Salem, Massachusetts Symposium Commemorates the 325th Anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials

On June 10th, 1692 my 9th great grandmother, Bridget Bishop, was the first person hanged during the infamous Salem Witch Trials.  Over several months in 1692 hundreds were accused, 19 were hanged, one was tortured to death, (including many of my other ancestors).

I won't be able to attend this symposium, but it looks like a wonderful commemoration of the frightening events of 1692.  I know several people who will be attending this event, and I will be thinking of them, Bridget Bishop, and all the other innocent victims of the Salem Witch Hysteria on June 10th.

I hope that if you are interested in the 1692 witch trial events, women's history, colonial history, Puritan New England or Salem heritage you might take advantage of this unique opportunity.

UPDATE (from Donna Segar, Salem State University) There will be another event on July 20th at the Salem Maritime Visitor's Center about the new Proctor's Ledge memorial dedication.

Surname Saturday ~ SIBLEY of Salem, Massachusetts

I have two SIBLEY ancestors who were probably brother and sister, or at least close kin.  Some writers believe that Richard and Damaris SIBLEY  of Salem were siblings to John Sibley of Manchester, Massachusetts.  This is possible, since they are all close enough in age, and the two towns are very close, especially by water.  John Sibley arrived with the Winthrop fleet early in the 1630s as a servant to Richard Saltonstall, while Richard Sibley doesn’t appear in Salem until the late 1650s.  We don't know how these three SIBLEYs are related, or if they are related at all. 

I’ll discuss Damaris Sibley first. She is my 10^th great grandmother, born about 1600 in England, married about 1629 to a Shattuck and had six Shattuck children all probably born in England.  In 1641 she was admitted to the Salem church as a widow.  She remarried a second time to Capt. Thomas Gardner.  Two of the Gardner sons married two Shattuck daughters.  Damaris died in 1674.  Just to add another knot to the puzzle, can you believe that Thomas Gardner is my 9^th great grandfather with his first wife, Margaret Frier, through their daughter Sarah Gardner (1627 – 1686), who married Benjamin Balch of Beverly.

I descend from Mary Shattuck, my 9^th great grandmother, born about 1624, who married Mark Hands of Charlestown, Massachusetts.  They had two children, and then he died at sea in 1664.  John Hands, born in 1654 is my 8^th great grandfather. 

The second SIBLEY lineage starts with Richard Sibley, born in the late 1620s in England.  He was a traymaker and he first appears in the Salem records in 1656.  He bought land from Philip Veren, a Salem wheelwright, in 1662 and built a house.  He left this estate to his wife, and it eventually was sold by some of his children to a brother, John Sibley.  Half of this land was sold to John Becket in 1714. John Becket was my 7^th great grandfather, and grandson of Richard Sibley.

Richard Sibley and his wife, Hannah UNKNOWN, had seven children.  I descend from Hannah (1661 – 1734), my 8^th great grandmother, who married William Becket, a Salem shipwright.  The Beckets also lived in the same neighborhood of Salem, near the neck and the harbor.  Their oldest son, John Becket (1684 – 1763) is my 7^th great grandfather (see above).  

My SIBLEY genealogies (two lineages):

DAMARIS

Generation 1:  Damaris Sibley, born about 1600 in England, died 28 November 1674 in Salem; married about 1629 to UNKNOWN Shattuck.  Six children.

Generation 2:  Mary Shattuck m. Mark Hands

Generation 3:  Katherine Hands m. Jonathan Kettell

Generation 4:  Katherine Kettell m. Caleb Rand

Generation 5:  Caleb Rand m. Mary Mayhew

Generation 6:  Mary Rand m. Asahel Bill

Generation 7:  Ingraham Ebenezer Bill m. Isabella Lyons

Generation 8:  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)

RICHARD:

Generation 1:  Richard Sibley, born about 1628, died 30 June 1676 in Salem; married to Hannah UNKNOWN.  Seven children

Generation 2: Hannah Sibley, born 20 September 1661 in Salem, died 1734; married on 8 May 1683 in Marblehead to William Becket, son of John Becket and Margaret Unknown.  He was born 9 April 1665 in Salem, died 10 November 1723 in Salem.  Eight children.

Generation 3:  John Becket m. Susannah Mason

Generation 4:  John Becket m. Rebecca Beadle

Generation 5:  Hannah Becket m. Joseph Cloutman

Generation 6:  Mary Cloutman m. Abijah Hitchings

Generation 7:  Abijah Hitchings m. Eliza Ann Treadwell

Generation 8:  Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis

Generation 9: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 10: Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ SIBLEY of Salem, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 6, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/surname-saturday-sibley-of-salem.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ Above a Seafood Restaurant

Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I started out by publishing only weather vanes from the Londonderry area, but now I've been finding interesting weather vanes from all over New England.  Sometimes these weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are very unique.  Often, my readers tip me off to some very special and unusual weather vanes.

Today's weather vane is from somewhere in New Hampshire.

Do you know the location of weather vane #311?  Scroll down to see the answer...

Today's weathervane was spotted above the Galley Hatch restaurant at 325 Lafayette Road  (Route 1) in Hampton, New Hampshire.  It appears to be a large three dimensional fish, probably an Atlantic cod, which is the most popular fish in restaurants.  This weathervane is difficult to see from the road since it is located at the back of the restaurant near the parking area.  Look for the big glass windows and the cupola.

The Galley Hatch restaurant website:   http://galleyhatch.com/

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

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  Above a Seafood Restaurant", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 17, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/weathervane-wednesday-above-seafood.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Captain John Thorndike, died 1760, Beverly, Massachusetts

This tombstone was photographed at the Abbot Hale Cemetery in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Here lies ye Body of

Capt. John Thorndick

who Departed this

Life March ye 24th

1760

In ye 86th Year

of his Age.

Captain John Thorndike is my 8th great uncle.  He was born 22 January 1675 in Beverly, Massachusetts and died 24 March 1760 [Beverly Vital Records say 23 March 1760].  On 30 March 1718 in Beverly he married Christian Woodbury, my 8th great aunt and sister of my 8th great grandfather, Robert Woodbury (1672 - about 1751).  They were the children of Isaac Woodbury and Mary Wilkes of Salem and Beverly.

Captain John Thorndike was married three times. His first wife was Joanna Larkin, married on 20 April 1696 and had six children.  Christian Woodbury was his second wife, and they had two children. She died on 28 April 1732.   He was married (a few weeks later!) in June 1732 to his third wife, Abigail Conant, and had two more children. 

The Capt. John Thorndike house still stands at 184 Essex Street in Beverly.  You can see a photo at this Wikipedia article:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capt._John_Thorndike_House

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

Heather Wilknson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Captain John Thorndike, died 1760, Beverly, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 16, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/tombstone-tuesday-captain-john.html: accessed [access date]).

Honor Roll for the town of Langdon, New Hampshire

Langdon, New Hampshire

This document was contributed by Andrea Cheeney of the Langdon Heritage Commission.  It is a collection of all the names of the men and women who served in the following wars and conflicts:  The Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican American War, Spanish American War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Modern and Peacetime wars and conflicts, Persian Gulf War, War on Terrorism, and Iraq. These names are not listed on the memorial stone in Langdon, but have been collected by the Heritage Commission. 

The link to this list will be posted at the Honor Roll Project website on Memorial Day.   http://honorrollproject.weebly.com/  

American Revolution

Dates: 1775 - 1783

Where: Eastern seaboard of North America

How It Ended: The Treaty of Paris was signed on Sept. 3, 1783

American Battle Deaths: 4,435 (approx.)

Bidwell, Allen

Brooks, John Dury

Bundy, Elias

Clark, Nathaniel

Colburn, Benjamin

Dennison, Jedediah

Fairbanks, Capt. Jonas

Fletcher, Jonathan

Garfield, Samuel

Gleason, Windsor

Hodskins, John

Holden, Asa

Howard, Jeremiah

Johnson, Issacher

Kingsbury,Obadiah

Lamb, Nathaniel

Palmer, Benjamin

Prentiss, John

Prouty, Daniel

Prouty, John

Reed, Ezra

Rice, David

Royce, Lemuel

Sartwell (or Sartell), John

Smith, Ebenezer

Walker, Abel

Walker, Asa

Walker, Seth Jr.

Willard, Jonathan

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

War of 1812

Dates: 1812 - 1815

Where: Canada, Eastern seaboard of the United States, Great Lakes and Lake Champlain

How It Ended: The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Dec. 24, 1814. Unaware of the treaty, Gen. Andrew Jackson engaged and crushed the British at New Orleans on January 8, 1815.

American Battle Deaths: 2,260 (approx.)

Blood, Trueman

Carlisle, Samuel

Garfield, Daniel

Jennison, Levi

Peck, Daniel

Prouty, Justin

Prouty, Pardon

Prouty, Phinehas

Read, Warren

Rue, Hiram

Sartwell, Royal

Waldo, Elijah

Walker, Alvah

Whipple, Stephen

  

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

Mexican American War

Dates: 1846 - 1848

Where: Mexico and southwestern United States, including modern-day Texas, California and New Mexico

How It Ended: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on Feb. 2, 1848.

American Battle Deaths: 1,733 (approx.)

Cady, Stephen

Hacket, Harvey

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

Spanish-American War

Dates: April 25 - Aug. 12, 1898

Where : Mainly in the Spanish possessions of Cuba and the Philippines

How It Ended: The Treaty of Paris was signed on Dec. 10, 1898.

American Battle Deaths: 385 (approx.)

Kenyon, Samuel

Maloney, James

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

Civil War

Dates: 1861 - 1865

Where: Primarily in the Eastern half of the United States (east of the Mississippi River)

How It Ended: Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the small settlement of Appomattox Court House in southwestern Virginia on April 9, 1865.

American Battle Deaths: Union forces 140,414 and Confederate forces 74,524 (approx.)

Adams, John Loren

Adams, Lewis

Adams, Norman Lewis

Brohn, Carl

Blood, Milton Harrison

Brackett, Freeman E.

Bragg, Valentine H

Brown, George

Burke, Thomas

Butler, John

Cady, Leonard S.

Cady, Willard S

Carpenter, Alfred

Colburn, Wilson W

Conally, Michael

Currier, John

Davis, Leander

Davis, Salmon T.J.

Demmick, Frank

Estrabrook, John W

Farro, Leo

Fiffield, Edwin

Fisher, Andrew C.

Fisk, Andrew

Gassett, Daniel

Gibson, Israel G

Gleason, Francis

Gleason, Lorenzo

Goodwin, George W

Griggs, Almaron

Gowen, George Milton

Hackett, Harvey

Hale, Gustavus

Hannigan, William

Hartwell, Charles E

Hartwell, William H

Hiland, Thomas

Holden, George R

Holden, Henry M

Huntoon, Joel

Jaquith, Henry W

Jenna, George W

Kelley, John

Kendall, Newall

Kenyon, David Yale

King, John H

Kingsbury, Elisha A

Knight, Willard E

Lamb, George

Lamoire, Joseph

Marvin, Byron O

Mathy, John Edward

McGay, John

McKee, George

Miller, Frederick T

Murphy, James J

Nash, Otis C

Noblit, Albert

Patrie, Frank

Pierce, Edward E

Pierce, Frank O

Pierce, Jacob S

Pierce, Samuel G

Porter, Julius H

Porter, Aaron

Prentiss, Fred

Ramsey, John Francis

Ramsey, Rodney H

Ritter, Carl

Rogers, George M

Rogers, James F

Rogers, Oscar W

Royce, Frederick

Royce, William H

Rugg, Gardner H

Rugg, Horace K

Shaw, Joseph J

Shaw, Lorenzo

Shedd, Herman

Silsby, Robert M

Skinner, George W

Smith, Ceylon P

Smith, Ervin H

Smith, John C

Smith, Michael

Smith, William

Slade, Franklin L

Stearns, Charles F

Straw, Lorenzo Dearborn

Timothy, Alonzo

Tole, William

Webster, Sargent A

Wheaton, Robert A

Wheeler, George A

Wolfe, Egar S

Wright, Carroll D

Wright, Charles H

Woods, William

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

World War I

Dates: 1914 - 1918

Where: The Atlantic Ocean and Europe

How It Ended: Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.

American Battle Deaths: 53,402 (approx.)

