Celebrate the 4th of July with Sherman Barnes in 1838 in Whigville Ct.

Celebrate the 4th of July with Sherman Barnes in 1838 in Whigville Ct.
Whigville hasn't changed much since 1838 except that it's much more quite since being the center of commerce for the Town of Burlington. You no longer see much evidence of the myriad of small shops and mills that lined the two streams on either edge of the pictures included here. The white house shown in this blogs header is about 700 ft beyond the red barns and up the hill. The fields are mostly hay now, but if I interpret the excepts from the diary I will quote, they were filled with peas,corn and ruta begas. The photos are from right to left at the corner of Main and South Main Streets as I stood in front of the Grange Hall.

From the diary of Leavet Mills of Whigville:
"1838
Sunday July 1st cloudy and warm
2. Hot. hoed potatoes for J S Peck .
3 very warm. Mowed clover for J S peck in A.M. P. M.Plowed corn for Do

Independence Day Hot. 100 cartridges had been previously prepared to celebrate this day & the people of this vicinity repaired to the appointed place at an early hour joyfully and with glad hearts.
We had discharged the piece 8 times & at the 9th shocking to relate the cannon burst with an awful explosion. The owner of the gun Mr Sherman Barnes had his thigh badly broken & lacerated. The others about 15 in number & myself amidst the whiling pieces of iron and wood wonderful to relate escaped unhurt. I was standing about 1 rod in the rear of the cannon & the butt end of which came whirling by me very swiftly & very nearly; our escape can only be ascribed to an all wise Providence and we all have reason to thanks to the giver of all good that matters are no worse. For myself I sincerely do that our lives have been preserved when we were so near eternity.
In Canton one person was killed and several wounded.
Hoed Ruta Bagas the remainder of the day"

I've posted about Sherman before and the more I find , life in his house hold was by far not dull. Notes for Sherman Barnes and the above quoted diary are from the efforts of L. Alderman, the Burlington historian which he has left recorded at the Town Library.Some of his additional notes for Sherman are:
He held offices of justice of the peace, county surveyor, was grand juror. He was a pensioner of the war of 1812. he was a man of marked mechanical ability and was engaged for some time making telescopes. I had posted before how he enjoyed giving friends and family views of the heavens down in those meadows. He belonged to the local debating society and I bet he won most of them. There is another note that while attending a church meeting the wood stove was not working and late in that winter afternoon Sherman developed
frostbite in his feet. Sherman and his wife Luanna (Smith) were Universalist. He was born 05 Aug 1793 and died 21 Jan 1878.
Such was the life of a patriot in 1838

My wife Nancy, the GGG Grand Daughter of Sherman and Luanna, was born on the 4th of July and we have a good gathering. I think we'll raise one for old Sherman.

Greetings from Sebago Lake

Well after a busy last two months it looks like we'll be able to stay at "the camp" until the middle of September.
The past month has been filled with a graduation, "moving up days", a wedding in New jersey, gardening, packing,Dr's appointments and on and on.
The graduation was at Seton Hall in New Jersey for Laura. She is now a Physicians Assistant and will be working in Boston, we're very proud of her as we had helped care for her since she was born.
The picture is early morning which Nancy took and is one of the few moments which was calm and without rain. No boating or fishing its been too rough.
We took one run when we put the boat in to check out the eagles nest. The eagles are there and it will be fun to watch the activity.
We have no Internet here and I post from the Library when I can.
Have a safe summer.

The Puckerbrush Award

I have been awarded "The Puckerbrush Award by Delia at Delia's Genealogy Blog and also by Cindy at Everything's Relative. Thank you both for thinking of me. I am still trying to figure out why I deserve an award, when I see the time, effort and talent shown in so many other blogs. It's a great way to find new blogs by going through all the blogs listed. Thanks Terry for posting that link over at google showing all the posts.
Here's a background of the award.
"The award was created in honor of genealogy blogger Janice Brown by Terry Thornton, author of "Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi", who explained that "Janice told us all about the word 'puckerbrush' in an article she posted August 27, 2007 at "Cow Hampshire". Terry elaborated a bit further in a comment: 'On any land allowed to go fallow and left untended, a wild assortment of wild plants grow – in some areas, this wild growth results in such a thicket of plants that it is almost impossible to push your way through the growth.So it is with the growth of blogs --- so many that it is impossible to read them all. But in the puckerbrush eventually a few plants/trees become dominant and influence all who view them through the thick surrounding puckerbrush.And it is those outstanding blogs whose influence spreads beyond just the surrounding rabble of puckerbrush that I'm honoring.' Terry issued this challenge: Henceforth these awards will be called the Janice Brown Puckerbrush Blog Award for Excellence. All blog authors are hereby challenged to name the ten blogs which have influenced their writing the most and list them as a tribute to Janice --- the Janice Brown Puckerbrush Blog Awards for Excellence."

I can't compete with the above description of "Puckerbrush" which is eloquent. As my use of the word growing up in rural CT, was that strip of brush between the road and a field into which the vehicle drove into.

Now for those blogs and people on my "short list" that lift my spirit's and aid my efforts. They have all been nominated at least once.
1 Grace and Glory - Becky asked me to add the follower gadget and became my first follower and her posts are heart felt.
2 Ernie's Journey's - Ernie memories refresh my own often and his courage is inspiring.
3 A Couple of Bubbles Off Center- Harold's Daughter (Her blog name reminded me of always been introduced as "Harrison's son". Her blog posts are interesting and I love the "look" of the blogs format.
4. Be Not Forgot- Vickie's use of photo's and the details of her posts are amazing.
5 Family Stories- C M Pointer is another who's talent make one envious.
6 Everything's Relative- Cindy's post about her family are amazing. To be nominated by such talent humbles me.
7 Janinealogy- Janine's posts on photo restoration are very instructional and I hope to learn much from them.
8 A Canadian Family- Evelyn just started the "Post Card Carnival", so much effort. I just know I'm going to find a clue to my "Brick Wall" in a New Brunswick post from her.

I'll reserve 9 and 10 for now for the one's I've forgotten.

The Down's of Google

I Google my GG Grandfather's name often and it was a name repeated often in the history of the family.I even found my cousins efforts to obtain help from the VA, which bought up some memories of some happy times and some very, very sad events in his life, but that's not for this blog.
I had early in my start in genealogy found on a message board a family tree with a list of names that went back to the 1650's. Being the sceptic that I am about things I see in print, I had a problem with the link between him and his father. I could follow the family down through to the 1840 census in Poland Me. His age in the 1850 census matched the 1802 birth date given in list and I had found a matching birth in the records at the Mass Vital records site. I went to the Poland town hall with no luck and also the local library there which has a nice history room. I was looking for some documentation of he getting from Lynn/Malden Ma. area to Maine. [I had also found another earlier possible error in the list.]
The original emigrant Stephen Larrabee is believed to be the start of the Larrabee family in Massachusetts and Maine, and the names of his sons were repeated in the various branches. And there in lies the problem of taking things at face value. So what threw the monkey wrench into the middle of my Gencom?
I got a hit on Google Books for a history of Middlesex County, in which it stated that my "John of the list" was born in 1802, died in Malden Ma. in 1848 two years before the "John" listed in the 1850 Me census. It looks like two John's were born around 1802 and a lot of people are following the wrong line. I have found a reference to my "John" being married in Durham Me which is next to Poland Me. and this makes me think he was born in Me not Ma..
So it looks like I'll need to review the Larrabee families in Durham for more clues. I'll need to visit the town hall this summer for sure.

Update: Upon re-reading file on Durham  Marriage, John was from Freedom Me. which is next to family farm in Thorndike and Many were buried in a Freedom cemetery.

The Up's Blogging

Back on May 7, CM Pointer gave me the "One Loverly Blog Award" and with me saying that with all that pink I needed to hold out for a more "Manly" badge. I hope you took no offence.
Well Vickie E at "Benotforgot " came though with a "Lov ur Blog" badge which I have posted over on the side bar. Thanks again Vickie I think it fits in with the posts I have had on railroading and trollies. So again thanks to both of you and your great posts.

TURN BACK THE WHEEL OF TIME

Turn back the "Wheel of Time" and take a look at downtown Thorndike, Maine around the early 1900's. It hasn't changed much since then. Oh the vehicles are more likely to be pickups and cars today, but the tracks are still there and so are the buildings I suspect. (I have not been there in years). The tracks are of "The Belfast and Moosehead RR.", which I had posted earlier also run behind the family farm. My grandfather probably saw the same image when he hopped that train out of town.

The postcard has a lot of wheels, at least 5 or 6 buckboards and buggies. And don't forget the wheel barrow over on the side. I like the older gentleman window shopping. Thorndike is in mid-state between Augusta and Belfast, with its rolling hills, open farmland, and green forests. In many ways its the "Brigadoon" of my mine when I step back in time.

Here's the reverse side of the post card. I believe the split indicates the early 1900's. If any one knows the date the style indicates please leave a comment.

Another Award--WOW!

CMPointer at Family Stories nominated my blog for the "One Lovely Blog Award". I really appreciate it when someone takes the time to make an award or to even leave a comment. I'm having a little trouble posting the "PINK" badge that comes with the award. I'm holding out for "The manly blog award".
In all seriousness though, all the blogs I follow are great and have different qualities to offer and most have received some sort of recognition. That's how I find some of them.One blog I've been admiring for not only her stories, but also for what she does with the photo's, is "Be not forgotten" . She also just received this award but I would like to second it.