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| READ OUR MAIL March 1999 Mailbag SeacoastNH.com |
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March 30 CAPT. PEARSON'S SWORD I am looking for a portrait of Capt. Richard Pearson giving his sword to John P. Jones. I am a descendant of Capt. Pearson, and would like to have a copy of the painting. F Richard Pearson IV pearson@sonic.net
EDITOR'S REPLY: Here's a shot (click for image) from our archive
that may tell the story. This is a Bonhomme Richard event. Pearson surrendered the British ship
Serapis after a fierce battle that left 1/3 of each crew dead and led to Jone's famous quote, "I have
not yet begun to fight!" Pearson surrendered his sword, but Jones returned it as a gesture of
respect. The Bonhomme was so badly damaged that Jones transferred everyone to the Serapis and watched
his ship sink. In the attached painting, we assume Perason is on the left. This is an often-painted
scene, but we have no images for sale, though you might find them at the Annapolis
bookstore. March 30 SCOTTISH JPJ HOUSE DOCENT STUDIES US Hello,Ladies and Gentlemen: May I introduce my self: I have started to work as a guide at the Paul Jones Birthplace cottage , as well as trying to learn about this Internet Technology stuff. Your site has helped one in both activates, thank you Richard Charles Robinson rcr.clachan@virgin.net http://www.open.gov.uk/nithsdal/index.htm March 29 LEAR FAMILY REUNION Have called to request a tour of the Lear House, but have received no reply. Relatives are coming from California on the 15th of April, and have requested me to try to arrange for a tour. Fifteen to thirty people expected, and have shown interest. The Lear family would like to make a donation to the House. We'd also like a photographer to take a family photo, if you know one. Harry Lear, Jr. learfarm@webtv.net EDITOR'S REPLY: Although we operate the only Tobias Lear site online, the house is run by a nonprofit agency. We've forwarded your letter already to Bill "Towney" Manful who is president of the Lear Association, and have contacted a photographer who may be available for the Lear Reunion at the Lear House in April. Stay tuned for an endless supply of Leariana on SeacoastnH.com. Viewers who want to tour the house from their home computers may click below. http://www.seacoastnh.com/lear/index.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/tobiaslear/ March 29 SOUTH ENDER HOUSE HISTORY I live in the south end of portsmouth and would like to know the history of my house and it's surrounding dwellings (they are now condos). Do you have any idea where I can research this? Joanne Fuller NHPORT@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Funny you should ask! We just lost out on a grant designed to produce a booklet that would provide the exact answers you seek, and are trying to find alternate funding sources. Meanwhile, Portsmouth residents are very lucky to have four key resources, all with librarians who will assist you, unless you want to hire a local researcher. Start by reading Richard Candee's chapter on the South End in "Building Portsmouth." Then go to the Portsmouth Library and review the books on researching house history (in Special Collections room). Your key resources are then: (1) Portsmouth Public Library, (2) Strawbery Banke Library (which has a picture file of Portsmouth houses categorized by street over time); (3) Portsmouth Athenaeum (which has all the early maps of the city with house-by-house images); (4) Whaley Library at the Masonic Temple (open Wednesdays). You'll also need to review city records, many of which you will find at the local library in the History Room. March 27 PORCELAIN MAG FEATURES CELIA, EARNS FREE PLUG I publish a newsletter on hand painted porcelain. My April issue features Celia Thaxter and mentions the Vaughn Cottage Museum on the isles of Shoals and Portsmouth Athenaeum. The name of my newsletter is Dorothy Kamm's Porcelain Collector's Companion (PO Box 7460, Port St. Lucie, FL 34985-7460).The newsletter covers only overglaze-decorated porcelain, dealing with design, function, artistry, etc. Thanks for your interest. Dorothy Kamm dorothy.kamm@usa.net http://www.seacoastnh.com/women/thaxter.html March 27 NEEDS YOUR WW2 RECIPES The Portsmouth Middle School is doing an Interdisciplinary Unit called FOCUS ON PORTSMOUTH, NH. Team Foley is concentrating on WW 2. We would like to put together a booklet on WW 2 recipes used in Portsmouth during that time period. Would your readers be able to help steer us in the right direction? Valerie Faria & Sue Spiegle-Hoey Jhoey@Tiac.net March 27 JENNY LIND DOLL I have a Jenny Lind Doll that was made in the 1850's based on the swedish singer Jenny Lind. The doll was named after her. The doll is 150 years old in mint condition and I am interested in selling it. Would you know who would be interested and what the doll is worth today. Doris.Lacasse@EC.GC.CA EDITOR'S REPLY: Dolls-Aren't-Us, but the topic is intriguing. Our focus is only on the Lind figurehead on the Portsmouth-built ship Nightingale, but check out these sites. We found a contemporary copy Lind doll sold at $250 and a Lind china doll kit for $85. You need to search on antique Victorian dolls, especially Parian dolls from the mid to later 1800s. http://seacoastnh.com/tjioct97.html#jenny http://www.gildebrief.de/GB29704e.HTM http://www.treasuresanddolls.com/ http://www.visitgettysburg.com/bonmarch/kits.htm March 25 WE WIN NH INTERNET AWARD! SeacoastNH.com was voted "Best NH Site for Visitors" in last night's first-ever NH Internet Awards sponsored by NH.com. Thanks to all for the cool award, the free food and the kind comments at the Stark Mill Brewery in Manchester. Your Ever-Humble Editor and Webmaster March 25 OUR WEB PAGES MAKE GREAT FOR HANDOUTS I have visited your web site and have found it to be very informative and attractive. This summer UNH is operating several programs related to the seacoast. Our Interhostel-USA programs include "Famous New England Authors and Their Gardens," and "Celebrating the Independent Spirit--A Visit Back in Time," and a Familyhostel, a "New England Sampler. All are educational in nature, and all have attracted participants from throughout the United States. Familyhostel, in particular will have many participants from the West Coast. My purpose is to obtain permission to use several of your web pages as handouts for the participants. I think they are attractive, and we would like to copy them for distribution as handouts prior to tours to the various sites. Robert P. McCaffery, Ph.D, UNH INTERHOSTEL/FAMILYHOSTEL robert.mccaffery@unh.edu EDITOR'S REPLY: We always appreciate it when people ask, since often we find our materials used without permission and we have to contact them. Basically our original materials, like any book or magazine, are copyrighted and produced at significant effort and expense. One article can take weeks to finish and some readers mistakenly believe that all info on the Net is in the public domain. Our policy for educational groups is generally: (1) Write explaining use, page titles and quantity of distribution and request use. (2) Be sure the entire article shows, including footer and header with our logo, address and phone. (3) Print using quality machinery so that text and images are clearly readable. (4) Credit SeacoastNH.com as you would any copyrighted publication in all bibliographies, footnotes, lecture materials, etc. (5) Encourage readers, where possible, to visit our site and subscribe to our newsletter. That's it. If organizations are receiving funding for use of our materials, we expect to share in the income. Photos and images, of course, follow another path if used digitally -- this all applies only to printed handouts. Thanks again! March 25 NEW ARTS CENTER IN EXETER ECCA-Exeter Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit art education organization in Exeter. With a new home at 52 Lincoln Street in Exeter (next to the Handkerchief Factory), ECCA is not only convenient and accessible, but charming! Classes are offered to people of all ages (from 3 to 103). Call 778-8441. Executive Director, Barbara Jenny ecca@nh.ultranet.com March 23 LOUIS' FIGHTING LADY I have a movie/documentary poster titled "The Fighting Lady." it's a Louis de Rochemont production and was also produced with/by 20th century fox. narration written by John Stuart martin and the narrator is lt. Robert Taylor USNR. The fighting lady is a true story photographed in zones of combat by the us navy under the supervision of Commander Edward Steichen, USNR. this is all the information on the poster. i would like to know what year it was produced and the value of it (if any). Jerry jerrywr@oio.net EDITOR'S REPLY: There were two films by that name according to Internet Movie Database. Yours is the 1944 documentary (not the 1934 film). There was also a film called Three Men of the Fighting Lady (1955).The poster is likely worth something, since the de Rochemont movie won a 1945 Academy Award. We're just interested in Louis since he was our most famous local filmmaker. We'll start the bidding at $50. Maybe other offers will roll in. http://www.seacoastnh.com/film/ March 22 BUSTED IN EXETER It has come to the attention of the Exeter Police Department that a "password protected" part of your site lists the our departments name address and phone number, possibly more. Could you tell me why the search engines are finding that information on your site, in a protected area ? We have worked hard on our site and it is discouraging when we are told people cannot access our site because they have found yours that cannot be entered. Could you please advise therefore why you have entered meta tags for our department? EDITOR'S REPLY: Guilty as charged. We have an Exeter town page under construction in our giant new COMMUNITY section which features links to all 25 Seacoast NH towns. After many attempts to get the towns in this regions to hold hands and promote the region, we are voluntarily creating a cyber Seacoast NH section that will allow our readers to tour each town online, making it easy to locate schools, churches, town offices and even police stations from one central control panel. It is likely that a search engine has picked up our pages and your visitor, thinking they have located the police station online, is getting our "Authorization Required" page. We should have the whole think cleaned up sometime this summer. We'll be providing a new "doorway" to the region and to Exeter. If not, we'll turn ourselves in. exeterpd@nh.ultranet.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Guilty as charged. We have an Exeter town page under construction in our giant new COMMUNITY section which features links to all 25 Seacoast NH towns. After many attempts to get the towns in this regions to hold hands and promote the region, we are voluntarily creating a cyber Seacoast NH section that will allow our readers to tour each town online, making it easy to locate schools, churches, town offices and even police stations from one central control panel. It is likely that a search engine has picked up our pages and your visitor, thinking they have located the police station online, is getting our "Authorization Required" page. We should have the whole think cleaned up sometime this summer. We'll be providing a new "doorway" to the region and to Exeter. If not, we'll turn ourselves in. March 20 HE DIED ON THE ISLES I'm interested in any information that may be available on Josiah Stevens. He was a Congregational minister that moved to the Isles just after the Revolution and was there until his death. Can you tell me which island he is buried on and if there are any photos of the area? Do you get many genealogy questions? KaynSteve@email.msn.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Turns out you're right! Our Shoals expert Bob Tuttle tracked down the tale of Rev. Stevens and a picture of the grave. His article is so detailed that we have printed it on a separate page. (Click to read The Death of Rev. Stevens) March 20 LEAR MARRIED INTO THE FIRST FAMILY While reading the biography of Tobias Lear, I noticed that you attribute the strength of the Portsmouth-Washington connection with Lear's marriage to Polly Long. I think that the bonds of freindship and economic ties between the Presidential Family and Lear, which you correctly allude to, were solidified by Lear's marriage into the Dandridge family. Lear's 1775 marriage to Fanny Bassett Washington (neice of Martha recently widowed by the death of George Augustine Washington in 1773), and his third bride, Frances (Fanny) Henley, (first cousin to wife number two) elevated his postion from friend to family. Evelyn Gerson evgerson@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: We totally agree, in fact, so much so that next week we'll offer a page showing the 16-year connection between the Lears and the Washingtons. They lived often in the same house much of that time. The Lear's only son was born in the Washington home. Lear tutored Martha's children and Washington attended the funeral of Lear's two deceased wives. This is the bicentennial of the death of George Washington back in 1799 and we have a lot of Washington-Lear info to pass on. We're the only ones nuts enough to open an All-Lear web section. Look for it in a week. http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/rev/lear.html March 18 SEE OUR SPEARHEAD we have recently found what apears to be a spearhead in northeastern oregon. we were hoping you could help us identify it it is made of black stone. I am sending a photo of it. please respond thank you jim. jim jamesr@eoni.com
EDITOR'S REPLY: (Click to see the artifact) We've opened up a can of
worms here, it seems. Readers from all over, frustrated with the slow response time of local
universities and archeological societies, are asking us to identify their artifacts. We do the best
we can, but could use more resources. Prof. archeology is a costly, time-consuming process, and many
prof. do not want to offer quickie responses. Writing for info can take months, if a response comes
at all. Anyway, our expert says this is likely an authentic biface artifact, but can tell little else
from the picture. Our efforts are focused here in Seacoast NH. Is this not an opportunity to provide
a forum for readers who want to send it pix and get expert advice nation-wide? We can only hint and
wait for the resources to do more. March 18 MORE SMUTTYNOSE!? Hello, I am doing a report on the murders of Karen and Anethe on the Isle of Shoals, and the only information I've found on it has been on your website. I was wondering if there is someone who knows about any old newspapers that have articles about it in them or whether I can get the transcript of the trial from someone or somewhere. Christina Catface9@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Any search engine will show you we pretty much dominate the limited field of online Smuttynose Murder info. We hope someday to put the newspaper articles and trial transcript online, but funding is needed. Meanwhile, just try the Portsmouth Public Library which has both the transcript and an incredible file of newspaper clippings. http://www.seacoastnh.com/smuttynose/ March 17 NH NATIVE AMERICAN GENEALOGY Our family has had your site as our home page for quite some time: ever since we found it, actually. We still love you! I tell everybody about you. I have a suggestion. My family has been here since the 1600's. While my white lines go back that far, my red lines go back even further. I am fascinated with the material you are unearthing about Black folks in NH. How about Red folks? Sandy Dodge glencoe@concentric.net EDITOR'S REPLY: It is our avowed goal to put as much Native American info as we can find online. In fact, the first section we created was our Prehistoric History section which contains some of the only info on NA history in Seacoast NH. The trouble is four-fold: (1) NH so quickly and fully reduced its Indian population, that little info on the Abenaki heritage here is available, even from NA webs sites; (2) actual genealogical records of all non-whites in this region are literally nonexistent; (3) obtaining info from valid archeological orgs in NH is phenomenally slow -- letters go unanswered since the state and universities have very limited resources -- response time is glacial at best; (4) this original research work is very time consuming, and thus costly, so our planned Native American history section has been put on the back burner until funding is located. But that doesn't mean we will give up the effort. http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/prehistoric/index.html March 17 "WEIGHT OF WATER" STUDY GUIDE My wife's book club is looking for a study guide and questions for W of W. Can you point me to the right place? Loring W WebsterL@hanscom.af.mil EDITOR'S REPLY: Book publisher Little Brown & Co offers a series of questions for discussions of the Anita Shreve novel. If you want to use their materials, we've set up a link for you below. If you want to do a little research on the true story of the murder on which the novel is based, we've got the best info online in the second link. Little & Brown readers Guide http://www.seacoastnh.com/smuttynose/index.html March 16 WANTS WHISTLE AT EATON FALLS My grandmother was in that 1951 movie "The Whistle At Eaton Falls" and my father is desperately trying to find a copy of it. I didn't know if you had any way of getting a copy of the film or if you knew where one could be found. Any information you could give me would be a tremendous help Thank you. Marc Estes in Dover, NH Saharasdad@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Try the Dover Public Library. If not, the Historical Society. There are mediocre VHS copies floating around town from a 16mm version, but the tape is not available commercially. Larry Benaquist at Keene State shows it occasionally. To our knowledge, we're the only ones offering complete photos and plot summary of this early Lloyd Bridges, Ernest Borgnine film shot in Dover, NH. There is often talk of a screening in Dover for cast alum as was done here in Portsmouth recently for Lost Boundaries. Can we help spark the event? A relative of producer De Rochemont has a copy that is rarely screened. You might also try the former family home in Newington, now owned by Simplex. There was talk there of a De Rochemont film festival. http://www.seacoastnh.com/louis/whistle.html March 16 LOVES OUR SITE PASSIONATELY Hi Sexy, I am lonely waiting for you to call me. Let me be the "Little Secret" in your life! I want to give you an experience you'll never forget. WARNING!! Not recommended for people with weak hearts!!! Love slave EDITOR'S REPLY: This letter keeps arriving in our email. In fact, today it was there nine times. We appreciate your affection for the web site, but readers really must learn to control themselves. March 16 WANTS COLONIAL WEATHER REPORT I have found that your web site is a very interesting place. My daughter was assigned the task of doing a colonial research paper and that state she was given was New Hampshire. I found your website to be full of historical information, but couldn't find, perhaps not looking in the right spot, any information on such items as geography,i.e. natural resources, important cities/settlements up to 1763, climate etc. Would it be possible to point me in the right direction? Thanks, Pam Adams pma8755@yahoo.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Thanks, but have a heart! Climate in 1763? We're just roughing out the bare bones of local history in this first phase of the site, but don't touch that mouse! We'll go back and flesh out more details as soon as we get through the 20th century, just in time for the 21st century to start! An Environment section is part of our master plan but it is coming post-Y2K, assuming we're all still here. For today's weather, click below. (Come to think of it, our meteorologist Ken is a bit colonial, though his reports are future perfect.) http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/colonial/index.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/weather/ March 15 USED-BOOK ADDICTS ANON. I too am hooked on Bibliofind. I am the proud owner of 5 or 6 'new' books this week. It is wonderful. Enjoyed your story. Linda here in Granbury Tx. willlyn@itexas.net EDITOR'S REPLY: We've gone a recent jag as well with a gorgeous copy of Jenness' 1873 history of the Isles of Shoals, a superb book called "The Ships of John Paul Jones" by Gilkerson, a couple of forgotten pieces on Tobias Lear and more. Bibliofind.com should give us a commission, eh? Or maybe start a methadone program. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please010499.html March 15 HAMPTON SEASON AGAIN Would you please forward info on Hampton Beach [hotels/things to do, Cynthia in Strafford Springs, CT EDITOR'S REPLY: We've worked up a form letter with lots of links for the tons of requests we get for Hampton Beach info. Not much we can do but lead people to the chamber there and offer our free services. We'll be updating our section soon. The chamber sends a free brochure which is largely advertising for local sites and do not include rates, which everyone seems to want. We got ours last week. Because they are printed in winter, the calendar material is not fully updated. Best to go to web sites when new info is posted in the spring. To get the booklet call 1-800-GET-A-TAN run by the chamber there. http://www.seacoastnh.com/touring/motels.html#beach March 15 ANOTHER GROUP COMING THIS SUMMER I and a group of 30 people are in need of accommodations for the weekend of 6-18-99 TO 6-20-99. We would like a hotel with restaurant and bar in Portsmouth and a group rate. Can you help? J. Philbin EDITOR'S REPLY: We usually answer these letters offline, and we get a lot of them. Since we are an independent site, we can refer any business we wish, and tend to make recommendations based on the reader's unique request. We try to respond the same day. We then refer them to the local chambers which handle hundreds letters daily at this time of year. Readers should note that all the clamber pages are linked under BUSINESS. Advertisers should note, how many readers zip contact us daily for the entire Seacoast. We're looking for the resources to update our Lodging section, even now. http://www.seacoastnh.com/touring/lodging.html March 13 NEVER KNEW BLACK HISTORY UNTIL NOW Hi. I have just finished reading your latest column ("Unknown NH Slave Tales Thrive Online") and subsequent Black Heritage Trail page. How very interesting they both are, as well as educational. I was raised in ortsmouth and never heard of the slave issue at all. As you are aware, I am sure, Portsmouth schools barely touched on John Paul Jones in the 50's, let alone anything as horrible as slavery. I went to kindergarten at Whipple School, now condos I think, and never heard much about him. Or Farragut. I think maybe the Black Heritage site is visited so much because of lingering guilt by people who are now a little more enlightened. I myself am a recovering racist and although my family didn't even come to America until the end of the last(19th)century, still some guilt is felt by me. I hope others like me will read some of Valerie's work and learn of the quality of humans no matter their origin of their births. Thank you very, very much. Den DenofEarth@att.net http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please030399.html EDITOR'S REPLY: Oh, you're so right. We feel guilty and we didn't even grow up here! But the times they are a' changing. We met last week with the Social Studies Dept at Portsmouth High School who got copies of our new little history booklet. Hoping it's time to rethink the way we teach our kids in one of America's most history-conscious towns. http://www.seacoastnh.com/portsmouth/book.html March 12 NH MILITIA IS ONLINE TOO! Hi. Found your website, and it looks great. Comprehensive yet compact, wide-ranging, interesting. I'm with the 1st New Market Colonial Militia, the largest Revolutionary reenacting unit in New Hampshire (if not all New England -- we've got 150 members!) and wondered if you wanted to link up. Clayton Emery, 1st New Market Colonial Militia of NH EMERYC@naesco.com http://people.ne.mediaone.net/chappellfam/1stNewMarket/ March 12 LET'S ALL FIGHT OVER NH's FIRST GOVERNOR This may be splitting hairs, but...actually, after NH split from MA in 1679, Benning Wentworth became NH's first governor (albeit a Royal one). Following the pressure he felt as a result of his support for the Stamp Act in 1765, Benning passed control of the colony to his nephew, John Wentworth II, making him Governor #2. Check out Paul Wilderson's book, Framers of Freedom--Governor John Wentworth for an excellent description of the life and times of this fascinating, native-born "local" English family. Scott R. Papp papp@wilkes.edu EDITOR'S REPLY: This is always going to be a hair-splitter. Some claim John Langdon as first NH gov, casting out all the British influence and the Wentworth dynasty with the bathwater. Then there is John Sullivan who was "President" of NH after the Revolution, before the term "Governor" was re-established. And what about Mesech Weare who was elected first NH gov in 1784? We're not historians and need some scholarly help here. Facts aside, Seacoast people love to fight incessantly over silly things like dog parks, whether Seavey Island is in NH or Maine or whether Louis Wagner really did those murders. Let's add this one to the battle list and hack away. You'll find all the characters described below: http://www.seacoastnh.com/framers/ March 12 FLORIDA REVOLUTIONARIES We love your web site and use it often. We have a link to your web site, specifically because of the great articles you have available on Black History. One of our main objectives is to teach Junior and Senior High School students American History and this is a great addition. Keep up the good work. Dick Fowler, Webmaster, Florida Society, Sons of the American Revolution fowlerrq@gate.net http://www.flssar.org March 11 JPJ ON THE CHARTS WITH A BULLET Could you please tell me the title of the song about John Paul Jones which includes the words_" He lies around all day/ Body pickled in alcohol/ On a permanent jag they say"? Also, if you could tell me the writer of the song and what melody it was sung to , it would be a tremendous help. Stacey S inabadmood2@webtv.net EDITOR'S REPLY: According to JPJ biographer Morison (page 409), the tune was from a turn of the century song called "Everybody Works but Father." The reference is to Jones' body preserved in a lead coffin in alcohol when it was discovered buried under a Paris street at the behest of Teddy Roosevelt. The body is now at Annapolis. (Click below for the full story and to see Jones body inside the coffin!). Everybody sing along; the lyrics go like this -- Everybody works but John Paul Jones!/He lies around all day,/Body pickled in alcohol/On a permanent jag they say./Middies stand around him/Doing honor to his bones;/Everybody works in "Crabtown"/But John Paul Jones. http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/burial.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/corpse2.html March 11 MOOSE MUG HUNTING IN NH I am attempting to collect a coffee cup from every state in the US! Any idea where I could pick up a "New Hampshire"? A "city" or lighthouse mug will work, but I'd like for it to have the state on it somewhere. (Here the EDITOR'S REPLY with suggestions and then Heather writes back.) THANKS! The web site (nh.com) was great, and I found mysticmoose.com. I got a great "New Hampshire" moose mug that will be the envy of my co-workers, for about $12. Thank you for actually answering my question. Heather RCHeather@aol.com March 10 HAMPTON BEACH MEMORIES Great newsletter -- I forward it to a few other people at US Military Academy who spent time in NH as I did. I'm the oldest of 7 kids (my father was originally from Boston) but came to NY area (Rockland County) in the mid 40's after his tour in WWII was up. Hampton Beach, NH was one of the few places you could pack 7 kids up in the 50's and go to for a week without spending a fortune. My memories and those of my brothers & sisters of the area are still very vivid and wonderful. Most of us in the family took or still take our kids there -- now, my parents in their mid 70's (Loretta & Marty Foley) still go every summer but take great-grandkids and grandchildren. Your contest, which & I and my parent's entered talks abt the Governor of NH (Langdon) -- my dad grew up in Roxbury, MA -- on Langdon Street. Mrs. Diane M. McKiernan, West Point, NY nd8748@exmail.usma.edu March 10 JPJ IN FIRST GRADE DEJA VU I teach 1st Grade in Virginia Schools. One of our standards in history is to teach 1st graders about John Paul Jones. Most of the resources I've found are above our grade level. Can you recommend any children's resources about John Paul Jones. I'd appreciate any help you could give me. Debi Parker dparker@pen.k12.va.us EDITOR'S REPLY: This JPJ-curriculum is turning into a real military crisis. See below. Let's solve this problem. Let us help! Would Virginia first graders like to know that we're planning to rebuild JPJ's tall ship here? March 10 MORE JPJ IN FIRST GRADE Hello. I am a Virginia teacher. As part of our State Standards of Learning, our school children, ages 6-8, must be able to identify John Paul Jones. Can you suggest videos, books, activities, etc. that would be appropriate for children of this age. Janet Sage JMS@NETVA.COM March 10 John Paul Jones is a required unit of study in the first grade all over Virginia. Are there any kind of videos to show or pamphlets available to give the students? Please let me know if there is anything that might help our students to learn about this famous American. Jayne Perala, Roanoke, VA jperala@rbnet.com EDITOR'S REPLY: OK, we're going to start sharing resources here. We want Jayne and Janet to contact Lena and Lisa. You're all in the same boat, looking to make JPJ relevant to first graders in Virginia. We'll act as Command Central here in New Hampshire, and will gladly create a web page for you to share ideas. Keep us posted. Here's those other Virginia teachers: "Lena G Martin" lgmartin@runet.edu and "Lisa Zebley" lisazeb@exis.net. They contacted us last year. (see Read Our Mail Archives) http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/ March 10 ROB SQUIER FAN My, It's funny how the Internet can change people's lives. I was browsing this site and came across an old friend I used to work with, I remember that days of sitting around watching Rob "scribbling" on any piece of paper he could find. Now almost 9 years later I was clicking through the SeaCoastNH.com website an there he was. A "Big Shot" designing graphics for the web. I guess the days of "Drinking Buddies" from UNH are over....Look out...Dilbert Rob is on the loose Tim Golden webmaster@luckynh.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Today, you'll also find Rob's illustration work at Velacom in Portsmouth, a high-tech design firm. Readers know him best as illustrator of the SeacoastNH.com lighthouse logo. http://www.velecom.net/ http://www.seacoastnh.com/artists/squier/index.html March 10 IDENTIFYING ARTIFACTS NOT EASY I was hoping that someone would help me identified some Native American artifacts that we have. One looks like a club head and is made of granite. it is approx. 4.5 in. long by 2.5 in. wide and 1 in. thick and tapers to a point on one end. The other end has a .75 in. groove cut in it in. away from the end. The next piece looks like a ax head. It is approx. 3 in. long by 1.5 in. wide, with a sharp taper end . It also looks like dark smooth granite. The last piece is oblong and flat on the bottom. The top has a deep .5 in. groove in it about center. It too looks like smooth granite. The groove has a dark or carbon color to it. This piece also has cut marks on it. I believe that these pieces came around from the Missouri area, Because that my wife's grandparents were living at the time. Todd Catlin JTCat@nctimes.net EDITOR'S REPLY: If only we could. Missouri is out of our turf, and artifacts that have been removed from the ground immediately lose much of their historical significance. It is too bad no easy system is in place for getting a clear consultation, but NH has a miniscule budget for such analysis. Site digs are backed up for years and most work is done by volunteers. Best bet, besides joining your local archeological society, is to try the lab at the nearest college Archeology or Anthropology Dept. We will show pics sent to our local experts. http://www.seacoastnh.com/history/prehistoric/guideart.html March 09 LOVES THIS NH SITE Thank you for your web-site. All in the family look forward each monthto reading about our good friends to the North. Keep the good word coming. Regards, Never return a kindness---pass it on !! (mrs) Helen Griffin CapeCod1@webtv.net March 09 FINDING PORTSMOUTH BURIAL RECORDS I read and enjoy your letters and responses. Perhaps you can help me. My great-grandmother lived and died in Portsmouth about 1850-1882. N.H.Vital Records has no record of her birth or death, although her marriage and death are noted in St. John's Church records. We plan a trip to Portsmouth this spring and hope to research obituary records if they are available in Portsmouth. Would you advise who would help best in our search. Diane W jwillems@worldaccessnet.com EDITOR'S REPLY: The Portsmouth Public Library has been working overtime to provide death records culled from old records. Still there is not too much from that era easily available. Early in the century the Church of Latter Day Saints collected some of the local church records (including St. John's) and city annual reports and vital records with cemetery records. These are easily accessible. Getting info from local newspaper is harder since you would have to go through old copies of the NH Gazette yourself of microfilm. As a big SeacoastNH.com supporter, Sarah in the Special Collections Dept at the library says its okay to email her directly and she will see what is available. (Sihartwell@lib.cityofportsmouth.com) The library web site is available below. Keep us posted on your progress. Also scroll down to see St. John's Church now online. http://www.cityofportsmouth.com/ March 08 WE WIN IN "BEST NH SITE FOR VISITORS" We've been organizing the first-ever New Hampshire Internet Awards, and I'm writing to let you know that Seacoastnh.com finished in the TOP THREE in the "NH's Best Site for Visitors" category. Congratulations! Jeff Rapsis, Editor of NH.com www.nh.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Cool! We'll be in Manchester, NH with sleigh bells on to receive our award on March 24. You did say free buffet? March 08 REVOLUTIONARY NH WOMEN What jobs did women have during the revolutionary war? Alicia sparkles23@excite.com EDITOR'S REPLY: We just love it when someone asks something we know. Check out Olive Tardiff's essay on exactly that topic: http://www.seacoastnh.com/framers/women.html March 06 EARLY FEMALE PREACHERS Where can I find more information about one of North America's earliest female preachers, Nancy (Anna) Towle, b 1796 in Hampton d. unmarried 1876 in Hampton. Her autobiography (Vicissitudes Illustrated in the Life of Nancy Towle -- editions in 1832 & 1833) was published very early in her life. (She also published a small pamphlet in Montreal about 1833.) I would now like to learn more of how she spent the rest of her life, after that precocious autobiography. Is she famous in Hampton or obscure? Is there a local library where I might consult a local newspaper operating at the time she died? Any pointers would be received gratefully. D.G. Bell of California dbell@unb.ca FROM LANE LIBRARY HAMPTON: Nancy Towle is fairly obscure these days. We know about her at the library and own a copy of her vicissitudes book. As for newspaper accounts of her death, there was no Hampton newspaper in those days, so that would have to be through either the Portsmouth or Exeter papers, and you could contact their libraries if you wanted to search for an obit. The Rev. Diane Samuels at Dcsamuels@aol.com was working on a dissertation about Nancy Towle last year so may have information she is willing to share. (Bill Teschek) Note: See also Harriet Livermore, a very interesting character who will be profiled in an upcoming book on Seacoast women edited by Laura Pope and published by Peter E. Randall. We recently found a book of her Livermore sermons on Bibliofimd.com, another resource for early printed sermons. (JDR) March 06 HOW MANY SHIPWRECKS? I'm a 19 year-old college student in NH. I'm a private pilot, and have flown over the Isles of Shoals in the past. I'm really curious as to whether or not there are any shipwrecks in the area. I haven't spotted any yet, but would you happen to know if there are any visible from the air? If so, what is the location? Derrick BumpinS10@yahoo.com FROM HAMPTON LANE LIBRARY: There have been a variety of shipwrecks in Hampton over the past few centuries, and many even washed up on the beach and sat there for many years. Today there are no such wrecks in Hampton visible from land, but there is a relatively famous one that has been explored underwater. It is the wreck of the mast ship St. George. You can read about the 1896 wreck of the schooner Glendon and the 1900 wreck of the schooner Mary A. Brown below: (BillTeschek) http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/stgeorge.htm http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/pamphlets/glendon.htm March 06 50th REUNION IN HAMPTON Would appreciate the address of Hampton's Alumni Association. I believe it is a Post Office Box number. Have tried to find it in other places to no avail My 50th reunion will be coming up and have lost contact with everyone. Many thanks. Love your Website. Wish there were more like it. Pat PatRMaison@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: The address is -- Hampton Alumni Association, P.O. Box 8, Hampton, NH 03842. That's c/o the Hampton Public Library. March 05 COMING TO SEACOAST REP I've enjoyed browsing through your website and intend to come back to it. If you could help me, I'd appreciate it. We're going to see a play this Saturday at 8pm at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre in Portsmouth, NH on Bow Street. We'll be coming from 95 north. Could you give us directions? Thisbe97@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Yes, Camelot! Our hair stylist Ralph is "Generic Night #3" in the chorus. Look for him. Anyway, directions are cake. You can start with our regional map, then click to Portsmouth map which lists Seacoast Rep as spot #33. If that's not good enough swap to the map on their excellent web page, also linked below. Or call 603-433-4472 for explicit audio directions -- really nice voice. Could anyone be more helpful? Pay for your tickets? Have fun. http://www.seacoastnh.com/101nh/region.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/101nh/portsmouth.html http://www.seacoastrep.org/map.cfm March 05 JPJ PORTRAIT COLLECTION I am a Scottish-based researcher and I am looking into the surviving portraits of JPJ, especially those that were done in his lifetime or shortly after his death. I note with great interest the 15 portraits shown on your web site, and I wonder if you can put me in touch with the owner(s) of this collection. I shall be extremely grateful for your advice and assistance. COLIN McKELVIE Tgarth@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: You're looking for John "Jock" Brodie, a trustee of the John Paul Jones House and JPJ info collector. You can reach him at 603-430-7734. http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/portraits.html March 05 SO MANY LETTERS, SO LITTLE TIME EDITOR'S NOTE: We started out this month with 13 typed pages of still-unanswered email questions. March seems like a good time to clean house. We love these letters and would prefer answering them to making a living. Readers here never see the dozens of letters we respond to privately each week. WE cannot trace family genealogy, do term papers, find spouses or book hotel reservations. Sadly, time intervenes. Someone said yesterday that we are often "flip" toward our readers. That's what we call Yankee humor up here, and it's really supposed to be downright sarcastic. It comes with the weather -- and it's free. In the meantime, have patience, keep writing, and feel free to include us in your will. Your Humble Editors March 05 THE GREAT DOVER FLOOD OF 1896 Your website is a wonderful local history source. Do you have an article on the flood in Dover that ended it's shipping industry? Carol of Dover c_boc@bexair.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Not yet, though we reference it in our summary of the 19th century (below). This was actually one of the key historic moments that we planned into this original web site three years ago. We have the info on the March 1, 1896 flood at Cocheco Mills from the Dover Historical Society pamphlet, but have always had a problem with the now politically incorrect title of Dover's "black" day. We're currently looking for financial support to help build online history of towns all across the Seacoast and this story will certainly be among them. A photo of the aftermath from the Thom Hindle Collection follows, and we did mention the flood in an article on Foster's Online linked below: http://www.seacoastnh.com/earlyphotos/dover/ph12.html http://www.fosters.com/news98c/november/13/do1113a.htm March 04 HISTORIC ST. JOHN'S CHURCH NOW ONLINE Take a look at the St John's Episcopal Church web site. Let me know if you can include a link in SeacoastNH. Bobb Menk bmenk@hampton.lib.nh.us http://www.stjohnsnh.org/ EDITOR'S REPLY: Actually we have a site in progress picturing EVERY church in the 25 town region. It's been under construction for a year, but expect it in 1999 and we will link to your site from there. Much more coming on historic St. John's which is often mentioned in our History articles as the former Queen's Chapel. Other readers may know it as a key shooting location for Louis de Rochemont's "Lost Boundaries" starring your Rev. Arthur Dunne. http://www.seacoastnh.com/aldrich/6.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/slaves3.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/louis/lostfilm.html March 04 TWO SULLIVAN FANS UNITE I would like more information on John Sullivan. All I get is a short summary on him. I need more information then I have. The information I have is from your "Framers of Freedom" section. Is there any other web sites I could look at for my report? David dmf4th@aol.com I am the town administrator for Lee, NH and am trying to do a military history for the town. We know that a Captain Robert Parker built a home in Lee in 1785 (which still stands and is privately owned!) and that he built a privateer, the brigantine in Newmarket named "General Sullivan" Would you have or know where I might obtain information on this ship and its builder, Captain Parker. I have been on many web sites with no success. Thanks! Elaine Annette Gauthier elannette@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Stark, Thornton, Dearborn, Sullivan -- these guys get a lot or email. We've got more research to do on these NH revolutionaries. Here are a couple of links on the always controversial Mr Sullivan in the interim. The UNK Special COllections and the NH Historical Society would be our best bets for more info. http://wwwsc.library.unh.edu/specoll/exhibits/fued.htm http://home.ptd.net/~revwar/tocong.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/framers/sullivan.html March 04 FERRY TO CANADA? I'm looking for information on the ferry services out of Portsmouth. I eventually need to get to Prince Edward Island. I have spent a lot of time searching the Portsmouth website to no avail. Any information would be appreciated. Christine clflaherty@statestreet.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Looks like you need Portland, ME, not Portsmouth, NH. Our ferry goes to the Isles of Shoals and back. Below is the one Nova Scotia ferry we've used which goes to Yarmouth. http://www.islesofshoals.com/ http://www.princeoffundy.com/ferry.htm March 04 HISTORY OF LOCAL MUSIC PROJECT Great site! I'm producing Portsmouth Percussive Dance Festival and as a millennium project want to find information about evolution of jazz music and dance in performance venues in Portsmouth...specifically what was happening during early part of century in Minstralcy and Vaudeville. I know George Primrose was here in 1915 but don't know which venue and would love any info I can get. Drika Overton mainetime@aol.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Valerie Cunningham is currently cataloging a jazz collection at the UNH library. There's one name. Randy Armstrong seems to know more about percussion than anyone around. And "Cuzin" Richard has the makings of a Seacoast Music Museum in his office off High Street in Portsmouth. Paul at the Music Hall may let you into the archives there which go back, we think, to the late 1800s. (Houdini reportedly performed there.) Also a list of performers at Wentworth-by-the-Sea might be in the Friends collection now housed at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. A lot of key performers played there. That taps our knowledge base. March 03 BASQUING IN THE WRONG SUNSHINE Hi everybody in Portsmouth: I´m from the Basque Country and I´ve been there twice in the last 2 years. I liked very much this Site and of course, your city. I´ll go back there this Thursday (4 of March) and we usually use "The Pride of Bilbao". I really love that town and I hope to find an acoustic instruments shop there! I got a Basque/celtic folk band here. Thanx for this great Web Site! Shanti Basauri oreinarts@bezeroak.euskaltel.es EDITOR'S REPLY: Thanks, but you seem to have mistaken us for our sister city in England. As the link shows, Pride of Balbao is a European ferry. The second link will take you to Portsmouth England with a xummary of all the their tall ships which we wish we had here in the USA. Glad you enjoy the site, even if it's the wrong continent. We've attached a third link for our readers who may not know where the Pyrennies are located either! http://www.seaview.co.uk/PandO_EuroFerry_Fleet_Info.html#bilbao http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/WfS/Tourism/Portsmouth/HistShips/index.html http://www.paysbasque.com/paysbasquea/paysbasque.htm March 03 BLACK SLAVES ON RANGER? I'm trying to find out whether Cato Wallingford, a Rev War soldier, served on Capt John Paul Jones ship Ranger. Seems to me that I read somewhere that he did. Cato was a black slave ("servant") of Colonel Thomas Wallingford and Thomas son, Samuel Wallingford was an officer on Ranger. Wallingfords were from Somersworth or what is now Rollinsford, NH. Dave C acumen@nh.ultranet.com EDITOR'S REPLY: Much research is needed in this fascinating area. Jones biographer S.E. Morison lists two local freed black men on the Ranger -- Scipio Africanus and Catol Calite. Both are listed on the official ship crew roster. So there is a Cato, but we could find no reference to him as enslaved to Wallingford, who was shot in the head and killed during the Ranger's battle with the Drake. For those following the story, the nonprofit Ranger Foundation is being formed and fundraising for $10 million estimated total to rebuild and run the replica tall ship is underway. http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/handbill.html http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please092798.html March 03 WANTS TO MARRY AT SEA Howdy, My fiancé and I are relocating to New Hampshire for his new job. We would like to have a simple wedding ceremony either on a sunset cruise in the harbor or at one of the local lighthouses. Do you have any information at all that could help us begin to make plans from here before we get moved??? Denise & Gary from Houston. TX EDITOR'S REPLY: We'll hook you up with a couple of possible scenarios and have the parties contact you there. Not a lot of lighthouse choices since the New Castle light is on Coast Guard land. From Great Island Common there you might be able to see all three NH lighthouses if the weather is right, or take a ferry out around Star Island and get hitched at sea or on the Star Island stopover? We get all teary just imagining it. Here's a photo to put you in the mood: http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/photosrandall/ph4.html March 03 DESCENDED FROM THE CABIN BOY Would you by chance have a listing of the men and boys aboard the "Bon Homme Richard"? I was always told I had a relative that was a cabin boy aboard it, but have yet to find his name. Rosalie in Bar Harbor, Me. roser@acadia.net EDITOR'S REPLY: Sorry, only the Ranger crew list at our disposal -- 142 men on that one. About a third of those aboard the Bon Homme died in the bloody battle with the Serapis. Check our JPJ Hotlinks page for leads. http://www.seacoastnh.com/jpj/links.html March 02 WANTS ALBACORE REUNION I am seeking old shipmates from USS Albacore, AGSS569. 1967 - 1969 Please e-mail me. I am still in touch with one other shipmate and we are interested in a ship reunion. Gerald Sliss JSLISS@prodigy.net March 01 CHOWDA DOWN UNDA Hi there. We are a couple of Aussies who visited San Fransisco 98 and became addictedto clam chowder. Thanks for the recipe. It is delicious. Clam chowder isnot a common menu item here in Australia. Keep well Caroline & Collin Croxford cjcserv@eisa.net.au EDITOR'S REPLY: We're sure great grampa Scott would emjoy the humor of clams being enjoyed in "the land down under" which is where he always thought those bivalves came from originally. So sorry you had to experience the "nectar of the clamflats" in CA first, but our Yankee recipe should set you free at last. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please011898.html |
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