Tour Note: Mark Wentworth House, 29 October 2011

As part of  exhibition "Money, Revolution and Books...." the Portsmouth Athenaeum offers tour of the Mark Wentworth Home, October 29, Saturday – once the home of John and Anna Fisher, who rented it to Anna’s brother, Governor John Wentworth. 10 a.m. meeting at the Mark Wentworth Home. Please RSPV by calling 431-2538 x2 for reservations.  For information on the exhibition, see blog archive; for brief background on the Mark Wentworth Home, see excerpt below. A Revolutionary History A prominent piece of Portsmouth's history, the Mark Wentworth Home's Pleasant Street mansion was believed to have been built in 1763.   The Residence was the home of Governor John Wentworth, the last Royal Governor, who lived there until just before the start of the Revolution.  Governor Wentworth described the home as a "a small hut with little comfortable apartments." This "small hut" is now registered on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered to be one of the finest architecturally built homes in the region, during the eighteenth century. Although he was a Portsmouth native and generally well liked, the loyalist Governor Wentworth often ignited fierce opposition.  Portsmouth was the site of many Revolutionary War incidents, and on one particularly explosive occasion in the summer of 1775, a mob of patriots gathered outside the mansion and demanded the surrender of Governor Wentworth's associate, Colonel John Fenton. Before Fenton gave himself up, shots were fired and the evidence remains to this day with bullet holes in the plaster above the fireplace of the mansion's front room. http://markwentworth.org/about-us/history In preparation for "Transatlantic Transformations: Georgian Architecture in Salem, Massachusetts and Portsmouth, New Hampshire" for the upcoming Historic Deerfield Forum "Balance and Beauty: Georgian Design in America," I am looking forward to seeing the inside of this important c. 1763 home. (www.historic-deerfield.org)

"A bowl of grog, a gill of rum..." Installment I, 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book

“A bowl of grog, a gill of rum, a stick of twist and a yard of shalloon”

The 1793 Montgomery Store Daybook, Oliverian Village, NH.

Installment I

Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

It is not surprising that General John Montgomery (1764-February 21, 1825) was likely the wealthiest man in Haverhill. In 1805, his poll tax was the largest in the town registering in at over $100.00.  A figure of considerable status who served his community and his country in several capacities, the General was active in the War of 1812 (at the age of 48), leading his regiment, which included a number of Haverhill men, to protect the Portsmouth waterfront. His business acumen was highly regarded, and, he was one of the significant proprietors at the Oliverian Brook, owning a sawmill, a distillery and a gristmill, according to tax records. His house was appropriately located on a rise, just a short walk from “the brook” so he could oversee his business interests, much the way a ship owner, such as Salem’s (Massachusetts) Elias Haskett Derby, built his house at the head of his wharf. The 1790 census reveals that he was just beginning to build his home and business. He owned no slaves.

General Montgomery had created a strong revenue stream due to the land and industries he owned at the Oliverian Brook. The General was also able to offer a convenient outlet for the products produced in his various factories through his store.  The Montgomery Store was located a short distance (across today’s Route 10) from the Brook and adjacent to the General’s home.  The survival of Day Book 1, 1793 offers a rich look at life in this small town- from diet to clothing, to services, tools and trade, as well as the finances and occupations of the disparate denizens. ¹ Seasonal cycles, town or family celebrations, economic and social trends, as well as patterns of trade and barter, are all evident in this over 150 page daily ledger. When placed within the context of post Revolutionary rural America and events such as the 1791 Distilled Spirits Tax and the subsequent Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 or the introduction of Noah Webster’s  “Blue back” spellers (Language, Part I, 1783), the survival of this small town New Hampshire daybook is a true find.²

General Montgomery’s wealth and status may be seen in the commodious late Georgian home he built c. early 1790s, with its second floor ballroom, his outbuildings and land holdings. The General was able to send, at considerable cost, his three eldest daughters, Mary, Ann (Nancy) and Myra to the esteemed school of Mrs. Susanna Rowson in Boston for tutelage in a variety of subjects, including finishing their silk embroideries. ³ His legendary purchase of a piano from the English court is further testimony to his wealth. ⁴

While a number of the daily entries appear at first glance to be routine – and the most frequent are centered on the purchase of alcoholic beverages such as rum, West Indian rum, grog, wine and brandy—numerous patterns appear surrounding even the most common acquisitions. For example, the items entered under Ephraim Root for March 26^th 1793, indicate that some repairs and preparations were being made at the Root household. Listed in the inventory are nails, shingle nails, 2 3/4lbs. German steel, 14lbs 3/4.  iron, 1ib brimstone, 2 yds. chintz, 1 yd. calamanco, 1 yd. muslin handiff, 1 skein silk, 2 1/2 yd. green ribbon silk, 1 pair gloves, 2 yds. quality, 1 1/4 yd. ribbon, 1skein thread, 1 yd. black tafte and 5 gals. rum. While further research needs to be completed on the Root family, the purchases might well indicate an expansion or repair to a house or outbuilding in combination with a special event such as a wedding or the remodeling of a chamber, hence the high-end textile purchase.

Payment for Mr. Root’s bill is also worthy of attention: he paid part in cash, part through trade of 5 bushels of corn and by payment of a bowl of grog for “Dimon”.

Installment II (Week of 1 November 2011) will find the Montgomery Store clerk reviewing a major purchase by Mr. Stephen Couch, a trader from Bath.

Day Book, March17, 1793-February 22, 1794.
Courtesy, Haverhill Historical Society
Gift of William F. Koch, Jr. 2009

Ephraim Root purchase, March 26th, 1793

Detail, Stephen Couch purchase.
Note coffee, cottonwool, sugar, allspice, pepper and tea.

Notes

1. The author thanks John Page, President of the Haverhill Historical Society, for bringing the Montgomery Store Day Book to the author’s attention; Prof. Dane Morrison, Salem State University for providing a broader historical context for the Day Book entries; Haverhill librarian Nanci Myers for providing access and a pleasant work environment, and James Garvin, NH State Architectural Historian (ret.), Jim Alexander, FAIA and Tom Stocker for sharing freely of their knowledge of Haverhill.

2. The Distilled Spirits Tax of 1791 and the subsequent Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 did not have the same impact in New England that it did in locations like Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania where the transportation of grains to distilleries was challenging and the distilleries small, and even the time needed to travel to a major city such as Philadelphia to pay the tax was burdensome.  However, the preponderance of liquor purchases, frequently by gallons and barrels in a town such as Haverhill may indicate some concern.  More research into similar town purchase patterns in combination with newspaper notices would yield further information.

Noah Webster’s Language, Part I of 1783 was known for generations simply as The Blue-back Speller, it was in use for more than a century and sold over seventy million copies. Of interest for this discussion is the fact that three spellers are sold from the store within the first two pages of the Day Book: Joseph Pearson, Joshua Swan and Moody Bedell  each purchase a “spelling book” and many others are sold throughout the year.  According to numerous sources, the effect of Webster’s book on students was unequaled in the history of American elementary education. The purchase of the speller indicates an interest in “self improvement” and desire for knowledge compatible with the ideals of the new Republic. See http://www.notablebiographies.com/Tu-We/Webster-Noah.html#ixzz1bq2cIbM1

3. The author thanks Jane C. Nylander, Director Emerita Historic New England, for calling attention to the Elias Nasson archive, the Montgomery sisters and for sharing her research on their time with Mrs. Rowson.

4. Inventory and probate research for the Montgomery family is currently underway.

Research Note: Forthcoming, 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book, 1

Currently consumed with research into the 1793 Day Book for the Montgomery Store, Oliverian Village, Haverhill, NH.

Courtesy, Haverhill Historical Society, Gift of William Koch, Jr., 2009. 

Working on new post for 24 October 2011, the first in a series of installments:
"A bowl of grog, a gill of rum, a stick of twist and a yard of shalloon" The 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book.  Kimberly Alexander, Ph.D.

Detail, 1793 Montgomery Store Day Book, 1.

E. Root purchases include shingle nails, German steel, skein ... on Twitpic

Historic garments @UNH Museum Bowen Collection

 More information to follow this teaser....

Historic garments @UNH Museum Bowen Coll! Check out prints + ... on Twitpic

Education Note: Sewing with Astrida at The Sewing Tree

Astrida with Victorian garments from the UNH Museum Bowen Collection

The Sewing Tree is excited to offer the 2nd in a series of Historical Embellishment Techniques.   The class is taught by Astrida Schaeffer who specializes in hand stitching techniques.  These techniques are sure to take your sewing to another level.

Astrida Schaeffer (www.schaefferarts.com) has been making reproduction historical clothing since 1986 and custom museum mannequins since 1998. Her mannequins have appeared in museums across New England and have been published in several books as well as Costume in Performance, 2007 Historic Fashions Calendar. She has sewn for Strawbery Banke Museum, Plimoth Plantation, the American Independence Museum, and the Pavane Renaissance Dance Ensemble, among others, and is in the process of writing a book on 14th century clothing. As soon as that's finished she has plans for another on Victorian embellishment.

This series of classes will be held on Saturday, November 12 and 19 from 1-4 p.m. at The Sewing Tree in Dover, NH.

Janith Bergeron

603-664-6944
www.designsbyjanith.com
www.thesewingtree.com

Education Note: Spring 2012, UNH: Studies in Regional Material Culture

Gen. Fitz John Porter's Field Glasses, Manassas Battlefield State Park. Photo courtesy, Brian Smestad

I am pleased to be teaching at UNH in the History Department again this spring.

772/872 STUDIES IN REGIONAL MATERIAL CULTURE

Exploration of current methodologies and "best practices" employed by those involved in the study, interpretation, and display of material culture objects both within and outside a

contextual setting. In addition to lectures, focus will be on specialized readings from contemporary periodicals and guest lecturers in archaeology, building preservation, costume history, maritime trades, and so on. 

For further information on course design, see www.matcultmuse.blogspot.com.

W 5:10-7:00 

HORT 445 

PROF. KIMBERLY ALEXANDER

Event Note: Ellis Boston Antique Show Gala to Benefit Ellis Memorial

The proceeds from the Ellis Boston Antique Show, Thursday October 20th, go to support 
Ellis Memorial, Boston’s first settlement house, which has been caring for children, disabled adults, and families who live and work in the South End and adjacent neighborhoods since 1885. Ellis offers high quality educational, social, and health support services to individuals and families in need within safe, nurturing and diverse environments.


Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House was founded in 1885 as part of the Settlement House movement. Throughout its rich and varied history, Ellis Memorial has remained true to its mission. Today, Ellis Memorial operates as a non-profit social service agency with programs at 66 Berkeley Street, 95 Berkeley Street, One Chandler Street, Tent City, and Madison Park Village. The following timeline tracks some of the ways in which one settlement house has altered its services and structure to meet changing times and needs while staying true to its original mission of serving neighbors in the South End community.


For additional information and to purchase tickets, go to www.ellismemorial.org

Research Note: Haverhill, NH.

An Overview: Haverhill, NH
Settled by citizens from Haverhill, Massachusetts, the town was first known as Lower Coos. Founded in 1763 by Colonel Johnston, a leader in the French and Indian War; his house still stands on Route 10. In 1773, Haverhill became the county seat of Grafton County. As the terminus of the Old Province Road, it connected the northern and western settlements with the seacoast. The town was the seat of North Country government, and as such, court sessions were held in February and May with most of the local homes serving as taverns for out of town dignitaries and guests, including, not surprisingly, Daniel Webster.  Webster is known to have stayed at the Bliss Tavern, just steps from the Courthouse.  Haverhill Corner, as it is known today, presents itself as a quiet New England village with large handsome eighteenth and nineteenth century homes, ringing a double common.

Bliss Tavern door surround

Former Courthouse, now active Cultural Center

The Oliverian Brook, at the foot of today’s Route 10, was a hub of industrial activities: there were numerous factories including those for constructing carriages, a saw and gristmill, carding, and so on. Noise and smoke rose up from the valley. However, no sign of those former activities survives today with the exception of the Pike Whetstone factory a few miles down the road. Once the railroad went through the neighboring town of Woodsville, Haverhill’s industrial life slowed and ultimately concluded, leaving the town much as you see it today.

Recent research by the author has linked specific late18th-early19th century residents of Haverhill to trade and mercantile interests in Boston, particularly at Long Wharf. Surviving letters and account books from the Montgomery family (see earlier post on Myra Montgomery) indicate that foreign goods such as oranges, Madeira wine, Chinese silks and crepes, and accessories such as feathers, as well the latest domestic fashions from Boston and New York were available in Haverhill within a week to ten days after arrival at Port.  

Community Note: Applaud 4H Week!

A Personal Reflection on 4H

The 4-H Pledge

I pledge:

My head to clearer thinking

My heart to greater loyalty

My hands to larger service

My health to better living for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

In early August, I found myself sitting in the Stoddard Building on the North Haverhill Fairgrounds, overlooking the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, as a judge for the 4-H Style Show. While it seemed to some of my colleagues like an odd choice for the Chief Curator of Strawbery Banke Museum, whose purview traditionally runs to the preservation of historic buildings, seaman’s chests, mirrors, and desks.  But, the atmosphere of talent, creativity, and generosity that these young designers generated was so contagious that I could not resist the invitation to participate in this important “rite of passage” as it were. I would like to offer this short paean to the all those who are involved with 4-H everywhere as 4-H Week 2011 concludes.

I have long been a supporter and fan of 4-H, although, as a 10 year-old living in a small town in western Maryland in the 1970s, I was a sad example of a 4-Her. My family has just moved from a farm a few miles away, but it seemed like a lifetime away, and my sister, Amy, and I wanted to fit into our new community.  We decided to show our beloved (and very, very old) Rhode Island Red hens, Lucy and Gertrude, at the 4-H fair.  Although it turned out that animal husbandry was not our strength—our experiment was a dismal failure—we felt welcomed by our new friends and felt like we belonged here.  Consequently, I always kept an interest in the positive message—learn by doing—a value at the core of 4-H.

Now a resident of Newmarket, New Hampshire and an adjunct member of the History Department faculty at UNH in Durham, I have been honored with the opportunity to again be involved in the program.  In New Hampshire, as in so many states, the 4-H is administered by the university extension program to regional centers throughout the state.  In Grafton County alone, there are some 21 clubs, 15-20 annual programs, over 250 4-H students, 98 trained leaders, and 4 after-school programs.  In a previous project, my dear friend and colleague, Astrida Schaeffer of Schaefferarts had introduced me to Janith Bergeron, co-director of The Sewing Tree (Dover) and the 4-H design revue, and Kathleen Jablonski (UNH Extension, Grafton County). In the process of developing a major costume and textile project for SBM, the idea for collaboration with the 4-H came quickly and easily. SBM Curator Tara Vose, Janith, Astrida, Kathy and Bridget Bleckman of Penumbra Textiles joined in.  Soon, we were working closely with a number of students to develop designs based on the historic garment collection. Sarah, Deanna, Jaden, Liz, Madeline, Kathleen and many others responded to the request for collaboration. It continues to be a fabulous dialogue between kindred spirits.

Although I have moved on from SBM to start my own consulting business, I have been honored to serve as a 4-H design revue judge on several occasions, including state day at UNH in Durham in June and am already looking forward to Grafton County style show judging in April 2012.  Thanks to Kathy, I even had the chance to be a sheep lead line judge at the Haverhill Fair.  This has been a fabulous and rewarding learning opportunity for me, and I value the interactions with 4-H families like the Scrutons and the Koskis. I have been impressed at every turn by the talents and discipline of the 4-Hers. Their skills run the gamut, from creating sketches and patterns, designing garments, selecting fabrics, working on exacting tailoring techniques, to using complex finishes.  The participants are also judged on what would have been known a few decades ago as “comportment”: neatness, composure, and the presentation of their garments.  This meticulous training will stand them in good stead in future interviews and bolster confidence in professional interactions. Of particular note is the fact that 4-Hers are easily adaptable and use their skill sets for multiple projects: it is not uncommon to see ribbon winners in design also placing with quilts, agriculture, horticulture and so on. Transferable skills are a much needed and valued commodity in just about every sector of professional life today.

I have become richer through these interactions and look forward to being involved in whatever small way is possible and useful. Thank you, 4-H, for reminding me of the importance of the 4-H pledge and its applicability to all aspects of our lives no matter what age.

I applaud mentors, instructors, parents and families!  And, especially, I applaud the  youth of 4-H!

Congratulations to a vibrant community!

For further information:

http://extension.unh.edu/4-H/4-H.htm

Photos taken June 2011 and August 2011 - Jaden, Deanna, Sarah + Liz

Photography courtesy of Janith Bergeron, Kathleen Jablonski and Sarah Regan

Research Note: Tom Hardiman, Keeper, Portsmouth Athenaeum: The Library of John Fisher

From the Introduction of Money, Revolution & Books, the Athenaeum's Library of John Fisher of London (7-8)

Tom Hardiman, Keeper

Portsmouth Athenaeum, 2011

In 1829, John Fisher of London (1764-1838) donated his substantial library to the Athenaeum. On August 3rd, the Board voted "that the secretary address a letter of thanks to John Fisher of England, Esq. For his late donation of books to this institution." In the published annual report, the directors noted that this was the "most important donation ever made to the library consisting of some two hundred thirty four volumes of very valuable works in various branches of science and general literature..." Nowhere was there any explanation of who John Fisher was or why a London squire would donate books to a library in provincial New Hampshire. 

As time passed, there would have been few Portsmouth residents who would have known that Mr. Fisher was a native of Portsmouth and his valuable library was a material testament to his family's amazing tale of intercontinental avarice, political subterfuge, harrowing delivery from imminent danger, and their remarkable series of legal triumphs which made them arguable the only victors of both sides of the American Revolution. For all its amazing historic associations, the Fisher library was every bit as fitting for the Athenaeum's Cabinet of Curiosities as for its library shelves, but for 180 years the books were distributed into the general catalog, each banished to its subject. What remains of the Fisher library was reunited and re-cataloged as a discrete collection in December of 2010, and the true significance of the gift can be appreciated for the first time since the gift increased the Athenaeum's holdings by ten percent in 1829.

For exhibition hours and related programs, see http://www.portsmouthathenaeum.org/

Editorial note: Having read Mr. Hardiman's manuscript, it is clear that this publication represents an astonishingly rich trove of new and previously uncovered research. It will prove invaluable to scholars and students of the American Revolution in general and northern New England's role in particular.  For the general reader, the tale of the Fisher family of Portsmouth (NH), Salem (MA), London and various English counties, reads like an intercontinental novel of shifting allegiances, political and courtroom dramas played out amongst royalty and courtiers, with the large northern land grants being traded like chess pieces among family, friends and those connected through various alliances. For local and regional historians and genealogists, the names of the Wentworths, Atkinsons and many others, take on larger personas.  Mr. Hardiman's grasp of his material is exceptional and his ability to make it accessible is indeed worthy of note.

John Fisher, Sr. courtesy of NH Historical Society

Reading Room, Old Library

Research Note: Rebecca Kinsman in China, 1843-1847

“Demure Quakeress”: Rebecca Kinsman in China, 1843–1847

Kimberly Sayre Alexander, Ph.D.

Excerpt: In Our Own Words: New England Diaries,1600 to the Present, Vol. 2, Neighborhoods, War, Travel, and History, Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife Annual Proceedings, 2006/2007

(Boston: Boston University, 2009): 102-113        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

How plainly I can see those dear County Street parlors as thee describes them, and oh!  How inexpressible are my longings to look in upon them and their dear inmates . . . the ties that bind us to home, are very strong and not easily severed.

— Rebecca to “My best beloved Friend,” Macao, Thursday, 7 March 1844 

In July1843, Rebecca Chase Kinsman (1810–1882) departed her home port of Salem, Massachusetts for Macao and Canton, China, with her husband, Nathaniel Kinsman (1798–1847), and two of their three children, Nattie and Ecca.  Nathaniel was taking up a position in Canton with the trading house of Wetmore and Company, and the couple had made the decision—unusual in antebellum America—to travel together to what was then an exotic and strange world.  Indeed, the diaries and letters shared between the couple offer a rare glimpse into an early American household that challenges conventional interpretations.

The written record for the Kinsman family is particularly strong.  Not only have a decade of letters between husband and wife and their respective families survived, but also household receipts, diaries, and Nathaniel’s ship logs are among the rich collection housed at the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum, the Schlesinger Library, the Smith College Library and in private hands. ¹ However, in order to place the family’s personal and professional lives in a larger antebellum New England context, this paper will focus on Rebecca’s diary entries, in contrast to her letters, providing a special opportunity to investigate the issue of the domestic lives of early American women travelers and expatriates.

Rebecca used her diary in a number of ways and was clearly cognizant that her travel to China marked an important episode in her life: indeed, after her return to the United States, it is exceedingly difficult to unearth any subsequent information about her.  She used her diary to record her experiences in Macao, Canton and Manila, and on her voyages to and from China; as a day book tracking household expenses; as a place to record her detailed observations and her daily frustrations with not only the management of a household staff whose language she did not understand, but also a medium to vent the longing for her “dear absent hubby;” a place where she recorded what she was currently reading, what letters and packages have been received (or not) from home and her thoughts on the local denizens: dress, habits and so on, as well as her reactions to sermons and visits, social events, and walks.  When compared to her letters home (detailed and chatty, but also reflecting homesickness and concern over the current divisive nature of Quaker meeting, local politics, and health of absent friends) or her letters to Nathaniel (she was more open in these regarding daily struggles and concerns for his health and well-being of their children), her diary operates in a middle arena.  It is sporadic commentary which “spikes” for important events and trails off when life is “routine” in Macao or Canton.

These letters and diaries shared between Rebecca and Nathaniel offer a rare glimpse into an early American household that challenges conventional interpretations.  They reveal Nathaniel as a sensitive, romantic figure, who was ill at ease in the public sphere of business and who sought solace in the private sphere of family, while Rebecca, on the other hand, was the stronger partner, supervising a household of Chinese servants, arranging travel, and even organizing a reception for visiting Plenipotentiary Caleb Cushing in 1844 for the signing of the first trade treaty between China and America.

This article is part of a larger study of the Kinsman family in China (manuscript in preparation with Prof. Dane Morrison, Salem State University) is situated within two strains of recent historiography—family history and travel narratives.  A number of studies have examined marriage in the new nation, most recently Anya Jabour’s Marriage in the Early Republic: Elizabeth and William Wirt and the Companionate Ideal (1998) and Timothy Kenslea’s The Sedgwicks in Love: Courtship, Engagement, and Marriage in the Early Republic (2005).  Over the last decade historians have focused on travel narratives of both men and women. ²  However, this exploration into the lives of the Kinsmans provides an unparalleled opportunity to marry both themes—investigating travel narratives and domestic life simultaneously and placing them within the context of an antebellum New England family and their experiences abroad.