Marek 1800-1899, death, forestry, SOURCE=Little, Weare, weather

More Deaths (Weare)

More tragic ends for some of Weare's early citizens: << BEFORE: Deaths ... NEXT: Fatalities a couple towns over, in Antrim >>

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... >>

Marek 1810s, death, horses, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Kick of a Horse (Weare)

Town histories often include detailed (and fascinating) lists of the various ways early settlers met their ends.  Let's take a look at some interesting cases ... 20 June 1816

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.

Marek 1620s, encounter & exploration, Merrimack, Piscataqua, rivers, seacoast, SOURCE=Little

Bounds of New Hampshire (Mason Grant, 1629)

This 1629 land grant by the Plymouth Company caused many headaches when everyone realized they'd ALREADY granted some of the same land to other people... not to mention the inhabitants already living thereupon! SOURCE: Text of grant as found in William Little's History of Weare, New Hampshire 7 November 1629

Marek 1800-1899, hunting, snakes, SOURCE=Little, Weare

Snakes (Weare)

Let's see what the old timers were up to in Weare, as related in William Little's exhaustive History... (1888):

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 "Live Free or Die", 1800s, Derryfield, John Stark, Molly Stark, revolutionary era, SOURCE=NH.gov

John Stark’s Last Orders

By 1809, the general is far too old and sick to travel... << BEFORE: "Your state motto is SO COOL!" NEXT: How it became the NH state motto >> This is how I imagine General John & Molly Stark may have composed his response to the 1809 invitation to a veterans' reunion for the Battle … Continue reading John Stark’s Last Orders

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 1640s, Dover, encounter & exploration, hiking, Piscataqua, rivers, Saco, SOURCE=Calloway, SOURCE=Winthrop, White Mountains

Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)

Two Indian guides lead the first European expedition to the top of the White Mountains... I first encountered this account in Colin G. Calloway's Dawnland Encounters, but the full text is available on pp. 62-63 of John Winthrop's Journal (1630-1649).  In addition to keeping such detailed notes on New England history, John Winthrop was of course a … Continue reading Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)

Marek "Live Free or Die", 1970s, John Stark, NH culture, politics, revolutionary era, SOURCE=NH.gov

“Your state motto is SO COOL!”

Let's take a closer look at that little motto on our license plates... NEXT: General John Stark proposes a toast... >> You can read up on this topic on the "State Emblem" page at the state government's New Hampshire Almanac, and also on Wikipedia pages for John Stark and "Live Free or Die". (If you want … Continue reading “Your state motto is SO COOL!”

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 1750s, bear, Chesterfield, colonial, hunting, Keene, SOURCE=HSCC, stick figures

Fishing for Bear (Chesterfield)

An unusual hunting tale from the Keene area... << BEFORE: Mrs. Huse and the bear NEXT: Mr. Barnes and the bear >> SOURCE: "The Bear in the Boat" from HSCC ALSO SEE: Color splash page from this story...

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 1920s, entertainment, Keene, SOURCE=HSCC

Famous Professional Dare-Devil (Keene, 1923)

Tonight in downtown Keene: Stunts by a professional daredevil! Other Links: This story @ Historical Society of Cheshire County Keene's Gurnsey Block (c. 1900) Keene's Dreamland Theater (c. 1910) Originally published in Monadnock History Comics (Keene Sentinel, 2005)

Marek 1820s, environment, forestry, Marlow, SOURCE=HSCC

Trunks Like Black Bones (Marlow, 1825)

Grandpa remembers "what happened to all the forests" in the Keene area... Discussion Questions:  This story came from Elgin Jones' History of Marlow, NH. His grandfather told him about seeing this forestry done in Marlow in 1825, while the grandfather was still a boy. How is this kind of forestry different from our current systems … Continue reading Trunks Like Black Bones (Marlow, 1825)

Marek 1840s, food, Keene, mills, NH resources & industry, SOURCE=HSCC

To Work in the Mills? (Keene, 1845)

A farm family debates sending their youngest daughter to work in the mills... Originally published in Monadnock History Comics (Keene Sentinel, 2005) Discussion questions:  Why do Lucy and her mother think that working in the mills would be a good idea? Why does her father oppose the job? What clues tell us that life is hard on … Continue reading To Work in the Mills? (Keene, 1845)

Marek 1910s, environment, fish, forestry, John Wingate Weeks, mills, NH history, NH resources & industry, politics, Reference Links, stick figures, tourism, weather, White Mountains

The Weeks Act Story (1911)

Here's a comic to celebrate the Weeks Act of 1911 & the origins of our National Forest system! Download the printable PDF >> "John Weeks 1911" music video >> Support this work @ Patreon >> PRIMARY SOURCES: The starting point for my research was the text of the Weeks Act itself: SOURCE: The official descriptive … Continue reading The Weeks Act Story (1911)