ASK, RANT OR PRAISE, BUT NEVER IGNORE

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STAMPS.com
Speaking of being fleeced by Stamps.com, (January newsletter, scroll to bottom of page) you can even save the $7/month by using usps.com.  Buy yourself a digital scale to weigh whatever you mail out.  Go to the usps website and you can print out your postage on your printer and there's no fee.  The good ole' mailperson will pick it up at your door for free too.  Please don't tape over the bar code though...they don't want to scan your mail by hand.
Linda J Lawrence

NORTH CHURCH WEATHER VANE
I am the cofounder of The Seacoast Writers Circle hosted by River Run books.  We had our first meeting last Sunday and our next is this upcoming Sunday For our first assignment, we all went home to write something about the North Church in Market Square.  I found the poem and article about North Church on your web site and wanted to ask permission to bring copies of it to the group and read it aloud: rth_Church/
Donna Kirk, Seacoast local and native

EDITOR’S REPLY:  Sure. I dug that chestnut out years ago and recently updated it. We love it when these old poems gain new life. Note that you can use the PRINT button at the top of the file itself for easy output. 

PORTSMOUTH WOMAN AMONG MORMONS 1843
Dear editors: Wow, its obvious that Charlotte Haven was no Mormon lover! While doing some online reading about the church I ran across a passage which described a visit to Saco, Maine, by church leader Brigham Young, prior to Charlotte's visit to Nauvoo. I wonder if Charlotte could have made an initial contact with church members at that time?

I just visited the Mormon church's web site which says, " Today church members honor and respect the sacrifices made by those who practiced polygamy in the early days of the church. However the practice is outlawed in the church, and no person can practice plural marriage and remain a member. The standard doctrine of the church is monogamy…" It  then goes on to quote the relevant passages in the  "Book of Mormon."

The church also makes the distinction that original church policy, proscribing monogamy, as written in that book, predated the actual practice of polygamy by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, who had supposedly received the idea from God in a revelation.  Subsequent church leaders received additional revelation that polygamy was actually against God's wishes, and so the president of the church in 1890, Wilfred Woodruff, "issued what has come to be known as the 'Manifesto," a written declaration to Church members and the public at large that stopped the practice of plural marriage."

The web site also states that "polygamists and polygamist organizations in the western  United States and Canada" sometimes have the nickname "mormon" applied to them though "they have no affiliation whatsoever with the Church."
Thanks for some interesting reading!
Ryan Thomson
 

WORKED IN OLD LIBRARY LONG AGO
ENJOYED THE HISTORY OF THE LIBRARY.AS A YOUNG LAD[14 YEARS OLD],I WORKED AT THE LIBRARY AFTERNOONS AFTER GETTING OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL WHICH WAS NEXT DOOR.HANNAH FERNALD WAS THE HEAD LIBRARIAN AT THE TIME AND DOROTHY VAUGHN,HER ASSISTANT.HANNAH WAS QUITE OLD AND LIVED IN THE BUILDING BEHIND THE LIBRARY.I USED TO WALK HER HOME[SHE WAS AFRAID OF FALLING].I WAS THERE FOR 2 YEARS,MY DUTIES WERE TO PUT RETURNED BOOKS BACK AND THEN EVENTUALLY PACK BOOKS FOR SERVICEMEN WHO WERE OVERSEAS.I WAS PAID 8 DOLLARS A MONTH.
IT TOOK ME 3 MONTHS TO SAVE UP FOR A BICYCLE.I LEFT AFTER 2 YEARS TO WORK AT THE NAVY YARD. AFTER GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL[WHILE WORKING 2ND SHIFT AT THE YARD]I WENT IN THE
ARMY INFANTRY.
BRAD HARRINGTON

FATHER WAS PORTSMOUTH MAYOR
Thought you might like to know who some of the people in the Lady Bird picture...left [crew cut dark hair] is Timothy J. 'ted' Connors the Mayor of Portsmouth...Anna King [Gov. John Kings wife] ...Sen.Tom Mc Intiyre ..over his shoulder is Don Margeson [family notice in Herald 1/12/08 100th birthday..deceased in 1993]..gentleman at far right background is Eddie Howard..Register of Probate....I received several calls on the picture thought I would share the history with you.......Thanks..
Ted Connors alive and well    

STRAWBERY BANKE BOOK REVIEWS
(1) Your new book looks great ... I bought the first copy sold at RiverRun ... I would expect it to do very well with Christmas sales ... that is a lot of book for $35! Oh, wait a minute, now I have to read it, not just leave it on the coffee table!
 Jim Cerny

(2) Congratulations on your book!  You have created a work of beauty.  I hope you sell multiple printings and become famous!
Best Wishes,
-Charles Burnell in Gainesville, FL

GASTRONOMY AT THE WENTWORTH
Hello, I am a Grad Student of Gastronomy at Boston University and I am writing a paper on the dining trends at NH Grand Hotels.  I would very much like to interview J. Dennis Robinson in regards to his book, Wentworth By The Sea: The Life and Times of a Grand Hotel. 
Lisa Lovezzola   

STATUE OF ST ASPINQUID  
An article written by J. Dennis Robinson about a statue of Passaconaway located in the Edison Cemetery in Lowell, MA, is of interest to me.  Could Mr. Robinson provide me with more information, specifically, who the artist was who created the statue, when it was  presented, and if there are any newspaper articles from the unveiling on the piece.
Tom Weddle 

EDITOR’S REPLY:  I'm afraid, everything I know about that statie is in that article. I'm doing further research, hopefully for a chapter in a book, and am always interested in Passaconnaway, but have only seen the statue in the cemetery and not done the digging on its creators at the Order of Redmen. There is much on the historical and mythical character on the web site.  

FOUND OLD FRANK JONES BREWERY PHOTO
I found a VERY old picture that served as a backing to one of my childhood photos and it is from the 1800's and it has a group of men in front of what looks like a large distribution warehouse that has frank jones ales, bowler bros lager,and john p. squire co. on the building in the background. All men are w/ horsedrawn carriage. The address on the building reads leclair 182 st. and west st. on the back in someone’s writing (actual writing ) are the names of the men shown in the picture two men addressed as bosses and one clerck and a dog named REX.  How it made its way to washington state and in my hands is a mystery that i would like to know more.
SCOTT AUSTIN

EDITOR’S REPLY: Fascinating. Those are always the best discoveries. Not sure which article you saw about Frank Jones on our site, there are many, but this is likely the most relevant. His old brewery is now office suites for a number of businesses. The greatest source is an out of print book by Ray Brighton that I'm sure you can find on Bookfinder.com (Just looked and there are lots of them) Frank Jones: King of the Alemakers by Raymong Brighton. If you can scan the photo, be sure the scanner is set at least at 100% size at 300 dpi (dots per inch) in grayscale (not color). If it is a small image, scan it at 150% or 200% original size. That will allow us to see details. If that makes the file too big to email, scan it at 200%, but 150dpi. The tech person at your library or copy center will know what that means. If it is in grayscale, the file should not be too large. Color is unneeded. Although the picture may have a yellow or brown or orange hue, it is really just a black and white image and the color scanning make the file much larger than it needs to be. What’s most important are the names on your photo that add important historic detail that other scholars can use.

PROUD PUDDLE DOCKER
I grew up in Potsmouth down on the end of South Street right on the old mill pond. I recently came home to visit along with my mother. As we thought back in the past about our good times we noticed there has been a few changws we can't seem to understand and of course no were to get answers! First why did they take the old Strawberry Bank General store and make into a restaurant. Isn't there enough of them in town?. Then in Rye there making a circle at the old Glidden store? . What only an hour to park at the beach now. I use to spend  hours down what we call 1st beach. I know society has to changed but can't we leave some things alone!  The Portsmouth cemetary has become a jogger doggy world. Please don't poop on my family who is rested there I would greatly appreciate that.
Thankyou
Sincerely a Proud daugter of a puddle docker

EDITOR’S REPLY:  Thanks for your great note and welcome back. The Dunaway Store, which was built in 1967 and is not an historic building, was turned into a restaurant when the gift shop moved to a new location in the Strawbery Banke Visitor’s Center, thus creating two incomes sources for the museum, rather than one less profitable business. As to the beach, you’ll have to ask Rye and Hampton officials. We can only assume that the costs of maintaining the beaches are so high and so many visitors want to enjoy the seacoast, that the decisions was made. We’re guessing that you’ll find fewer things changed here than in many places across America, unless you count the expanding malls and stores in the crowded miracle mile. Ugh. Rest assured that there are many citizens working constantly to keep the character of the region alive. Keep your eye out for out new book that features many chapters and photos on the history of Puddle Dock.  It will be available here soon or at Amazon.com.  

EX-MOUSEKETEER MEMO FROM SANTA FE
Thanks for the info about my apron. I have a picture of me wearing it!
How are things in the Seacoast? Santa Fe is phenomenal! Opera, Symphony, Film Festival, 200 galleries (second largest art market in the world, second only to NY), dance, lectures - and four colleges right here in Santa Fe. The film industry is burgeoning with two new major studios being built just outside of Albuquerque. I teach theatre and musical theatre at three different schools. And we are developing The  Musical Theatre Festival of Santa Fe.
 
The people are extraordinary, very cosmopolitan and from all over the world - Ali McGraw, Valerie Prime and Joe Wilson among them. Lots of intellectual curiosity and much comaraderie with new friends.
 
C-A-M-P  is going "swimmingly"! Hartford, Maine, on the shores of Little Bear Pond in a wonderful facility with a brand new stage built for us to augment the outdoor arena stage. All the teachers, except for us, are from the New York theatre. Remember Brian Knowlton? He's taking his vacation from CHORUS LINE to come back for his second year as Director of our dance program. And Jim Franklin, former Director of ballet New England is a guest artist.

Check us out at www.c-a-m-p.net. Why not plan to visit for a couple of days? Hang out and go jump in the lake...! Beautiful lakeside cabins, full amenities, great food and a chance to kick back and relax.  Want to teach a class?
Thanks, Eileen

ONE FOR JEREMY THE LIGHTHOUSE GUY
I am doing a project on Spring Point Lighthouse, and need to get some information. I was wondering if you could give me some information on the lighthouse. Please email me back. Thank you.
Georgia Morris 

NEEDS INFO ON BOAR’S HEAD
Our family owned a house on Great Boar's Head Ave for about 20 years. I'm sure that house is shown in the 1860 (circa) painting of Great Boar's Head by AW Fuller. I would love to find a print (copy) of that painting. Several members of my family live in Hampton; I live in Newburyport. I would appreciate any information about the Fuller painting, especially if it is available or displayed anywhere. Boar's Head and Hampton Beach bring back imperishable memories to my family.
Richard Rancatore
 
POE POE POE
To add to your knowledge about edgar allen poe, the poe house in Philadelphia, where it is purported that he wrote THE RAVEN has been restored and is open to the public; it is operated by the national park service
steve tengood