New England Poetry: The Last Day of Summer

Posted on 23 September, 2019 by Janice Brown

–THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER–

To ZEPHIRA.
Come hither, come hither, my May-day queen,
The last day of summer is here;
But weep not,–nor sigh, for merry old Time
Will bring us another year.
Yet ’tis hard to part with the joy of one’s heart,
Though there’s something that heart to cheer. Continue reading →

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Lost Face of WWI: Canteen Worker Nelle Robertson (1877-1919) of Virginia Illinois

Posted on 17 September, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Nelle Robertson courtesy of Dale Robertson, whose great-grandfather was a first-cousin to Nelle. Used with permission.

This story of Nelle Robertson is part of a continuing series to honor those women of WWI who died in service.  Sometimes called “Gold Star” Women they served as yeomen, nurses, telephone operators, Red Cross volunteers and as YMCA/YWCA canteen workers.

It is this latter work that Nelle Robertson was involved with.  She was well educated, had a supportive family, and died far away from home while serving her country.

When we think of non-military service during WWI many jobs come to mind.  I’ve written about the nurses, telephone operators, ambulance drivers, Red Cross and other ancillary workers who provided essential but often dangerous tasks in Europe and on the home front.  Not mentioned before (in my stories) were the services that the YMCA and YWCA canteen workers provided.  And so I mention them now. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Slanguage: “It was a floorer.”

Posted on 10 September, 2019 by Janice Brown

1950s Manchester NH. Pete Webster pointing a toy gun at his sister (me) who had thought we were on the same side. Maybe he just wanted his hat back. “It was a floorer.”

I was researching and came across a saying that I remember my father using, though it is rare for me to hear it today. When something happened that was totally a shock and surprise that made you speechless, you would describe it saying, “it was a floorer.”

This is an interesting colloquialism to be sure. It hints at someone hitting the floor from being faint with the thought of an event or sight. I am sure most people can relate to this sort of experience. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire WWI Military: “Hello Girl” Lydia C. Gelinas of Nashua

Posted on 3 September, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Lydia Gelinas of Nashua NH, New Hampshire’s first ‘Hello Girl;’ from a 1918l Nashua newspaper.

In a previous story 2 years ago I wrote about Agnes Theresa (Houley) O’Brien, a Groveton NH woman who moved to Boston and eventually ended up in Europe working for the United States Army as an telephone operator there. Agnes was not sent to France until October of 1918, and so the woman I am writing about here, Lydia Gelinas, was probably New Hampshire’s first “Hello Girl” of WWI.

When America went to war, a primary need was to set up a communication’s network. They needed skilled telephone operators fluent in England and French (or German or Italian, etc. depending on their assignments). New England was one place where many of the women telephone operators were bilingual. Continue reading →

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Merrimack New Hampshire’s Boston Post Cane

Posted on 27 August, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of a New Hampshire Boston Post Cane (this one from Hampton NH). Photos courtesy Bill Teschek, Lane Memorial Library – 2004. Used with permission.

I recently wrote about a custom unique to New England, namely the awarding of the Boston Post Cane.  I won’t be repeating all that background data, and instead focus on one New Hampshire town’s oldest cane recipients.

Suffice it to say that in 1909 the Boston Post newspaper sent out gold-tipped ebony canes to several hundred New England towns, with a letter urging them to bestow the cane on worth citizens of their towns. Merrimack, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire was among those who received one. Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History, New Hampshire Men | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments