Haying Weather

It feels like haying weather today, so I thought I would post this photo labeled "haying at Naulahka" from my grandmother's collection of Holbrook family photographs. Naulahka is the home where Rudyard Kipling wrote several books and was owned for a time by my great grandparents. Also written on the back are the names : Richard Merryman, Frederick and Grace Cabot Holbrook, Nina Devens, Mr. Daudelein. Frederick and Grace Cabot are my great grandparents and they are the furthest to the right (standing on the ground). I believe my grandmother is on the load of hay and her brother Frederick "Cabot" Holbrook is  standing next to his father. My guess is that this photo was taken circa 1910 or so.

© 2012, copyright William C. Haskell

It's A Great Time To Have Ancestor's From Massachusetts

My blog has taken a back seat for awhile, but I just had to post about the new "Massachusetts, Town Vital Records, 1620-1988" record set that was recently added on Ancestry.com. Randy Seaver has also recently posted his initial thoughts about these new records on his Genea-Musings Blog, "Ancestry.com Adds Original Massachusetts Vital Records". In his post, he references the "Got Massachusetts Ancestors?" post by Crista Cowan on the Ancestry.com blog. Both posts give good information and background about the new record set.

I have had great initial success in finding several birth records for several of my ancestors. Today I found the birth record for my 5th great grandfather, Jacob Haskell, b. 27 Oct 1718, Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts (see third entry down in cropped image below)

One interesting thing that I have found, at least in the Gloucester, Essex County birth records that I have searched so far, is that there appear to be two or three versions of a given record. The record image above appears to be a copy of what may be the original Town Clerk's entry. For Jacob Haskell, I also found the following record. This record lists all the children of his parents that were born in Gloucester. My guess, given the neatness of the script is that this may be a transcription of the original Town Clerk's record, but I cannot be sure. The Ancestry.com source information for both records is exactly the same.

One reason I think this may be a transcription is because I have run into a similar situation in the vital records for the Town of New Gloucester, Cumberland County, Maine. My Haskell ancestors moved from Gloucester, Massachusetts to New Gloucester, Maine. Anyway, I am in the process of transcribing the New Gloucester vital records and the records I originally were given were transcriptions of the original clerk's records. After a little more digging in the town vault we came across the original records which look similar to the first image in this post. 

I am looking forward to further searching in this record collection and I will post my results here. It really is a great time to be a genealogist and to have ancestor's from Massachusetts.

© 2012, copyright William C. Haskell

Treasure Chest Thursday - Logwood from the Mayflower

Here is a photo of some logwood that was possibly brought over on the Mayflower. We have the bundle that is in the photograph stored in an acid free box. There is a note in my grandmother's scrapbook that says: "Logwood for dying clothing brought over in the Mayflower 1620".

 Some interesting information about logwood can be found on Wayne's Word website 

Logwood

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Sunday's Obituary - Lucy Brooks Cabot

[Transcription]
April 5, 1912
MRS. NORMAN F. CABOT
     Mrs. Lucy Brooks Cabot, 86, wife of Norman F. Cabot, died in her home on Terrace Street this morning about 1.45 o'clock after an illness of about six weeks. She was born in Chesterfield, Factory Village, Dec. 13, 1825, and was a daughter of Capt. William S. and Elinor Forman Brooks. Her father was a native of Medford, Mass., and her mother came from Freehold, N.Y. In 1821 her father went to Chesterfield and in 1839 the family came to this town. Following the death of her mother she went south and there met Norman F. Cabot and they were married in Wetumpha [sic, should be Wetumpka], Ala., Dec. 13, 1853. Previous to the Civil war they came to Brattleboro and had since lived here, Mr. Cabot being for many years treasurer of the Vermont Savings Bank.
   She had two brothers and two sisters, all of whom were prominent in the town during their lives. George J. Brooks was the builder of the Brooks House and gave the Brooks library building to the town. The other brother was Francis W. Brooks and the sisters were Mrs. Francis Goodhue and Miss Malvina Brooks. Besides her husband she leaves two daughters, Miss Mary R. Cabot of this town, and Mrs. Frederick Holbrook of Boston, and one son, William Brooks Cabot of Boston.
     The funeral will be held in the home Monday afternoon at 2.30 o'clock. Rev. R.M. Houghton will officiate and the burial will take place in Prospect Hill cemetery. Friends are kindly requested not to send flowers. 

Source: Newspaper clipping, newspaper title and location not included.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Pets

Written on back: "Peterkin and his friend Danger, Brattleboro 1900"

from my Grandmother's family photo collection

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Children of Eliphalet & Mary (Woodman) Haskell

I am in the process of transcribing the vital records for the town of New Gloucester, Maine prior to 1892. Today I came across the original birth records for the children of my 4th great grandparents, Eliphalet and Mary (Woodman) Haskell as recorded by Jabez Woodman, who was the Town Clerk at that time. The following image is the page from the original record book, followed by the transcription

Transcription
[page] 68
Moses Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife was born in New Gloucester September 8th Anno Domini 1777
Hannah Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife was born in New Gloucester on the 12th of August AD 1779
Moses Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester December 12th, 1780
Eliphalet Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Jan. 27th, 1782
Jacob Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester Octr 30th 1783
Polly Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester March 4th 1785
Amos Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester March 26th, 1787
Bethulah Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Jany 25th, 1789
Stephen Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester Augt 4th 1792
Sally Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester July 11th, 1794
Peleg Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife, born in New Gloucester July 22d, 1796
George Haskell son of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester Augt 25th 1798
Louisa Haskell daughter of Eliphalet Haskell and Mary his wife born in New Gloucester April 18th, 1800
Recorded March 18th, 1822, By me Jabez Woodman Town Clerk

My 3rd great grandfather is Amos Haskell.

Does anyone have any information on the name "Bethulah"? I have always thought this to be a female, but the Town Clerk listed this child as a son. I was unable to locate anything definitive based on a quick search on the internet. If anyone has further information, I would be happy to hear from you.


Source: A Book of Record of Births for New Gloucester in County of Cumberland Commonwealth of Massachusets from 1771 to 1865. Image taken from original record book on 12 Apr 2011 by William C. Haskell. Original record book located in Town Office, Town of New Gloucester, Maine.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell

Father's Day - Father Tree

Happy Father's Day! My wife gave me this cross-stitch several years ago, showing 12 generations of Haskell fathers from my son back to the first William that came to Gloucester, Massachusetts with his two brothers, Roger and Mark back in 1635. I thought it would make a great Father's Day post in remembrance of all the ancestral Haskell fathers in my line.

© 2011, copyright William C. Haskell