Walking on Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts

 

In July 2022 I visited Burial Hill with a group of Mayflower descendants from the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.  Only some of us went to the top of Burial Hill to visit the cemetery and see the sights.  It was a lovely summer day, and quite a climb to the top (lots of stairs) and another long climb back down the hill.  It was well worth it, especially since I wanted to see the memorial to John Howland, which was at the very top of the hill.  I had visited Plymouth dozens of times previous to this tour, but had never made the climb to the top of Burial Hill.  

FYI! If you plan to visit, there are long stairs up to the top of Burial Hill.  There are stairs behind the meetinghouse, and also behind Burial Hill with a large parking lot. But no matter which direction you use to approach Burial Hill, there are stairs! 

Among the gravestones are historical markers for important people, and the location of the first fort the settlers built in 1621 (replicated at the Plimoth Patuxet museum as a wooden garrison also used as a meetinghouse.) 

An old postcard of Burial Hill.  The view hasn't changed much, has it?

This is the Meetinghouse at the foot of Burial Hill.  Next to the meetinghouse, on the grassy slope you see to the right of the parked cars, are several memorial stones to Mayflower passengers.  These men are probably buried somewhere on Burial Hill, but the actual locations have been lost to time.  Descendants have placed the three memorials (cenotaphs) next to the meetinghouse. I have photographs below. 

Edward Doty, the Mayflower passenger, is buried somewhere on this hill.  Descendants placed this memorial stone here in the 1800s.  There is also a cenotaph to Edward Doty at the Winslow Burying Ground in Marshfield. The back of this memorial stone lists his children.

This is the memorial stone to Mayflower passenger John Alden.  The actual location of his grave is unknown, but believed to be somewhere on Burial Hill.  

This rather big stone to Mayflower passenger Elder William Brewster is also at the foot of Burial Hill next to the Meetinghouse.  I didn't show the entire memorial stone because it is full of inaccurate information (including the wrong name for his wife!).  This stone was placed by a descendant. 

For the truly curious:

Burial Hill Cemetery, from the Plymouth, Massachusetts town website (There are links to maps):  https://www.plymouth-ma.gov/cemetery-and-crematory-management/pages/burial-hill-cemetery   

Find A Grave, Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts    https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/310849  

My ancestor, John Howland, A Mayflower passenger, buried here at Burial Hill -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/john-howland-mayflower-passenger-died.html  

Here is a link to my blog post about our tour to Plymouth and Burial Hill.  We visited on Day Four of our tour, on the same day as a trip to Duxbury and Pilgrim Hall Museum -   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/07/day-four-on-path-of-pilgrims-tour-by.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Walking on Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 28, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/walking-on-burial-hill-in-plymouth.html: accessed [access date]). 

John Howland, Mayflower Passenger, died 1673 - Tombstone Tuesday

 This tombstone was photographed at Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

Here ended the Pilgrimage of

JOHN HOWLAND

who died February 23, 1672/3

aged above 80 years.

He married Elizabeth daughter of

JOHN TILLEY

who came with him in the 

Mayflower Dec. 1620.

From them are descended a 

numerous posterity.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Hee was a godly man and an ancient

professor in the wayes of Christ.  Hee was

one of the first comers into this land and

was the last man that was left of those

that came over in the Shipp called the

Mayflower that lived in Plyouth."

                      Plymouth Records.

John Howland is my 10th great grandfather, and was a Mayflower passenger.  His wife, Elizabeth Tilley, was also a young passenger on board the Mayflower, along with her parents, brother, aunt and uncle.  She was left an orphan when they all died that first winter, and married John Howland three years later in the new Plymouth Colony.  They had ten children.  You can read all about my lineage from John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley HERE.  Elizabeth Tilley was buried in Swansea, Massachusetts, where she went to live with her daughter Lydia when she was widowed. NOTE: This burial ground in what was once Swansea, Massachusetts is now East Providence, Rhode Island [thank you to reader Andrew Whipple for this edit!] 

This is the second known tombstone for John Howland.  It is unknown if any type of marker, stone or wooden, was place on his grave site in 1673.  Around 1844 a simple marker was erected, and then replaced with this current, more elaborate memorial stone in 1897.  

For the truly curious:

Surname Saturday - Howland -   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/08/surname-saturday-howland-mayflower.html  

A blog post about Rocky Nook, the homesite of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley in Duxbury, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/rocky-nook-site-of-mayflower-passenger.html   

Find A Grave, John Howland -  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6613808/john-howland  

A story about the two known grave markers for John Howland at Burial Hill in Plymouth -   https://pilgrimjohnhowlandsociety.org/The_history_of_John__Elizabeth_and_Yet_Mercy__s_Headstones    

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John Howland, Mayflower Passenger, died 1673  - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 21, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/john-howland-mayflower-passenger-died.html: accessed [access date]). 

Top Ten Books about Nutfield History and Genealogy

 

Years ago I had a series of blog posts called "Top Ten".  I posted about my top ten favorite books, top ten genealogy blogs for New England, my top ten brick wall ancestors, top ten genealogy tricks and tips, etc. etc.  Back in 2016 I posted my Top Ten Books about Nutfield https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/top-ten-books-about-nutfield-history.html  

I recently looked at this five year old blog post and decided it needed revising.  During the big 300th anniversary of the founding of Nutfield, some new books were published, and they really should be on this list, too.  Here is my new "Top Ten" list of Nutfield books!

1. History of Londonderry, By Rev. E. L. Parker, 1851.  This book is out of print, but widely available in used book stores and online book shops.  It is also available to read online at archive.org but there is nothing like having this good reference book right at your elbow. The back of the book is full of genealogies of early Londonderry families. 

2.  Vital Records of Londonderry, by Daniel Annis Gage, 1914 (covers 1719 – 1910) available online at the Internet Archive and the Hathi Trust websites for free.  There is also a PDF at the Pelham Library website http://www.pelhamnhhistory.org/library/pdffiles/neighbors/vitalrecords/LondonderryVitalRecords.pdf   This book is also searchable at Ancestry.com (check their card catalog. Yes!  Ancestry has a card catalog of books and resources!).

3.  Scotch Irish Pioneers in Ulster and America, by Charles Knowles Boston, 1910.  Available to read online at Google Book Search. 

4.  1718-2018: Reflections on 300 Years of the Scots Irish in Maine, first published 2019 by the Ulster Scots Agency in Belfast, and then published 2019 by the Maine Ulster Scots Project.  See the website www.maineulsterscots.com to order a copy. 

5. Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors: The essential genealogical guide to early modern Ulster, 1600 - 1800, by William J. Roulston, 2018, by the Ulster Historical Foundation. 

6.  Londonderry Tales: Glimpses into Londonderry, New Hampshire's Past, by Sandy Dahlfred, www.lulu.com   Sandy is a member of the Londonderry Historical Society.  https://www.lulu.com/shop/sandy-dahlfred/londonderry-tales-glimpses-into-londonderry-new-hampshires-past/ebook/product-124j24wv.html?q=londonderry&page=1&pageSize=4 

7. Nutfield Rambles, by Richard Holmes, Peter Randall Publisher, 2007.  This book, and the one below, are written by the Derry, New Hampshire town historian, Rick Holmes.  Both feature chapter length sketches from Nutfield and Derry town history. 

8. The Road to Derry:  A Brief History, by Richard Holmes, History Press, 2009. 

9.  History of Windham, in New Hampshire 1719 – 1883: A Scotch Settlement (commonly called Scotch-Irish), embracing nearly one third of the ancient settlement and historic township of Londonderry, NH, By Leonard Allison Morrison, 1883, available online  at Internet Archive.   There was also a supplement to this book written by Morrison in 1892 which includes marriages, births and deaths 1882 – 1892 and some obituaries.  This book has a huge genealogy section in the back!  

10.   Index to Genealogies in New Hampshire Town Histories, by William Copely, New Hampshire Historical Society, 2000. This is my favorite place to look up surnames from New Hampshire.  Many New Hampshire town history books have genealogy sections in the back, for the early settlers. Since many of the early Nutfield settlers stayed briefly in Londonderry and then moved on to other towns in New Hampshire, and other parts of the United States, this is a good place to start. (Please, NH Historical Society!  This book needs a new edition with some updating after 23 years!)

If you know of any other great books about Nutfield that should be on this list, leave a comment below!

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Top Ten Books about Nutfield History and  Genealogy", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 16, 2023, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/top-ten-books-about-nutfield-history.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday - Estrela Basilica, Lisbon, Portugal

 This weathervane was photographed on the belltower at the Estrela Basicila in Lisbon, Portugal. 

