General John Stark Day, 12 April 2021

 

Stark Day ceremonies at the Stark family gravesite
at Stark Park in Manchester, New Hampshire 2016

John Stark Day, honoring our beloved New Hampshire Revolutionary War hero, was celebrated formerly on the fourth Monday in April by state statute.  However, in 2017 the students at the Founders Academy Public Charter School in Manchester lobbied for changing John Stark Day to be held on the second Monday in April, a school day instead of in the middle of school vacation.  New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed bill HB91 into law on 13 April 2017.  According to the new statute “The governor shall annually proclaim the second Monday in April as General John Stark Day in Commemoration of General Stark’s gallant and illustrious service to New Hampshire and his country.  Schools are encouraged to commemorate the day with appropriate educational activities.”  [See statute 4:13-1 General John Stark Day  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/i/4/4-13-l.htm ]  

Manchester traditionally honors General John Stark with a ceremony at the Stark Park, usually performed in Revolutionary era garb by DAR and SAR members, and then the group moves on to Dunbarton to gather at the Caleb Stark statue (son of General Stark) for a second ceremony.   I’ve tried to be at as many of these ceremonies as possible since moving to Manchester in 2014.  Last year, there was no ceremony, and this year there will be a “virtual ceremony” hosted by the Founders Academy (see the link below).

John Stark was born in Londonderry (now Derry) to his parents Archibald Stark and Eleanor Nichols.  Archibald was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1697, and grew up in Londonderry, Northern Ireland with his family.  He married Eleanor, whose father was also Scottish.  They came to Nutfield, New Hampshire (now Londonderry, Derry and Windham) and their children died on the voyage, which was plagued with small pox.  More children were born in New Hampshire, and they eventually settled in Derryfield, which is now the city of Manchester.  Three Stark brothers – William, John, and Archibald all served under the British during the French and Indian War.

John Stark was born on 28 August 1728, and married Elizabeth “Molly” Page on 20 August 1758 in Dunbarton, New Hampshire.  They had eleven children.  He lived 94 years and died on 8 May 1822 in Derryfield (Manchester). 

Major Caleb Stark (son of General Stark)
statue in Dunbarton, New Hampshire

For the truly curious:

John Stark Day information from the Founders Academy:  http://www.thefoundersacademy.org/giving/john_stark_day 

From the Cow Hampshire blog “The Many Faces of General John Stark of Manchester, New Hampshire” by Janice Webster Brown: https://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2017/04/01/the-many-faces-of-general-john-stark-of-manchester-new-hampshire/

Click here to see the 2018 Proclamation by Gov. Sununu for John Stark Day:  http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/i/4/4-13-l.htm  

The website for Stark Park in Manchester, New Hampshire:   http://www.starkpark.com/ 

Other Nutfield Genealogy blog posts about General John Stark: 

The General John Stark House in Manchester, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-general-john-stark-house-manchester.html  

The Stark Family Plot:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/tombstone-tuesday-stark-family-plot.html   

General John Stark (including more genealogy information):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/general-john-stark-live-free-or-die.html   

The Stark Homestead Site:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-stark-homestead-site-manchester-new.html  

Images of John Stark Day ceremonies 2016:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/john-stark-day-manchester-new-hampshire.html  

Autumn Visit to Dunbarton, New Hampshire (the Caleb Stark statue and the Molly Stark House):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-autumn-visit-to-dunbarton-new.html   

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "General John Stark Day, 12 April 2021", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 12, 2021 ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/04/general-john-stark-day-12-april-2021.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Stark Homestead Site, Manchester, New Hampshire

In the past I have written blog posts about Stark Park, and the Molly Stark House, both in Manchester.  Thanks to a reminder by Dave Wilson at the "All About Manchester, NH Old and New" Facebook page, Vincent and I went over to photograph the original site of the Stark Homestead on River Road, too.

General John Stark was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire (now downtown Derry) on 28 August 1728.  He was the "Hero of Bennington" and a Major General during the Revolutionary War.  As a child his family removed from Londonderry to Derryfield (now Manchester, New Hampshire).  He married "Molly" Elizabeth Page from Dunbarton and had eleven children.  A group of veterans from the Battle of Bennington held a reunion in 1809 and invited Stark.  He was elderly and could not attend, but he sent his famous letter to be read at the reunion. This letter included the famous phrase "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils".  This phrase from Stark's letter is now the New Hampshire state motto.

There is a historic marker on the site of Stark's birthplace as well as a NH state historic marker up the road on Route 28 (Rockingham Road).   His childhood home was removed from the actual site and is now located at 2000 Elm Street, and is known locally as "The General Stark House".  His own land once included all that is now Stark Park on River Road as well as this site further down by the entrance to the Youth Detention Center.

John Stark died at home at his farm on 8 May 1822, at age 93.

THIS STONE

MARKS THE HOMESTEAD OF

MAJOR GENERAL JOHN STARK

HERO OF BENNINGTON.

HE DIED HERE MAY 8, 1822

ERECTED BY

MOLLY STARK CHAPTER

DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1906

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL DOOR STONE

OF THE

STARK HOMESTEAD

STARK WELL

1765

Out of curiosity, Vincent peeked inside the well and saw this older monument

SITE OF THE

GEN. JOHN STARK

HOMESTEAD

For the truly curious:

John Stark:  Maverick General, by Ben Z. Rose, TreeLine Press, 2007.

Gen. John Stark's home farm: a paper read before the Manchester Historic Association October 7, 1903, by Roland Rowell. A copy is in the Boston Public Library.

Stark; The Life and Wars of John Stark, French and Indian War Ranger, Revolutionary War General, by Richard Polhemus and John Polhemus, Black Dome Press, 2014.

John Stark's papers are located at the New Hampshire Historical Society, 30 Park Street, in Concord, New Hampshire.

My blog post about the Stark Park:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/today-is-general-john-stark-day-in-new.html 

My blog post about the General John Stark House (Stark's childhood home):
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-general-john-stark-house-manchester.html

A blog post about nearby Dunbarton, New Hampshire, with photos of the Molly Stark House and the statue depicting Caleb Stark (the General's eldest son):
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-autumn-visit-to-dunbarton-new.html 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Stark Homestead Site, Manchester, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 5, 2019, (

Tombstone Tuesday ~ John and Mary (Hogg) Stinson, buried in Derry, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.

MEMENTO MORI

ERECTED                       LIKEWISE

In Memory of                 In memory of

  Mr. John Stinson            Mrs. Mary Stinson

who departed                  relict of     

          this Life                   Mr. John Stinson

Febry ye 6th AD        who died Octr.

1785                        4th 1793

      In the 89th                  In the 90th year

Year of his                   of her age

age                                 

John Stinson was born about 1695 and died 5 February 1785 in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  He immigrated to Portsmouth in 1727 and married Mary Hogg.  She was born about 1703 and died 4 October 1793.  Mary Stinson was enumerated in the first federal census in 1790 in Londonderry.

John and Mary Stinson had ten children.  Several sons went on to settle in Starkstown (now Dunbarton, New Hampshire).   Another son, David, was killed by the Indians when captured along with the Stark brothers (John and William) on 28 April 1752 along the Pemigewasset River in Northern New Hampshire.  One of the Stinson daughters, Mary, married Captain William Stark.  Another daughter, Betsey (Jane),  married Stephen Holland, the British Spy around 1751.  You can read all about this Loyalist spy at this link:  

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/tombstone-tuesday-jean-holland-died.html    

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ John and Mary (Hogg) Stinson, buried in Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 16, 2016, (   http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/tombstone-tuesday-john-and-mary-hogg.html:  accessed [access date]).

John Stark Day, Manchester, New Hampshire

In New Hampshire Major General John Stark Day is celebrated on the fourth Monday of April.   He is a local hero, and those of you "from away" may not know who is General John Stark.  He was an officer in the French and Indian War, and also in the American Revolutionary War.  He led the troops at the Battle of Bennington, Vermont, and also is famous for the state motto "Live Free or Die".  You can read more about his life in the links below.

I attended the ceremonies at Stark Park in Manchester, New Hampshire yesterday.  Stark Park is the former Stark homestead, and the place where the family burial ground is located.  Major General John and his wife, Molly Stark are buried here.

The ceremony was celebrated by local officials and a plethora of patriotic organizations such as the DAR, SAR and CAR (Children of the American Revolution).  The New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution (NHSAR) Colonial Color Guard and bagpiper posted the colors. 

Linda Wood, the Vice Regent of the Molly Stark Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) read the proclamation by New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan.  Ted Gatsas, the Mayor of Manchester, read a proclamation, too.  

John "Jack" Manning, the Historian General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), and the Secretary of the NH SAR, read some remarks on the life of Major General John Stark.   Bryce Laurendeau, past president of the John Stark Society of the Children of the American Revolution, laid a wreath at the grave of Major General John Stark.  

The NH SAR color guard gave a musket salute

Diana Duckoff, President of the Friends of Stark Park, gave an address about the three new additions to the park this year:  a new flag pole with a green Stark flag, a newly planted maple tree, and the General. John Stark memorial plaque (see below). 

STARK GRAVESITE

American Revolutionary War Hero, Major General John Stark

was born in Derryfield, New Hampshire in 1738.  Upon his death in 1822

this gravesite, on what was the site of the Stark family farm,

became his final resting place.  The General's beloved wife Molly,

who predeceased him in 1814, and other members of the 

Stark family were later laid to rest alongside the General.

The hand-forged wrought iron fence was added to the site in 1913.

Restoration of Stark Gravesite  2013 - 2014

A joint project of the City of Manchester and 

The Friends of Stark Park with the generous support of

The Molly Stark Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution

The National and New Hampshire Societies,

Sons of the American Revolution

and 

Foundations, Families and Friends

There was another ceremony yesterday, too, at the green in Dunbarton, New Hampshire at the statue of Major Caleb Stark.


For the truly curious:

A previous blog post at Nutfield Genealogy about John Stark Day:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/today-is-general-john-stark-day-in-new.html  

From Janice Brown's Cow Hampshire blog:
http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2014/04/25/new-hampshire-celebration-john-stark-day/

The Friends of Stark Park:
www.starkpark.com


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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John Stark Day, Manchester, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 26, 2016  (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/john-stark-day-manchester-new-hampshire.html:  accessed [access date]).

The General John Stark House, Manchester, New Hampshire

General John Stark (1728 - 1822)

The house now known as the General John Stark House in Manchester, New Hampshire was actually built in 1736 by the General's father, Archibald Stark.   The General, who was born in Londonderry, lived in this house until 1765, and two of his eleven children were born there.   The house was originally located along the eastern bank of the Merrimack River near present day Canal Street.  It was moved in 1968 when the Amoskeag Falls bridge and roadway project was begun.  The house was moved to Elm Street, to a parcel of land that was also part of the original 800 acre Stark farm.

The General John Stark House is now owned and operated by the Molly Stark Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Some of the original farm land is now Stark Park, where you will find the General's family burial plot.   April 27th, John Stark Day, is celebrated every year at the Stark Park by the Friends of Stark Park, the DAR and local re-enactors.

For the truly curious:

The General John Stark House
2000 Elm Street
Manchester, New Hampshire

New Hampshire Daughters of the American Revolution    http://nhsodar.org/

Gen. John Stark House Wikipedia article   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen._John_Stark_House

Stark family genealogy and DNA study http://homepage.usask.ca/~schmutz/StarkLines.html 

Stark Park     http://www.starkpark.com/

A 2015 blog post about the Stark Family Burial Plot
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/tombstone-tuesday-stark-family-plot.html

27 April 2015 blog post for General John Stark Day
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/today-is-general-john-stark-day-in-new.html


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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The General John Stark House, Manchester, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 8, 2016 (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-general-john-stark-house-manchester.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Stark Family Plot, Manchester, New Hampshire

The Stark Family Burial Ground

at Stark Park, Manchester, New Hampshire

(the former Stark family farm property)

ARCHIBALD STARK       JOHN STARK 2ND

1683 - 1750                   1752 - 1844

ELEANOR NICHOLS              MARY HUSE      

HIS WIFE                          HIS WIFE

1686 - 1740                       1752  - 1838

GEN. JOHN STARK       JOHN STARK 3RD

1728 - 1822                    1790 - 1872

ELIZABETH PAGE          SARAH F. POLLARD

HIS WIFE                        HIS WIFE

1734 - 1794                     1794 - 1883

ALBERT G. ROBIE

DEC. 1, 1805

JULY 27, 1886

LOUISA B. STARK

HIS WIFE

OCT 3, 1809

SEPT. 7, 1906

B. FRANKLIN STARK             JOHN F. STARK

1820 - 1855                         1825 - 1826

HARRIET KIMBALL        THOMAS P. STARK

HIS WIFE                     1822 - 1848   

1820 - 1886          GEORGE F. STARK

BURKE F.                       1815 - 1820

THEIR SON               DAVID M. K. STARK

1853 - 1887                         1832 - 1849   

AUGUSTUS H. STARK

1834 - 1902

EDITH F. STARK

HIS WIFE

1844 - 1913

ELIZABETH P. STARK

1827 - 1896

HANNAH POLLARD SLEEPER

1834 - 1884

GEN. JOHN STARK

died

May 8, 1822

AEt. 94

John Stark’s Family Tree:

Generation 1: Archibald Stark, b. 1697 in Glasgow, Scotland, d. 25 June 1758 in Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire; married to Eleanor Nichols, b. about 1697 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Generation 2: General John Stark, b. 28 August 1728 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, d. 8 May 1822 in Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire; married on 20 August 1758 in Dunbarton, New Hampshire to Elizabeth Page, "Molly", b. 1737 in Haverhill, New Hampshire, d. 29 June 1814. General John Stark is buried at the John Stark State Park, Manchester, New Hampshire.

1. *Caleb Page Stark b. 03 Dec 1759, Dunbarton, New Hampshire, d. 26 Aug 1838, Oxford, Ohio
2. Archibald Stark b. 28 May 1761, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 11 Sep 1791
3. John Stark b. 17 Apr 1763, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 24 Nov 1844, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire
4. Eleanor Stark b. 04 Mar 1765, d. 20 Aug 1767
5. Eleanor Stark b. 30 Jun 1767, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. Abt 1843
6. Sarah Stark , b. 11 Jun 1769, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 29 Jan 1801
7. Elizabeth Stark b. 10 Aug 1771, d. 13 May 1813, Ryegate (Caledonia County), Vermont
8. Mary Stark b. 09 Sep 1773, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire
9. Charles Stark . 02 Dec 1775, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. Nov 1796, At Sea
10. Benjamin Franklin Stark b. 16 Jun 1777, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 19 Jul 1809
11. Sophia Stark, b. 21 Jun 1782, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 18 Jun 1870, North Reading, Massachusetts

*

This statue of Caleb Stark is in Dunbarton, New Hampshire

Caleb Stark, age 15, and his maternal grandfather, Capt. Caleb Page

left Dunbarton to join the troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston. 

For more information about this statue, click this link

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-autumn-visit-to-dunbarton-new.html

For more information:

History of Manchester (formerly Derryfield), by C. E. Potter, 1856, Chapter 24

John Stark: Maverick General, by Ben. Z. Rose, Hobblebush Books, Brookline, New Hampshire, 2007

Please see yesterday's post about General John Stark and Stark Park at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/today-is-general-john-stark-day-in-new.html   

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

The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/tombstone-tuesday-stark-family-plot.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Today is General John Stark Day in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Revised Statutes 4:12-1 "And the governor... shall urge cities and towns throughout the state to observe this day in commemoration of General Stark's gallant and illustrious service to New Hampshire and his country".  For those who need to brush up on their American history, General Stark not only was a hero at the Battles of Bunker Hill, Bennington and Saratoga, he was the one who first wrote our state motto "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils".

April 27th is General John Stark Day in New Hampshire.  Manchester, New Hampshire, my newly adopted home, is where the Stark farm was located.  The Stark family, like me, came from Londonderry to Derryfield (now Manchester) and lived along the banks of the Merrimack River for generations.  The Stark descendants donated part of this land, along with the family burial ground, to the city for a park.

Canons and flagpole at Stark Park

The Stark Family Burial Ground at Stark Park

(stay tuned tomorrow for details on "Tombstone Tuesday")

Stark Park is now a real gem, but suffered from neglect in the end of the 20th century.  A group of concerned citizens formed "The Friends of Stark Park" and transformed this land back into a lovely memorial, and also placed it on the National Register of historic places.  As one volunteer told me yesterday, "... after all, General Stark is buried here" as she lovingly watered the pansies planted for ceremonies which took places today.

The Stark family farmhouse burned many years ago, but it once stood on River Road not far from the park.  The childhood homestead of the General, now owned by the Molly Stark Chapter of the DAR, known locally as the "Molly Stark House" for the General's wife, was moved away from the riverside to 2000 Elm Street.  He was born Londonderry (now Derry).

STARK PARK

-----

This 30 acre tract along the Merrimack River

was the family farm of Revolutionary War hero

General John Stark and his wife Molly.  When

soldiers were stricken with smallpox at Ticonderoga,

the General sent them here to his farm to recover.

General Stark returned here at the end of the war.

He died in 1822 and is buried in the family plot

in the park.  The city of Manchester purchased 

this site from Stark descendants in 1891, and it

was dedicated as a public park in 1893.

There is also a bronze statue of General Stark in front of the New Hampshire Statehouse in Concord, dedicated in 1890, and another statue at the Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont.

Links:

Friends of Stark Park  http://www.friendsofstarkpark.org/

Manchester Historical Society's John Clayton's address today for Stark Day at Stark Park:
http://manchesterinklink.com/its-john-stark-day-raise-a-glass-to-the-man-the-myth-the-nh-legend/

"Happy General John (AKA Molly Stark's husband's) Day" from Janice Webster Brown's Cow Hampshire blog:
http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2015/04/24/happy-general-john-and-molly-page-stark-day-april-27-2015/

A previous blog post about Dunbarton, New Hampshire, home of Molly Stark
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-autumn-visit-to-dunbarton-new.html

Click here for the Stark family genealogy
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/general-john-stark-live-free-or-die.html

29 April 2015 Tombstone Tuesday Blog Post on the Stark Family burial ground
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/tombstone-tuesday-stark-family-plot.html  

------------------------------
The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/today-is-general-john-stark-day-in-new.html
Copyright (c) 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

An Autumn Visit to Dunbarton, New Hampshire

We recently moved to Manchester, New Hampshire.  Nearby, almost next door except for a sliver of Goffstown, is the small town of Dunbarton.  We had never been there, and enjoyed our visit very much.  It was a lovely fall day, and just barely warm enough for a ride in the little red convertible with the top down.  We found this statue on the common next to the town hall (the white building in the background).

MAJOR CALEB STARK

In 1759 Major Caleb Stark, the first child of General John and

Molly Stark, was born in Dunbarton at the home of his 

grandfather now known as the Molly Stark House.  At age 15, 

he left this house and his grandfather, Capt. Caleb Page, on

the eve of the battle of Bunker Hill to join in the American

Revolution.  He represents Dunbarton's own minuteman and

his likeness is embossed on the Town Seal.  He was wounded

 at the Battle of Saratoga and, during the closing stages of the

conflict, served as an adjutant to his famous father.  After the

war, he married Sarah McKinstry and built the Stark Mansion

where he entertained General Lafayette in 1825.  He was tireless

in his pursuit to arrange for payments for service of Revolutionary

War officers and his efforts suceeded when lands in Ohio were

granted as compensation.  He died in Ohio in 1838 and is buried 

at the Stark Cemetery on Mansion Road in Dunbarton.

Statue donated by Laraine and Herbert Allen

Pedestal donated by Marion Crosby from land formerly

part of the estate of Capt. Caleb Page

Memorial Day 2002

 

This is the Dunbarton, New Hampshire town seal mentioned on the plaque above.

The Molly Stark House is located just a few miles away from the center of Dunbarton, where the statue and town hall are found.  

MOLLY STARK HOUSE

Built by her father, Capt. Caleb Page, c. 1759, 

this was Molly Page's home in her youth and

as the wife of Gen. John Stark.  Their first

son, Caleb, who served with his illustrious

father during the Revolution, was born here, 

as was Molly's brother, Jeremiah Page, later 

a Superior Court Justice and delgate to

the first Constitutional Convention (1778).

This structure also housed the first Dunbarton

Post office (1834). 

This sign is on the corner across from the Molly Stark House, on the intersection of the Stark Highway (which leads to the center of Dunbarton and the statue) and the road to Concord, New Hampshire.  

General John Stark was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and he was a member of Roger's Rangers.  He became an officer in 1757, just before the French and Indian War.  He married Molly Page and had eleven children.  He joined the Revolutionary War right after the Battle of Lexington, and saw action at Bunker Hill, the Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Bennington, all the way to the end of the war when he returned to Manchester, New Hampshire.  General Stark is famous for the phrase "Live Free or Die", which now the New Hampshire State motto.  He lived to the age of 94, and was the last surviving Revolutionary War general. 

Click here to read a previous blog post about General John Stark:

 http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/general-john-stark-live-free-or-die.html   

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

The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/an-autumn-visit-to-dunbarton-new.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

America’s First Military Dog? Sgt. Beaubien

"Sergeant Beaubien" by historical artist John Buxton
depicts Rangers on patrol overlooking Lake George.
On the right is William Stark with his famous dog "Beaubien"

Captain William Stark was a member of Roger’s Rangers, and elder brother to General John Stark who was so famous during the American Revolution.  (Gen. Stark coined the famous phrase “Live Free or Die” which became the New Hampshire state motto).   Both Stark brothers were born at the Stark homestead on Stark Road in Derry, New Hampshire (then known as Londonderry).  Each brother took a different side during the American Revolutionary War, but served together in the French and Indian War.  

William Stark adopted a wolf hybrid dog from a French Canadian officer, and he named him Sergeant Beau de Bien.  He entered the dog into the muster roll of the Rangers, and he earned Sergeant’s pay as a scout.  The men called the dog “Beaubien”.  This famous dog was beloved by the Rangers and his story is now part of New Hampshire history.

“He [Beaubien]lived to a ripe old age and though he never boasted of his deeds he was considered a hero.”   History of Rogers Rangers, by Burt G. Loescher, Volume 1, pages 90-91.

A hearing was held recently in Concord at the statehouse to create a canine veteran’s day to honor service dogs.  Twelve other states have such a holiday.  Richard Holmes, the Derry Town historian recently announced at the Londonderry Historical Society meeting on 25 February 2014 that the first military dog in America was Londonderry’s own Beaubien.  His story could be the symbol of the service dogs from New Hampshire for this new holiday. 

For more information:

“Dogs could be honored with Canine Veteran’s Day”, WMUR TV, 20 February 2014 http://www.wmur.com/news/dogs-could-be-honored-with-canine-veterans-day/24587696

“Sgt. Beaubien was another Nutfield First" by Rick Holmes, Derry News, March 13, 2014  https://www.derrynews.com/opinion/column-sgt-beaubien-was-another-nutfield-first/article_bb803e17-8cf0-5a59-bc2a-9bf2248386af.html   

Sergeant Beaubien, original artwork by John Buxton http://www.lordnelsons.com/gallery/frontier/buxton/15.htm

My Londonderry friend just wrote a children's book about a military dog, see this link:
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Adventures-Jethro-Fritz-Feinstein/dp/1457524570 

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

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "America’s First Military Dog? Sgt. Beaubien", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 17, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/americas-first-military-dog-sgt-beaubien.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Battle of Noddle's Island

From the Library of Congress G3764.B6S3 1775 .D4
 Vaultg3764b ar090000
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3764b.ar090000

This was just a teeny skirmish during the American Revolution, but I love it because the marsh and the island where it happened belonged to some of my ancestors, and some of the people involved are right out of my family tree. As I tell the tale of the Battle of Noddle’s Island (sometimes known as the Battle of Chelsea Creek, or the Battle of Hog Island), I’ll point out the family ties.

Noddle’s Island is now where Boston’s Logan airport sits.  The land around it has been filled in, and it is no longer an island.  One of the first settlers to live here was Samuel Maverick, and in the 1630s his house was located near Maverick Square in East Boston, today.   There is a “Maverick Station” on the blue line of the T (the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway) in this part of East Boston.  Samuel Maverick (b. about 1602) is the brother to my 10 x Great Grandfather, Moses Maverick (1611- 1686). 

Chelsea Creek, Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point, all land near these islands, was settled by my Bill Family ancestors in the 1600s.  They lived and farmed also on the island that is now known as the town of Winthrop, Massachusetts.  Early maps of the Winthrop peninsula are labeled "Bill's Farm".   Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point are in the current cities of Chelsea and Revere Massachusetts. Other ancestors from the Belcher, Cheever, Tuttle, and Hitchings families lived here, too.

Fast forward 150 years, and the second battle of the American Revolution happened here.  Or rather, a skirmish happened here.   The British were going up and down the coast causing trouble by confiscating gunpowder and supplies, including hay cut and stored on islands, as well as livestock that used to roam the islands safe from predators and poachers.  On 27 May 1775, just a bit more than a month after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, New Hampshire’s own General John Stark was in charge of burning the hay and supplies on Noddle’s and Hog Island so the resources wouldn’t fall into enemy hands.  The British saw the smoke from Boston, and came out to investigate.

British General Gage sent out the schooner Diana, which misjudged the depth of the marshy waters and foundered in the mud.  Dr. Joseph Warren (of Bunker Hill fame) and General Israel Putnam (married to my 1^st cousin, 7 generations removed, Hannah Pope) arrived on foot with a troop of soldiers from Stark’s 1^st New Hampshire Regiment.  Although the British tried to fire their cannons at the rebels, the cannons were pointed towards the mud because of the listing ship, and so there was a standoff.  When the British finally abandoned ship, the colonial soldiers stripped the ship of everything of value: artillery, guns, sails, money, anything not nailed down.  They put the hay the British wanted under the Diana and set it ablaze.

No one died.  It wasn’t much of a battle, but it was great for Boston’s morale to destroy a British warship.  Lord Percy wrote back to England “ "The rebels have lately amused themselves with burning the houses on an island just under the admiral's nose; and a schooner, with our carriage-guns and some swivels, which he sent to drive them off, [had] unfortunately [ran] ashore, and the rebels burned her."  [The Boston Harbor Islands: A History of an Urban Wilderness, by David Kales, The History Press, 2007, page 46]

The guns and supplies from the HMS Diana were used by the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill a few weeks later.

It is always fun to read more about these little skirmishes, and to find out who was there.  In the Chelsea, Massachusetts Historical Society there were many details about this battle, and also in the book A Documentary History of Chelsea, by Mellen Chamberlain, Jetty C. Watts, and William R. Cuttler, published by the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1908. A few years ago, an article in the Boston Globe got me interested in learning more about the Battle of Noddle’s Island: “In Chelsea, hunt is on for remains of lost Revolutionary War ship”, by Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press reporter,  Boston Globe,  20 July 2009 http://articles.boston.com/2009-07-20/news/29261040_1_battle-schooner-ship   Investigating this little story led to discovering the places, names and stories of many ancestors!

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Amanuensis Monday- finding the word Amanuensis

Today I wrote a post for the Amanuensis Monday meme about Reverend William Bentley's diary. I had left Volume 4 out on the coffee table, and was reading it while my husband was watching TV. I accidentally turned to pages 484 and 485 I found this passage with the word "amanuensis". I was startled, but delighted to see this unusual word...and also a mention of Londonderry's own General John Stark in the same passage.

December 15, 1809
"Mr. Stickney of Bow, NH, tells me that he has discovered an inexhaustible abundance of Iron Ore in his vicinity, near to wood, water falls, & navigation, & that he has reason to believe it to be of excellent quality. He informs me this in the cover of a Letter from his father in law, Gen. John Stark, to who he serves in the absence of the Major as Amanuensis. I had addressed a Letter to Gen. Stark on the subject of President Madison."

I suppose the reference was to his serving as a clerk, who took dication for letters, etc?

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

General John Stark "Live Free or Die!"

The statue of General John Stark
in Manchester, New Hampshire

You know he said “Live Free or Die” but what else do you know about John Stark? You can learn all about Londonderry’s famous general on June 9th at the Folsom Tavern in Exeter, New Hampshire. The lecture begins at 7PM, admission is $3 for members, $5 for non members. Author Ben Z. Rose, who wrote the book John Stark: Maverick General will discuss Stark’s battlefield history. This is part of a series called “Conversations with Authors” by the American Independence Museum of Exeter, which will continue on September 29th with John P. Resch’s discussion on his book Suffering Soldiers: Revolutionary War Veterans, Moral Sentiment, and Political Culture in the Early Republic. For more information, call the American Independence Museum at 603-772-2622 or check the website at http://www.independencemuseum.org/

John Stark was born 28 August 1728 in Nutfield (now Londonderry) to parents from Scotland and Northern Ireland. When the family home in Londonderry burned in 1736 they moved up to the Merrimack River, above Amoskeag Falls. Several other families followed them and it became the town of Derryfield (now Manchester). The Stark family home is now a museum run by the local Molly Stark chapter of the DAR.

In 1752 John, his brother William and two neighbors were ambushed by Indians whilst out hunting. William escaped, and later ransomed John. He became a member of the famous Roger’s Rangers in the frontier. Two years later John led an expedition for Governor Benning Wentworth to explore western New Hampshire. He was commissioned an officer in January 1757, just before the French and Indian War. These frontier experiences would give him an insight into the colony’s borders and northern defenses that other officers of the time period lacked.

