When You Wish Upon A Gene

Posted on 29 November, 2007 by Janice Brown

Genealogists are a strange bunch.

When gift-giving events roll around, they don’t want the “normal” things.  Instead of an  iPod, they want a subscription to an online research service.  Rather than eating cake and ice cream, they’d rather be digging through that box of old photographs.

After thirty years of genealogical research, I’ve fully traced most of my immediate lines (Brown, Geer, Judd, Sisco, Webster, Kilborn, Thompson, Miner, Dyer, Wicks, Moulthrop, Abbott, Runnels, Hickok, Tuttle, Uran, Long, Ordway, Blakeslee, Allen, Plummer, Worthley, Corser, Blaisdell, Jackman, Hardy) — they are a veritable Who’s Who of early New England families.  Continue reading →

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1819 New Hampshire: A Whale Is A Fish?

Posted on 27 November, 2007 by Janice Brown

On 2 February 1819 the New-Hampshire Gazette of Portsmouth New Hampshire reported on a courtroom dispute about the classification of whales as follows:

“A very long and sage trial has been carrying on in our court, relative to the question whether a whale is a fish, referring to some dispute relative to fish oil.  On this occasion all the learned men of the age have been called in to decide on the question, and the majority of opinions maintain that a whale is not a fish. This is stretching a point of learning to a dangerous length, and all the minute distinctions of genera, in the science of icthiology, will not prevent a man of common sense from believing that a whale is a fish, for the simple reason that it is not a beast or a bird. After all, we adopt the motto of Ollapod, in such cases, “rhubard is rhubarb, call it what you please.” 

The case was finally decided that a whale is a fish; and whale oil is fish oil. —N.Y. Adv.” 

Headline: [Trial; Court; Occasion]; Article Type: News/Opinion Paper: New-Hampshire Gazette; Date: 02-02-1819; Volume: LXIV; Issue: 10; Page: [1]; Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Janice

This strange story of misguided icthiology is my submission for the 2nd Edition of  “Cabinet of Curiousities” Carnival.  Feel free to join this and other stranger submitters! (See submissions to the first edition)

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He put the "Straw" in Straw Point: New Hampshire Governor Ezekiel A. Straw

Posted on 27 November, 2007 by Janice Brown
Ezekiel A. Straw

Ezekiel A. Straw

Straw Point is an outcropping of land, located at the north end of Rye Beach, near Jenness Beach. Originally this point was called Joscelyn / Josselyn’s Point. It is not known which Josselyn family member–Henry, John or another–were responsible for giving it their name.).

 

After being settled in 1660 by John Lock(e) and his family until about 1872, this area was called Lock(e)’s Point.  Then Ezekiel A. Straw, who had became Governor of New Hampshire in 1872, erected the first summer home well out on this Point. Continue reading →

Posted in Irish in New Hampshire, New Hampshire Men | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Thank Your First Commenter Day

Posted on 25 November, 2007 by Janice Brown

Genealogy reminds us of where we came from, and sometimes who helped us get here.

And so too, as bloggers we should remember our origin from time-to-time.  Probably the best way to do this is to review one’s early blogging moments and days. My thanks to Ascender Rises Above, for inspiring this article.

I began blogging on March 16, 2006.  In addition to posting several stories that month, I sought out New Hampshire and genealogy-specific bloggers to add to my list of posted favorites.  Among them was the first person to comment on this blog.

The article “Live Free or Die Here–You’re Going to Love it,” was a tongue-in-cheek article about New Hampshire’s state motto. Joanie from Grain of Sand, was my very first commenter, following immediately by DCE from “Weekend Pundit.”  My thanks to both of them for the much-needed encouragement.

We should all take a few minutes to acknowledge our early commenters!

Janice

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Zatae Leola (Longsdorff) Straw, M.D.

Posted on 25 November, 2007 by Janice Brown

Read the story about the life of Dr. Zatae Straw. 

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