- William and Anne (Busby) Nickerson Come to TownThe town at the elbow of Cape Cod was originally known as Monomoyick, named after the Native American tribe prevalent in these parts. In October 1606, when the French explorer Samuel de Champlain and his party arrived, the French sailors famously skirmished with the initially-friendly natives at the place later known as Port Fortune, now …
- Chatham, The Turning Point: The Mayflower and the NickersonsFor centuries, descendants of William and Anne Nickerson who are also descendants of Mayflower passengers, have traced and celebrated their genealogies. Warren Sears Nickerson (1880-1966) of East Harwich was a ninth-generation descendant of William Nickerson. No less than nine of Sears Nickerson’s ancestors sailed aboard the Mayflower. In 1931 Nickerson published a book called Land …
- Where in the world is Squanto?Where in the world is Squanto? Out in front of the Nickerson Family Association’s grounds at 1107 Orleans Road is a 1955 plaque that you might have been wondering about. It says Squanto was buried “somewhere within gunshot of this stone.” What is this all about? Squanto, also known as Tisquantum was, of course, the …
- Bartlett’s Research on Nickerson Norwich roots continued in 1921J. Gardner Bartlett (1872-1927) and his wife Elizabeth French Bartlett (1877-1961) were an American husband/wife genealogical research team who lived in Cambridge, Mass. They did not marry until 1927, when Elizabeth was 40 and Gardner 44. Both had lived for long stretches in London, and both spent a part of World War I in that …
- Per K.: The life of Anna C. Kingsbury, Genealogist to William E. NickersonBy Debra Lawless (This article appeared in slightly different form in The Journal of the Cape Cod Genealogical Society, Spring 2013.) This is the story of the remarkable three-decade collaboration of William Emery Nickerson, who founded the Nickerson Family Association in Chatham, and Anna Chandler Kingsbury, his genealogist. In June 1897 Nickerson organized a reunion …
- 19th Century Saltworks Represent Yankee IngenuityBy D. Scott Nickerson, M.D. As the Nickerson Family Association’s project to rescue the 1829 Caleb Nickerson House got underway, I noticed the biographical vignette about Caleb #219 in The Nickerson Family Part 2. I was curious about the mention in his will of “2800 feet of saltworks, store and mills.” As I investigated more, …
- What’s in a name? A genealogist examines name changesBy Gail Shaffer Blankenau The famous line, “What’s in a name?” comes from Shakespeare’s famous romance Romeo and Juliet. In the play, Juliet asserts that names do not truly matter. After all, a rose would smell as sweet no matter what it was called. But for genealogists, names are what we start with, and if …
- Explore Our Ancestors’ Fascinating JourneyImagine, if you will, that it’s the mid-1600’s. Close your eyes and envision yourself sitting with William and Anne Nickerson in their homestead in Chatham. The fire in the hearth is flickering and Anne occasionally rises to stir a chowder in the kettle while William, tired from a day at his loom and his small …
- Our Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey, Part IIOur Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey, Part II The Year of Our Lord 1637. William and Anne Nickerson, their four children, and Anne’s parents, Nicholas and Bridget Busby, each carrying only as much as he or she could cram into a medium-sized suitcase, climb aboard a small ship with about 100 strangers. The Nickersons and Busbys sailed …
- Our Ancestors Fascinating Journey – Part IIIReligious Freedom Driving our Ancestors The Year of Our Lord 1637. In our last blog, we left William and Anne, their four children, and Anne’s parents, Nicholas and Bridget Busby, each carrying a suitcase, aboard the John & Dorothy or the Rose with about 100 strangers. They were embarking on a fascinating journey seeking to …
- Our Ancestors Fascinating Journey – Part IVIn the first three parts of our series “Our Ancestors Fascinating Journey,” we discovered that the settlers found a tough time in the New World. This was based upon my research; however, reading excerpts from documents written by people present at the time may provide you, the reader, with additional insights to the experiences of …
- Our Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VFinding Their Way in the New World The Year of Our Lord 1637 William and Anne Nickerson, and their party which included their four children, and Anne’s parents, Nicholas and Bridget Busby, finally arrived at their destination in the New World– Salem. Their journey was rough and quite trying. They tossed and rocked for weeks, …
- Our Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VIOur Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VI The Year of Our Lord 1637. After this recent hiatus, it may be well to refresh our memories as to what this blog is all about. In Part I we asked you to imagine that it’s the mid-1600’s. To close your eyes and envision yourself sitting with William and …
- Our Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VIIThe Year of Our Lord 1637. Dawn broke bright and clear in Salem the next day. Everyone was joyous being in their new country. They all conversed about the days that lay ahead and the adventures they would have traveling to other areas of Cape Cod. Where to go and what to do, the opportunities …
- Our Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VIII with picturesOur Ancestors’ Fascinating Journey Part VIII The Year of Our Lord 1637. Our ancestors were not staying at the Holiday Inn during their travels around the Cape. They were surviving in the elements. Our ancestors forged on against the worst the Cape Cod climate could throw at them. On this rough road self-reliance was everything. …