After seeing action at the siege of Fort Ticonderoga he returned home to marry Elizabeth “Molly” Page. They had eleven children. Molly was a tomboy who was an excellent marksman and considered “too much for any man to handle.” There is a statue of a gun carrying Molly overlooking the Deerfield River at the Molly Stark State Park in Vermont. Molly served as a nurse to her husband’s troops, and opened the home in Manchester as a hospital during the Revolution.

When he heard of the attack at Lexington, John Stark was supposedly on his horse within ten minutes, and on his way to Massachusetts. Twelve hundred men from New Hampshire joined him at Medford, Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Provincial Congress appointed him Colonel of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment, which defended Bunker Hill at the infamous battle. They fought the rear action of the battle during the British retreat.

Stark went with George Washington to New Jersey, at the Battle of Trenton. He predicted that the next British attack would come out of Canada, and he was correct when General Burgoyne and 10,000 troops came down from Lake Champlain toward Fort Ticonderoga. He was ordered to Saratoga, but refused and instead he mustered men for the battle at Bennington on August 16th, defeating the British and Hessian forces and greatly affecting Burgoyne, who was forced to surrender on October 17, 1777.

The war lasted six more years. After the war John Stark returned to Manchester and private life with Molly. Washington summoned him to headquarters in 1783 for a personal “thank you”, and given the rank of Major General by brevet. He lived to age 94, the last surviving Revolutionary War general.

Perhaps Stark’s greatest contributions to history are his famous quotes, such as:

"There they are, men! We'll beat them before night or Molly Stark's a widow."

Or "Live free or die- Death is not the worst of evils." Which he wrote for the anniversary of the Battle of Bennington, and the first four words live on as the motto of the state of New Hampshire. Of all the license plate mottos in the United States, this is perhaps the most famous! Most folks don’t know the second part, which I think is the most visionary. Most folks also think he said it at the battle, which is not true.

There is a New Hampshire state roadside marker to General John Stark on the side of Route 28 in Derry, about 2.3 miles south of the Derry Rotary. Nearby is a furniture store called “The General Stark Store”. There is a John Stark Regional High School in Weare, New Hampshire. Flag Hill Distillery in Bennington, New Hampshire is now producing fine vodka named “General John Stark.” Molly is memorialized by the DAR chapter, the Vermont State Park, and a cannon in a New Boston park. There is also a Molly Stark Inn in Bennington, Vermont. A tuberculosis sanatorium in Canton, Ohio was named for Molly Stark in 1929.

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John Stark’s Family Tree:

Generation 1: Archibald Stark, b. 1697 in Glasgow, Scotland, d. 25 June 1758 in Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire; married to Eleanor Nichols, b. about 1697 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Archibald Stark is buried at the old burial ground in Manchester where his stone reads "Here Lyes The Body of Mr. ARCHIBALD STARK. He Departed This Life June 25, 1758, Aged 61 Years."

Generation 2: General John Stark, b. 28 August 1728 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, d. 8 May 1822 in Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire; married on 20 August 1758 in Dunbarton, New Hampshire to Elizabeth Page, "Molly", b. 1737 in Haverhill, New Hampshire, d. 29 June 1814. General John Stark is buried at the John Stark State Park, Manchester, New Hampshire.

1. Caleb Page Stark b. 03 Dec 1759, Dunbarton, New Hampshire, d. 26 Aug 1838, Oxford, Ohio
2. Archibald Stark b. 28 May 1761, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 11 Sep 1791
3. John Stark b. 17 Apr 1763, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 24 Nov 1844, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire
4. Eleanor Stark b. 04 Mar 1765, d. 20 Aug 1767
5. Eleanor Stark b. 30 Jun 1767, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. Abt 1843
6. Sarah Stark , b. 11 Jun 1769, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 29 Jan 1801
7. Elizabeth Stark b. 10 Aug 1771, d. 13 May 1813, Ryegate (Caledonia County), Vermont
8. Mary Stark b. 09 Sep 1773, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire
9. Charles Stark . 02 Dec 1775, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. Nov 1796, At Sea
10. Benjamin Franklin Stark b. 16 Jun 1777, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 19 Jul 1809
11. Sophia Stark, b. 21 Jun 1782, Derryfield (Manchester), New Hampshire, d. 18 Jun 1870, North Reading, Massachusetts

For more information:

History of Manchester (formerly Derryfield), by C. E. Potter, 1856, Chapter 24

John Stark: Maverick General, by Ben. Z. Rose, Hobblebush Books, Brookline, New Hampshire, 2007

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo