ASK, RANT OR PRAISE, BUT NEVER IGNORE 

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TOO MUCH INFORMATION
I remember when computer technology started edging its way into our office and homes. Pundits were telling us how much more we'd be able to get done in far less time, and the stock prices of leisure product companies started to soar. Well, that's not exactly the way things worked out, is it? Now one person does the work of four, and we spend all our time at home Googling, internet surfing, on Facebook, or trying to book a room in London. My wife is convinced that technology is a terrorist plot to reduce our productivity because we spend an inordinate amount of time with our IT consultants trying to resolve many and varied hardware and software problems instead of doing something productive. Ain't technology wonderful? I think I'll go curl up with my iPad...
Jay Diener  

NEW WRITING TECHNOLOGY
Hello Mr.Robinson, your article last week about the new technology you now use to write all those interesting historical articles, just opened the door for me to possibly get all my WWII research on two brothers and a husband, finally completed. I have Naturally Seoaknig, but was a bit afraid to load it up and tackle the voice recognition part....southern accent. Anyway, I will also look at the other instrument you use to edit what has been written. I surely enjoy your historical pieces, so thank you for sharing with us.
Barbara Hayes, Portsmouth  

ROCKINGHAM PHOTO
Good evening, there was a picture of the Rockingham from the 19th Century in your column. My parents were looking to have a copy of the print and, when we spoke to a framer in Exeter today, he suggested contacting you to see if you could send us a digital copy of it if you have it on file.  He originally said a .jpeg format, but I think any standard image format would be fine.  Otherwise he said we could try making a color copy of it, but asking for a digital copy would be preferred.  Saving the clipping to be framed is not a recommended option because the paper itself is so sensitive and becomes brittle quickly.  I’m looking at the clipping my mother saved now, though, and it looks as if you took a picture of a painting.  My parents were hoping to have a copy of their own to frame because this is where they first lived – and where I was born – in the 80s.   Any help you can give us is much appreciated.  
Marrielle Van Rossum   

EDITOR’S REPLY:  I’ll track down the hi-res copy. You always want to start from the original or the best copy possible, not something printed in a newspaper. I can put you in touch with whomever owns the rights to the photo and you can work out the details from there. Good luck.  

LOST AT LOUISBOURG 
Hello, Do you know a source that lists the men who died the winter of 1744-45 of disease and starvation during the Seige of Louisbourg?  Sadly, our students in the United States don't know this was one of the causes of the American Revolution!!!  I'm helping a friend do his genealogy and we would like evidence that John Hamor died at Louisbourg.  Also, is there an organization of the descendants of those men that you know of?
Thanks for your help in this matter.
Alice MacDonald Long  

HISTORIAN SANDRA RUX RESPONDS: Best group of these records appears to be the Pepperrell Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society--they are on microfilm. The record kept by Samuel Hale for his Dover company includes how much each got paid, how much they owed for food etc and also notes those who died (this is part of collection at Wentworth-Gardner House). There may not be a compilation of those who died--it may be necessary to look through records for individual companies.  

MORE PREHISTORIC WHALE PLUMMETS
Back in the late 50's, as a child, while digging in my aunt's backyard in Ipswich, Mass. I found what appears to be a stone plummet as shown in one of the pictures on your web-site.  I had no idea all these years what it was and I'm quite surprised at the age. The stone plummet weighs about 5.1 ounces.  It is approx. 3" in length, & 1 3/4" wide and 1" thick.  For insurance purposes, can you give me an idea of what the value of this stone plummet may be worth?
Ray Mellor

EDITOR’S REPLY: Sorry, we don't know anything about insurance costs or item values. Our policy is to recommend that historic items be given or loaned to museums and historical societies. If you want to send along a few JPG photos we can post them in our blog and forward that page to a couple of local archeologists. Our interest here is entirely educational. Thanks again for your note  

ANALYSIS BY ARCHEOLOGIST: You can tell Ray that his artifact is unequivocally a Late Archaic period plummet, and that this is a characteristic artifact type in the PlumIsland estuary region and the Gulf of Maine area.  I would place the artifact between 5000 to about 3600 years old.  If he can pinpoint the property the Ipswich Historical Society might be a good home.  These are most common on sites that had access to deep water, and may often be associated with cod fishing, although they occur on rivers also.  -- Prof. Brian Robinson  

SMUTTYNOSE MURDER REPORT
I am currently a student at Portsmouth High School. I am doing a research paper for my writing class and I have chosen to do mine on unsolved murders of Portsmouth/the Smuttynose murders.  I was wondering if there is any possible way I could ask Dennis Robinson some questions about these topics either by email or a phone interview, whatever is easiest. 
Thank you!  MB

EDITOR’S REPLY: Attached are a couple of pages of notes and what I’d like in return, when you finish, is to see how great your report came out. -- JDR  

SEEKING ONA JUDGE
I am interested in any additional information regarding the life and final resting spot for Onie Judge.  I can see from this article she is thought to be buried somewhere off Deerfield rd in Greenland.  Can you provide me with more specific information in regards to the exact location of her final dwelling and believed burial ground.  I wish to travel to your state and search for any relevant information of her life and death.  Also, I see that there is a discrepancy regarding the number of children she birthed.  Some reports are 2 daughters and 1 son and other articles exclude the record of a son.  I would greatly appreciate any further information which you may provide.  Thanking you in advance,
kim hudler  

EDITOR’S REPLY: That's all know from Evelyn Gersen's Master's Thesis that was written perhaps 10 years ago. Since then all sorts of articles and books have been popping up about "Oney" or "Ona" including children's books and a rumored TV documentary. You can contact HarvardUniversity re: a copy of her thesis. She even now has a Wikipedia entry,  

Our emphasis is on Black history in this region and our site has an entire Black history section. The best resource locally is the book BLACK PORTSMOUTH by Valerie Cunnigham, but search Amazon for other books on this fascinating character.  

AFRICAN BURYING GROUND UPDATE
Dennis, Always enjoy reading your articles, both the historical and timely ones. The one about the "Planning of the African Burying Ground" is a subject I have interest. I wrote a letter to the editor expressing my support for the memorial. I think we could persuade the deep pocket people to donate to the fund. I also like the design of the memorial. Another subject on which you expressed your opinion was concerning the Herald charging for the news. It's an obvious transition for all newspapers if they want to stay in business.  Maybe you should charge for the entertainment and the education we readers receive from your website. Thanks for sharing your humor, knowledge and ability to hold our interest.
Stuart Wisong  

EDITOR’S REPLY:  We’ve added a DONATE button to the left side of the Web site and include it in the quarterly newsletter. There has bee a ripple of response. Make that a whisper. But we’re ready to accept all support, as long as it doesn’t require swapping political parties.  

PLEASE PASS THE HAM
Great page! I really enjoyed reading all of it. Can you tell me who Timothy Ham is related to...his parents for example? William Ham only had one son, Matthew. He had 4 sons but no Timothy.
Thanks, Dan  

EDITOR’S REPLY: Glad you enjoyed the Ham. Sorry, we don't do genealogy. Way, way too much work. But someone at the Portsmouth Athenaeum may be able to help. There are extensive Ham records there. They are open Tues, Thurs, Sat afternoons.

THE KILLER JESSE JAMES
I live near Northfield, Minnesota and noted that you have said that you have most books published about Jessie James.  I frequently go to the Jessie James Days reinactment of the raid on that town and a couple of years ago met a Minnesota author of a book on Jessie and his gang and bought it and finally got around to reading it especially since one of my relatives was found robbed and murdered and floating in the Cannon River which flows through Northfield.  This incident occurred when the gang was in the Northfield area but no proof exists that the James gang members were the evil doers.  But I was wondering if you have a copy of this book called The Jessie James Northfield Raid by John Koblas.  A second edition printing was in 1999.  Anyway I thought I would mention this book to you as it does contain some new information about the gangs activites while in Minnesota that I was unaware of. Oh, and I and my family have been to your part of the USA twice because my family settled in Dover back in 1633 from England.  Keep up the good work there!!
James Leighton  

EDITOR’S REPLY:  My one book on Jesse James is for kids. I wanted to tell the story of JJ, not as a possible hero, but as a flat-out villain whose violent history has been twisted all out of proportion by legend. Then I got distracted for a few months by the nearly 50 films that include or reference to James. That started the “Dingus Project” and I posted about half of the films I watched, and then ran out of steam. Hope to make it into a book someday. I’m a fan of pop culture. I enjoy seeing how we bend and twist the facts to suit cultural needs for each generation. JJ is a good example of how a villain is warped into a hero.

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