Where can my family go clamming?
Judy Boisvert

Editor's Reply: You can't possibly be asking us to reveal such info. A clammers grub stake is a family treasure around here. Better to ask a man for his ATM pin number. When in doubt, go to Seabrook where the flats have been the most popular in the region for at least 5,000 years. Don't forget to get a license and watch for the Red Tide. (JDR)

My soon-to-be wife and I will be moving to the New England area on December 1 of this year and the ideal place for us to live would be in the north New Hampshire Seacoast. We are two 30- year old professionals, and this is all rather sudden, but...we are desperately in need of an apartment to call home for the next 6 months to a year...possibly more. We have a cat.
Jennifer and Kelley
Mt. Pleasant, SC

Editor's Reply: The "north" end of our 18 mile NH seacoast would land you in Portsmouth. Apartments here are scarce, so here's the plan: Go to Market Square very early some morning. One of you occupies the phone by Café Brioche and the other gets the Portsmouth Herald as soon as it arrives at Congress St. News or Federal Cigar. Turn to "Obits." If no one with an apartment has died that day, immediately start calling from the public phone to every available listing in the "Classifieds." Return early afternoon and do same with Foster's Daily Democrat. Consider Exeter, Dover, Kittery and outlying areas. To increase chances, leave cat in South Carolina. (JDR)

I love your web site. We are researchers who produce the history calendar: "A Journey Into 365 Days of Black History." We're interested in featuring representatives from NH history in our publication...to tell their story. It's thrilling to discover this rich history.
G. Catherine

My name is Alyson. I'm 10 years old, and I go to school in Manchester. I am doing a report on Fort William and Mary and need information. Thank you.
Alyson

Editor's Reply: Alyson, I'm sure you read our article about the attack on Fort William and Mary. The site in New Castle has been a fort of some sort since 1632 and there is a matching fort across the river in Kittery, Maine. Today it is called Fort Constitution and there are some great post-Civil War pictures of it in a book called "Drowned River Valley" by John P. Adams. Did you know that our logo is fashioned after the Fort Point Lighthouse there? (JDR)

The award-winning Christian Science Monitor newspaper's daily web site has linked a new story to "Seacoast, NH Black History." We know our readers will be interested in looking at your site -- and we think your visitors would enjoy our article.
Christine Roane, Site Promotion Specialist

On a tour in Portsmouth some years ago, I recall a story about a woman, having been unfaithful to her husband while he was away at war and becoming pregnant, was hanged from a tree near the large cemetery. Where might I find information about that?
J. Morrison

Editor's Reply: You're close. The often told story is mentioned in Brewster's Rambles, though that article is not yet on-line. (See "History Themes") Legend tells us that a schoolteacher in the early 1700s named Ruth Blay had been convicted of concealing the death of an illegitimate child, then a capital crime. The gallows were set up at the south end of town. The day of the hanging, Sheriff Packer decided to complete the execution a bit ahead of schedule, some said, so as not to miss his dinner. Suddenly a messenger from the colonial Governor arrived with a reprieve. The child might instead have died of natural causes. The sheriff was hung in effigy by Portsmouth townspeople and a mob visited his house leaving behind this sign. (JDR)

Am I to lose my dinner
Thus woman for to hang?
Come draw away the cart, my boys -
Don't stop to say amen.
Draw away, draw away the cart!

I am seeking a nautical store in the Portsmouth area to purchase an antique compass. Can you make any recommendations
Scot Langdon Hudson, NH

Editor's Reply: We'll send you a couple of suggestions via e-mail. Maybe our local readers can suggest places too. Anything for a guy named Langdon.

Do you have any information on the book "Colonial New Hampshire," or any information on any papers or studies on Colonial New Hampshire?
Jason White

Editor's Reply: You are probably referring to the book by Jere Daniel which is in most local library collections. There is also a kid's book called "Colonial New Hampshire" by James Playsted Wood that is an excellent first look at NH history and takes place mostly in the Seacoast - plus it has pictures! A super collection of articles on the revival of Seacoast colonial architecture was recently published by the Old York Historical Society in nearby Maine. Definitely check the NH Historical Society in Concord. (JDR)

Came upon the following reunion notice under the Fleet Reserve Association -
Reunions on the internet:
USS JOHN PAUL JONES
(DD-230/932/DDG-32/53)
28 March-1 April `98, Annapolis, MD.
Contact Al Olsen, 5806
N. 19th Street, Arlington, VA 22205
(703) 536-9484
Willi Schumacher
USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31)
Manassas, Virginia

Other than African Slaves, were there any other people in other times who were also forced into slavery? Also, was it true that there were Irish indigent servants sent to the Americas.
Kevin Palmer

Editor's Reply: According to our expert Valerie Cunningham, there are lesser-known instances of slavery. Whites in this country attempted to enslave Native Americans as well, but this practice proved unsuccessful. Natives were sometimes sold as slaves in the West Indies. There are instances of one Native American group enslaving another, but usually as the aftermath of tribal war. There are records of African-Americans owning other blacks on farms mostly in the South. A free black man in Portsmouth bought a black woman in 1799, but one week later, he married her. In the North, when one African-American "purchased" another, it was usually as a means to free that person from bondage. You also asked, I think, about "indentured" servitude of the Irish. According to Ms. Cunningham this is not slavery since the indentured person more or less volunteers or agrees to the contract. Such servants are often indentured for a fixed period of time, or are placed in this condition as a form of punishment or prison sentence. Ms. Cunningham has recently completed an article on "Slavery in NH" which will appear in the upcoming Encyclopedia on Slavery by Macmillan Reference Library (JDR)

I am a sophomore at the University of Maryland. I am interested in the effects African American women had on the Revolutionary War. I am having trouble finding sources.
Mindy

Editor's Reply: We've drawn a blank here too. So very little survives, usually only a first name of African-American women from this era, and no direct link to the war. A great many NH slaves fought to free the country while themselves in bondage. You may want to start your research with William Nell's "Colored Patriots of the American Revolution." (JDR)

Hello, I am doing some homework and what I need to know is what are the names of any ships that brought the slaves to this country?
Ronald Watson

Editor's Reply: The slave ship "Exeter" apparently came to this region. John Paul Jones was, for a short time, captain and possibly owner of the slave ship "John" (not named for himself), but he quickly gave up what he called "the abominable trade". Even the "Nightingale" a Portsmouth-built ship named for singer Jenny Lind was, like so many, converted to slave use during this period. (JDR)

Looking on your TOURING page I note you have a listing for Cedar Waters Village, but no information. Cedar Waters has its own homepage, which can be found at: http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/ggjn/cwv.htm and let me say thank you on their behalf.
Webmaster CWV homepage

Editor's Reply: We even feature "NH's oldest nudist colony" in our video on Seacoast NH, proving once again, that this region has it all. (JDR)

I was intrigued by your random thoughts bordering on obsession towards the tale of Lucy Hale vis-a-vis John Wilkes Booth. I've been gathering info off and on (mostly off) for the past decade on this little known tidbit of history. When the Hales left for Spain I wonder if Booth might've escaped the country and rendezvoused with Lucy in clandestine fashion. After all, there were reported sightings of the conspirator over in Europe, but then again, there are still reported sightings of Elvis as well.
Brad

Editor's Reply: My obsession that Lucy Hale of Dover may have influenced Booth's decision to act on his Lincoln assassination plan has not faded. Research continues. Nice to find another Lucy nut on-line. As you know, when Booth was shot after his run for freedom, a picture of Lucy was in his pocket. (JDR)

Finally saw the "Family Trees" web site. Great job in telling it the way it was. It was a pleasure to browse this site. I learned things I hadn't known before.
Greg (alias "Wil") Trzaskowski

Editor's Reply: Loved your performance in the 20-minute movie pilot, but your last name just crashed our spell checker. May we suggest "Troy Donahue?" (JDR)

Where do Portsmouth residents go to the beach? How far do they have to travel?
John Hammer

Editor's Reply: One click and you'll see. It's just a few miles north or south from downtown Portsmouth to beaches. It's rather chilly now, but 12 are listed with maps in our handy-dandy Beach Guide.

I have a naval recruitment poster for the Ranger dated May 29, 1777. Now, I'm not sure if this is authentic or not. I'm in the process of having the item authenticated. If it proves to be authentic, how rare an item is this? I collect antique books and acquired this glass-framed poster, dimensions about 15'x11 to put above my library. Cleaning one day, I took the frame apart and discovered that what I thought was a cheap 20th century reprint might in fact be real. Many thanks!
Jim Mangin

Editor's Reply: There is a very popular JPJ poster reproduced in Samuel Morison's biography of Jones which has been reprinted time and again. We're not experts here, but check the JPJ Hotlinks page for people more in the know - and write back with the results of your research. (JDR)

Bonjour, j'ai vu votre site , et je le trouve trés bien sympat. Je suis au fait du phénoméne pirates, par mon site qui leur est consacré. Je vous y invite cordialement, et je vous demande s'il vous plait de me faire un lien. Merci à vous
Mr David Olivier Kalina
http://persoweb.francenet.fr/~mmelloff/

Editor's Note: Not all our letters come from the USA. This fan likes our JPJ pages and has a web site on pirates. But be careful, the site is heavily loaded with graphics and audio and might crash your system. (JDR)

Was Paul Revere a hero or a drunkard? Your help would be much appreciated as I am doing a paper on this topic.
Linda P.

Editor's Reply: Linda, forgive me for sermonizing, but our whole web site is here to tell you - history is not that simple. History is not frozen, but changes as we study it from different angles, finding new facts. Allow me a metaphor: A teen-aged girl wants to be independent, so her parents give her a lot of freedom. She wants more and more freedom and one day her parents set some rules that seem very strict to her. She freaks. The parents ground her. So tell me, is this girl a monster or a prisoner? Tell me again in 20 years. Change perspective and history changes. America was a young country then. The truth is usually somewhere in between the legend and the law. Also, remember that Longfellow's poem is about a fictionalized midnight ride. It is art, not history. So the fact that Mr. Revere had a few tankards now and then comes as a shock, perhaps. But he was only human. History is about REAL people, and that's what makes it so much fun. (JDR)

My Last name is, well, was Seavey. Can you tell me how Seavey Island got its name? Could it be from one of my relatives?
Jennifer Ann (Seavey) Hendrikson

Editor's Reply: Suppose it could, if they were from around these parts. The controversial 50-acre plot in the middle of the Piscataqua River was the source of our recent This Just In article. (click to read) When the Fed bought the island to build America's oldest naval shipyard in 1800, it was called Dennett's Island, purchased from the Shaefe family. But after a centuries-old border dispute, we think Seavey's Island should return to its original name - Laid Claim Island. (JDR)