This photo is crooked because I was taking a "fly by" photo from a tuk-tuk! 

There are two bell towers on the Estrela Basilica, and each has a weathervane shaped like a flaming sword.  The full name of this church is Real Basílica e Convento do Santíssimo Coração de Jesus or "The Royal Basilica and Convent of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In Roman Catholic iconography, the sacred heart of Jesus is pierced by a flaming sword and surrounded by a crown of thorns. This was the first church in the world to be dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart began in the 17th century with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.        

The story behind this building is that Queen Maria I of Portugal prayed to an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for children.  She vowed to build a church if her wish came true. She bore a crown prince in 1761, but did not begin the construction until she accended to the throne.  The building was started in 1779 and took over ten years to construct.  

 For the truly curious:

Estrela Basilica at Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrela_Basilica    

Sacred Heart at Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Heart    

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

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Estrela Basilica, Lisbon, Portugal", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 8, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/weathervane-wednesday-estrela-basilica.html: accessed [access date]).                                 

Weathervane Wednesday - Mystery Church in Lisbon, Portugal

 This weathervane above the church of Our Lady of Grace was photographed in Lisbon, Portugal.

This weathervane sits on the belltower of the Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in Lisbon, Portugal.  It is one of the oldest convents in Lisbon and sits on Lisbon's highest hills overlooking the Tagus River.  Many churches were destroyed or damaged in the 1755 earthquake, and this convent was rebuilt then and restored again in the 21st century. It is a Portuguese National Monument. 

It is difficult to discern the weathervane itself.  Is it the wing of an angel?  Just a baroque banner? 

For the truly curious:

Graça Convent  -  at Wikipedia  -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gra%C3%A7a_Convent 

 -----------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Mystery Church in Lisbon, Portugal", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 1, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/02/weathervane-wednesday-mystery-church-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday - Three for One in Guadarrama, Spain

 These three weathervanes are on the roof of the Restaurante Sala, located on Carretera de los Molinos, Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain. 

Cougar

Witch on a broomstick

Stag

The Restaurante Sala is located in the mountain town of Guadarrama, Spain.  Vincent's cousins took us for lunch to this charming restaurant, and we enjoyed it very much!  There were actually four weathervanes on the roof, but one of the two witches was damaged.  We ate outside on the terrace, and enjoyed the artwork in the garden.  If you visit in December don't miss their large nativity, which can be viewed through a window in the front of the restaurant. 

For the truly curious:

Restaurante Sala -  https://restaurantesala.com/       

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

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Three for One in Guadarrama, Spain", Nutfield Genealogy, posted ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/weathervane-wednesday-three-for-one-in.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday - Weathervane by Shem Drowne, at the Massachusetts Historical Society

I have seen another Shem Drowne weathervane recently, and just last week the Boston Globe announced a Southeby's auction of a newly discovered sixth weathervane by Drowne!  This is fantastic news about the earliest documented weathervane maker in the United States.  Shem Drowne (1683 - 1774) is most famous for his grasshopper weathervane above Faneuil Hall in Boston, and very few weathervanes have been documented to be his work.  These six weathervanes are among the most prized in the US.  To discover a new one is historical!  

The sixth Drowne weathervane discovered recently was a copy of the Faneuil Hall grasshopper and originally was installed on Peter Faneuil's house in Boston.  Later it was installed on a barn in New Hampshire (location has not been disclosed) for many years, and then owned by a family in New Jersey.  Experts have traced the provenance of this weathervane back to Shem Drowne.  The story is fascinating and you can read about it HERE at the Boston Globe (subscription might be needed) or HERE in a shorter version at an antiques website.  It will be auctioned by Southeby's in New York City on January 23, and is expected to fetch over $300,000! 

The archer weathervane photographed here for this blog post resides at the Massachusetts Historical Society. It originally was installed over the Province House in Boston around 1716, and it depicts an indigenous person with a bow and arrow.  This symbol was inpired by the Native American figure on the Massachusetts Bay seal (1629).  Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "Legends of Province House" and featured "Drowne's Wooden Image" as a gilded weathervane. Did you read Johnny Tremaine (by Esther Forbes) as a child? The first paragraphs feature this weathervane, too, and mention its glass eye! 

