New Hampshire Missing Places: Brantford–Adventurers Beware

Posted on 14 June, 2008 by Janice Brown

The Parrish family home, the setting of the book and movie “Jumanji” is located in the fictional town of Brantford, New Hampshire.

Although tame by today’s standards, at the time it was released the movie “Jumanji (1995)” was considered a milestone in CGI (computer-generated imagery). The movie is based on the book, “Jumanji,” by Chris van Allsburg.

Many of the scenes of this movie were indeed filmed in New Hampshire in November of 1994–some in the town of Keene in the Monadnock region.  Two identified Keene filming locations were Frank’s Barber Shop, and the “Parrish Shoe” sign (whose fading paint still remains, update its been repainted).  According to Wikipedia, other exteriors were shot at North Berwick, Maine, and interiors at a sound stage in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The plot of the movie follows the years from 1869 to 1969 in a small New Hampshire town, where a board game is buried, then rediscovered, carrying the game players into strange, often frightening adventures.  Two of the more notable actors are Robins Williams and Kirsten Dunst.  If you have never seen the movie, it is definitely worth seeing simply for the special effects.

Since I first wrote this story, a second movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) has been released.  There are a new list of characters and movie settings.  Instead of using Keene, the producers used a house in Atlanta, Georgia and the Kualoa Ranch on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii.   The big old house shown in several scenes is located at 1646 Friar Tuck Road in Atlanta Georgia.  See this entire list of locations.

 

**Additional Reading**

–Jumanji (book title)–

–New York Times Film Review & Movie Clip–

Posted in N.H. Missing Places, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pets in My Family Tree

Posted on 13 June, 2008 by Janice Brown

As far back as there were people, there were also pets in the family tree. Unfortunately unless photographs or diaries survive, most of us do not know the names nor the species that were most endearing to our ancestors. And so to remedy that sad state of affairs, I've gathered a few stories and B&W prints of my own family for your viewing pleasure.

I don't remember my Gram Manning mentioning that she had any pets as a child. She lived with us until I was a teenager, and although she was kind to the cats we had, she did not spend any great time with them.  Perhaps she preferred dogs.  In the photograph above, my Gram Manning is pictured with my cousin Richard “Dickey” Manning and the family canine, “Buddy.”

My Grandfather Manning was a chauffeur for the famed Carpenter family of Manchester, New Hampshire. In this photograph above, the Boston terrier pictured belongs to the family he worked for.

My mother loved pets of all kinds.  She is about 3 years old (circa 1922) in this photograph (above), and is shown hugging her dog, “Rex.”

Okay, so I cheated a bit with this one.  My father is shown in the photograph (above) taken around 1914. Yes, he is really wearing a dress, and the dog is stuffed (notice the wheels on its feet). The only childhood pet that he ever mentioned, was his pony, and that it had kicked him. Needless to say no equine photographs survive.

One would wonder if the cat pictured above survived the hugging. Taken in late 1950's, I am shown with a feline that was named either “Ruffie,” or “Tuffie” (they looked alike).

During my life time I've had many pets.  My earliest memories are of the two cats (mentioned just above).  As a child I also had an unnamed goldfish (that ended up sliding down the sink drain), a pet parakeet named “Peppy LaPew” (who deserved his name), and dogs named “Spider,” and “Princess.”

Among the pets that I have owned as an adult, were a wonderful dog called “Gulliver” (because he loved to wander); a gentle, black cat named “Floot;” goats, “Poko” and “Wings;” rabbits, “Lancelot” and “Guenevere;” and two cockatiel parakeets, “Kami” and “Kaze.”

Today, my pets of choice are a Quaker Parrot named “Chi,” and a petite, yet feisty  West Highland Terrier, named “Ladie Di.” Shown here is “Ladie” relishing her recent kill of a backyard mole.

This article was written for the “50th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy,” that is hosted this month by Bill West at “West In New England.”  The submission date is June 15, 2008, so get writing!

Janice

*Additional Reading*

-Barking Up The Family Tree- (additional family pet photographs)

-Lolcat: Mkn Mah Fmly Treez-

Posted in Carnivals and Memes, Personal History | Leave a comment

Ox & Rocks at Remick Museum

Posted on 12 June, 2008 by Janice Brown

The annual special event, Ox and Rocks, will take place at Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm on Saturday, June 14, 2008, 10am-2pm. Members of the Yankee Teamsters 4-H Working Steers Club will have a pre-fair competition with their teams of steers and oxen in Fitting & Showmanship, Cart & Obstacle Course, and Stoneboat Hauling.

Come take a tractor-driven hay ride through Remick Farm and Binsack Trail. Morgan quarter horse, Hawk, and Milking Shorthorn Oxen, Diamond and Dash, will demonstrate the use of traditional farm equipment with Wayne Phillips, Livestock Manager. Michael Callis of Michael Callis Stoneworks will rebuild a dry stone wall, answering questions from visitors as he works. Children can use traditional farm tools, such as a Broadcast Seeder and Corn Planter, and participate in the traditional fence building activity, Sticks & Stones. Rhubarb cake and fruit flavored cream soda will be available for sale.

While at Ox & Rocks, enjoy a leisurely walk on the Joe Binsack Memorial Trail, a low- impact, 6/10 mile hiking trail offering spectacular views of Remick Farm and the Ossipee Mountains. View exhibits in the museum’s Visitor Center, and tour the living quarters of Dr. Edwin Crafts Remick, Tamworth’s most notable country doctor. Come see all the new arrivals on the farm including Hereford cows, Nubian kids, Jersey bull calves, Hereford-Yorkshire piglets, and Border Leicester sheep.

The Remick Country Doctor Museum & Farm is located at 58 Cleveland Hill Road in Tamworth Village. For more information, call (603) 323- 7591 or (800) 686- 6117, or visit our website at www.remickmuseum.org. Admission fee for Ox & Rocks is $5 per person.

You can apply your admission fee to Ox & Rocks toward a membership to the Friends of Remick Museum, which entitles you to free admission to special events for a full year!

Remick Museum is offering a special Local Family Membership for residents who live within 25 miles of the museum for $25, a 50% discount off a regular Family Membership. Stop by the membership table during Ox & Rocks, and learn about the many benefits of membership. This offer will end on Columbus Day, Monday, October 13, 2008.

No one will be denied access to Remick Museum programs due to inability to pay.

Photo Courtesy of the Remick Museum: A young visitor admires the steers as a teamster waits patiently for the competition to start.  

Janice

Posted in Current Events | Leave a comment

New Hampshire’s Famous Concord Coach and the Abbot-Downing Company

Posted on 10 June, 2008 by Janice Brown

Mark Twain described it as “an imposing cradle on wheels.”

Concord Coach as found in the
Adirondack Museum in Blue
Mountain Lake NY. Copyright 2000
by Janice W. Brown.

In 1867 Wells Fargo, the operators of the largest stagecoach company in the American west, ordered forty of these coaches. This coach became so much a part of their corporate identity, that today it is still the corporate symbol of the company.

The Concord Coach weighed about 2500 pounds and was made to carry from eleven to fourteen passengers at a time. It was drawn by four or six horses.

From 1830 to 1900 the Abbot-Downing company made about 3,700 coaches, sold to customers not only in the United States, but Canada, Europe, South Africa, South America, and Australia.

According to the “History of Concord, New Hampshire:” in May 1813, Lewis Downing, a young man one month short of his majority, came to Concord [NH] from Lexington, Massachusetts, to engage in mechanical industry. The items of his capital were: cash in pocket, sixty dollars; tools, valued at less than one hundred; a hand and a brain not to be appraised in dollars and cents.

Locating himself in business at the north end of main street, nearly opposite the “Upper Bank,” he worked for one year entirely alone, and in November after his arrival completed his first “Concord Wagon,” “every part of the work” having been “done by hand labor,” unaided by any “power machinery.” for the next twelve years he employed from three to six hands, having, meanwhile, in 1816, removed his shop to the “Duncan estate” at the South End, the permanent site of his carriage manufactory.

A sketch of the Abbott Downing Company from Leading BUsiness Men of Concord, 1890


A sketch of the Abbot Downing Company from
Leading Business Men of Concord, 1890

With shop enlarged, and with blacksmithing, painting, trimming, and other branches of his industry started, he fortunately secured, in 1826, the services of J. Stephens Abbot, of Salem, Massachusetts, a promising young man and mechanic, twenty-two years old, to assist at first in the manufacture of the “Concord Stage Coach,” a vehicle to become famous round the world.  The efficient employee constructed the first “coach bodies” ever made in New Hampshire, and in 1828 became a partner in the firm of Downing & Abbot, which, for nearly twenty years…achieved prosperity and a high…reputation….”

The obituary of J. Stephens Abbot (shown in its entirety below) explains in addition: “Mr. Abbot was born Feb. 22, 1804 at Albany, Oxford county, Me., and early learned the trade of a coach body maker at Salem, Mass., with Frothingham & Loring.–In 1826, on Christmas Eve, he came to Concord to build three coach bodies for Lewis Downing Sr. On completing his work he went to Framingham, Mass., to enter into business relations, but was dissuaded by the advice of a tavern-keeper, went to Providence, R.I., and came back to Concord. Jan. 1, 1828, he became Mr. Downing’s partner, the firm continuing until Sept. 1847.– In 1849 the present shops were built. In 1852 Mr. E.A. Abbot became a partner, and Jan 1, 1865 the present firm of Abbot, Downing, & Co. was formed. ”

The September 13, 1844 newspaper, Daily Atlas, Boston MA published the following: “The Newark Advertiser states that W.F. Peterson of Wheeling, Va was at Concord, N.H. last week and contracted for as good a Coach as Messrs Downing & Abbot can make, to have the likeness and name of HENRY CLAY painted upon it, and to be delivered to him in Wheeling, the last of December next. This coach is to be used for the first time to convey Mr. Clay from Wheeling Va to Cumberland Md on his way to Washington the last of February or first of March next, to assume the office of President for the next four years. Mr. Clay will come to Wheeling by steamboat, and will take the cars at Cumberland for Washington. The 130 miles from Wheeling to Cumberland, passing the mountain, is the only stage route from Ashland to Washington.”

In 1854 several newspapers erroneously reported the death of Joseph S. Abbot. On July 29, 1854 the Boston Evening Transcript printed the following: “Death of a Prominent New Hampshire Man.” Under this caption we last evening announced, on what we believed to be perfectly correct authority, the death of Joseph S. Abbot, Esq., the well known coach manufacturer of Concord, N.H. as occurring in New York city. We are happy to learn, this morning, that the statement was a mistake, and that Mr. Abbot is at home in the enjoyment of good health, and engaged as usual in the prosecution of his extensive business. The person telegraphed as dying in New York of cholera proves to be Mr. John D. Abbot, of that city. He was a native of Concord NH and formerly a merchant there, and was brother-in-law of Gen. Joseph Low, the present Mayor of Concord….”

Concord Coach as found in the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake NY. Copyright 2000 by Janice W. Brown.

Inside view of Concord Coach as found in the
Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake
NY. Copyright 2000 by Janice W. Brown.

At one time J. Stephens Abbot was a member of the Governor’s Horse Guards. Eventually from humble beginnings, by 1873 this partnership evolved into the “Abbot-Downing Company” with a payroll of over three hundred men, capital of $400,000, and a manufacturing plant covering six acres.  By 1880 Lewis Downing was President; Edward A. Abbot, Treasurer and Frank L. Abbot Secretary.

The Pawtucket Times (Pawtucket RI) of February 19, 1900 published an article, “Abbot-Downing Company of Concord N.H. Goes Down” indicating that the board of directors had recently voted to assign the company to Abbot Treadwell of Concord and Gerald Wyman of Boston. About 1916 the company entered into the motor truck field, and in 1918 E.E. Vreeland came President of the Abbot-Downing Truck & Body Company. In 1902 Col. William F. “Wild Bill” Cody donated the old Deadwood stage to the National Museum [per the Denver Post].  In 1909 the company went into receivership.

Abbott Jack coach, , made by J.S. Abbot of Concord NH and imported by Cobb and Co. in the 1860s at Dunedin, New Zealand. Arents Cigarette Cards, George Arents Collection, NYPL Digital Library

Abbot Jack coach, , made by J.S. Abbot of
Concord NH and imported by Cobb and Co. in
the 1860s at Dunedin, New Zealand. Arents
Cigarette Cards, George Arents Collection,
NYPL Digital Library

The Abbot-Downing Company buildings were demolished in 1971.  In 1979, the State of New Hampshire erected a Historical Marker in front of where the complex was formerly located.  The inscription states: “”The Abbot-Downing Company began in 1813 when Lewis Downing founded a ‘waggon’ factory, located here from 1816 to 1828. In 1828 he was joined by J. Stephens Abbot. The next century saw fourteen styles of ‘stage’ coaches, the most famous being the Concord Coach, and forty styles of commercial and pleasure vehicles carrying the name of Concord all over the United States and around the world.”

Are you curious now about where you can get a ride on one of these coaches?  One place is Old Sturbridge Village, in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where a stagecoach ride was recently added to this village-museum’s offerings.

=====GENEALOGY OF Joseph S. aka J. Stephens ABBOTT=====
(Genealogy added 1 Dec 2014) (For Genealogy of Lewis Downing, see here)

George Abbott (1615-1691) & Hannah Chandler (1630-1711)

John Abbott (1648-1721) & Sarah Barker (1647-1729)

STEPHEN ABBOT* (1678-1766) & Sarah STEVENS (1648-1718) — my 6th great-grandparents

Stephen Abbott Jr., son of Stephen and Sarah (Stevens) Abbott; He was b. 2 March 1717 in Andover MA, and d. 8 Nov 1768 in Andover MA m. 24 May 1743 in Andover, Essex Co MA to Mary Abbott (as her 2nd husband). They are buried at South Church Cemetery, Andover MA.
————————-
Children of Stephen & Mary (Abbott) Abbott:
1. Mary Abbott, b. 8 March 1744 Andover MA
2. Deborah Abbott, b. 13 Oct 1745 Andover MA
3. Sarah Abbott b 1 Aug 1747 Andover MA
3. General Stephen Abbott b 1 Aug 1749 Andover MA
4. Abner Abbott b 26 Aug 1751 Andover MA
Andover MA Vital Records: “Abner, s. Stephen, jr. and Mary, Aug. 26, 1751.”
5. Hannah Abbott b 10 Aug 1753 Andover MA
6. George Abbott b 10 Aug 1753 Andover MA
7. George Abbott 2nd, b. 13 June 1756 Andover MA
8. Dorcas Abbott b 23 Sep 1758 Andover MA
9. +Abner Abbott, b. 29 January 1761 Andover MA
Andover MA Vital Records: “Abner, s. Stephen [jr. C. R. 2.] and Mary, Jan. 29, 1761.”
10. Samuel Abbott b 27 Apr 1763 Andover MA
11. Elizabeth Abbott, b. 22 Oct 1766 Andover MA

Abner Abbott, son of Stephen and Mary (Abbott) Abbott was b 29 January 1761 in Andover, Essex Co MA and d 16 Sep 1833 [Holt history erroneously says 1843] in Albany, Oxford Co. Maine; He m. 29 January 1784 in Andover, Essex Co. MA to Ruth Holt, daughter of Joseph & Ruth (Johnson) Holt of Andover MA. She was b. 25 Feb 1765 in Andover MA, and d. 21 Nov 1806 in Albany Maine. He m2d) Dorcas Nason. They are buried in Hunts Corner Cemetery, Albany Maine
——————————–
Children of Abner & Ruth (Holt) Abbott:
1. Ruth Abbott, b. 26 July 1785 Albany ME
2. Sarah Abbott, b. 11 July 1787 Albany ME
3. Obed Abbott, b. 14 Sep 1789 Albany ME
4. Stephen Abbott, b. 1 Oct 1792 Albany ME
5. Mary Abbott, b. 12 May 1797 Albany ME
6. + Joseph S. Abbott, b. 22 Feb 1804 Albany, Oxford Co. ME

J. Stephens Abbott. Likeness from History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties NH, page 143

J. Stephens Abbott. Likeness from History of
Merrimack and Belknap Counties NH, page 143

Joseph S. Abbott, aka J. Stephens Abbott, son of Abner & Ruth (Holt) Abbott, b. 22 February 1804 Albany, Maine, and died 16 March 1861 in Concord NH. He married 5 Dec 1829 in Sullivan, Cheshire Co. NH to Grace S. Wiggin, daughter of Sherburn & Margaret (Sargent) Wiggin. She was b 6 October 1806 in Concord NH and d. 21 September 1886 in Concord NH. He was a carriage maker in Concord NH, i.e. of the Downing-Abbott Co. [This post is about his carriage company] [Editor’s note: he is my 2nd cousin 5x removed]
—————
J. Stephen Abbott was born in Albany, ME on Feb 22, 1804. Apparently, he was orphaned or somehow lost his parents because his uncle, General Abbott took him to Old Salem to an Aunt, Mrs. Chase, who adopted him and raised him. After acquiring what limited education he could, he was apprenticed to Frothingham and Loring of Salem as a chaise builder. Then some time later, he was convinced to go to Concord, NH to work with Lewis Downing on Concord coaches. In 1828, he became a partner with Downing, and the business changed to Downing and Abbott. Then in 1847, the business was dissolved; Downing started in a new location, and Abbott stayed in the original. In 1852, he (Abbott) took his son into the business with him and it became the firm of J.S. and E.A. Abbott. In 1865, the business again added the name of Downing to it with the addition of Lewis Downing’s son. At one time, there were three Abbotts there, J. Stephens, Edward A. and Joseph H.. Dec 15, 1829, J. Stephens Abbott married Grace Wiggin, b Oct 6, 1806, daughter of Sherburne and Margaret (Sargent) Wiggin. They had 5 chilldren: Edward Augustus, Margaret Ann, Joseph Henry, Francis Lewis, and Mary. He died Mar 16, 1871 in his 68th year.[ History of Merrimack and Belknap Co’s of NH, edited by D. Hamilton Hurd, printed in Philadelphia by J. W. Lewis & Co., 1885. ref. pgs. 142-3.]
———————-
Wednesday, March 22, 1871 New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette, Concord NH — HOME MATTERS. A Loss to the Community.–The death of Mr. J. Stephens Abbot, which took place at his residence in this city on the morning of the 16th, after an illness of three weeks, elicits from every townsman sincere expressions of deep and heartfelt regret. As a self made business man, as a public spirited citizen, as a friend, a neighbor, a husband, and a father, Mr. A., held the genuine esteem of every person who came in contact with him. In no relation of life can a stain be found upon the honorable name he won for himself. Quiet, unobtrusive and firm in his convictions, he was generous and tolerant in judging others. His purse was ever open to the needy and in no good work was his hand reluctant. More than this we may not say, though in no good trait that adds to the favor of public opinion does he seem to have been lacking. His loss is not alone to those of his family, but to our whole community. —Mr. Abbot was born Feb. 22, 1804 at Albany, Oxford county, Me., and early learned the trade of a coach body maker at Salem, Mass., with Frothingham & Loring.–In 1826, on Christmas Eve, he came to Concord to build three coach bodies for Lewis Downing Sr. On completing his work he went to Framingham, Mass., to enter into business relations, but was dissuaded by the advice of a tavern-keeper, went to Providence, R.I., and came back to Concord. Jan. 1, 1828, he became Mr. Downing’s partner, the firm continuing until Sept. 1847.– In 1849 the present shops were built. In 1852 Mr. E.A. Abbot became a partner, and Jan 1, 1865 the present firm of Abbot, Downing, & Co. was formed. We need not recapitalate the great good that Mr. Abbot has worked in our city, the prosperity that he has made within our borders; each citizen knows and owns it, and to-day the regrets of our whole populace form the noblest meed of praise that could be accorded the memory of the dead. Mr. A was not the man to seek public position, or desire it, but, on the contrary, sought to avoid it. He was for several years a Director in the in the Concord Road and filled well the place. He leaves a widow and five adult children.
———————
Children of Joseph S. “J. Stephens” & Grace (Wiggin) Abbott:
1. Edward Augustus Abbot, b 12 Sep 1830 in Concord NH; he m. 11 June 1856 in Charlestown MA to Mary Elizabeth Thompson. 4 children: Maude, Charles T., Harry Stevens, and Ellen Marian [who m. her cousin Abbot Treadwell].
2. Margaret A. Abbot, b 16 Apr 1834 Concord NH; married in 1858 to Lieut. Col. Thomas James Treadwell, son of Thomas P. Treadwell (at one time NH Secretary of State). They had 3 children [Treadwell]: Grace [who m. Pedro Pablo Laureano de Arozarena of Cuba], Abbot [who married his cousin, Marion Ellen Abbott ] and Major Thomas Conrad.
3. Joseph H. Abbot, b. 6 Feb 1837 Concord NH, d. 10 May 1896 Concord NH. He is buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery, Concord NH. Single.
4. Francis Lewis Abbot, b. 20 May 1843 in Concord NH, d. 22 July 1896 in Manchester MA. Single.
5. Mary Abbot, b. 27 July 1845 in Concord NH; She m. 31 Oct 1883 in Concord NH to Gerald Wyman, son of William & Mary W. (Lapham) Wyman. No children.

*Additional Reading*

Abbot-Downing Historical Society

–The Abbot-Downing Concord Coach–

Adirondack Museum (where I took the photographs above)

Downing & Abbot Company Founder and Carriage Builder of Concord New Hampshire: Lewis Downing (1792-1873)

Posted in Genealogy, History, N.H. Historical Markers, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

New Hampshire: The Origin of "Old Home Week" and the Rollins Family

Posted on 8 June, 2008 by Janice Brown

According to some “The three sweetest words in the English language are “Mother, Home and Heaven.”  Taking advantage of this sentiment, Frank W. Rollins, a governor of New Hampshire, instituted a project called “Old Home Week,” that is best described in his own words below.

From: The Origin of Old Home Week by Frank W. Rollins
“The purpose of this new festival, inaugurated in New Hampshire in the year 1899 and designated “Old Home Week,” was to win back, if possible, some of the wealth which the State, with its New England neighbors, had lavished on the newer parts of the country in the persons of sturdy, resourceful men and women. I had watched with grave consideration the decimation of our hill towns by drawing away of our brightest and best to fields where they thought they had a greater opportunity and it was in the endeavor to stop this loss and bring back some of those who had gone away that I hit upon the plan of “Old Home Week.”  There have been, of course, reunions since the beginning of time, but my plan differed from the ordinary reunion in that it was to occupy a week in each year so that each one could make his plans to be back, and was to be recognized by the State as a permanent festival. In organizing this festival it was hoped that some might come back to the old home to remain; that others might return for the reunion season, and perhaps choose here a spot on which the vacation home at least might be established. ”

By 1907 the idea of “Old Home Week” expanded from New Hampshire to all of the New England States, New York, Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, North Caroline, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and onto Nova Scotia, Ontario and even to Australia.  Events included church services, reunions in homes and in public gatherings on week days, musical events including bands and singers.

Many towns in New Hampshire continue the tradition of holding “Old Home Days.”

*Additional Reading*

– New Hampshire’s Old Home Week, from 1925 Granite State Monthly

–Old Home Day: The Origin–

-Biography: Gov. Frank W. Rollins–

–New Hampshire’s Opportunity, by Frank W. Rollins-

*************************
****ROLLINS GENEALOGY****
*************************

————–First generation————-

James Rollins, an Englishman who came to America in 1632. He spent a short time in Ipswich MA, was in Newbury in 1634, and in 1644 settled in that part of Dover NH (at Bloody Point) now included in Newington. He was one of the first settlers there, and secured a grant of 100 acres of land, where he lived for the rest of his life. His will dated Dover 16 Dec 1685 gave property to his wife Hannah, to his son Ichabod (the oldest) to Benjamin and to his “other children” not named in the will.
Children of James & Hannah Rollins:
1. +Ichabod Rollins
2. Thomas Rollins, b. 1641 [note: “Granny D” (Rollins) Haddock is a descendant of this line-SEE]
3. Samuel Rollins, b. 1649
4. James Rollins
5. Benjamin Rollins, b 1662
6. Joseph Rollins
7. Deborah Rollins, m. James Benson of Kittery ME, 20 March 1719

————–Second generation————-

Ichabod Rawlins/Rollins, the eldest son of James and Hannah Rawlins, was one of the early inhabitants of Bloody Point, where he was a taxpayer in 1665. He married Mary Tibbetts, daughter of Jeremiah Tibbetts. She d. bef age 30, leaving one son, Jeremiah. Mr. Rawlins m2d) Elizabeth — by whom he had one daughter Hannah. On May 22, 1707 Ichabod was killed by Indians, being attacked by a party of twenty or more while driving a team in company with John Bunker from Lieut. Field’s garrison to James Bunkers for a loom.
Child of Ichabod & Mary (Tibbetts) Rollins:
1. +Jeremiah Rollins, b. Dover NH
Child of Ichabod & Elizabeth (?) Rollins:
2. Hannah Rollins, b. 16 July 1706; prob. married 24 Sep 1744 Job Hardy of Bradford MA.

————–Third generation————-

Jeremiah Rollins, son of Ichabod & Mary (Tibbetts) Rollins, was b. in Dover NH (now Newington NH) and d. bef 1768. He was one of the petitioners in 1729 for the incorporation of Somersworth NH as a separate parish. He m. Elizabeth Ham, dau of John and Mary (Heard) Ham and graddaughter of William Ham of Exeter and Portsmouth NH who emigrated from England. She b. 29 Jan 1681. His will was proved 29 June 1768 with his son Ichabod as heir and executor of his will.
Children of Jeremiah & Elizabeth (Ham) Rollins:
1. Mary Rollins, b. 23 Jan 1714
2. Lydia Rollins, b. 18 March 1716
3. Deborah Rollins, b. 26 Jan 1719
4. +Ichabod Rollins, b. 18 July 1722 in Somersworth NH
5. Sarah Rollins, bap. 7 Apr 1728; m. Edward Walker of Newington NH.

————–Fourth generation————-

Hon. Ichabod Rollins, son of Jeremiah & Elizabeth (Ham) Rollins, b. 18 July 1722 in Somersworth NH, and d. 31 Jan 1800; m. Abigail Wentworth, dau of Capt. Benjamin & Elizabeth (Leighton) Wentworth. She b. 12 February 1723, and d. 17 Oct 1790 in her 68th year. He m2d) Summer 1792 to Margaret (Colton) Frost, widow of Joseph Frost of Newcastle NH. Margaret d. 5 July 1813 age 89 at Rollinsford NH. He was a member of the Revolutionary conventions at Exeter NH April, May and Dec 1775; one of the committee to prepare and bring into the convention a plan of ways and means for furnishing troops. On 20 June 1775 he was sent in company with Hon. Timothy Walker of Concord NH to ascertain the losses sustained at Bunker Hill by officers and soldiers of the NH forces in order to compensate them. He was a member of the Convention in 1776 when it became an independent state government. He was a delegate to the legislature Oct 1776 and the first Judge of Probate under the new government, which office he held from 1776 to 1784. He was a member of the Executive Council of NH in 1789. He was a slave-holder; res. Somersworth NH (later incorporated as Rollingsford in honor of him).
Children of Ichabod & Abigail (Wentworth) Rollins:
1. John Rollins, b. 22 March 1745; m. Mary Carr; res. Somersworth NH; had issue
2. Ichabod Rollins, b. 1747; m. Ruth Philpot; res. Somersworth; had issue
3. +James Rollins, m1) Hannah Carr; m2) Lucy Gerrish; res. Somersworth NH; had issue
4. +Daniel Rollins, b. 1759 in Somersworth NH; farmer; he died at age 30. He married Martha Weeks.
5. Elizabeth Rollins, m. Jonathan Chesley Chadbourne of Berwick ME. They had 4 ch: (1) Abigail who m. Geo. W. Wallingford; (2) Benjamin; (3) Ichabod R.; (4) Mary, dy
6. Abigail, died in early life
7. Mary, m. Hon. Samuel Hale of Barrington NH. Ch: (1) Samuel; (2) Martha

————–Fifth generation————-

James Rollins, son of Ichabod & Abigail (Wentworth) Rollins, b. abt 1749 in Rochester, Strafford Co NH. Possibly he is the Capt. James Rollins who died 12 April 1854 in Stratham NH; he m. abt 1770 in Dover NH to Hannah Carr, daughter of Dr. Moses Carr of Newbury MA.  (Her sister Mary married James’ brother John.). She b. 26 June 1749 in Dover NH. He m2) abt 1795 to Lucy Gerrish of Dover NH.
Children of James & Hannah (Carr) Rollins:
1. Nathaniel Rollins, b 1780 Somersworth NH
2. Abigail Rollins, b. 1782 Somersworth NH; d. unmarried 21 May 1823
3. Mary Rollins, b. May 1783 Somersworth NH; m. 1835 Isaac Pray of Boston MA
4. Moses Rollins, b. 1786 Somersworth NH
5. Samuel Rollins, b. 1790 Somersworth NH; m. Sarah Stevens, res. Rollinsford NH
6. Hannah Rollins, b. abt 1792 Somersworth NH; m. John Tibbetts
Children of James & Lucy (Gerrish) Rollins:
7. +Daniel Rollins, b. 30 May 1797 Somersworth NH
8. Lorenzo Rollins, b. 1799 Somersworth NH
9. Elizabeth Rollins, b. abt 1801 Somersworth NH; m. Edmund Higgins
10. Angeline Rollins, b. 1803 Somersworth NH
11. James Rollins, b. abt 1805 Somersworth NH
12. Ellen Rollins, b. abt 1807 Somersworth NH, died young
13. Charles Rollins, b. abt 1808 Somersworth NH, died young

————–Sixth generation————-

Daniel G. Rollins, son of James & Lucy (Gerrish) Rollins, b. 30 May 1797 Somersworth NH; d. 31 Mar 1864 in Rollinsford NH; m. 20 Nov 1823 to Mary Plummer, dau of Ebenezer & Mehitable (Warren) Plummer. She was b. abt 1802 in Rollinsford NH, and died 9 November 1894 in Dover, NH., aged 92 years. Buried at Rollinsford, NH. He was a farmer. In 1858 he was awarded prizes for best ox-wagon and best ox-cart by the New Hampshire State Agricultural Society. In 1846 he was one of the original incorporators of the Great Falls Bank.
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1860 US Federal Census > NH > Strafford > Rollinsford
Daniel Rollins 63 M Farmer 9000/6000 NH
Mary Rollins 58 F NH
James G. Rollins 33 M NH
Elizabeth W Rollins 23 F NH
—–living next door—-
Augustus Rollins 62 M Farmer 20,000/5820
Abiah Rollins 60 F 700
Augustus W. Rollins 29 M Trader 3000
Olive W. Rollins 32 F 600 NH
Mary Rollins 26 F 500 NH
Lydia H. Rollins 19 F 500 NH
Benjamin Stokes 31 M Farm Laborer Maine
John Stokes 17 M Farm Laborer Maine
——————
Children of Daniel & Mary (Plummer) Rollins:
1. +Edward Henry Rollins, b. 3 Oct 1824 in Somersworth NH
2. James G. Rollins, b. 6 Jan 1827 NH; d. Omaha, Nebraska
3. William A. Rollins, b. 1 Oct 1829 NH, d. 23 July 1853
4. Lucy G. Rollins, b. 24 Sep 1831; d. 20 Feb 1850
5. John F. Rollins, b. 4 July 1835; m. Hannah Breck Peters; res. Ft. George Island, FL
6. Elizabeth W. Rollins, b. 1 May 1837 NH; res. Rollinsford; d. 27 March 1911 Dover NH, age 73, unmarried.

————–Seventh generation————-

Edward Henry Rollins, son of Daniel & Mary (Plummer) Rollins b. 3 Oct 1824 in Somersworth NH (now part of Rollinsford). He died 31 July 1889 at Isles of Shoals, Rockingham Co NH. He was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord NH. He was educated in Dover NH and South Berwick Maine. He became a druggist’s clerk in Concord and Boston and entered business there on his own. Republican and member of NH State House of Representatives 1855-57; delegate to the Republican National Convention from NH 1860, 1884; U.S. Representative from NH, 2nd District 1861-67; U.S. Senator from NH 1877-83. He married 13 Feb 1849 to Ellen Elizabeth West, dau of John and Ann (Montgomery) West, grand-daughter of John and Susanna (Eastman) West, and 2nd great-grand-daughter of Moses Eastman, 2nd Lieut. New Hampshire Continental Troops (American Revolution). Edward was a Congregationalist. She was an Episcopalian. Mr. Rollins was a member and master of Blazing Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Trinity Chapter, and commander of Mount Horeb Commandery, Knights Templar at Concord NH. Mrs. Rollins was b. 8 Sep 1827 in Concord NH and died 8 Oct 1893 at York Harbor, Maine. She was a descendant of Edward West who came from England about 1650 and settled at Newbury MA.
[See photo #1] [Photo #2]
————-
1850 United States Federal Census > New Hampshire > Merrimack > Concord
Nancy West 58 F NH
Ellen M. Manahan 17 F DC
Charlotte P. Manahan 15 F DC
Edward H. Rollins 25 M Apothecary NH
Ellen C. Rollins 23 F NH
John Rollins 15 M NH
Julius Cone 30 Chemist NH
Mary Byrne 20 F Ireland
James J. Rollins 23 Druggist NH
————-
Tuesday, October 9, 1929, Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA), page 2
ROLLINS FOUNDER DEAD
DOVER, N.H. Oct 8 (I.N.S.) — Edward Warren Rollins, 79, one of the organizers of the E.H. Rollins & Sons Investment brokers is dead. Rollins helped start the Denver Electric Light company in 1881 and became its president, serving until 1899. During a residence in the west he helped promote the Denver Country club, the Denver club and the Denver Athletic club of which he was president for several years.
—————-
Thursday, October 10, 1929, Boston Herald (Boston MA) page 23
EDWARD W. ROLLINS IS BURIED AT DOVER
Ceremonies for Banking House Founder Simple
DOVER, N.H., Oct. 9–Edward W. Rollins, founder and many years before his retirment president of the inter-national banking firm of E.H. Rollins & Sons of Boston, was buried with simple ceremonies this afternoon in a naturally formed circular enclosure of mammoth pines on Paul’s point, the extreme point of land on Three Rivers farm at the confluence of three lovely rivers, land which came into the possession of his ancestors in 1623 under the grant of the council of Plymouth, Eng., to Edward Hilton, New Hampshire’s first settler. This land had remained a family possession ever since with the exception of a short period which ended with Mr. Rollin’s repurchase of it in 1900.
The funeral services took place in the main hall of the residence, the Rev. Richard W. Lyford, An Episcopalian minister of Longmeadow, Mass., and a cousin of Mr. Rollins officiating. The casket was covered with a blanket of evergreen boughs mixed with American beauty roses, while just beyond in the inclosure porch was a bank of flowers and evergreens. The pall bearers were: Thomas J. Walsh, George B> Green, New York; George W. Treat, E. Carleton, Charles E. Carlton, James W. Rollins, Philip Ashton Rollins, Boston; George P. Foss, Strafford; John W. Esmond, Chicago; Millar Wilson, Jacksonville Fla., and Hugh K. Moore, Berlin, N.H. Among the 250 persons present were: President Richard Hunt of the banking house and several other executives of the firm from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal; W. Alton Jones, vice-president; George F. Kennedy of the Cities Serivce Company of New York; Abe LaGare of Washington, James W. Rollins of Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins, Boston; Profs. K.R.C. Flint, C.N. Barber and H.O. Orser of Norwich University and W.V. MacDonald vice president of the Banc-America Vlair Corporation.
————–
Children of Edward H. & Ellen E. (West) Rollins:
1. Edward Warren Rollins, b. 25 Nov 1850, died October 1929 [see obituaries above] ; grad. MIT at Boston; engineer and cashier of the Colorado Central RR, later engaged in banking in Boston MA; he m1) 27 Feb 1878 Jessie V. Witter of Denver CO; m2) St. Louis MO 25 Nov 1891 to Clara H Sherwood of Alton IL. Children: (1) Ashton b 1880); (2) Sherwood, b. 1894. He donated a woodland tract in Concord as a park in memory of his father; he erected rest cabins at Lost River for the Society for the Protection of Forests; he built a nurse’s home in connection with Wentworth Hospital, Dover NH as a memorial to his late daughter-in-law Mrs. Gladys A. Rollins (wife of Ashton Rollins).
2. Mary Helen Rollins, b. 4 Sep 1853; m. Hon. Henry Robinson, Concord attorney
3. Charles Montgomery Rollins, b. 27 Feb 1856; d. 25 June 1861
4. +Frank West Rollins, b. 24 Feb 1860 in Concord NH
5. Montgomery Rollins, b. 25 Aug 1867; m. 28 Oct 1891 to Grace Webster Seavey of Dover NH; in 1910 living in Newton MA with wife Grace, and children Ellen W. and Sarah W. In 1930 Grace was a widow living in Newton MA.

————–Eighth generation————-

Frank West Rollins, son of Edward H. & Ellen Elizabeth (West) Rollins was born 24 Feb 1860 in Concord NH and d. 27 October 1915 in Boston MA. He is buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord NH.  He received his B.S. degree from MIT, and a degree of A.M. from Dartmouth College. He then studied law at Harvard University. He practiced law in Concord NH, and was head of the firm of E.H. Rollins & Sons, bankers of Boston MA, New York, and San Francisco. He was also a director of the Great Western Power Company. He was Adjutant General of NH from 1890-95; President of the State Senate from 1895-6, and from 1899-1901 he was Governor of New Hampshire.  He was a trustee of St. Paul’s School in Concord NH, the Concord Public Library, the Orphan’s Home of Concord, and MIT. He was a former president of the New England Business Federation, and was President of the New Hampshire Good Roads League, the Church Settlement Society, and was a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. He belonged to many clubs including the University Union, Exchange, Authors, Dartmouth, Technology of Boston, the Wonolancet, Snow Shoe and Beaver Meadow Golf of Concord NH. He married 6 Dec 1882 to Katherine Wallace Pecker, dau of Frank H. & Anna H. (Wallace) Pecker. She b. 10 Aug 1861 in VT.  He was an author of several books including “The Ring in the Cliff (1877), The Twin Hussars,” “Break-o-Da Tales” (1895), “The Lady of Violets,” (1898).  Today the Governor Frank West House can be found at 135 N. State Street in Concord NH. His office was located at 19 Milk Street in Boston MA.
[obituary] [likeness & bio]
—————-
1900 United States Federal Census > New Hampshire > Merrimack > Concord Ward 4 > District 151
Rollins Frank W. Head M W Feb 1860 40 married 17 yrs NH NH NH
Rollins, Katherine P. Wife W F Aug 1861 30 married 17 yrs 1 ch 1 living VT NH VT
Rollins, Douglas son W M Oct 1886 single NH NH VT
—————-
U.S. Census > 1910 United States Federal Census > New Hampshire > Merrimack > Concord Ward 4 > District 196
Rollins, Frank W. Head M W 50 m1x 25 yrs NH NH NH Banker Bond House
Rollins, Katherine wife F W 50 m1x 25 yrs 2 ch 1 living NH NH NH
Rollins, Douglas son M W 23 single NH NH NH
[servants]
—————-
Child of Frank W. & Katherine W. (Pecker) Rollins:
1. male child, stillborn, 1 October 1884, Concord NH
2. +Douglas Rollins, b. 25 Oct 1887 Concord NH

————–Ninth generation————-

Douglas Rollins, son of Frank W. & Katherine W. (Pecker) Rollins, b. 25 Oct 1887 Concord NH; ROTC Cambridge MA; student Harvard; enrolled for draft in WWI; he married Beatrice Tremaine, dau of Frank & Grace (Young) Tremaine. She b. April 1896 in Brooklyn NY. In 1922 they sailed on the “Homeric” to NYC where they lived (16 W. 10th Ave NY). In 1933 a Tremain Rollins (widow dob 1 Apr 1896) traveling to US from Europe with Young Tremaine (F widow b 22 Nov 1876) and 2 children, Douglas Rollins Jr. age 9 (b abt 1924), and Gordon Rollins (b abt 1925) age 8. Notes state they were born abroad of U.S. citizens. In 1940 these children traveling from Lisbon Portugal to NYC, res. 4 School Street Concord NH and Three Rivers Farm, Dover NH
—————–
NYTimes 1932 — CONCORD NH June 9 — Douglas Rollins was the only son of the late governor Frank West Rollins, who founded New Hampshire’s annual old-home day custom. He had been living in Europe for the last ten years in an effort to regain his health. He had been an invalid for several years.  In 1919 in Florida he met Miss Beatrice Tremaine, daughter of an English journalist, but an American citizen, whom he later married in London. She was at his bedside today. Other survivors are two sons, Douglas Jr. and Gordon.  Mr. Rollins attends St. Paul’s school here and subsequently went to Harvard. He then entered the investment banking firm of E.H. Rollins & Sons Company of Boston. The Rollins fortune, which for years has been in trust under administration of three Concord trustees, and which was reputed to have yielded Mr. Rollins, the beneficiary, about $40,000 a year, now goes automatically to the widow and children.
—————–
1900 United States Federal Census > New York > New York > Manhattan > District 107
Tremaine, Frank Head W M May — 38 married 5 yrs San Francisco, SF, CA Journalist [b abt 1862]
Tremaine, Grace wife W F Nov 1876 23 m5 yrs 1 ch 1 liv NY NY NY
Tremaine, Beatrice dau W F Apr 1896 4 single NY California NY
—————–
U.S. Census > 1910 United States Federal Census > New York > New York > Manhattan Ward 12 > District 681
Tremaine Howard Head M W 48 m2x 15 yrs NY NY NY Commercial Auditing
Tremaine Grace Wife F W 33 m1x 15 yrs 1 ch 1 living NY NY NY
Tremaine, Beatrice W. dau F W 14 single NY NY NY
—————–
U.S. Census > 1920 United States Federal Census > New York > New York > Manhattan Assembly District 10 > District 710
Tremaine, Grace Head F W 43 married NY NY NY
Tremaine, Beatrice M. dau F W 23 single NH NH NH
—————–
Children of Douglas & Beatrice (Tremaine) Rollins:
1. +Douglas Rollins Jr., b. 20 Sep 1923, d. 24 Apr 2000 York Harbor ME; married Helen Eitel. She b. June 1924 Paris France
2. Gordon Rollins, b. abt 1925 Paris France

————–Tenth generation————-

Douglas Rollins Jr., son of Douglas & Beatrice (Tremaine) Rollins, was b. 20 Sep 1923 in Paris, France, and d. 24 Apr 2000 in York Harbor Maine. He m. Helen Eitel of Louisville KY. She b. June 1924. He was president of Tomhegan Woodlands Inc, a timber company in York Harbor.
————-
Obituary of Douglas Rollins [Jr.]
YORK – Douglas Rollins Jr., 76, of York Harbor, died Monday, April 24, 2000, at his home following a brief illness. Born Sept. 20, 1923, in Paris, he was the son of Douglas and Beatrice Tremaine Rollins. He lived there until the fall of France, coming to this country in August, 1940. He graduated from St. Paul’s School in Concord, and Harvard College, where he was a member of the Iroquois Club, now D.U. He served in the Army 47th Battalion during World War II in the European Theater. He was twice awarded the Croix de Guerre, the first one for translating into French the English directions for the use of radar. The second was awarded by General Charles De Gaulle for solving the enigma of the robbing of supply lines to the French front known as the “Red Ball Express.” He was a resident of Rollinsford for 30 years where he devoted himself to the improvement of the village named for his family. He was a director of the Strafford National Bank in Dover from 1972 to 1991, when it joined the Bank of New Hampshire in Concord. He then served as a member of the Bank of New Hampshire Investment Committee until his retirement. Since 1966, he was the president of Tomhegan Woodlands, Inc. of Tomhegan Township, Maine. He was a founding member of the Strafford County Regional Planning Committee and of the Strafford Child Guidance Clinic, both in Dover. Dedicated to historic preservation, he was a member of the Northam Colonists of Dover, an incorporator of the Old York Historical Society, and an officer and overseer of Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, and was active in the New Hampshire Republican Party. He formerly served as senior warden of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Dover, and was a trustee of Trinity Church, York Harbor, until his death. He was a member of the York Harbor Reading Room. He was the husband of the former Helen Eitel of Louisville, Ky., for 52 years. In addition to his wife, survivors include three sons, Douglas Rollins III of Milbank, S.D., Paul E. Rollins of York and John G. Rollins of Seattle; three daughters, Helen Rollins Lord of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Alexandra Rollins Upton of Boston; and Elizabeth Rollins Mauran of Providence, R.I.; and nine grandchildren.
—————–
Obituary of Helen (Eitel) Rollins:
YORK HARBOR – Helen Eitel Rollins, of York Harbor, Maine, died on June 6, 2009, surrounded by her family after a heroic struggle with a little known disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 30, 1924, Helen was the daughter of Paul T. and Louise F. Eitel. Helen attended Kentucky Home School for Girls, the University of Louisville, where she was a Pi Beta Phi sister, and Purdue University, where she studied aeronautic engineering. In 1942, as World War II began, Helen enlisted in the Navy as a WAVE and served in the War Department in Washington, DC, where she tracked weather for ships at sea. After the war, she worked for the Episcopal Rector at Harvard College; there she met her husband of 52 years, Douglas Rollins who pre-deceased her in 2000. They married and moved to Rollinsford, NH where they lived for 30 years before moving to York Harbor. A true community leader, she served on many boards including the Dover Children’s Home, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, the Guild of Strawbery Banke, Piscataqua Garden Club, Old York Historical Society, York Hospital, St George’s Church, and Trinity Church. She was a founding member of the Guild of Strawbery Banke, the York Public Library, and of the Archive of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution. Helen was active in the Republican Party, in conservation and historic preservation. For 40 years, she served as the Vice President of Tomhegan Woodlands, Inc. She is a former member of the Chilton Club, the Filson Club, and the York Harbor Reading Room.
When most people were thinking of retiring, Helen championed computer database use in cataloguing a collection of glass plate negatives owned by the Garden Club of America. Her work there grew into a national project to preserve the history of notable gardens in America, now comprising more than 80,000 images and plans at the Smithsonian. Although the Archive was formally established in 1987 with the support of the Garden Club of America, Helen continued to serve throughout her life as the contact for landscape historians wishing to research or contribute to the Archive.
Survivors include her brother Paul T. and Marilyn Eitel, of Hilton Head, SC, children, Douglas and Euretta (Buzzi) Rollins, of Milbank, SD, Helen Rollins Lord of York Harbor, ME, Paul and Carla Rollins of York, ME, Alexandra and Gordon Upton, of Boston, MA, Elizabeth and Frank Mauran of Providence, RI, and John Susan Rollins of Seattle, WA, nine grandchildren, Jesse, Catherine, Douglas IV, Ruth, Philip, Paul, Marion, Cecily and John, and a great-grandchildren, Colby and tbd. A Funeral Service will be held at 4 PM on Friday, June 12, at Trinity Church, 546 York Street, York Harbor. Interment will be in the First Parish Cemetery, York. Arrangements are under the direction of the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale. In lieu of flowers, Helen’s family suggests gifts to her beloved Trinity Church or the York Public Library.
—————–
Children of Douglas & Helen (Eitel) Rollins:
1. Douglas Rollins III of Milbank S.D., who m. Euretta Buzzi
2. Paul E. Rollins of York Maine
3. John G. Rollins of Seattle WA
4. Alexandra Rollins; who m. Nov 1987 to Gordon Allen Upton; res Boston MA
5. Elizabeth Rollins who m. Frank Mauran, of Providence RI
6. Helen Tremaine Rollins who m. Aug 1986 to William Aborn Lord. She resides York Harbor, Maine.

*Some Sources*
1. Leonard Weeks of Greenland NH by Jacob Chapman
2. Records of families of the name Rawlins or Rollins in the United States, by John R. Rollins, 1874
3. United States Census, 1790-1930
4. New York Times

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