry, and Windham, with parts of modern Manchester, Hudson (Nottingham West), and Chester, too.  

If you are a descendant of the MacGregors or one of the other early Nutfield settlers, please join us at this "Family Reunion" at the library in Derry, New Hampshire.

MacGregor Public Library, Derry, New Hampshire

--------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The BBC Northern Ireland Filming in Derry, New Hampshire This Weekend", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 28, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-bbc-northern-ireland-filming-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

The 300th Anniversary of the Scots Irish Diaspora

The next two years are going to be a very interesting time here in New England as we commemorate the Scots Irish diaspora.  Although a few Scots Irish migrated to Massachusetts, like my minister ancestors Rev. William Holmes and Rev. Thomas Craighead, who arrived in Boston in 1714 from Londonderry, Northern Ireland.  The organized mass migration began in 1718 when Rev. William Boyd obtained permission for a grant of land from Governor Shute of Massachusetts. That same year Rev. James McGregor brought a large portion of his flock from Aghadowey, to Boston.  These Ulster Presbyterian families spent a cold winter in Maine, where some remained, and some went on with McGregor to found the Nutfield settlement in New Hampshire in the spring of 1719, and others spread out in Massachusetts.

The 300^th anniversary of these events begins this year, and the kickoff event will be The Scots Irish Reunion at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine 14 – 16 August 2018.  It will be hosted by the St. Andrews Society of Maine and the Maine Ulster Scots Project.   This reunion will include:

-  Identifying the people who left Northern Ireland, their home villages, and their settlements in New England

-  Exploring the uniqueness of the diaspora and the folkways brought to America

-  Academic lectures, articles, conferences, archaeological reports, genealogy, and publications

-  Tours of points of interest: First Parish Church, cemeteries, archaeological sites

Next year celebrations will be held in Nutfield (Londonderry, Derry, Windham and Derryfield (part of Manchester), New Hampshire) with a kickoff  for the300^th anniversary of the 1719 sermon by Rev. McGregor on the shore of Beaver Lake in present day East Derry.  A heritage day will be held on 13 April at the Meetinghouse with historical presentations, artistans, and a musical performance.  There will be a special church service that weekend to conclude the weekend.

There will be also be commemorations in 2019 during Wndham’s June Strawberry Festival, Derry’s Fourth of July, and Londonderry’s August Old Home Day. 

Nutfield Genealogy will be celebrating, too!  I plan on switching my “Surname Saturdays” to cover the Scots Irish families who settled in Nutfield/Londonderry.  The first posts will be the first 16 families who arrived with Rev. James MacGregor in 1719, and then I will feature some of the other Scots Irish families.  Stay tuned to see if your ancestors are included, and stay tuned to learn more about the Nutfield commemorative events next year.

For more information:

Maine Ulster Scots Project:    www.MaineUlsterScots.com

                                                https://www.facebook.com/maineulsterscots/

St. Andrews Society of Maine   http://mainehighlandgames.org/

                                                   https://www.facebook.com/SASMaine/

The 1718 Migration    http://www.1718migration.org.uk

The 1718 Society at Facebook    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1485652625086099/

Nutfield History    http://www.nutfieldhistory.org/   

The following links will be updated soon:

Derry’s Fourth of July   https://www.derrynh.org/parks-recreation/events/75953 

Londonderry’s Old Home Day    http://oldhomedays.com/ 

Windham’s Strawberry Festival  http://www.flowwindham.org/strawberry-festival

--------------------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The 300th Anniversary of the Scots Irish Diaspora", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 19, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-300th-anniversary-of-scots-irish.html: accessed [access date]). 

An Update on The Meetinghouse at First Parish in Derry

This new 60 foot post was inserted
into the top of the First Parish church
tower by crane and lots of skill!

Lowering the post into position,
very carefully!

