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The Thanksgiving Plate

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A while ago I bought this blue and white Staffordshire plate at Plimoth Plantation museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  I think souvenirs should be useful, as well as remembrances of trips.  This one is used at Thanksgiving, but most of the year it sits in my china cabinet. 

At the museum shop there were several similar plates. One had the Mayflower, and another had Plymouth Rock.  I liked this one because of the family crests around the edge, the Thanksgiving scene, and for the surprise on the back of the plate! 






The Standish family crest


The Howland family crest


I was surprised to find this list of the "Pilgrim Fathers" stamped on the back of the plate.  It's always fun to have a souvenir with five ancestors listed on it! Are your ancestors listed here, too? 


Of course, there is no mention of the "Pilgrim Mothers" or the children here.  So I had to buy a mug with all the other names!

If you are interested in buying a plate like this, it is still for sale at Plimoth Plantation!  Perhaps you can still get it in time for your Thanksgiving table?

Here is the link to this item at the museum shop website:
http://www.plimoth.com/products/first-thanksgiving-plate?variant=5991079041

(If you poke around the website you can find the other plates and the mug I mentioned above)

DISCLAIMER-  I was not paid by Plimoth Plantation to endorse their museum shop, or reimbursed in any way. But I am a proud member.  And a descendant of eleven Mayflower passengers.

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Thanksgiving Plate", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 20, 2015 (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-thanksgiving-plate.html: accessed [access date]).



Surname Saturday ~ WALLIS of Rockingham County, New Hampshire

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WALLIS/WALLACE/WALLES/WALLS

The first record of George Wallis is when he bought land in Rumney Marsh, now Chelsea, Massachusetts in 1656.  George Wallis next bought land in Little Harbor (part of Portsmouth, New Hampshire) in 1660.  The deed describes him as “sometime of Newfoundland”.  In 1685 administration of his estate was granted to his widow, Eleanor.  On 13 March 1785/6 his children William, George and Honor signed a deed dividing his land, as well as Walter Randall and James Berry for their wives, and “with the consent of Caleb, our youngest brother”.   This land is now near the state park and beach now known as Wallis Sands in Rye, New Hampshire.

I descend from the George Wallis’s daughter Eleanor, wife of James Berry.  I also descend from a completely different Wallis family, descendants of John Wallis (1627 – 1690) of Gloucester, Massachusetts at this link: http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/12/surname-saturday-wallis-of-gloucester.html  I also have a mystery Wallis – who is the unknown Wallis who married Sarah Wilkinson, daughter of Samuel Wilkinson (1722 – 1795) of Deerfield or Epping, New Hampshire?

Some WALLIS resources:

Martin Hollick, the blogger at The Slovak Yankee has written about the descendants of George Wallis extensively  http://mhollick.typepad.com/slovakyankee/

My WALLIS lineage:

Generation 1:  George Wallis, born about 1619, probably in England, died 14 Dec 1685 in Little Harbor, New Hampshire; married to Eleanor Unknown. Six children.

Generation 2: Eleanor Wallis, born 1652 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; married about 1673 in Rye to James Berry, son of William Berry and Jane Unknown.  He was born between 1650 and 1652 and died after 1712. Five children.

Generation 3: Samuel Berry m. Abigail Webster
Generation 4: Jotham Berry m. Mary Bates
Generation 5: Rachel Berry m. Ithamar Mace
Generation 6: Abigail Mace m. Simon Locke
Generation 7: Richard Locke m. Margaret Welch
Generation 8: Abigail M. Locke m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 9:  George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katharine Emerson
Generation 10: Carrie Maud Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ WALLIS of Rockingham County, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 21, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/surname-saturday-wallis-of-rockingham.html: accessed [access date]). 

Clues to finding Dodge’s Row Burying Ground, Beverly, Massachusetts

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Dodge's Row Burying Ground, off Dodge Street, Beverly, Massachusetts

I dare you to find this little gem of a cemetery!  Even with a map, a GPS and a written description of how to find this cemetery we had a lot of trouble finding this cemetery.  “Dodge, shared right of way on right and driveways on left, opposite and in between Norwood’s and Beaver Pond Roads (North Beverly), park in cemetery.”  These were the only clues I could find online at the Beverly, Massachusetts US GenWeb Project.  




There are no signs off Dodge Street to tell you where to turn, and even once you pull into a private home driveway you are faced with several signs stating “PRIVATE DRIVE”, but you have to be brave enough to drive right through on the driveway, which is really a right-of-way through private property to the burying ground.

It was only later when we pulled up Google Earth’s satellite images of Dodge Street in Beverly and carefully viewed the woods between and behind the houses along the road- when we found it!  It's well hidden, but worth the drive if you have North Beverly ancestors.  The oldest stone I found was 1705.  The newest one I saw read 1922.  Many are broken or illegible. 

Here is a screen shot of how this cemetery looks via satellite image on an iPhone.  You can see the cemetery in the woods to the left of the tree farm (which is a big clue to finding this burying ground).  The private drive way is between two houses, with two more homes behind them on the way to the cemetery.  Be brave and keep driving! 



Some of the gravestones are illegible, sunken or facedown

This part of the cemetery seems to be in the process of being swallowed by the forest

Essex Antiquarian, July 1899, volume 3, page 105 “Dodge’s Row Burying Ground Inscriptions”.   [It’s a good thing that these gravestones were transcribed over 116 years ago, because they are very faded today. This article transcribed only pre-1800 stones.  A digital version of this volume is available online at Family Search  https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE97465]

Inscriptions from the Old Burying Ground in Dodg’es Row, North Beverly, Massachusetts, 1888, [A small book of only 14 pages].

Some photos of Dodge’s Row tombstones [only those stones with the surname DODGE] from the Dodge Family Association website

Dodge’s Row tombstones by plot number


Good Luck finding Dodge’s Row Burying ground!  I’ll be featuring a few of these interesting tombstones starting tomorrow for Tombstone Tuesday.

For the truly curious:

The deeds to all the land comprising Dodge's Row Burying Ground were transcribed and published in The Essex Institute Historical Collections, Volume XXIV, 1887,  pages 116 -  122

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Clues to finding Dodge’s Row Burying Ground, Beverly, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 23, 2015
( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/dodges-row-burying-ground.html: accessed [access date]). 


Tombstone Tuesday ~ Augustus and Martha Dodge, Beverly, Massachusetts

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AUGUSTUS DODGE
Died February 2, 1858
Aged 45 ys and 5 mos


The carving inside the chain reads 
"PARTED BELOW
UNITED ABOVE"




MARTHA L. 
widow of 
AUGUSTUS DODGE
Died Oct. 10, 1878, 
aged 63 yrs.

Augustus Dodge, born 17 August 1812 in Wenham, Massachusetts, son of Nicholas Dodge and Prudence Edwards.  He married Martha L. Knowlton on 17 November 1834 in Wenham.  Augustus died 2 February 1858 in Wenham and is buried next to Martha in the Dodge’s Row Burying Ground in North Beverly.  He is a distant cousin to me through his Woodbury and his Herrick ancestors. 

Martha Knowlton was born 20 August 1815, daughter of Ivers Knowlton and Sarah Patch.  She was born 20 August 1815 and died 10 October 1878 in Hamilton. She is a distant cousin to me through her Dane, Kimball, Friend, and Balch ancestors. She was also a descendant of the Mayflower passenger, Richard More (1614 - about 1696). 


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Augustus and Martha Dodge, Beverly, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 24, 2015  (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/tombstone-tuesday-augustus-and-martha.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Thanksgiving Turkey?

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I post a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!

Today's weather vane is from a vacation spot in New Hampshire

Do you know the location of weathervane #236?  Scroll down to find the answer.








Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I've been saving this photo of the weather vane from a top the cupola at the Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant in Meredith, New Hampshire.  This local landmark has been operated by the Hart family since 1954.  It is located near Meredith Bay on Daniel Webster Highway at the junction of Routes 3 and 104, so it draws a lot of tourists, even busses full of leaf peepers!

Here you can get a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings, turkey pot pies, turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, poutine with turkey gravy, turkey nuggets, turkey meatloaf, and lots of other turkey specialties! I'm sure they will have a full house tomorrow for the Thanksgiving holiday!

The third generation of the Hart family is now running the restaurant.  It has grown from an actual farm with a 12 seat dining room, to a huge business with nearly 500 seats that also provides functions and local catering. Check out the website link below for a complete history, and also a memory page where customers post their fondest remembrances of visits to Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant.

The weathervane is a two dimensional silhouette of a turkey, with nicely carved feather details we could only see with a zoom lens. It is the only turkey weather vane I've ever seen.  How about you?  

Hart's Turkey Farm Restaurant website:  http://hartsturkeyfarm.com/  

Click here to see the entire collection of Weathervane Wednesday posts! 


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~A Thanksgiving Turkey?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 25, 2015, (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/weathervane-wednesday-thanksgiving.html : accessed [access date]).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Surname Saturday ~ WEBSTER of Ipswich, Massachusetts

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WEBSTER

John Webster’s origins are unknown.  He was a freeman in Boston, Massachusetts on 4 March 1635. He was in Salem in 1637 and settled in Ipswich by 1639.  In the records he was described as a baker “John Webster the Baker was admonished for brewing and tipleinge” [1640].  He was married to Mary Shatswell, whose brothers Theophilus and John Shatswell also immigrated to Ipswich. 

John Webster had died by about 29 September 1646, when his estate was administered in court.  It is the long untangling of his estate in court records that give us the best glimpses into his life and property.  Mary’s will, as his widow, also continued the court records with many pages of descriptive information on the children and property. In the Great Migration sketch for John Webster, Robert Charles Anderson includes many pages of untangling based on these court records, including indentifying the married names of the daughters.

After John Webster’s death, Mary remarried on 29 October 1650 in Newbury to Sergeant John Emery, who was also my 9th great grand uncle.  I descend from his brother, Anthony Emery (1601 – 1680) who settled in Boston, Massachusetts; Dover, New Hampshire; and Kittery, Maine.

John Webster and Mary Shatswell had eight children, including a daughter Hannah who was the mother of Hannah Duston (See this link for the story of Hannah Duston’s kidnapping and escape).  I descend from the son Stephen Webster (1636 – 1694) and his wife Hannah Ayer.

Some WEBSTER resources:

The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 – 1635, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume VII, pages 261 – 268.

Pillsbury Family manuscript, by Mary Lovering Holman, in the collections of the New England Historic Genealogical Society MSS 779.

Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury, by Mary Lovering Holman, 1938, Volume 1, 

A Genealogical History of the Clark and Worth Families, by Carol Clark Johnson, 1970

Genealogical Records of Descendants of John and Anthony Emery ,by  Rev. Rufus Emery, 1890

Historical and Genealogical Shatswells of Ipswich., No 1., Augustine Caldwell, [A typed manuscript available to read online at Ancestry.com]

Some of the Descendants of John Webster of Ipswich, Massachusetts, compiled by John C. Webster, MD, 1912.  [Available online at Google book search] – a revision of an earlier work by Dr. John Ordway Webster in 1884.

My WEBSTER lineage:

Generation 1:  John Webster, born about 1606 in England, died before 29 September 1646 in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married about 1630 in England to Mary Shatswell, daughter of John Shatswell and Judith Dillingham.  She was born about 1610 in England and died 28 April 1604 in Newbury, Massachusetts.  Mary married second to John Emery,  my 9th great grand uncle.  He is the son of John Emery and Alice Banet, my 10th great grandparents through John’s brother, Anthony Emery (1601 – 1680).  Eight children.

Generation 2:  Stephen Webster, born about 1636 in Ipswich, died 10 August 1694 in Haverhill, Massachusetts; married on 24 March 1662/3 in Haverhill to Hannah Ayer, daughter of John Ayer and Hannah Webb.  She was born 21 December 1644. Six children.   Stephen married second to Judith Unknown, widow of William Broad.

Generation 3: Abigail Webster, born about 27 May 1676 in Haverhill, died 19 June 1750; married Samuel Berry, son of James Berry and Eleanor Wallis.  Four children.  Abigail was first married to James Marden on 23 October 1693.

Generation 4: Jotham Berry m. Mary Bates
Generation 5: Rachel Berry m. Ithamar Mace
Generation 6: Abigail Mace m. Simon Locke
Generation 7: Richard Locke m. Margaret Welch
Generation 8: Abigail M. Locke m. George E. Batchelder
Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katharine Emerson
Generation 10: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ WEBSTER of Ipswich, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 28, 2015, (   http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/surname-saturday-webster-of-ipswich.html:  accessed [access date]). 

December 2015 Genealogy and Local History Event Calendar

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November 28, Saturday, 9am, NEHGS Irish Genealogy Study Group, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  The Irish Study group meets on the last Saturday of the month to discuss research problems and share solutions. www.americanancestors.org

November 21 to January 3, Christmas at the Newport Mansions, see the entire schedule of events http://www.newportmansions.org/events/christmas-at-the-newport-mansions

November 27 – December 20, Holiday Lantern Light Tours at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Connecticut.  The 36th annual theatrical production of Lantern Light Tours.  Set in 1876, this play unfolds in the museum’s historic buildings and vessels.  Visitors of all ages will enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride, the beautiful glow of lanterns that light the way and a visit with St. Nicholas!  This is a 70 minute progressive performance that covers a half mile of uneven terrain (cobblestones, grass, stairs) and is performed in all weather.  Each tour is limited to 16 people, and not recommended for children under age 4.  See this link to reserve a ticket: http://www.mysticseaport.org/event/lantern-light-tours/

December 1, Tuesday, 7pm, Finding Cousins Using DNA, at the Chelmsford Public Library's McCarthy Meeting Room, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, presented by Pam Holland and sponsored by the Chelmsford Genealogy Club.  Free to the public.

December 1, Tuesday, 5:30 – 7:30pm, In Their Shoes: The Experiences of Worcester’s Extraordinary Women, at the Worcester Public Library’s Saxe Room, Worcester, Massachusetts.  Contact Maureen Ryan Doyle 508-735-3217.  The Worcester Oral History Project (WWOHP) will read excerpts of the new book.  It is the culmination of research into the more than 300 oral history that WWOHP has collected, preserved and shared since its inception in 2005. Free to the public.

December 2, Wednesday, 6:30pm, Family Stories: How and Why to Remember and Tell Them, at the Plaistow Public Library, 85 Main Stree, Plaistow, New Hampshire. Free to the public, contact Brianna Sullivan 603-382-6011.  Presented by storyteller Jo Radner, who will share some foolproof ways to mine memories and interview relatives for meaningful stories and oral history.

December 2, Wednesday, 7pm, Family History Research Workshop, at the Watertown Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown, Massachusetts. Free to the public, but please register- space is limited to 8 people. Call (617) 972-6436. Presented by local genealogical researcher Liz Kolster.

December 2-13, Kennebunkport’s Annual Christmas Prelude, in historic Kennebunkport, Maine.  See the full schedule of events here: http://www.christmasprelude.com/schedule/full-schedule/range.listevents/-

December 3, Thursday, noon, Lunch and Learn: Victorian Era Nutrition, at the Visitor Center at Plimouth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts, speaker Tani Mauriello will explain how families 150 years ago made healthy food choices.  Free to members, $8 non members. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lunch-and-learn-victorian-nutrition-speaker-tani-mauriello-tickets-15617325842

December 3, Thursday, 6pm, Brewing in New Hampshire: An Informal History of Beer in the Granite State from Colonial Times to the Present, at the Work Nest NH, 85 South State Street, Concord, New Hampshire. Free to the public.  Contact Karina Kelley for more information 603-254-6211.

December 4-6, 11- 13, 18 – 20, Friday to Sunday, 5pm – 10pm, Christmas by Candlelight, at Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. An enchanted evening of gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, music, dance and a slight ride (weather permitting).  Meet Father Christmas and Santa Claus.  $15 admission for entrance, see the website https://www.osv.org/events/upcoming-events

December 4 – 6, Christmas In Salem: Twelve Houses of Christmas, Salem, Massachusetts.  Tour 12 historic houses in Salem’s McIntire District, including PEM’s Ropes Mansion.  Organized by Historic Salem, Inc.  $35 tickets at www.christmasinsalem.org 

December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 4 – 6pm, Holiday Lantern Tour, at the Brick Market Museum, 127 Thames Street, Newport, Rhode Island, recurring Friday and Saturdays in December, Hear the history of holiday traditions and learn how colonial Newport celebrated the holidays.  Reservations suggested as space is limited. $15 per person.  Contact the Newport Historical Society (401) 841-8770.

December 5 and 6, Saturday and Sunday, Candlelight Stroll, at Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. $20 adults, $10 children, $50 for families, Tickets can be pre-purchased by phone 603-433-1107. 

December 5, 12 and 19, Saturdays, and December 6, 13 and 20, Sundays,  Holiday Dinners in Pitt Tavern, New!  Presented by Pickwick’s at the Banke, a seated Holiday Dinner in the historic William Pitt tavern during the Candlelight Stroll. Live music, a four course colonial dinner, (menu by Chef Evan Mallett).  Reception starts ½ hour before dinner.  Seatings at 4pm, 6pm, 8pm)  Adults $65, children 12 and under $25.  For reservation tickets click here: https://strawbery-banke-museum.simpletix.com/Event/24181/Holiday-Dinner-at-Pitt-Tavern/#.Vk35frerRhF

December 5, 6, 11, 18, 23, at 6pm,  Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Costumed Reading and Dining Experience, at the Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Imaginative staging, delicious food and beautiful traditional carols create a wonderful experience!  (December 5 has a noon matinee and a 6pm evening performance).  Tickets must be purchased in advance, see this link: http://www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/plimoth-december

December 5, Saturday, Chester Greenwood Day, Farmington, Maine.  The annual celebration of the famous inventor of the earmuff! Parade at 11am, downtown sales shopping, the annual dip into frigid Clearwater Lake and more. http://www.downtownfarmington.com/events/chester-greenwood-day

December 5, Saturday, 10am – 3pm, Annual Shaker Christmas Fair at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village,707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester, Maine. Shaker baked goods, gifts and holiday items including fresh cut Maine Christmas trees and wreaths, garage sale.  Lunch plates will be served. Free to the public. http://maineshakers.com/shaker-christmas-fair/

December 5, Saturday, 9am – 5pm, Climbing Your Family Tree: A Day of Genealogy for Kids at NEHGS!  At the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts, for ages 8 – 18 (children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult).  FREE and open to the public.  Bring your kids and grandkids for a day of family history fun featuring arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, family lectures and more.  Create a keepsake ornament to bring home.  Register at this link: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ebtfkyel8fafeb71&llr=yzxrytcab

December 5, Saturday, Christmas at “North Pole of the North Country” in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, An entire schedule of FREE events in historic Bethlehem, the highest elevated town east of the Rocky Mountains. Join in the time honored tradition of having your holiday cards and letters postmarked at by Santa with a special Bethlehem postmark at the Post Office! http://www.christmasinbethlehemnh.com/#!events/ct3q

December 5, Saturday, 10am – 4pm, Holiday Open House at the Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford Street, Suite 103, Manchester, New Hampshire.  Guest appearance by Santa from 10am – 11am.  Children’s crafts, storytelling, new exhibits, raffles, old fashioned games with prizes, cookies and cider, and shop in the museum shop.  FREE admission.

December 5, Saturday, 11am – 4pm, Holiday House Tour of Historic Concord, Massachusetts.  $40 for Concord Museum Members, $45 nonmembers.  Purchase tickets online http://www.concordmuseum.org/special-events-house-tour.php

December 5, Saturday, 12 – 3pm, A Homestead Christmas, at the Remick Farm Museum, in Tamworth Village, New Hampshire. $5 per person, ages 4 and under FREE.  Special tours, samples of Victorian Christmas cookies and syllabub, seasonal decorations, pet the farm animals, holiday crafts, open hearth cooking demonstrations, hand crafted goods for sale and delicious farmhouse kitchen baked goods to buy. http://remickmuseum.org/index.php?page=homestead-christmas

December 5, Saturday, 12pm – 2pm, Music in the Meetinghouse, at the Rocky Hill Meeting House, 4 Old Portsmouth Road, Amesbury, Massachusetts.  UMass Lowell’s Connexion singers bring the meetinghouse alive with holiday music from the period in which it was built.  No restroom.  Building is unheated.  Call with concerns or for more information  978-462-2634.  Free to Amesbury residents and Historic New England members, $5 nonmembers.

December 5, Saturday, 1pm, Discover Mount Auburn – Walking Tour, at the Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts. $5 members, $10 nonmembers.  This tour will focus on stories of history, monuments and the lives of those buried here.

December 10, Thursday, 6pm, Christmas Dinner and Concert at Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Festive cocktails, fine dining, holiday bluegrass and folk music.  $60 non members, $50 members.  Children 2 and under FREE.  https://www.osv.org/event/christmas-dinner-concert 

December 11, Friday, 1pm A Cup of Christmas Tea with the Rodgers Memorial Library Genealogy Club.  Come join the genealogy club for a spot of tea (or coffee), with cookies and holiday memories.  Writing down your family traditions is an important part of genealogy. The guests will discuss ways to preserve customs and also listen to a reading via video of the book "A Cup of Christmas Tea".  Please register at www.rmlnh.org or call 603-886-6030.   

December 12, Saturday, Holiday Fireside Chat and Book Signing with the NEHGS Experts, chat sessions at 10:30am, 1pm, and 3:30pm, at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 99 – 101 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  FREE to the public.  Visit with award winning family history experts Robert Charles Anderson, Christopher C. Child, and Alicia Crane Williams.  Enjoy free access to the library, complimentary hot drinks and snacks, and special “in-store” pricing on charts, books and gifts.  Seating is limited, please register here http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ebsfort59ad87aac&llr=yzxrytcab

December 12, Saturday 11am – 3pm, Holiday House Tour, sponsored by the Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, Massachusetts.  A holiday stroll to see historic houses in their seasonal finery.  All houses are within walking distance of downtown Beverly. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at this link: http://housetour2015.bpt.me/  Call 978-922-1186 x0 for more information.

December 12 & 19, 2 – 6pm, Light in the Darkness: a Plimoth Plantation Christmas, at the Plimoth Plantation museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Take a candlelit tour through the English settlers village, sit by the roaring fire, and talk with colonists about how they marked Christmas in the New World. Try holiday treats, watch a traditional Mummers play, hear about the Native winter solstice, and see a live nativity in the barn.  Be sure to dress warmly, and purchase your timed ticket at this link: http://www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/plimoth-decemberor call (508) 746-1622 x8359.

December 14, Monday, 6pm, She Can Bring Us Home: Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, Civil Rights Pioneer, at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts.  $10 fee, to register call 617-646-0578 or visit www.masshist.org/events A Talk by Diane Kiesel, acting justice of the New York Supreme Court and adjunct professor of law.  She will discuss her book on Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee and her activist career.

December 16, Wednesday, 10:30am, A Visit with Queen Victoria, at the Plymouth Senior Center, 8 Depot Street, Plymouth, New Hampshire.  Free to the public, Sally Mummey performs this living history in proper 19th century clothing resplendent with royal orders. Snowdate, December 17th, same time and place.  Contact Robin Koczur for more information 603-536-1204.

December 26 to January 3, December School Vacation Week at Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Keep the kids busy during school vacation with a wide range of crafts, entertainment and outdoor activities including sledding and sleigh rides.  https://www.osv.org/event/december-school-vacation-week-2015

January 2, 16, 23, 5 – 9pm, Dinner in a Country Village, at Olde Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  $95 per person, $75 for OSC members.  Gather in the parsonage where costumed 19th century interpreters will oversee the preparations, but participants do the roasting, baking, and mulling over an open hearth. https://www.osv.org/event/dinner-in-a-country-village/dinner-in-a-country-village-31


January 5, Tuesday, 7pm, Margaret Bourke-White, America’s Eyes, at the Exeter Historical Society, 47 Front Street, Exeter, New Hampshire.  Free to the public.  Sally Matson presents a living history moment using WWWII era Vmails found at Syracuse University.  Contact Barbara Rimkunas for more information 603-778-2335. 

Planning ahead:

March, 2016,  Beginning the Journey of Genealogy, a four week genealogy course at the the Montachusett Regional Vocational Tech School, 1050 Westminster Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts by genealogist Jake Fletcher.  See this link for more information: https://www.montytechnites.com/


April 2017, NERGC 2017, at the Mass Mutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield, Massachusetts 

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Capt. John Dodge, died 1811, Beverly, Massachusetts, Revolutionary War Patriot

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This tombstone was photographed at the Dodge's Row Burying Ground,
 North Beverly, Massachusetts



Capt. John Dodge
Departed this life
March 15, 1811
AEt 70
The unhappy house looks desolate & mourns
And every door groans doleful as it turns
The Pillars languish & each lofty wall
Stately in grief laments the Master’s fall
In drops of briny dew the fabric bears
His faint resemblance & renews my tears
Solid and square it rises from below
A noble air without a greedy show
Reigns through the model & adorns the whole
Manly & plain, such was the beings soul.



John Dodge was born 3 December 1740 in Wenham, Massachusetts, the son of Captain Richard Dodge and Mary Thorne.  He married Anna Porter on 15 May 1760.  She was the daughter of Samuel Porter, born on 4 December 1736.   Anna is a distant cousin to me through her great grandmother, Lydia Herrick, my 9thgreat grand aunt.  John and Anna had six children- John 1761, Anna 1762, Billy 1765, Isaac 1766, Marcy 1769, and Sarah1770.   Captain John Dodge served in the American Revolution [ see Massachusetts Soldier and Sailors, Volume 4, page 826, and also DAR ancestor #A135137] and he died on 15 March 1811 in Wenham.

Genealogy of the Dodge Family of Essex County MASS, 1629-1898, by Joseph Thompson Dodge, (Democrat Printing Co. Wisconsin - Vol 1 1894 & Vol 2 1898).

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Capt. John Dodge, died 1811, Beverly, Massachusetts, Revolutionary War Patriot", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 1, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/p1300653-capt.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Centaur with a Bow and Arrow

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Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I first started by publishing posts about weathervanes from the Nutfield area, but now I've been finding interesting and historical weathervanes from all over New Hampshire and New England.  Sometimes my weathervanes have an interesting history, and sometimes they are just whimsical.  Often, my readers tip me off to some very unique and unusual weathervanes outside of New England.

Today's weathervane is from Massachusetts.

Do you know the location of weather vane #237?  Scroll down to see the answer!






This centaur weathervane is located above this historic building on Felton Street in Peabody, Massachusetts. This firehouse used to be the Peabody Engine Company Number 3.  It was moved from its original location on Endicott Street in 1990, up to the top of Felton Hill where there are several other historic properties owned by the Peabody Historic Society.  The first floor of the fire house has a museum with firefighting artifacts, and the second floor is used for meetings and gatherings of the Society and other organizations.  It is surrounded by the orchards of Brooksby Farm.

The two dimensional centaur weather vane has a bow and arrow.  I was unable to find out if this weather vane is original to the fire station or not.  The very first weathervane of this "Weathervane Wednesday" series was also a centaur, photographed at Mack's Apple orchard in Londonderry, New Hampshire.  You can see that weathervane HERE.


The website for the Peabody Historical Society  http://www.peabodyhistorical.org/

Click here to see the entire series of weathervanes at this blog!

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ A Centaur with a Bow and Arrow", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 2, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/weathervane-wednesday-centaur-with-bow.html :  accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ TOWNE of Topsfield, Massachusetts

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TOWNE
The front door of the
Rebecca (Towne) Nurse Homestead
Danvers, Massachusetts

William Towne and Joanna Blessing were married in the town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England and their first six children were born there.  Around 1635 they Salem, Massachusetts where two more children were born.  On 11 October 1640 they were granted land “…a little neck of land right over against his howse on the other side of the riuer to be sett out by the towne.”  He asked for more land, along with Francis Nurse, on 20 March 1647.  In 1652 he removed inland to Topsfield where he bought 40 acres, and later purchased more land. In 1663 he gave his son, Joseph, two thirds of his property and kept one third for himself.

William died in 1673 and his estate was given to his widow. When Joanna died about 1682 the six surviving children signed a petition for the land to be divided between the three sons, and the moveables divided among the three daughters.

Almost thirty years after his death, and twenty years after Joanna’s death, those three daughters were all accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem witch hysteria.  Rebecca Nurse was hanged as a witch on 16 July 1692, and Mary Esty was hanged on 19 September 1692.  Sarah Cloyes was arrested but was not executed before the trials were brought to a halt.

For more TOWNE information:

Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, 1996, Volume III, pages 485 – 507.  See the ancestry of Joanna Blessing in Volume I, pages 193 – 199. 

The Descendants of William Towne, by Edwin Eugene Towne, 1901

The Towne Family Association, Inc.,   www.townefolk.com

Town Cousins group on Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/groups/townecousins2014/

For famous descendants of this family see NEXUS Volume 9, pages 108 – 111 and also there are a plethora of good books (and poorly researched books) on the three TOWNE sisters accused of witchcraft.  

My TOWNE lineage:

Generation 1: William Towne,  son of John Towne and Elizabeth Unknown, baptized on 18 March 1598 at St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England , died about 1672 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married on 25 April 1620 at St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth to Joanna Blessing.  She was born about 1594 in  Great Yarmouth and died 1682 in Topsfield.  Eight children including three daughters accused of witchcraft in 1692 – Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Cloyes and Mary Esty. 

Generation 2: Edmund Towne, baptized on 28 June 1628 in St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth,  died before 3 May 1678 in Topsfield; married on 25 March 1652 to Mary Browning, daughter of Thomas Browning and Mary Unknown.  She was born 7 November 1637 in Salem, and died about 1717 in Topsfield. Seven children.

Generation 3: Samuel Towne, born 11 February 1673 in Topsfield, died 1714; married on 20 October 1696 in Topsfield to Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Phillip Knight and Margaret Wilkins.  She was born 25 January 1677 in Topsfield and died 17 May 1752 in Topsfield.  Elizabeth married second to Elisha Perkins as his second wife.  She had four children with Samuel Towne.

Generation 4: Rebecca Towne,  born 8 February 1699/1700 in Topsfield; married on 2 December 1730 in Topsfield to Stephen Johnson.  He was born about 1700 and died 29 August 1734 in Topsfield. Two children.  She remarried to Joshua Towne, son of Jacob Towne and Phebe Smith, as his second wife and his second cousin.  Rebecca and Joshua had one daughter.

Generation 5:   Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree
Generation 6: Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith
Generation 7: Sarah Cree m. James Phillips
Generation 8: Hannah Phillips m. Captain Thomas Russell Lewis
Generation 9: Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings
Generation 10: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil
Generation 11:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ TOWNE of Topsfield, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 5, 2015 (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/surname-saturday-towne-of-topsfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Nicholas and Prudence Dodge, Beverly, Massachusetts

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These tombstones were photographed at the Dodge's Row Burying Ground 
in North Beverly, Massachusetts. 



NICHOLAS DODGE, 
died 
November 21, 1857, 
aged 
81 yrs and 4 mos


PRUDENCE E., 
widow of 
NICHOLAS DODGE, 
died July 25, 1869, 
aged 80 years
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord

Nicholas Dodge, son of Nicholas Dodge and Hannah Cole, was born 1 July 1777 in Wenham, Massachusetts.  He married first to Lydia Cleaves on 23 May 1801 in Wenham.  She died on 27 September 1805.  He married second to Prudence Edwards on 21 July 1808 in Wenham, and had eight children.  Nicholas Dodge died on 2 November 1857 in Wenham and was buried  next to his two wives at the Dodge’s Row Burying Ground in North Beverly.  [I didn't photograph Lydia's tombstone]. 

Prudence Edwards was born 1 May 1789 in Wenham, Massachusetts, the daughter of Abraham Edwards and Prudence Dodge.  She is my distant cousin through our common Allen, Herrick, Tuck, Browning and Williams ancestors.  


Prudence and Nicholas Dodge are buried in the Dodge’s Row Burying ground with other close and distant Dodge relatives.  I wrote a blog post on November 24, 2015 about the tombstone of Augustus Dodge, their son, and his wife, Martha Knowlton, at this link:  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/tombstone-tuesday-augustus-and-martha.html  


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Nicholas and Prudence Dodge, Beverly, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 8, 2015  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/tombstone-tuesday-nicholas-and-prudence.html: accessed [access date]). 

Plan ahead for genealogy research without Family Tree Maker ~ Part 1 of an ongoing series

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I received an email with the news that Ancestry was retiring Family Tree Maker Software in three short weeks ( by December 31, 2015).  You can read a version of this announcement by Kendall Hulet at the Ancestry blog  http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2015/12/08/ancestry-to-retire-family-tree-maker-software/?o_iid=9972&o_lid=9972&o_sch

My thoughts:

Back in the 1970s and early 1980s I was a pioneer in educational computing and technology.  I was going to college in Cambridge, Massachusetts near many start educational technology companies, teaching teachers how to use software in the classroom and experimenting with lots of new technology.  One of these companies was Brøderbund Software.  They produced Family Tree Maker and lots of CDs for genealogy research. (As well as lots of other classroom software you might remember if you were in school in the 1980s- remember Carmen Sandiego? Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing? Reader Rabbit?)

Ever since then I’ve been a Family Tree Maker User.  Even after FTM was purchased by Ancestry.  Even through all the good and bad revisions, poor patches and wonderful updates.  I’ve used it at home, in classrooms, in lectures and shown hundreds of people how to use it for their own research.  Even after online trees became popular I maintained a very large personal file, and dozens of other trees on my own desktop that DO NOT SYNC with my private and public online trees.

These genealogy trees that reside on my hard drive and my own storage media are large trees for other people and for lineage societies.  They are not mine to share, or they are my own research with lots of media and source material that I like to keep separate.  I use them for printing reports that I can only do with the FTM software, and for sharing privately.   There are no apps or online services that can duplicate this.

However, there is probably a piece of software out there that can replace FTM for me.  This is part 1 of an ongoing series that will document my search for this new software, and also document how I move all my trees, media and sources to that new software for my desktop.

It’s nice to have an app for when I am on the road, or a tree to pull up on the internet, but right now I have not found an online service that can do what I need to do at home.  Or is there?  Part of this series will also document the reports, charts and forms that I use the most, and what software or apps can replace what I do with FTM.  Will I need multiple platforms to pull this off?  Or is there one easy package out there for me?  And how easy will it be to migrate my files to this new form?

Lots of questions!  Lots of problems!  Lots of ideas to rethink!  I have until January 1, 2017 when Ancestry will cease supporting current users of Family Tree Maker.  Dear Santa Claus, please buy me Legacy and/or RootsMagic this year so I can experiment! 

Now is my chance to review what I do, what I need, and what I can find out there for help.  I’ve been doing genealogy research since the 1970s and I know I can do this even without my computer.  No software is permanent.  No website is permanent. I’ve seen online databases come and go.  I’ve learned to be agile and flexible in my thinking, through lots of changes in hardware, software, browsers, operating systems and storage options.  I still freak out at the changes, but I’ve haven’t crashed and burned (yet).

Boy, I wish I was going to RootsTech 2016…

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Some new things I investigated tonight (you might find these useful, too!) :

Amy Johnson Crow’s Periscope video of “Let’s discuss Ancestry Retiring Family Tree Maker”  https://www.periscope.tv/AmyJohnsonCrow/1ypKdVdQRAgJW

2016 Best Genealogy Software Review (reviews and comparisons of the top 10 genealogy software packages, including Family Tree Maker)  http://genealogy-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

Randy Seaver’s first thoughts on the announcement at his blog “Genea-Musings”  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/12/ancestrycom-announces-retirement-of.html

Tune into Dear Myrtle today for “Wacky Wednesday: Is there life beyond Family Tree Maker?” https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DearmyrtlePage/posts/fHK2H3MFV6z   or at the Dear Myrtle blog http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2015/12/wacky-wednesday-is-there-life-beyond.html

RootsMagic Blog “Family Tree Maker Users have a new home at RootsMagic: Upgrade offer with Free Book and Magic Guides”  http://blog.rootsmagic.com/?p=2546

And from Lisa Louise Cooke "What Ancestry's Retirement of Family Tree Maker software means for you"
 http://lisalouisecooke.com/2015/12/ancestry-retires-family-tree-maker-software/


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Plan ahead for genealogy research without Family Tree Maker ~ Part 1 of an ongoing series", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 8, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/plan-ahead-for-research-without-family.html: accessed [access date]). 

Weathervane Wednesday ~ This one has family history!

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Weathervane Wednesday is an on-going series of photographs I post weekly.  I first started by publishing posts about weathervanes from the Nutfield area, but now I've been finding interesting and historical weather vanes from all over New Hampshire and New England.  Sometimes my weathervanes have an interesting history, and sometimes they are just whimsical.  Often, my readers tip me off to some very unique and unusual weather vanes outside of New England.

Today's weathervane is from Massachusetts.

Do you know the location of weather vane #238?  Scroll down to see the answer!





The Newfy Girl was the lobster boat operated by Frederick D. Penney on the Saugus River in Massachusetts.  He was born 10 April 1939, and died 18 June 2006 in West Boxford, Massachusetts.  Fred was the grandfather to my son-in-law, and great grandfather to my new grandchild.  Fred was a fisherman, and very proud of his boat.  The Penney's tell me that Newfy Girl is still on the water in Saugus. 

Fred Penney (1939 - 2006)

Fred Penney's parents were born in Keels and Southern Bay, Newfoundland.  The family came to Massachusetts in the 1920s, where Fred and his siblings were all born.  

This wooden Newfy Girl weathervane was given to my son-in-law's family as part of a Yankee Swap at Christmas time. The swap was rigged so that he would win the weathervane, since they were getting married in a few months.  My son-in-law has his grandfather's name and an oar tattooed on his leg, in honor of Fred Penney.  This summer my daughter and her husband placed the Newfy Girl weathervane in the backyard of their new house in Malden, Massachusetts.  It is a custom made weathervane painted to look just like Newfy Girl, and the lobster buoy is painted in Fred's colors. (Every lobster fisherman has a uniquely colored buoy)

The name Newfy Girl reminds me of the Dick Nolan song "Newfie Girl" from 1972.  I'm a big fan of folk music, and New England sea shanties, and I've heard several performers play this song at festivals.  You can hear this song, and a list of the lyrics at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZJx2v72vSI   



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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ This one has family history", Nutfield Genealogy,  posted December 9, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/weathervane-wednesday-this-one-has.html

Part 2 ~ Without Family Tree Maker

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This is part 2 of a new series on planning ahead for future genealogy research without Family Tree Maker after Ancestry made the announcement to retire this popular software package. Click here for Part 1. 

I spent a lot of time during the past two days reading about alternative software programs to Ancestry’s Family Tree Maker.  There were a lot of good reviews online, and a lot of chatter online by genealogists at social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  I’ve put some links below for the truly curious.

I’ve decided that there are plenty of reviews, comparisons, critiques and reports on all these software companies and their products.  I’m probably going to just order a few and try them out.  Since they are all on sale now, this seems like the best strategy.  And considering that this software is something I use every day, it’s worth it to take a few test drives. 

When I get these new packages I’ll review them here, as well as posting the entire transfer process.  It should be interesting to see how easy the transfer might be (or might not be!).  I’ll try to catch any complications along the way and report them here.  Stay tuned it if this is something you will be thinking about doing in the near future, too.

In the meantime, while I wait for the new software to arrive.  I’ll continue to report any new reviews, links and stories.  Also remember, I’ll continue using the old FTM 2014 as long as I can, and as long as it continues to work on my computer.  Why not!

It would behoove you to use the sync features as soon as possible to capture any hints, updated media, and so on before January 1, 2017.  After that date FTM 2014 might not work with your software.  “Might not work” – we haven’t heard any details from Ancestry yet on the fine points of their decision to retire the FTM software.

The next step is to choose from the many, many other software choices.  See below for the review column of over 900 choices for genealogy software! I’ve narrowed down that big list to one of these possible software choices to replace Family Tree Maker (no particular order):

1. Family Historian 20% off until the end of January 2016  http://www.family-historian.co.uk/ftm

2. Legacy Family Tree just $19.95 until December 31, 2015 https://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=L8D

3. RootsMagic, only $20 for “a limited time” http://www.rootsmagic.com/ftm/

4. MyHeritage Family Tree Builder free download and tree syncing to the website http://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder/thank-you?source=ftb-overview

5. The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding  (build your own genealogy website) http://www.tngsitebuilding.com/  I have seen Laura Prescott lecture about this fascinating software twice (once at RootsTech), and this is a good option for some people.  I haven’t any details on prices yet.

If you are a Mac user these seem to be the top two choices:

iFamily for Mac

Reunion (also for Mac)

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For further information online:

Part 1 of my blog series (in case you missed it):

From the other blogs…

And it’s always good to hear from Dick Eastman’s newsletter about any genie news

And even better to hear from Judy Russell The Legal Genealogist!   http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2015/12/09/check-out-the-alternatives/

Amy Johnson Crow  “3 Things to Consider with the End of Family Tree Maker” http://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/2015/12/09/3-things-to-consider-with-the-end-of-family-tree-maker/

From the Talking Box Genealogy by Danni

 “Yet another blog post about Ancestry’s decision to retire Family Tree Maker” by Erin Louise Tilley at the Census Sensibility blog

Jeanne Ruczhak Eckman’s Genealogical Gems blog

Down Under’s Gould Genealogy weighs in on the FTM story

And The British Genes blog blog “RIP Family Tree Maker”   

from the Out of my Tree Genealogy

Emily Aulicino from Genealem’s Genetic Genealogy“Ancestry.com Dumps Family Tree Maker”

Stay tuned with Russ Worthington at his blog Family Tree Maker User.  Like me he does NOT plan to change his blog and will continue providing support to users and readers.  http://ftmuser.blogspot.com/

June Stearns Butka at the New England Roots blog “Ancestry and Old Dogs”

Denise Levenick at The Family Curator blog “Family Tree Maker Reminder:  What’s Your Backup Plan?”  http://thefamilycurator.com/familytreemaker-reminder-whats-your-backup-plan/

Dianne Nolin at Genealogy: Beyond the BMD blog “Ancestry Ditching Family Tree Maker – Don’t Panic”  http://genealogybeyondthebmd.blogspot.ca/2015/12/ancestry-ditching-family-tree-maker.html

Jenny Tonks at The Disciplined Genealogy“How to Protect Your Genealogy When Its Software is Discontinued” http://tdgen.com/2015/12/09/protect-your-genealogy-when-software-discontinued/

Also…

How about signing a petition to save Family Tree Maker?  It can’t hurt!

Back to Basics!
“What is a GEDCOM File and Why do I Need it?”  at the RootsBid blog.  If you don’t know the answer to this question, then you will need to read this in order to migrate your files from FTM to any other software platform.

More software reviews (see Part 1 for another)

http://www.gensoftreviews.com/  (compares FTM, MyHeritage, FTM for Mac, Hope Chest, Reunion, RootsMagic, My Family Root, Fambrry, Family Echo, FamilyRelatives, Mudia, Genealogy J, Brother’s Keeper, Gramps, WikiTree, GenMarketplace, Family Tree Legends, Ahnenblatt, Visual Family Tree Maker, etc. 931 programs in all!  I’ll bet you didn’t know there were so many!)

And just for laughs…

From Kerry Scott at the Clue Wagon blog “Santa Claus Signs Agreement with Ancestry.com to Ruin Christmas”

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Part 2 ~ Without Family Tree Maker", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 10, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/part-2-without-family-tree-maker.html: accessed [access date]). 

Part 3 ~ Without Family Tree Maker

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Reading the online rants about Family Tree Maker has been so much more entertaining than reading the political rants this week!   And that’s saying as a “First in the Nation Presidential Primary” New Hampshire resident.

OK, last night I ordered Legacy and RootsMagic.  I have never used either one before.  Both were simple enough to order online and both are sending me disks via the US postal service.   RootsMagic immediately sent me a separate email with a code to download the file right away.   Legacy sent me a confirmation that said a separate email will be sent by the end of the next business day with an unlock code and download instructions. I haven’t received the Legacy download email yet.

My Heritage offers their software for Family Tree Builder free online.  I downloaded it and synced it to two of the four trees I had previously built on My Heritage.  This went smoothly and took only about five minutes for all four trees.  I was up late fiddling around with Family Tree Builder until the wee hours.

In the short time that I played with the My Heritage Family Tree builder I found a few things I liked and a few that were missing.  I liked the family group sheets it was able to produce.  I liked the sync with the My Heritage website.  The back button <-  is cool, letting you trace your steps back to a previous page.  It appears to allow same sex marriages and other alternatives (such as unknown).   I really like the index of all names down the left column, just like FTM (very handy for me since I have many families that repeat names – like five generations of Abijah HITCHINGS or nine generations in a row of Robert WILSONs, plus a plethora of Robert WILSON cousins).  The user’s guide is located on the MyHeritage website, but can downloaded to your computer for quick access – nice! Files can be exported, including GEDCOM.

On the other hand, it was missing the lineage report I loved in version 16 of Family Tree Maker that is also missing in all the newer version of FTM from 2009 to 2014.  The person pages of the program show children AND siblings, but doesn’t give many details until you click on their names.  At the person page it would be nice to see a sibling/child birth date, or to hover over a name to see a spouse.    One big problem I encountered was dealing with ancestors who are related in multiple relationships (collapsing pedigrees).  The solution to collapsing pedigrees was not intuitively obvious, so I’ll spend some time with customer service later as a “test case”.  I have tons of repeated ancestors, so this is a deal breaker for me [For example, I have 8 lineages from one BURNHAM ancestor, and many more similar cases – cue the banjos.]   Another deal breaker is the poor source documentation [No page numbers on the sources in family group sheets or reports? Wow!]

Free access limits the online tree to just 250 people, and limits photos.  Premium members get more space, and the Premium Plan is less than Ancestry.com.   However the software is FREE!  Can’t beat that!

It was fun exploring the My Heritage Family Tree Builder, but the real test will come when I try out a few more software packages. Then I will be better prepared to comparison shop.

Stay tuned for more as I try out the My Heritage customer service, and for when I try out Legacy and RootsMagic.  As I attempt more advanced genealogy reports and citations on these software platforms, I’ll be documenting the results here, too.

Useful links:

From Cyndi’s List – Software

From Cyndi’s List- Macintosh Software

From the blogs:

Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings  “What Do Family Tree Maker Users Do Now?”

Thomas MacEntee at GeneaBloggers“Blame the Millennials:  The End of Family Tree Maker Genealogy Software” http://www.geneabloggers.com/blame-the-millennials-the-end-of-family-tree-maker-genealogy-software/

From a Mac User point of view, see Elizabeth Pyle Handler’s blog post at From Maine to Kentucky, “Family Tree Maker Software is Being Retired” http://frommainetokentucky.blogspot.com/2015/12/family-tree-maker-software-is-being.html?spref=fb

Diane Haddad at Family Tree Magazine“Ancestry.com Announces End of Family Tree Maker Software”   http://blog.familytreemagazine.com/insider/default,date,2015-12-09.aspx

From Teach Me Genealogy– a very useful blog post “How to Export Your Family Tree from Ancestry.com”  http://www.tmgenealogy.com/2013/06/how-to-export-your-family-tree-from.html




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DISCLAIMER -  I was not paid or reimbursed by Ancestry or My Heritage to write this blog post.  I did not receive any free software or online packages (except for several years ago I did receive a free 6 month Premium package subscription at My Heritage while at RootsTech 2013).

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Part 3 ~ Without Family Tree Maker", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 101 2015 (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/part-3-without-family-tree-maker.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ PAGE of Hampton, New Hampshire

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Memorial Stone to the PAGE family
at Founder's Park in Hampton, New Hampshire

PAGE

Robert Page married his wife, Lucy, in South Walsham, Norfolk, England on 8 October 1629.  They were examined in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England before leaving England on 11 April 1637 and he gave his age as thirty three years in the deposition.  In their party on board the immigrant ship Rose they had three children: Francis, Margaret and Susannah, and two servants- William Moulton, age twenty, and “Anne Wadd”, fifteen years old (sister to Robert’s wife Lucy Warde).  They deposed that they were “desirous to passe into New England to inhabit.”  They arrived in Boston on June 8th and first settled in Salem, Massachusetts.

In 1639 Robert Page received ten acres of land for a house lot in Hampton, New Hampshire.  This land was owned by his descendants for six generations, abutting the meeting house on the south, and between the house lots of William and Robert Marston.  He was made a freeman on 18 May 1642 in Hampton.   Robert built the first sawmill in Hampton.   Out of 76 taxpayers in Hampton in 1659, his tax was the highest.

This area of New Hampshire was known at this time as the county of Norfolk, Massachusetts.   Robert Page was a representative to the General Court, and served as a marshal for Norfolk County.  He was also the only deacon of the church from 1671 until his death in 1679 and was succeeded by his son Francis, my 9th great grandfather.   See the Essex County, Massachusetts probate files for his will proved on 11 November 1679 and also see the Norfolk County, Massachusetts Deeds, Volume 3, page 28.  (This is a case of looking in Massachusetts records for this New Hampshire family!)

I descend from two of Robert Page’s children- Francis, mentioned above, and his daughter, Margaret who married John Sanborn, grandson of the Rev. Stephen Bachiler of Hampton.   Another daughter, Rebecca, married his servant William Marston.  Francis Page was born about 1633 and also resided in Hampton.  He was a selectman, juror, and town moderator.  He was elected to be a deacon soon after his father’s death.  Francis had a son, Francis, who was my 8thgreat grandfather (see below).

For more PAGE information:

History of Hampton, New Hampshire by Joseph Dow

The New England Ancestry of Dana Converse Backus, page 118

The History and Genealogy of the Page Family from the years 1257 to the Present, by Charles Nelson Page, 1911

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, “The English Ancestry of Robert Page of Hampton, NH”, by George Chamberlain, Volume 66, pages 180 – 183.

My PAGE genealogy:

Generation 1:   Robert Page, son of Robert Page and Margaret Goodwin, born about 1604 in England, died 22 September 1679 in Hampton, New Hampshire;  married on 8 October 1629 in South Walsham, Norfolk, England to Lucy Warde, daughter of Francis Warde and Susanna Brown.  Seven children, and I descend from two- Francis and Margaret.
Lineage A:

Generation 2: Margaret Page, born about 1630, died 13 July 1699 in Hampton; married to John Sanborn, son of John Sanborn and Ann Batchelder.  He was born about 1620 in England and died 10 October 1692 in Hampton, New Hampshire.  Margaret and John Sanborn had one child.  She was previously married to William Moulton on 18 April 1663 in Hampton.  William Moulton was the stepson of William Estow, who had been her father’s servant. 

Generation 3:  Jonathan Sanborn, born 25 May 1672 in Hampton, died 20 June 1741 in Kingston, New Hampshire;  married on 4 February 1692 in Hampton to Elizabeth Sherburne, daughter of Samuel Sherburne and Love Hutchings.

Generation 4: Margaret Sanborn m. Moses Sleeper
Generation 5:  Hepzibah Sleeper m. Samuel Lane
Generation 6: Sarah Lane m. Elisha Batchelder
Generation 7: Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson
Generation 8: George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke
Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katharine Emerson
Generation 10: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen
Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

Lineage B:

Generation 2:  Francis Page, born 1633, died 15 November 1706 in Hampton, New Hampshire; married on 2 December 1669 in Hampton to Meribah Smith, daughter of Robert Smith and Susanna Unknown. Seven children.

Generation 3: Francis Page, born 15 December 1676 in Hampton, died 19 August 1755 in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire; married on 27 January 1698 in Hampton Falls to Hannah Nudd, daughter of Thomas Nudd and Sarah Dearborn.  She was born 23 October 1678 in Hampton and died 12 April 1751 in Hampton.  Ten children.

Generation 4:  Sarah Page, born 18 October 1698 and died May 1781; married on 31 January 1723 to Josiah Batchlder, son of Nathaniel Batchelder and Elizabeth Foss.  He was born 1 July 1695 in Hampton and died 9 October 1759 in Hampton Falls.  Six children.

Generation 5:  David Batchelder m. Elizabeth Swett
Generation 6:  Elisha Batchelder m. Sarah Lane  (see above)

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ PAGE of Hampton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 12, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/surname-saturday-page-of-hampton-new.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Ten New Things Genealogists will be requesting from Santa this year

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In the middle of the great Family Tree Maker Kerfuffle of 2015 I forgot to post my usual 10th of the month top ten post.  Here it is for December 2015! 

The Top Ten New Things Genealogists will be requesting from Santa this year  (not counting replacement software for those who previously used Family Tree Maker)


1. Great Migration Directory,   this is the top item on my Santa list this year.  My fingers are crossed!   This authoritative book by Robert Charles Anderson was published earlier this summer.  According to the New England Genealogical Society this book is currently out of stock but it is being reprinted and expected to ship on December 23rd, so get your order in soon!  This volume covers individuals not included in the previous Great Migration compendia, and includes “all the names of all known to have come to New England during the Great Migration period, 1620 – 1640.  Each entry provides the name of the head of household, English or European origin (if known), date of migration, principal residences in New England, and the best available sources of information for the subject.”  Wow!  I can’t wait!

2. 23andMe health, traits and genealogy information DNA testing, but back at double the price (used to be $99, now $199).   www.23andme.com

3.  From my favorite archival products company, the Gaylord “My Family History Kit”  ($52.25 for a bundle that includes 12 generation pedigree chart, how to brochure, white gloves, file folders, envelopes, polyester sleeves, and much more) .  See this link for the full list of what is included http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/gaylord/ely9gw81gm/MyFamilyHistoryKitUserManual.pdf?u=gbxkco) Great for organizing, or a gift for a newbie genealogist!

4. Evidence Explained, third edition, published earlier this year in 2015 by Elizabeth Shown Mills.  If it isn’t already on your desk or shelf, you need to put it on your Santa list now!  I had the original 124 page first edition, which was published in 1997.  It looks like a kid’s book next to the new one which is almost 900 pages.  If you have the first edition, just imagine what new information you are missing?   https://www.evidenceexplained.com/


6. How about a Family History Throw Pillow?  For $34.99 it is personalized with names and dates.  I’m in LOVE with this pillow.  And the company personalcreations.com has loads of similar products. Check out this pillow at this link http://www.personalcreations.com/product/fun-family-history-throw-pillow-30147055?ref=HomeNoRef&q=30147055&start=&spell=&srchSuggestion=y&trackingpgroup=pid

7.  The newest, coolest kind of journaling and scrapbooking is Smash Books!  Have you checked it out yet?  One look at the video and you’ll be hooked.  http://www.smashbooks.co.uk/   This is great stuff for the genies and scrapbookers in your life, as well as for teens and kids, or for someone taking a grand vacation or trip abroad.

8.  New RootsMagic for Mac, for all you Apple fans out there.  RootsMagic 7 can be installed on both your Windows and your Mac computers, and the license covers all the machines you own in your household.  http://rootsmagic.com/mac/   There is a free RootsMagic Essentials program to download too at this link: http://rootsmagic.com/Essentials/

9.  Two new Mayflower Silver books!
a.  The Descendants of Elder William Brewster, Part 1, Generations  1 through 4, volume 24 of the Mayflower Families through Five Generations Series, by Barbara Lambert Merrick, edited by Scott Andrew Bartley, 2014.  This book has been a work in process since the late 1980s.  It contains the first two generations (except for the Allerton family, descendants of Fear Brewster2) and the next two generations with citation.  There are two appendices with unassigned Brewster descendants.
b. The Descendants of John Alden, Part 4, Volume 16, compiled by Esther Littleford Woodworth-Barnes, edited by Alicia Crane Williams, completed by John Bradley Arthaud, 2015.  The 5th generation descendants of Ruth2 Alden. 
You can purchase these new Silver Books  from the General Society of Mayflower descendants by phone 508-746-5058 or online at this link: https://www.themayflowersociety.org/shop13/books-a-publications/silver-books-and-mfip/elder-william-brewster-volume-24.html

10.  My personal fun genealogy gadget find for 2015:  A Fopydo stand for my iPhone, so I can use it as a scanner.  Sometimes I don’t bring my FlipPal, or it is not allowed.  In those cases I carry this very small, lightweight device so I can use my phone camera.  Very cool and inexpensive at only $15!  http://fopydo.com/   You can just take photos or you can download some scanning apps, including the one by Fopydo.  Available at the Fopydo website or at Amazon and other retailers.

For more genealogy gift ideas check out:

Diane Boumenot’s “50 Gifts for Genealogists”

Fun Stuff for Genealogists “Our Latest and Greatest”

Thomas MacEntee’s ongoing blog posts on “Genealogy Bargains” (5% of the proceeds benefit the Genealogy Fairy grants Program http://www.geneabloggers.com/genealogy-fairy-genealogy-grants-program/)

or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/genealogybargains/

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Ten New Things Genealogists will be requesting from Santa this year", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 12, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/ten-new-things-genealogists-will-be.html: accessed [access date])/

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Deacon Stephen Dodge (1736 - 1816) and wife Rose Webber (1734 - 1826)

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These tombstones were photographed at Dodge's Cemetery in North Beverly, Massachusetts



In Memory of 
Mrs. ROSE DODGE
Relict of
Dea. Stephen Dodge
who died
Aug. 13, 1826.
Aged 92
[last line illegible]


Deacon 
STEPHEN DODGE
died March 12, 1816
AEt 79


Rose Webber, daughter of Edward Webber and Sarah Newman, was born 17 November 1734 in Ipswich, and died 13 August 1826 in Wenham.  Her marriage to Stephen Dodge was published in the Wenham records in May 1757.

Deacon Stephen Dodge, son of Phineas Dodge and Sarah Whipple,  was born 21 May 1736 in Wenham and died 12 March 1816 in Wenham.  His will was proved on 9 April 1816 and he named his wife, Rose, as executrix, but she declined to serve.  His estate was valued at about $4,000.  He had two daughters, Hepzibah and Anna, both died young.

A previous blog post on Dodge's Row Cemetery in North Beverly-
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/11/clues-to-finding-dodges-row-burying.html

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Deacon Stephen Dodge (1736 - 1816) and wife Rose Webber (1734 - 1826)", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 15, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/tombstone-tuesday-deacon-stephen-dodge.html: accessed [access date])/

Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Ancestral Homestead

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Weathervane Wednesday is a a series of photographs I post weekly.  When I began, I only published weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've been finding interesting weather vanes all over New England.  Some of the weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are very interesting.  Often my readers will send me photos of weather vanes from far away, including other places in the USA or across the globe.

Today's weather vane was photographed in Massachusetts!

Do you know the location of weather vanes #239?  Scroll down to see the answer...




Cogswell's Grant, Essex, Massachusetts

Cogwell's Grant, seen from the Essex River
Today's weather vane was photographed above the barn at the Cogswell's Grant in Essex, Massachusetts.  This grant of 300 acres of land was given to my 9th great grandfather, John Cogswell (1592 - 1669), on the Essex river in 1636.  His original dwelling house is no longer standing, and the current farmhouse was build about 1728.  The land was divided among the sons and grandsons, and the current property is only 165 acres.  The descendants all lived nearby along Spring Street, and you can find many Cogswells in the Spring Street cemetery, just down the road, where many of my ancestors are also buried (including my ALLEN, BURNHAM, MEARS, POLAND and ANDREWS ancestors - right down to my ALLEN grandparents). 

The weathervane on the barn is a typical running horse, one of the most common weather vanes seen in New England on farms. The last owners of the property were Bertram and Nina Little, who bought the farm in 1937.  They were famous folk art and folk furniture collectors.  The house has a fantastic collection of their furniture, decorative arts, books, paintings, and other artifacts, and is open to the public through the organization "Historic New England".  


There is a sketch of John Cogswell and his children at the Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume II, C- F, pages 137 – 140.

Visit Cogswell's Grant, part of the properties run by Historic New England:

The Cogswell Family Association webpage:

The Cogswell Family Association Facebook page:

My "Surname Saturday" blog post on my two COGSWELL lineages:


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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Ancestral Homestead", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 16, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/weathervane-wednesday-ancestral.html : accessed [access date]).
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