A Door with History

This door is located at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

in the new American Wing

Nathaniel Sparhawk was born about 1717 in Boston and he

married Elizabeth Pepperell on 1 May 1742 in Kittery, Maine.  

His great aunt, Anna Sparhawk (1623 - about 1717) married 

James Convers, my 8th great grandfather, as his second wife. 

"Doorway from the

Sparhawk house

Maine (Kittery), about 1742

Painted wood, glass

This doorway comes from one of the grandest 

eighteenth-century houses in Kittery, Maine, on

the New Hampshire border.  The house was

owned by Nathaniel Sparhawk, whose portrait

by John Singleton Copley is on view in gallery 128"

a close up of the door knocker

This house at Kittery, Maine was known locally as Sparhawk Hall.  It was built in 1742 (one year after Nathaniel Sparhawk's marriage) as a wedding gift from his father-in-law, Sir William Pepperell.  Nathaniel Sparhawk was a wealthy merchant.  His portrait by Copley is one of the artist's few life sized paintings.  In 1758 Sparhawk had to declare bankruptcy, and his property was auctioned, except for this house.  When his wealthy father-in-law died, he was not named in the will.  His wife inherited in her own name.  This was all lost after the American Revolution because the Sparhawks and Pepperells remained loyalists and everything was confiscated by the new government.

The Lady Pepperell House and Sparhawk Hall were famous homes in Kittery, from the same family.  The Sparhawk house was used in movies and hosted politicians during the Portsmouth Treaty in 1905.  Sparhawk Hall was finally demolished in 1967, and the door was donated to Strawberry Banke Museum.  The interior woodwork was sold off and installed in a private home in Winthrop, Maine.  You can still find Sparhawk Lane in Kittery, near where the home once stood.

Click here to see photos of the Sparhawk Mansion before its demolition:
http://www.seacoastnh.com/Places-%26-Events/Historic-Portsmouth/Sparhawk-Mansion-on-Death-Row/


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  http://www.mfa.org/

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-door-with-history.html

Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Robert Frost, Derry Resident

The Robert Frost Farm, Derry, NH 

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, taught school in Massachusetts, and died in Vermont, yet he will forever be loved as a New Hampshire Poet. He lived in New Hampshire between 1895 and 1938. His first book was title “North of Boston” and his fifth book was titled “New Hampshire”. As another nod to his Derry residence, Frost’s eighth book was titled “West Running Brook” after the stream near his farmstead. This fame has caused a collection of things in town to be named “West Running Brook Middle School” or “West Running Brook Lane” besides the actual brook.

There is also a Frost Road nearby, and a restaurant named “Promises to Keep.” 

The land around his farmhouse contains the pasture, country roads and stonewalls found in his poems. Anyone reading Frost’s poetry is reading about Derry, New Hampshire. Despite being born in San Francisco, his roots run deep in New Hampshire. Anyone from Londonderry or Derry would recognize the places his ancestors lived, for they are all within an hour drive of our towns: Wells, Kittery, Andover, Penacook, Kingston, New Castle, etc. 

When Robert Frost returned to his father’s home in Derry, he was returning to his roots. The first Frost of his lineage sailed aboard the Wulfrana from Plimoth, Devonshire, England in June 1634 to arrive at Little Harbor, Maine, and first settled in Kittery. The first few generations of Frosts were merchants, marrying wives from the upper class families such as the Pepperells. Another Frost ancestor married the daughter of a prominent Essex County minister. However, the subsequent Frosts seemed to be farmers, removing from Maine to Massachusetts to eke out a living in our harsh New England climate. 

The poet Frost attended Dartmouth College for only two months, and later attended Harvard College for two years but never finished his degree. At about the time of his marriage his grandfather in Derry died leaving him his farm. It was here that he produced many of the first poems that made him famous. He taught at Pinkerton Academy, before finally removing to Plymouth, New Hampshire to teach at the Normal School (now Plymouth State University.) 

After removing to Scotland and England in he returned to New Hampshire to live in Franconia from 1915. His home in the notch remained a summer house until 1938, but he spent most of this time period teaching in Massachusetts, Vermont and Michigan. In 1940 he bought at home in South Miami, and spent his winters there for the rest of his life instead of in New Hampshire. 

Frost loved to read free form poets such as Ezra Pound, but he only wrote traditional poems with rhyming schemes. However, his love of the New England dialect is reflected in his poetry, and his mother’s Scottish accent can be heard in the rhythms of the poems. My favorite poem “The Pasture Spring” is an unlikely love poem, with the speaker sounding just like my own laconic grandfather. I don’t think I ever heard him say “I love you” but the line “I shan’t be gone long, you come, too” could have been Grampy's voice. 

Robert E. Lee Frost, the Pulitzer Prize winner, receiver of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Poet Laureate of the United States was named after the Southern Confederate General. He taught at Lawrence High School, which was my first teaching job, too! We share a love of writing, residence in Nutfield, and several colonial ancestors... 

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Gen. 1. Nicholas Frost, b. 1592 in Tiverton, Devonshire, England, d. 1663; married in Jan 1629/30 to Bertha Cadwalla, b. 14 Feb 1609/10 in Tavistock, Devonshire, England, d. 4 Jul 1650 at Sturgeon Creek, Kittery, Maine. 

Gen. 2. Charles Frost, b. 30 Jul 1631 in Tiverton, d. 4 Jul 1697 in Berwick, Maine; married before 1664 to Mary Bowles, daughter of Joseph Bowles and Mary Howell, b. 4 Jan 1640/1 in Wells, Maine, d. 11 Nov. 1704 in Kittery, Maine. 

Gen. 3. John Frost, b. 1 Mar 1681/2 in Kittery, Maine, d. 25 Feb. 1732/3 in New Castle, New Hampshire; married on 4 Sep. 1702 to Mary Pepperell, daughter of William Pepperell and Margery Bray, b. 3 Sep. 1685 in Kittery, d. 18 Apr 1766. 

Gen. 4. William Frost, b. 20 Aug. 1705 in New Castle, d. 17 Sep. 1778 in New Castle; married 24 Nov. 1750 in Salem, Massachusetts to Elizabeth Prescott, daughter of Benjamin Prescott and Elizabeth Higginson, b. 15 Sep. 1721 in Danvers, Massachusetts, d. 22 Mar 1759 in New Castle. 

Gen. 5. William Frost, b. 15 Nov. 1754 in Andover, Massachusetts, d. 28 Sep. 1836 in Andover; married Dec. 1777 in Danvers, Massachusetts to Sarah Holt, daughter of Reverend Nathan Holt of Danvers and Sarah Abbott, b. 29 Oct. 1758 in Andover, Massachusetts, d. 17 Sep. 1841 in Danvers. 

Gen. 6. Samuel Abbott Frost, b. 11 Jun. 1795 in Andover, d. 11 Jan. 1848 in Brentwood, New Hampshire; married 18 Oct. 1821 in Eden, Maine to Mary Blunt, b. 26 Jun 1787 in Portsmouth, d. 14 Jan. 1875 in Nashua, New Hampshire. 

Gen. 7. William Prescott Frost b. 11 Jul. 1823 in Eden, Maine, d. 10 Jul. 1901; married 27 Sep. 1846 in Kingston to Judith Colcord, daughter of Daniel Colcord and Mary Woodman, b. 23 Jun. 1820 in Kingston, d. 21 Aug. 1893 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. 

Gen. 8. William Prescott Frost, b. 27 Dec. 1850 in Kingston, d. 5 May 1885 in San Francisco, California; married 18 Mar 1874 in Lewistown, Pennsylvania to Isabelle Moody, daughter of Capt. John Moody and Amelia Christie, b. 16 Sep. 1844 in Alloa, Scotland, d. 21 Nov. 1900 in Pennacook, New Hampshire. 

Gen. 9. Robert Edward Lee Frost, b. 26 Mar 1874 in San Francisco, California, d. 29 Jan 1963 in Boston, Massachusetts; married in 1895 to Elinor Miriam White 

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Sources 

 “Frost Family In England and America, with Special Reference to Edmund Frost” by Thomas Gold Frost, Buffalo, Russell Print. Co., 1909 

 And from Gary Boyd Roberts, “Notable Kin: Royal Scions in Northern New England: Some Notable Descendants of Joseph Bolles, Elder William Wentworth, and/or Rev. Samuel Dudley,” NEHGS Nexus 11 (1994): 106. 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Robert Frost, Derry Resident", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 4, 2009, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/12/robert-frost-derry-resident.html: accessed [access date]). 

Pepperell Family of Kittery, Maine

Photo by Rich Beauchesne seacoastonline.com

Pepperell Family of Kittery, Maine
The original settlers of the Maine and New Hampshire coast were known as the “Piscataqua Pioneers.” Early settlements in Strawbery Bank, Portsmouth, Kittery and the Berwicks blended together before boundaries were settled between the colonies. York County, Maine was actually York County, Massachusetts, and the border below Exeter was disputed for generations. Recently, the Isles of Shoals and the island where the shipyard is located were still the subjects of lawsuits between the states of New Hampshire and Maine. Anyone with early seacoast ancestry is familiar with the confusing mix of records between Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the guesswork of trying to find the correct archive for records.

One of these early families is the Pepperell family. On November 7, 2009 a colonial era tablet will be rededicated, on the 25th anniversary of Sir William Pepperell’s death. William Pepperell is famous as a merchant and soldier in colonial “Massachusetts”, even though he resided at Kittery Point. He lead the expedition to capture the Louisbourg fortress in Nova Scotia, and he was a profitable merchant. He married the grand daughter of Samuel Sewell, the Boston judge. He was the height of high society in pre-Revolutionary New England.

Curiously, his wife, the Lady Pepperell, seems more famous, and her elegant house in Kittery is locally known as the “Lady Pepperell House.” As a wealthy widow, she must have done some impressive entertaining in this mansion. Built in 1760, after her husband’s death and located near the Congregational Church. It is worth checking out the Pepperell sites (Lady Pepperell's house and the original Pepperell Mansion) the next time you head to the beach or to the outlets in Kittery. The tomb and memorial mentioned in the article below are on the road near both the Pepperell Mansion and the fort. The two houses are privately owned.

Donations can be sent to:

Friends of Fort McClary
P.O. Box 82
Kittery Point, ME 03905

Pepperell Family Tree:

Generation 1. Colonel William Pepperell, born 1646, in Tavistock, England, died 1734; married 1680 to Margery Bray, daughter of John Bray and Joan Pierce, born 1660, died 24 April 1741.

Children:
1. Andrew, born 1 July 1681, died about 1713; married 1707 to Jane Elliot, daughter of Robert Elliot. Had Sarah Pepperell who married Charles Frost, and Margery Pepperell who married William Wentworth.

2. Mary, born 5 September 1685, died 18 April 1766; married Judge John Frost and had sixteen children. Mary and John Frost were ancestors of the Derry Poet Robert Frost.

3. Margery, born 15 September 1689; married Pelatiah Whitemore, married 2nd Judge Elihu Gunnison.

4. Joanna, born 22 June 1692 married Dr. George Jackson

5. Miriam, born 4 September 1694; married Andrew Tyler, a Boston merchant

6. William, the Baronet, see below

7. Dorothy, born Jul 1698; married Captain Andrew Watkins

8. Jane, born 2 June 1701; married Benjamin Clark; married 2nd William Tyler, brother of Andrew, her sister Miriam’s husband.

Generation 2. Sir William Pepperell, born 1696, died 1759; married 16 March, 1723/4 to Mary Hirst, daughter of Grove Hirst and Elizabeth Sewell of Boston. Grand daughter to Judge Samuel Sewell and Anna DeQuincy Hull. Sir William did not have a son, so he adopted his grandson, William Pepperell Sparhawk, as his heir. Sparhawk agreed to change his name to Pepperell by act of the legislature.

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From SeacoastOnline.com
Famous family's memorial uncovered in KitteryVolunteers reveal colonial-era tablet to be restored in time for Nov. 7 dedication

By Dave Choate
dchoate@seacoastonline.com
October 12, 2009 2:00 AM
KITTERY, Maine — The legacy of the town's most famous family is being restored from the history books by residents, two and a half centuries later.

Obscured by trees for the last 30 years, a memorial stone and tomb for the Pepperrell family is being unveiled and restored to its former glory by a group of citizen volunteers. The Pepperrell Project — headed up by Steve Estes and fellow members of the Pepperrell Project committee of the Friends of Fort McClary, with aid from the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum — has taken down the cedar trees blocking the view of the memorial stone and plan to landscape the area and professionally clean the tombstone in the near future.

It will all come together on Nov. 7, the 250th anniversary of Sir William Pepperrell's death, when a rededication ceremony will be held at noon. There will be maritime music in honor of Pepperrell's shipping empire, a visit from French and Indian War re-enactors and more for those who attend.
The memorial stone lists some of the accomplishments of the two most famous Pepperrells: The elder William, who came from England and served as a colonel in the Maine militia, and his son, Sir William, who tied together a thriving shipping trade, fought in the French and Indian War and had huge influence in the Massachusetts government. Both made their names during the age where Maine was a colony of Massachusetts and each state was a colony of Great Britain, and both are noted for their contributions to colonial history in the Americas.

Estes outlined the history of the Pepperrell family while standing by the engraved tomb with the helmet-and-pineapple coat of arms ("it signifies friendship," according to Estes) where some 40 members of the family are interred, and which will be professionally cleaned of the ravages of time Saturday.
It's Sir William Pepperrell in particular who is noted for building a family shipping empire, as well as his military, judicial and political service. He led what Estes described as a "ragtag militia" — with the support of the British Navy — up to Louisburg, in what is now Nova Scotia, to capture a fort, though the miserable fighting conditions led to chronic illnesses in his later years.
Pepperrell also served as the justice at the Court of Common Pleas in Maine, at one point settling a significant land dispute by ruling against the British. He also served on the very powerful Governor's Council for Massachusetts, eventually becoming its president. Estes compared the legislative body to the Executive Council in New Hampshire.

Business was another big piece for the Pepperrells. Sir William's trade ships crisscrossed the colonies and Canada, doing plenty of business in North Carolina. He owned substantial tracts of land throughout the area and as far north as Saco and Scarborough, Maine. The top of the historic Pepperrell homestead can be seen when standing by the memorial tablet; all of the history here is fittingly on Pepperrell Road.

His success in all endeavors drew the attention of King George II, who Estes said made him a baronet and bestowed the title of British Army General upon him. Pepperrell was the only colonist to ever receive a royal title, according to Estes.
The tombstone, which is about 275 years old, was brought over from Great Britain. The memorial tablet was erected by the Pepperrell Association much later, in 1907, almost 150 years after Sir William Pepperrell died.
Estes said the trees were planted in the 1970s to provide screening between residences in the area and the parking lot for Frisbee's Market across the street, but the trees grew to the point where the memorial tablet was blocked from view. Estes said many people in the last week or so have stopped and said they never knew the memorial was there until the trees were cleared out.
"The casualty was that this really disappeared from sight," Estes said.
Those who want to help the group to take care of the memorial tablet and tombstone through volunteering or donations can call Estes at (207) 439-3479, or e-mail scekpme@aol.com.

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Copyright 2009, Heather Wilkinson Rojo