A skilled craftsman guiding
the new post into position

Exciting things have happened recently at the renovations of the Meetinghouse at First Parish in East Derry, New Hampshire.  Nearly 300 years ago Rev. James MacGregor brought his flock of Ulster Presbyterians from Northern Ireland to New England. After a cold welcome in Boston, and a rough winter in Maine, they found a home in Nutfield (now the towns of Londonderry, Derry and Windham) when they were granted land for settlement from Governor Shute of Massachusetts.  In April 1719 the first sixteen families arrived here, and on 11 April 1719 Rev. MacGregor gave his first sermon on the shore of Beaver Lake. 

This small congregation eventually built a small meetinghouse, and then second meetinghouse in 1769, which is the building still standing in East Derry. In 1822 this small meeting house was cut into two halves, and enlarged by adding a 24 foot section to the middle. A tower or steeple was added sometime later.  In 1845 a second floor was added, moving the church sanctuary upstairs, and town offices were placed downstairs.  In 1876 a bell and clock were added to the tower.  In 1884 stained glass windows were installed.

In recent years, the tower was repaired in the 1990s on the 275^th anniversary of the parish.  These renovations proved to be damaging to the structure, and in 2013 -2014 a structural analysis fund that the tower needed stabilization, the roof slate needed to be removed and replaced, and other safety repairs were needed for the whole structure.  It was decided that a major renovation was needed.  In 2016 the entire building was lifted and the steeple top removed. The building sills were repaired, and a new foundation was poured.  Last year the tower base was reinforced with new beams.  In 2018 it is hoped that the tower will be finished and the steeple top returned to it’s place above the tower.

Last week, Paul Lindemann, the media contact for the Friends of The Meetinghouse at First Parish, gave me a tour of the building.  Work was going on while we there, to finish repairs on the tower base and first floor of the meetinghouse. Paul is an expert on the history of the building, and has been following the project for many years. The first three photos above, of the 60 foot new beam going into the tower, are from Paul's collection of photos of the renovation process. 

Inside the tower base, where the long
60 foot beams were lowered from the top

At some point in the past, the original
entrance to the meetinghouse was blocked by
a staircase to the tower.  This door will be
re-opened as part of the renovations, and
the staircase moved to a new location.
The tower base will become a new entry.

It was originally hoped that the entire project would be finished for the 300^th anniversary of Nutfield in the year 2019.  However, many more renovation projects were discovered during the current rehabilitation of the building, which has caused a need for more fundraising for the project.   There is asbestos that needs to be removed or re-mediated.  Cracks to the plaster caused by lifting the building need repair.  The ceiling of the sanctuary needs renovation since it cracked and peeled while being unheated during the winter it was lifted.  The roof project has not been started yet.  Interior finishes such as new hallways, stairs, and an elevator to meet ADA codes have yet to be installed. All of this will take more time and money than originally planned. 

Rev. Dr. Deborah Roof holds a timber peg that will be used to hold together the post and beam construction
of the First Church renovations.  For a donation, you can sign this peg and your name will become
part of the permanent structure of the First Parish Meetinghouse!  See below for details. 

Hopefully the local community, Nutfield descendants, and history buffs will support the Friends of the Meetinghouse at First Parish in their project to complete their renovations in a timely manner for the 300^th anniversary in 2020.  It is expected that the project will move along enough for the bell to be rung on the anniversary of the first sermon on 11 April, and perhaps tours for the 300^th anniversary celebrations even if the sanctuary interior renovations are not complete.

The MacGregor stained glass window
commemorates the first minister
of the First Parish church in 1719

The sanctuary of the First Parish awaits necessary renovations
before it can be used for worship services

When the first floor was built in 1769
pew boxes were installed in the hardwood floor.
You can see where those pew boxes used to exist.
The first floor will be renovated for community
use, which harkens back to the days when it
was used as the town hall or meetinghouse. 

Paul Lindemann, my tour guide, shows the rail from the rotting steeple,
and a piece of wainscotting from the first floor meeting room.
The window behind him used to serve as the East Derry post office.

Paul explained to me how this first floor area used to be the town hall,
and will become community space again after the renovations.

Important links:

Friends of the Meetinghouse at First Parish 501(c ) (3) :  https://fotmh.org/ 

              Timber Peg Donations:   https://fotmh.org/timber-peg-donations/   

Paul Lindemann’s blog  “Nutfield History”   http://www.nutfieldhistory.org/  

                Paul’s recent detailed blog post on the tower rehab project:

              http://www.nutfieldhistory.org/blog/tower-base-rehab-start/8/17/2017

My previous blog posts about the renovation process at First Parish:

Sept. 17, 2015

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/steeple-renovations-for-first-parish.html

May 13, 2016 https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/first-church-of-derry-about-to-be.html

Feb. 7, 2017  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/derrys-first-parish-meetinghouse.html

Thank you to Paul Lindemann for the excellent tour of the meetinghouse, and for the first three photos at the top of this blog post (of the new beam being installed into the meetinghouse tower).

----------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “An Update on The Meetinghouse at First Parish in Derry”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 12, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/an-update-on-meetinghouse-at-first.html: accessed [access date]). 

Derry’s First Parish Meetinghouse Rehabilitation Project

First Parish Meetinghouse under restoration
as seen from Forest Hill Cemetery

There have been several developments in the rehabilitation of the meetinghouse over the last few months.  Last summer I posted a blog post about the main structure, which was raised up for a replacement  foundation, sills, and structural work.   This work was completed, and the building was successfully set down on the new foundation walls.  A new connecting building has been constructed between the historic meetinghouse and the Noyes building, where the congregation has been gathering for worship whilst this project continues.  The new connector will eventually have a large elevator, staircase and a new entry lobby, which will make the entire building handicapped accessible at all levels.

The new connecting addition between the
main Meetinghouse and the Noyes building

In December 2016 the parish community received a $59,000 LCHIP grant for the meetinghouse roof.  The New Hampshire LCHIP’s (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program) is a matching grant program to preserve cultural and historic resources.    This roof work will be completed this summer, replacing the damaged 1880s slate roof tiles as needed, strengthen the roof structure, and other repairs.  Back in 2015 this project received its first LCHIP award of $125,000 to start the project.

The LCHIP grant will help restore the slate roof

The 300^th anniversary of the founding of Nutfield  by Rev. James MacGregor and his congregation from  Aghadowey, Northern Ireland will be 2019.  In less than two years the rehabilitation of the First Parish meetinghouse needs to be completed.  According to Paul Lindemann, a church member and a member of the rehabilitation committee, there is a lot of work left to do.  Besides the roof work, the steeple needs to be brought back and replaced above the tower.  The connecting structure needs to be completed. Then the interior refurbishment will begin.  It would be nice if the bell in the steeple could ring in the celebrations for the 300^th anniversary.

First Parish will be launching a fundraising campaign for the completion of the meetinghouse rehabilitation.  This building is a historic part of Derry, and a symbol of Nutfield.  The first sermon by Rev. MacGregor was preached nearby.  The first framed building was the meetinghouse which was built on the lawn of the current building, which was constructed in 1769.  It has served as the meetinghouse, town hall, church and community center for the town for almost 300 years.  The First Parish meeting house was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1982.

Many genealogy tours, historic activities, Nutfield Anniversary and early colonial family reunions are being planned for 2019, and the First Parish Meetinghouse will be at the center of these activities .  Stay tuned to this blog for more information, and check the progress of the rehabilitation at the websites listed below.

  

For the truly curious:

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Steeple renovations for the First Parish Church, East Derry, New Hampshire”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 17, 2015, https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/steeple-renovations-for-first-parish.html

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “First Parish Church of Derry, about to be raised for foundation repairs”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 13, 2016,   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/05/first-church-of-derry-about-to-be.html

First Parish Congregational Church  http://fpc-ucc.org/  

Photos and Video of the Rehabilitation project

http://fpc-ucc.org/the-rehabilitation-project/

The Nutfield History website   http://www.nutfieldhistory.org/  

LCHIP website   http://www.lchip.org/    

-----------------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Derry’s First Parish Meetinghouse Rehabilitation Project", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 7, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/derrys-first-parish-meetinghouse.html: accessed [access date]).