New Hampshire WWI Military: Captain Nathaniel Robert Mason of North Conway

Posted on 8 May, 2017 by Janice Brown

Captain Nathaniel R. Mason in his WWI uniform. Photograph courtesy of his granddaughter, Ellen McGrath. Used here with her written permission.

I recently saw a wonderful comment left on this blog by the granddaughter of a New Hampshire WWI veteran. He had a fascinating life and she was rightfully proud of him.

For whatever reason, his name was omitted from the Conway NH area veteran plaques and monuments. Perhaps it was because he moved to Boston where he practiced medicine, though he was a native and often spend his summers in the Conway area.

Ellen McGrath has kindly allowed me to use her grandfather’s photographs in this story. This is a link to the site where there are more. Hopefully I will surprise both her and you with what I have discovered about this interesting and talented man. Continue reading →

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100 Years Ago: “Gold Star Women” Nurses of World War I

Posted on 4 May, 2017 by Janice Brown


Lithograph Poster. “Hold up your end!” War fund week poster; 1917, W.B. King, artist. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington D.C.

Nurses run in my family. My 2nd great-grandfather Aaron Webster was a nurse during America’s Civil War. My father’s sister, Anna (Webster) Watkins was a nurse, as was my sister, Kathi Webster. Close and dear first cousins also followed that selfless profession. None of them died in war time.

Many of the American nurses of World War I worked under the auspices of the American Red Cross, while still others were considered members of the U.S. army. They did not hold rank, nor did they receive any military benefits when the war ended.

They put themselves in the direct line of both danger from the bombs and poison gas, but also cared for highly contagious military patients. Their sacrifice cannot be stressed enough, and yet they received little or no recognition.  According to a newspaper article in a Lebanon PA edition of January 1919, over 200 WWI nurses died from influenza, that they contracted from caring for their soldier patients.  Continue reading →

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New Hampshire WWI Military: Heroes of Hooksett

Posted on 30 April, 2017 by Janice Brown

A current day view of Hooksett NH’s Veteran’s Park at Jacob Square. Photo property of Kathie Northrup, chairman, Hooksett Historical Commission. Used here with her permission.

Hooksett New Hampshire even today is a relatively small town. Its southern portion (the village of South Hooksett) is adjacent to the City of Manchester. In 1917 when the United States entered The Great War (WWI) Hooksett only had between 1500 and 1800 residents.

For a town with a small population, it sent more than its quota of men to serve in the military. Every family that remained at home did their part.

The 1919 Hooksett Town Report posted a list of residents who served. I have transcribed that list here. At least one of the men mentioned was killed in action. Continue reading →

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Six Simple Steps for Bloggers When Someone Plagiarizes Your Research

Posted on 26 April, 2017 by Janice Brown

The Leach (Hirudo officinalis):The animal kingdom, arranged after its organization : forming a natural history of animals, and an introduction to comparative anatomy
by Baron Georges Cuvier, Edward Blyth et al; Published 1849

This article is not about dealing with the loser who copies your entire blog content and re-posts it on their website or blog. That problem is far easier to remedy than dealing with someone who uses pieces of your research and promotes it as their own. If you write previously unpublished, detailed, well documented history stories,  use of your hard-sought information WILL happen, sooner or later.

Stealing may be too harsh a word for copying other people’s research. After all, there is nothing new in the universe, is there? Leonardo Da Vinci used other people ideas, why not us? We blog because we want people to read our stories. We just would prefer that WE get the credit for our research, not that person who simply googled, read and then promoted it as their own. Of course they could say they have found this information independently.  “Credit” itself is like an elusive butterfly on the verge of extinction. The person who used your information probably didn’t say they discovered a piece of information, they just neglected to say where they learned about it.  Is this wrong, or just the norm? Continue reading →

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New Hampshire WWI Military: Heroes of Conway

Posted on 22 April, 2017 by Janice Brown

Postcard, Main Street Conway NH, October 8,
1921. Plymouth State University, Museum of the
White Mountains.

Conway in Carroll County New Hampshire has several monuments to those who both served and died during World War I.  The town itself is composed of eight villages that are part of Conway—Center Conway, North Conway, East Conway, Intervale, Kearsarge, Quint, Redstone, and South Conway.  It is bordered on the east by the State of Maine, and the residents often traveled over the border living at various times in both states.

Before I go into detail on the young men from Conway and vicinity who lost their lives during the World War, I will note the engraved names on some of the memorial plaques.  It is important to remember the actual people WHO both served, and especially those who sacrificed their lives.  I would like to thank Bob Cottrell for his assistance in researching this story. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Military of New Hampshire, NH WW1 Military | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments