Marek 1800-1899, cats, hunting, rabbit, SOURCE=Little, Weare

“Rabbit” Stew (Weare)

"The boys" cook up a clever plan to secure some cider from (and play a culinary joke on) Mrs. Wadleigh... << BEFORE: Hunting raccoon ... NEXT: Snuggling bunnies >> Great greasy gut-strings, some of these animal tales are downright ghastly!  What an unsatisfying joke; "in bad taste," you might even say... On the other hand, … Continue reading “Rabbit” Stew (Weare)

Marek 1880s, dogs, hunting, raccoon, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Raccoon Hunting (Weare)

What's this secret "fluid bait" ingredient that all the "coon hunters" swear by? NEXT: "The boys" catch a "rabbit" >> In honor of The Dog catching her first weasel this past week, I've been tracking down some old hunting stories from Little's History of Weare, NH (1888)...

Marek 1810s, education, Henniker, SOURCE=Cogswell, weather

Cold Friday (Henniker, 1810)

A severe cold snap means opportunity for this punctual young lady... I happened to visit the Henniker Historical Society on the day I was drawing this piece, and mentioned the anecdote to them.  Their eyes lit up, and they ushered me into the museum gallery to view Rebecca's attendance medal, still shiny & bright 200+ … Continue reading Cold Friday (Henniker, 1810)

Marek 1850s, death, Goshen, graves & memorials, SOURCE=roadside markers

In Goshen, It WAS a War…

Now here's something interesting we couldn't help but notice about the John W. Gunnison roadside historical marker in Goshen...

Marek 1810s, forestry, harvest, Keene, SOURCE=Griffin

Live Free and Draw Wood (Keene, c.1812)

An example of how NH town governments kept costs low 200 years ago: the annual minister's firewood bee! Communities often provided for these services explicitly, in the contracts they voted on and signed to set aside an official "minister's wood lot" and to "settle" a minister in town.  Families also had the option of paying money towards the … Continue reading Live Free and Draw Wood (Keene, c.1812)

Marek 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, Connecticut, Cornish, death, education, glass, hiking, judicial branch, Keene, Roxbury, Salmon P. Chase, SOURCE=Griffin, SOURCE=roadside markers, sources, Vermont

Young Chase at Keene

Tragedies, travels, & teenage failures of one of New Hampshire’s most powerful exports…

Marek 1810s, 1830s, 1850s, death, education, Goshen, graves & memorials, SOURCE=roadside markers

Capt. John W. Gunnison (Goshen)

A roadside marker in Goshen hints at stories & mysteries from the Wild West... Upon first read this roadside marker's story seems almost straightforward.  But dig a little deeper... and I suspect there are potentially a couple of action-packed graphic novels hidden in here: Like probably most "rugged individualist" log-cabin school teachers who go on … Continue reading Capt. John W. Gunnison (Goshen)

Marek 1860s, charity, Civil War, harvest, Newport, politics, religion, Sarah Josepha Hale

Sarah Josepha Hale on Thanksgiving (1864)

Hale reflects on the national holiday she helped create in the midst of Civil War. (Note her "peculiarly" 19th century conceptions of politics, gender, charity, & religion.) << BEFORE: Ms. Hale writes an influential letter to President Lincoln ... FURTHER READING: More editorials by Ms. Hale (editress of "Godey's Lady's Book")

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Letters of Joseph Rogers, pigs, SOURCE=WHS+Warren, Warner, weather

We Go Without Mittens Very Well (Rogers, Nov. 20 1862, #2)

Rogers recounts recent experiences & dispenses domestic advice for the home front ...

Marek 11th NH, 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Letters of Joseph Rogers, Reference Links, SOURCE=WHS+Warren, Warner

Dear Sister (Rogers, Nov. 20 1862, #1)

In this early Civil War letter, Warner native Joseph S. Rogers stares across the waters at a looming battle...

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Newport, politics, Sarah Josepha Hale, SOURCE=Library of Congress

Letter to Lincoln (1863)

Newport native Sarah Josepha Hale appeals to President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War, and instigates an official national holiday! << BEFORE: Thanksgiving, 1862 NEXT: Hale's 1864 Thanksgiving editorial >> I've heavily excerpted the original letter to make this comics-format version.  For further reading, see these notes & links: Hale's letter of Sept. 28, … Continue reading Letter to Lincoln (1863)

Marek 1840s, graves & memorials, Pittsfield, SOURCE=roadside markers

Frederick Douglass Visits Pittsfield (1842)

The famous abolitionist finds both prejudice and humanity in a NH graveyard: Douglass visited Pittsfield as part of a speaking tour through New England.  At the time, Moses Norris Jr. would have been serving on the Executive Council of NH.  (He served as a Democratic US Senator from 1843-1847.) This roadside marker is now a … Continue reading Frederick Douglass Visits Pittsfield (1842)

Marek 1830s, 1840s, Dublin, education, entertainment, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward

Dublin Lyceum (1836-1844)

Community education & discourse in Dublin: The adults publish (& perform) their own bi-weekly zine... and the kids put out TWO! Don't you wish you could sit in on one of these weekly meetings?  This is what people in small towns did ALL AROUND New England in an age before electronic devices or even cheap … Continue reading Dublin Lyceum (1836-1844)

Marek 1860s, Civil War, John Adams Dix, SOURCE=Library of Congress, SOURCE=NH.gov

Dix’s Letter to New Orleans (1861)

As the union begins to crumble, Treasury Secretary Dix orders a revenue cutter in New Orleans back North; the captain refuses, and Dix sends this telegram to his agent in the South: At a time when the outgoing Buchanan administration was doing little to avert the ongoing crisis of Southern secession, Dix's order electrified both sides … Continue reading Dix’s Letter to New Orleans (1861)

Marek 1860s, Boscawen, Civil War, Concord, John Adams Dix, NH State House, portraits

Gen. John Adams Dix (State House)

A nine-foot-tall portrait of NH native John A. Dix, who, as President Buchanan's Secretary of the Treasury, set "the hearts of the people everywhere ablaze"... NEXT:  The famous "Shoot Him On the Spot" memo >> John Adams Dix (born in Boscawen, 1798) issued what the NY Herald called "the first command to shed blood that … Continue reading Gen. John Adams Dix (State House)

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 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame, medicine

Dodging Shells (Fair Oaks)

The dangers of mealtime missiles at the Battle of Fair Oaks! << BEFORE: Under Fire at 2nd Bull Run Now we'll hear from Nurse Dame herself: This tale takes place during McClellan's 1862 Peninsula Campaign.  Union soldiers called the battle "Fair Oaks," while confederate soldiers referred to it as "Seven Pines."  Each name commemorates the area of the … Continue reading Dodging Shells (Fair Oaks)

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 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame

“I Have Seen Her Under Fire” (2nd Bull Run)

An apocalyptic vision of a NH nurse on the battlefield... << BEFORE: Civil War Nurse Another soldier's memory of Harriet Patience Dame's civil war service: NEXT: Dodging shells >> LINK: More H. P. Dame accounts @ NH-Heritage.com 2nd Battle of Bull Run 28 August 1862 29 August 1862 30 August 1862

Marek 1860s, 2nd NH, Civil War, Harriet Patience Dame, medicine

Civil War Nurse

The 2nd NH's commanding officer recalls Nurse Dame: << BEFORE: Dame's portrait at the NH State House NEXT: "I have seen her under fire..." >> Dame has been called "Perhaps Concord’s most valuable contribution to the Civil War."  Her Civil War service spanned the war, from its earliest days in 1861 until the end in 1865.  She … Continue reading Civil War Nurse

Marek 1800-1899, 2nd NH, Civil War, Concord, Harriet Patience Dame, medicine, NH people, NH State House, North Barnstead, portraits, SOURCE=NH.gov

Harriet Patience Dame (State House)

From a portrait at the NH State House. NEXT: Civil War nurse >> Harriet Patience Dame served as a regimental nurse with the 2nd NH throughout the Civil War, and was even captured twice!  She was born at North Barnstead. Dame was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame in 2002. born 5 January 1815

Marek 1800-1899, NH people, NH State House, Nottingham, portraits, War of 1812

Col. Joseph Cilley (State House)

From a portrait at the NH State House. Joseph Cilley (1791-1887) served in the War of 1812, with especial distinction in the Battle of Niagara Falls.  He was born and died at Nottingham.

Marek 1820s, death, Piscataquog, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Drowning (Weare, 1824)

Oh no, another disaster down by the Piscataquog... Or IS it?!?! Robert Peaslee was born in Weare 11 April, 1818, so this must have happened in in 1824.  He was the great grandson of Moses & Mary Peaslee.  Mary Peaslee once helped to "lay" a ghost at Rockland Mills.