Marek 1800s, apples, harvest, Henniker, potatoes, SOURCE=Cogswell, weather

Snow Storm (Henniker, 1804)

A freak Autumn snow storm disrupts the apple and potato harvests... Source: Cogswell's History of the Town of Henniker 7 October 1804

Marek 1810s, elephant, entertainment, Henniker, SOURCE=Cogswell

First Elephant (Henniker)

An exotic event provides performance opportunities for a local character... One of my favorite parts of Cogswell's Victorian-era narrative style is the telling little details he supplies, and the many ways we can interpret them.  For example, note in the final panel how only "some" of the town's older residents recall Bowman's antics with pleasure.  (We … Continue reading First Elephant (Henniker)

Marek 1780s, bear, Henniker, hunting, SOURCE=Cogswell

Mr. Barnes & the Bear (Henniker)

In honor of the start of hunting season, we continue with (what else?) another action-packed story of ursine urgency! ... << BEFORE: Fishing for bear in Chesterfield. *"BY THIS TIME, BARNES BEGAN TO REALIZE..." ~ I just love that line. (source = Cogswell) Elisha Barnes was a leading figure in the early days of Henniker; for … Continue reading Mr. Barnes & the Bear (Henniker)

Marek 1810s, elections, Henniker, NH history, politics, SOURCE=Cogswell, sources, stick figures

The First Voter Check-List (Henniker, 1813)

In 1813, NH tests out a strange new voting procedure: keeping track of voters with an official checklist!  { SOURCE = Cogswell's History of the Town of Henniker... } SEE ALSO:   John T. Gilman

Marek 1800s, Henniker, NH people, politics

John T. Gilman

Gilman served as governor of NH from 1794-1805, and again from 1813-1816.  The town of Gilmanton is named after his family.  He was governor when the state legislature passed NH's first mandatory voter check-list law. During the American Revolution he served in the "Minutemen" militia. Drawn from an engraving by Max Rosenthal. [Also see John Taylor Gilman … Continue reading John T. Gilman

Marek education, Henniker, NH people

Sarah Wilder Patterson

Drawn from a portrait in the reading room at Tucker Free Library (Henniker, NH): Like her husband James, Sarah was also a teacher.... The portrait is by NH painter Joseph Alexander Ames, who is of course the brother of Nathan Ames, the famous inventor of the modern escalator.

Marek Civil War, education, Freedmen, Henniker, NH people, NH places, politics

James Willis Patterson

Drawn from a portrait in the reading room at Tucker Free Library (Henniker, NH): Patterson taught school in New Hampshire, and later served as a Republican member of Congress during the Civil War, where he supported the establishment of Freedmen's Schools in the South. [Also see James W. Patterson on Wikipedia]