Province House was built in 1679 for Peter Sargeant, a Boston merchant.  It was later the royal governor's residence (for the following royal governors: Samuel Shute (who signed the Shute petition for Nutfield), William Shirley, Thomas Pownall, Francis Bernard, Thomas Gage, and William Howe).  When the new Massachusetts State House was built after the Revolutionary War the Province House was donated to the Massachusetts General Hospital, but destroyed in a fire by 1864. The weathervane and the royal coat of arms survived the fire.  You can still see the brick front steps that were part of this house on Province Street in downtown Boston.

A descendant of the founder of the Massachusetts General Hospital donated this weathervane to the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1876.  In 1991 it was on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts alongside the Faneuil grasshopper weathervane during a restoration of the Old State House. This archer weathervane used to hang in the lobby of the Massachusetts Historical Society, but now it is on the wall in an office, out of public view.

Fortunately, one of my good college friends is a fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society.  With her assistance I was able to visit this weathervane in the private office.  It is one of the few weathervanes I have been able to visit up close, instead of using a zoom lens on a camera or binoculars!  There are guided art tours of the Massachusetts Historical Society every Saturday at 10am, free to the public, which includes seeing this weathervane.  Please contact the MHS for more information about the tour. 

Drowne’s  other five weather vanes are the famous grasshopper above Faneuil Hall, the weather cock on top of the Congregational Church in Cambridge, a weathercock on display at the Museum of Old Newbury, and the banner shaped weathervane on the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston. I have not seen the Newbury weathervane (yet!).  Only three are still installed outdoors, the rest are part of indoor collections. 

My genealogical connection to Shem Drowne has inspired me to start blogging about local weathervanes, and weathervanes from all over New England, and sometimes around the world.  At this date in 2023 I have written about almost 500 weathervanes, and Vincent has photographed nearly all of them (I try but I'm not as good a photographer). Many people following my blog have wondered why a genealogy blog features weathervanes.  Now you know!   

The Drowne family lived in Kittery, Maine, where Shem was born in 1683.  His father, Leonard Drowne, an immigrant from England, was a shipbuilder.  He moved his family from Kittery, Maine to the safety of Boston during the French and Indian War.  Leonard is buried at the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in the North End.   It was here, in the North End, that Shem Drowne began his trade as a tinsmith.  He was also a deacon at the First Baptist Church, where many of my other ancestors belonged, and can be found in the marriage and church records at this same time period.

Here is a genealogical chart showing my kinship to Shem Drowne, weathervane maker.

                                Walter Abbott m. Sarah Steward

                                                            I      

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

           I                                                                  I

Elizabeth Abbott m. Leonard Drown  m. Mary Abbott m. William Caverly

          I                                                                                        I

Shem Drowne m. Katherine Clarke                Elizabeth Caverly m. Thomas Wilkinson

                                                                             I

                                                                         James Wilkinson m. Hannah Mead

                                                                             I

                                                                          William Wilkinson m. Mercy Nason

                                                                             I         

                                                                          Aaron Wilkinson m. Mercy F. Wilson

                                                                             I

                                                                         Robert Wilson Wilkinson m. Phebe Munroe

                                                                             I

                                                                         Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Bill

                                                                             I

                                (my grandparents) Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Roberts

Also, Mary Drowne, a sister of Shem Drowne, born about 1693 and died 24 January 1732, married on 24 April 1712 to James Kettle, my 7th great grand uncle, brother to Jonathan Kettle (1681 - 1764) my 7th great grandfather.  That makes Mary Drowne my 7th great aunt by marriage, as well as my first cousin 8 generations removed.  

For the truly curious:

Blog posts about Shem Drowne's weathervanes: 

1.  Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/06/weathervane-wednesday-genealogical.html

2.  First Church,  Cambridge, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/09/weathervane-wednesday-another-shem.html    

3.  Old North Church, Boston, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/weathervane-wednesday-very-historic.html   

A weathervane by Thomas Drowne (Shem Drowne's grandson):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/08/weathervane-wednesday-happy-4th.html   

Massachusetts Historical Society https://www.masshist.org/   

Museum of Old Newbury  https://www.newburyhistory.org/   

A great book!  Yankee Weathervanes by Myrna Kaye, New York:  E.P. Dutton. 

A journal article:  Baker, Daniel. "The Grasshopper in Boston.", New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 49, no. 1 (January 1895), 24-28.

Two webpages with the news of the newly discovered sixth Shem Drown weathervanes, a copy of the famous Faneuil grasshopper:

Boston Globe    https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/11/metro/faneuil-hall-grasshopper-weathervane-had-long-lost-twin-its-going-up-auction/?event=event12     

Antiques and Arts Weekly      https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/sothebys-to-offer-shem-drowne-grasshopper-weathervane-january-23/  

Check out the page with the grasshopper weathervane at Sotheby's website:  https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-americana-2/the-highly-important-faneuil-family-molded-copper  

Click here to see nearly 500 weathervane posts!  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Weathervane%20Wednesday  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Weathervane by Shem Drowne, at the Massachusetts Historical Society", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 18, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/weathervane-wednesday-weathervane-by.html: accessed [access date]). 

Newly discovered Civil War photos of my Great Great Grandfather

 Over Christmas break my distant cousin contacted me with some genealogy questions.  One was a question about a photo she saw on Find A Grave for my great great grandfather Abijah Franklin Hitchings (1841 - 1910).  I had never seen this photo before!

I contacted the gentleman who contributed this photo to Frank Hitchings memorial at Find A Grave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15836442/abijah-franklin-hitchings  His name was Peter Maugle, and according to his profile at Find A Grave, he is a staff member at Fredericksburg National Military Park. He has added photos to over one thousand memorials while attempting to establish the identities of the marked graves at Fredericksbury National Cemetery.  Frank Hitchings was wounded at Fredricksburg, but did not die there.  He died in 1910 at his home in Salem, Massachusetts. 

According to Peter Maugle, he found this photo at the Library of Congress digital collection.  You can see the information at this link identifies Frank Hitchings as the soldier seated in the photograph.  https://www.loc.gov/item/2022630776/    This photo was donated to the Library of Congress in September 2020.  It pays to keep looking at those Find A Grave memorials every year to see if new information has been added! 

I have previously blogged about Great great grandpa Hitchings at several blog posts.  I'll add those links to the end of this post, and if you are interested you can read those stories.  He had served twice in the Civil War, first in the "Minute Men of '61" (Co. I, 8th Reg. Mass. Vol. Infantry) which rescued Old Ironsides (the USS Constitution) from Annapolis, and then again in Co. H, 19th Reg. Vol. Infantry, and was in the Battle of Fredericksburg.  Here is the digital version of his carte de viste- the original hangs on my mother's living room wall. This would have been his colorful Zouave uniform from the "Minute Men". 

Frank Hitchings served in the invalid corps during the end of the Civil War.  He had been a sailmaker before his military service, and after the war he began working at the Salem Custom House.  Eventually he became the Deputy Customs Collector.  His office is preserved in the Salem National Historic Park at the old Custom House on the waterfront. 

My grandmother was born in 1905. She remembers her "Dada Hitchings" walked with a limp.  He had his leg examined many times by the doctors at the Boston Veterans Hospital in Charlestown, and those records are preserved in his pension file.  His wife Hanna Eliza Lewis Hitchings (1844 - 1921) received a widow's pension when Frank died in 1910.  His obituaries are full of testimonies and information about his military service and his participation in many GAR events.  I wasn't surprised to see at the Library of Congress website many links to mentions of his name including the book History and Complete Roster of the Massachusetts Regiments: Minute Men of '61 who responded to the first call of President Abraham Lincoln, April 15, 1861, to defend the Flag and Constitution of the United States, by George W. Nason, 1910.  

This book at the LOC included this page about A. Frank Hitchings (page 265) 

Just when you think you've found all the existing material (ephemera, photos, information) on an ancestor, something new pops up!  Never stop looking and communicating with your cousins. 

For the Truly Curious:

Abijah Franklin Hitchings Find A Grave Memorial   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15836442/abijah-franklin-hitchings  

Photograph at the Library of Congress    https://www.loc.gov/item/2022630776/  

"How to find your American Veteran Ancestors (A. Frank Hitchings" November 10, 2009   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-find-your-american-veteran.html   

"My Great Great Grandfather, the Deputy Customs Collector, June 26, 2015   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/06/my-great-great-grandfather-deputy.html   

My Hitchings Surname Saturday post, October 4, 2014    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/10/surname-saturday-hitchings-of-lynn.html  

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To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Newly discovered Civil War photos of my Great Great Grandfather", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 10, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/01/newly-discovered-civil-war-photos-of-my.html: accessed [access date]).