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| READ OUR MAIL December 2002 Mailbag (c) SeacoastNH.com |
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December 30 BARN PRESERVATION ALLIANCE Hi Dennis Thanks for thinking of us with your inquiry (see letter below) about the Dover barn. I've forwarded the question to the NH Preservation Alliance for their barn program. I'll let you know what I hear.I'll respond to David as well. See attached web address for the Alliance Debra Dineen, Dover Main Street DOver Program http://www.mv.com/ipusers/nhpreservation/index.html December 30 SAVE OLD DOVER BARN There is a "suspension" barn in town that was build in 1865 located on the property next to me. The new owners are talking about finding someone to dis-assemble it for re-construction somewhere else or destroying it. I would like to help them find someone to dis-assemble it. The latter option is just plain wrong! There's a chance that this is the oldest standing barn in Dover. For all I know the State. David Dupuis in Dover, NH EDITOR’S REPLY: We forwarded your note to Jim Garvin at NHDHR and the historical society president in Dover. If readers have better ideas they can send them to us at SeacaostNH.com/. Preservation is always in our best interest as a community. December 27 TRACKING BARTLETT Upon being reminded Josiah Bartlett is one of my ancestors, I've been doing some online research on him. Google's recommended pages included yours (http://www.seacoastnh.com/framers/bartlett.html). Unfortunately, the first two links I checked, labeled "Bartlett Family Genealogy" and "Descendants of Richard Bartlett", turned out to be old/bad. "Descendants of Signers of New Hampshire" appears to be old as well. On the bright side, several other links look promising. I thought you'd want to know of the problematic links so you can update the page. Steven Case EDITORíS REPLY: The toughest thing about creating Link Free or Die has been the constantly shifting resources. While we have maintained the same web addresses since 1996, amateur sites are not so reliable. Others, even the NBC West Wing web site, we noticed, had shifted URLs. Check back and you should find the dead links gone and others revived from the dead. http://www.linkfreeordie.com December 27 NO PLACE LIKE HOLMES Do you have any information about the writing of the poem "Old Ironsides"? Last time I toured the ship, our guide had never heard of it, or the author! There seems to be some controversy about how it was written. Some believe Holmes wrote it at Harvard and others say it was written at home after a brief meeting with his father. Do you have any information about this, or can you tell me where I can find the answer to this puzzle? Thanks! PS I read the excellent account on your site. Bowen indicates another version. I think she may be somewhat fanciful. She seems to invent conversations and incidents. She does not indicate where she gets her information. How did she know which book of sermons Abiel Holmes was reading and what transpired between them in the way of conversation? What sources would you suggest besides her for information about the poem? There seems to be a great void here. As you mention in your article, it is akin to a gigantic puzzle. I have been trying to find the answer for lo these many years.
PPS
I love your expression, "Go ahead, tear the old ship apart! It's only the symbol of American freedom." Well, there you have it in a nutshell. When we destroy Old Ironsides, we will know that the noble experiment has ended.
December 23 THE GREAT PREDICTOR To SeacoastNH.com Weatherman Ken Mitchell: Let me say this - you've never let me down in your forecasts, which are inevitably more accurate than local forecasters and I would put my money on you in any "forecast-off". Mike Morris, Jr. http://www.seacoastnh.com/weather/index.html December 23 MORE KUDOS Very American and great history lessons and trivia. Love reading and congrat's to you history buffs. Thanks Sandra in Jordan, NY December 23 SEEING GEORGE May I have your permission to send a message to the Sons of the American Revolution SARTALK List Server to visit your web page on George Fishley advising our fellow compatriots of your remarkable find? I'm sure there are many of our members who will be very interested. With your permission, I would also like to include some of this information in "The Florida Patriot," our State News Magazine. I will be coming to New Hampshire next week, to spend the Holiday with our son and his family in Seabrook, and would like to see whatever might be available of this future exhibit. Dick Fowler, Webmaster, Florida Society, Sons of the American Revolution EDITORíS REPLY: Sounds good, as long as the image itself (owned by the Portsmouth Historical Society) is not reproduced. The exhibit is still in the planning stages, possibly for this coming summer when the museum reopens for the season. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please112402.html December 20 WENTWORTH HOTEL BOOK MEMORIES I was delighted to hear that you are writing a book about the Wentworth-by-the-Sea. My mother owned and ran the dress shop at the Hotel for more than 20 years, from about 1960 right up to the day it closed. I sort of grew up there and in retrospect had a somewhat unique perspective of the place. I saw it as a young teenager from both the front and back of the house and later I worked their from everything from a houseman to the front desk clerk and Asst. personnel officer. You write about being invited to dinner with the Smiths.....They were reguler dinner guests in my parents home for more years than I can remember, even after the Hotel closed. Some times Mr Smith would call and say he was bringing a guest and you never knew who it would be, John Kenneth Galbraith, Milton Eisenhower.....It was always a pleasant surpise. I am in the movie business, (I am a writer, Actor, Producer) and I have met a great number of famous and well known people and James Barker Smith was the most Charismatic man I ever met. When he walked into a room, people automatically stood up, even if they did not know him. I am proiud to say he was a friend of mine and my family and If I can help you in anyway, please do not hesitate to ask. I also have, somewhere, an interview I did with Mr. Smith for a TV show. (I use to be in the News business, as well) If you want ait and if I can find it, I will be happy to loan it to you Looking forward to hearing from you... Tom Seiler in Nottingham, NH EDITORíS REPLY: Thanks for this and for about two dozen other WBS memories sent by readers who responded to our press release. Weíll be contacting each by phone as the book progresses. Right now I have not yet broken into the 20th century in the history, but expect to very soon. The book is scheduled of release in the fall of 2003, but please contact me NOW if you have unique artifacts or stories to add. ñ JDR http://seacoastnh.com/wentbysea/ December 20 OUR CROSS COUNTRY GUIDE Will be visiting Boston and Portsmouth from South FL Between 12/25-1/1. Can you recommend a good place to cross country ski/snoeshoe where equipment can be rented that is a close drive from either Portsmouth or Boston? Kurt Shaw EDITORíS REPLY: Last year we put together a pretty good list of places to cross country ski in the region. You can rent skis from Portsmouth Rent n Ride listed in SeacoastSearch.com. All we cannot provide (and what we had none of last year) is snow. http://www.seacoastnh.com/touring/xcskiing.html December 20 NEW TO NEW CASTLE This is the first time I've encountered your e-mail site..and have found it to be both informative and interesting. My wife and I are relatively new in New Hampshire having landed by chance in New Castle about five years ago. Our previous home was in Wellesley Massalchusetts. I was employed by Westinghouse Broadcasting for a number of years. So..keep us on your mailing list! Dick Tucker in New Castle, NH December 20 STOKELY FOLLOWUP Many thanks for your quick response to my earlier question (see previous letter below) about the possibility that Jehu Stokely may have been aboard the Richard at the Serapis encounter. Actually, Jehu is not lost to history. He survived the battle (if he really was there), got married in Charleston in 1780, then moved to East Tennessee where he became my g-g-g-g-g grandfather. The story of his presence aboard the Richard was told by my g-grandfather (Jehu's g-grandson) in 1938. Although the story was undoubtedly embellished over time, I think it's more likely than not that Jehu, if aboard the Richard, was there after having been seized by JPJ from a British vessel. It's an interesting search I've embarked on, and who knows where it will end. Especially interesting is trying to get Jehu back to the colonies from the encounter with the Serapis in time to marry Nancy Neal in Charleston in 1780. Keep up the good work. Robert Lee of Gambrills, MD EDITORíS REPLY: This could be a very interesting story, but get ready for years of research. I've gotten at least 200 letters from people who swear their family is descended from John Paul Jones, and I have to tell them that his name was NOT Jones. People in that era were very attached to having a famous ancestor, but rarely did the genealogical work. If you can track down the dates, you have solved half the problem. Keep us posted. You will want to read "Night on Fire" which you can get used off Amazon.com cheap, and get the new JPJ biography out this June (see our interview with Evan Thomas). Remember that the Bonhomme wreck has reportedly been found and will likely be raised soon, bringing more attention to the story. If you relation was a POW, there should be records of how he was traded for American POWs, tho where to look? You may also want to read "Yankee Sailors in British Gaols 1777-1783" to learn about the POW story in that era. http://seacoastnh.com/jpj/index.html December 19 MORE PENNY GOURMET FOOD TIPS Just another note to tell you what a terrefic job you are doing! I am truly impressed! We have been "summering" up at Rye since the early 60's. My five children grew up loving the seacoast. We finally bought a home there in 1984. Petey's is right down the street! In the summer, we go into Portsmouth weekly. We love Rosa's, especially their "South Beach Salad" We have never had a bad meal there. Also, we have never had a bad meal at the Carriage House. Can't beat the Golden Egg for breakfast, and especially love the twins who work there. There's the Ice House, and Lago's for terrefic ice cream cones on those hot steamy nights. Love the steamers and fried clams at B.G's. So many good places! Can't wait for the summer, now with the grandchildren! Your newsletter most certainly deserves an award Thanks again, sincerely pauline dangora December 19 EXETER PAINTER BOUGUEREU Thank you for your information about Elizabeth Jane Gardner. I have put a link to your site at our link below and also on the first page of Famous Paintings of Children Long Ago: http://gardenofpraise.com/child.htm Patsy Stevens in Dallas Texas http://gardenofpraise.com/child8a.htm EDITORíS REPLY: Thanks. We wish we knew more about this famous Seacoast woman and, if readers have links and photos, we can add her to LinkFreeorDie.com in addition to her listing on our site below. http://www.seacoastnh.com/women/boug.html December 19 LOVES THE NEWSLETTER I have received your newsletter for the past two months, and I LOVE IT! It is diverse, food, history, and entertainment. You cover it all! Keep up the good work! pauline d of Billerica, MA December 18 MORE ON CREWMAN STOCKLEY, POW Following up my earlier question (see letter below) of this date on the same subject, my ancestor, Jehu Stokely, was allegedly sent to sea by the British for seven years for a minor offense (possibly stealing shrubbery) and so may have been among British prisoners that Jones had taken on. J. Dennis Robinson wrote the article which referred to a ship's roster for the Bonhomme Richard. Robert Lee in Gambrills, MD EDITORíS REPLY: In that case it may be that Mr. Stockley is lost to history. There may be records of the prisoners at work on Jonesí ship, but that might take some heavy digging to find them. As a noncrewman, he would likely not be listed in official military records, which were sometimes inaccurate at the time. Sounds like a big and interesting project. One of Jones' key reasons for raiding Britain was to capture British prisoners to use in trade for Americans in British gaols, which were negotiated by Benjamin Franklin while he was in France. The paper trail may lead there. December 18 CREW OF THE BONHOMME? Our family story is that one of our ancestors, one Jehu Stokely, was aboard Jones' Bonhomme Richard at the time of its battle with the Serapis. I have seen reference in articles on this site to a ship's roster for the Richard. Does such a roster in fact exist, and does the name Jehu Stokely appear on it? Robert Lee in Gambrills, MD EDITORíS REPLY: We checked the list of dead and wounded published after the battle and recorded in 'Night on Fireî by John Walsh (1978) and donít see a Stockley. Walsh notes that the complete crew list was published in the first JPJ biography written by John Henry Sherburne. We just happen to have access to a fragile 1825 copy of that book and looking through the many pages of crew listed donít see anyone named either 'jehuî or 'stockleyî in the list of officers or seamen. The list in this book indicates everyone officially on the Navy roster to receive compensation for being on the ship during the battle. But you may want to find a copy of Sherburne and check more carefully. http://seacoastnh.com/jpj/ December 16 SARAH WAS FROM MAINE, NOT NH For your famous NH people -- how about Sarah Orne Jewett? I used to work in an old federal style house in Exeter -- she apparently had lived there and had carved her name into the glass at the top of the stairs. People used to come by to look at the signature. Gigi FROM SOJ SCHOLAR TERRY HILLER: So far as I know, Jewett lived only in 2 houses in South Berwic, Maine when she was at home, and in Boston and Manchester-by-the-Sea when she was away. I'm also pretty sure that both of the SB houses have window carvings done by Jewett. http://www.goseacoast.com/detail.ihtml?lid=85&catID=10 December 16 MORE ON JEWETT IN EXETER I know no more than what Terry has said (see letter belowO. I believe the Jewett House has her name on the glass, and South Berwick Public Library (Jewett Eastman House next door) definitely does on several windows.
This question (see below) should go to Peter Michaud at SPNEA who is knowledgeable in both things Jewett and things Exeter. His email address is pmichaud@spnea.org. Jewett's mother was an Exeter Gilman and it may be she had relatives there?
December 16 MORE FRIENDS OF HANNAH I like the Hannah Dustin article -- I was wondering if she was still pereceived as heroic in this age of revisionist history It seems I remember a motel in Nashua bearing the name of Hannah Dustin with a silhouette of the scalping on a neon marquis (sic). Rlapie EDITORíS REPLY: The story has lost some of its appeal, but letís not get too pc over it. Dustin was taken hostage by a violent group of Indians, probably prompted by a foreign military force, possibly paid in guns or liquor. Indian gangs were as violent as modern gangs. Dustin escaped after her child had been brutally murdered in her presence, and exacted a cruel justice, horrific as it may be. The strangest part of the story hinges on the use of the scalps as proof, and her payment by the state for the scalps. The depiction of her wielding her hatchet, especially in crude product endorsements (and there were many) is where the story gets embarrassing. http://www.linkfreeordie.com December 16 DESCENDED FROM HANNAH Hi, enjoyed your blurb on Hannah Dustin/Duston/Dusten. I am a direct Ancestor (sic) of hers. Her granddaughter married a Haynes(an old Haverhill MA name) and some where in the family is the Franklin stove she gave as a wedding gift. My Grandmother (Alta Haynes) had her book which she (Hannah) wrote the family history/family tree. It came down through several generations to my grandmother and she continued writing the family history and has passed the book onto one of my aunts. Most of the things in the buttonwoods relating to Hannah and the Haynes/Dustin items were donated by our family. I remember seeing the scalp bag as a kid and was big stuff knowing where it came from. I live in Hampton now (last 20 years) and most of the family still lives in Haverhill. Again enjoyed your little story. Brian Stuart http://www.linkfreeordie.com December 13 MORE FRESH FISHLEY Outstanding! Have you considered that the lifeless eyes may have indeed been just that? My grandfather was a pioneer daguerreotypise in the 1840 decade.... it was common to pose the deceased for posterity. Ironic if friends or family urged him to pose and he said "Over my dead body!" (No disrespect intended; many of my ancestors were in the Battles listed for him; Crane's Boston Artillery and many Pa. regiments.) And most of them lived past 85, even the one who spent the winter on a prison ship where most died. Thanks for the real gem, Don EDITORíS REPLY: Weíre pretty certain this is not a postmortem. According to the experts we talked to, the subject is never sitting up and certainly not wearing a hat. The date on the back of the photo and the written details attached imply that this was shot indoors at a house in Portsmouth on the occasion of Mr. Fishleyís 90th birthday. Weíve not seen any indication in his lengthy obituary as well that he was blind. He was known to March in parades and attend patriotic functions up to the end of his life. If more info arises, weíll add it to the page. http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please112402.html December 13 CAPTAIN FISHLEYíS EYES Looking at your image of George Fishley, I wonder whether he suffered from cataracts, or an opacity of the lens. It is not uncommon to see people totally blind from a growth over the eye in e.g. West Africa; that is not the case here, but I wonder whether Mr. Fishley wore eyeglasses or whether there is any reference to his lack of vision. In any event, a wonderful "find" for the Portsmouth Historical Society. R Bastedo http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please112402.html December 12 HE WHO SMELT IT, DEALT IT -- or -- THE FORMERLY GREAT NH IRONWORKS Here's one seems right up your avenue! An iron smelter in NH!!!! Really enjoy the newsletter and all the surprising and new aspects of NH you open for even Old Time residents like moi! Suggest you mention whether or not various places are disabled or handicapped friendly! Never thought much about it myself until I hit 70! Now I love those ride-around carts in the grocery stores and shops that have chairs available here and there and a stool at the counter! Mele Kalikimaka Ann in Hampton http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1463.htm December 12 HATCHET HANNAH ONLINE Have you ever heard of Hannah Dustin? She was captured by Indians in the 1600's or 1700's, and then escaped but also, scalped her captures There is supposed to be a statue of her somewhere along Route 11 near Concord. The Millers EDITORíS REPLY: You canít grow up in NH or MA without hearing of Hannah who scalped ten of her Indian captors in the 1600s. We even have a page about here in Link Free or Die for those who want to know more. http://www.linkfreeordie.com December 06 NOT EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND Is Raymond considered part of the seacoast? Viveca Woods That all depends on whom you ask. We say YES. There is no official Seacoast territory. The Seacoast is a marketing concept, since technically only Seabrook, Hampton, North Hampton, Rye, New Castle and Portsmouth quality. Raymond is inland and certainly has no seacoast, although it has a nice lake. We cluster it among the 30 or so towns in the Seacoast region. A tiny bit of one of the rivers that flows into the Piscataqua goes through Raymond, so it is technically in the Seacoast watershed. We include it in SeacoastSearch.com, our search engine. But if you ask anyone in the coastal towns theyíd probably say No. A real estate agent should certainly not say it is 'on the Seacoastî but rather Raymond is 'not far from the NH Seacoastî. We think of it as halfway between Manchester and the coast and an important part of the region. December 04 ON CAPTAIN FISHLEYíS OUTFIT These are my humble observations about George Fishley: (1) I do not think he is wearing a military uniform. His vest, which is double-breasted, looks like mid-1800's civilian. His coat has a flat collar -- 18th-century coats had stand-up collars. In fact, the coat looks more like a duster of the 1800's; (2) His hat is a Revolutionary-War era military cocked hat. It is not a "tricorn," which was a civilian hat that was used also in the army. The "cocked" hat was military (the cock is the rosette of ribbon on the front). Most likely it was an officer's hat, not what George wore as a boy during the Revolution. He could have worn it later as a sea captain, or the photographer had it around as a prop. Ralph Morang http://www.seacoastnh.com/arts/please112402.html December 04 THANKS FOR STARK Thank you for the great information on John Stark. Our county was named after John Stark. I have lived here in the small town of Wyoming, Illinois all my life. I am just about 27 years old. I have become more interested in the History of our town as I have gotten older. It is so interesting to see pictures and read about the life of the man our town was named after. Sandra Bender http://www.linkfreeordie.com December 02 LOVES TO SHOP AT SEACOASTNH I am one of those people who enter every month, for three years now. I enjoy the contest but especially enjoy the shopping links you provide as I am from Portsmouth NH and as I am in the military I cannot get home to buy things from my homestate, which is where I would rather spend my dollars. Do you know where I can buy a book of NH history which will be easy to read for those who cannot see well? My dad is slowly going blind from Macular Degeneration and his love of life is reading. He is so discouraged as he lives in Maine and it is far enough from anywhere to be able to purchase books which are designed for those who have trouble reading. Thanks and happy holidays. Laura EDITOR'S REPLY: As a low-vision editor writing local history, I'm always struggling the teeny serif fonts in history books. Can't think of an easy-eye version (other than blowing up the font and reading 3,000 pages of SeacoastNH.com online). But how about a book with a lot of photos? We notice that Arcadia Press has a new BEST OF NH photo book out this month, and since they are sponsoring our contest, we aim to plug them. You can find their link in SeacoastStore.com under BOOKS. http://www.seacoaststore.com December 02 NEW CONTEST OPENS SECOND DAY OF THE MONTH We just got a flame email from a new reader who entered the monthly contest after it had closed and got our autoresponder noting that the contest is over. That note is sent to anyone who enters an old contest after midnight at the end of the month. However, the reader noted in very colorful language, midnight here is not midnight everywhere Ò there fore her entry did arrive on time. Good point. It had not occurred to us that a very tiny number of people enter a few hours before midnight on the last day of the contest might get rejected. In fact, the response was set for a die-hard group that seems to have their computers programmed to enter the contest one minute after midnight. The problem is, that we're not sophisticated or self-destructive enough to sit here and upload the new contest at that time. So for the last year we've been noting on the contest page that there will be a one-day gap between the end of contest A and the beginning of contest B. We've also been trying to get those die-hards to look at the page before entering to see what month is listed. If the old contest is still up, don't enter. Of better yet, just wait a day and enter on the SECOND day of the month.
The result, despite our best effort and a year of emailed responses, is that about 25 over-eager entries still slip through the crack each month. We still feel bad about that and sometimes, admittedly, the autoresponder gets a little testy. Rather than sound like a frustrated parent ("If I told you once, I told you a thousand times!"), we're going to simply use tough love and delete entries that come in late. As to the flaming mad reader, we've solved that problem for the future by noting in the rules that the contest closes at Midnight EST. Assuming that 800 readers entered the contest happily and three won great prizes, we're going to call the latest quiz a success. It was our 83rd contest in a row since 1977. For those keeping score, it takes about a one volunteer day (about 8 man-hours) to put together and post a new contest Ò which comes to 2 á man-months of work to date with about over $13,000 in free prizes given out to readers across the nation in seven successful years. And thanks, as always, to our sponsors.
December 02 PRINTING ARCHIVED "SITES OF THE WEEK" Hi, My name is Carol Waters. I enjoyed the WEB site article last week about Dennis Waters (I'm his wife). I'd like to make a copy of it. Could you send it to me or tell me how to obtain a copy? Carol Waters EDITOR'S REPLY: Thanks. All "Site of the Week" articles are archived online for two years and also appear in Foster's Sunday Citizen in my column there called "In-Site". The article on Dennis was #130 and can be printed online from SeacoastSearch.com. Each week the newest web review also has a link to the 100 archived reviews. Or you can access the link via the homepage of SeacoastNH.com. http://www.seacoastsearch.com/index.htm |
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