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The Life From The Roots blog topics have changed several times since I began this blog in 2009. I initially wrote only about the family history I had been working on for 20 years. Years later, I was into visiting gardens, historical homes, churches, libraries that had genealogical collections, historical societies, war memorials, and travel/tourism places. I also enjoy posting autographs and photos of famous people I've met or have seen.

Along with my New England roots, other areas include New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

Please check out the labels on the right side for topics (please note, they need work). Below the labels and pageviews is a listing of my top nine posts, according to Google. Four of them pertain to Lowell, MA. These posts change often because they are based on what people are reading.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

All The History and Flowers at Concord, Massachusetts Pt. 1

The photos were taken in and around the North Bridge Visitor Center in Concord, Massachusetts. Part 1 is the History, Part 2 are the flowers.
The area where minutemen were mustered on April 19, 1775. Below is a marker, and foundation of the Ephraim and Willard Buttrick Houses, circa 1697. The above and below pictures are in front of the Visitor Center.

Major John Buttrick
from this his farm led
the provincial minute
men and militia down
to win the bridge held
by the British Forces
April 19, 1775.

George Edward Messer
by his will provided
this memorial
erected by the town.

North Bridge Visitor Center, formerly the estate of the Buttrick Family. Below is the interior, with the visitor's center to the right.

The problem with photographing during bright sunlight or spotlights, you often get glare. I plan on trying to take better photos during a cloudy day. This past spring, I went three times, just to get photographs of the flowers.  Too bad that Irises and Peonies have different growing schedules.


From the Visitor Center, you can look down on the North Bridge, Concord River and two monuments, one being the minuteman, by Daniel Chester French.


Daniel and Naomy Hubbard of Pittsfield, Massachusetts -- Tombstone Tuesday


This monument is erected
in memory of
Capt. DANIEL HUBBARD,
who died December 19, 1777
in the 64th year of his age
also Mrs. NAOMY HUBBARD,
his relict who died
January 29, 1800 in the 32nd
year of her age.

They were lovely and pleasant in their
lives, and in their death they are not
divided.


Daniel and Naomy/Naomi were my 6th great-grandparents.
Daniel and Naomy are located in the front row, 4th stone from the left. These stones were removed from older cemeteries and are the oldest in this cemetery.


Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts


I haven't posted any of my own cemetery photos recently because I've taken almost all that I can, I would guess about 140 direct ancestors. The one above is my most recent. We drove 150 miles just to see this stone and close to 350 miles for the entire day trip (worth it because the leaves had already begun to change). At least 12 years ago, I saw a photo of the stone in a book, but upon investigating, nobody ever heard of Pilgrim's Rest Cemetery. In June I plugged in his name once again, and a photo appeared...he was in Pittsfield Cemetery, and was moved there from an older cemetery.

You would think by seeing the three rows of old tombstones lined up like soldiers, it would be easy to find. Well, it wasn't, and this had to be my worst tombstone search. Two people gave me directions, first the person who took the photo for FindAGrave (she attached a marked map for this stone on her FAG page, and the second person was the clerk at the cemetery (she sent me a map and marked the spot). All this was done in June. When we decided to go to western Massachusetts a few days ago, I grabbed the cemetery stone photo from FAG and one of the maps (sent by the cemetery). We spent close to an hour and couldn't find it. Since we traveled quite far and there are over 3,500 stones, I was getting worried. I then drove to other sections, and finally, there it was, right in front of our parked car. When I got home, I compared the two maps. You can see below, how far off the Cemetery was (the lower circle, the correct one is above). The moral, try to get two copies of a map from different people...then compare them, and question any difference.