SeacoastNH Home

FRESH STUFF DAILY
Seacoast New Hampshire
& South Coast Maine

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

How many eyes has a typical person? (ex: 1)
Name:
Email:

Discover more than 1,000 places to go
 
Touring | Free Newsletter | Feedback | Buy the Book | The Blog
Home Famous People Link Free or Die Gen. John Stark
Gen. John Stark Print E-mail
Written by Link Free or Die   

Revolutionary (1728 - 1822)

John Stark is best known for popularizing the NH state motto "Live Free or Die". NH born and bred, Stark was possibly the best military leader in Granite State history. He fought with Robert Rogers in the French and Indian Wars. He commanded a large force of NH men at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He won the Battle of Bennington, which some historians say led to the British loss at Saratoga and turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. The son of Glasgow immigrants, Stark was born in Londonderry, NH and moved to Derryfield (Manchester) where he is buried and his home still stands. When not soldering, Stark was a farmer. He and his wife Molly raised 10 children and Stark lived to age 94.

"Live free or die," he said.
"Death is not the worst of evils."

More Famous NH People

JOHN STARK LINKS

LIFE OF STARK

Framers of Freedom: John Stark
Short biography on SeacoastNH.com sums up the life of NH's most famous soldier

Famous Figures of New Hampshire
Portraits in the Concord, NH state capitol building and the official state of NH biography sketch

Hero of Vermont
A key figure in the Battle of Bennington, Stark gets a high rating from the Green Mounting state too

John Stark, the Forgotten Revolutionary
A student report by Elisabeth Adams

Stark Family Collection
Items archived at the University of NH Library from direct descendants of John and Molly Stark

MAJOR EVENTS

NH at Bunker Hill
Our essay on the forgotten importance of NH at ths famous Revolutionary War battle

The Decisive Day Has Come
Battle of Bunker Hill from the Massachusetts Historical Society web site

Battle of Bennington
Includes map and pictures

Battle of Bennington, August 16, 1777
Arguably the turning point of the American Revolution

Events Preceding the Battle of Bennington
From the society of the Sons of the American Revolution

The British Campaign of 1777
Timeline from the online Arrmy ROTC course at Worcester Polytechnic tracing Burgoyne's forces

Portrait of Stark at Bennington

John Stark Flag
1776 flag from the Battle of Bennington (scroll down)

Bennington Flags for Sale

Stark's State Motto
The NH state motto (and license plate) attributed to Gen. Stark. This is the officeial NH state web site

Live Free or Die
Story of the state motto. (Note: This article is reprinted from another source and carries a political agenda.)

Flying the Stark Flag
A message from the Governor of New Hampshire

List of Washington's Generals
Personal web page lists how many of the generals were Masons, including Stark

Molly Stark: The Real Story of a Heroine

HISTORIC SITES

Stark Statue in Washington
Duplicate of NH statehouse statue given to US Capitol Statuary Hall in 1894

John Stark House
We've not been able to find an official site yet, but this relates to an elm tree in front of this historic house in Manchester, NH

Picture of Stark House, Manchester, NH
This one comes right from American Memory section of the Library of Congress web site

History of Manchester, NH
With a nice clickable portrait of Gen Stark

Bennington Battle Monument

Bennington Museum, VT
Home of a fascinating Bennington flag with a detailed history of the flag online

Bennington Monument History
A book about the 306 foot monument

New Hampshire Statehouse
Has a statue of John Stark (see engraving at top of page) in front of the state capitol building in Concord, NH and two portraits

Stark's Knob Historic Reservation
Preserved area in NY is both a volcanic site for geological study and historic location connected with Battle of Saratoga

Fort at No 4
Stark assembled his troops here in Charleston, NH before the Battle of Bennington

Battle of Bennington Site
A homemade overview site

Molly Stark State Park, Vermont

Molly Stark Cannon, New Boston, NH

Molly Stark House, Dunbarton, NH

Stark's Journey
Historic marker in Charleston, NH

Stark's Hometown, Londonderry, NH

Stark's Grave
in Manchester, NH on Find-a-Grave

Grave of Gen. Stark
Essay by NH historian Bruce Heald from the Laconia Times

NAMESAKES

Fort Stark, Newcastle, NH
The official NH state web page

Much More on Fort Stark
Much more detail on the fort named in honor of Stark from PortsmouthForts.com. A superb resource, but beware of ad consoles.

John Stark Society of New Hampshire
Key source of information for Stark enthusiasts (but beware of console pop-up windows)

John Stark Family Genealogy Page

Stark Family Genealogy Notes

Molly Stark Tavern, New Boston, NH

The Molly Stark Trail, VT

John Stark Regional High
Meet "The Generals" of Weare, NH on Stark Highway

Stark, NH
Official Coos Country name change report

Stark County, Illinois

Stark County, Ohio

Starke County, Indiana

Starkville Community, Mississippi

KEY BOOKS

Search for out of print books on Bibliofind
http://www.bibliofind.com/

Anderson, Leon W, Major General John Stark: Hero of Bunker Hill and Bennington, 1972

Dean, Leon W, Stark of the North Country, Farrar, 1941

Moore, Howard Parker. A Life of General John Stark of New Hampshire. Howard Parker Moore author and publisher, c.1949.

Proceedings in Congress on the Acceptance of the Statues of John Stark and Daniel Webster Presented to the State of New Hampshire, Washington, DC, 1895

Richmond, Robert P. John Stark: Freedom Fighter, Dale Books, Waterbury, Ct, 1976

Stark, Caleb, Memoir and Official Correspondence of Gen. John Stark, Eastman, 1860

See More NH People

Photo: Engraving of statue of John Stark located at NH Statehouse in Concord, NH
Copyright © 2002 SeacoastNH.com. All rights reserved.

 

Please visit these SeacoastNH.com ad partners.

Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner

Portsmouth Herald

Portsmouth Herald Latest Headlines
Portsmouth Herald News from SeacoastOnline.com
  • Alleged carjacker burglarized officer's home, police say

    NORTH HAMPTON — A Maine man remains behind bars without bail on fugitive charges and also faces a $1 million cash bail on charges that he burglarized the home of...

  • Portsmouth police log

    8:21 a.m. Report taken from a resident who wanted to press charges against a friend who had borrowed, but not returned a car.10:34 a.m. Durgin Lane caller reported a...

  • Grandmother smoked crack before high-speed chase, manhunt, say police

    PORTSMOUTH — A Boston grandmother had been smoking crack Friday night before the car she was riding in crashed into a Seabrook police cruiser, sped up Route 1 at 100...

  • Smuttynose owner sees growth, expansion

    If you want to see what a company looks like at a time of rapid growth, visit Smuttynose Brewing Co. on Heritage Avenue in Portsmouth.

  • Penguin Plunge raises $571K for Special Olympics

    HAMPTON — Against all human instinct, more than 1,000 Granite Staters took a dip in the Hampton Beach waters for the 11th Annual Penguin Plunge this past weekend.

  • Historic building's renovation raises ire

    SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — As construction continues at 25 Academy St., several residents have voiced concern over the style of the building's front facade, stating the original historic home had...

  • Middle school program recognizes effort, conduct

    PORTSMOUTH — Tien Peduzzi ripped open his third term report card last Wednesday with trepidation.

  • Federal farming bill supports agriculture

    RYE — The 2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Bill offers New Hampshire citizens owning or managing farmland or forest land, growing specialty crops, running a greenhouse, or farming organically,...

  • Seacoast area municipal meetings

    Today in Portsmouth:Cultural Commission - Art Speak, 6:30 p.m., City Manager's Conference Room, City HallCity Council, Capital Improvement Plan workshop, 6:30 p.m., Eileen Dondero Foley Council Chambers, City Hall

  • Pats fans root for Saints

    PORTSMOUTH — Roy Schluntz of North Berwick, Maine, is a New England Patriots fan through and through. So when he couldn't root for his team this year in the Super...

  • Portsmouth news briefs

    PORTSMOUTH — I Eat Locally, a Web site offering half-price gift certificates to about a dozen Seacoast restaurants, has chosen Families First Health and Support Center to receive a portion...

  • City Council to hold work session on capital improvement plan

    PORTSMOUTH — A city spending plan totaling more than $186 million over the course of the next six years will be presented to the City Council tonight, but the council...

  • Rye to buy Goss Farm for $1.3M

    RYE — A piece of the town's past may become a fixture of the future as the Board of Selectmen agreed to a purchase and sale agreement for the development...

  • Alleged carjackers to appear in court today

    STRATHAM — Two Maine residents are scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Hampton District Court on multiple felony charges, including the alleged Feb. 5 carjacking of a Stratham resident...

  • SAD 35 crunches numbers

    SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — There was an audible sigh of relief as the School Administrative District 35 School Board learned last week that the projected reduction in state subsidy would...

  • TIF district mulled in South Berwick

    SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — As the town considers its options for creating a Tax Increment Finance district, representatives from several town departments joined Town Manager John Schempf at a presentation...

  • Sen. D'Allesandro renews push for video slots in New Hampshire

    CONCORD — Senate Finance Chairman Lou D'Allesandro has tried unsuccessfully a dozen times in as many years to get reluctant New Hampshire lawmakers to expand gambling.

  • Celtics overtaken by Magic

    BOSTON — The Orlando Magic needed less than 48 hours to go from a terrible third quarter to a terrific one.

  • Web site for recycled building stock starts today

    Not long ago, I wrote about the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Dover, a very cool place where people can find recycled and overstocked building material. And one of my...

  • York County news briefs

    OGUNQUIT, Maine — The Lincoln Day Dinner, held by the York County Republican Committee, will be held Thursday, Feb. 25, at Jonathan's Restaurant, 92 Bourne Lane. The event begins at...

Banner
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner
Banner

Copyright 1996-2009 SeacoastNH.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement
PO Box 7158, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03802 | 603-427-2020

Site by enorm.new.