Surname Saturday ~ Simonds of Woburn, Massachusetts

SIMONDS

This illustration of the Jesse Cutler House (built by William Simonds)
is from page 58 of Legends of Woburn, by Parker Lindall Converse,
published in 1896.  You can read this book at Archives.org
http://archive.org/stream/legendsofwoburn02conv#page/n7/mode/2up

William Simonds was born in 1612 in Winchester, Hampshire, England, son of William Symonds and Alice Unknown.   He settled first in Charlestown where he became a freeman in 1639.  He was first married to a Sarah Unknown about 1641 in Concord, Massachusetts, and then he removed to the settlement which became the town of Woburn, Massachusetts in about 1644 when he was taxed there.

In 1644 he also married Judith Phippen, the widow of James Hayward.  He built his house in the Cummingsville section of town about 1670, and is no longer standing, but there are photographs of it.  William Simonds died in 1672 and left Judith his house in his will, and it eventually passed to his son Benjamin and stayed I the Simonds family until 1844, when it was sold to Jesse Cutler.  

William and Judith had twelve children,  and ten lived to adulthood.  There are a large number of descendants who spread out over Middlesex County, Massachusetts and beyond.    If you are researching this family be sure to check all the various spellings: SYMONDS, SIMMONS, SIMMONDS, SIMONS, etc.

There are few books or articles about William Simonds and his descendants.  The best bet is to search the vital records, local histories and Woburn or Burlington records for this family.  The Burlington Historical Society was a terrific place to visit, too.  http://www.burlingtonmahistory.com   I also found these two books to be helpful:

Genealogical Sketch of William Simonds, by Edward Francis Johnson, 1889

The History of Woburn, Massachusetts from the Grant of its Territory to Charlestown in 1640 to the year 1680, by Charles C. Sewall, 1990, Heritage Books

The town of Burlington was once part of Woburn, Massachusetts.  You can find many places there named after the Simonds family, including Simonds Park (once the Nathan Simonds home), the Marshall Simonds Middle School, and Simonds Road. 

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My lineage from William Simonds:

Generation 1: William Simonds, baptized on 20 November 1612 at St. Peter’s in Winchester, Hampshire, England, died on 7 June 1672 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married first to Sarah Unknown, married second to Judith Phippen, widow of James Hayward, on 18 January 1644 in Woburn.  She died 3 January 1690 in Woburn.

Generation 2:  James Simonds, born 1 November 1658 in Woburn, died 15 September 1717 in Woburn; married on 28 December 1685 in Woburn to Susannah Blodgett, daughter of Samuel Bloggett and Ruth Eggleton.  She was born 17 February 1663 in Woburn and died 9 February 1715 in Woburn.   James Simonds married second to Anna Lawrence.

Generation 3:  James Simonds, son of James Simonds and Susannah Blodgett, was born 1 November 1686 in Woburn, and died 30 June 1775 in Woburn; married on 17 June 1714 in Woburn to Mary Fowle, daughter of James Fowle and Mary Richardson.  She was born 18 June 1689 in Woburn and died 9 March 1762 in Woburn.

Generation 4:  Caleb Simonds, born 27 August 1720 in Woburn, died 4 January 1811; married first on 26 March 1746 in Woburn to Susanna Converse, daughter of Robert Converse and Mary Sawyer.  She was born on 18 June 1724 in Woburn and died 29 October 1771 in Woburn. Caleb Simonds married second to Lucy Mixer on 6 December 1774 in Woburn.   She was the daughter of Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball, born on 21 November 1727 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and died on 3 September 1783 in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

Generation 5: Ruth Simonds, daughter of Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse, born 13 April 1763 in Woburn,  and died 29 January 1840 in Danvers, Massachusetts; married on 22 March 1785 in Burlington, Massachusetts to Andrew Munroe, son of Andrew Munroe and Lucy Mixer (his step-mother).  Andrew Munroe, Jr. was born on 31 March 1764 in Lexington, Massachusetts and died on 7 August 1836 in Danvers, Massachusetts. 

Generation 6:  Luther Simonds Munroe m. Olive Flint

Generation 7:  Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 8:  Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

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

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To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Simonds of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 15, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/surname-saturday-simonds-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]). 

