January 25
SPEAK UP ON SOC-SEC
To The Editor; Social Security is the tax-payer's safety net and should not be privatised! It has meant the difference between dignity and despair for generations of Americans and the only crisis is the one being "manufactured" by radical right wingers who want to kill a program that they have never liked. Keeping Social Security healthy for the next century will require only a small future revenue infusion; less than we are paying for the Iraq war fiasco and only a quarter of the amount lost annually to Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. In fact it will mean cutting benefits to retirees, raising taxes or massive government borrowing, quite probably all three. The real danger would be in diverting our retirement savings to the profit driven corporate account managers of Wall Street. It is a gamble and a risky strategy meant only benefit the rich, who after all, are Bush's base. After the less than truthful shuck and jive, the shuffling and shadow boxing in the run-up to the Iraq war fiasco, how can anyone of us believe the hype of this so-called Social Security "crisis"? "Ownership Society" is merely a euphemism for the ongoing transfer of wealth from the middle classes to the corporations which now control our government through their influential political contributions, rightly called "bribery" by those who see the system for what it is. Speak up now or you will regret it later. Kind regards.
Charles B. Carr, New Boston, NH

January 24
STARK FACTS
I have one bicentenary coin with face GENERAL JOHN STARK in relive in good condition. What is the value?
Luis Algarin

EDITOR’S REPLY: Except in the most fascinating cases, our policy is not to talk about historic items in terms of price. Our goal is to entice people into an appreciation of history, to enjoy collecting, and to donate items when possible to historic associations that can preserve and exhibit these items. In the case of the Stark medal, just check similar items usually available on eBay to get the going rate. We got our copy for a few bucks. 

January 21
TAKING THE RAYNES
I am trying to find some information about ship building in Portsmouth. Specifically I am interested in finding information about an ancestor of mine that was a shipbuilder there. The last name is RAYNES, not sure of the first. I would be very appreciative of any advice or information that you could give me regarding this topic!
Jennifer Hebert

EDITOR’S REPLY: You want George Raynes who is well known here as a major Portsmouth shipbuilder. There is plenty of info available at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, but you can start with two books, both by Ray Brighton and published by the Portsmouth Marine Society. Look for Clippers of the Port of Portsmouth & the Men Who Built Them (1985) and Tall Ships of the Piscataqua 1830-1877, published in 1989. Both are available from Peter Randall Publishing.

January 20
RESEARCHING PORTSMOUTH HOME
You are a wealth of local history. Can you help me? I recently purchased an 1820 brick cape on Maplewood and have traced ownership back to the will of Nathaniel Jackson in the late 1800s when he willed it to a John Mooney for $1. Jackson was 7th generation to live in the historic Jackson House and his will instructed his daughter Mary to divvy up the Jackson spoils. The will refers to Mooney's inheritance as land and buildings thereon, Jackson's inventory speaks of Maplewood Ave and the so-called barn. No actual description of said buildings and-or barn. I am dying to know the purpose of my home that was part of the 65-acre Jackson estate,
Elizabeth Dinan

EDITOR’S REPLY: Our knowledge of 19^th century barn details is weak to none. We’ll have to defer to the experts. Check the housing survey maps at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, the vertical housing file and the street-by-street records at Strawbery Banke. If no go, we suggest hiring a local researcher to dig deeper, and be sure to let us know how it goes.

January 19
SON OF BLACKBEARD?
I have also been looking for the history of blackbeard because I am also a blackbeard. I come from kenya and there are still very many black beards there. My late grand father is called william blackbeard. He told me before he passed away that our blackbeard family is traced back to south africa. I would like to know if blackbeard was ever in south africa. Last but not least if possible i would like to get contact with other blackbeards.
Anthony Blackbeard

A wonderful treasure!
Hilary Niles, Star Island Corporation

January 10
PRINCE WHIPPLE ASAP
Hi seacoast! I'm a 9 year old 4th grader that needs your help because all the other internets don't have what I need for my reserch projects, not that I don't like them or anything. So I was wondering if you had ANY information on Prince Whipple. Please e-mail me. Will you do this by the 14 of Jan. If you do I will tell about your network to all my friends and I'll say "Go to SeacoastNH.com." Thanks. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDITOR’S REPLY: We have an article about Prince in the Black History section that is in neat of tweaking for accuracy, but a good start. You’ll find more in Brewster’s Rambles, his grave on GOseacoast and his house in the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail section. We’ve sent the links via separate email. Good luck with the 4^th grade.

TROLLEY TALES
Thoroughly enjoyed your review of the Seacoast Trolley vs the giants . Well said. Also glad to hear that next year's Chatauqua will highlight events of 1905 and include TR.Regards from the south,
John Wheeler

WHAT IS IT?
When cleaning out my deceased mother's home before selling it, I found an artifact that has piqued my curiosity. It is a piece of metal, perhaps steel, a little more than an inch long, and perhaps a little better than a half inch wide. (I do not have it before me as I write this). Engraved upon it is an image of a diesel submarine with the name: USS Squalus. My mother was a lifelong N.H. resident except for when she worked in a shipyard in Norfolk, Va. during WW2. My father served in the USN aboard a Destroyer Escort. What do you suppose is the origin of this little object? Could it be a souvenir given out at some memorial ceremony held back in 1939 after the rescue of the survivors?
Dave P

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sound about right. But send us a photo. That way we can ask our readers, who know much more than we do.