2017 — New Hampshire’s Hourglass Has Turned

Posted on 31 December, 2016 by Janice Brown

From the Boston Globe newspaper, January 1, 1917, one hundred years ago.

The hourglass has turned; the last few sands
That marked the Old Year now have slipped away,
And in his outstretched hand the New Year holds
The future of a twelvemonth’s span.

Then hail New Year! We bid thee welcome. Thy gifts are many, but not yet disclosed.
With thee may come joy or sorrow, pain or loss, failure or success, hope deferred or dreams realized.
We bid thee welcome and will try to cherish and improve thy gift of time.
We greet thee with a cheer as we undertake our journey in thy care.
“Life must march forward in a column of days.”
—Samuel Gardiner Ayres

Continue reading →

Posted in History, Poetry, Really Old News | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Farm Boy Who Built New Hampshire’s Only Silver Industry: Concord’s William Butler Durgin (1833-1905)

Posted on 28 December, 2016 by Janice Brown

Fairfax pattern silverware advertisement by William B. Durgin Co.

William B. Durgin’s silver flatware and serving pieces are today still very much collectible and in demand. During the company’s heyday his Fairfax silver pattern was the leading one in the entire United States.

But William Butler Durgin was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  Though I give credit in the story title to Concord, where he gained his greatest economic success, he was a native of Campton, in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Continue reading →

Posted in Genealogy, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

New Hampshire Christmas Gifts and Events of 100 Years Ago (1916)

Posted on 24 December, 2016 by Janice Brown

In December of 1916, one hundred years ago, the Portsmouth (NH) Herald offered tidbits of local information along with advertisements for Christmas gifts and food. These offerings are a window into New Hampshire’s past. Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Faces of Warren Plummer & Eliza Ann (Pease) Tenney of New Hampshire and Vermont

Posted on 22 December, 2016 by Janice Brown

wp-and-eliza-tenney-watermarkedThe faces of Eliza Ann Pease and her second husband, Warren Plummer Tenney, peer out from worn and speckled photographs. These are gem-sized pictures, designed to be inserted into jewelry, that managed to remain in their paper wrappers, and were taken after their marriage in 1861.  Continue reading →

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Blog Caroling: This Time of Year

Posted on 20 December, 2016 by Janice Brown

My dear friend fM’s favorite holiday tradition (she says) is Blog Caroling.  I suspect that her ritual of dressing up in flannel jammies with hot toddy in hand are as important as the musical production.

Last year I presented a truly local song.  But with New Hampshire-specific Christmas songs being rarer than chestnut trees, I settled, quite happily, for one I like that has little to do with my locale. Continue reading →

Posted in Carnivals and Memes, History, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments