Gem sized tin type photograph of Nettie Dimond of Manchester NH
The sweet face of Nettie Alberta Dimond looks out from the delicate, gem-sized tintype photograph. In her arms she holds a doll, probably one considered a China doll, with a glazed porcelain china head. Unglazed dolls were called Parian dolls. Most China dolls had molded painted hair, as Nettie’s doll does. Continue reading
A colonial kitchen fireplace. From “Colonial Life in New Hampshire,” by James H. Fassett, 1899.
It may be amusing and entertaining to have some account of the customs and manner of living, of the people, sixty-five, seventy, and seventy-five years ago [i.e. 1760’s]. As to what took place in sea-port towns, and places which had a dense population, I can give no account; but in the town where I was brought up, (which I suppose was not materially different from the general state of other country towns) I will attempt to describe. Continue reading
Mary Farrar Jones of Barre MA and Claremont NH
Mary Farrar Jones gazes out at you from the photograph. It was taken at the Stephen Piper Photography Studio in Manchester, New Hampshire, between 1866 and 1879, when she died. (The Piper photography studio opened in 1866 and continued until 1887). She wears a well made post-Civil War dress, with a cameo at her throat. Her hat seems to be that style worn starting in 1858 and later.
She would have been between 77 and 90 years of age, depending on the exact date of the photograph. Her face is greatly wrinkled, and her expression placid. Her dress may have been black, as it seems dark, but it could also have been brown or a dark blue or green. Her husband, Ezra Jones died in 1841. Normally black mourning clothes would be worn for a full two years following the death of a spouse, however it could also be worn longer. Her dress, if black, would have been typical of a mourning dress worn at that time. Her waist was small, indicative of her wearing a corset.
Mattie and Clarence Webster of Reeds Ferry, NH as I remember them. She was a school teacher, and he was station agent and telegraph operator for the B&M Railroad in Merrimack NH.
I have a personal connection to Presidential Oaks located at 200 Pleasant Street in Concord, New Hampshire–my grandfather, Clarence Webster, died there in 1969. It was called the Odd Fellows’ Home back then, and he was really happy to be able to live there in his last years. At that time the residents were mostly Odd Fellows like himself. He felt very connected to that organization, and to his “Brothers.” He made sure we knew how wonderful the staff there were to him.
The building that he resided in was the newer (current) one. There have been two completely different ‘home’complexes–one built and dedicated in June of 1887, and a second one dedicated in June of 1932 when the first had become outdated and outgrown. Gramp proudly said that he had contributed funds through his local I.O.O.F to help build the place. Continue reading
Tin-type photograph of Clarence L. Webster circa 1882
National Grandparents Day falls each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The creation of this recognition day was a labor of love for Mrs. Marian Lucille (Herndon) McQuade of West Virginia. In the past I’ve focused on my grandmothers, so this time I am writing about the only grandfather that I actually knew.
“Gramp,” as I called him, was born Clarence Leroy Webster in Canisteo, Steuben County, New York in 1882 to Isaac and Anna Lee (Smith) Webster. His mother died when he was 6 years old. His father remarried when he was 12 years old, and within a few years, while still of a tender age, he was pretty much shown the door and told to fend for himself. Continue reading
