2012 Father's Day Tree

Every year I post something about our Father's Day Tree on this blog.  It is called the "Father's Day Tree" because we planted it in 1988, on my husband's second Father's Day.  Our daughter was just a little over one year old.  I posted photos of the tree at this link in 2010 and this link in 2011.

1988

1993

2004

Last October New Hampshire suffered a big snowstorm now known as the Snowtober Storm.  This storm was devastating because it happened when our trees still had all their leaves.  The weight of the heavy, wet snow on top of the leafy branches caused many trees to lose branches, and many fell over or were damaged beyond repair.  Our Father's Day tree sustained much damage, as you can see in the photos.

We live in a condominium community that was hard hit by the storm.  Because many trees were damaged, not just our tree, they have not all been trimmed or repaired yet.  In our town, the damage was so extensive you can still see downed limbs in the forests, and many toppled trees.  We hope this tree will be trimmed this summer, and we are praying it has not sustained permanent damage.  This episode in it's life will be just like the rest of our family history that accompanies the photos of our Father's Day Tree.

2012 Father's Day

UPDATE!  - A tree service arrived on June 19th, two days after Father's Day, to repair the damage by the storm.  The tree was trimmed and assessed to be in good health.  Here's to many more Father's Day photos in the future!

The 2010 Father's Day http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/06/fathers-day-tree.html

The 2011 Father's Day Tree Post http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/fathers-day-tree.html

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Collston of Reading, Massachusetts

COLLSTON

Adam Collston’s origins are unknown.  He settled in Reading, Massachusetts before 1668, and was the schoolmaster from 1679 to 1681.  This will was found in England and reprinted in the NEHGS Register in January 1884, page 68.

"Elizabeth Bretland, late the wife of William Bretland, deceased, Barbados, 6 October 1687.  Legacies to daughters Elizabeth Taylor and Millecent Acklam; to grandson Peter Jones; to grandsons John and Jacob Legay.  I give and bequeath to my brother Adam Coulson's children, of Reading near Boston, in New England, the sum of one hundred pounds, to be equally divided among them or the survivor of them.

            Cousin Edward Munday and Mr. John Mortimer of London, merchants, to be executors of the will.

            Item, I give unto my brother Adam Coulson's chilren, of Reading, near Boston, In New England, one negro woman, by name Sarah, being my own proper purchase, or to the survivor of the, to be sent to them the first opportunity after my decease.  I leave, according to the desire of my dear husband, Mr. Edward Munday, to my three daughters, Elizabeth, Millecent and Mary, thirty five pounds of silver, at twelve ounces to the pound. 

            Friends, Capt. Elisha Mellowes and Mr. John Hooker, to be executors for that portion of the estate in the Barbados.

            The witnesses made depostion as to this will 3 April 1689.  It was entered and recorded in the Secretary's Office, 17 February 1689.  Proved in London 5 December 1690.”

Adam’s daughter, Elizabeth, is my 8x great grandmother.  At sixteen she was arrested on a charge of witchcraft, along with three other women in her family (Lydia Dustin her grandmother, Sarah Dustin her aunt, and Mary Collston her mother).  Young Elizabeth was very brave and escaped twice!  The first time was from Cambridge jail, and the second while she was being transported to Charlestown.  Grandmother Lydia Dustin died in prison in Cambridge.

Elizabeth had an illegitimate daughter, Mary Collston my 7x great grandmother.  Her husband Adam Hart was made guardian to Mary. I don’t know when Elizabeth died, but Adam had two more wives- Abigail Deal and Dorcas Brown.  Adam Hart’s mother, Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Hart, had also been arrested for witchcraft.

Mary (Collston) Flint’s son, Jonathan Flint (1730 – 1800) married Lydia Proctor, a great granddaughter of the John Proctor (1631 – 1692) who was hung as a witch (also my 8 x great grandfather).  As you can see, this holds up my theory that the families of accused and executed witches formed a very tight bond in the generations immediately following the 1692 witch hysteria.

There have been no books or articles written about the early Collstons.  All my Collston information came from vital records, the Reading town histories and records, and from documents produced around the witch trials in the 1690s (except for the will mentioned above).

My lineage from Adam Collston:

Generation 1: Adam Collston, died 1 March 1686 in Reading, Massachusetts; married on 7 September 1668 in Reading, Massachusetts to Mary Duston/Dustin/Dastin.  She was the daughter of Josiah Dustin and Lydia Unknown.  Six children.  Mary remarried on 26 September 1701 to Cornelius Brown as his third wife.

Generation 2: Elizabeth Collston, born 9 October 1676, married about 1703 to Adam Hart as his first of three wives.  She had a daughter, Mary, as an illegimate child.

Generation 3: Mary Collston, born 22 September 1704 in Reading; married on 18 February 1723 in Reading to Jonathan Flint, son of Thomas Flint and Mary Dounton.  He was born on 8 November 1689 in Salem Village (now Danvers).  At least two children.

Generation 4. Jonathan Flint married Lydia Proctor

Generation 5: John Flint married Phebe Flint

Generation 6: Olive Flint married Luther Simonds Munroe

Generation 7: Phebe Cross Munroe married Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 8: Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 9: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Collston of Reading, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 16, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-collston-of-reading.html: accessed [access date]). 

A Mystery, A Brass Rat, and a Soldier Hero

Calling all genealogists, including forensic genealogists, to help solve this mystery!

My husband went to MIT and he cherishes his Brass Rat.  This is the affectionate name given to the MIT class ring, which sports the image of a beaver on the top.  The beaver, the engineer of the animal kingdom, is the MIT mascot.  It is an unusual ring, recognized by alumni all over the world.  We’ve been on vacation in far flung places like Alaska or Europe, and other alums have come up to introduce themselves to my husband because of the Brass Rat.  He meets MIT alums at conferences and engineering facilities all over the USA who know his ring.  Every class had a different ring designed by a committee of graduating seniors. 

In 1968 Stephen Adams was killed in Vietnam, and among his personal effects was this MIT class ring.  However, Adams was not an MIT grad.  The ring is undated, from the mid 1960s, and has the initials J. T. M. etched on the inside.  It is apparently a grad school ring for someone who received a Master’s of Science degree. 

That is me in Lobby 10 at MIT under the Great Dome.
The honor rolls on the walls have the names of alumni and students
killed in action in wars since World War I.

Why did Stephen Adams have this ring?  Who is the mysterious J. T. M.?  What happened to Mr. M.?  The sister of Stephen Adams returned the Brass Rat to MIT this year, with the hopes it would be returned to J. T. M or to his family.  If Mr. M. was killed in action, MIT would like to have his name added to the honor roll in Lobby 10, under the Great Dome. 

My husband, MIT '82, and a member of the class of 1942
compare Brass Rats at the 2012 MIT reunion reception!

The link to the video “MIT’s Brass Rat: A Vietnam War Ring Mystery” :

 http://video.mit.edu/watch/mits-brass-rat-a-vietnam-war-ring-mystery-11571/

The original story about the mysterious Brass Rat at the MIT alumni website:

http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2012/06/12/seeking-owner-of-brass-rat-lost-in-vietnam/

A link to the story about the mysterious Brass Rat from the MIT student life website:
http://studentlife.mit.edu/vietnamring 

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Flag Day 2012

The Stars and Stripes
As we cruised under the Golden Gate Bridge
in San Franciso Bay, August 2011

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

A Big Hint about Genealogy Research in Spain

I learned something new while we were in Spain last week.  My mother-in-law pulled out this document, about the size of a passport, and showed it to me.  My husband took photos of every page inside so I could post it on the blog.

My in-laws were married in 1960 and issued
this family book by the Spanish government

In Spain every head of family (male) is issued a “Libro de Familia” (Family Book) upon marriage.  This is the official marriage certificate, but the additional pages list children’s births, deaths, additional marriages, previous marriages, etc.  Unwed mothers are issued them when a child is born.  The idea for these books was developed under the dictatorship of Generalissimo Francisco Franco, but the books are still issued in Spain today.  I don’t know how it works now that civil unions (gay marriages) are allowed, but I read online that these books are being changed over electronic registrations soon. 

Not my in-laws, but found at the website
http://todoparalafamilia.com

 My mother in law was married in 1960, and she said that couples used to present the book upon checking into hotels in Spain.  You couldn’t rent a hotel room without it!  These books are presented to school officials to register children for classes, and for registering for social security benefits.

These pages would be filled out for each child.
There is room for ten children, plus several blank pages
(I guess they were expecting everyone to have lots of kids!)

If every family since the 1930s had to have a family book, this is a great jumping off place for genealogy.  Start with the marriage certificate on the front page, and you have a couple listed with their parents and their birth places.  Turn the pages and you’ll find the children listed.  My husband is registered in this book even though he was born in New York City while his father was working at the United Nations.  This is important to know, especially since so many people left Spain during the Franco regime, and spread all over the world,  yet wanted to maintain ties with family in Spain. Many of these people returned to Spain in the 1980s or later, and would have maintained their records in their family book. 

These pages would be filled out in the case of a spouse's death
and then the subsequent remarriage is registered on the right side page.

There are additional pages for other civil registrations and for registering orphans, widows and other family members who might need social security benefits.  There are also pages for listing places of employment and official residence changes.  I'm curious to know if other countries have a similar system.  Do you know the answer to this?  Has anyone used books like this in their genealogy research?  What a treasure to know about this for research in Spain! 

This is the cover of a modern Spanish Family Book

For the truly curious:

A New York Times story from 2009 about Spain under Franco’s government, with a photo of a “Libro de Familia” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/world/europe/01franco.html

An article, in Spanish, from El Mundo newspaper about the retiring of the “Libro de Familia” for electronic registrations of births and marriages http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/01/08/espana/1262965596.html  


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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Big Hint about Genealogy Research in Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 14, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-hint-about-genealogy-research-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ At an Old Farm

I've been photographing the weather vanes in the historic area of Nutfield, New Hampshire.  Nutfield used to be where Derry and Londonderry are located today, but also covered Windham and parts of Hudson and Manchester, New Hampshire.   Today's weathervane is in Londonderry. 

Do you know the location of weathervane #47?   Scroll down to see the answer.

Today's weathervane is located at Griffin Avenue in Londonderry.  This is an old farmhouse, and the cupola is on the house, above the garage, not on the barn.  From Early Londonderry: Tidbits and Sketches, compiled by the Londonderry Historical Society, 1968, Volume III, page 129 "The first Frank Griffin came from Canada to Manchester and there married Margaret Drea, where their first two children were born.  In 1898 they came to Londonderry, buying a farm from Mr. W. Scolly.  On the farm was a two story colonial house, which Mr. Griffin later remodeled into the present three story house that you will see on the right of this Avenue.  The couple lost two children under two years of age, James and Josephine.  A nineteen year old son, John, was fatally hurt by having a horse kick him in the stomach.  The rest of the family consisted of Ann, Ellen, Francis, Charles, Teresa, Marguerite, and Elizabeth." 

Please click here to see the entire series of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday ~ John Worthen Dearborn, Hampton, New Hampshire

This gravestone was photographed at High Street Cemetery in Hampton, New Hampshire.

We were there to photograph a family member's stone, but when I saw this memorial I took a quick photo.

I knew there would be a story behind this sad inscription...

JOHN W. DEARBORN
1833 - 19915
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HIS SEVEN CHILDREN
WHO DIED OF DIPTHERIA
IN 1866

John Worthen Dearborn, son of John Dearborn and Mary Ann Towle, was a mason in Hampton, New Hampshire.  He was born 22 August 1833 in Hampton and died in 1915.  He married first on 24 Mar 1853 to Sarah Melinda Brown, daughter of William Brown and Nancy Hutchings Downing.   He married second on 29 April 1878 in Hampton to Ann Martha Brown, daughter of Jeremiah Brown and Martha Lane.  Nine children born in Hampton (all with Sarah) seven died of diphtheria in the fall of 1866.  

1. John P. Dearborn, born 1 August 1853, died 8 December 1866

2. Josephine A. Dearborn, born 22 October 1854, died 10 October 1866

3. Mary H. Dearborn, born 19 October 1856, died 19 October 1866

4. Charles W. Dearborn, born 17 August 1858, died 23 September 1866

5. George H. Dearborn, born 1 February 1860, died 19 September 1866

6. Annie L. Dearborn, born 2 April 1862, died 22 September 1866

7. Willie A. Dearborn, born 9 December 1863, died 20 October 1866

8. Philena G. Dearborn, born 11 June 1865 married Edward P. Moulton

9. Frank J. Dearborn, born 12 October 1868

The genealogy was gleaned from The Dearborns of Hampton: Descendants of Godfrey Dearborn, by Joseph Dow, 1893.  In this book I also learned that John Worthen Dearborn was a distant cousin, since I am also a descendant of Godfrey Dearborn through both his son Henry (1634 - 1725) and his daughter Sarah (abt 1641 - 1714) who married Thomas Nudd. 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ John Worthen Dearborn, Hampton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 12, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/tombstone-tuesday-john-worthen-dearborn.html: accessed [access date]). 

Captain John Dominis, his invention and patent file

Imagine my surprise when I found that a sea captain in my family tree had filed a patent application.  I knew he was in many newspaper articles, and in the history books for Hawaii, where he lived with his wife from Boston.  One day, at GenealogyBank.com I was searching for more newspaper accounts when I failed to click on just newspapers and pulled up historical documents instead.  I had many hits there for the name "John Dominis" which was terrific, and some of these were related to his patent applications.  It described his invention as "a measuring instrument for sails".

When you find an ancestor who is an inventor, the place to look for records is at Google.com/patents   There you can enter the name and it will pull up patent applications filed under that name, or witnessed by that name.  I had used this in the past to search for my 2x great grandfather, Peter Hoogerzeil, who we knew was an inventor because of oral history (see this link for the story http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/01/perusing-google-patents.html)  When I entered the name "John Dominis" this is the application that came up!

The application contains much complicated mathematics and calculations, and I was very impressed.  I know that Captain John Dominis was from Croatia, but his application is very well written.  I don't recognize the names of his witnesses, and his application describes him as a "citizen of the United States of America now residing in the Sandwich Islands, in the Pacific Ocean" and it was filed in 1842.

Now you know to never assume that an ancestor doesn't have any historical documents such as a patent for an invention!  And you know where to look for those patents, too.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo