Tag: Massachusetts

Artifacts, Mysteries7 Comments

Treasure Chest Thursday: The Hidden Sword Blade Guard in a Secret Compartment of Grace McClellan’s Sideboard

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In 1969, after the passing of Nana Grace (Hanson) McClellan, a large wooden sideboard from her house was moved next door to her granddaughter Edna’s home, where it has sat by the kitchen table for 43 years. This month, Edna gave the sideboard to her daughter Debbie, and a small group of family members gathered to help maneuver the heavy piece of furniture. As they cleared out the sideboard of possessions that had accumulated over the years, they uncovered a false back in one of the drawers, which was moved to reveal a small hidden compartment. Neither Edna nor anyone … Continue reading Treasure Chest Thursday: The Hidden Sword Blade Guard in a Secret Compartment of Grace McClellan’s Sideboard

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Travel Tuesday: Connecting Hurricane Island, Maine to the San Donato Val di Comino Diaspora

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Loreto Salvucci, a granite stonecutter from San Donato Val di Comino, Italy, left his home in the Comino Valley – and his usually pregnant wife Carmela (DiBona) four times to come to the U.S. to work in American quarries in 1899, 1904, 1905, and 1909. In 1906, his younger half-brother, Gaetano Salvucci, had moved permanently to the U.S., settling in Quincy, Massachusetts where he worked as a granite polisher. Additionally, Loreto’s mother-in-law Carmela (Paglia) DiBona, and several DiBona in-laws were also living and working in the granite industry Quincy, Mass. by 1900 – along with numerous extended friends and family … Continue reading Travel Tuesday: Connecting Hurricane Island, Maine to the San Donato Val di Comino Diaspora

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Amaneunsis Monday: Inventory of the Estate of Capt. Henry Josselyn of Pembroke, Mass., 1787

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Below is a transcription of the inventory of Capt. Henry Josselyn of Pembroke, Mass. He was born at Scituate, Mass., 24 March 1696, the son of Henry Josselyn and Abigail Stockbridge. He married at Pembroke, 23 September 1718, Hannah Oldham. He died at Pembroke by 26 June 1787, when his probate was filed, at the age of 91 years. His eldest child, Hannah Josselyn, married Henry Munroe Sr. at Pembroke on 16 November 1738. The unknown origins of Mary Miller, the wife of their son Henry Munroe Jr., were recently discussed in this blog. From Plymouth County, Massachusetts Probate Records, … Continue reading Amaneunsis Monday: Inventory of the Estate of Capt. Henry Josselyn of Pembroke, Mass., 1787

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Mystery Monday: Part Two: The Unidentified Friends and Family of Maria Jane (Peeples) Publicover of Gloucester and Beverly, Essex, Mass.

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Two weeks ago I wrote about the lovely autograph book of Maria Jane Peeples of Gloucester, Mass. from the 1890s. Last week I discussed the wonderful but unlabeled photograph collection of Maria Jane Peeples and included the first part of her collection, including unidentified family and friends from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and beyond. Today’s entry will focus on her photographs of unidentified family or friends from Gloucester, Mass., where Maria lived for several years after moving from Nova Scotia. All of her siblings resided either briefly or permanently in Gloucester. Below is a brief genealogical sketch of her parents … Continue reading Mystery Monday: Part Two: The Unidentified Friends and Family of Maria Jane (Peeples) Publicover of Gloucester and Beverly, Essex, Mass.

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Mystery Monday: Part One: The Unidentified Friends and Family of Maria Jane (Peeples) Publicover of Gloucester and Beverly, Essex, Mass.

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This week Of Graveyards and Things was included in the blogroll from Geneabloggers. Welcome aboard, new readers! Earlier in the week I wrote about the lovely autograph book of Maria Jane Peeples of Gloucester, Mass. from the 1890s. With a few extra pairs of eyes on the blog, let’s see if anyone can help solve a related mystery pertaining to Maria. Based upon her autograph book and stories passed down in the family, it is obvious that Maria had a wealth of friends and family from the North Shore of Massachusetts, friends who worked or lived in and around Boston, … Continue reading Mystery Monday: Part One: The Unidentified Friends and Family of Maria Jane (Peeples) Publicover of Gloucester and Beverly, Essex, Mass.

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Autograph Book of Maria Jane Peeples, Gloucester, Mass., 1889-1900

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Maria Jane Peeples (nicknamed “Rida” by her family) was the daughter of Thomas Peeples and Jane Rogers of Nova Scotia. She married Willard Binnie Publicover at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Gloucester, Essex, Mass., 24 January 1894, by Rev. John Alvey Mills. From 1889-1900, she kept an autograph book in which her friends, family members – and a presumably courting Willard B. Publicover (he has several signatures and notes over the years) – signed their names and wrote her notes and poems – funny, poignant, sage, or straight to the point. She began keeping the autograph book while a resident of … Continue reading Autograph Book of Maria Jane Peeples, Gloucester, Mass., 1889-1900

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Amanuensis Monday: Marriage Records of Barnabas Everson and Deborah (Bates) Howland, 1848, Manhattan

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Barnabas Everson of South Hanson, Plymouth County, Massachusetts (4 January 1825 – 22 February 1896) was a prominent citizen of the town, a wealthy businessman with major landholdings. His parents and grandparents were from the town of Hanson (or the part of Pembroke which became Hanson in 1820), and his children and grandchildren were born and raised in the town. It wasn’t until a recent inspection of the record of his marriage to the young widow Deborah (Bates) Howland (4 September 1819 – 16 April 1892), recorded at Hanson, that I noticed that their marriage was performed by an unexpected … Continue reading Amanuensis Monday: Marriage Records of Barnabas Everson and Deborah (Bates) Howland, 1848, Manhattan

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Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

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I  received my eagerly-anticipated copy of Martin Hollick’s revised edition of New Englanders in the 1600s. It now sits beside its well-used predecessor, and contains even more families, detailing all modern scholarship which has been performed on a given individual or family from 1980-2010. I use it constantly for work, but rarely ever sat down with it to review my own early New England lines, and became inspired to do so this weekend. I’m always touting the significance of using current, scholarly research, since so many early genealogical works contained errors, small or large, which were then repeated ad nauseum … Continue reading Weekend Surprise: Unraveling Royal Descent

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Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.

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    Nathan Munroe Family Bible, Courtesy of Jane Kent Henry Munroe [variously spelled Munro, Monroe, etc.] Jr. married “Mary Millar” at Pembroke, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 12 September 1771. Vital Records of Pembrokenotes that no intention was recorded for this couple at Pembroke churches or the Pembroke town clerk. Their marriage was a double wedding, with Henry’s older sister Mary Munroe marrying Jacob Bearce on the same day. Henry and his sister Mary were the children of Henry Munroe Sr. and Hannah Josselyn, who lived at present-day Main Street in Hanson. Both the families of Henry Munroe Sr. and Jr. … Continue reading Mystery Monday: Origins of Mary (Miller) Munroe of Pembroke, Mass.

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Make sure to search your attics…

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You never know what genealogical treasures you may find! This lovely photograph was found in a trunk of photographs that my mother-in-law inherited from her aunt. It’s a photograph of Carmela (DiBona) Salvucci (b. 1875) and her first child, Luigi (b. 16 Oct 1898) (he later preferred “Louis” “Lou” or “Gig”). At the time, they resided in San Donato Val di Comino, Province of Frosinone, Italy. The family immigrated to Quincy, Massachusetts in 1910. According to the caption on the back, the photograph was taken circa 1900. Continue reading Make sure to search your attics…