Ruth E. Farrington’s photograph from the 1930 Smith College yearbook.
Ruth E. Farrington’s name is one fairly well known to Forestry students at the University of New Hampshire. But how much do they, and we, actually know about this talented, educated woman who funded forestry-related scholarships, conferences and educational trips that continue to this day? Continue reading
Photograph of the Whittier Pine on Sunset Hill, Center Harbor, NH. Granite State Monthly magazine, v.30. 1901: Jan.-June. HathiTrust
It had been called the Whittier Pine. The famed poet John Greenleaf Whittier had his own personal name for this great tree–Wood Giant. It was located on land near the Sturtevant Farm on Route 25B/Dane Road, Center Harbor NH.
[Editor’s note: in my original posting of this story, in error I combined this tree’s history with that of the Sturtevant Pine, that is entirely a different tree; see comments by Karen Ponton and my thanks to her for the correction.]
Photograph of Grieving Gold Star Mother statue at its dedication in Manchester NH during May of 2011. Photograph courtesy of Chris Forkey. Used with permission.
One of Manchester New Hampshire’s more recent statues, and one of the few that honors women, can be found in Stanton Plaza, on the southwest corner of Pleasant Street and Elm, opposite Veterans Park. Called the Grieving Gold Star Mother, it depicts a sorrowful World War II mother with a single tear on her cheek, who had just learned her child had died while in service to their country. She is leaning against a small table that holds a bouquet of flowers and a photograph; her other hand is clutching a telegram that carried the news.
It would be impossible to tell the history of this statue without beginning with a bit of history about its location. The plaza on which the Grieving Gold Star Mother statue now sits was designated between 1985-1987 to honor three time Mayor Charles R. Stanton (served 1970-1971 and 1975-1981) who was also General Manager of the Manchester Transit Authority. Charles R. Stanton died in May 1985 at the age of 56. Continue reading
Photo of B.H. Webster performing a motorcycle stunt of riding through a burning fence c1939.
For years I worked on my genealogy without using a newspaper as a reference. I had boxes of starter material, and of course both my parents were alive to allow me to interview them. Easily 20 years had passed before I even considered the value of a newspaper, other than hunting for an obituary.
Now I am an old-newspaper junkie. Granted it helps if the person or event you are hunting for has an unusual spelling, but if you narrow your focus down to a state or area, you are apt to find something about your research target. Continue reading
Many Americans accept the Fourth of July as the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However it was not signed on that day.
The Trenton (New Jersey) Evening Times of 26 March 1885 credits the research of Judge Millen Chamberlain, chief librarian of the Boston public library for proving this. In his notable document, “The Authentication of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776,” after a thorough study of the original records and of all the available evidence, he proved that the signing did not take place upon the Fourth of July. Continue reading
