A Visit to Saratoga National Historical Park

 

The Visitor Center for Saratoga National Historic Park

Last month we wandered over to New York state to visit Fort Ticonderoga and the Saratoga National Historic Park.  I had ancestors fight in both locations in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars.  In preparation of the trip I had already researched these ancestors, and I had placed queries with the historians at both parks.  See below for how to contact the historican at Saratoga.

During the American Revolution, in 1777, the British forces tried to separate New England from the southern colonies with a series of attacks in the Champlain and Hudson River Valleys. British, Canadian and German armies met up with the American forces at Saratoga.  There were two important battles here and a three day seige.  Finally British General John Burgoyne was forced to surrender.  It was a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War, and it was the first ever surrender of the British Army.  The Battles of Saratoga changed the world forever. 

You can begin your visit at the Visitor Center, where I met up with the historian who I had communicated with earlier about my ancestors.  One fought on the American side, and the other was a Hessian soldier (a doctor and surgeon)  the British side. He recommended we take the park map, which led to a ten mile driving audio tour you can follow with an app.  We also watched an orientation film at the Visitor Center, and toured the museum.  

The email I received from the Saratoga National Historical Park Ranger and Military Historian:  "Your ancestor was the Compagnie Feldscher - Company Surgeon - of Captain Julius von Poellnitz's company of the Braunschweig Infantry Regiment von Riedesel. As you say, he served in Burgoyne army in the Northern Campaign of 1777. Given the regiment he served in, he probably cared for the wounded in the aftermath of the Battle of Hubbardton (fought July 7, 1777) and the Battle of Freeman's Farm (fought September 19, 1777)."  Of course, sitting with him and watching him mark up my park map with all the places where my Hessian soldier was quartered, was injured, and where he served in the British hospital and prisoner of war camp was a highlight of the trip.  If your ancestors or relatives were at Saratoga, it is well worth the trip! 

The audio tour can take up to three or four or more hours, especially if you get out at every stop, walk the trails, take photos, and read all the signage and monuments.  There are ten stops on the audio tour inside the National Park. The tour leaves the park and ends a few miles north at Schuylerville, where the surrender site and the Saratoga Monument are located near Victory Woods.  The park is dog friendly, there are picnic sites and restrooms along the way, and also horse and bike trails. There is also a Wilkinson National Recreation Trail through parts of the battlefields and other natural areas. 

A display about the Hessian soldiers who fought at the Battles of Saratoga

Each stop on the audio tour had a three dimensional map and information

The Neilson House, headquarters for Benedict Arnold and Enoch Poor's brigade

A monument to the unknown soldiers at Saratoga Battlefield

A monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Polish officer and military architect at Saratoga 

The famous "Boot Monument" 

Benedict Arnold is not named on this monument at all

Erected 1887 by

JOHN WATTS de PEYSTER

Bev: Maj. Gen: SNY

2nd V. Pres't Saratoga Mon't Ass't'n

In memory of 

the "most brilliant soldier" of the 

Continental Army

who was desperately wounded

on this spot by the sally port of

BURGOYNES GREAT (WESTERN) REDOUBT

7th October 1777

winning for his countrymen

the decisive battle of the American Revolution

and for himself the rank of

Major General

A view of the Hudson River Valley from Bemis Heights, Saratoga National Historical Park

We enjoyed our stay in Saratoga and also saw the Saratoga Spa State Park and toured the Automobile museum.  We ate dinner at the lovely Old Bryan Inn, built in 1773 and probably hosted some of the characters that made the nearby battles so famous.  There are also the historic Saratoga Springs Racetrack and the nearby mineral springs and spas to visit.  

Inside the Old Bryan Inn

For the truly curious:

The official Saratoga National Historical Park website:   https://www.nps.gov/sara/index.htm  

Queries to the historian at Saratoga NHP:  https://www.nps.gov/sara/contacts.htm    

Johann Daniel Bollman, my Hessian ancestor: 

The Boot Monument (Benedict Arnold) at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_Monument

The Olde Bryan Inn:  https://www.oldebryaninn.com/   

Saratoga Spa State Park:    https://parks.ny.gov/visit/state-parks/saratoga-spa-state-park   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo "A Visit to Saratoga National Historic Park", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 22, 2016, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-visit-to-saratoga-national-historical.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Visit to Fort Ticonderoga

 

Last month we drove over to Fort Ticonderoga, taking the ferry from Vermont.  I had contacted the museum archives about an ancestor who had served there during the French and Indian War, and I received a prompt reply only a few hours later.  We decided to go see this fort, which had seen action in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War, as well as several other conflicts.  

Fort Ticonderoga was built by the French between 1755 and 1757.  It looks very similar to fortifications seen in Quebec City and Louisburg, Nova Scotia.  It was an important military location for conflicts between England and France, and later between England the the American colonies. It is located between Lake Champlain and Lake George, on a trade route in the Hudson Valley.  During the Revolutionary War it was a strategic location in the British attempt to cut off New England from the southern colonies during their Northern Campaign. 

If you had ancestors who fought here during any conflict, the museum at Fort Ticonderoga has an extensive archive. This year they launched a searchable data base online for researchers. There is also an extensive data base of Ticonderoga material online at the American Ancestors (New England Historic Genealogical Society) website.  See below for more information and links. 

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War and the birthday of the United States, Fort Ticonderoga is hosting many events for the public.  See their website for more information (the link is listed below).  

The ferry from Larrabee's Point, Vermont to Ticonderoga, New York

For the truly curious:

Fort Ticonderoga:   https://fortticonderoga.org/  

The Fort Ticonderoga Soldiers Project (genealogy):   https://fortticonderoga.org/learn-and-explore/collections/genealogy/   

For inquiries to the archives:   archives@fort-ticonderoga.org   

New England Historic Genealogical Society (American Ancestors) has a searchable data base for men who were engaged in military events at For Ticonderoga.  A membership is required.    https://dbnews.americanancestors.org/2026/06/17/new-database-new-york-fort-ticonderoga/   

A previous 2011 blog post about Fort Ticonderoga:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/fort-ticonderoga.html  

A blog post on the tombstone of Hannah Choate Burnham, buried in Dunbarton, New Hampshire, the widow of my great uncle many generations removed, who was killed at Ticonderoga in 1758.   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/07/hannah-choate-burnham-died-1805.html  

A blog post about a father and son killed at Ticonderoga, buried at Goffstown, New Hampshire:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/tombstone-tuesday-scots-irish-settler.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Visit to Fort Ticonderoga", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 8, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-visit-to-fort-ticonderoga.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Loyalist Ancestors - The Hessian soldier, Dr. Johann Daniel Bollman of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

An exhibit on the German soldiers

Saratoga National Historical Park visitor center

photographed 16 August 2026

This is the first blog post I've written this year about a Loyalist ancestor, for the 250th anniversary of the United States.  Dr. Johann Daniel Bollman was born at Hammersleben, Magdeburg, about 1751 and came to North America with Baron de Riedesel's Brunswick Regiment in 1776.  Magdeburg is on the Elbe river in Germany, in Saxony-Anhalt.  He was my fourth great grandfather, and would have been about 25 years old in 1776.

In January 1776 King George of England contracted with the Duke of Brunswick to send troops to America. These soldiers left Brunswick in February under the newly promoted Major General Friedrich Adolph Riedesel. Sixteen ships traveled across the North Atlantic in six weeks, reaching Quebec City in June.  The Baron de Riedesel's wife and children followed, and arrived in July. They were part of a British plan under General Burgoyne to cut off New England from the other southern colonies. The first big battle of this campaign was at Bennington, Vermont, in August, and was soon followed by the battles at Saratoga, New York in October. The British forces lost both battles, and surrendered at Saratoga on 17 October 1777.  The defeated army was marched to Cambridge (outside of Boston, Massachusetts), including the de Riedesel family and all the captured prisoners of war - German and English.

Johann Daniel Bollman was the compagnie feldscher (company surgeon) under Captain Julius Poellnitz's company of the Braunschweig Infantry Regiment under Major General Von Riedesel.  This was all under Burgoyne's army in the Northern Campaign of 1777.  He was part of the Battles of Saratoga, including the Battle of Freeman's Farm fought on 19 September 1777. 

Dr. Johann Bollman was taken prisoner at Saratoga when he was wounded. As a prisoner he aided wounded British soldiers, and was part of the field hospital set up along banks of the Hudson River below the battlefields.  He was part of the march to Cambridge, and was included in the prisoner exchange when some British troops were sent to Halifax.  Most of the other prisoners, known as the Convention Army, were marched south to Virginia.  Under the terms of the "Convention of Saratoga" it was agreed by truce that the troops would be sent back to Europe and not fight again in the conflict. It is estimated that about 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers were captured at Saratoga (British, German, Canadian and other loyalists).  In Cambridge about 1,300 escaped. Another 600 men escaped during the march to Charlottesville, Virginia later in 1779. They were held there for about four years. 

We know that Dr. Bollman must have been part of the earlier prisoner exchange to Halifax prior to 1779, since he petitioned for compensation for providing medical services in Nova Scotia for the period of 25 November 1779 to 10 March 1780.  He married, Jane Bremner, the widow of German settler Philip Augustus Knaut, in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on 14 February 1782.  

The Baron Von Riedesel's wife, Frederika Charlotte, kept a journal of her experiences in America. Her writing includes witnessing the Battle of Freeman's Farm on 19 September 1777 in Saratoga.  She describes the battle, and caring for the wounded in the aftermath.  She witnessed the surrender at Schuylerville on 17 October, and traveled with the defeated army to Boston with her children.  She and her family, including the children, were prisoners for four years as part of the Convention Army.  Her letters and journal were pubished in a book in 1800.  Although she never names Dr. Bollman, he must have worked with the Baroness, and seen the same horrific wounds and sights.  It is a valuable book for understanding the battle and the prisoners of war. 

Later in Nova Scotia, Dr. Bollman became active in politics and served as a member of the House of Assembly representing Lunenburg Township from 1793 to 1809.  He was appointed one of the first Health Officers in Nova Scotia on 14 May 1799.  In the Nova Scotia Archives there is another petition of John Bolman to the House of Assembly requesting reimbursement for vaccinating Mi'kmaq in Mahone Bay for small pox in 1817. 

Dr. Bollman also appeared before the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 1793.  He was running for office agains Lewis Morris Wilkins. After Dr. Bollman's election was announced, Wilkins and some followers trashed Dr. Bollman's house and apothecary shop in Lunenburg. They destroyed 150 window panes as well as doors and furniture. In the medicine shop over 100 bottles were destroyed. Bollman's lawyer wrote "His said dwelling house was rendered uninhabitable, his family and himself obliged to fly from the same and his business and trade as a Druggist and Apothecary was totaly prevented, stopeped and put to an end so that the said John Bolman being obliged to ship up his said shop the windows thereof and the Drugs and Medicines as aforesaid and divers other wrongs and outrages then and there committed against the peace of our Lord." According to Dr. Bollman, Wilkins called him "that Hessian Bugger".  (see the book Surgeons, Smallpox and the Poor below) 

Johann Daniel Bollman and his wife, Jane, had eleven children born in Lunenburg:

1. Jane, born 1 Jan 1764, married John Pernette

2. John, born 1785, died 16 May 1811 at the Battle of Albuera in Spain

3. Henry, born 1 August 1787, married to Mary (Unknown)

4. Mary, born 25 Noember 1788, died 9 February 1865 in New Dublin, Nova Scotia (unmarried?)

5. Ann, born 22 December 1790, died 21 March 1872 (unmarried?) 

6. Robert, born 1 April 1793, died 8 August 1817 drowned at sea

7. James Bethel, born 26 May 1795, died before 1833

8. Caroline, born 16 May 1797, married Roger Aitkan

9. Edward Bremner, born 23 October 1799, married Sarah Creighton

10. Bremner Frederick (my 3rd great grandfather), born 25 February 1802, married Sarah Elizabeth Lennox and had three children. I descend from from their daughter, Ann Margaret Bollman (1835 - 1923) who married Professor Caleb Rand Bill of Nictaux, Cornwallis, Nova Scotia and they removed to Salem, Massachusetts (my great, great grandparents). 

11. Charles Morris, born 23 December 1805, married Clara Collins

In the records of the Anglican church in Lunenburg you can find the deaths of Johann Bollman and his wife.  He died on 17 September 1833 and she preceded him on 6 March 1829.  There doesn't seem to be a tombstone for either one of them in the local cemeteries. He served as a doctor in Lunenburg for 54 years. 

For the truly curious:

"Surname Saturday ~ BOLLMAN, my Hessian Ancestor", posted 1 March 2014:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/surname-saturday-bollman-my-hessian.html    

"The Hessian soldier who stayed in the New World", posted 19 November 2009:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/11/other-mayflowers-part-4.html   

Frederika Charlotte Riedesel,  Letters and Journals relating to the War of the American Revolution, and the Capture of the German Troops at Saratoga, by Mrs. General Riedesel. Translated by  William L. Stone, published at Albany 1867.  Available to read and download at Google Books online. 

The Hessians of Nova Scotia, 1994, compiled by Johannes Helmut Merz.  

The Diary of Adolphus Gaetz, 1965, University of Michigan, see page 111 for references to Dr. Johann Bollman. 

Surgeons, Smallpox, and the Poor: A History of Medicine and Social Conditions in Nova Scotia, 1749-1799,  By Allan Everett Marble, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pages 160- 161 for references to Dr. Johann Daniel Bollman. 

A Directory of the Members of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, 1758 - 1958, Public Archives of Nova Scotia, 1958. 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Loyalist Ancestors - The Hessian soldier, Dr. Johann Daniel Bollman of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 1, 2016, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/09/my-loyalist-ancestors-hessian-soldier.html: accessed [access date]). 

The New Baltimore Welcome Center for Weathervane Wednesday

This weathervane was photographed at a rest area on the New York Thru Way

In September we traveled down south to see the Shenendoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.  On the way home we traveled through New York state on the Thruway and the Berkshire Connector.  The NYSTA (New York State Thruway Authority) calls the rest areas here "travel plazas".   There are 27 travel plazas.  A redesign project was started in 2021, and it is expected to be completed in 2025.  This weathervane was spotted at the service plaza in New Baltimore, and it is called "The Capital Region Welcome Center.  There is an identical weathervane on the roof of the Whitney Point service center and at the Long Island Welcome center.  

This weathervane features a silhouette of New York state.  You can see the weathervane on the apex of the roof as you enter the building.  The silhouette includes the outline of the entire state including Long Island.  If this weathervane exists at other service plazas or Welcome Centers, please let me know!  

For the truly curious:

Click here to see over 525 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, "The New Baltimore Welcome Center for Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 20, 2024, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-new-baltimore-welcome-center-for.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ An unusual Animal!

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.  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 New York State.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #379?  Scroll down to find the answer.

No, this is not an elephant!  You are looking at a mastodon weathervane photographed at the LePage Market in Cohoes, New York by reader Schalene Jenning Dagutis.  According to Schalene "The animal is the Cohoes Mastadon, which was found when blasting to build the Harmony Mill.  The mastadon fossils are at the New York State Museum in Albany." 

The fossil mastodon was excavated in 1866.  Mastodons became extinct over 10,000 years ago.    The Cohoes Mastodon was probably about 8 1/2 feet at the shoulder when it was alive, and lived about 13,000 years ago.  This is the same time period when humans first settled this part of North America. The mastodon fossil has been on exhibit at different locations for 150 years, but in 1998 it was moved to the New York State Museum.  A replica with fur is displayed at the Cohoes public library.

For the truly curious:

From the New York State Museum:

http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/paleontology/vertebrate-paleontology/collections/cohoes-mastodon

LePage's Market

342 North Mohawk Street

Cohoes, New York

https://www.lepagesmarket.org/  

Schalene Jennings Dagutis's genealogy blog:

http://tangledrootsandtrees.blogspot.com/   

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  An unusual Animal!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 5, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/09/weathervane-wednesday-unusual-animal.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ HARKER of Lynn, Massachusetts and Southampton, New York

Not much is known about William Harker of Lynn, Massachusetts, my 9^th great grandfather.  It is interesting to note that although he had an unusual surname, there was another Harker family nearby in Boston.  An Anthony Harker arrived in Boston in 1633 on board The Griffin, and was employed by Thomas Leverett, one of the Puritan church elders under Rev. John Cotton. I don’t know if these two Harker families were kin.

We know that William Harker was a young man living in Lynn before about 1640.  In 1640 a group of men from Lynn formed a plantation on Long Island, New York and signed an agreement with the Shinnecock Indians.  By 1643 there were 43 families living there, and Southampton became the first English colony in New York state.  The “Indian Deed of December 13, 1640 was signed by thirteen men from Lynn: John Gosmer, Edward Howell, Danial How, Edward Needham, Thomas Halsey, John Cooper, Thomas Sayre, Edward Harington, Job Sayre, George Welbe, Allen Bread, William Harker, and Henry Walton; and also signed by nine Indians: Pomatuck, Mandusk, Mocomanto, Pathemanto, Wylennett, Wainmenowog, Heden, Watemexoted, and Chchepuchat.  Later, in Southampton, William Harker deposed that he was 24 years old and from “Gincenshire” (Lincolnshire?). 

But William Harker didn’t stay in Long Island.  He came back to Lynn, where he married a woman named Elizabeth and had at least one child, named Sarah.  According to the Salem Quarterly Court Records on 26: 4: 1650 (Old Style) William Harker was freed from militia training due to “bodily infirmity”.   He died about 1661 in Lynn, and his will bequeathed his estate to Robert and Sarah Ingalls, my 8^th great grandparents.

Robert Ingalls (about 1621 – 1698) was a farmer in Lynn, the son of immigrants Edmund Ingalls and Ann Tripp.  He made a deed 1 January 1685/6 that gave his estate to his sons, including the farms and lands inherited from his father-in-law William Harker.  His deed stated “freely granted to my 3 sons, to be possessed and enjoyed in equal parts and shares between them in Lynn or elsewhere: viz:  my dwelling house and out houses with all my lands given to me by my father-in-law William Harker, which was for that good end that it should be continued unto my children…”  One of those sons, Nathaniel Ingalls (about 1660 – 1736), was my 8^th great grandfather. 

Some HARKER resources:

Sketches from Local History, by William Donaldson Halsey, 1935 (history of Long Island, see page 9 for mention of William Harker)

The Early History of Southampton, L.I., New York with Genealogies, by George Rogers Howell, 1887 (see pages 18, 428, 450)

The Ingalls Genealogy, by Dr. Charles Burleigh, 1903

The Essex Genealogist, "Edmund Ingalls and his Descendants of Lynn (Part One)" by Marcia W. Lindbert, C. G., Volume 19, pages 43- 48.

My HARKER genealogy:

Generation 1: William Harker, died 1661 in Lynn, Massachusetts; married Elizabeth Unknown.  One known child.

Generation 2:  Sarah Harker, born about 1625, died 8 April 1696; married about 1646 to Robert Ingalls.  He was born about 1621 in Skirbeck, Lincolnshire, England and died 3 Janary 1698 in Lynn.  Eight children.

Generation 3:  Nathaniel Ingalls, born about 1660 in Lynn, died about 1736; married Anne Collins. Ten children.

Generation 4:  Hannah Ingalls, born about 1708, died before 15 April 1798; married on 30 March 1735 in Lynn to Daniel Hitchings, son of Daniel Hitchings and Susannah Townsend.  He was born 19 October 1709 in Lynn and died 25 April 1760 in Lynn.  Twelve children.

Generation 5:  Abijah Hitchings, born 18 January 1753 in Lynn, died 27 March 1826 in Salem, Massachusetts; married first on 24 June 1775 in Lynn to Mary Gardner, mother of four children.  She was the daughter of Benjamin Gardner and Sarah Randall.  He married second to Sarah Gardner (probably her sister) before 1792, mother of two more children.

Generation 6:  Abijah Hitchings, son of Abijah Hitchings and Mary Gardner, born about 1775 in Lynn, died 26 July 1868 in Salem; married on 21 December 1795 in Salem to Mary Cloutman, daughter of Joseph Cloutman and Hannah Becket.  She was born about 1775 in Salem and died 28 November 1853 in Salem.  Eleven children.

Generation 7:  Abijah Hitchings, born 18 January 1809 in Salem, died 18 January 1864 in Salem; married on 4 December 1836 to Eliza Ann Treadwell, daughter of Jabez Treadwell and Betsey Jillings Homan.  She was born 27 August 1812 in Salem, and died 31 January 1896 in Salem.  Four children.

Generation 8: Abijah Franklin Hitchings, born 28 October 1841 in Salem, died 19 May 1910 in Salem; married on 22 September 1864 in Salem to Hannah Eliza Lewis, daughter of Captain Thomas Russell Lewis and Hannah Phelps.  She was born about 1844 probably in Salem, and died 15 February 1921 at the Danvers State Hospital, Danvers, Massachusetts.  Two children.

Generation 9:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings, born 10 May 1868 in Salem, died 7 March 1937 in Hamilton, Massachusetts; married on 25 December 1890 in Beverly to Florence Etta Hoogerzeil, daughter of Peter Hoogerzeil and Mary Etta Healey.  She was born 20 August 1871 in Beverly, and died 10 February 1941 in Hamilton.  Eight children.

Generation 10:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings, born 1 August 1905 in Beverly, died 3 November 2001 in Peabody, Massachusetts; married on 14 February 1925 in Hamilton to Stanley Elmer Allen, son of Joseph Elmer Allen and Carrie Maude Batchelder.  He was born 14 January 1904 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and died 6 March 1982 in Beverly.  Seven children.  My grandparents.

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ HARKER of Lynn, Massachusetts and Southampton, New York", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 25, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/surname-saturday-harker-of-lynn.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ In Upstate New York

Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I started out by publishing only weather vanes from the Londonderry area, but now I've been finding interesting weather vanes from all over New England.  Sometimes these weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are very unique.  Often, my readers tip me off to some very special and unusual weather vanes.

Today's weather vane was sent to me by a reader, from somewhere in the state of New York.

Do you know the location of weather vane #264?  Scroll down to see the answer...

Fellow genealogy blogger Sara Campbell, of the blog "Remembering Those Who Came Before Us", sent in this great photograph of the quill weathervane atop the New York State Historical Association research library in Cooperstown, New York.  Apparently, the quill pen is the symbol of this organization.  

I have only seen quill pen weathervanes above school houses.  For example, HERE above the building in East Derry, New Hampshire that was the Adams Female Seminary.   It is a very rare weathervane, and presented here with some very fancy wrought iron work.  

The New York State Historical Association research library includes collections from all over New York State with a special emphasis on Otsego County and nearby counties. The card catalog and finding aids are available online at the website below.  Some items have been digitized and are now viewable online.  

For the truly curious:

The New York State Historical Association website  http://www.nysha.org/  

  (Sara Campbell pointed out that the symbol at the top of the home page is a quill!) 

Adams Female Seminary in East Derry, New Hampshire:   http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/11/weathervane-wednesday-very-historical.html   

Sara Campbell, Remembering Those Who Came Before Us  http://rememberingancestors.blogspot.com/

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~Weathervane Wednesday ~ In Upstate New York", Nutfield Genealogy, posted JUne 8, 2016 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/06/weathervane-wednesday-in-upstate-new.html : accessed [access date]).

The Gold Star Mothers Memorial, Plattsburgh, New York- Honor Roll Project Transcription by N. Smith

The Gold Star Mother's Memorial in Trinity Park, Plattsburgh, New York- photographed and transcribed by reader N. Smith as part of the Honor Roll Project.  This monument covers World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.

West side of the monument:

ERECTED BY THE CLINTON COUNTY

DONALD  ADAMS

FREDERICK L. AGONEY

RICHARD J. ALEXANDER

RUSSEL ALGER

LANDIS H. ANDERSON

CHARLES ANO

OSCAR ARCHAMBAULT

JOSEPH ARRIN

JOHN D. ATWOOD

JOHN BAGDONAS

ELWIN BAILEY

FRANK BAILEY

LEONARD W. BAKER

HERMAN BAKER

WILSON BAKER

EARL BALDWIN

IRA H. BARBEL

CLARENCE BARBER

ARTHUR C. BARRETTE

EDWARD BATES

QUENTON K. BEGORE

WILFRED BERTARD

LESLIE H. BLAIR

ELWIN BLANEY

ROBERT BLANEY

PAUL P. BLONDO

RICHARD J. BLOW

HENRY F. BODAH

EUGENE H. BOMBARDIER

KERMIT  BOND

WILLIAM E. BOSLEY

THORNTON BOSWORTH

DONALD J. BOUREY

LAWRENCE BOUVIA

HARRY BOWES

ROMEO BOYER

JASPER BRADY

WILFRED BRESSETTE

BENJAMIN B. BROMBLEY

LEON BROOKS

KENNETH O. BROTHERS

RALPH BROTHERS

BERALD BURL

GEORGE BUSKEY

WILLIAM BUTLER

MICHAEL CALLAHAN

ROBERT CAMP

BENJAMIN CARDIN

WESLEY J. CHAMPAGNE

BURTON N. CHASE

RUSSELL CHILDS

JOHN M. CHURCH

THOMAS R. CHURCH

GEORGE H. CLUKEY

THOMAS R. COLLINS

JOHN CONLEY

ROBERT CONNERS

PATRICK CONWAY

THOMAS COUGHLIN

FLOYD DAIGNAULT

HAROLD DAIGNAULT

PAUL DANA

WINSTON DANDREW

RALPH A. DAVIS

RALPH DAVISON

RENNIE  DECOSTE

MILLARD DELONG

ROBERT DELONG

CLIFFORD DELORIA

South side of the monument

GOLD   STAR   MOTHERS   IN   MEMORY   OF

JOHN DESO

WINSLOW DICKSON

ERNEST DILLON

MANUEL DINELLE

GEORGE DOBBS

ROBERTDOWNER

HOMER F. DROLETTE

JOSEPH DUBEY

RICHARD DUBUQUE

THOMAS DUBUQUE

HARRY DUDLEY

ROBERT W. DUESBERG

FREDERICK FUFFIANO

PATRICK DUFFINA

ALFRED DUPEE

KENNETH DUPREY

LAWRENCE DUPREY

RAYMOND DUROCHER

KENNETH DUSTIN

JOHN DYER

CHARLES EGAN

PAUL EGAN

THOMAS E. EGAN

CLARENCE L. FAVREAU

DONALD FISHER

WALTON R. FLETCHER

EDWARD FORDHAM

AMOS E. FOSHER

WILLIAM FOSTER

CHARLES FOUNTAIN

KENNETH F. FOUNTAIN

ORVAL H. FOUNTAIN

ALLEN FOURNIER

HENRY FREEBERN

ORIL FREYNEA

HUGH FYANS

JOSEPH GAGNON

CHARLES F. GARDEPHE

DORSEY L. GARROW

RAYMOND GARROW

ROBERT D. GEROUX

RICHARD G. GIRARD

HAROLD GODDEAU

HAROLD J. GONYA

PAUL GRUBE

ALVIN GUMLAW

FREDERICK GUYETTE

JAMES M. HALEY

JAMES M. HANEY

JOHN HANLEY

WILFRED R. HAUSLER

NORMAN HAYES

REUBEN HASSELTINE

GEORGE HICKS

ORVILLE HOBLIN

GERALD HOUGH

HARRY HOUSE

JOHN HOUSE

CLINTON HUNTLEY

STONEWALL JACKSON

SYLVESTER JOHNSON

FRED KEARNS

RALPH M. KELLOGG

HUGH L. KELLY

FRANK B. KEYSOR

ALFRED L. KING

FRANCIS M. LABARGE

JOHN W. LABOMBARD

East side of the monument:

THEIR   SONS   WHO   MADE   THE   SUPREME

JAIME LADUC

LEON LADUKE

ARTHUR LAFONTAINE

EDWARD LAFONTAINE

JOSEPH LANDRY

LORNE J. LAPAN

EARL LAPIER

RAYMOND L. LAPOINT

NORMAN LAPOINTE

BERNARD J. LASHWAY

ALBERT LATOUR

ARTHUR LATOUR

MERRITT E. LAVENTURE

JERRY LEDWITH

EDWARD LEMIEUX

GEORGE LEON

FRANCIS LING

HYMAN LITZKY

DAVID LOESER

GEORGE LOMBARD

WALTER LURIA

JOSEPH LUSSIER

JAMES LYONS

ELMER MARTIN

CLIFFORD MAYO

HENRY C. MAYO

JOHN MCANDREW

THOMAS MCCLUSKEY

WILLIAM MEHL

HARRY L. MERRIHEW

ADOLPH MESIC

BYRON MILLER

HERMAN MITCHELL

HAROLD MONTY

MARSHALL MOORE

PETER MORGAN

RALPH MORGAN

MICHAEL MORGOL

CARLTON MORROW

ERECTED AD
1950

KENNETH MORROW

GEORGE A. MOULTON

N. DOUGLAS MUNSON

DONALD MYERS

MEDOS NELSON

JOHN O’BRIEN

JACK O’CONNOR

WILLIAM O’MEARA

ANDREW OPPMANN

FRANK PARENT

ROBERT E. PARKER

HERBERT PARKS

CLIFFORD S. PARROTT

JULES V. PARROTT

RALPH PASSINO

CLARENCE R. PATNODE

HERBERT PAYNE

NORMAN PEETS

WILLIAM PERKETTE

ROBERT G. PERRY

ROBERT PERYEA

North side of the monument:

SACRIFICE   IN   WORLD   WARS   I   AND   II

ANTHONY PETRO

AMOS PLANTE

CLIFFORD POISSANT

EDWARD POTTER

RICHARD J. PRAIRIE

ROBERT PROVOST

WILLIAM PURYEA

ALFRED F. RABIDEAU

ARTHUR RANGER

EDWARD J. RANSOM

ROBERT B. RAWSON

RALPH RINGEY

THOMAS RITCHIE

ALBERT ROBARE

HARRY ROBINSON

LEONARD ROCK

LOYOLA ROY

LOUIS RONDINELL

WARREN F. RYAN

CONO SANTORA

GEORGE SARAUW

RENÉ SEGUIN


EARL SHELTERS

DESMOND SIDDON

DONALD J. SLATTERY

BERT SMALLACOMBE

HENRY SMART

ROBERT SMITH

WILLIAM C. SMITH

WILLIAM G. SMITH

ANDREW SMYTHE

JAMES SMYTHE

ARTHUR F. SORRELL

NATHAN SORRELL

OLIVER SOULIA

HUBERT L. SPENCE

JOSEPH SPOONER

RUSSELL E. STACEY

HOMER ST. ANDREWS

RAYMOND STEVENS

HARRY STEWART

ROBERT STRONG

PERCY SWEET

ARTHUR TAYLOR

FELIX TAYLOR

LAWRENCE THORNTON

CLARENCE TOWNE

LEONARD TROMBLEY

LEONARD L. TROMBLEY

WILLIAM TROMBLEY

JOHN O. L. TURCOTTE

SAMUEL TURNER

RAYMOND VANVALKENBURG

ALFRED N. VAUGHAN

RAYMOND VEVIA

JAMES F. VORCE

ROBERT WALLACE

THEODORE C. WARREN

ELLSWORTH G. WATERS

DALE D. WATTS

EDWARD WELLS

MOSES WELLS

LLOYD E. WILCOX

MATTHEW WILLETTE

ROBERT WILLIAMS

JEROME WINCH

KEITH A. WOODWARD

ROYAL WRAY

GILBERT L. WRIGHT

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THESE AMERICANS OF
CLINTON COUNTY
SERVING IN
THE ARMED FORCES
GAVE THEIR LIVES
IN
THE KOREAN CONFLICT
1950-1955

EUGENE L. BRUNELL                              EUGENE M. LETTE

HARRY L. BOUDREAU                            HAROLD P. LYNCH

LAWRENCE L. BURLEIGH                      HAROLD W. MANOR

MARTIN A. BURSEY                                RONALD F. MONTROSS

RICHARD B. CHARLAND                       NORMAN I. ROBARE

KARL F. CONNICK                                  CLARENCE E. SHEPARD

JAMES W. CHRISTMAN                          PAUL R. SEYMOUR

JAMES S. FRAZIER                                  PAUL B. VIDOCK

THIS STONE PLACE HERE 1955
BY THE
CLINTON COUNTY GOLD STAR MOTHERS

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

THESE AMERICANS OF CLINTON COUNTY
SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES
GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE VIETNAM CONFLICT
1960-

BRUCE J. ALLEN

WILLIAM A. ASPINALL

MICHAEL ASHLINE

EUGENE L. BONNETT

ORRIE J. BUSKEY

MICHAEL F. CONLEY

MICHAEL E. CONROY

ALBERT W. CUDWORTH

STUART D. CURRAN

FRANCIS TED DEVINS

ARTHUR R. DUPREY

THOMAS E. ELDRIDGE

GILBERT M. FIFIELD

RICHARD S. GLOAD

THOMAS A. GODDEAU

RODNEY R. GRAVELL

JEFFERSON W. IMHOFF

GENE A. LABOUNTY

EDWARD F. BROWN, JR.

TIMOTHY J. CURRY

RONNIE A. FACTEAU

DONALD G. GIGUERE

JOHN N. HUNTLEY

ROBERT A. LAFOUNTAIN

CARL I. LATOUR

EARL MACY

EDWARD F. MARTINEAU

GERARD M. MCDONALD

HENRY A. MITCHELL

JAMES A. NYE

LAWRENCE A. POMBRIO

JAMES J. SALTMARSH

GERALD H. LABARGE

WILLIAM W. MORROW

MICHAEL J. PETRASHUNE

SHANE N. SOLDATO

HARRY M. SUPERNAW

ROBERT H. SANTORELLA

ROBERT V. SIPE

SHERMAN A. SORRELL

THOMAS E. TOWNSLEY

HAROLD E. WALDRON

ROBERT C. WALLACE

WILLIAM C. WRAY

JOHN L. YASMENT

DONALD F. WELLS

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-gold-star-mothers-memorial-in.html
Copyright (c) 2014, N. Smith and Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Peru, New York Honor Roll transcribed by N. Smith

This Honor Roll was photographed by N. Smith on the front lawn of the public library in Peru, Clinton County, New York.  Since N. Smith does not have a blog, yet wanted to participate in this project, I am posting the photo and the transcription here.

DEDICATED TO THOSE

WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE

IN THE WARS OF OUR COUNTRY

HARRY DUDLEY                            ROBERT E. PARKER

ALVIN GUMLAW                      RICHARD ALEXANDER

ROBERT PROVOST                       NORMAN J. ROBARE

HARRY STEWART                    RONALD E. MONTROSE

BENJAMIN B. BROMBLEY              ANDREW OPPMAN

ROBERT DILLON                                  RALPH E. DAVIS

Note from N. Smith:   Harry Dudley and Robert Dillon, World War I;  Norman J. Robare and Ronald E. Montrose, Korean Conflict; all others served in World War II)

The Honor Roll Project:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/p/honor-roll-project.html    

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The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/11/peru-new-york-honor-roll-transcribed-by.html

Copyright (c) 2014 N. Smith and Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Whale

Every Wednesday for almost two years I've been posting photographs of weathervanes located in or near the Nutfield area (the former name for the land where Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire are now located). Most are historically interesting or just whimsical and fun weathervanes. Today's weathervane was found on Long Island. Have fun guessing where you may have seen this weather vane.

Do you know the location of weather vane #96? Scroll down to see the answer....

click to enlarge

Today's weather vane was spotted in Cold Spring Harbor, on Long Island, New York, at the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum.  It is a primitive two dimensional whale figure, painted black.  There seems to be some evidence of gilding on the nose of the whale. The museum is next door to the historic home of Captain James Wright, built in 1894.   This part of Main Street is known as "Captain's Row" because most of the beautiful historic homes were built for sea captains.  Cold Spring Harbor had a long history of shipping and whaling.

Thar She Blows

From 1837 until the Petroleum Age began

The Village of Cold Spring Harbor L.I.

owned, manned, equipped & aided a fleet of

Whaling Vessels.  The most noted were-

379 ton ship TUSCARONA 6 voyages 1837 - 1851

167 ton bark BARCLAY  7 voyages 1839 - 1847

273 ton Bark MONMOUTH 7 voyages 1841 - 1862

370 ton ship N. R. TALMADGE 4 voyages 1843 - 1855

437 ton ship RICHMOND 2 voyages 1843 - 1848

281 ton bark ALICE ? voyages 1844 - 1858

523 ton ship HUNTSVILLE  5 voyages 1844 - 1858

478 ton ship SPLENDID  5 voyages 1844 - 1860

579 ton ship SHEFFIELD  3 voyages 1845 - 1859

Each voyage lasted from 3 - 4 years & 38 voyages

returned in all.  Sperm oil  3,354 bbls.

Whale oil 79,2?6 bbls.  Whale bone 757,805 lbs

In memory of these ships, their daring Captains

Hardy Sailors & for???? Owners

This testimonial is erected

A.D. 1932

Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum website http://www.cshwhalingmuseum.org/

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

The Walt Whitman Homestead

The Walt Whitman birthplace, built by his father
Walter Whitman, complete with lilacs by the kitchen door -
"When Lilacs Once in the Dooryard Bloom'd"

Poet Walt Whitman was born at this homestead on 31 May 1819, in the village of West Hills, Long Island, New York.  His father, Walter Whitman, was a Quaker carpenter, and was not a very successful farmer.  Walter built the entire house, and worked the farm. When son, Walt, was four years old they removed to Brooklyn.  At age eleven he entered the working world.  His early life was a struggle, but isn’t that true of some of the best American poets?

A statue donated by the Japanese
poet, Daisaku Ikeda

The Walt Whitman homestead was turned into a museum in the 1950s, and the interpretive center was built in the 1970s.  The entire Whitman house was restored back to its original condition when Walter Whitman built it in the early 1800s.  There are some signature features you can view on a guided tour, which were built into the home by Walter, including a penny at the top of the staircase used as a bolt, and rubbed for good luck by generations.  There are built in corner shelves on each fireplace mantel for candlesticks, and several built in cupboards not usually seen in modest homes of this time period.  In the attic space you can see hand hewn beams created by Walter Whitman himself.

The complex includes a visitor/interpretive center, the house where Walt Whitman was born, gardens and a community center for poetry readings and youth groups.  The entire place is surrounded by a wooden wall, so you would never know you were in a suburban setting, surrounded by strip malls and speeding traffic.  It is quiet and tranquil inside the historic site.  There are also historic museums in Brooklyn, New York, where the poet spent most of his childhood, having moved from Long Island at about age four or five years old when the family farm failed.

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

For more information:

The Walt Whitman Homestead http://www.waltwhitman.org/

246 Old Walt Whitman Road
West Hills, NY 

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo