A complete archive of mail from March 2005

SEE: Last month's letters

March 26
MORE PISCATAQUA
On the origin of "Piscataqua": There is a Piscataquis River in Central Maine in Piscataquis County. The part of the river I saw was not tidal and did not have a swift current at the time I saw it. However, at spring flood some years ago, it did take out a historic covered bridge. Both names are probably derived from the same root word(s).
J Miller

March 22
MORE PLEASE ON COCHECHO MASSACRE
Hi, I just read about the Cochecho Massacre on your website. I'm descended from the Heard family and am curious to learn more about this event. Are there any books that go into it in more detail? Any recommendations would be very much appreciated.
Denise LeGault in Denver, Colorado

EDITOR’S REPLY: The best source for this topic is the excellent materials provided online by the Dover Public Library. You can also visit a similar surviving garrison in Dover which is part of the Woodman Institute historic house campus there.

March 20
TOBIAS LEAR RISING IN VALUE
I am a history buff and was reading your articles on Tobias Lear. For some time I have wondered about Mr. Lear, and when I found out that their is a book on him I was estatic. But to my dismay it is out of print and selling for $120 on amazon, and $119 on alibris. I then made some calls to local rare book sellers in my area and they don’t have a copy either. So I am hoping that the Seacoast has some back copies, a gift shop that sells the book, or just and extra lying around. Is their a copy available, or can the Seacoast find one? I would appreciate anything.
God Bless, Keith

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sorry, that book is officially out of print. There were copies floating around until a fire in the warehouse a few years back. We checked with the publisher and there are none other than in used book stores. But be patient. We’ve seen the book go for as little as $25 online.

March 18
NAVAL HISTORIAN CORRECTIONS
In your history of the Portsmouoth Navy Yard, it would be more correct to say that the frigate CONGRESS was a contemporary of CONSTITUTION rather than a sister. "Sister" indicates at least a near-twin, and CONGRESS was a smaller, 36-gun frigate. (CONSTITUTION was a 44-gunner.)

Later, in mentioning CONSTITUTION's countrywide tour of the early 1930s, you state that Portsmouth was her first port of call. I'm afraid that's an error: her first port of call was Gloucester. Portsmouth was her second.
Tyrone G. Martin, US Navy Commander

March 17
CATS ON COMPUTERS
Reading "Do Cats Use Computers?" reminded me of a cat we had years ago. Mickey was a real mischief-maker and was smart, which was a challenging combination. We would often come home from work and find the TV on, knowing that it wasn't on when we left that morning, and that Mickey was the only living thing in the house all day. We figured out that Mickey learned how to turn on the TV by using the cable keypad that sat on the top of the console. One day, we caught him sitting on top of the TV, leaning over, and watching a tennis match upside down. He didn't care if it was upside down - he just had a good time watching the ball go back and forth! Mickey never got excited about computers though: Maybe he preferred the larger screen of the TV, or perhaps he was just too "old school" to want to bother with computers.
Jay Diener

March 17
HOLMES WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER TOO
As a former magazine editor (and now a part time history teacher) I commend you on the superb job you are doing with your site; I'm very aware of the time and energy you expend on this enterprise. Your passion can be seen on every page.

Enjoyed your recent piece on Oliver Wendell Holmes. I was surprised, however, that in your biography of this polymath you (who appear to have an interest in, and talent for, photography) chose to omit his contribution to the history of the medium. Holmes was an enthusiastic practitioner of photography from its earliest inception as daguerreotype and wrote extensively about this emerging art and craft. Perhaps his greatest enthusiasm was reserved for stereo photography, however, which he not only promoted in his writings but went so far as to design a stereopticon viewer that was easily manufactured and widely distributed. Holmes' device had a lot to do with the growth of this aspect of photography that eventually became a popular parlor amusement in the U.S. -- one that lasted up until the 1920s when quality photographic reproduction became more prevalent in publishing (and then, of course, there was the movies) which displaced stereo views as a leading source of visual information and entertainment in the American home. The kind of virtual wanderlust that is satisfied by National Geographic and The Travel Channel today was, in the 19th Century, fed by the stereo viewer, aided and abetted by Dr. Holmes.
Sean Callahan in Brunswick, ME

March 16
TWO WHO AGREE PORTSMOUTH NEEDS VISITOR CENTER
Hi. I just read "Portsmouth Needs a Visitor Center" (3/15/05), and I heartily agree. I was born in Portsmouth and spent most of my almost-50 years there. Your advice to the locals who are afraid of tourism to "get over it" is right on the money, and speaking of money, it doesn't hurt to encourage tourism to a beautiful city. Anyone I've ever met outside of NH who has visited Portsmouth has told me how much they like it. Let's work with that! Enhancing Portsmouth's beauty and atmosphere is a win-win situation for both locals and tourists.
Sue Lee

WELL DONE!
The feature concerning the ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES for Portsmouth becoming a major historical site merits every local's close attention. I live in Florida, retired from a full career in the US Navy. Have worked and visited worldwide. Nothing is so manageable for tourists interested in American History as is your town. Please continue your effort to get things rolling. With regret one must realize that the local Navy Shipyard will soon be a thing of the past. The community needs a new leg to stand on. Give the tourists some amenities (need I mention clean public toilets ?), some cohesive approach to caring for guests and you could outdo Colonial Williamsburg. Might also attract some big name contributors from the billionaire class. Many of us plebeians have grown tired of Camden, up the coast. Too crowded. You have a great opportunity. The road is clear. You just must start running!
Best of Luck
Bill Aston, Fort Lauderdale

March 15
HOOKED ON OUR NEWSLETTER
I bless and curse you.... This month's email was the best ever, but that's the trouble... you had me hooked for over 2 hours!!! Thanks for great pictures and articles, and especially all the old articles from the archives. I've been a longtime subscriber so enjoyed going back in time. How you have changed over the years...mindboggling, and whatever you've been doing, keep on doing it. I'm an alum of UNH, Appledore and grew up in NH. Does that tell you why you have been able to capture my interest? Thanks for letting me enjoy your talents over the years.
Barbara in New York

March 15
IN SEARCH OF ALBRACCA
My husband's grandmother worked on the Isles of Shoals as a young girl. We have a group picture of her and the staff of The Albracca. Was that a hotel there at that time? We are curious about it. Thanks.
Carol Nicholson

EDITOR’S REPLY: That’s a new one on us. The besieged ancient walled city of Abracca shows up in romance stories about King Charlemagne, in Orlando Furioso, in Milton’s Paradise Regained and in Cervantes’ Don Quixote. But we’ve not heard of it in relation to the Shoals. If your grandmother was a "Pel" – the kids who do all the work on Star Island for the Oceanic Hotel -- she might be pictured in the Pelican reunion web site in the photo section that goes back to 1952. Perhaps it was the name of one of the Pel dorms in the olden days. You could also contact the Star Island Corp for info too, but so far, we’re stumped.

March 14
PRESIDENTS ON MILK BOTTLES
Hey! Glad to see the President Bottle Caps being put to use. I have some extras and am looking for missing ones (of the larger 1 5/8" size). Any clue to where I might look?
Kirk Hurlburt

EDITOR’S REPLY: We found a lot of them on eBay. The trick is to keep defining your search parameters using the Advanced Search feature until you find the precise wording used by this specialized group of collectors. Make sure to tick the box that allows eBay to search within the descriptions, not just the titles.

March 13
LETTER FROM TOBIAS
I am trying to obtain a copy (or transcription) of the letter Tobias Lear wrote about George Washington's first inauguration. Is there any chance you can help? It is Lear's letter of May 3, 1789, in which he apparently wrote (about the Inauguration) that "the Vice-president arose and informed the President that all things were prepared to administer the oath whenever he saw fit to proceed to the balcony to take it." If you have (or come upon) any information on where I might be able to find the contents of that letter, I would appreciate it.
Mike N in Sacramento, CA

EDITOR’S REPLY: Not us, no. There are almost no Lear letters in NH and certainly not of that caliber. Lots of Lear letters on the new expanded Washington online archive at the Library of Congress. We’re not familiar with that one, but the former archivist there is a Lear specialist.

March 12
OUR COMMENTS UNFAIR TO THE INQIUSITION
On your web site I read an article by Mr. J. Dennis Robinson. As a Catholic living in Salem, MA, I was offended when I read his words, "Seems the Catholic Church neglects to mention the 11 million women tortured and killed by fearful male clerics during the Dark Ages." Why did he have to say that? He singled out Catholics without mentioning any other religious sect or peoples. Thus, this statement was clearly discriminatory.

I understand that witches were condemned to death unjustly in the past, one too many, by members of the Catholic Church. My opposition to the article was not because this was mentioned, but because in the context in which it was said and in the way that it was said it conveyed that the Catholic Church was somehow worthy of being singled out as an institution intrinsically evil. That's why I said, "Why did he have to say that?" I can see if the article was about Catholic's past unjust treatment toward followers of witchcraft, but it wasn't; it was about Salem. The author could have said, "Unfortunately, 11 million women were tortured and killed by fearful male Catholic clerics during the Dark Ages, a genocide which should be made known and remembered by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. This occurred despite the fact that Catholicism is a religion that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, Who did not use physical force toward those who did not believe in Him and Who would not have wanted His Church to be associated with genocide."

Also, theirs (sic) a difference between official Catholic doctrine and opinionated teachings past on from individual Catholics; sometimes they contradict one another, not because Catholicism is wrong but because some views of certain Catholics are wrong. It's easy for a catholic to be ignorant of Church teachings and to 'make stuff up,' if you know what I mean. I guarantee that what really happened in the past is probably according to what the author of the article had said, though I'm not sure if it was really 11 million women that were killed (not that that's not true, I just haven't done research on that topic, that's all), but the official teachings of the Catholic Church did not endorse or teach that, individual Catholics did. There's a big difference.

Therefore, if one implies that the two types of teachings are one and the same (which they're not, just to reiterate), then it can be used against the Catholic Church to discredit it, as the author in your article did. That's why I was upset. I have nothing against witches as people, as a matter of fact according to Catholicism, Christ loves them and commands me and all Catholics to do the same.

I hope you understand. It just saddens me to see Catholicism attacked, when, if one was to understand Catholicism to a fundamental degree, it really was, is, and always will be a religion that calls on all people to love God and one another, not to kill nonbelievers. To sum it up, Catholicism is true, while it has been worn and is worn by people that follow it and people that don't.

In consideration of the above information, do you think that down the road when the opportunity arises, you can replace that article about Salem with another? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you again, and may God bless SeacoastNH.com.
John Howell, Salem, MA

EDITOR’S REPLY: Thanks for your great note. The comment certainly was a little flip, but we’ll stand by it. Those who do not learn about history are doomed to repeat it, and we still find the genocide of possibly millions of women in the name of Christianity to be, not a footnote, but a situation worth mentioning whenever possible. We noted it, but the way, in connection with a trip to Salem and we got the info while touring the Salem Wax Museum.

March 9
FINDS OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES LETTER IN BOOK
I had to work in London about six months ago, I do restoration work. The gentleman I was working for was moving and did not wish to take all his furniture. He had a very large library and asked me if I would like to take some books back to Bristol with me. As an avid reader, I was only to pleased to. Amongst others I took 6 pocket books The Autocrat, The Professor, and The Poet all at the breakfast table. Last week I had cause to move the books and out dropped a letter. It was from the author Oliver Wendell Holmes to his friend here in England dated Boston Dec 28 1885. 120 years ago he wrote that and its been locked away for all those years. The contents of his letter and the way he wrote it is fascinating to say the least.

You asked if I would forward the contents of the letter I found from your countryman It comes in three sheets of paper. The first just says: ' Dr William Taylor 12 Melville Street from O W Holmes.' The handwriting is beyond belief.

This is folded in a second sheet of paper which reads: Boston Dec 28th 1885 My Dear Sir, My friend Miss Anna E Lowell tells one that you spoke of my writings and myself with interest. I thought therefore that it might please you to receive a photograph. Which I have taken the liberty to send you by the same boat as this which carries this note
Very Truly Yours Oliver Wendell Holmes

The third sheet of note paper reads this follows:
And I shall live to be
The leaf upon the tree in the spring
Let them smile as I do now
At the forsaken bough where I cling.
From Mivie Wendall Holmes.

All the very best to you,
Clive Barron

March 8
TYPO REPAIRED, WORLD SAVED
First of all, I love this site. The kids (and adults) find out lots of interesting facts that they haven't heard before. On your SeaccoastNH page my 4th graders found a spelling error, so... I told them I'd let you know. Under Portsmouth Needs a Visitor Center, "bring" should be "brink". Hope this is helpful.
Janice, a NH teacher

EDITOR’S REPLY: Now that is a helpful email. Thanks to webmaster Norm, the new "content management" system makes it possible for the editor to fix a typo in seconds from any computer on earth – if we know where they are. This applies only to pages in the new php "open source" format, which is why we are migrating pages from the older html version as rapidly as possible. Right now you are looking at two versions of the site glued together. Eventually, all pages will be in the same database. How we pray for that day to come, but it’s thousands of hours of work away. Each reader correction makes the job easier.

March 7
NOVA SCOTIA IS MISSING HISTORY BOAT TOO
Just finished reading your piece on the visitor center and "getting your act together". If its any consolation, the Portsmouth region is not alone. My beloved Nova Scotia sits on a goldmine of history, built heritage, mysticism and natural attractions - yet its recognition and marketing of such facts is bush-league, at best. Consider the following for a province of only 940,000 : Sable Island(one of the few places on the continent where wild horses still roam). The Halifax Explosion - the greatest man-made explosion before Hiroshima. Consider Louisbourg The Bay of Fundy - highest tides in the world. Oak Island - one of the greatest mysteries on the continent. The Bluenose, and other maritime ties, like the Titanic, the Cunard line and the infamous Mary Celeste, which was built in N.S.. The Expulsion of the Acadians. The town of Annapolis Royal (1605), the oldest permanent settlement in N.A. except for Fort Augustine. Sambro Island lighthouse - the oldest working lighthouse in the entire Western hemisphere. Lunenburg - one of only 2 World Heritage towns in North America. A built heritage inventory to die for

I could go on, and for quite some time. But know this: Maine's tourism industry is said to be somewhere between 4-6 billion dollars/yr. ( I can't get an exact read on it) - while Nova Scotia's is only 1.3 billion !!!! Yes, proximity to Boston and other populated areas explains some of the diffrence, but not all of it. Not by a long shot. As far as I can tell, N.S. seems horribly, grotesquely incompetent in recognizing and marketing these valuable historical assets. NH is hardly alone.
Mark Wilson in Canada

March 4
RE: ALL THOSE #&%@ TYPOS
I love all the info, but am amazed at all the typos! You need a proof reader! Best wishes, MJDewey

arch 7

EDITOR’S REPLY: You and me both!. SeacoastNH.com is written, owned and edited by a low vision handicapped person. Me. It is a total drag, but still 6,000 web pages and images are up and running. I write in a "talking" software with large fonts. I use spellcheckers, proofread endlessly, often until the wee hours of the morning, 7 days a week for 9 years now -- but cannot always distinguish the sounds of typos in the computer voice of the software. Regular readers are aware of this problem and offer assistance, when possible, by spotting typos and letting me know the page URL and location of the errors. Thanks

March 3
FOLSOM WRITING FROM IRAQ
Greetings: I am currently serving in Iraq with the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Fallujah. My plan for R and R is to take a few days with my family to visit Exeter, NH and research my family roots. What do you have on the Folsom family?
John Folsom, Colonel, USMCR

EDITOR’S REPLY: Upon your safe return you definitely want to visit the 1775 Folsom Tavern which is currently part of American Independent Museum. The historic tavern was a meeting place for patriots during the Revolution and this year has been moved 100 feet as part of museum renovations. The tavern used to be located near the famous bandstand up the street, but was moved to its current location in 1929. Originally called "The Raleigh" after the famous NH ship, the tavern was owned by Samuel Folsom whos brother Nathaniel fought in the American Revolution. President George Washington stopped by the tavern for breakfast in 1789 and Folsom’s wife ran the place as Widow Folsom’s Inn until 1805. It later became an antiques shop, a railroad station lunch spot, a shoe repair shop, a milliner’s shop and a Chinese laundry before being preserved as an historic building. You’ll find a lot more about the Folsom’s by contacting the Exeter Historical Society too. (Picture from AIM)

March 2
YES, WE NEED A VISITOR’S CENTER
The column on why and how Portsmouth should promote history (and itself) should be required reading for every Chamber of Commerce member, every shopkeeper and every downtown employee.
Michael Power

March 2
WHITE ISLAND HOUSE IS A WRIECK TOO
I just visited your web page about White Island Light. I know Sue Reynolds personally and I think that she and her kids are doing a wonderful job. I saw your pictures and they really show what is happening out side the building, but only the basement and the mess down there, but you didn't show any of the upper part of the house. It is really bad in the kitchen and other rooms in there. I think that people should see everything. The inside is falling apart also. The ceiling, the walls are falling apart, the bathroom is so bad I can't even look at it. I have been over there and was able to take picture of the inside and I can't believe how bad it is. I guess the state of New Hampshire really doesn't care that much for history unless it is inland. I wish that I could help more then donating money, but I have a full time job and not enough vacations time to help. I think that more pictures of the inside should also be seen, and maybe people will see how bad it is and donate more or help out in other ways. If you need pictures of the inside (which I assume you have), but if not let me know and I will send you copies of mine. Thanks from an old Shoaler and thanks for caring.
Ray

March 1
FOUND A LETTER BY OW HOLMES
I had to work in London about six months ago, I do restoration work. The gentleman I was working for was moving and did not wish to take all his furniture. He had a very large library and asked me if I would like to take some books back to Bristol with me. As an avid reader, I was only to pleased to. Amongst others I took 6 pocket books The Autocrat, The Professor, and The Poet all at the breakfast table. Last week I had cause to move the books and out dropped a letter. It was from the author Oliver Wendell Holmes to his friend here in England dated Boston Dec 28 1885. 120 years ago he wrote that and its been locked away for all those years. The contents of his letter and the way he wrote it is fascinating to say the least.
C, S, Baron

March 1
SEEKING APPLEDORE SHIPWRECK
I am trying to trace the last known whereabouts of my great, great grandfather who was the Captain of the schooner "Trial" out of Dundee, Scotland in 1872. Apparently he was shipwrecked and drowned in Bedford Bay, Appledore. (copy of evidence from his will below). For some considerable time I have been trying to locate this "Bedford Bay" and Appledore to no avail. Could you please either confirm or deny that such a bay exists in the Isle of Shoal area.
Andrew Lees in Le Vigan, France

EDITOR’S REPLY: I’m pretty sure we’re the wrong Appledore too. We’re unaware of a Bedford Bay at the Isles of Shoals, but there is an Appledore in North Devon, England. That makes more sense as the site of your grandfather’s shipwreck. The letter you sent us listed the damages in British pounds, not American dollars. That pretty much implies that your search should take place in the UK, about 3,000 miles closer to France than our Appledore.

March 1
LIKES STRAWBERY BANKE PHOTOS
I wanted to relay that I enjoy your weekly photo and history factoid in the Portsmouth Herald. I cut the Frank Jones photo out last week and put it into the book "King of the Alemakers," an enjoyable read about Frank Jones and the city in which he flourished.
John Oliver

March 1
STILL MIGTHY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
I just had a chance to watch this wonderful movie. Thank you for making this type of movie in this day and age. I will remember it always.
Bill Felker

March 1
THE LIGHTHOUSE MANSION?
Can you tell me where the light house mansion is? I saw it one time as I was scrolling thru a site but don’t remember which site. It is out in the water completely. It looked like a southern style mansion, out in the water on a small island. Could not tell what type of water it was in, river lake, ocean etc.
Stormy Hoskins

EDITOR’S REPLY: Jeremy the Lighthouse Guy suggest that may be looking for New London Ledge in Connecticut. It seems to fit your description.