Marek 1850s, corn, economics, metals & minerals, NH history, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Bank of John Gillet (Weare)

1855: This story of home-grown finance comes from William Little's chapter on "Peculiar People" in Weare ...

Marek 1830s, food, New Hampton, NH history, Sandwich, SOURCE=Sandwich Historical, Weed Family Letters

All the Mirth that the Mind could Invent (New Hampton, NH)

1835: After classes, Larkin Weed & friends descend on "a place of resort for bathing":

Marek 1700-1799, colonial, guest artist, Keene, NH history, SOURCE=Griffin, wheat

Upper Crust of Keene

Guest cartoonist Bea Reel drew this page from Griffin's History of Keene, NH during our recent FAMILY COMICS WORKSHOP at Keene Public Library:

Marek 1770s, bear, colonial, corn, Henniker, hunting, SOURCE=Cogswell

Mrs. Peters Shoots a Bear (Henniker)

GUN SAFETY IN THE 1770s: If you come to visit, DON'T take that shortcut through the cornfield...

Marek 1890s, cows, dogs, food, Henniker, SOURCE=HHS

Peculiar Calf (Henniker)

1894:  Quality journalism in an age of miracles.

Marek 1860s, 39th MA, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, dentistry, food, Henniker, Massachusetts, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 6: A Critical Inspection of the Teeth

1862: The 39th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment has high standards for its recruits…

Marek 1860s, Civil War, Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, food, Henniker, Massachusetts, Reference Links, SOURCE=HHS

Colby 3: Woburn

1861-2: Colby finds work at an unfamiliar Massachusetts town…

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 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 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 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 1600s, animals, bear, berries, deer, dogs, encounter & exploration, fish, forestry, fox, herbs, hunting, Journal of Martin Pring, medicine, porcupine, seacoast

Pring 12 ~ As The Land is Full

Wherein we can perhaps glimpse the little gold “crownes” in Pring’s eyes as he ogles the natives’ pelts …

Marek 1600s, berries, encounter & exploration, forestry, herbs, Journal of Martin Pring, medicine, seacoast

Pring 11 ~ Sassafras Forest

Pring notes some of the many potential applications of the New England forests …

Marek 1600s, encounter & exploration, food, Journal of Martin Pring, Peas, seacoast

Pring 10 ~ Rich and Fat Ground

After sailing around the New England coast for many weeks, the English run low on provisions, and so …

Marek 1600s, berries, corn, encounter & exploration, food, forestry, Journal of Martin Pring, Peas, rivers, seacoast

Pring 09 ~ We beheld their Gardens

Martin Pring ventures upriver in native canoes for a garden tour…

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 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 1930s, 1938 Hurricane Letter, animals, chicken, Contoocook, Henniker, Hillsboro, Hopkinton, milk, mills, religion, weather

Hurricane Letter from Henniker (1938) (Part 3)

Dorothy's account continues, with some rather surprising twists...

Marek 1700-1799, Antrim, milk, witches

Superstitions (Antrim)

When it comes to witches, sometimes it's a problem to know too much...

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 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, death, dogs, hunting, milk, SOURCE=Little, squirrel, Weare

Deaths (Weare)

How folks died in the early days of Weare... 17 October 1816 11 September 1824 NEXT: You know there will be more... >>