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On the Farm

9/25/2018

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Week 39 of the 52 Ancestors Challenge - "On the Farm"

This is my Great-Grandmother's brother, John Knight Jr., at his farm on Gosling Road in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (dated prior to 1950). It was passed down to him by his father, JOHN KNIGHT, who died in 1917.
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This property was purchased by my 2nd Great-Grandfather in 1913, who had previously only rented farms in Portsmouth and Newington, NH, following his move here from England in the 1880's. Uncle Johnny didn't marry, and lived here with his sister Abbie, who was married but deserted by her husband. My grandmother and her siblings also lived here for a time, after their parents met their untimely deaths in 1929 and 1932.

The government came through in the 1950's, with plans on building an air base in Newington, spreading partly into Portsmouth, and included the Knight property. In April 1952, Uncle Johnny sold off all his standing timber to H. Roby Jewell, with the right to construct a sawmill on the property while the clear cutting was done. In October of the same year, all the heirs of John Knight Sr (and their spouses) signed over the 65 acres to the U.S.A. for $10,600.
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A portion of the 1952 plan of the properties being purchased for the air base
On the Knight land was the "Roach Cemetery", and was one of eleven that needed to be moved prior to the construction of the air base. There were 75 (or 86) graves that needed to be relocated from the disputed area.
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The 1892 map of Portsmouth shows the home of "Miss A. Roach", whose home John Knight would purchase many years later [from Clarence D. Foss, who had purchased it from Amanda Pickering; it having previously belonged to Owen Roach, nephew to (Miss) Ann Roach]. Also on the map (to the right) is the location of the Gee Pickering farm, where John Knight had rented before moving to the Gosling Road property.
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1952 topo map of Portsmouth, NH, showing rough location of the John Knight property. The "Spur Road", which would later become Rt 4/Route 16, was not yet built.
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This is the current map of the former Pease Air Force Base, showing where the Knight formerly was (approximately, I'm no surveyor!). Circled in blue is the Pease Development Authority building, which sits on the same knoll where the old farm once stood. 
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Johnny Knight and his brother Walter, at his Newmarket, NH farm (photo dated 10 July 1967). He passed away the following year, and is buried (in an unmarked grave, as is most of his family) in Newington Cemetery.
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Closest to Your Birthday

9/10/2018

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Week 37 of the 52 Ancestors Challenge - "Closest to Your Birthday"

​Without divulging my actual birthday, here are some of my relatives with dates of birth near mine, at least ones where I've got photos or something to share about them. I'll add more later when I come across other July events. 
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My Great-Aunt FRANCES (DOW) TOTMAN (born 8 July 1892), with her husband John (left), and her brother LAWRENCE (born on her birthday four years later).
See: My Great-Uncle Lawrence

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My 5th Great-Grandmother, KEZIAH (AMAZEEN) LEAR, who was born 12 July 1766 in New Castle, NH.
See blog entries: Nathaniel Lear of New Castle, NH and Cemetery 

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My Great-Grandmother, MARTHA LOUISE (KRAMER) LEAVITT, born on 9 July 1891 in Colchester, CT.
See blog entry: Emily Jane (Brown) Kramer (her mother) 
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The Fishermen of New Castle, N.H.

9/3/2018

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"Work" is the subject for Week 36 of the "52 Ancestors Challenge"

Many of my ancestors lived on the small island of New Castle, New Hampshire, at the entrance of the Piscataqua River, a community made up primarily of mariners and fishermen.

I found this interesting "memorial" or petition, sent to the United States Congress on 15 February 1839, from the citizens of New Castle [Congressional Serial Set Vol. 340]. At that time, there was a law in place which paid a bounty to vessels engaged in the cod fisheries, the funds paid to help offset the costs of business (including the long periods of time at sea and the costs of the salt needed to preserve the fish). In 1839, Congress had a proposition to repeal this law, which would have greatly affected the livelihood of the local fisherman here. So, the townspeople signed and sent off the following:
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​These are the 64 names from the above "memorial", with additional notes added:
​
Joseph J. Amazeen
Richard Bickford
John Tarlton
John T. White
Edward Curd (Card)
Thomas Tarlton
Edward T. Yeaton
Joseph Yeaton
Christopher Amazeen
Henry T. Frost
Thomas F. Foye
Robert White
Thomas Tarlton, 2d
John Bickford
J.M.T. Vennard [Jonathan M.T.]
James N. Tarlton
Rufus Preble
Edward Martin
John Yeaton  [3rd Great-Grandfather]
John Amazeen
William Yeaton
Benjamin Batson
John R. Yeaton
Benjamin White
William Kimean (Kinnear)
Henry T. Tarlton
John Martin
Nathaniel J. Yeaton
Nathaniel White
Theodore W. Frost
William Tarlton
​Robert M. White

Joshua Bickford
Benjamin Amazeen
William Amazeen
B. Yeaton  [Barnabus Yeaton - 4th GGF]
Jonathan Locke
John Tarlton, 3d
John Trefethen
Benjamin Yeaton
William Amazeen
J.W. Bickford [Joseph W.]
Ephraim Amazeen
Calvin Davis
Samuel Batson
John Campbell
Zacheus Vennard
John White
Nathaniel Baker
Nathaniel B. White
Benjamin Curtis
William Wilson
Richard Neal
Charles Cole
Nathaniel Lear
Alfred Amazeen
Philip Yeaton
George Tarlton
Benjamin Bell
William B. Amazeen
Joseph F. Amazeen
James Hanscom
Benjamin Oliver
​William B. Gerry

NOTES:
- According to the 1840 census, there were 742 persons living in New Castle, far less than the "nearly one thousand" as written in the opening paragraph. Of this number, the occupations of the work force were listed as: "navigation of the seas" - 95; "agriculture" - 16; "commerce" - 5; "manufacturers and traders" - 9; "learned professions and engineers" - 1.
​- Absent from the list are any Pridham or Meloon names, both surnames represented in town by direct ancestors of mine (and were mariners).
- The Amazeen and Yeaton families, having been on the island since the 1600's, are all related to me in one way or the other, whether it be a "5th Great-Uncle" or "1st cousin, 5x removed"", etc. Intermarrying with the other early settlers, probably 3/4 of the list are blood relatives and are somewhere in my family tree.   
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