Anniversaries: December 9 - December 15

Births:
No birthdays this week.

Marriages:
Martha Bradley married James Mitchell, 6th great grandparents, on December 10, 1719 at Haverhill, MA
Abigail Sawyer married Abraham Annice, 6th great grandparents, on December 11, 1735 at Newbury, MA
Mary Emery married George Scott, 3rd great grandparents, on December 12, 1844 at Groton, VT
Rebecca Loomis married Josiah Rockwell, 7th great grandparents, on December 14, 1713 at Columbia, CT


Deaths:
Jonathan Hatch, 9th great grandfather, died on December 10, 1710 at Falmouth, MA
Mary "Polly" (Page) Emery, 4th great grandmother, died on December 12, 1881 at Groton, VT
Elizabeth (Lowell) Nelson, 9th great grandmother, died on December 14, 1731 at Rowley, MA

Anniversaries: December 2 - December 8

Births:
Solomon Alden, 4th great grandfather, was born on December 8, 1757 at Bridgewater, MA
Elijah Dyer, 6th great grandfather, was born on December 8, 1726 at Truro, MA


Marriages:
Rebecca George married Thomas Corliss, 6th great grandparents, on December 4, 1718 at Haverhill, MA
Abigail Pinney married John Adams, 8th great grandparents, on December 6, 1677 at Windsor, CT
Lydia Peabody married Jacob Perley, 7th great grandparents, on December 6, 1696 at Topsfield, MA
Amy Allen married Joseph Hatch, 8th great grandparents, on December 7, 1683 at Falmouth, MA


Deaths:
Hannah (Andrews) Peabody, 8th great grandmother, died on December 4, 1702 at Boxford, MA
Mary (Kelly) Davis, 9th great grandmother, died on December 5, 1747 at Haverhill, MA
Andrew Carrier, 6th great grandfather, died on December 6, 1776 at Colchester, CT
Mary (Hutchinson) Hale, 8th great grandmother, died on December 8, 1715 at Boxford, MA

Anniversaries: November 25 - December 1

Birthdays:
Enoch Page, 6th great grandfather, was born on November 25, 1751 at Haverhill, MA
Abigail (Pinney) Adams, 8th great grandmother, was born on November 25, 1654 at Windsor, CT
Mary (Packard) Alden, 5th great grandmother, was born on November 28, 1739 at Bridgewater, MA


Marriages:
Mehitable Southwick and Ebenezer Weston, 5th great grandparents, married on November 29, 1726 at Wakefield, MA

Deaths:
Joseph Loomis, 10 great grandfather, died on November 25, 1658 at Windsor, CT
Thomas Ford, 11th great grandfather, died on November 28, 1676 at Northampton, MA
John Straw, 8th great grandfather, died on November 28, 1750 at Kingston, NH
Alice Tompkins, grandmother, died on November 29, 1981 at Reading, MA
Moses Page, 5th great grandparent, died on December 1, 1839 at Groton, CT
Anna (Paine) Kemp, 4th great grandmother, died on December 1, 1839 at Wellfleet, MA

Anniversaries: November 18 - November 24

Birthdays:
Mary (Wilford) Corliss, 7th great grandmother, was born on November 18, 1667 at Bradford, MA
Samuel Sawyer, 8th great grandfather, was born on November 22, 1646 at Newbury, MA


Weddings:
Rebecca Paine married Joseph Wharffe, 4th great grandparents, on November 19, 1789 at Truro, MA
Sarah Walker married Nathaniel Warren, 9th great grandparents, on November 19, 1645 at Plymouth, MA
Hannah Andrews married John Peabody, 8th great grandparents, on November 23, 1665 at Boxford, MA
Abigail Bryant married John Bryant, 8th great grandparents, on November 23, 1665 at Plymouth, MA
Phebe Towne married Thomas Farnum, 5th great grandparents, on November 23 1687 at Andover, MA

Deaths:
John Alden, 3 great grandfather, died on November 20, 1884 at Medford, MA
Alice (Bosworth) Hutchinson, 9th great grandmother, died on November 20, 1694 at Salem, MA
John Adams, 8th great grandfather, died on November 22, 1657 at Colchester, CT
John Page, 10th great grandfather, died on November 23, 1687 at Haverhill, MA
Mehitable (Mitchell) Perley, 5th great grandmother, died on November 24, 1773 at Methuen, MA
Sarah (Walker) Warren, 9th great grandmother, died on November 24, 1645 at Plymouth, MA

Anniversaries: November 11 - November 17

Birthdays:
Seth Packard, 6th great grandfather, was born on November 13, 1703 at Bridgewater, MA
Deborah (Temple) Phelps, 7th great grandmother, was born on November 14, 1683 at Concord, MA
Nathan Perley, 6th great grandfather, was born on November 17, 1703 at Boxford, MA

Weddings:
Abigail Davis married Samuel Sargent, 8th great grandparents, on November 16, 1725 at Amesbury, MA
Elizabeth Langdon married William Fernald, 7th great grandparents, on November 16, 1671 at Portsmouth, NH
Abigail Corliss married James Perley, 4th great grandparents, on November 17, 1788 at Haverhill, MA
Elizabeth Guiggy married Roger Tompkins, 3rd great grandparents, on November 17, 1811 at Peel, Carleton County, Canada

Deaths:
Ralph Tompkyns, 9th great grandfather, died on November 12, 1666 at Bridgewater, MA
Susannah (Capen) Rockwell, 9th great grandmother, died on November 13, 1666 at Windsor, CT
Josiah Rockwell, 7th great grandfather, died on November 13, 1742 at East Windsor, CT
Ann (Whitmore) Allen, 10th great grandmother, died on November 13, 1687 at Northampton, MA

Anniversaries: November 4 - November 10

Births:
Martha (Bradley) Mitchell, 6th great grandmother, was born on Nov. 7, 1699 at Haverhill, MA
John Loomis, 8th great grandfather, was born on Nov. 9, 1649 at Windsor, CT


Marriages:
Hepzibah Lyman and Josiah Dewey, 9th great grandparents, were married on Nov. 6, 1662


Deaths:
Mercy (Warren) Delano, 8th great grandmother, died on Nov. 6, 1727 at Dartmouth, MA
William Dewey, 7th great grandfather, died on Nov. 10, 1759 at Columbia, CT
Elijah Yeomans, 5th great grandfather, died on Nov. 10, 1794 at Hartford, CT

Anniversaries: October 28 - November 2

Births:
Lydia (Griffin) Page, 7th great grandmother, was born on Nov. 3, 1717 at Newbury, MA

Marriages:
Hannah Wharffe and Nathan Kemp, 3rd great grandparents, were married on Oct. 28, 1813 at Truro, MA
Mehitable Mitchell and Nathan Perley, 5th great grandparents, were married on Oct. 30, 1758 at Boxford, MA
Rachel Shaw and Abner Sanborn, 8th great grandparents, were married on Oct. 31, 1715 at Hampton Falls, NH
Mary Page and Noah Emery, 4th great grandparents, were married on Nov. 2, 1816 at Groton, VT

Deaths:
Hannah (Heath) Bradley, 7th great grandmother, died on Nov. 2, 1761 at Haverhill, MA
John Emery, 10th great grandfather, died on Nov. 3, 1683 at Newbury, MA

Anniversaries: October 21 - October 27

Births:
Mary (Emery) Scott, 3rd great grandmother, was born on Oct. 21, 1827 at Groton, VT
Mehitable (Hoyt) Straw, 9th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 25, 1664 at Salisbury, MA


Marriages:
Mary Bond married Simon Gross, 8th great grandparents, on Oct. 23, 1675 at Hingham, MA
Prudence (?) married Machiel Atwood, 8th great grandparents, on Oct 25, 1700 at Truro, MA
Joanna Davis married George Corliss, 8th great grandparents, on Oct. 26, 1645 at Haverhill, MA
Elizabeth Holt married Ralph Farnum, 7th great grandparents, on Oct 26, 1658 at Andover, MA
Deborah Temple married Benjamin Phelps, 7th great grandparents, on Oct. 26, 1708 at Columbia, CT
Rebecca Rockwell married Andrew Carrier, 6th great grandparents, on Oct. 27, 1735 at Colchester, CT

Deaths:
Daniel Warren, 9th great grandfather, died on Oct. 21, 1667 at Plymouth, MA
Thomas Hale, 8th great grandfather, died on Oct. 22, 1688 at Newbury, MA
George Dennison, 9th great grandfather, died on Oct. 23, 1694 at Hartford, CT
Rebecca (Dyer) Paine, 5th great grandmother, died on Oct. 23, 1813 at Truro, MA
Elizabeth (Kemp) Dewey, great grandmother, died on Oct. 23, 1926 at Reading, MA
Andrew Allen, 9th great grandfather, died on Oct. 24, 1690 at Andover, MA
Dorothy (Bennett) Page, 5th great grandmother, died on Oct. 24, 1862 at Groton, VT
John Southwick, 7th great grandfather, died on Oct. 25, 1672 at Salem, MA
Elizabeth (Alden) Kemp, 2nd great grandmother, died on Oct. 7, 1882 at Boston, MA

Anniversaries: October 14 - October 20

Births:
Sarah (Chandler) Simmons, 9th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 15 at Leiden, Netherlands
Osman Dewey, 3rd great grandfather, was born on Oct. 16, 1799 at Berlin, VT
Hannah (Osgood) Annice, 7th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 19, 1668 at Andover, MA
James B. Tompkins, great grandfather, was born on Oct. 19, 1866 at Peel, New Brunswick
Jemima (Nelson) Bennett, 8th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 20, 1885 at Rowley, MA
Mary (Purrington) Paine, 7th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 20, 1706 at Truro, MA

Marriages:
Elizabeth Seaver married Samuel Craft, 8th great grandparents, on Oct. 16, 1661 at Roxbury, MA
Vera Tompkins and Donald Dewey were married on Oct. 17, 1947 at Reading, MA
Mary Harmon married James B. Tompkins, great grandparents, on Oct. 20, 1885 at Peel, New Brunswick

Deaths:
Abigail (Goodridge) Sawyer, 7th great grandmother, died on Oct. 14, 1722 at Newbury, MA
Elizabeth (Holt) Farnum, 7th great grandmother, died on Oct. 14, 1710 at Andover, MA
Ann (Palmer) Rowley, 10th great grandmother, died on Oct. 17, 1633 at Plymouth, MA
George Corliss, 8th great grandfather, died on Oct. 19, 1686 at Haverhill, MA
John Sanborn, 10th great grandfather, died on Oct. 20, 1692 at Hampton, NH

Anniversaries: October 7 - October 13

Births:
Ebenezer Fernald, 6th great grandfather, was born on Oct. 7, 1699 at Kittery, ME
Mary (Whittier) Page, 9th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 9, 1647 at Salisbury, MA

Marriages:
Hannah Knight and Japhet Hill, 5th great grandparents, were married on Oct. 9, 1760 at Scarborough, ME

Deaths:
Hannah (Goodale) Harmon,6th great grandmother, died on Oct. 7, 1706 at Scarborough, ME
Elizabeth (Annice) Corliss, 5th great grandmother, died on Oct. 8, 1805 at Haverhill, MA
Mary (Taylor) Dyer, 8th great grandmother, died on Oct. 8, 1738 at Truro, MA
George Adams, 9th great grandfather, died on Oct. 10, 1696 at Watertown, MA
George Partridge, 10th great grandfather, died on Oct. 10, 1695 at Duxbury, MA
Robert Goodale, 8th great grandfather, died on Oct. 12, 1682 at Salem, MA

Anniversaries: September 30 - October 6

Births:
Elihu Fernald, 4th great grandfather, was born on Oct. 3, 1763 at Kittery, ME
Hannah (Lombard) Paine, 6th great grandmother, was born on Oct. 4, 1718 at Truro, MA


Marriages:
Mary Webster and John Emery, 9th great grandparents, were married on Oct. 2, 1648 at Newbury, MA

Deaths:
John Farnum, 3rd great grandfather, died on Sept. 30, 1845 at Brighton, MA
Elizabeth (Walker) Warren, 10th great grandmother, died on Oct. 2, 1673 at Plymouth, MA
Tristan Coffin, 8th great grandfather, died on Oct. 2, 1681 at Nantucket, MA
Joseph Bradley, 7th great grandfather, died on Oct. 3, 1727 at Haverhill, MA
Griffin Craft, 9th great grandfather, died on Oct. 4, 1689 at Roxbury, MA
Hannah (Hathaway) Crowell, 5th great grandmother, died on Oct. 6, 1753 at Yarmouth, MA
Jacob Phelps, 8th great grandfather, died on Oct. 6, 1689 at Westfield, MA
John Stone, 5th great grandfather, died on Oct. 6, 1797 at Newton, MA
Mary (Williams) Bradley, 8th great grandmother, died on Oct. 6, 1714 at Haverhill, MA

Anniversaries: September 23 - September 29

Birthdays:
Hannah (Chandler) Fernald, 4th great grandmother, was born on Sept. 25, 1765 at Kittery, ME


Marriages:
Mary Colby married William Sargent, 9th great grandparents, on Sept. 23, 1668 at Amesbury, MA
Christena MacDonald married Thomas Milligan, 2nd great granparents, on Sept. 23, 1877 at Boston, MA
Rachel Sanborn married Jeremiah Bennett, 7th great grandparents, on Sept. 26, 1738 at Hampton Falls, NH


Deaths:
Mercy (Bryant) Packard, 6th great grandmother, died on Sept. 23, 1774 at Brockton, MA
Thomas Perley, 8th great grandfather, died on Sept. 24, 1709 at Boxford, MA
Anna (Phelps) Dewey, 6th great grandmother, died on Sept. 25, 1807 at Hanover, NH
Abigail (Sawyer) Annice, 6th great grandmother, died on Sept. 26, 1741 at Haverhill, MA
Mary (Colby) Sargent, 9th great grandmother, died on Sept. 27, 1716 at Amesbury, MA
Joanna (Davis) Corliss, 8th great grandmother, died on Sept. 27, 1673 at Haverhill, MA
Francis (Randall/Phelps) Dewey, 9th great grandmother, died on Sept. 27, 1673 at Westfield, MA
John Dane, 9th great grandfather, died on Sept. 29, 1684 at Ipswich, MA

Anniversaries: September 16 - September 22

Birthdays:
Elizabeth (Fernald) Alden, 3rd great grandmother, was born on Sept. 16, 1796 at Kittery, ME
Abigail (Goodridge) Sawyer, 7th great grandmother, was born on Sept. 17, 1675 at Newbury, MA
Mary (Colby) Sargent, 9th great grandmother, was born on Sept. 19, 1647 at Salisbury, MA
Jonathan Paine, 6th great grandfather, was born on Sept. 20, 1711 at Truro, MA
Samuel Sargent, 8th great grandfather, was born on Sept. 22, 1703 at Amesbury, MA

Weddings:
Joanna Low married Joseph Hale, 7th great grandparents, on Sept. 19, 1708 at Ipswich, MA

Deaths:
William Bennett, 8th great grandfather, died Sept. 18, 1724 at Rowley, MA
Hannah (Chandler) Fernald, 4th great grandmother, died on Sept. 20, 1836 at Kittery, ME
Enoch Page, 6th great grandfather, died on Sept. 20, 1805 at Groton, CT
John Alden (Mayflower ancestor), 9th great grandfather, died on Sept. 22, 1687 at Duxbury, MA

Fotos - Cranberry Harvest

Kris and I had the opportunity to visit an early season cranberry harvest.  The berries were "early black" cranberries.  The day was beautiful.  Other than the owners and workers, we had the cranberry bog to ourselves. 

Here are some of the pictures we took today.

An Early Black Cranberry

How many cranberries do you see? (answer below)

Machine separating the cranberry from the vine

Close-up of machine

Harvester rounding up the berries

"Wiley" the owners border collie helping to herd the berries

I hop this doesn't end up in my Craisins

The bog owner with Wiley

The harvesting machine separates the vegetation from the berry and then washes the berry

How many berries in the picture?  You didn't really think that I was going to count them, did you?

 

Anniversaries: September 9 - September 15

Birthdays:
None

Weddings:
Ann Whitmore married Samuel Allen, 10th great grandparents, on Sept. 9, 1632 at Braintree, MA
Hannah Stone married Solomon Alden, 4th great grandparents, on Sept. 10, 1795 at Lynn, MA

Deaths:
Effie (Robbins) Milligan, great grandmother, died on Sept. 9, 1940 at Boston, MA
William Davis, 9th great grandfather, died on Sept. 11, 1752 at Haverhill, MA
Jeidiah Lombart, 7th great grandfather, died on Sept. 12, 1739 at Truro, MA
Mary (Adams) Currier, 7th great grandmother, died on Sept. 13, 1748 at Colchester, CT

Fotos - Snapping Turtle Hatchlings

Read excitement here in Plymouth, the snapping turtles eggs have hatched.  We started our normal morning walk with Greta and were surprised to see baby turtles on the street, on driveways, and coming out of the ground.  Kris rescued nearly 20 of the baby turtles.

What do we have here?

First light

Just a little further

About twenty turtles collected

Your brave now, but try picking me up a year from now

Moved to safety

On their way to the swan diner

Fotos - HMS Bounty: Plymouth 400th

A couple of weeks ago, Kris and I went to a fundraiser held by the Plymouth 400th committee aboard the HMS Bounty.  In the year 2020, Plymouth will be celebrating its 400th anniversary.  Mark your calendars to include a visit (or two) to Plymouth in 2020.

The HMS Bounty was built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando. Today, the ship travels the globe.  We had a wonderful night aboard the ship.  Entertainment, appetizers and an open bar added to the enjoyment.  Here are some pictures from our evening aboard the Bounty.

Anniversaries: September 2 - September 8

Birthdays:

Joseph Towne, 7th great grandfather, was born on September 2, 1661 at Topsfield, MA

Weddings:

Dorothy Bennett and Moses Page, 5th great grandparents, were married on September 6, 1798 at Sanbornton, NH

Deaths:

John Loomis, 9th great grandfather, died on September 2, 1688 at Windsor, CT

John Ingersoll, 9th great grandfather, died on September 3, 1684 at Westfield, MA

Amy (Delano) Yemans, 5th great grandmother, died on September 3, 1798 at Norwich, VT

Nathan Kemp, 3 great grandfather, died on September 5, 1823 at Wellfleet, MA

Richard Lyman, 11th great grandfather, died on September 6, 1642 at Hartford, CT

Josiah Dewey, 9th great grandfather, died on September 7, 1732 at Columbia, CT

John Tompkins, 5th great grandfather, died on September 7, 1802 in New Brunswick, CAN

Thomas Low, 9th great grandfather, died on September 8, 1677 at Ipswich, MA

Anniversaries: August 26 - September 1

Births:

Rebecca (Dyer) Paine, 5th great grandmother, was born on August 28, 1746 at Truro, MA
Vera (Tompkins) Dewey, mother, was born on August 29, 1922, at Easton, ME

Lydia (Peabody) Perley, 8th great grandmother, was born on August 30, 1654 at Hampton, NH

Jonathan Fernald, 5th great grandfather, was born on August 31, 1731 at Kittery, ME

Marriages:

Faith Ingalles and Andrew Allen, 9th great grandparents, were married on August 27, 1648 at Andover, MA

Deaths:

Harold Tompkins, grandfather, died on August 28, 1953 at Reading, MA
John Wheeler, 10th great grandfather, died on August 29, 1670 at Newbury, MA
Robert Smith, 8th great grandfather, died on August 30, 1693 at Boston, MA
John Loomis, 8th great grandfather, died on August 31, 1715 at Columbia, CT
Samuel Bidfield, 10th great grandfather, died on September 1, 1660 at Boston, MA
Simeon Hoyt, 11th great grandfather, died on September 1, 1657 at Stamford, CT

Anniversaries: August 19 - August 25

Births:

Mary (Adams) Carrier, 7th great grandmother, was born on August 19, 1678 at Simsbury, CT
Mercy (Bryant) Packard, 6th great grandmother, was born on August 19, 1705 at Bridgewater, MA
Sarah (Packard) Edson, 7th great grandmother, was born on August 19, 1682 at Bridgewater, MA
Samuel Alden, 6th great grandfather, was born on August 20, 1705 at Bridgewater, MA
Simeon Dewey, 4th great grandfather, was born on August 20, 1770 at Hebron, CT
Sarah (Howard) Packard, 8th great grandmother, was born on August 20, 1648 at Duxbury, MA
Nathan Kemp, 3rd great grandfather, was born on August 21, 1783 at Wellfleet, MA

Marriages:

Malena (Alma) Lunn and Eli Robbins, 3rd great grandparents, were married on August 20, 1858 at Sutton, VT

Sarah Weeks and Jonathan Fernald, 5th great grandparents, were married on August 25, 1755 at Kittery, ME

Deaths:

Martha (Allen) Carrier, 8th great grandmother, died on August 19, 1692 at Salem, MA.  Martha was convicted of witchcraft and hung in Salem, MA
Humphrey Pinney, 9th great grandfather, died on August 20, 1683 at Windsor, CT
Deborah (Temple) Phelps, 7th great grandmother, died on August 22, 1719 at Mansfield City, CT
Mary (White) Loomis, 10 great grandmother, died on August 23, 1652 at Windsor, CT
Joann (Fush) Randall, 10th great grandmother, died on August 24, 1662 at Windsor, CT

Anniversaries: August 12 - August 18

Births:

Amy (Allen) Hatch, 8th great grandmother, was born on August 15, 1663 at Sandwich, MA
John Farnum, 3rd great grandfather, was born on August 15, 1796 at Mont Vernon, NH
Amy (Smith) Towne, 7th great grandmother, was born on August 16, 1668 at Topsfield, MA
John Bryant, 8th great grandfather, was born on August 17, 1644 at Scituate, MA
Rachel (Sanborn) Bennett, 7th great grandmother, was born on August 17, 1719 at Hampton Falls, NH
Abraham Annice, 7th great grandfather, was born on August 18, 1668 at Newbury, MA

Marriages:

No marriages recorded for this week

Deaths:

Daniel Bradley, 8th great grandfather, died on August 13, 1689 at Haverhill, MA
Ann (Yeoman) Wheeler, 10th great grandmother, died on August 15, 1662 at Newbury, MA
Bridget (Thomson) Dennison, 9th great grandmother, died August 16, 1643 at Roxbury, MA
Mary (Hull) Pinney, 9th great grandmother, died on August 18, 1684 at Windsor, CT

Mumblings: Edward Robbins

I received a question from a reader of the August 5 - August 11 anniversaries posting asking to know more about Edward Robbins.  Edward was my great great grandfather.  He was born December 21, 1859 in Brownington, VT and died August 8, 1941 in Lowell, MA.  As I previously posted in "Anniversaries," Edward's father, Eli Robbins died May 11, 1864 in Spotsylvania, VA at the Civil War Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.  I am not sure of the spelling of the first name of Edward's mother, but she went by the nickname "Alma".  Alma's marriage record to Eli Robbins shows her as Malena Lunn.  After her husband Eli's death, she remarried Rufus C. Lund in 1869.  The marriage record shows the bride as Mialma (Lund) Robbins.  (Thanks to Jonathan Milligan for posting the marriage records on Ancestry.com).

The 1870 U.S. Census lists Rufus Lund, his wife Alma living in Barton, Orleans County, VT.  Rufus must have been a widower at the time of his marriage to Alma as he had a child Hattie aged 13.  Rufus and Alma had a son Percy aged 5 months.  Also living in the household are the children of Eli and Alma, Edward Robbins age 10 and Mary Robbins age 5. Alma's mother, Mary Lund age 57 is also listed as living in the household.  Rufus was a farmer and Edward, age 10, is listed a farm laborer.

On August 11, 1877, Edward married Emma Jane Scott.  Emma was the daughter of George and Mary (Emery) Scott.  Emma was born on February 11, 1859 in Groton, VT and died in 1897 at Everett, MA.  Edward and Emma's children were Effie Louraine born June 10, 1880, Charles born in 1881, Frank born in 1883, and Louisa born in 1887.  Effie Louraine married married Herbert F. Milligan.  Effie and Herbert were my great grandparents.  After Emma died, Edward remarried Minnie Annie Clark on September 9, 1899.  Minnie was born in March 1870 and died July 13, 1953.

   Edward and Minnie (Clark) Robbins, 2nd wife (back row center); Harold Tompkins is in back row right and Herbert F. Milligan is seated front row left

The 1880 U.S. Census lists Edward, wife Emma, and "child birth" as living in Chicopee, MA.  Edward's occupation is working in a cotton mill.  The 1900 Census shows Edward, Minnie, married daughter Effie Milligan, Charles, Frank, and Louise living at 60 Central St., Somerville, MA (not far from where my daughter and son are now living). Edward's occupation is listed as an "Engineer (Stationary)".  By 1910, the Census shows Edward and Minnie living at 14 Stevenson Avenue, Everett, MA.  Edward is a real estate agent at this time.  By 1920, Edward and Minnie are living at 180 Baldwin St., Lowell, MA.  Edward is working again as a stationary engineer in a woolen mill.  The 1930 Census has Edward and Minnie still in Lowell living but now at 147 Humphrey St. and at age 71, Edward is still an engineer at a cotton mill.  The 1940 Census shows Edward and Minnie residing at 112 Humphrey St., Lowell and at age 81, Edward is a boss in a manufacturing mill bobbin shop.  Edward died in 1941.

Anniversaries: August 5 - August 11

Birthdays:

Anna (Phelps) Dewey, 6th great grandmother, was born on August 7, 1719 at Tolland, CT

Weddings:

Elizabeth Farnum married Francis Osman Dewey, 2nd great grandparents, on August 5, 1845 at Brighton, MA

Deaths:

Elizabeth (Partridge) Allen, 9th great grandmother, died on August 7, 1722 at Chilmark, MA
Thomas French, 9th great grandfather, died on August 8, 1680 at Ipswich, MA
Edward Robbins, 2nd great grandfather, died on August 8, 1941 at Lowell, MA
Philip Nelson, 9th great grandfather, died on August 9, 1691 at Rowley, MA

Mumblings: "Father Kemp"

In a prior post, I wrote about Robert Kemp's family life.  In this post, I will introduce you to another side of Robert Kemp as his alter ego "Father Kemp".  In the 1850s, Robert Kemp organized a group of local singers and musicians from the Reading, MA area into a troupe of traveling performers called the "Old Folks".  Kemp published an autobiography Father Kemp and his Old Folks (published by Rockwell & Rollins Printers, 122 Washington Street, Boston, 1868) in which he gives a glimpse of his personality and of the era in which he lived.  Kemp published several other song books one of which can be found here as an ebook.  (Original copies of his books and reprints are often available on eBay.)

Graphic from Father Kemp and his Old Folks

The Old Folks troupe dressed in costumes that were as much appreciated by the audiences as their singing.  The costumes were meant to depict people of historic interest such as George and Martha Washington, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Daniel Boone.  Kemp's wife Elizabeth (Alden) and daughter Lizzie were part of the troupe. A digital copy of the picture shown below was provided to me by the Reading (MA) Public Library.  The names of those shown in the picture came from a June 20, 1930 issue of the town newspaper, The Reading Chronicle.

Old Folks Troupe (picture courtesy of the Reading, MA Public Library); picture with names printed in the June 20, 1930 Reading Chronicle

This troupe became very popular touring throughout many parts of the Eastern United States and England.  Kemp says in his autobiography that the Old Folks performed in over nine hundred concerts with more than one million in attendance.  The troupe performed before Abraham Lincoln who was on a lecture tour in Connecticut prior to his becoming president.  Kemp talks of Lincoln as if they were old friends.  Kemp says of Lincoln in his autobiography (page 80) "he was one of the most entertaining men I ever knew ... I passed, in the [railroad] cars and at the hotels, many pleasant hours in his company... we frequently performed in the same place." 

Kemp was quite a concert promoter.  He would arrange for the troupe to sing before notable people so that he could advertise that the troupe performed before those people of note.  In Washington D.C. they performed before President Buchanan.  "We sang a patriotic air or two, with which he seemed delighted."  On page 141 of his autobiography: "One of the first objects to be secured was to appear before the queen... that should the "Old Folks" do that, and have it announced on their bills, a great point would be made."  Kemp hired men "sandwiched between two boards" to walk around advertising their concerts.

Advertising Broadside

More on "Father Kemp" will be written in a future post.

Anniversaries: July 29 - August 4

Birthdays:

No birthdays this week

Weddings:

Sarah Wibert married John Wharffe, 8th great grandparents, on August 2, 1753 at Boston, MA

Deaths:

Mary (Whittier) Page, 9th great grandmother, died on July 29, 1698 at Haverhill, MA
Elizabeth (Parker) Bidfield, 10th great grandmother, died on July 30, 1669 at Boston, MA
Thomas Saxton, 9th great grandfather, died on July 31, 1686 at Boston, MA
Dorothy (Bird) Lord, 10th great grandmother, died on August 2, 1676 at Hartford, CT
Christena (MacDonald) Milligan, 2nd great grandmother, died on August 2, 1940 at Hingham, MA
John Emery, 9th great grandfather, died on August 3, 1693 at Newbury, MA
Zacheus Packard, 8th great grandfather, died on August 3, 1723 at Bridgewater, MA
Richard Knight, 8th great grandfather, died on August 3, 1683 at Charlestown, MA

Anniversaries: July 22 - July 28

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Birthdays:

Avard Harmon, 2nd great grandfather, was born on July 26, 1822 at Maugerville, New Brunswick
Lewis Page, 7th great grandfather, was born on July 26, 1714 at Haverhill, MA
Jonathan Paine, 5th great grandfather, was born on July 28, 1744 at Truro, MA

Weddings:

Sarah Packard married Josiah Edson, 7th great grandparents, on July 27, 1704 at Bridgewater, MA

Deaths:

James Allen, 9th great grandfather, died on July 25, 1714 at Tisbury, MA
Mary (Heath) Lunn, 4 great grandmother, died on July 25, 1897 at Morgan, VT
Abigail (Corliss) Perley, 4th great grandmother, died on July 26, 1831, buried at Berlin, VT
Benjamin Harmon, 4th great grandfather, died on July 26, 1806 at Machais, ME
Thomas Davis, 9th great grandfather, died on July 27,1683 at Haverhill, MA

Mumblings - Mary Barrett Dyer

In my last post, I wrote about Robert Henry Kemp.  Before I continue with stories about Kemp, I will diverge by introducig an ancestor of mine through Kemp, Mary Barrett Dyer.  Mary led an intriguing life as you will see below.  Before introducing Mary, here is my ancestral line to Mary:

     Donald Lester Dewey (my father) the son of:
     Francis Osman Dewey and Katherine Skeffington (grand parents).  Francis, the son of:
     Edgar Osman Dewey and Elizabeth Davis Kemp (gg).  Elizabeth, the daughter of:
     Robert "Father" Kemp and Elizabeth Jane Alden (2 gg).  Robert, the son of:
     Nathan Kemp and Hannah Doan Wharffe (3 gg).  Hannah, the daughter of:
     Joseph Wharre and Rebecca Paine (4 gg).  Rebecca, the daughter of:
     Jonathan Paine and Rebecca Dyer (5 gg).  Rebecca, the daughter of:
     Elijah Dyer and Deliverance Atkins (6 gg).  Elijah, the son of:
     Judeah Dyer and Phebe Young (7 gg).  Judeah, the son of:
     William Dyer and Mary Taylor (8 gg).  William, the son of:
     William Dyer and Mary Walker (9 gg).  William, the son of:
     William Dyer and Mary Barrett (10 gg).

Mary Barrett Dyer (10th great grandmother)

Mary Barrett Dyer was born about 1611 in England and she died June 1, 1660 in Boston, MA.  On October 27, 1633 she married William Dyer, a milliner, at St Martin in the Fields, Middlesex, England.  William was born around 1609 in Kirkby, England.  He died about October 1677 in Newport, RI.  Mary and her husband immigrated to Boston, MA around 1635.  Mary and William had eight children:

     William: b. Oct 1634 in London, d.Oct 1634
     Samuel: b. 1635 in Boston, married Ann Huthchinson
     (dau): b. Oct 1637, d. Oct 1637 in Boston
     William: b. abt 1640 in Newport, RI, d. 1687/88 Newport, RI
     Mahershallalhashbaz: b. abt 1643, Newport, RI, d. bef 1670
     Henry: b. 1647 Newport, RI, d. Feb 1690
     Mary: b. bef 1650 Newport, RI, d. Jan 1679
     Charles: b. abt 1650 Newport, RI, d. May 15, 1727

Political and Religious Persecution

Soon after arriving in Boston in 1635, the Dyers became followers of John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, leaders of the Antinomian Controversy [def. antinomism: being against or opposed to the law].  Hutchinson was excommunicated in March of 1638 and she left the Mass Bay Colony for Rhode Island.  In March 1637, William Dyer signed a petition in supporting Wheelwright.  Dyer and other followers of Hutchinson moved to Rhode Island and signed the Portsmouth Compact, severing political and religious ties with England.  This group soon thereafter settled the town of Newport, RI.

Mary went back to England in 1650 and became a follower of George Fox, joining the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).  Mary became a Quaker preacher.  She left England in 1657 and upon arrival in Boston she was arrested.  After spending three months in prison, she was released and expelled from the colony.  She returned to Massachusetts several times and was arrested each time. In 1659 she returned to Massachusetts to visit two jailed Quakers (William Robinson and Marmaduke Stephenson) and as a result, was imprisoned again.  She and the others were released on September 12, expelled from the colony, and threatened with execution should they return.  The three returned in October, were arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to death.  Robinson and Stephenson were hung but Mary, with a noose around her neck, was given a reprieve at the last minute.  She was forced to return to Rhode Island.  Once again though, in April 166, she defiantly returned to Boston.  Once again she was arrested, went on trial, and was sentenced to be hung.  The sentence was carried in Boston on June 1, 1660.

In 1959, a statue to Mary's memory was erected at the Massachusetts State House.  A statue to Anne Hutchinson is nearby.  Most of the details on Mary life can be found on many websites.  A link from which most of the above and more can be found here.

Mumblings: The Kemp Family

Now that I have completed posts tracing the surnames of my grandparents, I will write about some of my other relatives.  I will start with Robert "Father" Kemp who was quite a colorful character.  This first post on Robert Kemp will contain genealogical data about Robert, his ancestry, and his relation to the Dewey family.  I will follow up with a post(s) containing information on his life as entertainer and business man "Father" Kemp taking excerpts from his autobiography "Father Kemp and his Old Folks" (published by Rockwell & Rollins Printers, 122 Washington Street, Boston, 1868).  His picture as Robert Kemp (below) makes him look like a stern man.  However, when he was costumed and became Father Kemp, he became animated.  He figuratively and literally was quite a character.

Robert Henry and Elizabeth Jane (Alden) Kemp (2nd great grandparents)

Robert Henry Kemp

Robert Henry Kemp was born on June 6, 1821 in Wellfleet, MA.  He died on May 15, 1897 in Scituate, MA at his son's home.  At the time of his death, Robert was living at 40 Chestnut Street, Boston, MA.  He married Elizabeth Jane Alden, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Fernald) Alden.  The date of their marriage is unknown, but it was in the early 1840s.  Elizabeth Jane Alden was born on April 6, 1824 in Cambridge, MA and she died on October 27, 1882 in Boston, MA.  She was living at 90 Blue Hill Avenue, Boston, MA at the time of her death.  More will be written about Elizabeth's ancestry in a later post.  Robert and Elizabeth had four children:

     Elizabeth "Lizzie" Davis Kemp: b. Feb. 14, 1844, d. Oct. 23, 1926.  Elizabeth married the
          boy who lived next door, Edgar Osman Dewey.
     Robert H. Kemp: b. abt 1846, married Catherine "Kittie" Carle
     Marinda Ann Kemp: b. Jul. 4, 1848, d. Nov. 16, 1848
     Minnie Evelyn Kemp: b. May 1, 1860

Robert's father died two years after his birth and his mother remarried.  Both his mother and his stepfather were store keepers (see more about his mother Hannah and stepfather Nathaniel below).  This background paved the way for Robert to become a shoe merchant, operating the Mammoth Boot and Shoe Store at 1090/1092 Washington Street, Boston, MA. 

Robert, Elizabeth, and family moved to Reading, MA in 1853 building a house with 12 acres of land at 186 Summer Avenue in Reading, MA.  He unsuccessfully tried his hand at gentleman farming on his acreage.  A family member told me that the Parker Middle School in Reading, MA is built on land formerly owned by Kemp.  He later sold this house and had another built on 199 Summer Avenue in 1878 before ultimately moving to Boston.

Kemp House 186 Summer Ave., Reading

Kemp House (designed by architect was Horace Wadlin) 199 Summer Ave., Reading

Robert Kemp became well known in his day as the founder of a troupe of singers and musicians called "Father Kemp and his Old Folks."  His wife Elizabeth and about 50 residents of Reading and surrounding towns made up the troupe.  More will be written on the troupe in a later post(s).

Nathan and Hannah Doan (Wharff) Kemp (3rd great grandparents)

Nathan Kemp was born on August 21, 1783 in Wellfleet, MA.  He died, possibly by drowning, on September 5, 1823 in Boston.  He is buried in Wellfleet.  Nathan married Hannah Doan Wharff, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Paine) Wharff, on October 28, 1813 in Truro, MA.  Hannah was born on March 18, 1793 in Truro, MA.  She died in August 1849 in Boston, MA.  Nathan and Hannah had four children:


     Sally Kemp: b. Jul. 30, 1814, d. Jan. 25, 1816
     Hannah Doane Kemp: b. Jul. 1, 1819
     Robert Henry Kemp: b. Jun. 6, 1821, d. May 15, 1897
     Nathan Kemp: b. May 5, 1823

Hannah (Doan Wharff Kemp) Davis
Hannah remarried Nathaniel Tileston Davis on April 22, 1830 in Boston, MA. 
[from: History of Reading, Windsor County, Vermont, George F. Davis, page 154].
[Nathaneil Davis] "there married Mrs. Hannah Kemp, widow of Capt. Nathan Kemp, a sea captain. She had three children, Hannah, aged about six, Robert, a small boy, now doing business at No. Tremont St., retail dealer in boots and shoes, and organizer of the "Father Kemp Old Folks'  Concen.". Another son, Henry, died. The widow Kemp was keeping a retail store at Wellfleet and Mr. Davis stepped in and took the business and went along with it, adding to it, the manufacture of paints and sale of oil, and manufactured salt. He stayed there four to six years and then removed to Malden, Mass., and bought the Capt. John Oakes farm of 75 acres. Lived here seven or eight years. Built a  large two-story house. He sold this farm and went to Boston, and had a retail dry goods store on Hanover street, for about ten years. Here his wife [Hannah] died and he was married to Sophronia Lane, widow of Dr. Alfred Lane, who had resided the next door to Mr. Davis' store." 

Robert and Anna (Paine) Kemp (4th great grandparents)
Robert Kemp was born about 1747 probably in Maryland.  He came to Wellfleet from Maryland at age 12 and was under the guardianship of Captain Paine.  He died on June 2, 1816 in Truro, MA.  Robert married Anna Paine, daughter of Thomas Paine, on December 19, 1775 in Wellfleet, MA.  Anna was born in 1760 in Wellfleet and died on December 1, 1843 in Wellfleet.  Robert and Anna had eleven children born in Wellfleet:

     Thomas: b. Apr. 24, 1778
     Letilla: b: Feb. 13, 1781
     Nathan: b. Aug. 21, 1783
     Robert: b. Sep. 30, 1789
     John Emory: b. Oct. 8, 1789
     Barzillai: b. Jan. 8, 1792
     William: b. Dec. 1794
     Samuel: b. 1796
     Wells Emory: b. May 10, 1798
     Ruth: b. 1800
     Anna: b. Jul. 15, 1802, d. Nov. 11, 1802

Anniversaries: July 15 - July 21

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Birthdays:

James Perley, 4th great grandfather, was born on July 15, 1765 at Methuen, MA
Rebecca (Paine) Wharffe, 4th great grandmother, was born on July 16, 1767 at Truro, MA
Dorothy (Bennett) Page, 5th great grandmother, was born on July 18, 1774 at Merrimack, NH
Noah Emery, 4th great grandfather, was born on July 18, 1781 at Groton, CT
Herbert F. Milligan, great grandfather, was born on July 19, 1878 at Everett, MA
Moses Page, 5th great grandfather, was born on July 20, 1776 at Haverhill, MA

Weddings:

Hannah Dennison and Joseph Saxton, 8th great grandparents, married on July 15, 1680 at Stonington, CT
Hannah Crossman and Israel Packard, 7th great grandparents, were married on July 16, 1701 at Taunton, MA
Katherine Surplus and John Marr, 6th great grandparents, were married on July 16, 1719 at Kittery, ME
Margaret Morrow and Thomas Milligan, 3rd great grandparents, were married on July 19, 1855 in Ireland

Deaths:

Patience (Edge) Hatch, 9th great grandmother, died on July 15, 1671 at Wells, ME
William Miller, 9th great grandfather, died on July 15, 1690 at Northampton, MA
Thomas Milligan, 3rd great grandfather, died on July 16, 1901 at Woodstock, CT
Israel Packard, 7th great grandfather, died on July 16, 1723 at Bridgewater, MA
Benjamin Harmon, 4th great grandfather, died on July 18, 1806 at Machais, ME
Herbert Milligan, great grandfather, died on July 18, 1970 at Biddeford, ME
Joseph Saxton, 8th great grandfather, died on July 18, 1715 at Stonington, CT
Roger Tompkins, 3rd great grandfather, died on July 19, 1885 at Florenceville, New Brunswick, CAN
Samuel Edson, 10th great grandfather, died on July 20, 1692 at Bridgewater, MA

Skeffington Family Update

After my postings on Patrick and Bridget (Daley) Skeffington and on Katherine (Skeffington) Dewey, I received two emails with new family information.  Thank you to Chuck M, Dee K, and Marie D for helping with my family history.  To all readers, if you have additional information or comments on my blog postings, please send them along.  I would love to hear from you and to add your data/comments to my family history.  Thanks again.

Chuck M, a relative through George and Mary (Hoar) Skeffington, wrote:

• I came across your blog during a Google search of Skivington in Lowell Massachusetts. My GGGrandmother was Ann Skivington daughter of George and Mary Skivington. She married Thomas Francis Mchugh Sr of Boyle County Roscommon. This was Thomas second marriage and only had one child Thomas Jr. Ann Skivington McHugh passed away 6 May 1861 Lowell. Unfortunately St Patrick's cemetery cannot locate her grave. Thomas Sr. Married a third time eventually settling in Providence R.I. and had a large family.
• My research indicates through Marriage records of Lowell that Ann had three sisters Catherine, Margaret and Eliza. I also believe that Michael and Patrick were their brothers. All were children of George and Mary Skivington.

Marie D and Dee K provided the following information:

• Both the Skeffingtons and the Daleys from Lowell originated in the Catholic parish of Kiltomb and Cam in Roscommon. I think they were from the civil parish of Kiltoom, townland of Barrybeg, which is a few miles northwest of the Athlone.
   
  Bridget Daley, daughter of Patrick Daley and Winifred Heavey, was baptized in Feb. 1836 in Kiltooom, and she married Patrick Skeffington in Lowell on 27 Feb 1870. She died in Lowell on 9 Jan. 1911.  
  
  
  Patrick Skeffington, son of George Skeffington and Mary Hoare, was born ca 1843, and died in Lowell on 6 April 1903 [died in 1905]. He had a sister ELizabeth, who was baptized in the Catholic parish of Kiltomb and Cam, so he probably was also. 
   
  The Hoares, the Daleys and the Heaveys all lived in the townland of Barrybeg, Kiltoom, Roscommon. A townland is the size of a neighborhood - a few hundred acres.

Anniversaries: July 8 - July 14

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Birthdays:

William Bennett, 8th great grandfather, was born on July 9, 1687 at Rowley, MA
Amy Hatch, 7th great grandmother, was born on July 10, 1687 at Falmouth, MA
Mehitable (Miller) Deweu, 8th great grandmother, was born on July 10, 1666 at Northampton, MA
Francis Osman Dewey, grandfather, was born on July 13, 1877 at Reading, MA

Thomas Farnum, 6th great grandfather, was born on July 14, 1670 at Andover, MA
Benjamin Page, 9th great grandfather, was born on July 14, 1644 at Hingham, MA
Phebe (Towne) Farnum, 5th great grandmother, was born on July 14, 1714 at Topsfield, MA

Weddings:

Lydia Peabody and Thomas Perley, 8th great grandparents, were married on July 8, 1667 at Rowley, MA
Katherine Skeffington and Francis Osman Dewey, grandparents, were married on July 10, 1901 at Lowell, MA

Deaths:

Susannah (Haddon) Colby, 10th great grandmother, died on July 8, 1689 at Amesbury, MA
Elizabeth (Stow) Hadlock, 9th great grandmother, died on July 8, 1675 at Concord, MA
Phebe (Towne) Farnum, 5th great grandmother, died on July 9, 1763 at Andover, MA
John Tompkins, 2nd great grandfather, died on July 12, 1901 at Peel, Carleton Co., New Brunswick

Mumblings - Donald Lester Dewey and Vera (Tompkins) Dewey

Donald Post WWII
[Note: I don't know where else to put this information, but Donald had two nicknames that I am aware of.  He was sometimes referred to as "Ozzie" probably from the Osman family name.  By others he was called "Boston", probably by fellow Merchant Marines and U.S. Navy crewmates.]

Mumblings on Donald Lester Dewey continues with this post on life after Donald's WWII years.  When the war ended, Donald finally returned to Reading, MA.  Recall from a prior post that Donald had left Reading and his family at age 14/15 (1926/27) to learn the printer trade as an apprentice in New Jersey.  Like many returning WWII veterans, Donald was ready to settle down after the war.  I assume he lived with his sister Elizabeth's family in a two family house at 146 Village Street in Reading.  The Tompkins family owned and lived in other side of the two family house, 144 Village Street.

His first task was finding employment.  I have an application showing that Donald applied for jobs within the National Forest Service.  He didn't get one of those jobs, so he returned to a job related to something he knew about, shipping.  He became a longshoreman along the Boston waterfront after February 18, 1946.  Although he stopped working as a longshoreman before 1949, he kept his working card up to date through the 3rd quarter of 1949.  Working as a longshoreman was subject to  irregular hours and corruption.  "Bosses" selected workers daily (scroll down to "Allegations of Organized crime" under International Longshoreman's Association on Wikipedia).   The movie "On the Waterfront" probably closely resembled life for Donald as a longshoreman.  In my prior post of Donald's WWII life, I mentioned his pocket diary/calendar.  At the back of this book, Donald recorded 45 short entries showing his work as a longshoreman.  An example of these records show that for the week ending Feb 3 (year unknown) he recorded his work unloading the MS Krageholm: hours 23, pay $36.30, WH (withholding tax?) $4.95, and his SS (social security?) $0.36.  The records indicated that sometimes he worked as few as 2.5 hours to as many as 38.5 hours.  Mostly though, he worked between 10-20 hours. When he had 10 or more hours, he typically put "happy" alongside the entry.  The movie "On the Waterfront" portrayed how difficult it was for a longshoreman to get hours so Donald's "happy" notation reflects the film.  Beside the MS Krageholm, some other ships were recorded: MS Tuneholm, MS Danaholm, MS Kanangoora, etc. 

Longshoreman Pass dated 2/18/46

1949 Longshoreman Working Card

Donald and Vera (Tompkins)
As I mentioned earlier, Donald was probably living with his sister at 146 Village Street.  Next door was the family of Harold and Alice Tompkins.  Donald's niece Jeanette did a little matchmaking and helped link up Donald to Vera Tompkins.  Donald and Vera married on October 17, 1947 in a double wedding ceremony with Vera's sister marrying Bob Harrington.  During the first year of the marriage, Donald and Vera lived in an attic room and Viola and Bob lived in a second attic room in the Tompkins house. 

Donald and Vera's Wedding Photo

Brides, Grooms, Maids of Honor, and Best Men

Life must have been hectic to say the least at 144 Village Street during the14 months that Don and Vera lived there.  Alice and Harold Tompkins had five children living with them in addition to Donald and Vera and Bob and Viola.  During the same time, Alice was pregnant with Wayne (born April 1948), Vera was pregnant with Delores (born October 1948), and Viola was pregnant with Michael (born April 1949). Baby Delores started out life living on Village Street.

With a baby coming, Vera insisted that Donald find a steadier income that would support his new family.  Donald found a job working for General Electric sometime in the 1947-1948 time frame where he worked until retirement in 1977.  Don and Vera also bought there home at 123 Green Street, right around the corner from the Tompkins, on December 31, 1948 paying $7,500 for the house.
   

Donald and Vera's Deed to 123 Green St.

After moving to Green Street, Donald and Vera had two more children, Donald (born December 1949) and David (born August 1955).  Donald died at age 68 on April 28, 1980 of lung cancer*.  Vera died at age 88 on December 24, 2010. 

* A word on Donald's lung cancer:  During his life, Donald was exposed to many toxins which probably caused his cancer.  As a printers apprentice, he was probably exposed to molten lead as printers of the time used hot-metal printing.  Who knows what he might have been exposed to during his life aboard ships in the Merchant Marines and the US Navy.  He was exposed to molten metal castings and chemicals while working at General Electric.  In addition, like many his age, Donald was a heavy smoker for most of his life.  I am sure that all these influences factored into his contracting lung cancer.

Anniversaries: July 1 - July 7

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Birthdays:

John Straw, 8th great grandfather, was born July 1, 1688 at Amesbury, MA
Alice Lorraine (Tompkins) LeBlanc, aunt, was born on July 4, 1933 at Somerville, MA
Sarah (Chase) Annice, 8th great grandmother, was born July 6, 1647 at Newbury, MA

Weddings:

Mercy Saxton and William Dewey, 7th great grandparents, were married July 2, 1713 at Tolland, CT
Martha Boreman and Thomas Low, 8th great grandparents, were married July 4, 1660 (place unknown)
Alice Milligan and Harold Tompkins, grandparents, were married July 7, 1921 at Machais, ME

Deaths:

William Fernald, 7th great grandfather, died on July 5, 1728 at Kittery, ME
Ephraim Lunn, 4th great grandfather, died July 5, 1865 at Brownington, VT
John Peabody, 8th great grandfather, died on July 5, 1720 at Boxford, MA
Rebecca (Carrier) Dewey*, 5th great grandmother, died July 6, 1837 at Hanover, NH


* Recall prior post, through Rebecca we are related to Martha Allen Carrier.  Martha was accused of being a witch and was hung on Gallows Hill, Salem, MA on August 19, 1692.

Anniversaries: June 24 - June 30

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Birthdays:

Mary (Emery) Sawyer, 8th great grandmother, was born June 24, 1652 at Newbury, MA
Benjamin Page, 8th great grandfather, was born on June 30, 1681 at Haverhill, MA

Weddings:

Rebecca Knight and John Tompkins, 7th great grandparents, married on June 26, 1672 at Salem, MA

Deaths:

William Towne, 9th great grandfather, died June 24, 1673 at Topsfield, MA

Mumblings: World War II Update

UPDATE
After my post on my father's WWII years, I thought I should try to contact the families of crew mates who might be doing genealogy research on those crew mates.  Using the "Muster Roll" of the USS YP-420 from the day it was commissioned, I searched Ancestry.com and found several people researching and posting information on Donald's crew mates.  I sent them emails and let them know that their relative was on USS YP-420 on July 20, 1942 and that I had a picture of most of the crew (I assumed that their relative might be in the picture).  Two people have responded so far.

Barbara said:

    Thank you so much for the information regarding my uncle Albert
    Anderson's Naval ship service. I did not know any of this. I would be
    most interested in having a copy of the picture of the men on
    YP-420.  Would you be willing to share? What type of ship was the
    YP-420?

Linda said:

    Thank you SOOO much for passing on this info. This will be VERY
    interesting to go through! Robert P. did not care to talk about his time
    in service so the family has very little information. My in-laws have
    both passed away but two of their three sons are "alive and kicking".
    My husband, Robert Kirk Dudley, passed away in 2007 due to
    complications from MS. His older brothers, Ric and Steve, will really
    appreciate your info.

    I've looked at the crew picture posted on your blog but I can't tell if
    Robert P. is included. By any chance are there any other pics showing
    the crew?

    Again, thank you for passing this on.

NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
I also sent NavSource Online (publisher of info on the USS YP-420) the picture of the crew and a copy of the Muster Roll.

Gary from NavSource wrote back:

    Photos, including muster roll, will be in our update on Friday, 22
    June. Thank you for sending the photos and muster roll to NavSource.

I am looking forward to seeing the NavSource update.

Here is another picture from the USS YP-420.

USS YP-420 (the man on the right is probably Lt. E.J. Massello, Commanding Officer on the YP-420)

Anniversaries: June 17 - June 23

*Updated July 29, 2012 to add women's married name (maiden name in parenthesis)

Births:

Joseph Farnum, 4th great grandfather, was born on June 18, 1745 at Andover, MA
Abigail (Davis) Sargent, 8th great grandmother, was born on June 20, 1708 at Haverhill, MA
Francis Osman Dewey, 2nd great grandfather, was born June 20, 1823 at Berlin, VT
Ebenezer Weston, 5th great grandfather, was born on June 20, 1702 at Reading, MA

Marriages:

Amy Delano and Elijah Yemans, 5th great grandparents, married on June 17, 1762 at Tolland, CT
Amey Hatch and Jonathan Delano, 7th great grandparents, married on June 20, 1704 at Dartmouth, MA

Deaths:

Moses Simmons, 9th great grandfather, died on June 17, 1691 at Duxbury, MA
Philip Hatch, 9th great grandfather, died on June 19, 1673 at Wells, ME
Jabez Delano, 6th great grandfather, died on June 22, 1752 at Tolland, CT
Ann (Copp) Saxton, 9th great grandmother, died on June 23, 1661 at Boston, MA
Elizabeth (Guiggy) Tompkins, 3rd great grandmother, died on June 23, 1879 at Peel, Carleton County, New Brunswick
John B. Tompkins, 8th great grandfather, died on June 23, 1681 at Salem, MA

Mumblings - Donald Lester Dewey: World War II Years

The Technical Details

The start of World War II was considered to be September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.  Japan was already at war with China since 1937.  The U.S. did not enter the war until the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  The U.S. Congress in anticipation of entering the war, enacted "The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 on September 16, 1940.  This act "created the first peace time draft" in U.S. history.  The act required all males ages between 21 and 36 years old to register.  On October 16, 1940, Donald registered with his local draft board as required by the act.

Draft Registraton

The following information comes from Donald's separation papers from the Navy at the end of the war.  He remained a Merchant Marine until December 1941.  He entered into service in the U.S. Navy on March 13, 1942 in Boston, MA.  His first 7 weeks in the service were spent at NTS (Naval Training School) Wentworth Institute in Boston studying diesel engines.  After NTS, he held the rating of Fireman First Class for 10 months and then Motor Machinist's Mate Second Class (MoMM2/c) for 33 months (go to page 9 of the above link for the specific of duties and insignia a MoMM2/c). He served in the Pacific Theater of Operations until Japan agreed to surrender on August 15, 1945.  (Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945.)  Donald was honorably discharged from service in Boston on September 23, 1945.

Separation Papers from US Navy

Honorable Discharge (front)

Honorable Discharge (back)

The War

Donald Dewey, MoMM2/

Donald fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations and in the served aboard the U.S.S. YP-420.  The YP class ship was a "district patrol craft".  The war experience aboard a YP in the Solomon Sea is described here.  Here are two brief excerpts from the web page:

      "Perhaps it was in the Solomons campaign, however, where the
      Yippees crowned themselves with glory. Although their job there has
      been little publicized, the men who fought around those bloody
      islands are free with their praise of the YP's job. Time after time,
      week after week and month after month, the Yippees ran the Jap
      blockade, thumbed their noses at the dangers from bomb and
      gunfire as they threaded their way from Tulagi to Guadalcanal
      across Torpedo Junction."

      "(Yippies) work as small reefers, cargo ships, coastal transports, and
      submarine survey ships-not to mention their intended job, district-
      patrol craft. They have carried everything that would go down the
      hatch or on the deck-frozen meat, provisions, mail, ammunition, and
      personnel."

The Crew of U.S.S. YP-420 (Donald back row on left)

U.S.S. YP-420

He crossed the equator on March 14, 1943 and was initiated into the "Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep" (the initiation is something that today would probably be considered hazing):

Donald's Certificate of Initiation (issued by "Neptunus Rex")

Donald was present in the battles took place around the islands of the Coral Sea and the Solomon Sea.  His address book/calendar that he kept during his war years list many islands where the YP-420 was present.  The links go to web sites that describe those islands during the war.  He had notations for both 1943 and 1944, so I list the year only when known.  This address book contains many names of other men, probably many of whom I'm sure served on the U.S.S. YP-420

• March 14, crossed the equator, bound for Pago Pago
• March 19, Pago Pago, Samoa
• September 3, Guadalcanal two Jap planes shot down by P-49 night fighter [June 11, 120 Jap planes air raid on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.]
• February 14, 1944, met my brother Bob on Espiritu Santo Island
• February 20, arrived Undonga in New Georgia Island, anchored Kula Gulf.  Feb. 26, ran aground on reef at Mundo, New Georgia Island.
• March 2&3, arrived at Empress Augustus Bay Bougainville, heavy fighting going on in the mainland plus plane fights
• April 22, arrived in Star Harbor, San Cristobal Island, two Jap planes went over looking for us. ["Torpedo Alley
  was the nickname for the area south-east of San Cristobal used by Allied shipping bound for Guadalcanal."]
• April 26 and May 20, air raid in Espiritu Santo Island, Jap planes dropped bombs about 200 yds off our bow
• May 1, had good contact on Jap sub, shot mouse traps - results unknown
• May 13, rescued fliers when plane crashed - two missing
• August 7, 1945 left Espiritu Santo for States
• August 22, 1945 arrived in Pearl Harbor, Oahu Island
• September 4, 1944 arrived in San Francisco, Cal - home sweet home 

The "Final Report Decommissioning" of the YP-420 was filed November 3, 1944.  The Muster Roll of The Crew on the YP-420 including were transferred to U.S. San Francisco, CA.  Donald may have stationed stateside from September 4, 1944 until September 23, 1945 when he was discharged from the service.  The Muster Rolls for the YP-420 show that Donald was one of twelve (of the original 22 men) who were on board from the conversion for Naval service, between June and August 1942 and the commissioning on July 20, 1942 until her decommissioning on November 3, 1944.

USS YP-420 Decommissioning Muster Roll (page 1)

USS YP-420 Decommissioning Muster Roll (page2)

USS YP-420 Decommissioning Muster Roll (page3)

USS YP-420 Decommissioning Muster Roll (page4)