A Celebration in Northern Ireland

 

Derry, NH Town Historian Richard Holmes
photo by Adam Swift/ Union Leader news correspondent
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20130214/NEWHAMPSHIRE09/130219417/0/NEWHAMPSHIRE03

Londonderry and Derry, New Hampshire residents are celebrating with their sister cities in Northern Ireland.  Derry, NI has been declared the first United Kingdom City of Culture, which coincides with its 400^th anniversary. 

On July 10, 2013 Derry, NH town historian Richard Holmes will be giving a presentation at the celebration which discusses the connections between the two towns in New Hampshire and Northern Ireland.  He will also attend a reception with the Lord Mayor in the Guild Hall.  Betsy McKinney, former president of the Londonderry Historical Society, will be joining him on the trip, along with other New Hampshire residents.

According to Rick Holmes, Londonderry, New Hampshire is “the first town in the New World to be founded by Scotch-Irish immigrants”.  In 1719 sixteen families left Northern Ireland with the Reverend James MacGregor, and eventually arrived in “Nutfield”, which is now East Derry Village.  Most of those first settlers are buried in Forest Hill Cemetery.   You can read a list of the names of the original Nutfield Proprietors HERE.

In 1613 the Honorable Irish Society built the walls around Londonderry as defense for their early settlers from England and Scotland.  This Royal Charter established the city and its walls.  The walls were constructed between 1614 and 1619, and are considered the most complete, surviving walled city in Europe.  These walls successfully defended the city, including the 1689 siege which was witnessed by Reverend MacGregor and some of his flock.  These skirmishes and other violence led to their decision to leave Northern Ireland for a new settlement in New England.

For more information:

“Historian invites people to join him Abroad”,  Derry News, Derry, New Hampshire,  by Julie Huss, February 13, 2013 http://www.derrynews.com/derry/x1746088408/Historian-invites-people-to-join-him-abroad

“Derry Historian to Help Northern Ireland Celebrate”, Union Leader,  Andover, Massachusetts, by Adams Swift, February 14, 2013  http://www.unionleader.com/article/20130214/NEWHAMPSHIRE09/130219417/0/NEWHAMPSHIRE03

Derry-Londonderry 400^th Anniversary website   www.Cityofculture2013.com

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday ~ When pigs fly!

Every Wednesday for almost a two years I've been posting photographs of weathervanes located in or near the Nutfield area (the former name for the land where Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire are now located). Most are historically interesting or just whimsical and fun weather vanes. Today's weather vane can be found in Windham, New Hampshire. Have fun guessing where you may have seen this weather vane.

Do you know the location of weather vane #95? Scroll down to see the answer....

Today's weather vane can be found on Mammoth Road in Windham, New Hampshire, not far from the intersection with Route 102.   It is on the cupola of a carriage house next to a private residence.  This is a cute two dimensional pig, with a beautiful green patina on the copper.  You can see this cupola at night since it is usually lit up from within. 

And then there is a sad side to being a weather vane fan.  Occasionally, some of the more valuable and historic weather vanes are stolen.  Here is a recent story from Sanford, Maine:

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/05/10/news/police-beat/sanford-police-seeking-weathervane-stolen-from-top-of-goodall-mansion/?ref=polbeat 

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

 

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Boyd Family Monument, Londonderry, New Hampshire

This monument was photographed at the Glenwood Cemetery in Londonderry, New Hampshire, located on Mammoth Road, near the town common and Mack's Apples.

WILLIAM W. BOYD

BORN

MARCH 26, 1845

DIED

DEC. 10, 1928

COL. CALVIN BOYD

BORN

MARCH 5, 1818

DIED

FEB 8, 1850

HIS WIFE

CHARLOTTE W. SHEPARD

DIED JAN 10, 1900

FRANK BOYD

MAY 15, 1850

DEC 14, 1910

FLORENCE F. BOYD

AUG. 25, 1853

MARCH 1, 1931

Colonel Calvin Boyd was born 5 March 1818, the son of William Boyd and Martha Dickey.  He married Charlotte Webster Shepard.  She was born 26 August 1814, the daughter of William Blair Shepard and Lucy Hart Beck.  William Blair Shepard was an ancestor of the astronaut Alan B. Shepard of Derry, New Hampshire.  Colonel and Mrs. Boyd had four children:

  1. Lucy M. Boyd, b. 11 Oct. 1846 m. Solon S. Gould
  2. William Henry Boyd, b. 26 March 1848, d. 10 Dec. 1928  (named William W. above)
  3. Frank F. Boyd, b. 15 May 1850, d. 14 Dec. 1910
  4. Florence E. Boyd, b. 25 August 1853, d. 1 March 1931

I have previously blogged about some of the Boyd family from Londonderry.  I live near the corner of Boyd Road in South Londonderry, where some of the Boyds used to have a dairy farm.  You can see the portraits of Robert and Mary Boyd at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/1851-portraits-of-mr-and-mrs-robert.html
and their land here at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/history-in-my-own-backyard.html

To see Alan B. Shepard's lineage please click here:
http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2007/02/08/derry-new-hampshire-astronaut-rear-admiral-alan-b-shepard-jr-1923-1998/

My Tombstone Tuesday post of the Alan Shepard family plot at Forest Hill Cemetery in Derry:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/05/tombstone-tuesday-alan-shepard.html

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Happy Mother's Day!

