My Revolutionary War Patriots - Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts

 

Yours truly and granddaughter in front of the

Munroe Tavern in Lexington, Massachusetts

This is Patriot #2 I have written about for this series on my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Major Andrew Munroe was born 31 March 1764 in Lexington, Massachusetts, the son of Andrew Munroe (1718 - 1766) and Mary Mixer (1727 - 1783).  His mother was married three times, first to Daniel Simonds, second to Andrew Munroe and third to Caleb Simonds.  Caleb had been married three times, too, and with his second wife, Susanna Converse had a daughter named Ruth Simonds.  Ruth was Andrew Munroe's step sister, and they married 22 March 1785 in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

Andrew Munroe was the great grandson of William Munroe ( about 1625 - 1718), a Scots Prisoner of War who was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1650 and sent in chains to be sold into servitude on the docks of what is now Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts briefly and then removed to Cambridge Farms, now known as Lexington, Massachusetts in a part of town near the Woburn line that became known as "Scotland".  He had fourteen children by three wives, and left many descendants in Lexington and Middlesex County who eventually fought in the Revolutionary War. 

When Andrew was only eleven years old the Battle on Lexington Green took place.  Many members of his Munroe family were at this battle, including his uncle William Munroe who was captain of the Lexington Militia.  Several family members were killed including his two uncles, Robert Munroe (1712 - 1775) and Jonas Parker (1722 - 1775), who was married to his father's sister, Lucy Munroe. I'm sure that this event shaped Andrew's life in many ways, since he enlisted in the war very young.  At age 16, on 15 July 1780, he enlisted in the Continental Army for six months under the command of Capt. James Cooper in the 16th division. He served under Brigadier General Patterson at Camp Tottoway on 25 October 1780 for another six months.  Later Andew enlisted as a private in the Danvers Militia Company, where he served from 1796 to 1817.  He applied from Danvers for a pension on 14 August 1832.  

Andrew and Ruth were married in Burlington, and had two chidlren born in Woburn.  His next two children, twins Andrew and Ishmael, were born in New Grafton, New Hampshire on 1 April 1789.  Andrew had been given a land grant in New Grafton for his military service.  It doesn't appear that he stayed very long in New Grafton, but returned to Danvers, Massachusetts where seven more children were born. 

I couldn't find his being promoted to Major in his military records, but his gravestone at the King's Burial Ground in Peabody (formerly part of the town of Danvers) read:

"In the memory of Major Andrew Munroe Formerly of Lexington Soldier of the Revolution who died Aug. 7, 1836 aged 73 Erected by his daughter Mrs. Mary T. Taylor."   

I descend from the youngest child of the eleven children, Luther Simonds Munroe (1805 - 1851) who married Olive Flint, daughter of John Fint and Phebe Flint (second cousins), on 3 September 1826 in Reading, Massachusetts.  

More information on Major Andrew Munroe for the truly curious: 

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolution

History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts Munroes by Richard S. Munroe, 1966

Report of the Committee Appointed to Revise the Soldier's Record by Danvers, Massachusetts, 1895 (see page 142) 

other blog posts about Andrew Munroe and the Munroe family:

2012 "Surname Saturday - Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html  

2012 "5 November 1789, George Washington Dined Here!"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/11/5-november-1789-george-washington-dined.html  

2013 "He married his step sister?"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-married-his-step-sister.html  

2015  "The woeful life of a colonial woman"  (about Mary Mixer Munroe)   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-woeful-life-of-colonial-woman.html  

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

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

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 10, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Gunnister Purse

 

Replicas of the 1600s "Gunnister Purse" found in Scotland
knit by Laurel Wilkinson 2022

In 1951 in Gunnister, Shetland, Scotland a bog body was found dating from the 1600s.  The remarkable thing about this discovery was the clothing found on the body, including many examples of knitted items including a purse, stockings, gloves, two caps and several knitted patches on his woolen clothing.  Knitters around the world and historians have been examining the stitching and patterns to reproduce some of the items.

The purse and other items have decorative stitches now known as “Fair Isle” patterns.  This type of knitting is well known in Scotland and Scandinavian countries, and the discovery of the body proves that this type of knitting dates from at least the 1600s.  The original objects found in the bog are on display at the National Museum of Scotland, and replicas can now be found around the world.  Re-enactors of the 17^th century enjoy making “Gunnister Purses” for their costumes.

Knit purse from Beth Veazie Lambright
worn at the Pilgrims Progress 2021

I first learned about the knit pouches while I was participating in the Pilgrims Progress march during the General Society of Mayflower Descendants Board of Assistants meeting in Plymouth, Massachusetts last September.  Beth Veazie Lambright from the Oregon society sat next to me during the meetings, and she was wearing a similar knitted purse tied to her waist during the Pilgrims Progress.  I Googled the story of the Gunnister purse that same night.  My husband was particularly interested since neither of our Pilgrim outfits have pockets, and we had no place to store keys, phones, ID cards, etc.

A participant at the 2021 Pilgrims Progress
wearing a knitted pouch similar to the Gunnister purse

It is amazing that fragile knitted objects and garments survived being buried in a Scottish bog, and even more amazing that these little pieces of clothing have captured the imaginations of historians and re-enactors.  During the Mayflower 400^th anniversary commemoration, many people became interested in recreating authentic costumes instead of “cartoon Pilgrim” outfits of black and white decorated with buckles (which are not historically accurate at all).  These little Gunnister purses are not only practical (a place to carry a phone and an inhaler), but also completely authentic to the time period!

Not only were the Gunnister man’s artifacts from the correct time period for Pilgrim re-enactors, but there is much evidence to suggest that he might have been from Holland.  The coins in his purse were from Holland and Sweden (although the knitting suggests Scotland).  His cap was a Dutch style. Some other objects (a quill and ink horn) were also Dutch.  The Pilgrims lived for one generation in Leiden, Holland, and picked up lots of clothing and lifestyle customs from their Dutch neighbors.

I told my sister about the Gunnister purse, thinking that perhaps I could learn how to knit one as a beginner project.  My sister is an avid knitter, and she surprised Vincent and I with these purses for Christmas.  The patterns for Gunnister purses (as well as the cap, gloves, and stockings) are available online, see my links below. Do you think my little pocket will last another 400 years?

For the truly curious:

Gunnister Man Wikipedia article:    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnister_Man 

A photo of the actual Gunnister purse with bands of Fair Isle knitting from the National Museums of Scotland:  https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/purse/19665  

Free patterns for a Gunnister Purse Replica from Ravelry:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse-replica  and this one from Plimoth Patuxet Museum:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gunnister-purse 

A nice blog post describing all the Gunnister Man’s clothing, especially the knitted pieces:  http://costumehistorian.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-gunnister-man-project.html

Would you like to buy a book with 12 patterns for 17^th century knitted garb, including the Gunnister purse, the Gunnister Cap, and some Gunnister gloves?  This book was published in 2010 from the Plimoth Platuxet Knitter’s Club:  https://www.plimoth.com/products/copy-of-knitted-garb-inspired-by-originals-designs-for-plimoth-plantation-and-beyond 

You can Google “Gunnister Man” or “Gunnister Purse” for many more websites with information on these interesting artifacts from the 1600s.

Also - In the British National Archives there are lists of gifts given to Queen Elizabeth 1561 – 1562, including 28 different knitted purses filled with coins: http://www.larsdatter.com/gifts/1561-2.htm   None of these purses survive, but the archives describe the purses including the colors and materials (mostly silk threads).  This blog post shows photos of someone recreating these purses, which are close to the 1620 time frame of the Mayflower Pilgrims: https://shannon.paradise.gen.nz/Knitting  but probably much more opulent than what they would have been carrying daily.

Photo credit to Beth Veazie Lambright of the Oregon Mayflower Society for the photo of the yellow knit purse above. 

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

To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Gunnister Purse”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 1, 2022 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-gunnister-purse.html: accessed [access date]). 

It's Not Too Late to Attend the Highland Games and Scots Prisoner of War Reunion!

We spent a lovely day up at Loon Mountain at the New Hampshire Highland Games today.  I just got home a few minutes ago, and I'm writing up this quick blog post so you can read all about the genealogy and historical seminars being given this year.  Besides the fantastic music, dancing, heavy athletics (caber tossing and stone throwing), sheep dog trials, over 60 clan tents, whiskey tastings, Scottish foods, Scottish gifts, and viewing lots of fellow visitors in kilts we also attended three historical seminars.

The first seminar we attended was "The Origins and Growth of Clan Tartans" by speaker Peter Eslea MacDonald. Peter is a famous Tartan Historian and Head of Research and Collections Scottish Tartans Authority.  He is also the author of the book The 1819 Key Pattern Book - One Hundred Original Tartans.  This was a very interesting history of Scotland, highland dress, and the origins of what we think of as clan tartans.  The history of clan tartans is fairly recent, just originating in the late 1700s or early 1800s, not in ancient times.  Nonetheless, half the audience was wearing their clan tartans!

After some shopping, watching the sheep dog trials, and sharing a delicious meat pie called "bridie", we attended another seminar "Lost Lives, New Worlds: Unlocking the Story of the 1650 Scottish Soldiers Buried on Palace Green in Durham (UK)" presented by Dr. Christopher Gerrard.  Dr. Gerrard is a Professor of Archaeology at Durham (UK not NH) and the team leader for the Scottish Soldiers Project.  He also designed the exhibition on view now at the Saugus Ironworks National Historic Park in Saugus, Massachusetts. I have attended a presentation by University of Durham members at Saugus in the past (You can read all about that HERE), but this presentation had some new information from the book of the same name as the lecture, which was published after I last visited Saugus, and since these prisoners of war were re-interred in Durham.  That meeting in Saugus had about 30 attendees, and this presentation today filled an entire tent.  Many of the attendees today were descendants of Scottish Prisoners of War (SPOW) from the battles of Dunbar and Worcester.

After a nice lunch and more shopping at the vendor tents, we attended our third seminar "Involuntary American: The Scottish Prisoners of 1650 and 1651" by Dr. Carol Gardner.  This is the title of her new book, too.  Dr. Gerrard's talk focused on the history of the battle, and the identification of the bodies found in Durham near the cathedral where the prisoners were locked up.  Dr. Gardner's presentation focused on the forced migration and servitude of the Scottish teens and young men who were brought to New England.  I also learned that other SPOWs went to Ireland, France, Barbados and Virginia, as well as to forced labor in England and Scotland.  I bought a copy of her book (I already owned the book on the Durham archaeological dig) and I can't wait to read it.  Two of my ancestors were SPOWs from the battle of Worcester - William Munroe (who went to Lexington, Massachusetts) and Alexander Thompson (who eventually went to Ipswich, Massachusetts.)

We spent the rest of our time at The Highland Games actually watching some of the heavy athletics (the hammer throw).  We also saw the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipe & Drums and Dancers in the parade square.  We heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers, lots of pipers, and other Scottish music.

It's not too late to attend these seminars!  There is a full schedule of events at the website https://nhscot.org/ but here are the other genealogy and history seminars you might find interesting (including the Sunday SPOW descendants gathering):

Saturday, September 21st
10:15    A Tour of Gaelic Languages by Dr. Emily McEwan (repeated)
10:30   Lost Lives, New Worlds by Dr. Christopher Gerrard (repeated)
11:45 Get Started Digging up your Roots by Joan Barnes (repeated)
1:30   By Different Routes: Scottish Prisoners & Ulster Scots in New England by Dr. Carol Gardner (repeated)
4:15   Involuntary Americans by Dr. Carol Gardner (repeated)
4:30   The Buchanan Tartans by Peter Eslea MacDonald

Sunday, September 22nd
10:30 Lost Lives, New Worlds by Dr. Christopher Gerrard (repeated)
10:30 The Use of Tartan as a Jacobite Symbol by Peter Eslea MacDonald
11:00  Dunbar (and Worcester) Descendants Gathering
12 noon  By Different Routes: Scottish Prisoners & Ulster Scots in New England by Dr. Carol Gardner (repeated)
1:30  A Tour of Gaelic Languages by Dr. Emily McEwan (repeated)
1:30 Get Started on Diggin gup your Roots by Joan Barnes (repeated)
2:30  The Food and History of the Burns Supper by Gary Maclean
3:00  The Scottish Prisoners of 1650 & 1651 by Dr. Carol Gardner
3:00  Outlander and the Real Tartans of 1745 by Peter Eslea MacDonald
4:30  Key Online Sites for Scottish Genealogy by Joan Barnes

For the Truly curious:

The New Hampshire Scots Official Website (including Highland Games information):  https://nhscot.org

My blog post "The Discovery of Scots Prisoners of War at Durham Cathedral!  How is this Important to New England Genealogy?"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/discovery-of-scots-prisoners-of-war-at.html 

My blog post "The University of Durham Team is Reaching Out to Descendants of 17th Century Scottish Prisoners":
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/10/university-of-durham-team-is-reaching.html 

My blog post about William Munroe, Scottish prisoner of war:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html 

My blog post about Alexander Thompson, Scottish prisoner of war:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-thomson-thompson-of.html

The Clan Thompson Tent

The RCMP (the Mounties) Pipe & Drum Band

The Sheep Dog Trials

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "It's Not Too Late to Attend the Highland Games and Scots Prisoner of War Reunion!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 20, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/09/its-not-too-late-to-attend-highland.html: access [accesss 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]). 

Upcoming Nutfield Settlers Series and Nutfield 300th Anniversary Events!

First Church in East Derry, New Hampshire

Preparations are being made for the upcoming 300^th Anniversary of Nutfield celebrations in Derry, Londonderry, Windham and Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire!  We will be celebrating the first permanent Scots Irish settlement in the New World.  The first big event will be the Founder’s Weekend April 12 – 14, 2019 at the First Parish Church (Rev. James MacGregor’s parish) and across the street at the Upper Village Hall in East Derry, New Hampshire.  Watch for registration information and specific schedules of events coming soon.

If you haven’t seen the brochure yet for the 300^th Anniversary (a whole year’s worth of events in four towns!), click here…

(Print it out! It’s a two sided bifold)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/epwr185z4q01dh4/nutfield300%20trifold%2010-10-18.pdf?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR2eBDRRqqM_djEotZTePTaf4yQlM9EvfsnNOba0VMiAfW94Z3mvpNy6CPw  

Yesterday three new videos about the 1718 migration and the 1719 founding of Nutfield was made public.  These videos were produced by our partners the Ulster-Scots Agency in Northern Ireland.  You can find all three videos, and an introductory video by Richard Hanna, Director of Education and Language for the Ulster-Scots Agency.  In the Nutfield video you can see me on screen for about five seconds!  You can view them at this link:

https://www.nutfieldhistory.org/blog/ulster-scots-videos 

In the next few months I will be publishing sketches of the first sixteen families to settle Nutfield at this blog.  Stay tuned for all the new posts!  When I finish that series, I will be posting similar posts on some of the other early Scots-Irish families that settled Nutfield (Londonderry).  For a complete list of those first sixteen families, click here: 

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/04/nutfields-sixteen-first-families-are.html

To keep up with the latest information on what’s happening, see the Nutfield 300^th website: 

https://www.nutfieldhistory.org/nutfield300th/

Nutfield 300^th Facebook group:   https://www.facebook.com/Nutfield300th/ 

Or my own Nutfield Genealogy Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/nutfield.gen/

I’m especially interested in meeting (in person and online) with descendants who are interested in attending, planning, and meeting up with cousins and other descendants of Nutfield settlers during Founder’s Weekend in April. We are planning a fun reunion for everyone who is a Nutfield (or Londonderry, Derry, Windham or Derryfield) descendant as part of this weekend.  If you are planning to attend, or if you cannot attend but would like to receive the information, please register at this link:

https://www.nutfieldhistory.org/family-outreach/   

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Upcoming Nutfield Settlers Series and Nutfield 300th Anniversary Events!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 21, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/01/upcoming-nutfield-settlers-series-and.html: accessed [access date]).  

Was your ancestor a Scottish Prisoner of War from the Battle of Dunbar?

During the English Civil War the Scots were on the side of the monarchy, and fought against the Puritans.  At the Battle of Dunbar on 3 September 1650 hundreds of Scots prisoners of war were marched to Durham and imprisoned in the cathedral.  150 of these prisoners were sent on the ship Unity to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as indentured servants.   Exactly one year later, on 3 September 1651 at the Battle of Worcester, several hundred more Scots were taken prisoner, and 272 were sent to Massachusetts on the ship John and Sara.   There was a passenger list of the men sent from Worcester, and a recreated passenger list of 180 suggested names from the battle of Dunbar.

Was your ancestor a Scot living in New England at this time period?  Is his name on one of these lists?

Next fall the Battle of Dunbar will be re-created and commemorated in Dunbar, East Lothian Scotland. The flyer above has been circulating on social media, and more information will be announced soon.  At the SPOW (Scottish Prisoners of War) Facebook group, many descendants are planning to attend the events in Scotland.

Are you one of the descendants who might be attending?



For the truly curious:

The Scottish Prisoners of War Society -   https://scottishprisonersofwar.com/ 

An alphabetized list of the Dunbar Prisoners:    https://scottishprisonersofwar.com/battle_of_dunbar_pows_america/

An alphabetized list of the Worcester Prisoners:
  https://scottishprisonersofwar.com/battle_of_wor_pows_in_america/ 

Durham University: Scottish Soldiers Project:     https://www.dur.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/europe/pg-skeletons/ 


Some other blog posts I have published on this subject:

September 2015 - The Discovery of the Scots Prisoners of War graves in Durham, England:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/discovery-of-scots-prisoners-of-war-at.html 

October 2016 - University of Durham Team visits Descendants in Saugus, Massachusetts
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/10/university-of-durham-team-is-reaching.html 

August 2011 - The Ship John and Sara Prisoners of War 1651
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/08/ship-john-and-sara-prisoners-of-war.html

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Was your ancestor a Scottish Prisoner of War from the Battle of Dunbar?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 6, 2018 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/was-your-ancestor-scottish-prisoner-of.html: accessed [access date]).

1718 Scots Irish Reunion: Bringing the Ulster Diaspora to Life August 14 - 16

I attended the 1718 Scots Irish Reunion on Wednesday August 15th for just one day of this three day conference held at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.  It had been organized by the Maine Ulster Scots Project in honor of the arrival of the first Scots Irish settlers from Northern Ireland, who had arrived in Boston in August of 1718 and headed up to Merrymeeting Bay in the lower Kenebec River region.

I missed the first day of the conference, when many participants took a guided tour of historic Portland.  There was a reception and a dinner with speakers from the Maine Ulster Scots Project, Northern Ireland and the special speaker was Colin Woodward, author of several books about Maine history.

Baker, Lunney and McReynolds

Wednesday was a full day of presentations and round-table discussions.  The first panel discussion featured Tad Baker, dean and professor at Salem State University; Linde Lunney, professor from Ireland and author for the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography; and Alister McReynolds, author of Legacy, the Scots Irish in America.  With two Irish guests on the panel, I was struck by how much interest the Irish people have in this anniversary of the diaspora.  Linde Lunney said "Emigration over the centuries has been a major loss to Ireland"  and "The world is made smaller when we realize we all share wee little bits of DNA".

This many paneled display of the 1718 migration
was sponsored by Irish bureaus
indicative of the European interest in the
300th anniversary 

The Gov. Shute Petition, signed by
many members of the Presbyterian
congregation in Northern Ireland
asking permission to emigrate to New England

Colin Brooks

The first presentation I watched was by Colin Brooks, the genealogist behind the 1718 Project website  https://1718project.com    This website is underconstruction, and will be a place for research to be disseminated about the Scots Irish families who arrived with those first five ships in Boston harbor in 1718.  I spent part of my lunch break with Colin and a few of these descendants, and we continued our discussion.

There was another round-table after lunch with Norman, Houston, OBE, from the Northern Ireland Bureau in Washington, DC; Rory Hedderly, from Scotland; John Mann of the Maine Ulster Scots Project; and Chip Griffin, a Maine history author.  They discussed the 1718 diaspora and the Scots Irish folkways that still survived in Maine and parts of New England.  After this I watched a slide presentation by Dr. Carol Gardner, the lead archaeologist of the Merrymeeting Bay excavation site  of the McFadden family homestead.  There will be a tour of this site today from 1 - 5 pm for conference participants.

I found a photo from the Nutfield Genealogy blog on one of the display panels at the conference!
(This is really a detail from the tombstone of Rev. David MacGregor, son of founder Rev. James MacGregor)

The conference continued on Thursday, August 16th, and today with tours.  Tomorrow will be the 40th annual Maine Highland Games and Scots Festival hosted by the St. Andrews Society of Maine, open to the public and free to the five day conference ticket holders.  Tickets may be purchased at the gate.

Several people have emailed me about this conference wanting to know more.  No syllabus was printed, no sessions recorded or videoed, and there are no podcasts.  However, some of the papers presented this week will be published in a book, and some of the presentations will be repeated at other conferences and workshops.  If you want to know more, please contact the Maine Ulster Scots Project, the sponsors of this conference, for more information.

Maine Ulster Scots Project:   https://www.maineulsterscots.com/ 

Maine Highland Games and Scots Festival:   http://mainehighlandgames.org/ 


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


Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "1718 Scots Irish Reunion:  Bring the Ulster Diaspora to Life August 14 - 16", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 17, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/08/1718-scots-irish-reunion-bringing.html: accessed [access date]).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Variations on this theme:

Be the first to say “Rabbit” for good luck

It must be the first words spoken aloud that morning

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

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

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

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

Gilda Radner used the “Bunny Bunny” version every month

For the truly curious:

From NPR’s “A Way with Words”

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

Mother Nature - 

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

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

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

Bangor, Maine Bangor Daily News –

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

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

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

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

 ------------------------------

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

Tombstone Tuesday ~ An Update on a Tombstone

This tombstone was photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.  This area was called Londonderry at the time this tombstone was erected.

This blog post has updated genealogy information on the people named on this tombstone, and an attempt to decipher the nearly illegible epitaph at the bottom of the tombstone, obscured by age and lichen moss.  I posted a previous story and photograph of this tombstone at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/10/tombstone-tuesday-john-and-mary.html

ERECTED IN MEMORY

OF MR. JOHN CAMPBELL

AND MRS MARY HIS WIFE

By their Son, Henry Campbell

MR. CAMPBELL           MRS CAMPBELL

Died March 11            died August 8

1759                                1765

In the 51^st year            in the 55 year

Of his age                     of her age

“Hark from the tomb is a solemn sound

Reader attend the cry

Ye living come and view the ground

Where you must shortly lie”

Lo, here the mouldering body leave

What ?? bids you ???

"For dust and ashes preach

Man’s infinite concern."

Son of Henry & Martha Campbell of Windham, NH

The Campbell family genealogy:

Generation 1: Daniel Campbell, born about 1660 in Argyleshire, Scotland, died in Northern Ireland.  He was an officer in the army of William III (William the Prince of Orange), and at the Battle of Boyne Waters.  He settled in Northern Ireland.

Generation 2: Henry Campbell, born 1697 in Londonderry, Ireland, died 1 October 1782 in Windham, New Hampshire; married Martha Black, daughter of Capt. William Black. Ten children – all sons.

Generation 3: John Campbell, born 1727 in Northern Ireland, died 11 March 1758/9 in Londonderry, New Hampshire; married Mary Reid who died 1758 soon after the birth of her only child, Henry.

Generation 4: Henry Campbell, born May 8, 1757 who was adopted by his grandfather Henry, the emigrant.  He was known as “Merchant Henry”.  He lived in Windham on the Henry C. Crowell farm.  He married his cousin, Hannah, daughter of William Campbell, and died 31 January 1835 in Windham.  Six children.  Henry Campbell erected the monument in Derry’s Forest Hill Cemetery in honor of his parents.

For more information:

Rev. J. L. Merrill, History of Acworth (New Hampshire),  1869

Leonard A. Morrison,  History of the Town of Windham, New Hampshire, 1719-1883, 1883

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo,  "Tombstone Tuesday ~  An Update on a Tombstone", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 8, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/05/tombstone-tuesday-update-on-tombstone.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]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Thomas CLOUTMAN of Salem, Massachusetts

CLOUTMAN, CLOUGHTMAN, CLOUDMAN

Thomas Cloutman, my 8^th great grandfather, is a mystery.  He is listed in The History of Salem, as a fisherman, and in Newfoundland with Nicholas Chatwell in 1681.  Some accounts say he was from Scotland, but I cannot find any proof. I don't know his parents, place of birth, birth date or death date.  He married Elizabeth Story on 26 July 1672 in Salem and had six children listed in the vital records.  I descend from his youngest son, Joseph Cloutman (1693 – 1743).  The eldest son, Edward (1673 – 1717), settled in New Hampshire, and middle son Thomas (b. 1682) removed to Marblehead.

Joseph Cloutman, my 7^th great grandfather, died intestate, and his probate record was file on 28 March 1743.  I cannot find a death record for him.  His wife was Mary Peters, the daughter of Richard and Bethiah Peters of Salem.

My 6^th great grandfather, Joseph Cloutman, was born abut 1720 and married Mary Webb in 1747.  They had four children.   They lived on Webb Street, which still exists in Salem, Massachusetts.  I descend from their oldest son, another Joseph Cloutman, born about 1748.  He married Hannah Becket and had seven children all born in Salem.  Their eldest daughter, Mary (1755 – 1853), my 4^th great grandmother, married Abijah Hitchings, a Salem shipwright and carpenter.

My CLOUTMAN genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas Cloutman, born about 1645 probably in Scotland; married Elizabeth Story on 26 July 1672 in Salem, Massachusetts.  Six children.

Generation 2: Joseph Cloutman, born 19 September 1693 in Salem, died before 28 March 1743 in Salem; married on 14 November 1717 in Salem to Mary Peters, daughter of Richard Peters and Bethiah Unknown.  She was baptized in Salem on 12 September 1697.  One child [?]

Generation 3:  Joseph Cloutman, born about 1720, married on 16 June 1747 in Salem to Mary Webb, daughter of Jonathan Webb and Priscilla Bray.  She was born on 17 December 1724 in Salem and died 21 March 1790 in Salem.  Four children.

Generation 4: Joseph Cloutman, born about 1748 in Salem; married on 20 June 1770 in Salem to Hannah Becket, daughter of John Becket and Rebecca Beadle.  She was born 17 November 1751 in Salem, and died 18 August 1837 in Salem.  Seven children.

Generation 5: Mary Cloutman, born about 1775 in Salem, died 28 November 1853 in Salem; married on 21 December 1795 in Salem to Abijah Hitchings, son of Abijah Hitchings and Mary Gardner.  He was born about 1775 in Lynn and died 26 July 1868 in Salem.  Eleven children.

Generation 6:  Abijah Hitchings m. Eliza Ann Treadwell

Generation 7:  Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis

Generation 8:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 9:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Thomas CLOUTMAN of Salem, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 25, 2017,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/03/surname-saturday-thomas-cloutman-of.html: accessed [access date]). 

University of Durham Team Is Reaching Out to the Descendants of 17th Century Scottish Prisoners

The Scottish Prisoners of War research team from the University of Durham, UK

Last night in Saugus, Massachusetts a group of ordinary Americans met up to discuss an archaeological dig in Durham, England.  What did these folks have in common?  Not a common interest in archaeology per se,  but each one had an ancestor who had been forcibly brought to New England in chains as a Scottish prisoner of war in 1650 or 1651 during the English Civil War. 

In 1650 in Dunbar Scotland a force of Scottish soldiers faced the English army led by Cromwell and lost the battle.  Over 6,000 men and boys, mostly between the ages of 13 and 25 years old, were taken captive.  After the wounded were released about 5,000 soldiers were marched towards Durham, in Northeast England for imprisonment.  After the 120 mile march, only 3,000 of these starving men arrive and were locked inside the Durham Cathedral.  The rest had died along the way.  Within the next six weeks, another 1,600 soldiers would die.  Their final resting place would remain a mystery for the next 350 years.  Of the survivors, some were sent to Ireland, some to fight in France, and the rest were sent into forced servitude in the New World.

About 250 of these men were placed aboard the ship Unity, which brought them to labor at Hammersmith, the place now known as the Saugus Ironworks.  They arrived in Massachusetts and were divided up – some sent to the iron works, and others to lumber mills in New Hampshire and Maine.  All were sent to do hard labor in the New World.  These young men never went back to Scotland, but eventually made their way to communities scattered over New England and left large numbers of descendants.

In 2013, during an expansion project at the Durham University, a mass grave was found between the cathedral and Durham castle. The excavation site revealed human remains which have been studied by the Durham University team which examined about 17 – 28 bodies, and partial bodies.  They were all male, all between 13  to 25 years of age, all dated scientifically to the time period of incarceration in the Durham Cathedral in 1650.  It appeared to be the bodies of the Scottish soldiers, which had been tossed into a pit by the castle wall.  The findings were released to the public 2015. 

And so the team from Durham University came to Saugus, Massachusetts last night to explain the science and history behind this discovery.  They met early with the descendants of the Scottish Prisoners of War in New England to discuss the discovery, DNA projects, plans for reburial in Durham, and commemoration plans (a plaque near the discovery site and an upcoming 2018 exhibition in Durham).  This was followed by a public lecture co-sponsored by the National Park Service’s Saugus Ironworks.  It was standing room only, and extremely interesting to descendants, Saugus residents and the general public.

Descendants filled the room during a pre-lecture discussion group.
The lecture itself was standing room only!

Members of the Durham University team
answered questions from descendants
and the general public

If you think you might be descended of one of the Scottish Prisoners of War from the Battle of Dunbar, you could be part of this project.  See the links below for more information and for contacts.

  

The Durham team will be next visiting Berwick, Maine; Harvard University; Brown University and then Chris Gerrard, the project leader, will be back to the Old Berwick Historical Society for another public lecture (similar to the Saugus lecture) on November 2^nd, at 7:30pm at the Berwick Academy’s Whipple Arts Center, in Berwick, Maine). 

Contact information:

Website:  www.durham.ac.uk/scottishsoldiers

Twitter:  @durham_uni    or  @arcDurham  #ScotsSoldiers

Email SUBSCRIBE to Scottish.soldiers@durham.ac.uk

Video of the talk given in Saugus 25 October 2016:
https://vimeo.com/190898760

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

For more information on the Scots Prisoners of War sent to New England:

My 2015 blog post:  “Discover of Scots Prisoners of War at Durham Cathedral in England!  How is this important to New England Genealogical Research?”  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/discovery-of-scots-prisoners-of-war-at.html

2016 blogpost:  “City Square Charlestown, Massachusetts – and so many ancestral connections!”  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/city-square-charlestown-massachusetts.html

My SPOW ancestor, William Munroe “Surname Saturday ~ Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts”  

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html

Another SPOW ancestor, Alexander Thompson, “Surname Saturday ~ THOMSON/ THOMPSON of Scotland and Ipswich, Massachusetts”  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-thomson-thompson-of.html

Scottish Prisoners of War genealogy website:   http://scottishprisonersofwar.com/

Scottish Prisoners of War Facebook community  https://www.facebook.com/scottishprisonersofwar?fref=ts

SPOW Yahoo Group   https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/scottish_war_prisoners/info

Scottish Prisoners of War DNA project:   https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/scottish-po-ws/about/background

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

eather Wilkinson Rojo, "University of Durham Team Is Reaching Out to the Descendants of 17th Century Scottish Prisoners", October 25, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/10/university-of-durham-team-is-reaching.html: accessed [access date]).