2 years ago
Pilgrims or Puritans?
Pilgrims. Puritans. Did your ancestors number among them and is there a difference? Even Henry Louis Gates on Finding Your Roots once told a Mayflower descendant they had Puritan ancestors.
Editorials
2 years ago
Treasures are for today
She looked through the tangle of necklaces carefully, not quite sure if she wanted to wear the colorful plastic pearls or sterling silver chains that clung dutifully to tarnished baubles of all shapes and sizes. She asked herself once again why she had stored these pieces of jewelry in her dresser drawers.
2 years ago
Having your head examined
Have you ever heard of phrenology? Phrenology originated in the latter parts of the 18th century due to a scientific theory by Viennese neuro-anatomist and physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). Gall put forth five basic principles of his theory.
2 years ago
Jury names
If you have an ancestor in colonial New England, you may discover that ancestor served on a jury. Serving on juries was considered the duty of all free men in a town. Women didn’t vote or serve in public offices at that time.
2 years ago
A house of hospitality
Beautiful words don’t do justice to Sarah’s House of Maine in Holden. When I decided to begin the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Kent and I launched a search for either a hotel that would not only offer us the guarantee of lodging for three months, but would also be affordable.
2 years ago
Benchmarks of a successful city
Across the country, communities are struggling with the lingering effects of the pandemic on their local economies. With all of the bad news we hear daily, it is good to take stock of the positive in one’s community. A 2019 article by Ron Starner in the Site Selection magazine outlines seven traits of highly effective small towns.
2 years ago
Tuberculosis and the sanatorium
In October 1920, all eyes were on Presque Isle as it officially opened a new state-of-the-art sanatorium to treat tuberculosis. The Northern Maine Sanatorium was ultimately one of nine in Maine. At the time of opening, staff consisted of a doctor, a superintendent, three nurses and eight other employees.
2 years ago
Collaboration
To paraphrase Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” to collaborate or not to collaborate, that is your option. As a genealogist you may choose to work on your own or with someone else researching the same family.
2 years ago
The struggle
I compare the foliage that we see from afar to a finely crafted quilt, one that tells a timeless tale. On this cool, sparkling Saturday morning, Kent and I were heading toward Allagash via Route 161 and then on to Fort Kent and the Allagash.
2 years ago
What to do with all those leaves?
It is getting close to that time of the year when the leaves are turning color and finding their way to the ground. The good news is that it is a beautiful time of the year. The bad news is that many of us are raking leaves because there are too many to leave on the lawn.
