PORTLAND, ME. LIGHTHOUSES 20AUG 2022 PT2

More photos from our trip last year to the lighthouses of Portland Maine

 

We had perfect weather,

 

 

 

 

 

A sailboat caught my attention.

 

 

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ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 29TH

 

Caleb was a twin; his brother was Joshua Benson. There were a number of twins in several of Dad's ancestral families but not many since the 19th century.

On This Date:

 

BIRTH:

29 Jan 1704 5x great grandfather Caleb Benson was born at Rochester, Ma.

 

DEATHS:

29 Jan 1662 10x great grandfather Thomas Dickinson died at Rowley, Ma.

29 Jan 1679 10x great grandmother Mary (Johnson) Mowrey died at Rehoboth, Ma.

29 Jan 1782 7x great grandfather Daniel Boyden died at Auburn, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 28TH

 

On This Date:

BAPTISM;

28 Jan 1620 8x great grandfather James Davis was baptized at Thornbury, Gloucester, England

 

BIRTH:

28 Jan 1765 4x great grandfather Paul West was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada

 

MARRIAGE:

28 Jan 1689 7x great grandparents Eleazer Rogers & Ruhama Willis were married at Plymouth, Ma.

 

DEATHS:

28 Jan 1686 10x great grandfather Moses Maverick died at Marblehead, Ma.

28 Jan 1689 8x great grandfather John Crowe/Crowell died at Yarmouth, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 26TH

 

On This Day:

BIRTHS:

26 Jan 1708 7x great grandfather John Laughton Jr. was born at Reading , Ma.

26 Jan 1654 9x great grandmother Hannah Kendall was born at Woburn, Ma.

MARRIAGE:

26 Jan 1728 6x great grandparents Jonathan Barker & Mary Abbott were married in Andover, Ma.

26 Jan 1710 7x great grandparents Jeremiah Dean & Mary Fisher were married at Dedham, Ma.

DEATH:

26 Jan 1746 8x great grandfather Samuel Phelps died at Andover, Ma.

26 Jan 1709 8x great grandfather Joshua Fisher died at Dedham, Ma,

26 Jan 1680 10x gre

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 25TH

Interesting date today: two ancestors born on the exact same day & year, and another who was killed by Indians in an attack near York, Maine.

On This Date:

BIRTHS:

25 Jan 1682 7x great grandmother Sarah Beaman was born at Lancaster, Ma.

25 Jan 1643 8x great grandmother Mary Barnes was born at Salisbury, Ma.

25 Jan 1682 7x great grandfather John Bancroft Jr was born at Lynn, Ma.

25 Jan 1810 3x great grandmother Arvilla Ames was born at Livermore, Me

 

MARRIAGE:

25 Jan 1662 8x great grandparents Stephen Tilden and Hannah Little were married at Marshfield, Ma.

 

DEATHS:

25 Jan 1692 11x great grandfather Peter Weare was killed by Indians at York, Me.

25 Jan 1787 7x great grandfather Mephisobeth Adams died at Pepperell, Ma.!

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 23RD

 

0n This Day:

BIRTHS:

23 Jan 1717 5z great grandfather John Hastings was born at Haverhill, Ma.

23 Jan 1676 8x great grandmother Elizabeth Prescott was born at Lancaster, Ma.

23 Jan 1680 7x great grandfather Martin Herrick was born at Salem, Ma.

 

DEATH:

23 Jan 1780 6x great grandmother Hannah (Ayer) Mitchell died at Haverhill, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 21ST

 

On This Day:

MARRIAGE:

21 Jan 1709 7x great grandparents Mark Haskell & Martha Tuthill were married at Gloucester. Ma.

DEATHS:

21 Jan 1730 7x great grandmother Hannah (Jefes) Spaulding died at Chelmsford, Ma.

27 May 1833 5x great grandfather Samuel Stow died at Oxford, NY

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 17TH

 

On This Date:

BIRTH:

17 Jan 1730 5x great grandfather Amassa Dow was born at Kingston, NH

MARRIAGE:

17 Jan 1725 6x great grandparents Thomas Stow & Ann Weatherbee were married at Stow, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 16TH

 

On This Date:

BIRTHS:

16 Jan 1640 8x great grandfather Henry Herrick was born at Salem, Ma.

16 Jan 1834 2x great grandfather Jonathan Phelps West was born at Letter B Plantation, Me.

 

 

 

 

Front L-R Leslie Fuller, P.J. West, Phonce West, Louisa + Jonathan

West, Winfield West

2nd Mary Chase, Lettie Douglas, Mrs, Hall, Aunt Villa West, Lillian

Ripley, Ripley girl, Margery Abbott, Eva West, Lewellin Hall, Charles

Chase.

3rd Alice Marquis, Phila Marquis, Mabel Warren, Ethel Warren, Georgia

Pratt, Kate Coolidge, Carrie Lane, Ina Enman, Ida Warren, Mabel

Goodwin, Asa West.

 

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 14TH

 Two ancestors named Sarah: one born and one died in the same year on this date:
On This Date:
BIRTHS:
14 Jan 1755 4x great grandmother Elizabeth Wiley was born in Andover, Ma.
14 Jan 1661 8x great grandmother Sarah Farnum was born at Andover, Ma.

MARRIAGE:
14 Jan 1702 7x great grandparents Samuel Upton & Abigail Frost were married in Salem, Ma.

 
DEATHS:
14 Jan 1719 8x great grandmother Deborah (Barnes) Davis died at Haverhill, Ma.
14 Jan 1733 7x great grandmother Hannah (Marston) Barker died at Andover, Ma.
14 Jan 1661 10x great grandmother Sarah (Parker) Converse died at Woburn, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 13TH

 

On This Date:

MARRIAGE:

13 Jan 1703 7x great grandparents Henry Haskell & Ruth York were married at Harvard, Ma

13 Jan 1731 6x great grandparents David Whitcomb & Elizabeth White were married at Lancaster. Ma.

DEATHS:

13 Jan 1719 8x great grandfather Henry Holt died at Andover, Ma.

13 Jan 1678 8x great grandfather John Benson died at Hull, Ma.

13 Jan 1834 4x great grandmother Polly (Griffith) Ames died at Hartford, Me

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 12TH

ON THIS DATE:

 DEATHS:
12 Jan 1776 6x great grandmother Edna (Bailey) Hastings died at Bradford, Ma.
12 Jan 1777 6x great grandfather Joseph Herrick died at Gloucester, Ma.
12 Jan 1717 7x great grandfather Jonathan Hallett died at Yarmouth, Ma.
5Carol A. Bowen Stevens, Kerry Bailey and 3 othe

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 11TH

 On This Date:
BIRTHS:
11 Jan 1643 8x great grandfather Nathaniel Gay was born at Dedham, Ma
11 Jan 1642 9x great grandfather Seabred Taylor was born at Boston, Ma.

MARRIAGE:
11 Jan 1732 9x great grandparents Caleb Benson & Deborah Barrows were married at Rochester, Ma.
11 Jan 1764 5x great grandparents Abel Moore & Betty Whitcomb were married in Bolton, Ma.

DEATHS:
11 Jan 1695 7x great grandmother Sarah (Learned) Barrett died at Chelmsford, Ma.
11 Jan 1711 9x great grandmother Hannah (Chandler) Abbott died at Andover, Ma.
11 Jan 1686 9x great grandfather Thomas Farnham died at Andover, Ma

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 8TH

 

On This Date:

MARRIAGE:

8 Jan 1696 8x great grandparents Thomas Stimson & Mary Taylor were married at Reading, Ma.

DEATHS:

8 Jan 1664 10x great grandfather Percival Lowell died at Newbury, Ma

8 Jan 1682 9x great grandmother Hannah (Silsbee) Laughton died at Lynn, Ma.

8 Jan 1744 7x great grandmother Mary (Harlow) Dunham died at Plymouth, Ma.

8 Jan 1692 9x great grandfather Ralph Farnham Sr. died at Andover, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 6TH

On This Date:

 MARRIAGE:
6 Jan 1701  6x ggp Joshua Swain & Sara Ingalls were married at Andover, Ma

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 5TH

 

On This Date:

MARRIAGE:

5 Jan 1696 7x great grandparents Abiel Kelley & Rebecca Davis were married at Newbury, Ma.

DEATH:

5 Jan 1666 10x great grandfather Roger Mowrey died at Salem, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 3rd

 On This Date:
BIRTH:
3 Jan 1682 8x great grandfather John Laughton was born in Lynn, Ma.
MARRIAGE:
3 Jan 1692 7x great grandparents James Thomas & Mary Tilden were married at Duxbury, Ma.
DEATHS:
3 Jan 1698 8x great grandfather Peter Ayer died at Haverhill, Ma
3 Jan 1737 8x great grandfather Ralph Farnham III died at Andover, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 2nd

 On This Date:
BAPTISM:
2 Jan 1574 10x great grandfather Edmund Greenleaf was baptized at St. Mary's-la-Tour at Ipswich, England.

BIRTH:
2 Jan 1651 7x great grandmother Mary Sawyer was born at Lancaster, Ma.
2 Jan 1627 7x great grandfather Henry Ingalls was born at Skirbeck, England.

MARRIAGES:
2 Jan 1688 7x great grandparents Benjamin Barker & Hannah Marston were married at Andover, Ma.
2 Jan 1738 6x great grandparents Nathaniel Dana & Abigail Dean were married at Boston, Ma.

DEATHS:
2 Jan 1743 7x great grandfather Samuel Ayer died at Haverhill, Ma
2 Jan 1754 7x great grandmother Martha (Conant) Perkins died at Plympton, Ma.
2 Jan 1692 8x great grandfather Francis West died at Duxbury, Ma.
2 Jan 1682 8x great grandmother Sarah (Pitney)Thomas died at Marshfield, Ma.

ON THIS DATE: JANUARY 1ST

 Today's List has three New Year's babies and a birth and marriage on the same day.

On This Date:
BIRTHS:
1 Jan 1643 9x great grandfather Jeremiah Swain was born in Charlestown, Ma.
1 Jan 1707 7x great grandmother Hepzibah Stimson was born at Reading, Ma.
1 Jan 1702 6x great grandfather Moses Coburn was born at Dracut, Ma.

MARRIAGES:
1 Jan 1651 9x great grandparents John Lovejoy & Mary Osgood were married at Andover, Ma.
1 Jan 1643 10x great grandparents Henry Rice & Elizabeth Moore were married at Sudbury, Ma.
1 Jan 1698 7x great grandparents John Moore & Hazadiah Fairbanks were married at Concord, Ma.

DEATH:
1 Jan 1669 8X great grandfather William Barstow died at Scituate, Ma.
1 Jan 1777 5x great grandmother Mehitabel (Abbott) Abbott died at Andover, Ma.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES: A CHRISTMAS CONFESSION

 

 Originally published in Dec. 2007.

As you can see, I had a very formal relationship with Santa.No laps for me. A simple solemn
pose would do, thank you, for the photo-op.

Formal attire was also worn when visiting Santa’s Village up in New Hampshire. A sports
jacket was de rigeur for the feeding of reindeer but one was allowed to be more casual
when posing with the sled and full team. The girls are my cousin Terry and my sister Cheryl.


Actually, I think we might have been there on a Sunday. We’d have attended Mass in Berlin,
NH and probably continued on home to Boston with a stop to visit the Village along the way.

But by the time those pictures were taken, I’d fallen from grace.

I no longer believed in Santa Claus.

I’m not sure how I figured it out but I do know I must have been around six or seven years
old because we were still living in Malden in the two family house that my folks and my
aunt and uncle co-owned. I know this because when I found out there was no Santa Claus,
I shared my knowledge and I heard about it for years afterward.


Yes, I told my cousins who lived downstairs. I think that was theyear I got a lump of coal in
my stocking (but there were still presents under the tree).

I may have told my sister the awful truth later or she found out some other way. I do know
I didn’t tell my kid brother. After all, I was an adult of 17 by then and I had a greater appreciation
for what Santa meant to little kids!

But there it is.

I squealed on Santa.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES:OBJECTS IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

 

 ((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?"