Chief and 51 Year Member of Concord New Hampshire Fire Department: William Clarence Green (1853-1932)

Posted on 30 January, 2021 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Chief William C. Green from History and Genealogy of the Rix Family of America by Guy S. Rix; 1906; page 158B. HathiTrust. Colorized by the blog editor.

According to a 1932 obituary in The Boston Globe newspaper, William C. Green was appointed head of the Concord Fire Department on 11 December 1894, and it was then believed he was the oldest fire chief in years of service in the United States. His continuous connection with that department dated back 50 years.

He had first joined the Concord NH Fire Department in 1871, dropping out for a few years, but joining again on 1 July 1882, then being elected clerk of Kearsarge Engine Company. Later he became captain of the company and was made a member of the Board of Engineers in 1892. Two years later he was appointed chief of the Concord City Fire Department. Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History, New Hampshire Men | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Hampshire Tidbits: Wow–Palindrome Dates To Notice in 2021

Posted on 25 January, 2021 by Janice Brown

Wow. We were probably all so busy taking in the Inaugural Day events and performances that we didn’t even notice that the date  (1-20-21) was a five-digit palindrome. (A palindrome is a set of numbers or letters that read the same forward and backward). In fact January 2021 has one four-digit palindrome (1-2-21), two six-digit palindromes, and a total of nineteen five-digit palindromes. Amazingly the YEAR 2021 will have a total of 22 palindrome dates. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humor, NH Tidbits, Oddities, Accidents and Crazy Weather | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Prolific Author and Poet: Eleanor Hallowell (Abbott) Coburn of Wilton and Portsmouth New Hampshire (1872-1958)

Posted on 21 January, 2021 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Eleanor Hallowell Abbott from The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore MD 19 Oct 1913 page 30. Colorized by the blog editor.

Eleanor Hallowell Abbott was not a native of New Hampshire, for she was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1872, daughter of Rev. Edward & Clara (Davis) Abbott. She was a third generation of New England Abbott authors and editors, and a prolific writer in her own right penning over 75 short stories and 14 romantic novels (for a final count of reportedly over 100). Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History, New Hampshire Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2020 Recap: More Remarkable Women of New Hampshire

Posted on 30 December, 2020 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Maude (Gordon) Roby from the “History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, by Volume 2, Genealogy. Printed by R.W. Musgrove, 1904. photo page 360

Regular readers are aware that my spotlight is often on New Hampshire women’s history. My goal for years has been to write at one article a month that is specific to a  woman with New Hampshire connections, often little known. Each story includes a biography, and at least a partial genealogy. Some stories have been about groups of women with a specific theme. This year I wrote nineteen such stories as follows.

Two stories about my personal matrilineal DNA (to Jane wife of Thomas Walford of Charlestown MA and Great Island/New Market NH
– Surprising Discoveries with mtDNA
– New Hampshire Matrilineality and Mothers Day Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History, New Hampshire Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New Hampshire’s Best Christmas Traditions, Recipes and Stories (Recap)

Posted on 25 December, 2020 by Janice Brown

Next year this blog (Cow Hampshire) will celebrate its 15th year. That is a gloriously long time for a genealogy blog to be around. At this point it is easy for me to have forgotten every single topic I’ve written about, and no serious sin for me wanting to republish some of them.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to offer a compilation of all the great Christmas posts of the past. No doubt you will find some you have missed. Topics focus mostly on traditions, decorations, poetry, and food of the past all with a New Hampshire connection.

If you are a genealogist, in order to understand your ancestors, you must study how they lived. Here is your opportunity!  Whatever your belief, however you spend the next few weeks, I wish you all a joyous, and safe holiday. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Holidays, NH Tidbits, Poetry, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments