A complete archive of mail from July 2004

July 24
WHO THE HECK WAS KEARSAGE?
On Friday, June 23, I was watching "J" and they said that the uss Kearsage was a battleship? Its the only battleship not named after a state! WOW! This is news to me. I thought all battleships were named after states?
Darryl Sigel, Pittsburgh PA

I recently read your article on line about the Portsmouth monument and it mentioned the ship "Kearsarge." I know it was the only battleship not named after a state. Why? And who was Kearsarge that he had a mountain named after him? I'm curious. Can you help?
Gil Rashbaum

EDITOR’S REPLY: There have been four American ships named Kearsage, a rare honor. Local historian Richard Winslow writes extensively about the first USS KEARSAGE in his book Constructing Munitions of War about the Portsmouth Navy Yard during the Civil War. He notes that the famous ship, known for its battle with the confederate ALABAMA, was named for NH’s Mount Kearsage that was, in turn, name after for an Indian word. To further clarify that we turned to New Hampshire Town Names by Elmer Munson Hunt. He notes that Kearsage was the name for an unincorporated town near Conway that Hunt says that Kearsage:

“… takes its name from Cowissewaschook, an Indian name which the white settlers variously interpreted as Keewissage, caresarga and Kyarsarga.”

As if that isn’t confusing enough, NH had two peaks with the same name, and residents were in constant disagreement in the 1800s as to which peak in the region actually was Kearsage. And still, we don’t know what the Indian word meant.


July 24
SMUTTYNOSE EXPRESS
Is there a tour boat that takes visitors to Smuttynose Island? I would love to visit the island and take a tour of it. Can you send me any information about a tour?
Deborah Lauffer Markarian

EDITOR’S REPLY: In a word – no. Smuttynose is a privately owned island with its own natural cove. The cove is very small and disappears during low tides so only small boats can navigate the tiny channel. Visitors who spend the week at conferences on Star Island may sometimes gain use of rowboats to cross Gosport Harbor to Smuttynose during special hours. Other visitors usually arrive by small boats that come from larger boats moored in the harbor. There are no public accommodations on the island which is managed by a series of stewards. As we’ve noted in previous letters, there is no camping, cooking, etc., simply a walking trail to the back of the island. Members of our September folklore class at Appledore will also make a trip over, but we are unaware of any organized tour – other than our online version.

July 22
END THE PILGRIM BASHING
You've done it again! ("What Martin Pring was Really After") From historical records the Pilgrims of Plymouth were quite different from the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay but you called them Puritans. All Zealots for sure, but quite different in actions.

All the ships you mentioned making inroads on the new land were mostly for commercial purposes and of course left no lasting record,the Pilgrim leaders were well educated and left a permanent mark as opposed to profit and withdrawal. Of course the Swedes were the first in the great Quaker bastion of Pennsylvania and the Dutch in New York, so you have a good point about the revision of history by the English immigrants.

You always have so much of interest! I just tried some Sassafras tea from the roots in the woods by the pasture, before you told of the toxicity..... seems the faulty exhaust system of the 1941 tractor that allowed Carbon Monoxide to waft on the breeze straight to me is what nearly did me in this summer instead of the Sassafrass!

Don't know why I defend the Pilgrims as I would have left such a group to live with the Indians. Brewsters were my ancestors and it seems they used love and leadership more than power in their relationships. Of "The Bay", Obidiah Holmes (ancestor of Lincoln and myself) was whipped for holding services in his home and joined another ancestor, Roger Williams, in Rhode Island.

Williams was known for tolerance and finally had no use for any established Church for expression of his faith.Rather a surprise to see his words on the topic as most descendants are proud of him as a devout Minister. If you search ancestors long enough there will be one you can agree with!

But religious freedom did play a large part in colonization. Edward Wightman was burned at the stake for disagreeing with the Anglican Church and his family hastened to Rhode Island. I'm a pretty good example of the "Religious" side, including Dr. Thomas Wynne who came as a Quaker friend of Penn, but to prove your point, most of the ancestors were poorly recorded

family people who lived and gave life with little concern for credits! The salt of the earth and the nation builders.

You always have such varied and interesting topics! Keep up the good work, thanks,
Don Cady

July 20
EBONY VS IVORY IN NEW CASTLE
What an amazing story about James Barker Smith! I never would have thought that could happen. Isn't he the guy who used to have a dinner for any Jim Smith who chose to show up? Truly incredible - when I was I can think of many, many people who would have been happy to demonstrate against that kind of bizarre treatment of blacks
Frederick Miller

July 19
FREE THE CLASSIFIEDS
Just saw your note in the NH Gazette inviting folks to post free classifieds,
so I've added one. Thanks for another wonderful community service!
Ronald Gehrman

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thank webmaster Norm. With the easily availability of open source code software for online classifieds, we figured the Free Coast (sm) is worth a shot. You can find the link to the new section on the top horizontal menu bar on every page, for now. It’s just an experiment. If lots of readers like the idea and the service brings them value, we’ll keep it going. So use or loose it gang.

July 18
COUSIN WAS A PRISON GUARD
My cousin recently related to me a fact of his military career regarding
serving as a guard at the "Sevee Island" (sic) military prison in Portsmouth, NH.
He said it was the largest federal military prison at the time (late 1960s)
and that it was also a military prison during the Civil War. Is this the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard? What is Sevee Island? Is this the correct name and spelling? any help you can give would be appreciated.
David and Karen

EDITOR’S REPLY: You’re close. It is Seavey’s Island (not to be confused with Seavey Island at the Isles of Shoals) in Kittery, Maine. The prison has been there just over 100 years, and was not built during the Civil War, but the island was used as a prison camp for POWs in the Spanish American War. We are not the Navy Yard, but we’ll send along a contact name there who can help you with info. The prison is discussed in Richard Winslow’s history of the Navy Yard called “Do Your Job!”. Peter Payette also has lots of info on the history of this spot in his web site PortsmouthForts.com. Our readers are interested in any info you may glean from your cousin.


July 15
A NEW THEORY ON BETTY HILL’S UFO RIDE

I recently posted a re-evaluation of the Barney and Betty Hill alien abduction of 1961. Information not available at that time is used. My site VisionAndPsychosis.Net is about a conflict of physiology and how it has shaped human history.

About fifty years ago engineers were surprised when workers in newly designed close-spaced workstations began to have dissociative or psychotic episodes. The problem was discovered to be peripheral vision reflexes. The Cubicle was the solution by the 1960's.

Please understand that I believe the phenomenon is responsible for student suicides and disappearances as well as mass school and workplace shootings. I want every college and high school student in the United States to have this information.

The Everquest Connection page explains the psychology involved and relates it to MMORPG players. Shawn Woolley's mother sued Sony believing that Everquest addiction caused his suicide.

Read ... Prevention... at the bottom of most site pages. The solution is simple and free.
L K Tucker


July 14
NO MORE LEAR
Do you have any books available on Tobias Lear? How may I purchase them?
James Lear

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sorry. There was only one book ever written – The Checkered Career of Tobias Lear by Ray Brighton, Publisher Peter Randall tells us that the book is sold out. You'll have to check on sites like eBay and ABE.com and Bookfinder.com and Amazon.com for used books.

July 13
SQUALUS MOVIE STILL SUBMERGED
I am looking very hard for the movie Submerged USS Squalus. Please let me know if it is obtainable or not. Thank You Very Much
Paula Paterson

EDITOR’S REPLY: As far as we know, the made-for-TV film starring Sam Neill as Sweded Momsen has not been released on DVD or VHS, with the exception of the very few promotional copies. We were promised one of those, but it never arrived. We got our backstage photos directly from director James Keach years back. We get a lot of mail asking for copies, but we’re no longer in the Hollywood loop. We assume the broadcast rights are still owned by someone who plans to run it on TV. (click poster to see our coverage of SUBMERGED.)

July 12
LEGEND OF HONEYMOON COTTAGE
I wanted to know if Lunging cottage is available for honeymoon rentals. I am getting married next July and would like information about this. I've been to the Isles of shoals many times and enjoy it there. It would be nice to rent out the cottage for a couple of days.
Rob & Ann-Marie

EDITOR’S REPLY: Honeymoon Cottage is a private home on a private island. You may have heard the story on a tour boat. Here it is again -- In the late 1800s Oscar Laighton owned the cottage and rented it to guests of the Appledore Hotel who had been recently married. The Appledore hotel burned in 1914. Oscar sold the cottage and island to the Randall family in the 1930s. Although they have reportedly loaned it to a few honeymooning friends, we're not aware that they rent it. You can, by the way, now rent a room at the Oceanic at Star Island if you contact the Star Island Corporation, and there are a number of smaller (though not really very private) cottage-like buildings there. But Honeymoon Cottage is largely a legend in these parts, not a commercial property. (Photoby J. Dennis Robinson)

July 11
ACCESSING THE SEACOAST
I hope you can help us. We have a disabled little boy, 6 years old. He can not walk, and we stay Hampton beach at a family home every year. Where in Hampton, in proximity to Hampton Beach, can we rent a special needs wheel chair...we need one that fits a child, and has a harness. Also...are there any parks or play grounds that are accessible for wheelchairs. We also have an 8 year old and a 3 year old...We live in Connecticut, and any help and links you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Julie in Sandy Hook

EDITOR’S REPLY: We’ll forward you the Hampton chamber phone number so you can contact them directly for rental info. Hampton Beach (also with Odiorne and Rye Beach) are NH state parks, so accessibility should be possible. From GOseacoast, we can also recommend the Children’s Museum in Portsmouth, the Seacoast Science Center and Sandy Point Discovery Center. All are wheelchair accessible.

July 6
FAN MAIL FOR REV. BEEBE
Great article!!! (Tale of a Salty Dog) Congratulations on the move to the other side of the fence…Life will never be the same and you’ll be amazed if not already, how you will know more dog names in the Seacoast than that of their owners! It is a fun and wonderful world as long as you are not in a rush to leave the grocery store with your frozen ice cream (or so you thought) and someone just has to tell you about their beloved four-legged wonder. Welcome to the point of no return.
Lisa S. Dennison, Executive Director
New Hampshire SPCA

Congratulations on the new puppy. I love the column. The couch bit was my favorite. The four-legged ones make for good fodder, don't they?
Emily

Just a note to let you know that (after meeting Rev. Beebe walking the cemetery) I've put a link to SeacoastNH on ClarinetTherapy.com. It's a 'thank you' to Dennis for having written a wonderful Sunday Featured Site, and for having such a worthwhile site himself!
Karen Johnson

July 5
MURDER RESEARCH IS IN MORGUE
I am looking for any and all newspaper articles on the 1981 murders of the Porthsmouth Beauty School students. I would appreciate anything you could send me or if you can not e-mail me info tell me where I could go to find info on this.
Laurie

EDITOR’S REPLY: That’s a tricky one. You can try contacting the Herald and Fosters for a search of their "morgue". Digital records are not available to that date, of course, and there is sadly no easy way for researchers to access newspapers from the last few decades. You’ll have to rely on the newspapers themselves.

July 5
MEMORIES OF NEWMARKET
As I was researching for a rental home in Newmarket, NH, I came across the museum web page on SeacoastNH.com. It brought back memories of my grandmother who as a child of 12 yrs. old. traveled into Portsmouth, NH on a freighter all alone to meet her aunt who was to care for her after her mother had passed away on their Nova Scotia farm. Also, my husband's family were from Newmarket and are buried in the Newmarket Cemetery. I think this would be the place for us to find a summer rental, that is, if they have one within our means. Beverly Charest

July 5
SORRY CANADA
I've always really enjoyed your newsletter and visiting your great site. I've been entering your monthly contest for quite awhile, years. This month I notice the State field drop down list is, of course, US states only. I live in Canada so I can't enter Ontario and it is a required field. Is your contest for US residents only now?
Dan Webb

EDITOR’S REPLY: Yes, sorry. That changed last year after the cost of mailing prizes to Canada became prohibitive for our sponsors. The complications of Canadian customs brought the price of mailing a $12 t-shirt to an added $8. Our sponsors were unwilling to pay the fees. We hope you will stick with us for the content alone, and whenever we can, we like to feature pieces on our neighbors to the North.

July 3
A NOSE FOR SMUTTYNOSE
In viewing your website I noted with interest several items concerning Smuttynose Island that had been authored by your editor, J. Dennis Robinson. My family history includes two ancestors who were fisherman and lived on Smuttynose in the late 1600s at what is now called Haley's Cove. Walter Matthews lived there until he died in 1678, and his family continued to live there for at least three more generations. Rowland Young married Walter's daughter and lived there until moving to York in 1683. I live in Virginia and am planning a trip to New England in July. As part of that trip, I would like to visit Smuttynose. Inasmuch as no direct transportation is available from the mainland.
Albert Wood

EDITOR’S REPLY: To get to Smuttynose, you need a boat. Guests at Star Island are able to row across. It might be possible to talk someone there to row you across if you visit via the stopover tour of the Thomas Laighton out of Portsmouth – but not too likely. You can charter the Uncle Oscar out of Rye Harbor, but that boat is too large to get into the cove. So that means hooking up with a Smuttynose steward who would have to pick you up at the mooring. And that’s pretty hard since the steward changes weekly and there Is no official phone (or electricity or water, for that matter) on the island. If you do decide to make the trip, send us an email with a precise date and time and perhaps we can help – if the weather allows, of course. It’s a tricky spot to get to. Your relatives would have seen an island of hundreds of residents. Now there are none, just caretakers at the Haley House that still stands near the cove.

July 2
MOLLY STARK GETS A STATUE
Are you sure John Stark lived in the house you in the 1908 photo on your web site? You might put some information about the upcoming dedication of the statue to Molly Stark at Wilmington, VT. Several of my clan plan to make to trip. Jane Stark Maney, author of the John Stark geneaology, designed the statue.
Richard Stark Little, Sr. 

EDITOR’S REPLY: Yep, that’s the Stark House in Manchester, NH.

July 1
DUG IT UP
I would like to know if there is someone I can contact about something I dug up while gardening last weekend. It looks like it could be a the head of a weapon. I'm located in Wilton, NH. I have a digital camera and could send a photo if anyone is interested. There were actually two pieces found, near one another.
D.L. D'Amore

EDITOR’S REPLY: We wish very much that there was, but we have not found a place to get quick answers on items found in the ground. Contact your local historical society or college archeology dept or archeological society. We’ll post pictures sent to us.