Nero, the prize winning bull of East Concord, New Hampshire, owned by the Sanborn family.
An unusual postcard came to my attention recently. The photograph shows a well-built dark bull, on display with a long-handled twitch and chain in his nose. In handwritten script in the margin is added: “Bull, Nero, No. 8160 winner of five first prizes in ’06. Its a two year old that weighs 1740 now as a three year old. Owned by John W. Sanborn (Concord NH).” Continue reading
Leon “Andy” Anderson, NH legislative historian in 1931 with his book, “To This Day: The 300 Years of the New Hampshire Legislature.” Photograph copyright of his daughter Susan Anderson Manning–used with her permission.
Leon W. “Andy” Anderson came from humble, blue collar beginnings, but his personal drive to understand the meaning behind political events, led him to become a noted New Hampshire historian. I was first introduced to his name, when I browsed a curious and valuable book called “New Hampshire Women Legislators Golden Anniversary 1921-1971” (that was co-prepared by Leon W. Anderson, Mrs. Alice V. Flanders and Edward J. Gallagher).
He was born Carl Leon William Anderson in 1902 to Swedish immigrants, Gustaf and Alma (Hasselind) Anderson, in the town of Graniteville, Massachusetts [now called Westford]. Both his father and step-father were stone cutters, working at one of the several granite quarries of the area. It is only fitting that he would migrate to the “Granite State” to harvest granite himself.
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An example of a piazza, as found on the Goffstown Historical Society building in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
The word, piazza, was well known in New Hampshire in the early 18th century. Several references are made in newspapers of that time to piazzas found in warmer climates and seemingly indicative of outside living space covered with a roof. By the 1820s these piazzas begin to be described as attached to the houses, and the word appears to be synonymous with a porch, but mostly in southern states and still in warm locations.
The small town of Sharon, located in the Monadnock region, is prominent in history for being the location of New Hamphire’s first female selectman. Even today Sharon’s population is only 340 people.
Mrs. Lenna (Wilson) Perry (1899-1986)
Lenna Gwendolen Wilson came from a well-known local farming family, being the daughter, and tenth child of Thomas J. & Ellen A. (Worcester) Wilson. Lenna was born 9 March 1899 in Sharon, Hillsborough Co. NH.
She was educated first in the Sharon schools, then later at Katherine Gibbs School, and Burdett College in Boston, MA (both of these facilities then provided business and office courses). From 1918 to 1920 she worked at the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. [The 1920 U.S. Census shows her residing in Washington D.C. with a sister, occupation “typist.”].
Mary Manning and friend George Connelly (later Rev.) at Havey’s Stables 1940s; Photograph copyright Janice W. Brown, Blog: Cow Hampshire
Even after horses were not the usual mode of travel in New Hampshire, riding stables continued to thrive in New Hampshire–providing both a means of entertainment, and an equine sport. One such facility was Havey Stables and Riding School of Bedford, New Hampshire. According to the History of Bedford, N.H. 1737-1971, page 344 states, “The large residential area to the southeast of Boynton Street was developed in the 1940s; it is often referred to as “the Plains,” and “the Pines.” It was this still highly wooded area of Bedford, that became a favorite area for horseback riding in the 1930s to the 1960s.
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