Annis, Frank

Balla, Paul

Barton, Levi

Benware,George G

Bowen, Ernest Fletcher

Carothers, Robert

Clark, Clarence H

Cotton,Clyde

Durling,Raymond B

Hatch, Fred

Heselton, Carroll Henery

Holmes, Russell Herbert

Holway, Raymond

Jacobs, Ralph Heath

Kilpatrick, Harold

Lamb, Harold George

Lampher, Roy

LaSelle, Earle Ethewynne

Mazzie, Harry

Mousley, Dr Bayard T

Mousley, Leon W

Porter, George Loring

Whitney, Benjamin R

Whitney, Orrin Calvin

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

World War II

Dates: 1939 - 1945

Where: Europe, North Africa, Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands including Hawaii, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

How It Ended: Japan was the last Axis power to surrender on August 14, 1945, after the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

American Battle Deaths: 291,557 (approx.)

Aiken, Delbert

Aiken, Ralph

Amidon, Winthrop

Apostolos, Irene

Ball, Wayne

Balla, Alton

Batchelder, Ernest   Jr.

Batchelder, Robert

Beach, Norman

Blake, Harry

Blogett, John

Blood, Edgar

Bugbee, Leon

Burnham, James

Bushey, Lynn

Buzzell, Ward

Campbell, James

Chadkowski, Major

Chaloux, Alcide

Chase, Allison

Cheeney, Joseph

Cole, Parker

Cook, Harry

Crane, Donald

Davis, Fred

Derosier, Wilfred

Edson, John

Fowle Leslie

Fullam, Lynn

Goodnough, Carrol

Grout, Charles

Guinard, Edmund

Hartwell, Charles

Haskins, James

Holmes, Clifford

Holmes, Royal

Huntley, Ira

Jackson, Ernest

Johnson, Clifford

Johnson, Joseph Jr

Jones, Maurice

Kemp, Leslie

Kemp, Reginald

Kempton, Seth

Kibble, William

Kirpatrick, Ernest

Knight, David

Kolapakka, Richard

Lacroix, Maurice

Lacroix, Pauline

(Vachon)

Libby, Donald

Long, Bradley

Long, Norman

Lucier, Edward

Lufkin, Harlod

Lufkin, James

MacLellan, Constance

MacLellan, Daniel

Matthews, Bernard

Merrill, Lawrence

Monaski, Edward

Monaski, Joseph

Mousley, George

Nash, Albert

Nash. Stillman

Panek, Sygmond

Parkinson, Walter

Pare, Laurent

Peck, Ernest

Pelton, Lawrence

Pelton, Maurice

Pelton, Roger C

Peno, Carleton

Porter, George Benton

Porter, George Loring

Porter, James Benton

Potter, Ralph

Reiprich, Horst

Ring, Stanley

Robbins, Carroll

Roberge, Aumand

Rock, Elroy

Rumrill, Donald

Saunders, Sidney

Sheldon, W. Oren III

Skowfoe, John

Smith, Major

Smith, Pauline

Smith, Walter Jr.

Sodano, Walter

Spurr, Edward

Stokes, Samuel

Trybulski, Adolphus

Trybulski, Joseph

Turner, Thomas

Walker, George

Wall, John

Wheeler, Hollis

Whitton, Leon

Whitton, Morgan

Wilson, Alfred

Wilson, Clarence

Wilson, Daniel

Wilson, Dorian

Wilson, Edward

Wochek, Warren

Wood, Norman

Wood, Ralph

Woodell, George

Wright, John D

Young, Robert

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

Korean War

Dates: 1950 – 1953

Where: North and South Korea

How It Ended: The war reached a stalemate in June 1951.  An Armistice was finally reached on July 27, 1953.

American Battle Deaths: 33,741 (approx.)

  

Aiken, Dana

Allen, Daniel F

Allen, Nancy

Bascom, Allen

Batchelder, Robert

Batchelder, Sydney III

Beauchain, Louis

Bicknell, Duane

Boy, Max

Bragg, Howard Jr

Burke, Thomas Jr

Burnham, Donald

Bushey, Francis

Bushey, Lawrence

Campbell, Warren

Carroll, Robert

Clough, Richard

Cook, Harry

Cross, Carlton G. 

Davis, Gordon

Dulong, Kenneth

Durling, David

French,Carroll”Dave”

Goodnough, Carrol

Hartwell, Charles

Hurd, John

Hurd, Sumner Jr

Hurd, Vernard

Hurd, William

Kemp, William“Bill”

Kmiec, Joseph

Lamb, Herbert

Libby, Owen

MacLellan, Constance

MacLellan, Daniel

Menton, John

Meyerrose, W. Horst

Parker, Robert

Peck, Arthur

Pelton, Frank Jr

Porter, George Benton

Price, Roland

Richards, Armand Jr

Robie, Howard

Robie, Marilyn

Robie, Steven

Rogers, Rudolph

Samsel, Arthur

Sellers, Frank

St. Pierre, Bruce

Taylor, Betty

Taylor, Herbert

Ward, Elwin

Wilson, Edward D

Wright, Caleb

Young, Charles

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

Vietnam War

Dates: 1954 - 1975

Where: Southeast Asia

How It Ended: The U.S. withdrew after a ceasefire in 1973.

American Battle Deaths: 47,424 (approx.)

Adams, Robert S

Bascom, Allyn

Batchelder, Sydney III

Barchelder, William

Beach, David

Beam, Lucien

Beauchesne, Gary

Bellows, Elbridge

Bialobrzewski, Robert

Bragg, Everett

Bresland, John

Bushey, Lawrence

Burns, Robert

Campbell, James

Campbell, Rodney

Centre, Bart

Cheeney, David

Cheeney, Joseph Jr

Collins, Dennis

Conklin, Samuel

Cross, Carleton

Cross, James

Crossman, David

Davis, Robert

Dean, James

Downs, Jeffrey

Dunne, James

Durling, David

Ebbs, Donald

Erskine, Carleton

Fedelski, David

Fletcher, John

Fowle, James

Fowle, William

Gallagher, John

Gallagher, Paula

Goodnough, Carrol

Harrington, William

Hartwell, Charles

Heath, Anthony

Holbrook, Wendell

Holland, Carl

Holmes, Edward

Holmes, Richard

Hulett, Duard

Hurd, Dale

Hurd, Dennis

Hurd, Duane

Hurd, Vernard

Hurd, William

Jones, Brian

L'Abbe, Raymond

Lachance, Pierre

Levasseur, Edward

Mack, Edward

MacLellan, Daniel

Markham, Fred

Martin, Donald Jr

Marrison, Walter

Morris, Robert Sr

Morrison, Philip S

Neathawk, Roger

Niles, Byron

Pelton, Edward

Pelton, Walter

Pelton, William

Prescott, Samuel

Ring, Raymond

Rock,Richard

Scott, Arthur

Sheldon, W. Oren IV

Smith, William

Smith, Raymond L

Strong, Sidney

Swain, Larry

Taylor, Herbert

Toner, Peter

Utton, Chester

Walski, Ted

White, William

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

Modern, Peacetime or Undetermined Service

Adams,David(Haitian Crisis)

Allen, Daniel N

Balla, John

Blood, George

Bourquin, Christine

Brown, Roy A

Capuano, Naomi

Chaffee, John

Chaffee, Peter

Clark, Stephen

Cross, Andrew

Cross, Kevin

Crossman, Karen

Davis, Robert

Davis, Rogene

Fowle, William

Gabardi, Colleen

Harrington, Bill

Jacobs, David

Jones, Douglas

Jones, Wayne

Kathan, James

Mack, Gary

Paldula, Karen

Rock, Robert

Rock , Teresa

Skowfoe, Steven

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

Persian Gulf War

Dates: August 1990 - April 1991

Where: Iraq and Kuwait

How It Ended: After a four-day ground war, an American-led coalition declared victory. A cease-fire agreement was signed on April 9, 1991.

American Battle Deaths: 147 (approx.)

Adams, Everett Jr

Brodeur, Michael

Lacroix, David

Martin III, Don

Steven Stewart

Windes, (Beach) Amanda

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

  

War on Terrorism

Dates: Oct. 7, 2001 (War begins with U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan, after the terrorist attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Approximately 3,000 civilians and members of the military died as a result of the attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.) - Conflict continues...

Where: An effort to combat terrorism world-wide begins in Afghanistan.

American Deaths in Afghanistan: more than 450 as of May 2008

 ----------------------------

Iraq War

Dates: March 19, 2003 - Conflict continues...

Where: Iraq

American Deaths: more than 4,000 as of May 2008

Adams, Frankie

Briggs, Richard

Brodeur, Micheal

Casey, Andrew

Gilman Christopher (Deployment November 2009)

Whitman, Tim

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

 Andrea Cheeney of the Langdon Heritage Commission, Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Honor Roll for the town of Langdon, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 15, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/honor-roll-for-town-of-langdon-new.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Grandmother’s Diary ~ Part 23, October 6 – October 17, 1920

My grandmother, Gertrude Hitchings, a friend, and a sheep, circa 1920

This is the 23rd blog post with transcriptions of my grandmother's 1920 diary from Beverly, Massachusetts.  Her name was Gertrude Hitchings (1905 - 2001) and she lived on Elliott Street.  Her diary is a tiny 3" book with minuscule handwriting.  It has taken me a long time to transcribe, and the book is very fragile.  It has missing and torn pages, and the end of the book is gone, so I am very near to the end of this project with these September and October pages. Every Monday I post another section of the diary.  You can read the first installment HERE. 

WED. OCT. 6, 1920

Up at 6.45 went to school

Had eye & ear test came

Home at 11.45.  Went back

for bookkeeping on 2.15 car

came home at 5.  Went out a

little while after supper

Bed at 10.

THURSDAY 7

Up at 6.45 went to school

all morning home at 1.15

went downtown then Eunice

& I went up to Ethel’s.  Marion

& Brick up after supper

Went to bed at 10.

FRIDAY 8

Up at 6.45 went to school at

7.30 had an assembly home

at 1.15.  After dinner went

downtown with Eunice

After supper went to movies

with Brick.  Bed at 11.30.

NOTE:  After reading this diary it seems that Gertrude went to classes all morning at Beverly high school, came home for dinner [lunch] and then on some days she went back in the afternoon for bookkeeping, French or domestic science classes.  It appears to be an irregular schedule. Here she mentions her sister Eunice, her sister-in-law Ethel, her first cousin Marion, and a friend named Brick. 

SAT. OCT. 9, 1920

Up at 7.30 worked around

home all morning. Stayed

home all afternoon.  Mr.

Lowell up.  After supper went

out a while then played

cards with Pa, Mr. L. & Brick.

Went to bed at 10.45

SUNDAY 10

Up at 9.  Worked home

all morning stayed

home all afternoon. Mr.

Wilkins, Rus, Ethel, Ells and

Helen down.  Went to ride with

Brick.  Jones & Ty came down

Went to bed at 10.30.

MONDAY 11

Up at 6.45 went to school

got home at 1.15. Went

down to Helen’s around

4.30.  After supper went

down to Marion’s a while.

Went to bed at 9.30.

NOTE:  In these pages she mentions the boarder Mr. Lowell, and her friend Brick.  Mr. Wilkins is the father of her friend Bea.  Here she mentions "Jones" and "Ty" for the first time, friends from school? She went to her sister Helen's house, and then to her cousin Marion's house. 

TUES. OCT. 12, 1920

Up at 7.30 stayed home all

morning rained most of the time

After dinner Ty and Jones

came down stayed until

after supper.  Mr. Lowell

over. Pa went to Danvers.  Home

all evening. Bed at 9.45

WEDNESDAY 13

Up at 6.45 went to school

all morning.  Went back after

dinner for bookkeeping

home at 5 stayed home

all evening studying.  Went

to bed at 8.45

THURSDAY 14

Up at 6.45 school all

morning home at 1.15

after dinner went up to

Ethel’s all afternoon.  After supper

Geo & Henry came down.  Played

cards.  Bed at 10.15

NOTE: For some reason Gertrude didn't go to school on Monday, October 12th, maybe Columbus Day?  Ty and Jones are back visiting, and the boarder Mr. Lowell was back.  She went to visit her sister-in-law Ethel, and then two other boys "George" and "Henry" came to visit.  In these pages for the new school year Gertrude is mentioning lots of boy friends instead of her usual girl friends.  

FRI. OCT. 15, 1920

Up at 6.45 went to school

all morning home at 1.15

stayed home all afternoon

sewing.  Home all evening

writing.  Was afull awful

tired so went to bed at

8.00  Jones called up

SATURDAY 16

Up at 7.  Worked home all

morning. After dinner

Geo. & Jones came down. They

went hunting.  After supper

we went down to Helen’s

took care of the baby. Came home

at 9.45.  Bed at 10.30

SUNDAY 17

Up at 9.00 stayed home all

morning.   After dinner Ty & Geo. Came

down.  We went to walk and

took some pictures.  Then Geo. & I went

to ride.  Ma & Pa up Danvers

Bed at 10.30

NOTE:  More mentions of the boys George, Jones and Ty.  She went to ride on the trolley with George.  A possible sweetheart?  Or just a friend?  We'll have to see in the next few pages of the diary! 

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Grandmother’s Diary ~ Part 23, October 6 – October 17, 1920", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 15, 2017, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/my-grandmothers-diary-part-23-october-6.html: accessed [access date]). 

An Update on the Reverend Morrison House in Londonderry, New Hampshire

The Londonderry Historical Society has a Morrison house at their museum complex on Pillsbury Road. That was the one story Samuel Morrison house, moved from North Londonderry in the 1990s and restored.  You can see it in the photo at the top of my blog, behind the colonial militia re-enactors. They also own the two story 1725 Reverend William Morrison house, which used to stand on Gilcrest road.  It was donated to the historical society in 2006, but instead of moving it as a whole house, the timber framed structure was dismantled and put into storage in the familiar trailers at the museum complex.

Beams laid out on the new foundation of the Rev. Morrison house

A few years ago a foundation was built for the Rev. Morrison house, and some timbers were restored and used for the first floor.  Now an effort is underway by the Preservation Timber Framing experts to use the rest of the existing timbers and reconstruct the home.  Last week I was there, along with another past president of the historical society, Ann Chiampa, and the current president, John Savina, to see the Preservation Timber Framing company inventory and lay out the beams and posts.  This is the same firm that has done the excellent preservation and restoration work at the First Parish Meetinghouse in East Derry.  As they surveyed the 300 year old wood, they were planning which timbers were still usable, which could be repaired, and which beams needed modern replacements.

Close up view of the huge beams being restored

Old and new beams from the original 1722 Rev. Morrison House

When it is completed, the 1725 house will be restored to its original 1,200 feet, with a modern basement.  The house will be used as a museum, and an office for the Londonderry Historical Society.  This building is considered the oldest house in Londonderry, built by the Rev. William Morrison, born in Perthshire, Scotland.  He married Jean Fullerton and had five children: William Fullerton, Jenny, Daniel, James and Sally.  He was the Presbyterian minister for thirty five years (1783 - 1818) at the West Parish (now the town of Londonderry).  Rev. Morrison preached his last sermon just eight days before his death.  There doesn't appear to be a kinship between the two Morrison families who previously occupied the museum houses owned by the Historical Society.

The old numbering system of Roman numerals shows which beams join together

Past president Ann Chiampa was thrilled to see the work done under the
weatherproof membrane covering the foundation for the Rev. Morrison House

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

Julie Huss, “Wood Workings:  Londonderry’s Morrison House a Study in History”, Derry News, posted 12 May 2017, http://www.derrynews.com/news/londonderry/wood-workings/article_ec666ae2-0faa-5a66-8456-a84483f840f9.html  accessed 13 May 2017

Preservation Timber Framing website  http://www.preservationtimberframing.com/

My last post about the First Parish Meetinghouse restoration ongoing in East Derry, New Hampshire:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/02/derrys-first-parish-meetinghouse.html

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “An Update on the Reverend Morrison House in Londonderry, New Hampshire”, Nutfield Genealogy, May 13, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/an-update-on-reverend-morrison-house-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ OLIVER of Salem, Massachusetts

Thomas OLIVER, my 9^th great grandfather,  age 36, came to New England aboard the ship Mary Ann with his first wife, Mary Leman, two children (Thomas and John), and two servants (Thomas Doged, age 30; and Mary Sape age 12).  They arrived at Boston on 20 June 1637, but settled at Salem, Massachusetts where he bought much property.  Thomas Oliver was listed as a calenderman on the ship records.  The definition of a calenderman was one who operated a machine called a calender or mangle at a paper pulp mill or laundry.  The calender pressed cloth or paper between rollers to make them smooth or the proper thickness.

Thomas Oliver’s first wife, Mary, spoke out in support of the Salem church teacher Roger Williams.  Roger Williams was controversial because he was politically and theologically out of step with the Puritan church.  He was thus exiled from Salem, and ultimately exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Mary Oliver was punished in 1638 for “berating our elders”.  Thomas Oliver was brought to court for his inability to control his wife, and they were exiled back to England in 1649.  Sometime before 1666 Mary died and Thomas Oliver returned to Salem, where he still owned all his property.

On 26 July 1666 in Salem Thomas Oliver married for a second time to Bridget Playfer, the widow of Samuel Wasselbee.  They had one daughter, my 8^th great grandmother, Christian Oliver, born in 1667.  This was not a happy marriage.  Thomas beat Bridget.  They were brought to court several times, and in January 1669 they were charged with fighting in public and sentenced to pay a fine or be whipped with ten stripes.  They were brought to court again in 1677:

 “Bridget, wife of Thomas Oliver,.. for calling her husband many opprobrious names, as old rogue and old devil, on Lord’s days; she was ordered to stand with her husband, back to back on about an hour with a paper fastened to each of their foreheads, upon which their offence should be fairly written” (TAG, July 1981 see below)

In 1678 Thomas Oliver died without a will.  His estate was settled on 24 April 1679 and Bridget was named administrix.  She lost all the property he had accumulated when his debtors claimed many debts.  Bridget was left penniless, and had to petition the town of Salem for relief.  The people of Salem found Thomas Oliver’s death suspicious, and his children accused her of betwitching him to death.  Bridget received her first accusation of being a witch in 1680, and the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

The twice widowed Bridget brought herself out of poverty by marrying the prosperous and well respected man Edward Bishop around 1687.  This marriage was not happy either, and Bridget found herself accused of witchcraft again in the 1692 hysteria. In my opinion, the events of both marriages led to her accusations.  She was the first person to be executed by hanging during these trials on 10 June 1692.

This is a blog post about the Oliver family, not just about Bridget, the accused witch.  I will write more about Bridget (Playfer) (Wasselbee) (Oliver) Bishop in a blog post to be posted 10 June 2017, the 325^th anniversary of her death.  Please stay tuned!

To read about my BISHOP lineage (from Bridget’s third husband, Edward Bishop – yes, I descend from both Bridget through her Oliver marriage, and Bishop through his marriage with his first wife Elizabeth) please see this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-bishop-of-salem.html

For the truly curious:

Salem Witchcraft with an account of Salem Village and a history of opinions on Witchcraft and Kindred Subjects, by Charles W. Upham, NY: Frederick Unger Pub Co, 1978, 2 volumes.

A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. by James Savage, Boston MA: Little Brown & Co., 1860, volume 3, page 311.

David L. Green, "Salem Witches I: Bridget Bishop", The American Genealogist, July 1981

The Olivers of the Sagdahoc, Georgtown, Maine, by Eliot Chandler

Salem Village Witchcraft: A Documentary Record of Local Conflict in Colonial New England, by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, 1972.  See pages 155 and 156 for the case of Bridget Oliver Brought to Court for Using Foul Language against Her Husband,  January 1678

My OLIVER lineage:

Generation 1:  Thomas Oliver, born about 1601 probably in Norwich, England, died before 24 June 1679 in Salem, Massachusetts; married first to Mary Leman on 29 January 1626 at St. Andrew’s in Norwich, England; married second on 26 July 1666 in Salem to Bridget Player, widow of Samuel Wasselbee.  She died by hanging in Salem on 10 June 1692.  One child.

Generation 2:  Christian Oliver, born 8 May 1667 in Salem, died about 1693; married about 1686 to Thomas Mason.  One child.

Generation 3:  Susannah Mason m. John Becket

Generation 4:  John Becket m. Rebecca Beadle

Generation 5:  Hannah Becket m. Joseph Cloutman

Generation 6:  Mary Cloutman m. Abijah Hitchings

Generation 7:  Abijah Hitchings m. Eliza Ann Treadwell

Generation 8:  Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis

Generation 9:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 10:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ OLIVER of Salem, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 13, 2017, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/05/surname-saturday-oliver-of-salem.html: accessed [access date]).