Edward Holyoke

TL;DR -- We now have the Heads covered up to the time of the Revolution and beyond. Everyone is gearing up for the celebrations (DAR, SAR, and others). We can look at that first period more closely now, say from the beginning to the split with England. Then, there will be a couple more periods: 1812's continuing conflict with England, the frontier (including the Civil War), and the latter part of the 19th century. We have already seen that Harvard's experiences match up well with our generational view that will be in the focus for a bit.  

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As we finish our look at the Heads of Harvard (Wikipedia), we will start to pull together a timeline that includes the threads here in terms of generations and add in information related to major themes which are influential today. Bringing in Edward Holyoke (Wikipedia) will allow us to look at the period before the Revolution. But there is an unexpected category to discuss: corporal punishment (see below). 

Edward was of the fourth generation (WikiTree) of a family with a New England pedigree. His family had gone west and helped start Springfield in Hamden County. Edward went to Harvard and was associated for a couple of decades with a church in Marblehead (Essex County). Samuel Cheever had invited Edward to come be a Pastor. 

• History of Harvard (ours);
• History of the Presidency (Harvard); 
• graduates of Harvard (list initiated by Hoar); and 
• Harvard in the long history of the U.S. 

With respect to history, the Revolution's generation was the fifth with leadership by the fourth. Many of these leaders were at Harvard when Edward was President: 

Samuel Adams (A.B. 1740), James Otis (A.B. 1743), Jonathan Mayhew (A.B. 1744), Thomas Cushing (A.B. 1744), James Bowdoin (A.B. 1745), John Hancock (A.B. 1754), John Adams (A.B. 1755), Joseph Warren (A.B. 1759) and Josiah Quincy Jr. (A.B. 1763). 

Edward was also associated with changing the "intellectual climate" through several means such as having a focus on merit rather than pedigree, stressing scholarship, and removing flogging (which was a very much unanticipated theme). With regard to the last, Eaton ran into issues due to being abusive. In her article titled "The Dilemma of Corporal Punishment at Harvard College" that appeared in the History of Education Quarterly ( 1974, Cambridge University), K. C. Moore looks at the issue which is easy to "pass over" for several reasons. With respect to the Eaton incident, one might make comparison with other situations such as the U.S. Navy (and other organizations of the like). We have an eye witness account by Richard Henry Dana (Two Years Before the Mast), who had been at Harvard, of a flogging at sea almost two hundred years later. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/28/2022

06/28/2022 -- 

 

A Ride to Kansas

TL;DR -- Edward Fitch left his home and set out west to join the Massachusetts effort at establishing Kansas as a free state. We look, briefly, at Edward's New England pedigree and his experiences in defending the abolitionist's view during the times of 'Bleeding Kansas' and into the Civil War. Edward was killed in the Lawrence raid of 1863 leaving a wife and three children. This type of thematic post will be more common as research results appear over the next few decades. After the revolution, things expanded upon several fronts, simultaneously. To further more full looks, we include an image related to the Higginson tale of his venture out west. 

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Today's topic focuses on one individual who was out west just prior to the Civil War and who has a solid New England pedigree. We recently read an article published by the New England Historical Society (Apr 2022) that is an example of what we will see more of: Edward Fitch, a Massachusetts Martyr in Bleeding Kansas. We point to the article as it covers the experience of the early settlers of Lawrence KS about which we have had several posts. Notice sections on Bleeding Kansas, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, Staking a Claim, and others. 

The main character is Edward Payson Fitch (WikiTree) who went to Lawrence with the third party of the New England Emigrant Aid Company. The Kansas Historical Society sponsored research for a report by Louise Barry: The Emigrant Aid Company Parties of 1854. 

The NEHS article on Edward Fitch references the work of the Kansas Historical Society and details events as reported by Edward and others. This type of regional conflict needs more attention; for instance, of those who arrived in KS, some returned while others went out west. Edward stayed and farmed. Also, he contributed to the advancement of Lawrence as a city. As mentioned, Lawrence was burned in the turmoil of the Civil War. Edward was killed and left a widow and kids. The article has photos of his wife and children. 

 

In an earlier post, we mentioned that Col. T. W. Higginson had gone out to Kansas with a group in 1856. He wrote of parts of his experience with posts to the New York Tribute; his reports were collected into A Ride through Kansas. 

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As we look at the 400ths over several decades to come, we will see topics brought to fore that were not covered before due to several reasons. One of these dealt with technology and its absence which is no longer a factor. In fact, we have too much technology being misused too often. Be that as it may, too little or too much is an interesting problem to have. Let enjoy the new situation where topics that motivate posts like this one will be a common theme. 

The 5th generation bore the onus of the split. The 250th of that is coming up (SAR/DAR). We have had several posts on that theme. Stepping forward with the generations, we have to deal with a much  larger framework, an example of which is the Frontier Century. Our first look at that considered the early explorers many of whom were Canadian (before the split, it was the same colony) with the far west being introduced, mainly through the fur trade. Then, we had several posts dealing with the carving of the U.S. Interior that happened over more than a century. 

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During the earlier times, Pres Andrew Jackson decided to move American Indians from the east coast to the wide spaces of the west. Oklahoma gets more attention in this matter than does its northern neighbor. But, Kansas has as much involvement in the historic aspects as one can see by things like having a Cherokee County. Too, there has been a lot of research related to the impacts of the choice by Jackson. We recently looked at an early Mission for the Osage that is still extant having started in the early 1830s.  

Remarks: Modified: 08/27/2022

08/27/2022 --  Finished a dangling sentence in the TL;DR section. Must have been called away in a multi-tasking mode that never seems to abate. 

400th, finally

TL;DR -- It's been a long time coming, that is, the 400th, albeit Florida (New Spain) had its 500th. So, we do a little recap. Technology now differs tremendously from when the Salem group did their little pageant. We can jump the waters to research. Interesting articles are popping up. Veracity? Provenance? Those are continual issues needing constant attention. The days of dreaming of internet heaven might have produced somethings of note but not as much as we would like. Chimeras abound. Despite all of that, the 400ths (across the board in MA, we are talking decades of partying) ought to be fun and full of promise of better things to come. 

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Our first post on the 400th was early on our website: Recent 400th Anniversaries. That had been motivated by reading about the 300th anniversary. And, of course, we had to mention Florida's 500th. Then, as time went along, the Pilgrim's 2020 came along. 

With that, there was cooperative efforts between those here and those in the older realm. Earlier, we saw Virginia with it look back. But, the difference now is technology. So, expect a much wider variance in activities, analysis, and reports. An example is the post at Enduring Gloucester by Mary Ellen Lepionka who is researching the history of the Cape Ann endeavor. That post gave us a chance to make comment in which we pointed to Gardner Research and its efforts. 

One thing that we did was try to establish some notion of what we know. That effort started in 2012 after we got a little bit of experience. There was lots of ground to cover. By 2014, we had attention brought to Margaret as mother of the children that we know. At the same time, we made contributions on WikiTree to Thomas Gardner's profile and that of his descendants. Too, we attempted a FAQ that needs updating. 

As said, there is a lot to do. One task will be reviewing work over the past decade and firming up the material due to the changes that occur as one studies a topic. Some of the earlier references are not longer of the same identifying scheme (results of what can be called refactoring) or are missing (or perhaps moved). 

So, it is the first day of summer and 1/2 of the year is gone. Weymouth's 400th was this year. According to some, Cape Ann (via Gloucester) will be next year. There may have been people there before; definitely, we have seen 1624 used, as well. So, that is something that will be firmed up this time around. As in, the 200th was of the time of the period between the Revolution and the 1812 conflict. Going back, the 100th was just post the Salem madness associated with witches. 

Then, the 300th? WWI and the Spanish Flu. For the Gardners, Dr. Frank's works stand tall. His The Massachusetts Magazine was phenomenal and will get more attention. He got a lot of old Salem to participate and contribute to that effort. But, 1917/8 was the last issue after a decade of continual work. As we go forward from here (after a brief pause that was not a hiatus), we will attempt to be several things including a clearing house for research, note counsel on things Cape Ann and Gardner, at the forefront of using technology to close information gaps, and more. Part of the regular activity will be looking at current themes. 

Here are two that came from the same search related to "Dorchester Company - Cape Ann - arrival" a (reminder: this is Google'ish; results will differ by the search facility or parameter mix). There are so many hits to wade through, that we'll have to figure out a newer method (hint, ML might be of interest - without the AIn't baggage). 

So, on Roger Conant, we have a new site and a recent post: 56. ‘A whirlwind and wonderful trip’ to Roger Conant’s birthplace. With photos galore, this deals with the visit by a descendant to Roger's stomping grounds. Okay, the Mayflower group had done that. One thing that came from the effort was coordination with regard to what was worth seeing as well as historically established veracity (have to use that as Harvard will play heavy in our future schemes). 

Roger Conant
the Peacemaker

But, there was, too, this gem: Roger Conant on Cape Ann -- Part I: The Dorchester Company. It is from 2019 and by Mary Ellen Lepionka (noted above). It mentions the relationship between Rev. John White and Thomas Gardner which is an open issue in the sense of several views are extant, none of which have entirely proven their case. But, not to bother too much, as this is what John does; he has no ax to grind being of late-coming families (post the Civil War). Too, Ann has both Conant and Gardner (and many others) on her bundle of ancestors. 

Our conundrum, having looked at years of research and writing (all the back to Hubbard and before - plus the later stuff, say Anderson's work), what framework is there for dealing, more or less (and point in time - btw, that's not a waffle) permanently with regard to various factors such as provenance, with the subjects of such interest. You know, when we started there were lots of sites from the older days that looked to have interesting data. Well, wayback modes might apply. 

Otherwise, we are facing no more of a problem than any other discipline that has gone through adjustments brought by technology. 

BTW, the Conant site has some interesting pictures that we will use, with attribution. We have a recent example of a photo (western railroad theme) taken by the father of a member of a FB group for which we make full declaration of source; yet, he tells me that his father's photos have been used without any notice all over the place. Not on the topic? Wrong. We have messes that need attention in order to have a sustainable future, such as the one set by the likes of Thomas and Margaret Gardner. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/21/2022

06/21/2022 --

East meets west

TL;DR --  One thing that technology will allow us to do is keep up with the times and its events; too, though, if done right, we can tie together stories about matters in ways not possible before. In fact, as we have seen, we will be able to recreate (Meta's one good attribute, so far) events, and do so in ways that are almost real. On the other hand, we will see tragedy as well as triumphs. This is a case of the former. 

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We will have several themes which will be described as we organize our work. Technology will be an important one. In fact, we will have a separate blog for posts of a detailed nature. But, technology is also cultural, so we'll address those aspects here. This week, we saw Yellowstone River flooding in the area of Gardiner MT due to the combination of snow melt and heavy rain. On flat ground, we would say 'flash flood' which comes unexpectedly and is gone before you notice (unless you are in its path). What is noticed is the aftermath. Gardiner MT has an 'i' and is where Gardner River feeds the Yellowstone. 

Gardiner MT
before the Gardner River
went on a rampage

In that area, there are lots of New England names, such as Conant Creek, Harvard Mountain, and more than we want to look at now. Fly over the region with Google Maps and see what I mean. In most cases, what you are looking at was seen or even had footsteps put on by the early wanders. 

We wrote of the Gardner River under our theme of the early western life as influenced by the long arm of New England. We had been looking at U.S. rivers in toto, especially with a view to the major carving of the land that was managed, in part, out of St. Louis. We noted that Jedediah Strong Smith, an early guy, passed through that little burg. Johnson Gardner was of the same timeframe. The movie, The Revenant, is about another Gardner, but Johnson Gardner was there. We will explore more about these fellas and their peers, some of whom left their names on the landscape in a larger scope. Actually, the following generation was of Bridger, Pike, and a whole lot more. 

Before going on, here is material related to Johnson Gardner, the so-called Mountain Men, Gardiner MT, Jedediah (WikiTree; Jed has a huge following out of Berkeley CA), and more, such as Grizzly Adams (cousin of the ones who were husband to and son of Abigail). 

In this post, several names have been mentioned. We show family information via WikiTree when we can. Besides technology, and the early west (say, Lawrence KS as project of Massachusetts), we will look at nautical themes (the Carolinas, say). There will be more discussion about this. 

Following up, though, the Smithsonian wrote about Gateway Towns and what this flooding may mean. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/20/2022

06/20/2022 --

No hiatus

TL;DR -- The last three years have been more active, partly due to Covid restrictions. Too, though, technology has shown us some new and potentially useful, or not, stuff. One thing on the plate going forward will be technology. What that means is still being discussed. 

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Lots going on. At the end of May, the pace of posts was keeping up with those of the past three years (2019, 2020, 2021) the last two of which were unique, many ways. There is no end of possible topics for research and reports. 

Adjustments, due to the times? Yes, that's a huge factor to address. One prime focus is on technology and its misuse which seems to be a common trait of humanity. The latest is the scene of several decades duration that accelerated recently with the arrival, finally one might say, of capable computing. Albeit, that one at the same time must add this, highly immature stuff all around. 

In particular is this AIn't phenomenon that has captured the imagination of many. At the same time, there have been too many new applications attempted whose ramifications are not known for us to claim that we are scientific. Willy nilly is more like it. 

Now, perturbations in the economy relate to these types of mania, the last two, in particular, had a technological flavor. This one will continue that trend. So, lots to watch and to attempt to learn from. 

One thing that computing brings is enhanced proof techniques whose adoptions would get genealogy out of its morass. Minor issue. DNA rattled those cages, a lot. But, it's not flawless, that scene. 

What is not without fault? Well, nothing, if we use the 'mote' example; there are several sources for this. 

The new scene is such that we really do not know. Look about, who is not casting in the wind in order to read the waves? I know, mixing things. It's intentional. 

We had hoped to be post-COVID, one location that I know of has had a jump of 4K cases in a week. One example of the new age are the many sites reporting data and making various judgments. That's to be expected, as we're humans and do that sort of thing. 

On a positive note, I see many articles and reports showing an emergence of a mature viewpoint. How to describe this? That is one of the things to tackle. Reducing the hype is one thing; but, more importantly, losing the aura of science fiction is more to be desired. Which means? Being more scientific in ways that balance the various necessary modes, such as engineering and technology. Oh yes, forgetting mathematics? Nope, those ones dropped several balls. We'll describe the situation. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/20/2022

06/20/2022 -- Added TL;DR line plus an image. 

Fifteen colonies

 TL;DR -- When Dr. Frank was working on his research, over one hundred years ago, the limitations of the time are apparent. Now, with the internet and its communications, we can do a much better job. Part of this will be covering the wide-spread of the U.S. and beyond. And, the Carolinas will be one focus. Fifteen colonies? Will be looked at next. 

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No doubt, our focus was New England, from the beginning, due to the Cape Ann connections. So, that perspective might be attributed to we being newbies to this type of research. However, it was not long before we were looking west and south. One pull was following New England movement thus, with Virginia being an early destination for people who kept moving. We learned early of some of the parallels between the two regions, especially those of the time of the Revolution (250th coming up). We will have a coming post on this theme. 

Recently, after running into a Boston-themed blog (once again; first saw it several years ago), we got to thinking of the regional comparisons. An event was the motivator: getting gunpowder from English stores. Turns out that there is a similar story in the south. One noted source is J. F. Dorman who wrote Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/25. He writes that George Jackson of Norfolk (later Williamsburg) is known to have accomplished such a feat. We will look into that further. 

J.F. Dorman, 
on Virginia/Bermuda connection

For now, we are leaving a comment about the Virginia connection since there were comments related to that before (the "Boston 1775" blog dates back to 2007). 

..., Pointer to comment made by TGS Researcher ... 

But, another issue comes to fore that had not been considered. We had been looking mainly at Virginia as a hub of entry. Then, we expected to be seeing migration south to the Carolinas. On looking more closely, we see two relationships that need attention. 

For one, Bermuda was connected with North Carolina; then the Bahamas were similarly associated with South Carolina. Our main view of the Bahamas was their use as a backdoor, early on, when someone wanted to leave and come over but could not get the required permission. So, they staged themselves through the Bahamas. However, now we know a little more and saw that some tried to get Bermuda involved in supporting the Patriots. Assuming there was similar efforts with the Bahamas, we could have had fifteen colonies rather than thirteen. Different dynamics? 

Incidentally, these historical bits come up from following families as they moved. Some can be confirmed, albeit the further west that one goes, the harder the chore. What we see, though, is that the clues are there: albeit, many east coast mindsets think of the woods outside of coastal New England as the frontier. 

We beg to differ: Frontier century. 

Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when Dr. Frank was working, he mainly did his own line plus those that he heard from. But, our work is finding people widely scattered. Case in point is the lowly grave out west of a descendant of the Mayflower crew as well as being of Cape Ann. We'll feature him in the next post. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/11/2022

06/11/2022 -- Added pointer to the comment to the Boston 1775 post on Bermuda as source for gunpowder, from the British store of such.