Marek 1770s, colonial, Henniker, hunting, SOURCE=Cogswell, wolves

Wolves Around a Fire (Henniker)

Early settlers in Henniker come up with an efficient way to reduce a predator population. << BEFORE: Rabbit attack! NEXT: Moose attack! >>

Marek 1760s, colonial, encounter & exploration, hiking, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Snow-shoes (Weare, 1762)

The only way to travel in those 18th century snows... << BEFORE: The severe Winter of 1761-1762 continues... More: Posts about "HIKING" >>

Marek 1760s, colonial, firewood, religion, sabbath, Weare

Elder Hovey’s Sabbath (Weare)

Even religious law can have loopholes...   MORE: Posts about the "SABBATH" >> Every time I work on sabbath day stories from old NH, it reminds me of weekends in Slovakia, where everybody works to finish up chores on Saturday, and then Sunday is strictly reserved for visiting with family. Does this story remind YOU … Continue reading Elder Hovey’s Sabbath (Weare)

Marek 1760s, colonial, deer, hunting, moose, pigs, SOURCE=Little, Weare, weather

Winter of 1761-1762 (Weare)

One settler family receives a surprise visitor during a particularly harsh winter in early Weare...   NEXT: The only way to travel >>  

Marek 1750s, cows, death, dogs, French + Indian Wars, Keene, milk, SOURCE=Griffin

Milk of War (Keene)

The fort's surrounded, but the babies need milk... What's to be done?! << BEFORE: John Colony (Biographical Sketch) ... Although Griffin's account specifies neither location nor date for this story, we categorize it under Keene (Colony's ultimate home) and 1750s (Colony served in the French & Indian War 1755-1760).

Marek 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, French + Indian Wars, Keene, Maine, marriage, Massachusetts, Robert Rogers, SOURCE=Griffin, Vermont

John Colony (Keene)

John Colony leaves his native Ireland to fight Indians (& French) in the New England... NEXT: John Colony goes out for milk >> SOURCE = Griffin's "A History of the Town of Keene..." MORE INFO:  Robert Rogers ~ Is this LFAD's first mention of Rogers?!  There will be many more stories to come...  Rogers' Rangers … Continue reading John Colony (Keene)

Marek 1770s, 1780s, 1830s, Epsom, Greenland, pigs, revolutionary era

Pension Application of Elisha Haynes (Epsom)

Haynes served from 1779-1782 in the Revolutionary War.  In 1831, when he finally applied for a veteran's pension at age 70, he included an inventory of all his property... SOURCE: View Elisha Haynes' pension application at http://www.EpsomHistory.com ...The following year, in 1832, Haynes added another declaration that clarifies his family situation and health status. "Skumsborough" … Continue reading Pension Application of Elisha Haynes (Epsom)

Marek 1770s, 1840s, education, forestry, graves & memorials, Hopkinton, John Stark, Massachusetts, New London, Plaistow, revolutionary era, SOURCE=roadside markers

Moses Trussell (New London)

Wounded at Bunker Hill, and everything after...

Marek 1770s, 1780s, Dublin, revolutionary era, Rhode Island, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward, weather

Revolutionary Soldier from Dublin

Mr. Belknap at war ... << BEFORE: Mrs. Belknap takes care of the farm ... MORE: Stories from the "Revolutionary Era" >> SO MANY accounts of NH soldiers' war experiences include price lists of the bargains or price gouges they encountered. Mr. Belknap seems to have come across 21st century prices in the taverns he … Continue reading Revolutionary Soldier from Dublin

Marek 1770s, corn, cottage industries, cows, Dublin, potatoes, revolutionary era, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward

Woman of the Revolution (Dublin, 1779)

Dublin neighbors rally to support each other in time of war... NEXT: Mr. Belknap at war... >>

Marek 1780s, animals, cows, Henniker, Hopkinton, Maine, religion, sabbath

Welcome to New Hampshire (Hopkinton, 1781)

Mr. Peabody just wants to drive his oxen from Maine to his new home in Henniker, NH...

Marek 1770s, death, forestry, Henniker, Massachusetts, revolutionary era, SOURCE=Cogswell

A Very Singular Circumstance (Henniker, 1775)

Out of the firing line, into the forest. 19 April 1775 SOURCE: Cogswell's History of Henniker (p.262)

Marek 1790s, bees, Dublin, harvest, honey, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward

Blood and Honey (Dublin)

A cautionary harvest parable courtesy of Dublin's infamous Wranglin' Russell Brothers: This story comes from Leonard & Seward's "History of Dublin, New Hampshire" (1920).

Marek 1760s, 1770s, Amherst, colonial, construction, death, food, forestry, graves & memorials, Henniker, milk, Nashua, SOURCE=Cogswell

Ward’s Arrival (Henniker, 1763)

Some of Henniker's earliest settler families arrive in town...

Marek 1790s, animals, milk, SOURCE=Little, Weare, witches

Mrs. Dustin’s Witchcraft

How did they know the "Great Witch of Weare" was really a witch? << BEFORE: Mrs. Dustin rides to Whitefield ... I'm dating this story in the 1790s, since Amos W. Bailey was born in 1789 and was a "boy" when Mrs. Dustin was active in town.  Bailey would have related his memories to town … Continue reading Mrs. Dustin’s Witchcraft

Marek 1700-1799, birth, horses, SOURCE=Little, Weare, Whitefield, witches

The Witch’s Ride (Weare)

Mrs. Dustin is up to her infernal sorceries again... this time on a cross-country jaunt! << BEFORE: Meet Mrs. Dustin, the Great Witch of Weare! NEXT: More unspeakable bedevilment from Mrs. Dustin >> Once again, modern readers may be surprised at the Old Timers' concepts of what was and was not an outrage against all … Continue reading The Witch’s Ride (Weare)

Marek 1700-1799, SOURCE=Little, Weare, witches

The Great Witch of Weare

What lively places these NH towns must have been, back in the early days with the witches and ghosts! The little quatrain Little quotes comes from the poem "A Long Story" by Thomas Gray: "...Fame in the shape of Mr. P—t (By this time all the Parish know it) Had told, that thereabouts there lurk'd A wicked … Continue reading The Great Witch of Weare

Marek 1700-1799, cats, colonial, ghosts, religion, SOURCE=Little, Weare, weather, witches

Powers of Witches (Weare)

Here's an overview of witches and their supernatural powers, from the early days of Weare: What a fascinating list of malevolent powers!  Little's litany of satanic skills speaks volumes about what was important to the families of colonial-era Weare.

Marek 1780s, 1810s, Antrim, death, mills

Violent Deaths (Antrim)

Here's a look at fatalities during the early days of Antrim, NH: << BEFORE: More deaths in Weare.   MORE: Death in general... >>

Marek 1700-1799, corn, ghosts, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Ghost in the Corn Field (Weare)

Weare historian William Little has little patience for rumors of hauntings.  Here, John Hodgdon boldly investigates a spooky shade in his corn field ... Something about this story was bothering me as I drew it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  Then, around panel 11 or 12, I realized I'd been drawing a modern 20th … Continue reading Ghost in the Corn Field (Weare)

Marek 1700-1799, Concord, John Stark, Londonderry, Manchester, NH State House, revolutionary era, statues

John Stark Statue (Concord)

Sketching statues on the State House lawn today, I found myself drawn to Major General John Stark's defiant stance beneath the falling maple leaves... As I drew, a boisterous school group passed through the plaza, and I heard a weary teacher saying, "Tommy, what did I just tell you?  Don't try to be DIFFERENT, just GET … Continue reading John Stark Statue (Concord)

Marek 1770s, 1800-1899, entertainment, revolutionary era, SOURCE=Little, Weare

The Hessian (Weare)

What a wild place was Weare; here we meet a fellow who (A) fought on BOTH sides of the Revolution, and (B) really knew how to party! ... "Hessians" were mercenary soldiers from Germany who fought for the British (mostly) during the American Revolution.