2019: The 11th Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge

Posted on 9 November, 2019 by Janice Brown

View of the Unancoonuc Mountains, Goffstown New Hampshire.

I was excited to see that my friend, distant cousin, and blogger extraordinaire, Bill West,  has announced his 11th annual “Great Genealogy Poetry” challenge. The challenge is open to anyone who will post a poem on their blog or web site by November 21st.  They will be posted on Thanksgiving Day. (Send him your link on November 21st to be sure it is included). Rules and details can be found at this link.

According to (part of) the rules, “Find a poem by a poet, famous or obscure, about the region one of your ancestors lived in.” In this particular case the ancestors referred to are my parents and grandparents (and of course I must include myself and my son too) who lived and raised their families in view of the Uncanoonuc Mountains–the title of the submitted poem. An explanation of why I chose this poem, and a bit about the author will follow. Continue reading →

Posted in Boulders and Profiles, History, New Hampshire Entertainers, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Dr. James Murray Rowe Family of Barnstead and Concord New Hampshire

Posted on 2 November, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph marked “Dr. James M. Rowe and his cows.” Barnstead NH. Property of J.W. Brown. Original scanned and enhanced.

James Murray Rowe was one of New Hampshire’s early dentists.  He was born 18 January 1834 in Holderness, New Hampshire son of John B. & Susan (Evans) Rowe*.   You may wonder why I am writing about him.  A few years ago I bought two photographs that show him with his cows and also posing in front of his home in Barnstead NH with a horse and carriage.   Dr. James Murray Rowe died on 18 June 1896 in Barnstead NH of liver cancer, and so these photographs would have to be taken prior to that date.

He left behind a generation of dentists and physicians, for most of his children followed in his medical footsteps, and his daughter married a physician.  They practiced in Concord and Manchester New Hampshire for many years.

Continue reading →

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An 1873 New Hampshire Halloween

Posted on 26 October, 2019 by Janice Brown

The Mirror and Farmer newspaper (Manchester NH) published this story on 15 November 1873, page 8 HALLOWEEN AT BRENTWOOD — A correspondent of the Exeter News-Letter gives the following account of the celebration of Halloween by some young ladies in Brentwood:

“In spite of modern civilization–that ruthless foe of credulity and superstition–a party of Brentwood young ladies determined to celebrate Halloween in true Scottish style under the direction of a bona fide Scotch woman, whose ancestors had held the night in strict observance among the hills of Scotland. Accordingly they assembled, last Friday evening, and inaugurated the ceremonies by eating an apple with the greatest solemnity, when each proceeded singly, bearing a lamp, without a word or laugh, which would break the charm, to a distant chamber, where she would behold her future husband. Continue reading →

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A Nurse Hero of WWI: Elma Irene Groves of Lodi Wisconsin (1888-1918)

Posted on 19 October, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of nurse Elma I. Groves who died in France during WWI. Courtesy of her 2nd great-niece, Kathy Steckelberg. Used here with permission.

As my readers know, I rarely write about people who do not have a New Hampshire connection. In this particular case the 2nd great-niece of a nurse who died in service during WWI contacted me, and I agreed to write about Elma Irene Groves of Lodi, Wisconsin.

Nurses “run in my family,” so how could I possibly refuse? I have written stories about several other WWI nurses who made the ultimate sacrifice.  This is also the case in this story.

Elma Irene Groves was born 16 June 1888 in Lodi, Columbia Co., Wisconsin, the daughter of Frank W. & Emma A. (Herr) Groves.  She was a “middle child”– one of 7 born to the Grove family.   She died 101 years ago today (this story being posted 19 October 2019). [Editor’s note: Today also happens to be my mother’s birthday.  She would be 100 years old if she were alive today.] Continue reading →

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A Case of Mistaken Identity: Maria Stevens of Manchester New Hampshire

Posted on 14 October, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Maria(h) Stevens taken as her 1876 graduation picture from Manchester High School. She is the subject of this article.

I purchased a photograph on eBay being advertised as “CDV Photo ID’s Maria Annan Stevens 1878 wife of George, Manchester New Hampshire.” I presumed that the ID was correct, the reverse side of the photograph only had “Maria Stevens” written in an old cursive font. I noticed it was Colby Photographers but didn’t inspect the photograph beyond that detail.

I began to research Mary (Annan) Stevens, and had gathered a great deal of information on her but mostly on her husband, George Stevens, who was a civil engineer and architect in Manchester NH. It made for a great story. And then I took a moment to look again at the photograph. This time I noticed that the back shows “Class of 1876” Manchester N.H. Having seen this notation before, I realized that the photograph was a high school graduation photograph of Maria Stevens in 1876. Continue reading →

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