Some photos with four generations...

A maternal lineage (four generations of women):

in the back my Grandmother, to her right, my Mom

(front row) Me, my daughter, my sister

(Mother's Day, 1990, Hamilton, Massachusetts)

right to left

My husband, our daughter, his maternal grandmother and mother

Madrid, Spain, about 1997

left to right

My mother-in-law, my husband, me (back row)

My daughter, husband's paternal grandmother, a cousin

Aranda de Duero, Spain, 1996

I'm glad my daughter had the chance to meet all three of her great-grandmother's in these photos, because they have all passed away since then.

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Barstow

BARSTOW/BAIRSTOW/BEARSTOW/BEERESTO

The North River
photo by Bill West, used with permission

William "Beeresto", age 23, came to Massachusetts in September 1635 on the ship Truelove, with his brother George, following his brother Michael who had arrived earlier.  On the passenger list he is listed as "Beeresto".   He first settled in Dedham, Massachusetts, and later went to the part of the town of Scituate that became the town of Hanover in 1727. He took the oath of Freeman in 1649.

William Barstow built the first bridge over the North River at Stony Beach.  He was a tavern keeper and also a selectman and surveyor of highways.   His house was located “about 40 rods back of the site of the Second Congregational Church on Oakland Avenue.  Its cellar hole can still be seen [note: 1937].  William Barstow was the pioneer shipbuilder in Hanover, near Barstow’s Bridge, the first bridge over the North River, built by him in 1656.  He received from the colony £12 for its erection.”  (From History and Genealogy of the Briggs Family, 1254 – 1937, by L. Vernon Briggs, Three volumes, 1937)

For more information on William Barstow you may consult The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607 – 1776, by Peter Wilson Coldham, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1987 (also on CD) and there is a sketch of William Barstow in The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 -1635, by Robert Charles Anderson, NEHGS, 2001, Volume 1, pages 174 to 180, as well as sketches of his brothers, George and Michael Barstow.

My lineage from William Barstow:

Generation 1: Matthew Barstow, baptized 29 June 1565 in Shelf, North Halifax, Yorkshire, England; married to Isabell Hill.  Five children, including Michael, George and William who came to America.

Generation 2:  William Barstow, born about 1612 in England, died 1 January 1668/9 in Dedham, Massachusetts; married on 8 May 1638 in Dedham to Anna Hubbard, daughter of James Hubbard and Naomi Cocke.  She was born about 1616 in Hendlesham, England, and died after 23 June 1674 in Hull, Massachusetts.  Six children.

Generation 3: Mary Barstow, born 28 December 1641 in Dedham, died 16 November 1708 in Stonington, Connecticut; married on 14 May 1656 in Boston, Massachusetts to William Ingraham, son of Richard Ingraham.  He was born about 1629 in England and died 4 May 1721 in Groton, Connecticut. Six children.

Generation 4: William Ingram m. Elizabeth Chesebrough

Generation 5: Patience Ingraham m. Ebenezer Bill

Generation 6:  Asahel Bill m. Mary Rand

Generation 7: Reverend Ingraham Ebenezer Bill m. Isabella Lyons

Generation 8: Professor Caleb Rand Bill m. Ann Margaret Bollman

Generation 9: Isabella Lyons Bill m. Albert Munroe Wilkinson

Generation 10: Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

Please click this link to read Bill West's blog post (he is also a Barstow descendant) with photos of the North River area where William Barstow had his land:

http://westinnewengland.blogspot.com/2012/01/walk-along-north-river-norwell-ma.html

 

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tiny Books with big Memories

When I was young my Grandmother died, and I was given a set of books she had owned.  Grammy had come from Leeds, Yorkshire, England as a teenager, and so I always thought these unusual little books were something she had brought with her from England. They were extremely small, and I had fantasized that she had packed them with her few belongings during her immigration through Ellis Island in 1915.

However, the truth is just as interesting as my day dreams.  Just last week I receive an email from Abe Books in Victoria, British Columbia.  This is a company that deals in old books, and I especially like using their website to search for old local histories and genealogy books.   This email featured a story about “The Little Leather Library”.  I was surprised to see in their brief description that the books were published in New York.  I ran down cellar to look at my little books, and sure enough, they were the same “Little Leather Library” books published in the USA, not England as I had previously believed.

Of course, years ago, I could have opened up any of the books to see that inside the cover it said “New York”, but as a teenager I was too busy reading the contents to look at the title pages.  There are 28 little books in my collection, and the story at Abe Books said that there were 101 titles plus the Bible in 30 volumes. My collection includes The Holy Grail by Tennyson and The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde- both were favorites of mine when I was younger.  But there are also American classics like Longfellow’s Hiawatha, The Raven by Poe, and Memories of President Lincoln by Walt Whitman.  

I took a look at the prices on Abe Book’s website, and they ranged from about $7.50 to over $75 for each little book.  A complete boxed set with the Bible in 30 little volumes was for sale for $1,500 on eBay.  That is amazing to me since they are tiny, with very dark, cheap leatherette covers and brittle paper.  They are not fine leather and expensive paper, like their name sounds.  Each book is about 3” x 4”.   Woolworth’s used to sell them for ten cents each.  Wikipedia reports that in 1917 Woolworth’s ordered over 1 million copies, so they must have been popular.

I don’t know now if these books were my Grandmother or Grandfather’s.  I wish I had known about them when they were alive, but I never had the chance to ask them.  In fact, I never saw these books until I was given them after Grammy’s death. They could have belonged to either grandparent, since they were all published between 1916 to 1923.  My Grandparents weren't married until 1926 in Beverly, Massachusetts. 
 

Even so, I still cherish these little books!

Abe Books  www.abebooks.com

Little Leather Corporation article at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Leather_Library_Corporation

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Old Fashioned Fire Engine

Every Wednesday for almost a year and half I've been posting photographs of weathervanes located in or near the Nutfield area (the former name for the land where Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire are now located). Most are historically interesting or just whimsical and fun weathervanes. Today's weathervane can be seen in in a museum, but it was originally located in Manchester, New Hampshire. Have fun guessing where you may have seen this weather vane.

Do you know the location of weather vane #94? Scroll down to see the answer....

FIRE ENGINE

Weather vane

Attributed to J. W. Fiske Company

New York City

Found in Manchester,

New Hampshire

Late 19th century

Copper and other metals (brass, zinc and iron)

Purchased from Edith Halpert, Dowtown Gallery, 1952

FW-35

The weather vane was once used on a firehouse in

Manchester, New Hampshire.  It is the largest and

grandest weather vane in the museum's collection and

is a reminder of how ambitious designers were in the

late 19th century in their quest to make an impressive

silhouette on a firehouse roof.

Today's weather vane was spotted by Gerry Savard at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont.  I know Gerry from the American Canadian Genealogy Society in Manchester, and he was recently one of the co-chairs of the New England Regional Genealogy Conference last month in Manchester (He is also a past president of NERGC).  Gerry was sharp eyed to notice that this weather vane was originally installed over a firehouse in Manchester, New Hampshire.  If you photograph a great weather vane and think it should be featured on Weathervane Wednesday, please leave me a comment here or an email at vrojomit@gmail.com

The Shelburne museum is my favorite New England museum for folk art, like weathervanes.  They have a terrific collection of all types of New England objects, everything from collections of buildings,a  220 foot steamship, train cars and other large objects, down to smaller objects such as tools, quilts, advertising art, and even weather vanes and whirligigs.

I think the amount of detail in this weather vane is extremely interesting.  When you consider that this weathervane was probably installed three or more stories high, no one could possibly appreciate these details from the streets of Manchester.  The curator at the Shelburne Museum was careful to put this weather vane at eye level, so visitors could examine all the small details of this old fashioned, horse drawn fire engine.

This photograph is from the Manchester Historic Association.  This weather vane in their collection was from the Fire King Engine Company Firehouse on Manchester's West Side, the building that today is the West Side Library.  It is supposed to have been hand-made by the men of the fire station.  It is very similar to the weather vane in the Shelburne Museum.  According to Jeff Barraclough,  The Manchester Historic Association  Assistant Executive Director, they did not know which fire station originally housed the weather vane from the Shelburne Museum.

American Canadian Genealogy Society http://acgs.org/

New England Regional Genealogy Conference http://nergc.org/

Shelburne Museum http://shelburnemuseum.org/

Manchester Historic Association http://www.manchesterhistoric.org/

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts!

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Photographs one through four are from Gerry Savard, used with permission.
Photograph number five is from the Manchester Historic Association

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Old Fashioned Fire Engine", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 8, 2013, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/05/weathervane-wednesday-old-fashioned.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Capt. Solomon Bangs, 1797, Brewster, Massachusetts

This tombstone was photographed at the Old Burial Ground, Brewster, Massachusetts (Cape Cod)

In memory of

Cap. SOLOMON BANGS

who died Jany 19th

1797

Aged 68

Solomon Bangs, son of Seth Bangs and Deborah Chipman, was born 23 May 1729 and died on 19 January 1797.  He was married to Jerusha Foster, daughter of Chillingsworth Foster and Susannah Gray.  He was also married to Experience Berry.

Solomon Bangs was a Revolutionary War patriot. According to the Massachusetts Sailors and Soldiers in the War of the Revolution, he was a private in Captain Abijah Bang's Company under Major Zenas Winslow's regiment.  His company marched on the alarms at Bedford and Falmouth in September 1778.

Solomon Bangs is my second cousin 7 generations removed on both his maternal and paternal sides.  His paternal great grandparents are Jonathan Bangs and Mary Mayo, also my 8th great grandparents, and his maternal great grandparents are John Chipman and Hope Howland, my 9th great grandparents.  Hope's parents were the Mayflower passengers, John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.


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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo