Winged-skull or winged head (Cherub) type gravestones from the 18th century or earlier

1751 winged head type (sample included in e-mail coorespondence)

Recently, a gentleman who was researching Loyalists visited me at the Fredericton Region Museum.  We talked about his research, he picked my brain and then I made a few recommendations on where he could further his search.  He then asked me if I had ever seen early tombstones decorated with winged-skulls or winged heads in the local historic grave yards.

Personally, I could not think of any though I have never looked for anything specific.  I told my visitor to send me a note and a few samples of what he is looking for, and I would post the query on the museum blog and put a call out to the internet community for sightings.  I also directed him to the Old Burial Ground here in Fredericton where many of the early Fredericton residents are buried.

Here is his note:

1689 winged skull (sample included in e-mail coorespondence)

“Hi Ruth,
It was a pleasure discussing New Brunswick history issues with you at the museum in Fredericton last Thursday.  I did take your advice and visited King’s Landing later that afternoon. It was superb.  Actually got to talk in detail with several informants and went through an almost carbon copy of my own house in Vermont.

I’m writing to take you up on your offer to ask around if people visiting old cemeteries had noticed any winged-skull or winged head (Cherub) type gravestones from the 18th century or earlier.

I will attach some samples. An excellent website carrying photos of all these types can be found at www.capecodgravestones.com

Thanks for your help.
Joe”

1726 winged skull (sample included in e-mail coorespondence)

So, if you have seen winged-skull or winged head type gravestones (in North America), please sharing your findings with us!  You can post a comment and/or send the museum a copy of a picture and I will post it into the blog!

Thank you in advance!

The Fredericton Region Museum welcomes “Hannah’s Tea Place”

Hannah Ingraham serving herbal tea to museum visitors.

For the duration of the summer months the Fredericton Region Museum is welcoming young entrepreneur, Spencer Murgatroyd, as she opens up her tea shop on the Museum’s first floor.  Ten year old Spencer will be selling herbal teas and sugar cookies while portraying the character of Hannah Ingraham, a member of the 18^th century historic Ingraham family.

Spencer Murgatroyd is an ambitious young Frederictononian with a keen interest in local history.  Her fascination with the Museum’s “Fredericton’s Loyalists” exhibit led her to examine the story of the Ingraham family more in depth.  The Ingraham’s were American loyalists who settled in Fredericton in 1783.  Spencer has decided to take on the character of a young 11 year old Hannah Ingraham.  She hopes to fulfill her role by studying transcripts from Hannah’s diary and dressing in the appropriate periodic attire.  She will be documenting her day to day activities in a diary, much like Hannah Ingraham did over 150 years ago.  Museum visitors will be given the opportunity to talk with “Hannah” and to purchase refreshments from her shop, “Hannah’s Tea Place”.

Spencer is looking forward to taking on the challenge of becoming Hannah Ingraham.  When asked what her inspiration was she responded excitedly, “I think it might be fun and I like history and Hannah is history.  Whenever I come here I’m always looking for things to do!  I will be knitting, sewing pin cushions and braiding rugs because that’s what Hannah would have done.”

Customers may choose from an assortment of herbal teas accompanied by a homemade old-fashioned sugar cookie for $2.00. The tea shop will be located on the first floor of the Museum, in the old summer kitchen. Hours of operation will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 1pm until 4pm or by chance.

Hannah’s Tea Place

Open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 1 until 4pm during July and August 2011!  Hannah’s Tea Place!  Visit the Museum and talk to Hannah about life as a Loyalist!  Hannah Ingraham was 11 years old when her Loyalist family moved to St. Anne’s Point.  This summer Hannah has opened a tea room in the Museum.  She is serving herbal teas and sugar cookies!

Hannah Ingraham serving one of her first cups of tea at the Fredericton Region Museum!

School tour season is upon us!!

The Coleman Frog and Guest at the annual Museum Open House (2010)

With hundreds of students visiting the Fredericton Region Museum this month, and several groups last month, teacher outlines (or education kits) come in handy for teachers before and/or after their visit to the museum.

A few years ago, we were fortunate to have a university student create a few that we have since placed on our website!  The teacher outlines were created for in-class activities surrounding the Museum exhibits and curriculum requirements.  There are teacher outlines for the Elementary Level and the Middle School Level.  We also collected a few interesting outlines on the web and included them in our lists.

Elementary School Teacher Outlines:
• The Coleman Frog
• World War I Trench
• The Loyalists
• Agriculture
• Alexander Boss Gibson & Marysville
• Acadians
• L’Acadiens (francais)
• Aboriginals
• 19th Century Gallery
• Museum Treasures: A Celebration
• Rising from the Ashes: The Fires at St. Mary’s Ferry

Middle School Teacher Outlines:
• The Coleman Frog
• World War I Trench
• The Loyalists
• Agriculture
• Alexander Boss Gibson & Marysville
• Acadians
• L’Acadiens (francais)
• Aboriginals
• 19th Century Gallery
• Museum Treasures: A Celebration
• Rising from the Ashes: The Fires at St. Mary’s Ferry

Other New Brunswick Education Resources on the Web:
• Contested Terrain: Aboriginal Land Petitions in New Brunswick, 1786-1878
•A Century of Aviation in New Brunswick from the Department of Heritage for New Brunswick

Follow this link for activity sheets created by Museum staff for visitors to our Museum!!

We hope this helps!

A Question about Loyalist Military Uniforms

Question:  “Hello, I’m a reenactor in a company portraying Beverley Robinson’s Loyal American Regiment (http://www.LoyalAmericanRegiment.org), raised in the lower Hudson Valley and eventually settling near Fredericton.  Since we portray light infantry marksmen, we’ve been wearing cut-down “coatees” in green with madder red facings (our “early war” impression).

We’d like to have late-war uniforms, and have had conflicting information regarding the facing color.  We’ve seen portraits of Col. Robinson and Lt. Anthony Allaire showing dark blue, but we’ve read that madder coats with green facings were also sent from England for Provincial troops.  Do you have any information on what the LAR was issued, were wearing at any particular time, or turned in after the war?  Any suggestions who else we could ask?

Thanks very much for your time …”

Answer:  “Greeting from Fredericton; … Like most Loyalist Regiments, the LAR started with wearing a green uniform, but when permission was given to Loyalist Regiment to wear the British regular “scarlet” uniform for 1778 campaign season – being considered an honour – the LAR took to wearing the red uniform.  To the best of my knowledge, the facing for the LAR uniform was buff.  As a reference, I refer to Charles M. Lefferts book “Uniforms of the American, British, French and German Armies of the American Revolution”.  I believe him to be a pretty solid authority.

You have selected an interesting regiment to reenact.  I live close to the sites of both the homesteads of Beverley Robinson and Anthony Allaire homesteads.

I note on your website that it states Captain Joshua Barnes “received no land grant and disappeared to an unknown fate.”  I offer that Captain Joshua Barnes from Philipsburg, NY, settled after the war on the Long Reach of the St John River, King’s County.  (That is between Saint John and Fredericton).  He died there in 1817.  Regards,   Bob Dallison”

Reply:  “Buff facings is quite a coincidence, since I also reenact the 3rd East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) in the 1812 era.

Thanks, Bob, for the bonus information on Joshua Barnes. Keep an eye on the events schedule on our web site; we often go to Stony Point SP (not too far from the site of BR’s house) for their big weekend in July.”

Sheffield United Church

If you think you can help us please leave your comments here.  If you have any research queries that you would like posted here, let me know by filling out the form found on our website.

Question:
“Hi there,
I was wondering if someone at the museum might know details about the church´s rebuilding in 1840. (originally built c. 1775 in Maugerville). There seems to be a dearth of solid info on questions like:  why was it rebuilt ?  How closely does it resemble the 1775 church ?  Was the original structure simply remodeled, or was it built from scratch in 1840 ?  How much of the original church, if anything, got re-used in the rebuild ??

Any details would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark”

One of my board members responded with the following:
“I was put in touch with someone who had the following information.

The original church was built in Maugerville in 1775.  It could seat 500 people.  It was decided to move the building to Sheffield in 1789 (100 oxen needed).  The building deteriorated so they decided to rebuild in 1840,  salvaging what they could use from the original building.  It is not an exact replica but it does incorporate some of the original design.  It was dedicated in 1842.”

Reply from Mark:
“I guess what I was really asking was whether the Sheffield church was essentially a 1775 building that was slightly remodelled, or, an 1840 structure that merely used some fragments from the previous church. The answer to that question is of great importance to NB b/c there are only two 18th c. churches in the whole province(as far as <I know).  And it would be the only pre-Revolutionary church in the province (and one of the few extant pre-Revolutionary buildings in NB, period.). I wonder if there was ever any dendrochronology done on the church ? And I wonder just how much of the original church was used in the 1840 rendition?

I did read the book mentioned in one of your emails (John Leroux – about a year or two ago).  My memory is fading on that book but I seem to remember the author using the word remodelled when he described the church. The use of the word “remodelled” is a bit unfortunate in that the reader is still left trying to figure out what that really means – hence my questions about the crux of the church’s origins. To me, “remodelled” seems like a term used to signify relatively minor changes, and not a total rebuilding of something.

I look forward to learning more about the built heritage of NB, and >I am especially interested in any surviving pre-Loyalist heritage that still may exist. ”