Julia Ward Howe was an abolitionist, peace activist, author, philanthropist, feminist, social reformer, club woman, mother of six, and creator of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Julia Ward Howe was a resolute activist for peace. Once the Civil War began, however, she used her abundant talent to create the lyrics that many people, including President Abraham Lincoln, credit with turning the tide of battle in favor of Union forces. In a life which often brought her tremendous disappointment and tragedy, Julia Ward Howe's many great accomplishments should be an inspiration to men and women everywhere. Portrayed by actress and ancestor Nancy Purbeck, Howe's life and accomplishments will come to life in a marvelous one-act play entitled A Scrapbook Memoir of Julia Ward Howe, at the Historical Society's February membership meeting.

Julia Ward Howe was born in New York City on May 27, 1819. She was the third of six children to Julia Rush Cutler and Samuel Ward. Her mother died when Julia was five years old and she came under the influence of her protective and religious father who was a wealthy banker. As a child she learned several languages as well as being tutored in literature, mathematics, and science. Julia's writing career began at the age of 20 when she wrote a literary criticism that was published anonymously in the Literary and Theological Review and New York Review. The year 1839 was also tragic, with the death of her father, brother, and sister-in-law.

In 1843 Julia married Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a reformist and active abolitionist who she met at the New England Institute for the Blind. The Howe's settled in Boston in 1846. They would have six children together, with one dying in early childhood. The marriage was difficult, however, as her husband took little interest in her writing and literary career.

In spite of her husband's lack of support, Julia published two anthologies of poems in 1848, and five years later she worked with him on an anti-slavery journal called The Commonwealth, where she contributed social and literary criticism. Her perseverance working to end the abomination of slavery would be honored by President Lincoln. During the 1850s she also found time to publish two more collections of poems, with one, Passion Flowers, about her unhappy married life. Her play, The World's Own, was performed in New York and Boston. She also tried travel writing, contributing a story on Cuba for the New York Tribune in 1860.

On a trip to Washington during the Civil War, the Howe's witnessed a Confederate attack on the Union army. On their way back to the city, the Howe's and others were singing patriotic songs. Julia was encouraged by a member of the group to write new and better lyrics to the tune John Brown's Body. That night in her hotel room, Julia wrote the words for The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The song was published in The Atlantic in 1862, and Julia was paid $5.00.

After the war, Julia continued to write with a stronger interest toward social activism. With Caroline Severance, she founded the New England Woman's Club and served two terms as president of the New England Woman Suffrage Association from 1868-1877 and 1893-1910. Julia and Lucy Stone formed the American Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, and she made significant contributions to the Woman's Journal founded by Stone.

During the Franco-Prussian War, Julia began a one woman peace crusade with an impassioned Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 for woman to rise up against war. In 1872, Julia attended the international Woman's Peace Congress in London, and initiated a Mothers Peace Day in Boston on the second Sunday in June that lasted many years. She championed the cause of an official Mother's Day holiday, which is now celebrated in May. Julia's long career earned her the acclaim as the first woman to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She died on October 17, 1910.

A Scrapbook Memoir of Julia Ward Howe was written by W. Watts Biggers for Victory Over Violence, Inc., a national organization dedicated to creating a positive force in the media to offset the cynicism and negativity, which create a climate of violence. Biggers is a former vice-president with NBC, TV columnist, and author. He was also co-creator of the popular TV cartoon show Underdog.

Nancy Purbeck is a former Promotion-Marketing-Development Manager of Markem Corporation, and in 1987 organized her own marketing and communication company. She is a co-founder of Victory Over Violence, Inc. and produces Positive People, a live weekly cable TV show in Boston featuring interviews with positive people.

Please join us for a lively and entertaining evening of living history on Monday February 26th at 7:30 p.m., as Nancy Purbeck performs A Scrapbook Memoir of Julia Ward Howe. The Historical Society's February membership meeting is free and open to the public, and generously supported by Connecticut River Bank and the Keene State College Diversity Commission and Commission on the Status of Woman.

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

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

Roundtable Forum News

The winter meeting of the Monadnock Historical Societies Forum will be held at the Historical Society on Thursday February 15th beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the room where the Forum's collaborative meetinghouse exhibit is on display.

This meeting will have our traditional roundtable gathering and an additional roundtable to focus on any aspect of a meetinghouse your organization wishes to share or know. We will also discuss plans for a Meetinghouse Open House, future collaborate projects, sites for the spring and fall meetings, and take a gallery tour of the exhibit. For further information, please contact Tom Haynes at 352-1895 or dired@hsccnh.org.

Meetinghouse Exhibit Update

The collaborative exhibit Sacred and Secular: Historic Meetinghouses and Churches of the Monadnock Region, 1750 to 1850 will be on view at HSCC until Saturday, March 31, 2007 during regular hours. Historical organizations or community groups are invited to visit or hold there meetings in the enjoyable space of the exhibit room.

The exhibit's companion publication, also by the same name, is available at the HSCC Museum Store. The meetinghouse sub-committee wishes to thank all the participating historical organizations as well as Ocean National Bank, SVE Associates, Cox Woodworking, Daniel V. Scully, Architect, Weller & Michal Architects, and The Keene Sentinel for their generous support.

Wednesday - 28 February
Meetinghouse Exhibit Gallery Tour with HSCC Director Alan Rumrill, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday - 14 March
A Special Meetinghouse Exhibit Program with Charles E. Clark, speaking on "The Meetinghouse Tragedy: An Episode in the Life of a New England Town." The tragedy happened in Wilton, New Hampshire as the community was building its meetinghouse, and reflects the process of how most of the meetinghouses were built in the Monadnock region. Charles Clark is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of New Hampshire and author of "The Meetinghouse Tragedy." This special program begins at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday - 24 March
Meetinghouse Exhibit Gallery Tour with HSCC Director Alan Rumrill, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

All meetinghouse exhibit programs are free and open to the public. For further information, please contact HSCC at 352-1895 or hscc@hsccnh.org.

Batter Up!!     Fundraising Baseball Trip to Boston

The 2006 baseball season is right around the corner, and once again we have tickets to attend a Red Sox game. Our tickets are for a game on Tuesday May 1st to watch the Red Sox play the Oakland A's at 7:05 p.m. Our seats will be located in about the same location as last year, in Section 32 and 33. The costs, which include ticket, transportation, and a $10 donation to our educational programs, are $58.00 for members and $63.00 for non members. We will leave HSCC at 3:30 p.m. To secure your ticket/s, please contact HSCC at 352-1895.

Cal Frink Remembered

The Historical Society lost a dear friend and dedicated supporter upon the death of Calvin Frink in December of 2006. Cal served on the Society's board of trustees from 1999 to 2004 and served as the organization's treasurer from 1999 to 2003. He volunteered hundreds of hours each year as treasurer, and helped the organization update its financial practices to 21st century standards.

Long before his service on the board, however, Cal was a loyal member of the Society and a frequent visitor to our research library. He was a local history enthusiast, collecting, reading, and sharing local history with those around him. Cal was interested in the history of the county, his hometown of Keene, and his wife Ruth's hometown of Marlow. He lived in Surry for almost 60 years, however, and it was this adopted hometown that received the vast majority of his local history attention and affection. He spent decades gathering Surry history and sharing it with townspeople, students, genealogists, and others through correspondence, historic hikes, and presentations.

Cal was a long-time member and leading spirit of the Surry History Committee, which produced the 2001 photographic history publication Surry in the Images of America series, dedicated to Cal and Ruth Frink, and published in 2006 the scholarly town history volume entitled Surry, New Hampshire, A Twentieth-Century History, 1920-2000. Cal's warm smile, friendship, professional insight, and vast historical knowledge will be deeply missed at the Historical Society.

Naulakha Field Trip:Tour & Kipling Performance

Naulakha was author Rudyard Kipling's home in Dummerston, Vermont. The Landmark Trust, USA rescued the abandoned property in 1992. This National Historic Landmark was built in 1892-93, and is an unusual example of Shingle Style architecture. Kipling, who had a hand in the design, described Naulakha as a ship, with its study in the prow and the kitchen in the stern. It commands spectacular views over sloping meadows to the Connecticut River valley and mountains of New Hampshire.

In addition to touring Kipling's home, storyteller Jackson Gillman will offer us a wonderful performance as Kipling telling his "Just So Stories." These are Kipling's well known children's stories that he first told to his daughter at Naulakha.

The Naulakha field trip will be on Wednesday April 25th. We will car pool from HSCC, leaving at 9:30 a.m. to be at Naulakha for our 10:30 tour and performance. To enjoy Naulakha further, please bring a lunch, as we are welcome to picnic inside or outside depending on the weather. Space is limited to 20 people. Cost is $12.00 for members and $16.00 for non-members. To reserve your place for a tour of Naulakha and performance by storyteller Jackson Gillman, contact HSCC at 352-1895 or hscc@hsccnh.org.

Bylaw Change Reminder

The HSCC board of trustees is proposing several changes to the bylaws. Copies of the proposed changes are available at HSCC or by mail. Action by the membership on the proposed changes will be held at the February 26, 2007 membership meeting.

Volunteering

HSCC is always interested in deepening our volunteer support. If you are interested, please contact our volunteer coordinator Gail Currier at 352-1895 or bizmgr@hsccnh.org.

2007 Sponsors

The many educational outreach programs that HSCC hosts each year are once again being generously support by community partners. We would not be able to offer programs and activities without this support. Please acknowledge their support by letting them know how much you appreciate their contributions in helping us share our Cheshire County history. To all 2007 sponsors: Thanks You!

A.G. Edwards of Keene - February newsletter.

Connecticut River Bank of Charlestown and Keene - February membership meeting on Julia Ward Howe.

Keene State College Diversity Commission and Commission on the Status of Woman - February membership meeting on Julia Ward Howe.

We once again wish to give a huge thank you to all our 2006 sponsors. We are truly grateful for their contributions toward a successful year of programs and activities.

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.

Calendar of Events

For further information, call 603-352-1895, email hscc@hsccnh.org, or visit our web site at www.hsccnh.org.

Thursday - February 15
Roundtable Forum Meeting, at HSCC, 9:30 a.m. (see related article).

Monday - February 26
February Membership Meeting, Nancy Purbeck as Julia Ward Howe, 7:30 p.m. at HSCC (see lead article).

Wednesday - February 28
Meetinghouse Exhibit Gallery Tour with HSCC Director Alan Rumrill at 6:30 p.m. (see related article).

Wednesday - March 14
Special Meetinghouse Exhibit Program with historian Charles E. Clark at HSCC, 6:30 p.m. (see related article).

Saturday - March 24
Meetinghouse Exhibit Gallery Tour with HSCC Director Alan Rumrill at 10:00 a.m. (see related article).

Saturday - March 31
Last day to view the meetinghouse exhibit Sacred and Secular (see related article).

Monday - April 23
Membership Meeting and New Hampshire Then & Now Exhibit Opening (further details in April newsletter).

Wednesday - April 25
Naulakha Field Trip, leave HSCC at 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday - May 1
Red Sox Baseball Game, leave HSCC at 3:30 p.m. (see related article).

Friday-Saturday - May 11-12
HSCC's Annual Spring Used Book Sale (further details in April newsletter).