I Went That Way

Posted on 3 July, 2007 by Janice Brown

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New Hampshire: The Signers

Posted on 2 July, 2007 by Janice Brown

When asked, very few people can name the three men who represented New Hampshire at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, i.e.:

– William Whipple.
– Matthew Thornton.
– Josiah Bartlett.

Even fewer people can name those New Hampshirites who signed the Constitution of the United States. (Now after reading this article, at least YOU should be able to). The two men were:
– Nicholas Gilman.
– John Langdon.

On September 17, 1787, the Constitutional Convention came to a close in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Seventy (70) individuals attended the meetings. Fifty-five (55) men attended most of the meetings, and ultimately only thirty-nine (39) delegates actually SIGNED the Constitution. Because New Hampshire did not provide funds, its two delegates, John Langdon and Nicholas Gilman, did not arrive at the Convention until July 23, 1787, and had to pay their own way.


– Nicholas Gilman. (1755-1814)— Nicholas Gilman, son of Nicholas & Ann (Taylor) Gilman was born 3 August 1755 at Exeter NH and died 2 May 1814 at Philadelphia PA. A merchant and lawyer, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives (1789-1797), and was a United States Senator (1805-1814). He never married. He is buried at Exeter Cemetery, in Exeter NH (NOT Winter Street, see burial correction comment).

– John Langdon (1741-1819)— son of John & Mary (Hall) Langdon was born 26 June 1741 in Portsmouth, Rockingham Co NH and died 18 September 1819 in Portsmouth NH. He was a farmer and local politician who served as a United States Senator for twelve years (1789-1801), and served as governor of New Hampshire from 1805-1812 (with the exception of the year 1809). He is buried in the Langdon Tomb, in the North Cemetery, Portsmouth NH. John Langdon’s house in Portsmouth NH still stands, and is open for visitors.

Janice

*Additional Reading*

–The Gilman Family of Exeter NH–

–Governor John Langdon–
– Gov. John Langdon Tomb, Old North Cemetery, Portsmouth NH

–U.S. Constitution Primer–

–United States Constitution–

–American Indians & The United States Constitution–

–The Influence of the Great Law of Peace–

–Wikipedia: The Constitution–

Posted in History, Irish in New Hampshire, New Hampshire Men | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Beachcomber – intaglio & relief by Nancy Nemec

Posted on 1 July, 2007 by Janice Brown

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New Hampshire’s Caddie Camps

Posted on 29 June, 2007 by Janice Brown

In the early days of golf in New Hampshire,

especially at the luxury hotels located in the White Mountains, it was traditional to provide caddies for golfers.  Since many of these hotels were in fairly remote areas, there simply were not enough local youth to fill these positions.

Then someone came up with the idea of recruiting young men from the inner cities (many from Boston MA), and provide them with a camp-like experience, where they would learn how to caddy, and earn some money to help them financially. They stayed in anything from tents to cabins to dedicated buildings.  “A Daily Dose of Fiber” states that over 2,000 young men learned about golf this way. In 1998 a shrine was built in Bethlehem NH, on the edge of Maplewood Village. Continue reading →

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Paris Hilton: Six Degrees of Desperado

Posted on 27 June, 2007 by Janice Brown

Is it possible that Paris Hilton’s recent problems are attributable to her family tree?

The photograph shows, left to right, top row: John Wesley Hardin, Jesse
James, Edward “Ned” Kelly; bottom row, Frank James, Paris Hilton, Tom
“Black Jack” Ketchum.
With Paris Hilton’s recent release from jail, my thoughts turn to what led her there in the first place. Psychologists may blame it all on something lacking in her childhood education, or possibly an  irresistable personal urge to self-destruct.

I blame it on the “Six Degrees of Separation” in her bloodline.  Paris’ great-grandmother, Mary Barron, who married Conrad Nicholson Hilton may have passed along a not-so-law-abiding genetic heritage.

For example, did you know that Paris Hilton is…..

—  an eighth cousin 1 time removed from Jesse and Frank James, the notorious armed bank and stage robbers
— an eighth cousin 3 times removed from Edward “Ned” Kelly, reportedly “the most famous Australian cattle rustler and bank robber of the 19th century”
— a ninth cousin 1 time removed from John Wesley Hardin, an outlaw and gunfighter in Texas. He was reported to be “the meanest man alive, once killing a man just for snoring.”
— an eighth cousin 4 times removed from Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum, mainly a train robber and member of the infamous “Hole-In-The-Wall” Gang

Well, now I must admit, not ALL of Paris’ cousins are stage chasers, cow wranglers and desperados.  She is also distantly related to several United States presidents and their wives, famous writers, poets, activists and the like.  But don’t you agree it is much more fun to hear those skeletons rattling in her closet next to her designer gowns?

And as long as I’m pointing fingers, I’ll have to fess up that Paris Hilton and I share a few cousins, and so indeed we are cousins ourselves.  Her notorious Tom Ketchum is also my 5th cousin 3 times removed.

In addition Paris and I also share distant cousin-ship with Katharine Hepburn (American actress), Eugene Delacroix (French artist), Jane Austen (English author), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (American author).

I think that Mae West, Paris Hilton’s 8th cousin, would have given her the following sound advice for the future: “A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.”

Janice

PS: The family relationships reported above are abstracted from Ancestry.com’s “Find Famous Relatives” beta search, based on Paris Hilton’s believed family tree.  The photograph shows, left to right, top row: John Wesley Hardin, Jesse James, Edward “Ned” Kelly; bottom row, Frank James, Paris Hilton, Tom “Black Jack” Ketchum.

This article does imply that Paris Hilton has led, or ever will lead a life of crime similar to her notorious cousins.

Janice

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