March 26 – Robert Frost’s Birthday

Although we all think of him as a New England poet, did you know that Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on 26 March 1874?  We also think that all New England Yankees were progressives and abolitionists, but Robert Frost's father was a Southern sympathizer during the Civil War.  His son was named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee.  Just like his life, Frost's poetry is full of layers of irony.

Frost’s roots run deep in New Hampshire. He is a descendant of Nicholas Frost who arrived in New Hampshire in 1634.  You can read more about his ancestry at my previous blog post HERE.   http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/12/robert-frost-derry-resident.html  You can also search my blog for many posts written about his homestead in Derry, New Hampshire. 

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

                                                                                              - Robert Frost 

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "March 26 – Robert Frost’s Birthday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 26, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/march-26-robert-frosts-birthday.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ WAY of Dorchester, Massachusetts

Second Church of Dorchester

WAY / WAYE

My 11^th great grandfather, Henry Way (1583 – 1667), lived in Bridport in the parish of Allington, Dorset, England where his six children were baptized.   Some say that he arrived in New England aboard the ship Mary and John with his wife Elizabeth Bachelor, and five children, but there is no passenger list for that ship.   They arrived at Nantasket on 30 May 1630 and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts. The first record of Henry Way is in 1631 when his fishing boat rescued three men from a sinking ship [from The History of New England from 1630 to 1649, by John Winthrop, volume 2, page 71].  He signed a document to support the Dorchester school teacher on 7 February 1641/2 and he was admitted to the Second Church of Dorchester on 5 May 1643. 

Henry Way was a merchant, and he is often seen in records that have to do with mariners or boats. There was another merchant named “Mr. George Way” who had business in New England and might have been a kinsman.  George Way made a trip to Dorchester.

In a 1632 record “A shallop of one Henry Way of Dorchester, having been missing all the winter, it was found that the men in her, being five, were all killed treacherously by the eastern Indians.  Antoher shallop of his being sent out to seek out the other, was cast away at Aquamenticus, and two of the men drowned.” [ from The History of New England from 1630 to 1649, by John Winthrop, volume 2, page 95] In his book Great Migration Begins, Anderson believes that the author William Hubbard, in his book A General History of New England from Discover to MDCLXXX, 1815, page 198”erroneously supposed that these entries indicated that Henry Way not only owned the shallops, but was in one of them when the tragedies occurred”.

I descend from Hannah Way (b. 1615/6), my 10^th great grandmother who married Bray Wilkins.  You can read all about the WILKINS lineage at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-wilkins-of-dorchester.html  

Henry Way's youngest son, Richard Way (1624 - 1697) had four wives.  His second wife, Bethia Mayhew, is also my 10th great aunt.  I descend from her brother Rev. Thomas Mayhew (about 1620 - 1657) and her sister, Hannah Mayhew (1635 - 1723) who married Thomas Daggett in 1657. Yes, a double Mayhew lineage with a cousin connection, too! 

For more information on the WAY family:

The Great Migration Begins, by Robert Charles Anderson, 1995, Volume III, pages 1951 – 1953.

Way Family History, by Mary Elizabeth Way, published 1974.

The American Genealogist, Volume 61, pages 241 – 256.

My WAY genealogy:

Generation 1:  Henry Way, born about 1583, in Allington, Bridport, Dorset, England, died 24 March 1667 in Dorchester, Massachusetts; married 22 January 1615 in Bridport to Elizabeth Bachelor.  She was born about 1587 and died 23 June 1665 in Dorchester.  Six children.

Generation 2:  Hannah Way, baptized on 3 March 1615/6 in Allington, Bridport; married about 1636 to Bray Wilkins.  He was born about 1610 in Wales, and died 2 January 1702 in Middleton, Massachusetts.  Eight children.

Generation 3:  Margaret Wilkins m. Philip Knight

Generation 4:  Elizabeth Knight m. Samuel Towne

Generation 5:  Rebecca Towne m. Stephen Johnson

Generation 6:  Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 7:  Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 8:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 9:  Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 10:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 11:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 12:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ WAY of Dorchester, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 24, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-way-of-dorchester.html: accessed [access date]). 

How Genealogy Literate Are You?

A fun quiz for family historians.  Add up your score and comment below!

One point for each of the following:

Have you ever…  

Attended a local genealogy workshop?

Visited your state vital records office?

Done the genealogy happy dance at home in your pajamas?

Googled your ancestor’s name?

Cursed under your breath when Ancestry changed its website?

Helped someone else online with a genealogy problem?

Left flowers at an ancestor’s grave at least 4 generations removed?

Wrote a query on Facebook page, on a website or message board?

Waited excitedly for the 1940 census records to appear online?

Trimmed a five generation branch off your family tree?

Got someone else interested in researching their ancestry?

Join a local genealogy society?

Stayed up until midnight researching online?

Became overly excited to find a black sheep ancestor?

Two points for the following:

Have you ever…  

Attended a regional genealogy event?

Visited your county probate court record depository?

Done the genealogy happy dance in a public library?

Googled your ancestor’s name using quotation marks, OR, AND or “-“ (minus sign)?

Helped someone else solve a genealogy problem in a library, archive or records repository?

Left flowers at the grave of an ancestor at least six generations removed?

Written a snail mail letter asking for genealogy information?

Own a copy of “Evidence Explained”?

Do you remember waiting for the 1930 census records to appear online?

Successfully used Steve Morse’s website to find an Ellis Island immigrant you couldn’t find any other way?

Ordered a microfilm to view at your local Family History library?

Found a book on the “re-shelf” cart at the genealogy society (it caught your eye) that solved your brickwall?

Got a young person (under 21) interested in researching their family tree?

Given a family tree chart to someone as a gift?

Join an ancestral society (surname society or family association)?

Participated in an online indexing project?

Stayed up until 2am researching online?

Gotten excited to find two ancestors shared a grandparent (it simplifies things, doesn’t it?)

Five points for each of these:

Have you ever…  

Attended a national genealogy event that involved taking a plane, train or bus to get there?

Visited the National Archives in Washington DC or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City?

Done the genealogy happy dance in a courthouse or federal building?

Googled your ancestors using quotation marks, wild cards, asterisks and dates?

Given a presentation about genealogy, even if it was only to the five people in your local genealogy club or library?

Tripped over a tree root at the cemetery only to look up and find the tombstone you’ve been searching for the past two hours?

Cold called someone you never met because they shared a surname with an ancestor in an ancestral village or geographical location?

Remember being excited when you finally got a copy of the microfilm for the 1920 census?

Bring cookies or donuts for the town or county clerk?

Visit the “vertical file” at every local library and historical society you visit?

Used a research log?

Given a copy of your genealogy research to the library or historical society where your ancestors originated?

Joined a national genealogical society that produces a scholarly journal ?

Written a short article for a genealogy club newsletter, family association email, local historical society newsletter or local newspaper or magazine?

Visited your ancestral village, stopped at the pub or diner, and met a distant cousin “by accident” with your surname or one of your ancestral surnames.  Extra points if this cousin leads you to more helpful information!

Pulled an all-nighter while researching online?

Ten points!:

Have you ever … 

Googled ancestors using the operator [site:  ]?

Applied for a court order to unseal records from an asylum, poorhouse, adoption or prison?

Developed research plans (and stuck to it)?

Joined a lineage society that required lineage papers?

Taken classes at genealogical institutes to improve your skills (certificate programs, weeklong institutes, guided research trips)?

Learned a foreign language just so you could translate your own ancestor’s documents?

Gone shopping with friends but explored the cemetery next door whilst the friends perused the mall?

Brought your own white gloves and magnifying glass to an archive?

Ever considered buying a roll of microfilm instead of constantly ordering it from Salt Lake City?

Knocked on a stranger’s door and asked to look around because an ancestor once lived there?

Started your own genealogy blog (even just a secret one for family members)?

Twenty points!

Have you ever...

Write a peer reviewed article for a national genealogy society journal, magazine or newsletter?

Were you accepted into a lineage society under a line no one had previously applied under?

Traveled across the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to visit an archive in a foreign country for your genealogy research?

Cancelled plans for a national genealogy conference to attend a family event (wedding, bar mitzvah, reunion) because living family is more important than those who have passed on?

Accepted the position of historian for a lineage society?

What was your score? Who scored the highest?

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "How Genealogy Literate Are You?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 23, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/how-genealogy-literate-are-you.html: accessed [access date]).

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A cute cat!

I post another in a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane was photographed in England by a reader.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #355?  Scroll down to find the answer.

This week's weathervane was sent to me by Karen Johnson, who I met a few years ago at the Francis Wyman Family Association reunion in Burlington, Massachusetts.  She is also a member of the Towne Family Association, which is made up of descendants of William Towne and Joanna Blessing of Topsfield, Massachusetts.  Karen participated in the TFA trip to England in June 2017, and took these photos.

This church is St. Mary's,  located in Creeting, Suffolk, England.  The weathervane was on a building near the church.  Richard Salmon was baptized in this church, and he was the grandfather of Isaac Estey, the husband of Mary Towne.  Mary (Towne) Estey was hanged as a witch in 1692, the same year her sister Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was hanged. Another sister, Sarah (Towne) Cloyse was accused, but escaped being executed. I descend from Edmund Towne, who was the brother of these three unfortunate Towne sisters.

This weathervane is extremely sweet!  It is a two dimensional black cat chasing four balls in the wind.  It must be fun to see this weathervane when the wind is blowing! 

Towne Family Association:  http://townefolk.com/testing/   

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~  A cute cat!", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 21, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/weathervane-wednesday-cute-cat.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Settler's Row, Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, New Hampshire

These photographs were taken at the Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry, New Hampshire.  It is located behind the First Parish Congregational Church.  If you drive up past the church, through the parking area and enter the cemetery gates, and then drive straight ahead, you will be on the lane that is called "Settler's Row" in the cemetery.  Just about fifty yards ahead on the left you will see a wrought iron fence around several tombstones, and a sign reading "First Settlers".

This area was known as Nutfield when it was settled in 1719 by Scots Irish immigrants who followed their Presbyterian minister, James MacGregor, from Aghadowey, Northern Ireland to New England.  Soon after settlement, they named their town Londonderry.  This area encompasses the current towns of Londonderry, Derry, Windham and parts of Manchester, Hudson and Chester. The cemetery was laid out in 1721. Forest Hill Cemetery is the only cemetery in Derry, New Hampshire.

In the "First Settler" area you will find Rev. James MacGregor's family, and the tombstones of the very early Ulster Presbyterian residents.  The Find A Grave website, and the website for "The Friends of Forest Hill Cemetery" has more information on the history and tombstones at this historic burying ground.  I have featured many of the oldest tombstones here at this blog.  Use the search bar at the top left corner to search for surnames, or use the labels in the far right column.

Rev. David and Mary MacGregor
(son of Rev. James MacGregor)

James and Annas McKeen

"Charter" John Moor

Friends of Forest Hill Cemetery:    http://forest-hill-1721.webs.com/ 

Find A Grave - Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, NH:
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/102867/forest-hill-cemetery  

Cemetery Department, Derry, NH:  https://www.derrynh.org/cemetery


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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Settler's Row, Forest Hill Cemetery, Derry, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 20, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/tombstone-tuesday-settlers-row-forest.html: accessed [access date]).

Jabez Howland House, Plymouth, Massachusetts

The Jabez Howland House is located at 33 Sandwich Street, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is open to the public for tours from Memorial Day until Thanksgiving week, and operated by the Pilgrim John Howland Society.   It is the only existing colonial house in Plymouth where a Pilgrim actually lived!  It dates from 1667, and was owned by Jabez, son of John Howland the Mayflower passenger.  John and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland lived here with their son in the winters.  Their farm was out on Rocky Nook in what is now the town of Kingston, Massachusetts.

For more information:

The Jabez Howland House  www.pilgrimjohnhowlandsociety.org/howland-house 

My blog post from last week about Rocky Nook, the farm of John Howland
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/rocky-nook-site-of-mayflower-passenger.html

An earlier blog post about my visit to the church where John Howland was baptized, in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, England:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/along-pilgrim-trail-john-howland-of.html


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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Jabez Howland House, Plymouth, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 19, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/jabez-howland-house-plymouth.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ WILKINS of Dorchester, Lynn, and Middleton, Massachusetts

WILKINS / WILKENS

Bray Wilkins (about 1610 – 1702), my 10^th great grandfather, is of unknown origins, although family tradition says he was from Wales.  He was at Dorchester, Massachusetts as early as 1633, and he joined the church there in 1640 and is recorded as “Brave Wilkins”. The baptisms of his first six children are recorded at Dorchester.  In 1654 he removed to the church in Salem.  Later, in 1689, Bray Wilkins and his wife were dismissed from Salem so they “might be a church of themselves” at Salem Village, which later became the town of Danvers.  He lived at “Wills Hill” which became part of the town of Middleton, adjoining Danvers.

