A complete archive of mail from September 2004

September 22
WEIRD BOOK DEPT
Hey Dennis - That is one of the best reviews we have ever gotten! You really hit the weird nail right on the head. You know, some people get it and some just don't. You really get it. Thanks!
Mark M, author of Weird US and Weird NJ

September 19
MORE DISPLACED SOULS
I became aware of your column through the Rope Shed Board on the Monhegan Island Site and I didn't have time to read and check out you index of titles, but there are two places in Maine that have a history of grave destruction -- Portland, Maine -- a road was created through the cemetery and the remains we dumped into Back Cove including one of the founders of Portland.

And, going from Bath to Pompham Beach, there is an island in the Kennebec where African Americans barely lived and they were uprooted and their graves dug up and the remains dumped in the ocean. I plan on slowly reading all your articles as the few I have had time to read are interesting.
Bonnie

September 15
LITTLE GUY & MR HOG
I enjoyed your piece on Little Guy so much that I decided to send you a photo of my pal, Mr. Hog. Believe it or not, this picture was taken out of my study window, which is about 3 feet to my left. Mr. Hog was munching away maybe another 3 feet from the window. I don't know him nearly as well as you know Little Guy, but I find it reassuring to see critters of any kind out my window.
Jeremy D’Entremont

EDITOR’S REPLY: Readers should understand that writers live solitary lives. Our fascination with small animals may seem odd to those who get into cars and drive to work with other humans. In our case, you make friends where you can.

September 13
SEACOASTNH LOST & FOUND DEPT.
We found a carved log canoe at the bottom of a lake. We would like to find out more about it and get it dated somehow. Can you give me info on who to contact for this. We are located in near Augusta Maine. Looks real old and we want to preserve it as best as we can. Any suggestions?
Amanda M

I have a USA excelsior trunk from Stamford Conn the only markings are on the lock on the bottom the # is 3620 what do i do from here i want to sell it i dont know what kind of price to put on it thanks
Nicole

I have 32 John Hancock pamphlets from when my father was an insurance agent. Some are damaged but most are in good condition. Are they worth anything? Any information you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Alma B

When did Lucy date John; When did she die?
Did Ella Star have A/K/A's; such as "Hopper & or "White"? I have a Dresser; Came from the Lincoln House; which one? I do not know! That has there names written on one of the drawers. There are also other names signed as well, and says Winter 1900-1901. Dec. 28 , Lincoln House and Christmas 1900. It is made of Chestnut; the dresser reeks of age! I think I have a very valuable piece of furniture here!
Thanx, Daisy

EDITOR’S REPLY: We need more experts to help with our growing cyber Lost & Found. Do you fit the profile (i.e. you know a little about everything, but not much about anything?) We want to make everyone happy, but this kind of research can take a whack out of an already shortening day. We forwarded the canoe letter to an Indian archaeologist In Maine. The John Hancock books are worth about 25 cents apiece and we suggested that the reader give them to a 10-year old who may just be getting interested in history. The trunk letter we forwarded to Pat at Trunk.com. We’re now looking at the 1905 baseball letters from a previous reader. Re: the Lincoln item Lucy Hale was dating John right up to the day he shot Lincoln. We're not sure how that relates to the item you have, but why not contact Ford's Theater which has a Lincoln Museum in the basement? Thanks, and keep those weird objects coming.

September 11
WE ARE THE MARINES
I am hoping you can help me. I have been trying to obtain a copy of Louis de Rochemont' "we are the Marines" and noticed you had it listed in his filmography. Do you have a contact person who could help me acquire a copy of this film in any format. Any help on this matter would be very much appreciated.
Mike McMahon

EDITOR’S REPLY: You may be in luck. Many de Rochemont films like WINDJAMMER and WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS have never been translated into video. But We are the Marines did appear as part of lengthy collection of MARH OF TIME film shorts. It has been long out of print, but you can often find a copy on eBay if you search under the title of the film. This documentary shows the basic training of Marines at the outset of World War II. There are at least three dozen videos in the series, but you are looking for one entitle American Defiense, Part I. The video is by Embassy Home Entertainment, that apparently no longer exists. The video apparently came out in 1987 and you are at the mercy of a few independent sellers, so keep checking eBay. 

September 10
NO WHITE WEDDING
Do you allow weddings at White Island Light? If yes, is there a site fee and if so, how much? Is there any other information that I may need to plan a wedding in New Hampshire? (I am from Massachusetts) If you can think of anything that might help, please let me know.
Lori

EDITOR’S REPLY: You could ask the State of NH that owns White Island, but since there is currently no dock, no bathrooms and minimal electricity, we think a wedding is unlikely. The island is very much in disrepair. There is no shelter, except the ramshackle keeper’s house as we’ve tried to show in our photo gallery. With over 200 lighthouses in New England, Lighthouse Guy Jeremy D’Entremont may have a recommendation, but it certainly isn'’ going to be in New Hampshire.

UPDATE FROM JEREMY: I agree with your assessment that a White Island wedding would be impractical and probably impossible. I'm sure there would be other possibilities for an outdoor wedding on the New Hampshire seacoast. As far as lighthouse weddings, Portsmouth Harbor Light is the only lighthouse on the NH mainland. The Coast Guard only allows very small weddings (maybe 5 or 6 people) there.

Other lighthouses in the area that might have potential for a wedding would be Plum Island Light in Newburyport, MA and Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I've also heard of weddings at Sohier Park in York, with the Nubble Lighthouse just across the water from there. You'd have to contact the Town of York about that. There are others scattered around New England, but they would probably be too far from NH.

September 9
DISCOVERED BASEBALL LETTERS
I was very interested to see the old photo of a Portsmouth baseball team . I was also interested to discover that there is someone out there who is researching Portsmouth's baseball history. Several years ago while cleaning the basement of my former home, I came upon a packet of documents stuck up in the rafters of the basement. Alas, it was not a million dollars or the lost copy of the Declaration of Independence, but what appears to be correspondence between managers of local baseball teams in 1905. I would be happy to get these letters to you if you think you could use them.
Nancy S

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sure, we’re always interested in unseen local history. Baseball was a popular Portsmouth sport from the late 1800s when there were a number of independent clubs like the Red Stockings depicted in the photo. Any time we can stimulate items to be donated to local archives, the better for the town. When we can get a quick look at them first, we can often produce web pages that are accessible to readers all across the Internet, thus adding to the pool of info available online. So far we’ve been able to offer readers an exclusive look at formerly unseen documents on Wentworth by the Sea, Celia Thaxter, Frank Jones and others – all contributed by SeacoastNH.com readers.

September 8
MORE BLACK JACKS
I stumbled on your interview regarding Black mariners in the West Indies. Well, from oral reports, I know that my great-grand-father was one such mariner who sailed between Montego Bay, Cape Haitian and other leeward islands. Would your research coincide with the years 1890 - 1916? If yes, I would be glad to hear from you.
Franz N. Stuppard om Washington, DC

EDITOR’S REPLY:: Our interview with Prof. Jeff Bolster, author of Black Jacks, was recorded in 1997 and still brings in mail from readers. The book is available online and focuses on Black mariners in the Age of Sail. That era had pretty much faded by the late 1800s when motorized ships were replacing canvas-power.

September 5
MAYDETH SPREADS MORE JOY
Last weekend while visiting my 84 yo father we found his baby book started by his mother in 1920. I came home and just now did a google search on vintage baby books and wandered to your website. Thank you for including Maydeth's precious story (The Brief Passage of Maydeth Scott). I would have never read it but for doing my own search on vintage baby books.
Cec from Oregon

September 4
WENTWORTH SUMMER OF ‘61
Hello, Dennis, Not wanting to leave my home on a Labor Day weekend, I took to the internet to see what had happened to a venue of fond memories from my youth. During the summers of 1961 and 1962, I worked as a waitress at Wentworth-by-the-Sea to help finance my college education. Friendships formed in those summers have lasted until the present, though the summer romance I had with J. B. Smith, III, who was only 17 at the time and still in prep school, is only an amusing memory.

I had not returned to the Wentworth until the fall of 1999 when, on a trip to New England, I hoped to show my husband the grand hotel where I had once worked. What a tragedy to see what had befallen this once grand lady . . . her fragile bones broken, her garments in tatters!! It was hard to believe that no one had cared!!

Needless to say, I was delighted to read that Marriott had purchased and renovated the property. Now I am eager to gather my friends from the past for a reunion . . . this time as guests!

In the meantime, I am wondering if there is interest in photos that were taken those two summers? I have some very amateur snapshots, a professional group photo of the entire staff from the summer of 1961, and a professional group photo of staff members who were working one of the Wentworth's famous clambakes the summer of 1962. I will send the latter as an attachment, though perhaps it is something you have already collected. Please let me know if you or others would have interest in such a pleasant part of my past.

The photo below of me folding napkins in my station in the dining room was taken by one of the guests whom I served during the summer of 1961.

Thank you for reviving these good times for me. I shall order your book.
Aneita Sharples Radov

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thanks for the photos. We’re happy to add any additional images or artifacts to the Friends of the Wentworth collection. You can send them to SeacoastNH.com at our post office box printed at the bottom of each web page. We’ll see that they get into the collection with your name attached. Please includes all the info you can about the images in writing and any stories you may have. Thanks. We'll try to do the same with electronic images sent to our email. Thanks again.
September 3
YUK! ENGLISH CLAMS NOT FOR CHOWDA
Dear JDR, you were right!! (See original letter August 28, 2004) The clams were disgusting things, small, brown and horrible. I had no idea whether or not I had to pull bits off of them or just chuck the whole thing in the pan. (minus the shell of course). Some of them opened, some did not, I presume those that did not were dead! I tried really hard to produce something remotely resembling clam chowder -- no good. It looked, smelled and tasted foul. In fact it was so bad I even threw the dish away. So, I will stick to Lancashire hot pot and Yorkshire puddings (which I do pretty well) and thank you for your reply. Best regards,
Wendy Watson in England

September 2
DEWEY’S FIRST WIFE SUSIE
In the caption with the picture of the three sailors on the USS Olympia ("Spanish American Gunners" in Historic Portsmouth), you mentioned that Adm. George Dewey married a Portsmouth woman. Who was it? Dewey was a cousin somehow of my grandmother - her grandmother was a Dewey, cousin to Tom Dewey's (the one who ran for president, etc.) grandmother. (Okay, so it's probably the full 6 degrees of separation!) Does this woman have any descendents still around?
Robin H. LeBlanc 

EDITOR’S REPLY: We just happen to have a picture of her, but not too many details. Dewey married Susan Boardman Goodwin, daughter of New Hampshire "war governor" Ichabod Goodwin, on October 24, 1867. They were married at the Gov. Goodwin Mansion which has since been moved to Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth. She died a few years later. According to Dewey biographer Joseph Stickney, Susie’s death was "the greatest grief that has come into his life". Their only son George Goodwin Dewey was born on December 23, 1872 and Susie died a week later.

September 3 Dear JDR, you were right!! (August 28, 2004) The clams were disgusting things, small, brown and horrible. I had no idea whether or not I had to pull bits off of them or just chuck the whole thing in the pan. (minus the shell of course). Some of them opened, some did not, I presume those that did not were dead! I tried really hard to produce something remotely resembling clam chowder -- no good. It looked, smelled and tasted foul. In fact it was so bad I even threw the dish away. So, I will stick to Lancashire hot pot and Yorkshire puddings (which I do pretty well) and thank you for your reply. Best regards, September 2

September 1
SEEKING DOVER PLAINS
Can you explain to me where the Dover Plains were during the 1696 time period? We have information maybe that during the 1696 Indian War some of the relatives of ours were killed there. This could help us in finding more information to further our research.
Ann Foss

EDITOR’S REPLY: Was contacted the Dover Public Library where the reference librarian looked in Mary P. Thompson's "Landmarks in Ancient Dover NH" and could not find any mention of Dover Plains. She did find a Field's Plains, Pitch-Pine Plains, Clarke's Plains, and Dry Plains. These were all located in the Back River District.

September 1
DANIEL MARCY'S CANE
Can you tell me when the lectures on the Civil War will be held at the Athenaeum? I currently own a cane that belonged to Daniel Marcy, who built the Marcy House at 383 Pleasant Street. My mother's family purchased this house, possibly from Mr. Marcy since he died in 1893 and my family lived there for many years selling it in the 1960s. Their name was Sharansky, I would appreciate anything you can tell me about Mr. Marcy.

EDITOR’S REPLY: Your letter was forwarded to SeacoastNH.com. As far as we know there are no regularly scheduled Civil War lectures at the Athenaeum. There was one a few years ago, but nothing on a regular basis. Each historical group in the region seems to have its Civil War expert, and a number of the local historical societies, including Portsmouth and Dover have a number of Civil War items. If you have items you want to donate, we suggest contacting the Athenaeum or the Portsmouth Historical Society directly. They are always interested in new items with documentation.