June 2008 Seacoast Mail

ASK, RANT OR PRAISE, BUT NEVER IGNORE

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WHO IS THAT DANDY IN THE PHOTO?
Mr. Robinson: Saw the picture in Thursday's Portsmouth Herald and got a kick out of it. You mentioned a 'young dandy' lounging on the steps with knee high stockings and a cocked hat; he is my grandfather, Louis L. Green. He was the husband of Virginia Tanner, who you have written about before and a long time ago asked me for permission to print her picture. Just thought you'd like to have a little more history on her and her husband. My grandfather had a benefactor here in Portsmouth who sent him to Harvard. He became a lawyer, then a judge and then back to being a lawyer in Cambridge, Ma. After the 1923 paegent, they summered here in New Castle where I am living now. Thanks for making me smile.
Laurie Clark, New Castle, NH

ENJOYED RETURN OF THE COMET ZIPPER
I wanted to get it on record that I very much enjoyed your tale about three or so generations of Robinsons. I could practically smell the glue and dope. My own dad learned to fly on rickety old airplanes that weren't much sturdier than that model, and were likewise assembled with glue and dope.
Rod Philbrick

Your article in today's Portsmouth Herald was a great one which we thoroughly enjoyed. You so well capture the sense of both your father and grandfather. Such "cool" people, both. Keep on telling your tales!
Lee Roberts

Enjoyed reading about your dad, although i'm 3 years behind your dad in age,i started building models in 1936 and never quit.i used to get my Comet and Megow models at Peavy,s and McDonough,s on Market St.I used to build aircraft recognition models at the old Ports.High School and built so many I received an honorary Navy Captain's Award signed by John cCain,s father,Adm.John McCain. In fact, I'm building one at present, a Sopwith Camel WW I Modeling has been my life.
BRAD HARRINGTON

KINDLE FOR LOW VISION
I read J Dennis Robinson's article about the Kindle, and am curious whether it has lived up to his expectations. My father has low vision and reading Johnson's article made me want to jump up and buy a Kindle for father's day ... Dad gets very discouraged with the poor selection of large print books, and audio books are sometimes OK, but not a total solution. Dad misses being able to relax in his easy chair and read a good book.
Debbie Crane

EDITOR’S REPLY: I never did order that Kindle after learning how many users were unhappy with the basic design. My guess is that a number of problems will be cleared up in an updated version. I’m definitely going to buy one someday, but in the interim, have obtained a number of devices that make reading possible, including the new portable Optelec. At $700 it is pricey for what amounts to an electronic magnifying glass, but the tiny closed circuit TV camera allows the low vision user to see things never before possible. I’ll report on that and two other devices when they have been road tested, and when Kindle gets the bugs worked out, we’ll add that to our low-vision arsenal.

MORE IRONSIDES
I have a picture of Old Ironsides out at sea..that i picked up at Rummage Store. I'm not sure if it is a photo or painting or a duplicate. I have been trying to find out it's worth..but really do not know how to go about this. Any help you have would be much appreciated. It is in a very old frame that is falling part and the picture is very brittle. Thank You!
Julie Dunnehoo

EDITOR’S REPLY: We’ve tackled this one a number of times elsewhere in LETTERS. The upshot is that tons of souvenir images were produced during the 1931-era tour of the reconstructed Ironsides. Most items we’ve seen come from that period and were produced in such large quantities that they have nominal value outside that connected with family members who saw the ship and their descendants. Check with the USS Constitution Museum for details.

WRONG MALAGA
I was cruising the GOseacoast.com site and came across the history of Malaga islands. Why does the site fail to mention the African Americans that inhabited the island until forcibly removed in 1912?
Nashay Taylor

EDITOR’S REPLY: Not aware of that story. Are you talking about the Malaga in SPAIN or the Malaga in Maine? I've been writing local history for 20 years and n ever heard that story. If you have any documentation of it, send it along. Have not seen it in any book ever written about the Shoals. Whatever you have, send it And remember, there are TWO Malaga Islands in Maine.

THERE WAS NO CANADA WHEN YOU INVADED US
Just reading your stuff on Louisbourg fortress. I don't recall there being a Canada during those years. Considering Nova Scotia was just one more of the colonies, William Shirley even considered it part of Massachusetts, it's hard to believe you actually researched your topic. FYI Quebec was the original Canada (just a name) and Ontario also used the name and they became Upper Canada and Lower Canada. Nova Scotia did not join with them until confederation in 1867. When the 13 colonies revolted, Nova Scotia had plans to join in but the Brits got in the way. That's all for now. Bye
Malcolm McLeod ( both American and Canadian heritage)

EDITOR’S REPLY: A good point to keep in mind. I’m afraid most of the data came from books written in part by Canadians and by the trained guides it Louisbourg. (Who still can’t spell the name of their own town correctly.) The use of the term "Canada" here of course, is employed so that we Americans can understand which land mass was being invaded, something Americans are not very good at. We, of course, were not Americans at the time either, but tend to let the term slide. Saying The Colonies invaded The Colonies is certainly less clear, especially to a 21^st century American audience that scarcely knows its own history. In a nation where half our citizens don’t know whether Lincoln or Washington was the first president, we have to take a few liberties when we write about the past. That likely would not be true in Canada where students are thoroughly schooled in their national upbringing. Were we living back before the Revolution, we certainly would admit to your technicality. Then again, with such strict rules, we wouldn’t be able to talk about the past at all since Iraq wasn’t really Iraq and the western USA was really Mexico and Maine was really Massachusetts. Deciding exactly where to insert the rule book into the timeline of history is so difficult that we, like 99% of other historians, tend to err on the side of sensibility. Also, these articles are published for a local audience and laced with a subtle thing we call Yankee humor, a concept that often does not successfully survive the border crossing.

PORTSMOUTH BASEBALL 1905
Wow! What a great job you did with those dirty old letters! I had assumed that they turned out to be of no use, but they offer an interesting glimpse into the politics of baseball. Perhaps the language was more polite than today, but it's obvious that baseball provoked strong feelings even then. Please feel free to give the letters to the Athenaeum.
Nancy Sell

U-BOATS IN PORTSMOUTH
Dear sirs, What ever happened to the u boats that were surrendered in May 1945.
george krehel

EDITOR’S REPLY: We don’t know, but we know who does. Start here with the U-boat archive web site that is the work of Captain Jerry Mason, USN (ret.) from BC. You can’t ask for more than this. Click here.

NH IN NOVA SCOTIA
There's a news story going on right now that has some exquisite NH connections. As I write, three U.S. Navy ships are in Halifax to spruce up an historical cemetery where 195 U.S. servicemen were buried in the War of 1812. A ceremony took place on May 26 to honour these individuals, many of which came from the Portsmouth, NH and Southern Maine area. The site is Deadman's Island, which is close to the prison where American captives died while in custody.

One conspicuous note to all of this is the fact that NH's former governor John Wentworth procured the land specifically for the building of the prison, and consequently, for the jailing of his former American subjects. This prison was covered fairly extensively in James Fenimore Coopers' "Ned Myers: A Life Before the Mast". Ned Myers was a famous Nova Scotia lad who left Halifax for New England, and who fought for you Yanks.
Mark in Toronto

WENTWORTH CHESWELL GETS HIS DUE
The end of the Cheswell Saga draws near. I have accomplished most of my goals to restore the graveyard and bring the memory of Wentorth Cheswell back to the citizens of Newmarket and the State of New Hampshire. The town will resume the maintenance of this truly historic graveyard, showing their appreciation for the decades of unselfish devotion to his beloved hometown!

JerriAnnes work, making the trip to Chicago possible, goes one step further (which I never imagined) giving me the opportunity to raise awareness of Wenworth Cheswell on a national stage! Thanks again Dennis, your support over the years has been greatly appreciated!
Rich Alperin, Newmarket Historical Society

LOVES SITE
Hello! I love your site. I decide what to do on my weekends with your site. I would love if you could more dog features.
Louise White

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