One of Bray Wilkins granddaughters had a husband who was hanged as a witch in 1692.  His son Thomas had a daughter named Margaret who married John Willard.   The Wilkins family had not approved of Willard’s marriage.  They testified against him during the witch hysteria, which led to his arrest and he was eventually found guilty.  Willard was blamed for the death of young Daniel Wilkins “bewitched to death”.  He was also blamed for killing a Lydia Wilkins and one of Philip Knight’s children (Philip married Bray’s daughter Margaret, my 9^th great grandparents).  Bray Wilkins testified in early August 1692 about his kidney stones and blamed Willard for the death of his grandson Daniel Wilkins.  On 19 August 1692 John Willard was hanged along with John Proctor (also my 10^th great grandfather), Reverend George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, and George Jacobs (also my 11^th great grandfather).   

I descend from Bray’s daughter, Margaret (1648/9 – after 1710), my 9^th great grandmother, who married Philip Knight around 1668.  She had nine children born in Topsfield, Massachusetts, all baptized on the same day, 24 May 1691.  Her husband was a “husbandman” or farmer. Her daughter, Elizabeth, my 8th great grandmother, married Samuel Towne (from the same Topsfield TOWNE family with three accused witches - Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, Mary (Towne) Eastey, and Sarah (Towne) Cloyse.) 

Some WILKINS resources:

The Family of Bray Wilkins “Patriarch of Wills Hill”, by William Carroll Hill, 1943.

The Great Migration Begins,  by Robert Charles Anderson,  1995, Volume III, pages 1991 – 1994.

The American Genealogist, Volume 60, pages 1 – 18 and pages 101 – 113.

My WILKINS genealogy:

Generation 1:  Bray Wilkins, born about 1610 maybe in Wales, died 1 January 1702 in Middleton, Massachusetts; married about 1636 to Hannah Way, daughter of Henry Way and Elizabeth Bachelor.  Eight children.

Generation 2:  Margaret Wilkins, baptized on 10 February 1648/9 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, died after 1710; married about 1668 in Topsfield to Philip Knight, son of Philip Knight and Margery Williams.  He was born about 1646 and died after 1724.  Nine children.

Generation 3:  Elizabeth Knight m. Samuel Towne

Generation 4:  Rebecca Towne m. Stephen Johnson

Generation 5:  Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 6:  Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 7:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 8:  Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 11:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ WILKINS of Dorchester and Middleton, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 17, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-wilkins-of-dorchester.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ The Symbol of a Living History Museum

I post another in a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane was photographed in Massachusetts.

Do you know the location of weathervane post #354?  Scroll down to find the answer.

This grasshopper weathervane was photographed inside the visitor center gallery at the Old Sturbridge Village museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  According to a sign next to the weathervane "The grasshopper has been the symbol of Old Sturbridge Village for many years, signifying being 'sprung from the soil' and in a broad sense 'native'... the museum's founders and early staff felt that the grasshopper was indeed an appropriate symbol for the institution."

This old weathervane on display inside dates from about 1830 by an unknown maker.  It is a beautiful copper three dimensional weathervane.  A copy of this weathervane was made up in two dimensions and now sits on the roof of the Oliver Wright Tavern.  This tavern is the first building you pass by upon entering the museum, on your way to the visitor center and ticket counter.  From far away it looks like the old weathervane, but as you can see in the close up photograph, it isn't really nearly as nice.

The most famous grasshopper weathervane in New England is the one above Faneuil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts originally created by Shem Drowne.  You can read more about that weathervane at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/06/weathervane-wednesday-genealogical.html

P.S. Shem Drown is my first cousin 8 generations removed. 

Old Sturbridge Village website -   https://www.osv.org/  

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ The Symbol of a Living History Museum", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 14, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/weathervane-wednesday-symbol-of-living.html : accessed [access date]).