ON THIS DATE:
MARRIAGES:
29 Dec 1748 5x ggp Moses Barrows Jr. & Deborah Totman were married in Plympton, Ma.
29 Dec 1789 4x ggp John Ellingwood Sr. & Zerviah Abbott were married in Andover, Ma.
DEATHS:
29 Dec 1711 9x ggm Sarah (Alcock) Giddings died in Gloucester, Ma.
29 Dec 1658 11x ggf William Johnson died in Charlestown,Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
28 Dec 1639 9x ggm Sarah Alcock was born in Dedham, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
28 Dec 1670 8x ggp Richard Willis Jr & Patience Bonham were married in East Bridgewater, Ma.
DEATHS:
28 Dec 1673 9x ggm Grace (Lee) Fairbanks died in Lancaster, Ma.
28 Dec 1728 10x ggm Mary (Newton) Johnson died in Marlboro, Ma.
28 Dec 1715 8x ggm Mary (Dunster) Willard died jn Charlestown, Ma.
Christmas Eve was sometimes hectic in our family, especially
those years when we lived in Dorchester, because Mom and Dad
would drive around to Mom’s cousins’ houses to drop off gifts for
the kids. Sometimes my sister and I went along but as we got
older and more responsible we’d stay home while the gifts run
was made.
Then there were Christmas Eves where we were all home
and spent the night wrapping presents for each other or other
relatives. I think I liked those quieter nights best.
The past two decades or so Christmas Eve is spent at my sister
and brother-in-law’s house. Gifts are given out and opened and
my sister’s youngest son Mike(now in his twenties) often ends
up with the handing out the gifts duties since he’s the youngest
family member. Then there’s food served buffet style. At that
point, I am just trying to stay awake because I’ve been dealing
with the last minute shoppers at the store all day and a good
meal on top of that makes me want to take a nap. And next
day I go back over for dinner.
All in all Christmas Eves over the years have been good ones,
sometimes saddened by losses of loved ones but we all enjoy
being together and relaxing after the end of the Christmas rush.
2009 Update: A new tradition began last year with the Christmas
Eve festivities moving to the home of my niece Sarah and her
husband Steve. And this year I am actually having a day off on
Christmas Eve, so I won't be so tired and sleepy!
2010 Update: Christmas Eve will be at my sister's this year and I'm
looking forward to some lasagna. I expect that Michael will be helped
with giving out gifts this year by my 2 year old grandnephew Noah!
2011 Update: Christmas Eve will again be at my sister's house and
there will be lasagna! One change this year: since the bookstore closed
I haven't been working the Christmas shopping rush so I may not fall
asleep as early as I have in past years!
2012 Update: Christmas Eve was at my sister Cheryl's house with her
family and my brother Phil and his oldest son Phil. It was a great evening
and much lasagna was eaten.
2013 Update: Christmas Eve will be at Chery & Pete's house tonight with
gift opening and food. Christmas Day will be at my nephew Paul's house
One nice change the past few years since my retirement is not having to
work on Christmas Eve. There were nights where one manager at the
Borders store would take FOREVER to close down the store, so it
might be two hours before the unlucky few of us working the close
could go home. Luckily, the other two managers I worked for there
in later years were just as anxious to get home as the staff was, so
we were out pretty quickly. And there was the Christmas Eve we
were all out of the store, the alarm was armed, and all the cash
registers were already locked away in the safe.... and two teenagers
ran up and asked if the store was still open and could we sell them
a cd they needed. No, we didn't reopen the store. If we had, there
would have been more people showing up and wanting to come in.
Ah memories...
2014 Update:
Looking forward to tonight at Cheryl & Pete's. This will a special Christmas
as it's the first for their new granddaughters Lillianna and Abigail. And the
torch has been passed by Mike to a new generation as their grandson Noah
now handing out the gifts to everyone.
2023 update:
It's been a few years (due to Covid) since the last time I'd done Christmas Eve. This year it was at Paul and Jenn's home. Niece Sarah took this photo of me with the grandnieces and grandnephews.
((Originally posted in 2007))
Originally posted in 2007
You know that part of the movie A Christmas Story where
the family goes out to buy the tree and the parents have a little
argument over it? Well, I laugh every time I see it because
like so much in that film it echoes my childhood.
Every Christmas when I was younger either we’d go shopping
for a tree or Dad would buy one on his way home from work.
Now as regular readers of this blog know by now, my Dad was
from Maine. But even more than that, he had experience in trees.
He’d helped his father cutting down trees, and he’d worked for a
landscaper in the Boston area when he’d first come home from
the war. Mom would remind Dad of his experience every year
when the tree was fixed into the tree stand, the rope cut from
the branches and the inevitable big empty space was discovered.
Usually the problem was solved by rotating the tree so the empty
spot was in the back facing the wall. The lights were strung(and
here we differed from the film. We never blew out the fuses.),
then the garlands, the ornaments, and the icicles. Finally the
angel went up on top of the tree and we were all set. With
judicious watering the tree would last us until around “Little
Christmas” at which time it would be undecorated and deposited
curbside to await the dump truck.
Of course our tree paled in comparison to the giant my Mom’s
Uncle Tommy and Aunt Francis had in their home down in
Milton. It was so big they cut the top off and the branches didn’t
taper at the top. They were all the same size: large. I could
never believe they'd gotten that big a tree into the house in the
first place!
Then the first artificial Christmas trees hit the market and Mom
began vowing she was going to get one as she vacuumed up pine
needles from the rug. Eventually we did but that provided us
with new challenges, such as assembling the tree.
As we all grew older the prospect of trying to get the tree
together became less enchanting and so it too was replaced, this
time by a small ceramic musical tree that was lit from within by
a light bulb. I used that tree myself for several years after Mom
died although I felt no great urge to wind it up for the music. It
lasted until a few years back when I dropped it and the base
cracked.
Its replacement is a small artificial tree that I bought at work with
my employee discount along with a garland. Last year some
friends sent me some snowmen ornaments for it. I haven’t put it
up yet but think I will this weekend. It fits on top of the tv.
And at some point over the holidays I’ll see that scene from A
Christmas Story again and grin.
2009 update: I bought a small string of battery powered lights
to add to my tree last week!
2010 update: I lost my Christmas stuff in my move last April so
I'll be picking it up another one at work soon.
2011 update
I bought another teeny Christmas tree with lights and ornaments
at Borders. Since the company closed, it will remind me of my
store when I set it out each year.
2012 update
I haven't put up my teeny Christmas tree yet but plan to do it this weekend.
2013 Update
I'll be putting the tree out tomorrow. I may have to buy a new string of
lights this year since some of the teeny weeny bulbs may have died last year.
2014 Update
I haven't put the teeny Christmas tree up yet again. I think I will do
it tomorrow, though.
2015 Update
The teeny Christmas tree will go up this weekend as soon as I decide
where it will go this year.
2018 Update:
I
still have the teeny Christmas tree which I haven't put up yet.. I may
spring for maybe a few of those electric candles for my apartment
window, though.
2019 Update:
I'll probably put the teeny tree up this coming weekend.
2020 Update:My windows are being replaced this week so I'll put the tree out after the mayhem is over.
2021 Update:
I bought a new foot tall tree and will add the ornaments to it tomorrow.
2023 Update
I bought a porcelain tree with minivillage that were on sale on Amazon after last Christmas.
;
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I once worked several years
for a New England based toy store chain. At the end of the
Christmas Party my first year there(this would be the year before
the incident with the car and the tractor trailer box)I was called
into the warehouse office and told that they didn’t need me there
after the holiday but they could use me at the Dedham
warehouse where they stored all the returned damaged toys.
So the week after Christmas I found myself in a small warehouse
amidst stacks of Chatty Kathy’s and See and Say’s and Barbie
dolls. Sleds that just needed to have a screw or bolt replaced
were broken up with sledge hammers.
It seemed like such a waste when I found out the other toys
would be returned to the toy company for credit. Couldn’t the
sleds be repaired and given to kids?
No, I was told. I won’t tell you the reason I was given because it’s
pretty disgusting but given the nature of retail it’s not surprising.
So I went from being a Santa’s helper to being the Grinch’s
henchman.
Eventually I was sent back to the main warehouse. A year later I
left the company and found another job.
And the toy store chain? It went out of business a year or so
afterwards.
I like to think of that as a cosmic lump of coal in their corporate
stockings.
2011 Update: That reason that the company person gave was
that if people got the repaired sleds free they wouldn't be spending
their money at our stores to buy new ones. When I pointed out that
a lot of people couldn't afford to buy a lot of gifts I was told that
parents would find a way to spend money on their kids so they'd
have a good Christmas, including folks on welfare.
The only good thing I can say about that whole conversation was that
it took place long after the Christmas holidays so it didn't ruin the
Christmas spirit for me that year.(That came years later when I
started working in retail on the sales floor.)
2013 Update: For those wondering what company did this, it was
Child World. It's been about 25 years since they went out of business
now.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
20 Dec 1640 11x ggm Sarah Maverick was born in Charlestown, Ma.
20 Dec 1661 8x ggm Sarah Chandler was born in Andover, Ma.
20 Dec 1662 8x ggf Benjamin Abbott was born in Andover, Ma.
20 Dec 1681 8x ggm Elizabeth Lazell was born in Hingham, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
20 Dec 1644 8x ggp George Bonham & Sarah Morton were married in Plymouth, Ma.
DEATH:
20 Dec 1644 9x ggf John Kelley died in Newbury, Ma.
20 Dec 1681 9x ggf John Prescott died in Lancaster, Ma.
20 Dec 1768 7x ggf John Bancroft Jr. died in Lynn, Ma.
20 Dec 1756 6x ggf Mark Perkins was born in No. Bridgewater, Ma.
Originally published in Dec. 2007.
ON THIS DATE:
DEATHS:
19 Dec 1707 7x ggf Robert Barrows died in Plymouth. Ma
19 Dec 1886 2x ggf Patrick Kelly died in Edinburgh, Scotland
19 Dec 1702 8x ggm Mary (Wilkes) Woodbury died in Beverly, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
18 Dec 1674 6x ggf John Collins was born at Eastham, Ma.
DEATHS:
18 Dec 1620 10x ggf James Chilton died on Mayflower in Provincetown, Ma.
18 Dec 1685 8x ggf John Clarke died in Lynn, Ma.
18 Dec 1662 11x ggf Isaac Morrill died in Roxbury, Ma.
18 Dec 1696 9x ggm Hannah (Larkin) Johnson died in Marlboro, Ma.
Every Christmas Mom would break out the Andy Williams
Christmas Album to play on the stereo. There was also a Nat
King Cole album and a Mitch Miller “Sing Along With Mitch”
Christmas edition. But for me, even rock and roll dinosaur
that I am, it’s the Andy Williams album that “feels” like
Christmas to me. I need to hear that "It's the Most
Wonderful Time of the Year."
As I’ve gotten older and my musical tastes expanded, I find
myself listening to New Age and Celtic Christmas music. And
Josh Groban just put out a holiday album that we’ve played at
the bookstore since Thanksgiving and it’s easy on the ears.
As for caroling, well, there are some things that one should
never do in public and in my case, singing is one of them!
2010 Update: I splurged this year for the "Now That;s What
I Call Christmas Essentials Collection." It has the Andy Williams
song and Nat King Cole's version of "Christmas Song" on it,
and I plan to play it Thursday afternoon on my day off!
2011 Update Now that Borders has gone out of business and
I avoid the radio stations doing the "All Christmas, All the Time"
since mid-November, I haven't burned out on Christmas music
as early as previous years. But unfortunately, I am now tired of
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Staples use of it
in the back to school ads was funny. But this year, the song has
been overused by retail stores and car dealerships so much
that it's like beating a dead reindeer! Bah, humbug!
2012 Update: My favorite piece of Christmas music this year
is this performance by Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and Mariah
Carey. It makes me smile.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
15 Dec 1666 9x ggm Martha Fiske was born in Watertown, Ma.
15 Dec 1665 9x ggf William Johnson was born in Marlboro, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
15 Dec 1687 9x ggp Thomas Drury & Rachel Rice were married in Sudbury, Ma
15 Dec 1714 8x ggp Joseph Boyden & Rebecca Paine were married in Dedham, Ma.
15 Dec 1726 6x ggp Ephraim Houghton & Sarah Sawyer were married in Lancaster, Ma.
DEATHS:
15 Dec 1668 10x ggf Andrew Grantham died in Newbury, Ma.
15 Dec 1731 8x ggm Elizabeth (Hedge) Barnes died in Yarmouth, Ma.
((Originally posted in 2007))
I don’t get a lot of Christmas cards, mostly because I don’t send
out a lot myself. I get some from the family and a few from friends
but since I’m not much of a social animal there’s no more than perhaps
a half dozen each year sitting atop my tv.
In years past the amount of cardage fluctuated. When I
was a kid there were a lot of cards, usually taped to the
door frames or sitting atop the end tables in the living room.
When we moved to Abington they were displayed across the
mantel piece or taped around the edges of the mirror above it.
The years when my folks were actively involved in the VFW
brought the highest number of season’s greetings. Mom would
spend a few hours herself signing and addressing cards to be
sent out. But as she and her generation of family and friends
grew older the flood of Christmas cards dwindled. Several years
Mom even had some unused cards left over when she finished.
I tend not to like sending “mushy” cards so I usually try to find
something funny. Although this year I may be giving people a
look at a certain dancing elf via e-mail!
2010 Update: I'm going to see what sort of selection we have at
the store tomorrow and hopefully find something funny, although
last year I sent out cards that were more "New England-y"
2011 Update Since Borders has closed I'm going to have to take
a long walk over to Target soon to get some boxed cards!
2012 Update I'm waiting for my box card order from B&N
to arrive.
2013 Update I haven't bought any Christmas cards yet. I'm also
trying to figure out what to do with the leftover cards from the
last few years.
2014 Update:
I'll probably buy my cards this weekend. I don't really start thinking
about Christmas cards until right about now, although I've already
received one this holiday season.
The past few years I've taken to displaying the incoming cards on my
bookcase, as in this photo from a few years ago:
2019 Update: I received a few cards so far this year,,
and I actually sent out mine earlier than in past years so hopefully they
have arrived at their destinations before the holidays.
2020 Update: I sent some cards out today (8th Dec), and have already received a few. I might take a photo of them if more come in.
2021 Update: I sent mine out a bit late (last week). Hopefully they make it in time for Chrismas. Here's the cards I've received.
2023 Update:
I got off to a rocky start this year when I couldn't find the boxed Christmas cards. So I ordered new ones from Amazon. And the next day I found the missing cards stored inside the ottoman. Arrgh.Now if I could only find that address list!
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
12 Dec 1672 7x ggf Abiell Kelley was born in Newbury, Ma.
12 Dec 1738 5x ggf Caleb Coburn was born in Dracut, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
12 Dec 1719 6x ggp Ebenezer Dunham & Abigail Smith were married in Salem, Ma.
12 Dec 1646 9x ggp George Abbott Jr. & Hannah Chandler were married in Roxbury, Ma.
12 Dec 1661 8x ggp Thomas West & Elizabeth Jackson were married in Beverly, Ma.
DEATH:
12 Dec 1690 10x ggf Thomas Ellis died in Medfield, Ma.
((First published in December, 2007))
I don’t recall many holiday parties from my earlier childhood. In our
family folks were too busy working or shopping at Christmas time. And
when we lived in Dorchester the apartments weren’t
really big
enough to hold large parties in, although there might have been one or
two. If so, they would have followed the rules of other adult parties my
folks had: after saying hello to the adults,
my sister and I would be sent off to our beds to eventually fall asleep while listening to the adults
in the other room laughing at Rusty Warren records. We wondered what "roll me over in the clover" meant.
As an adult, most of my Christmas party experience has been at work, including one at a now
defunct toy chain warehouse(more on that job later) when I was in my early twenties. It snowed
when
I left for home. My car at the time was an Olds 98 and being in a hurry
to get home, I didn’t completely clean the rear windshield. I backed
up, turning the car around….
…and smashed my rear windshield by backing the car up under a tractor trailer box front end as
if it were a big rig hooking up.
The good news was, my Dad worked in the auto glass repair business.
The bad news was I had to call him and tell him what I’d done.
It was an …umm…interesting conversation.
2013 Update:
I think this is my favorite out of all the things I've posted every
year about past Christmases. I remember the windshield incident with a
smile now but at the time I was a nervous wreck waiting for Dad's
reaction, especially since I'd had a few highballs at the Christmas party
which probably had a lot to do with my backing into the trailer. I also
had to drive the car home
with no rear windshield in a snowstorm and I was worried I'd get pulled over by the police. When
I
got home we covered the broken window with something, probably a cut
open garbage bag and masking tape, and a few days later Dad found a
replacement at Goldy's, a local junkyard.
Most
of all, I remember Dad getting out of his car when he drove up to the
Child World warehouse, taking a puff on his cigarette, and giving me
The Look before asking me "How the hell did you manage to do that?"
ON THIS DATE:
MARRIAGES:
11 Dec 1693 7x ggp Robert Woodbury & Mary West were married in Beverly, Ma.
11 Dec 1674 9x ggp John Nutting & Mary Lakin were married in Groton, Ma.
11 Dec 1651 10 ggp John Fiske & Sarah Wyeth were married in Watertown, Ma.
((first published in 2007)
When I was a kid the holiday dinners rotated between our place
and my Uncle Ed’s and Aunt Emily’s. If Thanksgiving was at our
house, then Christmas would be at theirs. Since Emily is Italian
the holiday had an extra element for the dinner. We’d eat all the
traditional food: turkey, stuffing, veggies, and then after that was
cleared, Aunt Emily’s mom Nonnie Cappadano would bring out
the Italian food: lasagna, meatballs, stuffed sausages, and other
great dishes. To this day at Thanksgiving there is usually lasagna
served along with the turkey and I had leftovers of both sent
home with me here afterward.
Since we now usually gather at my sister’s for Christmas Eve to
open gifts and eat, the food is a bit less formal, sometimes buffet
style with meatballs, cold cuts, and salad. Then Christmas Day
comes another big meal.
And that’s how an Irish Catholic family eats a lot of Italian at
holiday time.
2010 Update: I've had some health...umm...adventures this past
year which required I change my diet habits. On the good side,
I've lost 100 lbs. But boy, do I miss Italian food. So I'm
looking forward to Christmas Eve at my sister's or niece's
house when I can have some lasagna (albeit in smaller
portions than in the past) and maybe one or two of those
cookies with the chocolate kisses!
2011 Update: Christmas was at my sister's house last year and
the food as usual was great. But then again it always is on Christmas
wherever it may be!
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
10 Dec 1651 7x ggm Abigail Trumbull was born in Rowley, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
10 Dec 1718 6x ggp Elisha West and Mary Bearse were married in Plympton, Ma.
DEATH:
10 Dec 1677 10x ggf Thomas Larkin died in Charlestown, Ma.
10 Dec 1691 10x ggf Thomas Cushman died in Plymouth, Ma
(originally published in Dec. 2007)
My family was fortunate in that we never lived in the sort of place
where Christmas outdoor decorations becomes a blood sport.
Yes, people strung lights in their shrubbery or along their house
gutters but there was never anyone determined to turn their
front yard into the North Pole’s Southern Branch Office.
Now for light shows back then you went to someplace religious,
like Our Lady of La Sallette Shrine in North Attleboro or the local
cemetery with it’s entrance lit up, or even just cruised a stretch
of highway to look at the neighborhood lights that might be seen
from a distance as you drove by.
We didn’t really have outside lights ourselves until we left Boston
for Abington. Up until then the only lights other than on our
Christmas tree were the electric candles we put on windowsills.
But at the house Dad did the obligatory shrubbery and gutter
displays as well as one other spot: the apple tree in the front yard.
Dad had experience both with wiring and tree climbing so putting
a string of lights up in a small apple tree was a piece of cake. It
was the taking down part that didn’t seem to work at least for
the tree. One year, long after the other outside lights were down
and packed away, the lights still were hanging in the apple tree.
I’m not sure exactly when he took them down but I do know it
was well after Spring had sprung. I think they were even plugged
in one or two nights. I don’t know the reasons why they were
still there: my Dad’s sense of humor, perhaps? Or maybe an
instance where Dad’s Maine stubbornness and the Irish
stubbornness of my Mom brought about some impasse on the issue?
On my way home the other night from work I noticed at least
three of those large hot air snow globe scenes on front lawns.
Those families must have big electricity bills!
2010 Update: As I discovered in 2008, the apple tree in
the front yard of the house is long gone. But a news report
the other night made me think of Dad. The holiday
lighting ceremony at Braintree has been postponed a week
because squirrels had eaten through the wires.
The lights had been left up all year since last Christmas!
2011 Update: The big snowstorms last winter had one
interesting effect. Some of the homes with heavily
decorated outside yards remained that way until
the snow melted. One home in particular had an inflatable
Santa and other decorations buried under snow drifts
and you could just see the tops of them as you drove by
the house. I think they were there until mid-March!
2013 Update: It's a bit early yet apparently for the lights
to go up for Christmas around here. I don't work anymore
and haven't driven around much after dark so I haven't
seen any houses lit up yet. I did, however, spot two of
those big inflatable figures on someone's front lawn yesterday
afternoon.
2014 Update
I'm not sure there be many houses lit up this year, or that they
will be many elaborate displays. The electric companies in the
New England area have raised their rates over 30% and that
may be too much for many people to afford to put up Christmas
lights.
2015 Update
There's only a few homes along the main streets in the area that have put up
their outside lights so far this year. But there are some in specific neighborhoods
and I've noticed word gets out via Facebook on where the best displays are to take
your kids to see them.
2016 Update:
Since my retirement I don't drive much after dark any more, so I haven't seen
any houses decorated so far. But there's a contest for best decorations going on,
and a Christmas Tree lighting going on at Island Grove as well,
2018 Update:
There's a really good Christmas display over on Lake Street by Island
Grove that gets a lot of visitors every year. It looks like a lot of
work to put together. But unfortunately some unusually high winds
knocked over the big Christmas tree at Island Grove after it was lit
just the week before.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
6 Dec 1668 7x ggf Samuel Herrick was born in Beverly, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
6 Dec 1770 5x ggp Samuel Haskell & Ruth Safford were married in Harvard, Ma.
DEATH:
6 Dec 1681 10x ggm Sarah (Fosdick) Holden died in Watertown, Ma.
6 Dec 1705 8x ggm Elizabeth (Gorge) Reith died in Marblehead, Ma.
6 Dec 1864 4x ggf James Dunham died in Hebron, Me.
6 Dec 1820 5x ggf Reuben Packard died in Hebron, Me.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
4 Dec 1643 8x ggf Isaac Woodbury Sr was born in Beverly. Ma,
4 Dec 1696 8x ggm Mary Johnson was born in Marlborough, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
4 Dec 1652 10x ggp Thomas Brewer & Elizabeth Graves were married in Lynn, Ma.
4 Dec 1717 6x ggp Moses Barrows Sr. & Mary Carver were married in Plympton, Ma.
DEATHS:
4 Dec 1853 3x ggm Sally (Houghton) Dunham died in Paris, Me.
4 Dec 1669 10x ggm Ann (Brown ) Hawkes died in Lynn, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
30 Nov 1663 7x ggf James Thomas was born in Marshfield, Ma.
30 Nov 1785 4x ggm Polly Griffith was born in Newfane, Vt.
MARRIAGE:
30 Nov 1768 5x ggp Elisha Houghton & Meriah Peirce were married in Bolton, Ma.
DEATH:
30 Nov 1672 9x ggf Gregory Stone died in Cambrifge, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
29 Nov 1694 6x ggm Hannah Tuttle was born in Haverhill, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
29 Nov 1649 9x ggp John Lazell & Elizabeth Gates were married in Hingham, Ma.
29 Nov 1680 8x ggp William Lovejoy & Mary Farnum were married in Andover, Ma.
DEATHS:
29 Nov 1680 10 ggf William Langley died in Groton, Ma.
29 Nov 1657 8x ggf Isaac Learned Sr. died in Chelmsford, Ma.
29 Nov 1752 7x ggm Elzabeth (Tuttle) Ayer died in Haverhill, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
28 Nov 1739 6x ggf Hezekiah Boyden was born in Worcester, Ma.
28 Nov 1852 ggf John McFarland was born in Ireland.
MARRIAGES:
28 Nov 1678 8x ggp Josiah White & Mary Rice were married in Marlborough, Ma.
28 Nov 1666 7x ggp Robert Barrows & Ruth Bonham were married in Plymouth, Ma.
DEATH:
28 Nov 1699 10x ggm Mary (Allerton) Cushman died in Plymouth, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTHS:
26 Nov 1640 8x ggf Samuel Davis was born in Haverhill, Ma.
26 Nov 1664 7x ggf Ichabod Robie was born in Hampton, N.H.
26 Nov 1690 7x ggm Martha Tuthill was born in Ipswich, Ma.
DEATHS:
26 Nov 1690 8x ggf John Stevens 3rd drowned in Casco Bay, Me
26 Nov 1641 10x ggf William Chandler died in Roxbury, Ma,
((I first posted these Thanksgiving memories in 2011))
Thanksgiving is approaching and it brings back memories of Thanksgivings
when we were kids.
If we were hosting the family that year, Dad would be up early in the
morning cooking the bird. I don't know how many companies do it
today but back then many employers gave their workers a frozen
turkey for Thanksgiving so when that happened my parents would
decide if it was big enough for the whole family and guests. If not,
it would stay in the freezer and they'd buy a bigger turkey. The smaller
one would be used for a Sunday dinner for the family a few weeks later.
When the rest of us got up my sister and I would watch the Thanksgving
Day parades on TV while Mom and Dad started on the rest of the food.
The most critical part of the preparations was the stuffing which had to
turn out moist at the meal. I don't know exactly how this was done
nearly every year except that for most of my childhood my folks used
Bell Stuffing in the bird. (When we were older, there was often "backup"
Stove Top Stuffing for when the "made in the bird" stuffing ran out).
But no matter whether we were hosting Thanksgiving or if it was at our
Uncle Ed and Aunt Mimi's house, there were certain traditions. One was
the kids' table, usually in the kitchen or at the doorway between the dining
room and the living room. In the early years, four of us were seated there:
myself, my sister Cheryl, and our cousins Winnie and Richie.For us, the
most important part of the meal was who was going to get the drumsticks.
After all, there were only two drumsticks and there were four of us! Our
parents at first solved the problem by using a rotating system that was based
on age: Winnie and I were the older and would get the drumsticks at that
Thanksgiving, and Cheryl and Richie would get them at Christmas, since
the families served turkey for the holiday dinner then, This worked for a few
years until my Aunt and Uncle had two more boys, Little Eddie and Vincent,
and then my brother Phil came along but by that time somebody had figured
out they could buy extra drumsticks at the supermarket and chaos was averted.
Eventually, one by one, we all outgrew the kids' table and the need to be
the one who ate the drumstick. I found out that I liked the slices of dark
meat better and that cranberry sauce was my favorite part of the main
meal. I also learned that if we were eating at my Aunt and Uncle's house
I should leave room for the second course of all the Italian food, especially
the lasagna. If the meal were at our house, there was a later leftover
sandwich with turkey and stuffing and maybe a little more cranberry sauce
on it.
One not so pleasant Thanksgiving memory was the turkey I forgot. I was
working somewhere at the time, (I forget now if it was at Child World or
Big L Drug Discount Stores) and I got a frozen holiday turkey from the
company which I loaded into the back floor of my car before I drove home.
I forgot it was in the car...
For two days....
Luckily, it wasn't a very warm November.
But it did look sort of green when I finally remembered it was there and
took it inside.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
22 Nov 1684 7x ggf Samuel Pheilps was born in Andover, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
22 Nov 1803 4x ggp Johann Ruppmich & Christina Krehwisch were married in Brandenburg, Ger.
DEATH:
22 Nov 1718 8x ggf John Hayward died in Concord, Ma.
((First posted on 22Nov 2016))
On November 22, 1963 I was a sophomore at Abington High School here in Abington, Ma. It was
near the end of the school day, and I was in my last class, American History with Mr Smith. Suddenly
the door at the back of the room opened and Mr.Divoll walked in from his room and told us the
president had been shot.
Mr. Divoll was the Drama Coach as well as a history teacher and was known to use a little theater in
his classes, so at first I wasn't sure what this was all about. When he said it again, this time using
President Kennedy's name, reality hit me.
I don't remember if we were dismissed from school early that day. I suspect not. School got out for
the day at 2pm and the news that JFK was dead broke around 2:30. So most of us had gone home by
then. Mom usually watched the CBS soap operas so when they switched to live coverage of what had
happened it was Walter Cronkite who told us the awful news.
Two days later my family went to my Uncle Ed's house for Thanksgiving dinner and we heard on the
car radio that Jack Ruby had killed Lee Harvey Oswald.
Of course the whole country was in shock but JFK's death really hit New England hard, especially
we Irish Roman Catholics. JFK was the first of us elected president, and
it was a tremendous source of pride, especially in Massachusetts. His
election had been the ultimate triumph of generations of Irish
immigrants over anti-Irish Catholic discrimination.
I remember the pictures of the Kennedy children, and watching the
funeral procession with the riderless horse. I remember the cadence of
the drums.
It was the start of one of the most turbulent eras in our history, but I didn't know it at the time.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
20 Nov 1647 7x ggf Jonathan Hallett was born in Yarmouth. Ma.
MARRIAGE:
20 Nov 1661 9x ggp John Eaton & Ann Crossman were married in Haverhill, Ma.
DEATHS:
20 Nov 1688 9x ggm Mary (Smith) Kimball died in Ipswich, Ma.
20 Nov 1696 8x ggf Samuel Smith died in Eastham, Ma.
ON THIS DATE
BIRTHS:
19 Nov 1828 2x ggf Amos Hasting Barker was born in Rumford, Ma.
19 Nov 1652 7x ggf Andrew Spaulding was born in Chelmsford, Ma..
MARRIAGE:
19 Nov 1774 4x ggp Asa Barrows & Content Benson were married in Middleboro Ma.
DEATHS:
19 Nov 1679 9x ggf Roger Conant died in Beverly, Ma.
19 Nov 1678 9x ggm Elizabeth (Coffin) Greenleaf died in Newbury, Ma.
ON THIS DATE:
BIRTH:
18 Nov 1638 9x ggf Samuel Ward was born in Hingham, Ma.
MARRIAGES:
18 Nov 1794 4x ggp Philip Pierce Richardson & Lydia Dow were married in Pembroke, N.H.
18 Nov 1811 4x ggp John Laughton & Amata Greenleaf were married in Mercer, Me.
DEATH:
18 Nov 1691 8x ggf Adam Hawkes died in Lynn, Ma.
ON THIS DATE
BIRTH:
17 Nov 1654 8x ggf Joshua Lazell was born in Hingham, Ma.
DEATHS:
17 Nov 1667 9x ggf Thomas Rowlandson died in Lancaster, Ma.
17 Nov 1671 10x ggm Isabel (Cox) Leffingwell died in Woburn, Ma.
17 Nov 1723 6x ggm Elizabeth (Hallett) Crowell died in Chatham, Ma.
ON THIS DATE
BIRTHS:
13 Nov 1668 7x ggm Dorothy Colby was born in Amesbury, Ma.
13 Nov 1738 5x ggm Esther Butterfield was born in Chelmsford, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
13 Nov 1651 9x ggp Stephen Greenleaf & Elizabeth Coffin were married in Newbury, Ma.
DEATHS:
13 Nov 1733 7x ggf Joseph Colburn died in Dracut, Ma.
13 Nov 1644 9x ggm Sarah (Elwyn) Metcalf died in Dedham, Ma.
ON THIS DATE
BIRTH:
12 Nov 1734 6x ggm Susannah Nutting was born in Groton, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
12 Nov 1718 8x ggp Thomas Green Sr. & Mary John son were married in Marlboro, Ma.
DEATHS:
12 Nov 1712 8x ggf Samuel Parker died in Groton, Ma.
12 Nov 1724 7x ggf Nathaniel Stow Jr. died in Concord, Ma.
12 Nov 1712 9x ggm Ruth (Andrews) Stanley died in Topsfield, Ma.
12 Nov 1694 10x ggf Robert Babcock died in Milton, Ma.
12 Nov 1715 8x Mary (Brown) Haskell died in Gloucester, Ma.
12 Nov 1800 5x ggf James Swan died in Bethel, Me.
On Veterans Day I like to pay tribute to the members of
our family who have served our country from its birth. I don't
have all the details of the service records, and I'm sure I will
discover more relatives to add later, but this is what I have so far.
American Revolution:
Jonathan Barker Jr. My 4x great grandfather
Was a Minuteman from Methuen Ma with rank of Sergeant.
He responded to Lexington and Concord with his sons
Served in Captain Samuel Johnson's Company in
Colonel Titcomb's Regiment for 2 months in 1777 in Rhode
Island and then with Nathaniel Gage's Company in Colonel
Jacob Gerrish's guards from Dec 1777 tol April 1778 guarding
the captured troops of General Burgoyne.
Jonathan Barker 3rd My 5x great grandfather
Enlisted on 19 Apr 1775 in Continental Army, Capt. John
Davis' Company, Col. James Frye's Regiment, in the
Massachusetts line for 8 months in Cambridge, Ma. At the
conclusion of the term, he reenlisted for another 3 months in
Capt John Allen's Company, Colonel John Waldron's Regiment,
General Sullivan's Brigade in the New Hampshire Brigade at
Charlestown, Ma. He then enlisted a third time in June 1778
at Methuen, Ma., joining Captain Samuel Carr's Company, Col.
James Weston's Regiment, in General Lerned's Brigade at
White Plains, N.Y. and serving for another 9 months.
John Ames My 5x great grandfather
Was a Minuteman under Capt. Asa Parker on April 18th,
1775. He then enlisted in the Continental Army under Captain
Oliver Parker, Col. William Prescott's Regiment and
in the Brigade that was commanded in turn by Generals
Putnam, Lee, and Washington and served for 8 1/2 months.
For a more detailed account of his service see my posts
about his Revolutionary War Pension File starting here.
Asa Barrows My 4x great grandfather
A member of the militia from Middleborough , Ma. (south of
Boston) in the Company of Captain Joshua Benson, in Colonel
Cotton's Regiment, and General William Heath's Brigade for
8 months during the siege of Boston. In December 1776 he
joined a militia Company commanded by Captain Joshua
Perkins and marched to Barrington, R.I. and was stationed
there for 6 weeks. In July 1780 he again enlisted, this time
in a militia company commanded by Captain Perez Churchill
that marched to Tiverton, R.I. I posted about his
Revolutionary War Pension File starting here.
Moses Coburn My 4x great grandfather
Moses Coburn got into the War late and by reason of being
"hired by a certain class of men in the then town of Dunstable
to go into the Continental Army in the summer of 1781."
When he reached Phillipsburgh in New York he was placed in
Captain Benjamin Pike's Company, in the Regiment of the
Massachusetts line commanded by Lt. Colonel Calvin Smith in
which he served for nearly two years until it was broken up.
He then transferred to the Company of Judah Alden in the
Regiment commanded by Colonel Sprouts until his discharge
in 1783.
Samuel Haskell My 5x great grandfather
Samuel served in Captain Joseph Elliott's Company in Colonel
William Turner's Regiment and then under Captain Hezekiah
Whitney in Colonel Josiah Whitney's Regiment.
Amos Hastings My 5x great grandfather
Amos was responded to the Lexington Alarm as part of
Captain Richard Ayer's Company and Colonel William
Johnson's Regiment. He later served in Captain Timothy
Eaton's Company in Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regiment
and was at the taking of the British General Burgoyne at
Ticonderoga.
Elisha Houghton 5x great grandfather
Enlisted at Harvard Ma as a Private in May of 1777 in the
Massachusetts militia and was at the Battles of Bunker Hill
and Stillwater. He then enlisted for three years in the infantry
company commanded by Captain Joshua Brown in Colonel
Timothy Bigelow's 15th Regiment of the Massachusetts line.
and took part in the Battles of Monmouth and Newport and
was at Valley Forge. He twice was promoted to Sergeant and
twice was busted back down to the ranks.
Amos Upton My 5x great grandfather
Responded to the Lexington Alarm and marched there from
his home in Reading. He later joined the militia company
commanded by Captain Asa Prince as an orderly sergeant
and then enlisted for eight months in the Continental Army
under Colonel Mansfield for 8 months. He was at the Battle
of Bunker Hill. He was discharged in October of 1775.
John Griffith My 5x great grandfather
Enlisted in 1781 as a Matross (he swabbed out the barrel of
the cannons after they fired, or so I've been told) in Captain
William Treadwell's Company in Colonel John Crane's
Artillery Regiment.
Reuben Packard My 5x great grandfather
A Sergeant in Captain Josiah Hayden's Company in Colonel
Bailey's militia. They marched to Lexington at news of the
Alarm. He also responded several more times as a Minuteman
for a total of nearly 8 months duty.
Jonathan Abbot My 5x great grandfather
Served as a Sergeant in the Militia under Captain Henry
Abbott and responded to the Lexington Alarm
Samuel Stowe My 5x great grandfather
Minuteman from Sherborn, Ma. Served in Capt. Benjamin Bullard's
Company in Col. Asa Whitcomb's 5th Massachusetts Bay
Provincial Regiment
Besides those direct ancestors, these other relatives fought
in the Revolution:
Moses Barrows, brother to Asa Barrows.
Samuel, Jesse, and Benjamin Barker, sons of Jonathan
Barker, Jr. and brothers to Jonathan Barker 3rd.
James Swan, brother in law to Jonathan Barker.
War of 1812
John Griffith My 5x great grandfather
served in Capt Elias Morse's Company, Col. Holland's Regiment
as part of a artillery company defending Portland, Maine.
Amos Hastings My 5x great grandfather
helped organize the militia in Bethel, Maine and rose
to the rank of Brigadier General of the 2nd Brigade, 13th Division of
the Massachusetts State Militia.
Nathaniel Barker My 3x great grandfather
was a private in the company commanded by Captain William Wheeler
in the Regiment of Militia commanded by Col. Ryerson, which was
stationed at Portland, Maine.
Civil War
Asa Freeman Ellingwood My 2x great grandfather
enlisted in Company I, 5th Maine Infantry, on June 24, 1861.
He was at the First Battle of Bull Run after which he received
a medical discharge in Dec 1861. He reenlisted inCo "A" 9th
Veteran R Corps in September 1864 and served until the end
of the war when he was honorably discharged.
 |
| Asa & Florilla Ellingwood |
 |
| Floyd E West Sr. |
 | |
| Paul And Jen |
Whenever I am talking or writing about my Mayflower descent, for some
ironic reason I always forget about Remember Allerton. The reason for the
irony is that both my Dad's parents were Allerton descendants: Pop from
Remember Allerton and Grandma Bertha from Mary Allerton.:
Allerton #1 through Ellingwood Line
Isaac Allerton & Mary Norris
Remember Allerton & Moses Maverick
Abigail Maverick & Samuel Ward
Martha Ward & John Tuthill(Tuttle)
Martha Tuthill(Tuttle) & Mark Haskell
Martha Haskell & John Safford
Ruth Safford & Samuel Haskell
Martha Haskell & Moses Houghton
Sally Houghton & James Thomas Dunham
Florilla Dunham & Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Clara Ellingwood & Phillip Jonathan West
Floyd Earl West Sr & Cora B Barker
Floyd Earl West Jr & Anne Marie White
Allerton #2 through Barker Line
Isaac Allerton & Mary Norris
Mary Allerton & Thomas Cushman
Sarah Cushman & Adam Hawkes
John Hawkes & Mary(Margery)Whitford
Eva Hawkes & John Bancroft Eunice Hawkes & Jacob Walton
John Bancroft & Mary Walton
Sally(Sarah)Bancroft & Francis Upton
Hannah Upton & Cyrus Moore
Betsey Jane Moore & Amos Hastings Barker
Charlotte Lovenia Barker & Frank W Barker
Cora B, Barker & Floyd Earl Wesrt Sr
Floyd Earl West Jr and Anne Marie White.
My Warren ancestry comes through my Ames line
Warren #1 Through Ames Line
Richard Warren & Elizabeth (?)
Mary Warren & Robert Bartlett
Mary Bartlett & Jonathan Mowrey(Morey)
Hannah Mowrey(Morey) & John Bumpas
Mary Bumpas & Seth Ellis
Mary Ellis & Ephraim Griffith
John Griffith & Mary Boyden
Polly Griffith & Jonathan Phelps Ames
Arvilla S. Ames & John Cutter West
John Cutter West & Louisa Richardson
Phillip Jonathan West & Clara Ellingwood
Floyd Earl West Sr & Cora B Barker
Floyd Earl West Jr and Anne Marie White.
Warren #2 Through Dunham Line:
Richard Warren & Elizabeth (LNU)
Ann Warren & Thomas Little
Hannah Little & Stephen Tilden
Mary Tilden & James Thomas
John Thomas & Abigail Dunham
Mary Thomas & John Dunham
James Dunham & Cynthia Packard
James Thomas Dunham & Sally Houghton
Florilla Dunham & Asa Ellingwood
Clara Ellingwood & Philip J West
Floyd E West Sr & Cora Bertha Barker
Now that the John Cutter West brickwall has come down, I have new
branches of the family to explore. Recently I took advantage of the week
of free access to all the databases at the AmericanAncestors.org
website to fill in some gaps. Many of my early West ancestors came from
Barnstable County, Massachusetts and so far I hadn't found many
documents online for them, but there were databases on AmericanAncestors
that I was able to see during that free access week.
So
I started in on investigating the family of my 5x great grandmother
Sarah (Hamilton) West, tracing it back with vital records, probate files
and town and family histories. Much to my surprise and delight, I found
another connection to Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins. I had
previously discovered one with his daughter Constance (Hopkins) Snow;
this new one was was with his son Gyles/Giles Hopkins. Here's a
relationship from Gyles/Giles to my Dad:
Back when I first started researching the family genealogy online I was
thrilled to discover we were descended from several Mayflower passengers.
At one point I even carried around a small folded up piece of paper
in my wallet with the lines of descent to show when discussing genealogy
with some customer at the bookstore. But I lost that some time ago, so I
thought I'd post them here for other family members.
The first three lines come down through my Ellingwood ancestry from
Stephen Hopkins, Thomas Rogers, and James Chilton.
Hopkins Line
Stephen Hopkins and Mary____
Constance Hopkins & Nicholas Snow
Elizabeth Snow & Thomas Rogers
Eleazer Rogers & Ruhamah Willis
Experience Rogers & Stephen Totman
Deborah Totman & Moses Barrows Jr.
Asa Barrows & Content Benson
Rachel Barrows & John Ellingwood Jr
Asa F. Ellingwood & Florilla Dunham
Clara Ellingwood & Philip West
Floyd West Sr & Clara Barker
Floyd West Jr & Anne M White
Rogers Line
Thomas Rogers & Alice Cosford
Joseph Rogers & Hannah___
Thomas Rogers & Elizabeth Snow
Eleazer Rogers & Ruhamah Willis
Experience Rogers & Stephen Totman
Deborah Totman & Moses Barrows Jr.
Asa Barrows & Content Benson
Rachel Barrows & John Ellingwood Jr
Asa F. Ellingwood & Florilla Dunham
Clara Ellingwood & Philip West
Floyd West Sr & Clara Barker
Floyd West Jr & Anne M White
Chilton Line
James Chilton & ?
Isabella Chilton & Roger Chandler
Sarah Chandler & Moses Simmons
Moses Simmons Jr & Patience Barstow
Patience Simmons & George Barrows
Moses Barrows & Mary Carver
Deborah Totman & Moses Barrows Jr.
Asa Barrows & Content Benson
Rachel Barrows & John Ellingwood Jr
Asa F. Ellingwood & Florilla Dunham
Clara Ellingwood & Philip West
Floyd West Sr & Clara Barker
Floyd West Jr & Anne M White
ON THIS DATE
BIRTHS:
2 Nov 1658 8x ggf John Clarke was born in Lynn, Ma.
2 Nov 1720 6x ggm Martha Lovejoy was born in Andover, Ma
DEATHS:
2 Nov 1688 7x ggf Samuel Briggs died in Rochester, Ma.
21 Jun 1682 9x ggf Edmund Freeman died in Sandwich, Ma.
2 Nov 1651 10x ggf John Bailey Sr. died in Newbury, Ma.
(First posted on October, 2011))
When
we were small our Mom occasionally would recite this poem and would
tickle us when she reached the "Gobble-uns 'll git you ef you don't
watch out!" part. Then when I was in the third grade at the Frank
V.Thompson school in Dorchester I read the poem in our English text
book. Years later I used to post it every Halloween on an email list for
a fantasy role playing group. So it's a sort of Halloween tradition for
me.
Anyway, it's the best Halloween poem I know. Enjoy.
And `ware th' Gobble-uns!
Little Orphant Annie
by James Whitcomb Riley.
LITTLE Orphant Annie ’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups and saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;
An’ all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ’at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ’at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
Onc’t they was a little boy would n’t say his pray’rs—
An’ when he went to bed at night, away up stairs,
His mammy heerd him holler, an’ his daddy heerd him bawl,
An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down, he was n’t there at all!
An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room, an’ cubby-hole, an’ press,
An’ seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an’ ever’wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found was thist his pants an’ roundabout!
An’ the Gobble-uns ’ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
An’ one time a little girl ’ud allus laugh an’ grin,
An’ make fun of ever’ one, an’ all her blood-an’-kin;
An’ onc’t when they was “company,” an’ ole folks was there,
She mocked ’em an’ shocked ’em, an’ said she did n’t care!
An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ turn’t to run an’ hide,
They was two great big Black Things a-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’ ’fore she knowed what she ’s about!
An’ the Gobble-uns ’ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
An’ little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An’ the lampwick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray,
An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is allsquenched away,—
You better mind yer parents, and yer teachers fond and dear,
An’ churish them ’at loves you, an’ dry the orphant’s tear,
An’ he’p the pore an’ needy ones ’at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns ’ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
This is the last of my "witch lists" of ancestors and relatives who had
some connection to the witch trials: I made the lists with the help of In The Shadow of Salem: he Andover Witch Hunt of 1692 by Richard Hite and by using Custom Tags I created on my Ancestry.com tree using the MyTreeTags app:
CONSTABLE
Joseph Herrick-8x great grandfather
JUROR
Henry Herrick-9x great grandfather
VICTIMS (supposedly killed by witchcraft)
Ralph Farnum Sr-9x great grandfather
Elizabeth Phelps-8x great grandaunt
A few thoughts:
The lists are a work in progress. As I add more siblings and extend
consanguineous lines I suspect I will find more relatives involved with
the witch trials.
As it is, I am struck by how many of my ancestors were involved. I knew
about a few of them already, especially Rebecca (Blake) Ames/Eames and
Mary (Towne) Easty/Esty who were my direct ancestors. But there were
other things that came as a surprise, such as the death of Ralph Farnum
Sr. supposedly being a result of witchcraft. I also was unaware of my
connection to Martha (Allen)Carrier.
As I find other connections, I will be blogging about them here.
