mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys

History and Record Keeping

April 30, 2013 — 1 Comment

If I learned one thing on my ancestry quest in Massachusetts it is that the record keeper is the author of  history.  I have realized this by finding census and other documents that conflict with each other while studying my ancestors.  Never has it been so clear.  I believed that the tribe would have the information on the tribe in Mashpee, so I went straight to the museum to inquire.  Because they rely on records kept by the Europeans the family trees are reconstructed using English last names.  They use what they have.  The records looked like they started in the 1800’s.

I was unhappy about  the state of affairs.  The tiny tribal museum has little funding, and can open only a few hours, a couple of days a week.  I then traveled to the big well funded museum at Plimouth Plantation.  Wow, what a difference!!!

The museum at Plimouth Plantation is doing some revisionist history in order to correct many of the assumptions and erroneous stories that exist about the Mayflower and the native people. The Pilgrims play characters in period costume, expressing the beliefs of the time and place.  The Pilgrims were religious prudes who considered themselves religiously superior to all other religions.  They also felt entitled to take anything they wanted from the native people because they had permission from the King of England. Their church was fortified on top with cannons in all directions.  I guess they felt that God and the King needed some back up.  Although I had a few Pilgrims and only one ( I think) Wampanoag ancestor, I distinctly disliked the pretend Pilgrims when I met them. I am, however, glad they kept some records at the time.

Federal Hill, Providence, RI

April 29, 2013 — 3 Comments


I am so happy to be moved into my new neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island. We are on Federal Hill, the oldest part of the city. My ancestors founded this city, but have left long ago. Now it is an historic collection of houses and buildings in glory, faded, glory and total disrepair. The good news is all the Italian groceries and restaurants. The people are ultra friendly ( ready nosey) and wonderfully opinionated. Grocery shopping is like going to heaven.

Magnolia Madness

April 28, 2013 — 5 Comments

I found that no matter how you shoot them, pink magnolias look good.  I am attracted to them like a bee to nectar..just love them.  Hope they will brighten your day as they do mine.

Sandwich, MA

April 28, 2013 — 1 Comment


My visit to Sandwich was a delight. The tiny downtown area was ablaze with spring flowers, fancy architecture, historical sites, and very friendly folks. I went to a great thrift store full of charming antiques, but it was almost all breakable, so I passed on purchasing anything. I really enjoyed meeting the ladies volunteering in the store who were funny and informative. My last stop was the glass museum, which was better than I had expected. A well produced theater piece fills you in on the history of the town since the Euros landed, and the display was both informative and artistically outstanding. Since I love glass art I was happy there for more than an hour taking in the collection. I recommend this town and this museum to anyone who happens to like glass and history. It’s right up my alley.

Party in Cape Cod

April 26, 2013 — 2 Comments

Four friends who have never met in person gathered yesterday in Falmouth, MA to meet, eat, party and fully enjoy each other. Our host, Chico, lives right next to the beach and is a really excellent chef. He prepared a seafood extravaganza that lasted all afternoon. Deborah Elizabeth lives in Boston.  Christine lives in Australia. I live in Tucson. We planned this for months since Christine was in this hemisphere for a visit. The meal included bay scallops raw and scampi style, raw oysters, salad, bread and spicy dipping sauce, mussels, clams…and then…. we all had to take a break. We walked along the shore to do some digesting for an hour or so…and then there was lobster and NY cheesecake. The entire meal lasted, including the walk, about 6 hours. It was luxury that few ever experience.
Since Christine was basically on a drive by, she stayed in the hotel with me last night and we set out for breakfast and one last photo shoot and shopping trip in Falmouth village. We both love blooming trees, so there was much to shoot. One dip of her feet in the Atlantic, and she had to drive to Newark to return her car for a flight back tomorrow. I have rarely packed so much in to a 24 hour time frame. It was memorable. We found a perfect day, a perfect place, and a perfect meal to share with each other. Our extreme compliments to the chef and host for the best day.

Rhode Island Friendly

April 25, 2013

My initial impression of Rhode Island after spending one night at the airport and driving through Providence today is that it is beautiful. I am thrilled to see all the trees in bloom, but what I like best is the friendly people.  The front desk at my Best Western airport hotel gave me a lender umbrella and sent me to a great bar and grill across the street.  I appreciated that it was a local, not a chain, business with excellent service and cuisine.  My giant meal of ravioli and pink sauce with salad was only ten bucks.  It was totally pleasant and flavorful.  After my brief experience I feel very welcome in the area. I drove through the state to reach Cape Cod and found a new reason to love Rhode Island.  They have a wonderful system of roads and today there was NO traffic on them.  Forsythia, magnolia, and azaleas in bloom, and water everywhere make this place a fantasy land for me.  I look forward to learning more about Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations. Now I am enjoying the Atlantic Ocean and the friendly folks on Cape Cod. Tomorrow we party.

John Brown

April 24, 2013 — 2 Comments

New Hampshire

New Hampshire

My 10th great grandfather was baker in London who came to America with his very young future wife in 1635.  He became wealthy in New Hampshire.

” John Browne 40″ as well as “William Walker, 15; James Walker 15 and Sarra Walker 17, servants to John Browne, baker, and William Brasey, linen draper in Cheapside” embarked upon the Eliz abeth, Mr. William Stagg, master, leaving London on 17 April 1635 and arriving in Boston, Suffolk County, MA in June, according to Peter Wilson Coldham’s  The Complete Book Of Emigrants . 

In London, Middlesex, England, John was a Baker and was listed as such on the manifest of The Elizabeth.  His master, John Browne, was a Puritan who followed his preacher, Reverend  Stephen Bachiler, to New England to escape the oppression of King Charles.  He became a freeman two years after arriving in 1635, then moved to Hampton, New Hampshire.

First called the Plantation of Winnacunnet, Hampton was one of four original  New Hampshire  townships chartered by the General Court of  Massachusetts , which then held authority over the colony. “ Winnacunnet” is an  Algonquian  Abenaki  word meaning “pleasant pines”. The town was settled in 1638 by a group of parishioners led by Bachiler , who had formerly preached at the settlement’s  namesake :  Hampton,  England .

He received a grant of 4 acres for a house lot on Brown’s River. He eventually became the third wealthiest man and the largest landowner in Hampton, owning four farms. John served as Selectman in 1651 and 1656 

John sued Thomas Swetman for a debt due “for two fat oxen” in 1654. He also brought suit against the “prudential men” and the Town of Hampton for not building a road to his farm, which was near the Falls River toward the part of Salisbury, Essex County, MA that became Seabrook, Rockingham County, NH. The court decided in his favor and the road he wanted was built.

Once in New Hampshire, John built the first bark, a small ship, in Hampton, Rockingham County, NH at the river near Perkins Mill. This ship was mentioned in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “The Wreck of River Mouth.”

John Browne (1589 – 1687)
is my 10th great grandfather
Rebecca Browne (1669 – 1700)
daughter of John Browne
Dorothy Whipple (1669 – 1728)
daughter of Rebecca Browne
Dorothy Rhoades (1705 – 1705)
daughter of Dorothy Whipple
Margaret Hammett (1721 – 1753)
daughter of Dorothy Rhoades
Benjamin Sweet (1722 – 1789)
son of Margaret Hammett
Paul Sweet (1762 – 1836)
son of Benjamin Sweet
Valentine Sweet (1791 – 1858)
son of Paul Sweet
Sarah LaVina Sweet (1840 – 1923)
daughter of Valentine Sweet
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Sarah LaVina Sweet
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Packing to Go

April 22, 2013 — 2 Comments

Travel is an adventure. I like to take just the right amount of stuff from home to give me extra room in my suitcase. I typically find something I want to buy and bring back home with me. Since I am on a long trip this time I am including an extra duffel bag inside the suitcase for large finds. I have arranged my accommodations, except for the last 3 nights, which I can decide when I get to that.  I am meeting friends at the beach, planning a party, and going to a performance.  What do I need? What do I want to purchase in New England?

I always take:

  1. layers of clothing
  2. 2 iPads
  3. 1 laptop
  4. still camera
  5. 2 video cameras, one for underwater
  6. my cell phone
  7. very comfortable walking shoes

I enjoy shopping for or finding:

  1. tea
  2. cosmetics and body care products
  3. vintage clothing
  4. art
  5. natural items like rocks and shells
  6. food
  7. maps

I know Cape Cod will have all manner of souvenirs, but I typically like things that are out of the ordinary.   My friend who lives there makes wampum out of shells, so I look forward to purchasing a special commemorative set of jewels to go with the setting.  I doubt that Plymouth Rock, Colony, etc. will have the kind of item I like to buy.   I expect the Wampanoag tribe may have some crafts or books at the museum in Mashpee that will interest me.  I love to collect stories and history.  Since I am visiting many of my ancestors I expect to find some facts I do not know now. I am excited and open for a new culture, new cuisine, new (old) cities and towns, and friends I have not yet met.  I have been gardening, supervising a construction project in my home, and working in the office to clear the desk and put all business in order.  One thing I never take with me when I travel is my day-to-day concerns. My work is finished here for a couple of weeks. I will bring you along for the fun, gentle reader, as I to discover what is special about  Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Abraham Hill, Tenth Great-Grandfather

April 21, 2013

Hill coat of arms

Hill coat of arms

My tenth great-grandfather arrived early in Massachusetts, and settled in Malden to be a miller and an inn keeper.

Abraham HILL arrived in Malden, MA in the 1630’s, among the first settlers there.  He first received Lot #59, and then bought more land on the south side of Salem St.  Later, when some 5 acre lots were divided up, he received 2 1/2 acres.

According to the History of Malden, Robert LONGE, the father of Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was also one of the first in Malden and received 5 acres.  Daniel SHEPHERDSON, whose ggranddaughter,Sarah PARKER m. Moses’ grandson, Moses HILL, was also a pioneer in Malden.

Thomas CALL, the other grandfather of Joanna CALL, was a tenant of the SKINNERS.  The house stood at the corner of Cross and Walnut Sts.

The only other mention of Abraham in the Malden book is that he was one of nine signers of a petition asking for a four mile square of land called Pennycooke to be an addition to the town.

Abraham Hill, the first American HILL ancestor of this branch of the family, was born in 1615, and was an inhabitant of Charlcstown, Massachusetts, in 1636. He kept a mill for John Coitmore, and was the owner of five lots of land in Charlestown and the neighborhood. He was admitted to the church in 1659, and his wife,’ Sarah Long, daughter of Robert Long, born in England in 1617, was admitted to the church in 1644. Abraham and Sarah (Long) Hill were married in 1639, and had eight children : Ruth, baptized in 1640, married William Augur; Isaac. 1641; Abraham. 164.1: Zachary, whose sketch follows; Sarah, 1647; Sarah, born and died in 1649; Mary, 1052 : Jacob, March, 1656-57. Abraham Hill died February 13, 1669-70, and the inventory of his estate amounted to six hundred and thirty-three pounds.

Abraham Hill (1615 – 1670)

is my 10th great grandfather

Ruth Hill (1641 – 1679)

daughter of Abraham Hill

Abraham Eager (1664 – 1734)

son of Ruth Hill

Lydia Eager (1696 – 1735)

daughter of Abraham Eager

Mary Thomas (1729 – 1801)

daughter of Lydia Eager

Joseph Morse III (1752 – 1835)

son of Mary Thomas

John Henry Morse (1775 – 1864)

son of Joseph Morse III

Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)

son of John Henry Morse

Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)

son of Abner Morse

Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)

son of Daniel Rowland Morse

Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)

son of Jason A Morse

Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)

son of Ernest Abner Morse

Pamela Morse

I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

 

Chow Down in Tucson

April 21, 2013 — 1 Comment

Recently reminded of the superb quality of the cuisine at Feast, we took the middle of the day on Saturday to enjoy it.  I started with the violet flavor and mysterious look of the Cuyahoga cocktail, which improved as the ice melted. It was a new twist on lunch beverages that grew on me.  In fact, I ordered another one to go with my salad.   Bob wanted to try snails, so he ordered quail and snail, which he said was mostly mushroom in flavor, and he liked it.  My first courses were delightful wild rice savory pancakes with sautéed vegetables, and a fried artichoke heart dish we both loved.  I enjoyed the gnocchi salad, but was too full to finish.  The use of pan fired gnocchi as croutons made this a filling dish I will have again today for lunch. Bob loved the banana and pork combo he ordered.

We passed on dessert in order to attend an event to support the Humane society of Tucson.  A vegan bake sale, complete with adoptable dogs, was the perfect place to buy our take home tofu cheesecake and peanut butter brownies for the late afternoon snacking.  We napped, we slowly chipped away at our dessert until nighttime.  There was only one vegan peanut butter brownie left to split for breakfast.