My blogs are written under the heading of New England History. For readers new to our region and perhaps some whose early school days were not deeply into who we are, who we were, and who settled here first.

New England was the first region to be discovered, settled and established in the United States. We all know the Pilgrim landed here in 1620 but they were not the first. They had been predated by thousands of years. There is evidence of early fossils found in Vermont and Massachusetts of human activity.

Historians note the first explorers were European. Leif Erikson and his Vikings landed here and were followed by their families naming it “Vinland the Good.” Harsh living conditions caused them to return to Greenland and not return.

During the 15th and 16th centuries tribes of Algonquians settled the region. They were agricultural and grew many vegetables we enjoy today; they ate locally wild game and fish caught locally.

John Cabot is most likely the next to settle here along with explorers Giovanni de Verrazano and Jacques Cartier. It took the Pilgrims to do so in 1620. As life became more civilized colonies sprung up in Massachusetts and self government became the way of life until 1765, when England imposed the Stamp Act, which did not sit well with colonists. Turmoil broke out and eventually led to The American Revolution.

And of course the rest is history. . . .New England History

I have been receiving favorable comments regarding origin of town names. Often I’m asked “did you ever hear of a town named. . . .with readers sharing some humorous and some strange ones. This led me to try Google for strange and funny town names. Here are a few of the ones I discovered: Fonda, NY. Hippo, KY. Frostproof, FL. Halfway between Pine and Cornucopia Oregon is a town named, get this, Halfway. This is cute, Gnaw Bone, IN. Gripe, AZ. Crappo, MD and Monkey’s Eyebrow. MD.

The list was at least 100 or more long and good for a chuckle. The posting also pointed to one closer to home. It’s Webster Lake, MA. The item said it was called that because few can pronounce the lake’s real name. Which is cargoggagogoggmnchuagogoggachahugogg and several more agoggs, etc. It was named by Native Americans, who fought over fishing rights accusing each other of violating their area. So after a Powwow, I guess, they gave it that name. The lake is actually three ponds; north, south and middle. So the translation is “you fish your side, I fish my side, and no one fishes in the middle.”

Think about the simplicity of this decision. Perhaps we should talk to some in the middle- east. Say Iraq. Put a demilitarized zone between factions. Keep each on their own turf. Might work. It’s working in Asia.

I just received a late Valentine’s Day Gift form a RI friend with an interest in history that rivals my own. It’s entitled THE HANGING & REDEMPTION OF JOHN GORDON. It is signed by the author Paul F. Caranci from North Providence,

John Gordon was a twenty-nine year old Irish Catholic sentenced to hang for the murder of a wealthy mill owner, Amasa Sprague. The book reads “on a cold frigid day in 1843, Amasa Sprague left his mansion to check on his cattle. On the way he was accosted and beaten beyond recognition.”

The author writes that the trial was marked by judicial bias, witness perjury, and social bigotry that resulted in Gordon’s conviction. Flawed evidence and other charges including newly discovered evidence, that clearly exonerated him, failed and he was refused a new trial

On February 14, 1845, St. Valentine’s Day, Gordon became the last victim of capital punishment in Rhode Island. I have not completely read it in its entirety but the good news is on June 29, 2011 a ceremony was held to formally pardon John Gordon and signed by Governor Lincoln Chafee.

The plaque on his tombstone reads “Forgiveness is the Ultimate Revenge.”

My recent blog regarding Martha’s Vineyard brought up memories regarding the naming of three islands in Rhode Island; Prudence, Patience, and Hope. They are actually in the town of Portsmouth, RI.

When Roger Williams, the founding father of Rhode Island, acquired the islands and named them Prudence,, Patience and Hope. He settled in the south county area and his homestead still exists, called Cocumscussoc in the Wickford section of North Kingstown. It is open to visitors.

A proponent of religious freedom Williams started a congregation and a catchy rhyme was recited by school children for many years about the islands. It goes like this and I think I have it correct: “Prudence, Patience Hope and Despair and Little Hog Island right over there. Hog Island is a tiny outcropping of rocks between Hope and Patience Islands..

The Hurricane if 1938 did extensive damage to the islands including destroying a well known lighthouse that for years served the shipping lanes of those waterways. The West Passage is known for being a good fishing spot by anglers as is the East Passage where I spent many happy hours fishing as a resident in North Kingstown.

I received nice comments concerning the town name origins and after spending a week in Oklahoma with time in my hands I thought further on this subject. In doing so I remember spending a week on Martha’s Vineyard visiting with the “locals.” Over a cup of coffee I learned how the Islands off Cape Cod got their names.

In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold settled on what was Cuttyhawk where he built a small fort and store. He had three daughters, Martha, Elizabeth, and Nancy. In time, and with permission of the King of England, he convinced the authorities of the value of these islands and they became the Elizabethan Islands. I was told he named one for daughter Martha which today is Martha’s Vineyard. There are no vineyards there but my coffee buddy said it had at one time large sections of wild grapes. Today Martha’s Vineyards is a great vacation spot and many prominent people own property there.

Of course when you have three daughters and two of them have an island named for them it did not take long for his daughter Nancy to complain to her father. As the story goes he said what remained was not worth much. An overgrown sandbar with rocky shore, hardly any tillable land, and it did not have much of a future. Nancy gave this some serious thought and decided that if this was all that was available why not. So, NAN TOOK IT. Of course it’s spelled differently today and ever since my delightful chats I have been slightly suspect that it is nothing more than a good, local, humorous tale.
What do you think?

Our great state is known for the industrialists, inventions and factories making products that impacted the lives of millions all around the country and the world. Think of Firearms, typewriters, textiles, and yes even an automobile manufacturer. New Britain was known as “The Hardware City of The World.”

Lost in the history was the tobacco industry and Connecticut had been a source for this product for many years. As a matter of fact some prized cigars were advertised as having “Connecticut shade grown wrapper leaves.” Along the CT River were many tobacco farms and one could see them covered with white cloth, open weave, for light penetration, similar to gauze.

These farms relied heavily on immigrant workers for harvesting. Picking wasn’t easy as one would crawl under the covering in hot sun and the bottom leaves, grown in a cluster of three, were the ones cigar manufacturers desired. The other leaves are used for smoking tobacco such as cigarettes and pipes.

After the leaves were picked they were tied into bundles, two together and hung in “drying sheds” which were actually barns two stories or slightly higher and they were hoisted up to the rafters where they remained to dry. Men working in the barns, drying sheds, would use long poles to hoist them to the rafters and cross beams for drying. This was done with the doors closed to capture as much heat as possible and I suppose to expedite product to market.

As a young man I tried my hand as a tobacco worker but found the heat and hard labor more than I bargained for.