Marek 1780s, forestry, Henniker, horses, SOURCE=Cogswell

Plummer’s Willow (Henniker)

We all start small and grow from there... This story makes me look differently at all the giant trees around me. They're living connections with the days of our great-great-grandparents! Cogswell says Joseph Plummer Sr. and his wife Jane "moved to this town immediately after the close of the Revolution..." [which would've been the early … Continue reading Plummer’s Willow (Henniker)

Marek 1760s, bear, colonial, Dublin, SOURCE=Leonard+Seward

The Old Bear (Dublin)

No sense complaining about the food... << BEFORE: Fox chase! NEXT: Bears in the cornfield >>

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, education, food, Henniker, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 1: When the War Broke Out

1861: Freeman Colby (of Henniker) needs a break from the rigors of teaching… so he enlists to fight in the Civil War!

Marek 1700-1799, fox, hunting, Piscataquog, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Fox Chase (Weare)

This snowy tale from Little's history falls somewhere between "hunting story" and "dream"... << BEFORE: Chasing moose NEXT: Nice Bear >> As with so many of his hunting tales, Little supplies no specific date for this anecdote; we'll file it under 1700-1799 because it's included in hunting stories from the "early times". 13 February 1767

Marek 1770s, colonial, Henniker, hunting, moose, Piscataquog, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Moose Chase (Weare)

If I've learned one thing from reading old hunting stories, it's this: These guys were HUNGRY. << BEFORE: Wolves around a fire NEXT: Fox chase >> This has the flavor of a tall tale that grew a bit in the telling, but who can say for certain?  Such are the delights of collecting oral history … Continue reading Moose Chase (Weare)

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 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 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 1600s, dogs, encounter & exploration, Journal of Martin Pring, seacoast

Pring 14 ~ Two Shots

Pring’s last ship fires the first warning shots of a coming conflict …

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 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 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 1600s, encounter & exploration, harvest, herbs, Journal of Martin Pring, seacoast

Pring 13 ~ Sassafras Harvest

Things go quickly awry when Pring’s men exhaust the local supply of sassafras…

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 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 1990s, Claremont, politics, SOURCE=roadside markers

Historic Handshake (Claremont, 1995)

In a way, this might be one of NH's strangest Highway Historical Markers...

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 1940s, guest artist, Henniker, WWII

Thanksgiving in Henniker, 1941 (Guest Post)

An 8th grade cartoonist explores changing attitudes leading up to World War II via an imagined Thanksgiving dinner in Henniker in 1941:

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 ...