Religion was a central factor in the lives of most Monadnock Region residents during the 18th century. It was such an accepted factor in everyday life that the single orthodox church was actually a town function and responsibility, as are public schools and town roads today. Consequently, the town government built the church and hired the minister. Furthermore, because the town managed both government and church business, both town meetings and church services were held in the same "meetinghouse".

The result of this marriage of town and church was the now famous New England meetinghouse that has dominated town commons throughout the six-state region. These imposing white clapboard buildings have become a symbol of New England life and landscape. Almost every Monadnock Region town was the site of a 17th or 18th century meetinghouse, many of which still survive today.

A new feature exhibit entitled Sacred and Secular: Meetinghouses and Churches of the Monadnock Region, 1750-1850 will open at the Historical Society on the evening of November 27th. The exhibit will illustrate the history, importance, and architecture of the 18th and 19th century meetinghouses of the Monadnock Region. It will also explore the history and new architectural styles of the religious buildings constructed here from the 1820s through the 1840s. Finally, the exhibit will examine the current uses and continuing importance of the original meetinghouses that have survived into the 21st century.

New Hampshire social and religious life began to change in the late 18th century. Religious denominations other than the town supported orthodox church, usually Congregational, began to multiply in the region. Members of "new" churches wished to support their own pastor and organization. They were opposed to, and often financially overburdened by, the taxes collected to support the town minister and meetinghouse. Some of these people began to petition the town for relief from these taxes. By the early 1800s local town meeting warrants often contained an article to determine if the townspeople would vote to rebate the minister's salary tax to those who opposed it.

The end result of this confusion and controversy was the Toleration Act approved by the New Hampshire legislature in 1819. The act provided that no person was to be taxed against his will to support a specific religion. Support of a religious organization was now voluntary.

The Toleration Act not only separated town and church legally, it often separated them physically as well. The town often took steps to acquire sole ownership of the meetinghouse for government use and the religious denominations that could afford to do so built modern church buildings. This separation was a slow process because ministers with town contracts in place at the time the act was approved were allowed to continue to receive public support. Consequently, numerous church buildings were constructed in the towns of the Monadnock Region in the generation between 1820 and 1850 as this first step toward the separation of church and state began to permeate the area.                                               Lempster Meetinghouse c. 1910

The exhibit and companion publication are a collaborative effort by the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum. The opening reception for Sacred and Secular will coincide with our November membership meeting on Monday November 27th. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the membership meeting beginning at its usual time of 7:30 p.m. Our guest speaker will be architectural historian Will Morgan, who will give a slide program exploring the history and architecture of meetinghouses in New England and the Monadnock region. Morgan is the author of the book American Country Churches.

Sacred and Secular: Meetinghouses and Churches of the Monadnock Region, 1750-1850 has been generously supported by Ocean National Bank, SVE Associates, and Cox Woodworking. The exhibit will be on view through March 31, 2007.

The Monadnock Historical Societies Forum met in October at the Pisgah State Park visitor center in Winchester. It was a good roundtable meeting with twenty-two people attending from 14 different organizations. As part of the day's events, we toured the Park's newly restored barn and museum, learned more about the Park's history, and visited the remains of an old homestead. We wish to thank the Friends of Pisgah who hosted the meeting, organized the tours, and served refreshments. Our next Roundtable meeting will be on February 15, 2007 at HSCC.

HSCC is now closed on Monday. Open hours are Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesday until 9:00 p.m., and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. HSCC will be closed during Thanksgiving week from November 23rd through the 25th, during the Christmas Holidays from December 23rd through Tuesday the 26th.

The HSCC board of trustees is proposing several changes to the bylaws of the organization. Copies of the proposed changes are available at Society headquarters or may be requested by mail. The proposed changes will be presented for action by the membership at the regular membership meeting to be held on February 26, 2007.

Susan Landers Gilbert, President
Richard Church, V. President
Barbara Woodward, Treasurer

Trustees
Ernest L. Bell, Kim Bergeron, William Faulkner, Joslin Kimball Frank, Verne Greene, John W. Harris, Gregory Knouff, Sean O'Mara, David Proper, Jane Reynolds, Stillman Rogers, Philip Taaffe, Jim Talbert, Bob Weekes, Christine Weeks

HSCC will offer an evening introductory class through the Keene State College Continuing Education program on Doing Local History Research, taught by HSCC's Tom Haynes. The class will show you how to conduct local history research on an event, time period, community, house, business, or family using resources at the Historical Society of Cheshire County or similar research facilities. The class will orient participants on the wide range of available resources used for historical research projects. This class will be held on Wednesday November 15 at HSCC from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

To register, contact the Keene State College Continuing Education office at 358-2290 or on line at www. keene.edu/conted and link to their registration form.

The Wyman Tavern will close for the season on November 10th. We wish to thank all the volunteers who have spent numerous hours helping with educational activities, maintenance, guiding tours, and with all the little things that help make the Tavern a wonderful place to visit.

The 10th annual benefit auction of antiques and collectibles was held at HSCC in September and raised more than $5,800 to support operations. We wish to thank everyone who donated or consigned an item for sale, The Gallery at Knotty Pine Auction Service which generously donated its time and staff to manage the sale, John Pappas who served as auctioneer, and all the volunteers who gave of their time to help make the auction a success.

In August 2006 University Press of New England, in cooperation with the Monadnock Institute of Nature, Place and Culture at Franklin Pierce College, published Where the Mountain Stands Alone: Stories of Place in the Monadnock Region. This 369 page richly illustrated anthology, featuring the work of more than 30 local authors, captures the character and history of the Monadnock Region.

The anthology features a number of essays and recollections focused on the theme of agricultural abandonment and economic decline. On the evening of November 14th anthology editor Howard Mansfield and essay contributors John Harris and Alan Rumrill will explore the forces responsible for the region's "emptying out" phase, as well as the changes that inspired its more recent renewal. In addition, please plan to share your own recollection of a house that once stood, a business that once thrived, or a way of life that time has eroded or transformed.

Six years in the making, Where the Mountain Stands Alone chronicles and celebrates the people and places in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. The book features essays, recollections, historical documents, and photographs that tell the story of life as it was once lived, and as it is lived today in the shadow of Mount Monadnock. The anthology includes new work by New England writers Kevin Gardner, Jane Brox, Ernest Hebert, Janisse Ray, Tom Wessels, Sy Montgomery, Edie Clark, Roger Swain, Tim Clark, Richard Ober, and others. Anthology editor Howard Mansfield is the author of several books about preservation and cultural memory, including In the Memory House, The Same Ax, Twice, and most recently The Bones of the Earth.

Plan to join us at the Historical Society at 7:00 p.m. on November 14 to hear stories of the region, to share your stories, and to buy your own copy of this important work. Where the Mountain Stands Alone is available for purchase at the Historical Society and should be on the bookshelf of everyone who has an interest in the Monadnock region.

If you are interested in volunteering at HSCC, please contact our volunteer coordinator Gail Currier at 352-1895 or bizmgr@hsccnh.org. The following volunteer positions are currently available.

Library Photo Assistant: To file and keep the library's photographic collection organized and to create a Photographic Research Guide.

Education Outreach Assistant: To assist and support the Director of Education's outreach activities and events.

Bob Weekes of Richmond has joined HSCC's board of trustees replacing retired board member Michael Matros. Bob spent his working career in marketing and advertising in New York City, principally with J. Walter Thompson and later with Dancer Fitzgerald Sample and Saatchi & Saatchi. Before retiring to the Monadnock Region a dozen years ago he was Executive Vice President, Executive Management Director and member of the Board of DFS as well as its successor company, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising when that agency was the largest in the United States. He is a past board member of the New Hampshire Chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association, MAPS Counseling Services and the Fitzwilliam Historical Society. He presently serves on the board of MoCo Arts, the new parent organization for The Moving Company, and also serves on the Advisory Committee of Artworks, a subsidiary of MoCo Arts.

Bob first became acquainted with the Monadnock Region as a child of five when his family spent summer vacations at the recently defunct Riverside Cabins on the Connecticut River. When his children were growing up he and his wife spent weekends for 15 years at the legendary Shinbone Shack above Granite Lake in the hills of Stoddard. When he retired to the Monadnock Region in the early '90's he felt he was truly coming home.

Bob is a long time member of HSCC, Fitzwilliam Historical Society, New Hampshire Historical Society, and Historic New England (formerly SPNEA). He has assisted in the publication of three books on local history and is currently working with the author on a fourth. He and his wife, Jan, live in a restored 1775 cape in Richmond that was once the childhood home of Eliza Ballou, mother of our 30th president, James Garfield.

We want to thank all our 2006 sponsors. They help provide support so we can continue to offer many of our educational events and activities. For this wonderful support, thank you.

Ashuelot Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution - June teacher workshop on the American Revolution.

Cox Woodworking of Westmoreland - Fall/Winter Meetinghouse Exhibit.

Douglas Cuddle Toys, Inc. of Keene - Spring/ Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

Dublin Historical Society - February Membership Meeting on the Dublin Art Colony.

Fairfields Pontiac-Cadillac-Buick of Keene - Transportation Fund.

Fenton Family Dealerships of Keene - Transportation Fund.

The Keene Sentinel - April Annual Membership Meeting on the Marlow-Stoddard Fire of 1941; Spring/Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit; and June teacher workshop on the American Revolution; September Wyman Tavern Lecture on African Americans; Fall/Winter Meetinghouse Exhibit.

Keene Lions Club - Transportation Fund.

Keene State College Diversity Commission and Commission on the Status of Woman - September Membership Meeting on the Sadoques, An Abenaki Family From Keene.

Kingsbury Fund - Spring/Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

James & Joy Koontz of Keene - Spring/ Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

Marlow Historical Society - April Annual Membership Meeting on the Marlow-Stoddard Fire of 1941.

Mill Toy Works of Keene - Spring/Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

New Hampshire Humanities Council - June teacher workshop on the American Revolution.

Ocean National Bank of Keene - Fall/Winter Meetinghouse Exhibit.

PC Connection, Inc. of Merrimack, NH - April Annual Membership Meeting on the Marlow-Stoddard Fire of 1941.

SVE Associates of Keene - Fall/Winter Meetinghouse Exhibit.

Kim Temple of Keene - April Peter Forbes program.

Toy City of Keene - Spring/Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

Whitney Bros. Company of Keene - Spring/ Summer Kingsbury Toy Exhibit.

WKNE - Monadnock Radio Group of Keene - April Annual Membership Meeting on the Marlow-Stoddard Fire of 1941.

If you would like to become a sponsor of any of our educational programs, please contact Tom Haynes at 352-1895.

I've been at the library and started conversing with people about my ancestors, only to find out they are descendants too. This means we are cousins and the best way to figure the exact relationship is to use a chart. These charts go back to Civil and Cannon Law in regard to inheritance rules, and there are several different charts available.

For example, you want to figure your relationship to a distant cousin. You are eight generations removed from the progenitor, your 8th great grand-father and your cousin's 6th great grandfather through another line. The progenitor is the person you are both directly descended from. To figure your exact relationship, you would follow down on the left side of the chart 8 generations and across the top of the chart 6 generations. Then follow across and down to where the two meet, in this case boxes 5C 2R, meaning that you and your cousin are fifth cousins twice removed. When you say twice removed you are saying two generations apart.

I find it easier to pencil in the names of my relatives in each box of the chart, that way I can keep track of each generation. A computer genealogical program will do this for you as long as you have both lines from the common progenitor. This is fun to do this with presidents and famous people. I am third cousin seven times removed from President John Adams and fourth cousin six times removed to his son President John Quincy Adams.

Cousins of half brothers and sisters and step children are figured the same way, being called half first cousins or step first cousins and so on down the line. Second cousins start with the children of the second generation from the progenitor or otherwise the great grandchildren in each separate line are second cousins to each other. If you count down three generations across the top and down the left of the chart you'll find where second cousins begin.

So now when you're at the library and some one calls you cousin you can find out just what cousin-ship you are. HSCC has free relationship charts, so please stop in to learn more on how to connect your family members together.

Tuesday - November 14
Where the Mountain Stands Alone, Sharing and Collecting Stories at HSCC, 7:00 p.m. (see related article).

Wednesday - November 15
Doing Local History Research Class, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at HSCC (see related article).

Wednesday November 15 to Friday - December 22
Members Holiday Gift Sale, 20% off at HSCC's Museum Store (see related announcement).

Thursday-Saturday - November 22-25
HSCC will be Closed for Thanksgiving Holidays.

Monday - November 27
Meetinghouse Exhibit Opening and Membership Meeting. Opening reception at 6:30 p.m. Membership meeting with guest speaker Will Morgan at 7:30 p.m. at HSCC (see lead article).

Saturday-Tuesday - December 23-26
HSCC will be Closed for the Christmas Holiday.