New Hampshire Bank Cashier, Club Woman, Civic Leader: Winifred (Lane) Goss of Pittsfield and Dover

Posted on 21 March, 2020 by Janice Brown

Mrs. WInifred (Lane) Goss. Photo from One Thousand New Hampshire Notables. Colorized by J.W. Brown.

Winifred Lane was born on 30 April 1875 in Pittsfield NH, daughter of Charles Henry and Almira Lovena (Perkins) Lane. She attended the local Pittsfield schools, and graduated from Kimball Union Academy in Meriden New Hampshire. She was one of four  children, with deep roots in the town of Pittsfield.

According to her biography, “she was a member of Congregational Church, Pittsfield, the church of her forebears, whose first clerk was her maternal great-grandfather, Deacon Jonathan Perkins, who also served as deacon from the organization of the church, 1789, till his death, forty years later; her esteemed father was warden and treasurer of this church many years and bequeathed a trust fund whose income is to be used for the repair of the church buildings” Continue reading →

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Human and Animal Rights Advocate, Cheshire County NH Deputy Sheriff Jennie Belle (Carter) Powers (1864-1936)

Posted on 14 March, 2020 by Janice Brown

Photo of Mrs. Jennie Powers from a 1917 Boston Post newspaper. Colorized by J.W. Brown.

The Boston Sunday Globe newspaper called her “a fearless woman.”  At her death the National Humane review said of her: “For in all the state there was no one like Jennie Belle Powers. Mrs. Powers was humane agent for the Cheshire County Humane Society. A unique personality, no other woman was better qualified for the duties of an active humane officer. She had an unusual background and an amazing career.”

Despite her tough job you rarely saw criticism of her though she was frequently in the news. She devoted much of her life to insuring that both man (mostly women and children) and beast were protected from cruelty in all its forms.  Her personal life was touched by tragedy as both of her children died as infants. Perhaps it was that sense of loss, that became part of her drive to protect the young and mothers. Continue reading →

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Famed Dog Musher, Sled Dog Trainer and Racer: Florence (Murray) Clark (1900-1950):of Lincoln New Hampshire

Posted on 7 March, 2020 by Janice Brown

1932 photograph of Mrs. Florence (Murray) Clark with her lead dog, Clarkso.

Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes varieties such as carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting and weight pulling. One or more dogs are used to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land.

Florence Murray Clark, the subject of this article, became interested in mushing from neighbor Ed Clark who she later married.  In addition to being a wife and mother, her life-long interest and career was entwined with dog sledding and the animals themselves.  There has been much written about this remarkable woman, and in this article I will only cover the highlights and some of her genealogy.  You can find links at the bottom of the page to learn more details of her life. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Tidbits: March 2020 is Women’s History Month

Posted on 1 March, 2020 by Janice Brown

Each year the National Women’s History Alliance selects a theme to encourage authors of all levels and abilities to write about women and to be inclusive of them in our collective history. Their 2020 Women’s History Month theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote,”that honors “the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.”

I am feeling very much in step, as in 2019 many of my stories focused on New Hampshire women AND men who worked on behalf of suffrage in New Hampshire and nation-wide. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Civic Leader, Woman’s Club Promoter, Suffragist: Nellie Fostina (Tupper) Woodward of Nashua

Posted on 25 February, 2020 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Mrs. Nellie F. Woodward from Granite State Monthly, Vol 43-44, 1911. Colorized by the blog editor.

Nellie Fostina Tupper was born on 20 October 1854 in Nashua NH, daughter of Freeman Eastman & Susan E. (Howe) Tupper.  She was educated in the local Nashua schools.  During the 1870s-80s there were several private high schools in addition to lower level grammar schools in that city.  Her father, Freeman was a trader and goods seller.

On her paternal side, she is descended from Thomas Tupper of Sandwich England who was an early settler of Sandwich MA and of the Ladds of Haverhill.  On her maternal side, she was a descendant of John Spofford and Elizabeth Scott, first settlers of Georgetown MA, and of the Howes of Peterborough NH.  Nellie was also a close cousin to  Earl Silas Tupper (who I wrote about previously), the inventor of “tupperware.” Continue reading →

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