Boston Tea Party ~ 16 December 1773

The newly re-opened Boston Tea Party Museum

The Boston Tea Party took place on 16 December 1773, and was an act of violence and treason. There is no official list of participants, especially since the men who threw the tea into the harbor were committing a crime. There is a list at the Boston Tea Party Museum website that contains the names of men “documented” to have been at the event. http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/. There is a list of participants at this link, too:  https://familypedia.fandom.com/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party_participants   

In various records I've found several members of my family tree who claimed to have been at the Boston Tea Party. Who knows for sure? What do you think?

Robert Hichborn was the brother in law to my 6x great grandfather Daniel Glover (1735 – abt 1790). He had several famous military brothers in law, including General John Glover (1732 – 1797). Robert Hichborn was a sailmaker and shipbuilder who lived on Anne Street in Boston’s North End, near the site of the Boston Tea Party. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty and was also an officer in the American Revolution. In the Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings Volume 20, page 11, he was listed along with 25 men, including Paul Revere, to guard the tea (guard?). This is the same bunch accused of tossing it into the harbor.

Nathaniel Frothingham (1746 – 1825) is a 2^nd cousin seven generations removed, grandson of my 7x great aunt Hannah (Rand) Frothingham (1672 – 1760), great grandson of my ancestors Thomas Rand and Sarah Edenden. He was a Boston coachmaker or “chaisemaker”and is listed on the Tea Party Museum website, as well as on the SAR list.

Major Robert Davis (1747 – 1798) was a descendant of my ancestors John Gore and Rhoda Gardner. He was an officer in the American Revolution, and a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. He was said to have been a member of the Boston Tea Party in compiled genealogies, and was also a Freemason. He is on the museum list, and the SAR list has him as an “importer of groceries and liquors”. I wonder if he was involved with importing tea?

John Holyoke (1743 – 1807) was married to Elizabeth Treat (1747 – 1830) my 2^nd cousin 8 generations removed. He served in the American Revolution and claimed to have participated in the Boston Tea Party. “Mr. HOLYOKE never, never confirmed the tale; the whole party was pledged to secrecy” [ Holyoke, A North American Family 1637 - 1992, John Gibbs Holyoke, Gateway Press, Inc. (Baltimore, 1993)] He is not on the lists at the museum or SAR. I’m inclined to think he was telling his grandchildren a tall tale.

Serendipity! Last year I was pleased to find out that fellow genealogy blogger, Deb Ruth, had made a “cousin connection” with me when she was researching her husband’s ancestor James Starr. She was excited to find out that James was a member of the Sons of Liberty, and he had participated in the Boston Tea Party. Starr is listed on the museum website. She wrote about our cousin connection at this link: http://deb-adventuresingenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/11/surprise-connection-hello-cousin.html

There was a Josiah Snelling listed on the page of participants from the Boston Tea Party museum, but there are no details about him. My 4x great grandmother, Catherine Plummer (Jones) Dominis, had a sister, Sarah Dargue Jones (1794 – 1875) who married Enoch Howes Snelling in Boston. Enoch had three cousins named Josiah Snelling, born in 1735, 1741 and 1757. The last one would have been only 16 years old in 1773. All these Snellings lived along the waterfront in Boston, mostly in the North End, where Paul Revere lived, too. I’m pretty sure that the Josiah Snelling on the list is one of these cousins, or maybe even one I don’t have in my Snelling database.

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The list of participants from the Boston Tea Party Museum can be seen at this link:

http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/participants-in-the-boston-tea-party

A list of participants from the Old South Meetinghouse website:
https://www.osmh.org/boston-tea-party/who-dumped-the-tea 

There is also a running theme at J.L. Bell's Blog "Boston 1775" about the participants at the Boston Tea Party. He writes posts every December about the possible men who were documented to be at the event, believe it or not. You can find his blog at this link http://boston1775.blogspot.com/

From my Christmas Ornament collection

This blog post was orginally published 16 December 2011 at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/boston-tea-party-16-december-1773.html

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To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Boston Tea Party ~ 16 December 1773", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 14, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/boston-tea-party-16-december-1773.html: accessed [access date]). 

Blog Caroling ~ "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and Phillips Brooks

Phillips Brooks is a distant cousin, but we don’t just share one common ancestor.  We share so many common ancestors I can’t keep track.  Our common surnames are Gorham, Call, Cotton, Gardner, Phillips, Kettell, Coffin, Howland,  Tilley, Emerson, Simonds, etc.  the list goes on and on.   Reverend Phillips Brooks (1835 – 1893) was an Episcopal pastor who was once the Bishop of Massachusetts.   He was the rector of Trinity Church and an impressive statue of Brooks by Augustus Saint- Gaudens stands outside. 

Trinity Church itself is an impressive building, often described as one of the gems of American architecture.  The church, the fancy statue and the story of Phillips Brooks impressive career don’t match what he is most famous for – the gentle, lullaby-like Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem”.  I often wondered about this when I passed by Copley Square, where Brooks’s statue stares down at the traffic.

After some research, I found that Brooks wrote this carol after a visit to the Holy Land in 1865.  He wrote the poem three years later, and his church organist arranged the music.  Perhaps these simple lyrics are more reflective of Phillips Brooks than his famous sermons and career.  The peaceful spirit of the song seems to express a longing for a simple return to faith in days long gone by. 

Phillips Brooks manuscript of his famous Christmas hymn
from Wikipedia Commons
Benson, Louis F. Studies of Familiar Hymns.
Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. 1903. Page 3.

Lyrics:

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie.

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in they dark streets shineth

The Everlasting Light.

The hopes and fears of all the years

are met in thee tonight.

Reverend Phillips Brooks was born 13 December 1835 in Boston, and died unmarried in Boston on 23 January 1893.  In the Episcopal calendar, his day is remembered as 23 January.  

He was the son of William Gray Brooks (1805 - 1879) and Mary Ann Phillips.   

He was a descendant of Reverend John Cotton, and of Samuel Phillips, Jr., the founder of Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He was also a descendant of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, Mayflower passengers.  Through his Cotton and Saltonstall ancestors, he is also a descendant of Richard III of England. 

The annual "Blog Caroling" event is hosted by the Footnote Maven at her blog http://www.footnotemaven.com/   Check the roll up list for links to all the participants.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

My Top Ten Brickwall Problem Ancestors

This is a shot in the dark, but last September Diane Boumenot posted her top ten genealogy research problems HERE and she has already solved two of them.   Readers and Google searchers found her post and sent her enough information or clues to break down those genealogical brickwalls.  So… here is my list.  I’m hoping for a reader or distant cousin to read this and help me to solve a few genealogy mysteries, too!

Diane listed the skills and strategies she thought she might need to solve her research problems.  This is a good idea, and working through this list has got me thinking of new ways to attack these mysteries.  Maybe I’ll solve them at least one brickwall before I get a mysterious “cousin connection” email or comment?

My 10 “Brickwall” ancestors:

1.   Elizabeth Lambert (about 1775 – 1834) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married Owen Jones, a native of Wales and son of a British customs officer, on 11 May 1793 at the Second Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts.  They lived in the North End, and had six daughters who were described as debutantes and all married very well.  I’m hoping she is from a well-connected, wealthy family in Boston who left lots of good records.  Unfortunately, there were many Lambert/Lombard/Lumbard/Lamport families in Boston at this time, and I have searched them all for Elizabeth.  A consultation with a professional genealogist at a conference leads me to believe I should search probate and deeds for Elizabeth among the many Lambert families.

One clue- Elizabeth had a sister, Sarah, who married John Dark/Dargue on 1 December  1793 in Boston.  Elizabeth (Lambert) Jones named her first daughter Sarah Dargue Jones in her honor.  The sister Sarah (Lambert) Dargue died on 3 September 1796, no parents listed.

Problem- I’ve never really done probate or deed research, so this will be my first test case with these types of records.  Searching for Jones records in the courthouse won’t be fun, neither will it be fun searching through all those Lambert/Lombard/Lumbard/Lamport etc. variations.  Elizabeth Lambert was born at about the time of the Boston siege during the American Revolution (many residents fled the city), so she may have been born somewhere else in Massachusetts or New England.

2.  Margaret Welch (about 1796 – 1860) is my 4x great grandmother.  Her death record in Chichester, New Hampshire does not name her parents.  She married Richard Locke on 21 October 1823 in Chichester.   Her children’s marriage and death records say she was born in Kittery, Maine.  Census records say she was born in Maine.

Problem - I cannot find a Welch/Welsh family at all that might be her possible parents or ancestors.  This is the opposite of the Elizabeth Lambert above where I have too many possibilities.  Perhaps searching York County, Maine probate and deeds would work, like my brickwall #1? 

3.  Nancy Thompson (about 1804 – after 1847) is my 4x great grandmother.  She married Jonathan Batchelder on 11 February 1822 in Belmont, New Hampshire.  Her children’s marriage and death records say that she was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.  There were several Thompson families in Gilmanton and Belmont (contiguous towns) but no record of Nancy/Ann/Hannah.  Jonathan Batchelder died in the Concord State Hospital after being declared insane.  I have his account book, and inside it I found guardianship papers dated 1847 making “Nancy Batchelder” the guardian of her minor daughter, Pauline.  No further trace of Nancy can be found in the New Hampshire vital records or census records.

Problem – Did Nancy remarry? Pauline’s death record name’s her mother as “Nancy Tompson”.  Is that a clue? The Gilmanton Historical Society is stumped.   I’ve searched all the Thompson/Tompson genealogies and vital records.  Perhaps I’ll need another probate and deeds research trip to Belknap County, New Hampshire?

4. Hannah Phelps (1728 – 1805) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married George Flint on 13 November 1753 in Andover, Massachusetts.    I’m not even sure of her surname, it was given as “Phelps” in a compiled Flint genealogy.  This is a real stumper.  I’ve very little information on George Flint, too, except what was found in the Flint book.

5. David Lyons (about 1759 – 1812) is my 5x great grandfather.  He was from Connecticut and removed to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia where he appears in many land records.  He was married in Cornwallis on 25 May 1779 to Elizabeth Ratchford.   I have no idea where he came from in Connecticut, and few clues.  I don’t know if he was a planter or a Loyalist.  Another real stumper.

6. James Radsford/Ratchford  b. about 1719 is my 7x great grandfather.  He married Margaret Ball on 26 December 1738 in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  They had five sons and all their births are recorded in the Bridgewater vital records.  This surname seems to have a lot of variations, and perhaps it was a corruption of some other name altogether?  There are no Radsfords or Ratchfords in earlier Massachusetts records.  No death record has been found.

7.  Margaret Ball (see above)  I have no birth or death record on Margaret, just a marriage and her name listed on her children’s births as “Margaret”. 

8. Amelia Unknown (born about 1790 – 1860) is my 4x great grandmother.  Her death record lists her birthplace as Stoughton, Massachusetts but no birth record has ever been found.  She died as a pauper in Wayland, Massachusetts the same year as her husband, who was also listed as a pauper.  Amelia had a colorful life with at least three husbands as listed below….

     #1 Amelia gave birth to twins in Salem on 26 June 1825 as Amelia Lewis, no husband listed.  Her son’s death records list their father as “Captain Thomas Lewis” but I haven’t found a marriage record.  Her twins were possibly born after he died.   Did he die at sea?  No record has been found for him in Massachusetts.

     #2 Amelia remarried to Thomas Johnson in 1827 in Salem

     #3 Amelia remarried third to John Adams in 1843 in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  Her death record lists her parents as “unknown”.    Both sons died very young before 1853, and their records do not give her maiden name.   She married often, so perhaps there is even another earlier marriage I am missing here?

9.  James Phillips (about 1792 – 1820) is my 4 great grandfather.  He married Sarah Cree on 6 August 1815 in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  His death record in Topsfield says he was a “native of Rowley” but I cannot find him in the Rowley records.   There is a James Phillips enumerated in the 1820 Census in Andover, Massachusetts, which may or may not be this James.   Again, Phillips is a common surname in Essex County, Massachusetts, which makes this as difficult as the Jones brickwall #1.

10. Mary Hovey (about  1751- 1832) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married Nathaniel Treadwell on 1786 in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  I have no clue as to her birthdate, birthplace, parents or ancestry.  Mary is listed on my lineage papers to the Mayflower Society, showing my descent from Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton.  No one at the Mayflower Society can find her parents either!   There is plenty of information on her husband, who served in the American Revolution and was from a noted Ipswich, Massachusetts family.  I’d love to beat the professionals who have attempted to identify Mary Hovey, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful, too.

Please read Diane Boumenot’s blog post at this link, she inspired my list!:

http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/17/how-to-solve-the-next-ten-problems/

Another blogger with a similar idea is Colleen Pasquale, who posted a list of 12 puzzles from her family tree on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12)  at this link:
http://leavesnbranches.blogspot.com/2012/12/121212-twelve-genealogy-questions.html

and Randy Seaver picked up the meme at his blog at this link:
http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/12/12-genealogy-mysteries-id-like-to-solve.html

Barbara Poole posted her top Ten Brickwall Ancestors at her blog back in 2010 and she is still waiting for her big break.  Keep your fingers crossed for her!  Read about her list at this link:
http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2010/10/top-ten-brick-walls.html

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Cow on a Birdhouse?

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 #74?   Scroll down to see the answer.

A cow up on top! 

Today's weathervane is located in Londonderry, at the house on the Kendall Pond Dam at the intersection of Kendall Pond and South Roads.  The homeowner told me that the birdhouse was built in 1917, and so this weathervane is 95 years old.  The house is much older than the birdhouse.  There is a description of the home, and the area around the dam, in Volume III of Early Londonderry: Tidbits and Historical Sketches, by the Londonderry Historical Society, 1968.  According to this book, many of the farms near the dam were cattle farms, which is probably why the weathervane has a cow up on top. 

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

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday 

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday - The Punchbowl National Cemetery

The National Cemetery of the Pacific - "The Punchbowl"

This is the only cemetery I have ever visited which was formed from the natural crater of a volcano!  It is beautiful, and very different from other veteran's cemeteries because instead of rows of crosses the grave markers lie flat on the ground.  The natural beauty of the crater can be appreciated because the graves are not immediately visible.  On the slopes of the crater are columbarium for cremated remains.  In letters I read written in the 1800s, John O. Dominis and other guests at Washington Place used to ride horses up to the Punchbowl.  It must have been a wonderful natural landmark, even 150 years ago.  

The cemetery was opened in 1949 for bodies shipped from overseas in the wake of World War II.  Over 13,000 soldiers who died in the Pacific Theater of WWII are buried here.  There are also the unmarked remains of soldiers who died at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.  Soldiers from Korea and Vietnam, also considered Pacific wars, are also buried here. 

One of the finest views of Oahu can be seen from a viewing platform on the highest rim of the crater.

 

The National Cemetery of the Pacific http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp

The nationwide website for locating veteran's graves http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

A Fancy Wedding, and a Family Myth Perpetuated

This clipping is from the Herald Statesman newspaper in Yonkers, New York, dated Monday, July 17, 1933.  It depicts a pretty fancy wedding for the middle of the Great Depression era.    Leonore Esther Elmina Morill was born 13 September 1906 in Boston.  She is named after her mother Leonore Emerson, and her grandmother, Mary Esther Younger.  Mary Esther was my 3x great grandmother, and I descend from Leonore's sister, Mary Katherine Emerson (1847 - 1932).   Leonore Esther Morrill is my first cousin 3 generations removed.

The name Leonore has a long history in my family.  My grandfather's sister was named Leonore Carrie Allen, and the bride Leonore pictured above named her own daughter Leonora.  The name dates back to George Emerson, who was a 49er and left for the gold rush from Boston on a ship named the Leonore.  To read more about that part of our family history see this link http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/08/george-emerson-forty-niner.html

Apparently this side of the family was wealthy.  The bride's father, John Milton Earl Morrill of Boston, was a builder of fine homes in Jamaica Plain and the Boston suburbs.  He was famous for belonging to several riding clubs in the days when there were elegant riding parks in Boston for the wealthy to show off their pedigreed horses and fine carriages and coaches.  I found many newsclippings of John M. E. Morrill mentioned with the "horsey set" and he even patented some elaborate horse tack and bridles.  The riding park in Brookline, Massachusetts is now The Country Club.

Here is a transcript of the wedding announcement in the Yonkers newspaper:


"HIGH - MORRILL 

The marriage of Miss Leonore Morrill and John Meeker High, Jr. took place on Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock in Christ Church, Riverdale-on-Hudson, the rector of the church, the Rev. Dr. Raymond Brock officating.  The bride is the daughter of Mrs. John Milton Earl Morrill, of Sacremento, Calif. and Boston, Mass., and the late John Milton Earl Morrill, a prominent turfman.  The bridegroom is the son of Mrs. John M. High of Riverdale-on-Hudson and the late John M. High.

The bride was given in marriage by her mother, wore a princess gown of white mousseline-de-soie made with a long train and carried a rose point lace handkerchief  a family heirloom, and a bouquet of lilies of the valley and white roses.  Her veil was of tulle.  The bride's mother wore a blue chiffon gown and blue picture hat and carried a bouquet of pink roses.

Mrs. Jack Fernald of New York City was the matron of honor and only attendant.  She wore a pale green taffeta gown made on princess lines, with puffed sleeves and a white organdie hat.  She carried a bouquet of yellow roses and baby's breath.  Jack Fernald was the best man.

A reception for over a hundred guests was held at "Highwolde", the estate of the Highs in Riverdale, where tables were arranged for the guests in the garden.

After a motor trip to the Adirondacks and Canada  the couple will reside in Riverdale.  the bride, a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson, attended  Leland Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. and Barnard College.  The bridegroom, a native of New York City, was graduated from Horace Mann School and Columbia Engineering School where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.  he is a Fellow of the Radio Club of America and a member of the Institue of Radio Engineers.  He is one the first men to engage in radio phone transmission of power without wires." 


Leonore Morrill married in to a wealthy New York family.  I found them listed in the social registers available via Google Books online in the late 1920 and the 1930s.   Her bridegroom, John Meeker High, was born on 4 December 1899, the son of John Meeker High and Ann Dorothea Harrington.  The High family estate was known as Highwolde while the High family was residing there.  His father's obituary was printed in the New York Times on 26 April 1924, page 15.

There is one big error printed in the newspaper wedding announcement.  We are not descendants of Ralph Waldo Emerson.  This myth has been passed down for generations, and from this news clipping I can see it is not a new myth.   Ralph Waldo Emerson is my 4th cousin, 5 generations removed.  I have to go all the way back to the Reverend Joseph Emerson (1620 - 1680) of Concord, Massachusetts to find a common ancestor, even though my great grandmother was an Emerson from the same family.  Leonore was just a distant cousin to RWE, too.

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Advent Calendar ~ The Christmas Book Tradition

In our house, very often the first Christmas decoration would be the Advent calendar, and this would signal my daughter to run to the bookshelf to grab all the Christmas books. We clean off the coffee table and pile them all up. We read them at night, often aloud to each other, right up until Christmas, or, as you might know, all the way up until January 6th (Twelfth Night? Epiphany? Three Kings Day? “Fiesta de los Reyes?”)

We’ve gathered quite a pile of Christmas books over the years, and I don’t think I’ve bought a single one of them. They’ve all been given as gifts, with a Christmas theme. You probably own some of them, too! Try putting them all in a pile by the Christmas tree, or by that big, comfy chair by the fireplace and see if you can start a new holiday tradition.

Our collection of Christmas books and videos
is arranged in a baby sled for Christmas 2012

Some of our Christmas books are old, like a copy of Seuss’s “Grinch” from when I was a girl, as well as my old copy of the “Night before Christmas” which we always save for Christmas Eve. My grandmother had given me a picture book of Norman Vincent’s Peale’s nativity story, too, and I cherish it because she had carefully cut out an angel from a Christmas greeting card for a bookplate, and signed it “To Heather, from Grammy and Papa, 1968.”

There is one book that I could never read without weeping. It’s an illustrated version of Laura Ingalls Wilders’ tale of the night Mr. Edwards brought the Ingalls girls their gifts from Santa. This is the story of how he bravely crossed the prairie, and a raging flood, to bring them their simple gifts of a tin cup, a peppermint stick and a penny. Another weeper is the “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. I’m fogging up my glasses now just thinking about them!

Do you remember that “Gnomes” book from the 1980s? I’ve got one of the originals. “The Christmas Box” was a best seller in the 1990s. These are mingled with several versions of “Rudolph” and the “Nutcracker.” Up here in New Hampshire, our Tomi De Paola has made several Christmas picture books. The Befana story and “The Clown of God” are among his best holiday classics.

There are lots of classic children’s books in our pile. We have a picture book from my secret Santa at my college dorm- the illustrated version of the famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” complete with the background history of the newspaper editorial. We have an illustrated “Christmas Carol” by Dickens, and “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg. There is even “The Jolly Christmas Postman” pop up from when my daughter was a toddler, and a Narnia advent calendar we reuse every year. Both of these have survived years of little fingers opening doors and pulling tabs.

I’m a book lover, but I seldom reread most of my books. However, these books have been read and reread every winter for many, many years. The best part is turning off the TV and reading them aloud together. Some go back to my childhood, and others are modern classics. I’m sure that you remember every story I mentioned above, and my pile of Christmas books contains many more. I invite you to grab a Christmas book and start reading…

Originally posted at Nutfield Genealogy on 11 December 2009 at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/12/advent-calendar-christmas-book.html

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo