Fieldstone Common

We've Moved!

2013-03-12T14:31:00.005-04:00

The Fieldstone Common blog is now located at http://www.FieldstoneCommon.com

See you there!

Down East Schooners and Shipmasters with Ingrid Grenon

2013-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 28 February 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This week on Fieldstone Common, Marian Pierre-Louis interviews Ingrid Grenon, author of Down East Schooners and Shipmasters.

Nothing is more iconic of Maine than the image of a majestic vessel—masts raised—gliding through the fog on the dark North Atlantic. From the early days of the search for a Northwest Passage to the quest for the mysterious and illusive Norumbega, the history of Mount Desert Island, Hancock, Bar Harbor and the rest of the Down East area has always traveled on schooners. Now, in the twenty-first century, these ships and their heritage are being preserved, and Mainers are sailing aboard them once again. In this collection, author Ingrid Grenon presents the most important and incredible stories from the decks of Down East’s schooners, revealing how these remarkable vessels and Down East Maine are tied together.

Ingrid Grenon was born in Maine, where she grew up in proximity to many treasures of previous centuries. Ingrid currently resides in southeastern Massachusetts, where she owns a small horse farm and is employed by the State Department of Developmental Disabilities. She holds a degree in psychology, as well as a degree in equestrian science, and also has a riding master's degree. In addition, Ingrid has a diploma in horseshoeing science from Oklahoma Farrier's College. She is also a published poet.

Ingrid is a member of the Boothbay Region Historical Society, the Somerset Historical Society, the Braintree Historical Society, the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, the Maine Maritime Museum, the Penobscot Marine Museum and the Maine Historical Society.

Show Notes - Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition with James Clark

2013-02-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

*** Houstory Scavenger Hunt Info ***

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 21 February 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with James Clark, author of Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common
on Blog Talk Radio

James Clark belongs to a fife and drum band called Connecticut Valley Field Music. You can learn more about the band at their website. Visit their Facebook page to see lots of photos of the band in action and to hear a sample of their music.

The book Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition, published by Wesleyan University Press, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

Here are some audio files where you can listen to sample music from the Connecticut Valley Field Music band:

Here are some videos that you can watch of the band in action:

(6 minutes)

CT Valley Field Music at the William Diamond Jrs. Muster 2012 (12 minutes)
CT Valley Field Music @ Westbrook Muster 2012 (8 minutes)
CT Valley Field Music at the Moodus Muster 2012 (10 minutes)
CT Valley Field Music @ The Company 8.23.11 (2 minutes, indoor performance)

Here is a list of fife and drum corps in the United States, predominantly from the east coast. Another page on the same site provides a schedule (with links) to a number of 2013 fife and drum musters.

Wesleyan University Press, the publisher of Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition, donated a copy of the book which was given as "door prize" during the live show to a listener in Texas. A big thank you to Wesleyan University Press for their generosity!

*** Houstory Scavenger Hunt Info ***

To see the Heirloom Registry entry -- including photos -- for the radio, visit www.heirloomregistry.com and enter registration number: SNTS-256-996-3497-2012.

Fieldstone Common's sponsor is Houstory, makers of the Home History Book and the Heirloom Registry. Fieldstone Common listeners can take 15 % off their Heirloom Registry order by visiting the Heirloom Registry at www.heirloomregistry.com, and entering FIELDSTONE – in all caps – at checkout.

Fieldstone Common greatly appreciates the support of Houstory as a sponsor. Show your support for Fieldstone Common by visiting our sponsor's site.

** Read "New Service Safeguards Heirlooms’ Lore" in Antique Trader Magazine featuring Fieldstone Common sponsor The Heirloom Registry by Houstory. **

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition now a Podcast

2013-02-21T15:29:00.001-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring James Clark, author of the book Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition with James Clark

2013-02-19T14:52:00.003-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 21 February 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This week on Fieldstone Common, Marian Pierre-Louis interviews James Clark, author of Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition.

The state of Connecticut boasts an extensive and active community of fife and drum groups. This musical tradition has its origins in the small military bands maintained by standing armies in Britain and Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—the drum was especially important as it helped officers train soldiers how to march, and was also used to communicate with troops across battlefields. Today fifers and drummers gather at conventions called “musters,” which may include a parade and concerts featuring the various participating corps. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest muster ever was held in Deep River, Connecticut, in 1976. Musician and historian James Clark is the first to detail the colorful history of this unique music. This engaging book leads the reader through the history of the individual instruments and tells the story of this classic folk tradition through anecdotes, biographies, photographs, and musical examples.

JAMES CLARK is a founding member of the Connecticut Valley Field Music, a fife and drum band based in Middletown, Connecticut. A true advocate of this music, Clark gives lectures and demonstrations to a wide array of audiences around the state, across the nation, and in Europe.

Show Notes - Ten Hills Farm with C.S. Manegold

2013-02-17T12:20:00.005-05:00

C.S. Manegold

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 14 February 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with C.S. Manegold, author of Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common
on Blog Talk Radio

You can learn more about C.S. Manegold at her website as well as the site dedicated to to the book Ten Hills Farm.

Ten Hills Farm discusses the history of slavery in the north within the context of the property owners of farm through the centuries. The main characters discussed are Governor John Winthrop, Isaac Royall Sr. and Isaac Royall Jr.

The Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, Massachusetts (a short drive from Boston) are owned and maintained by the Royall House Association. A great deal of information about the property and its history is available from the website. The property is open to the public between May and November. Check the website for details.

The book Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North, published by Princeton University Press, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

C.S. Manegold is also the author of In Glory's Shadow: The Citadel, Shannon Faulkner and a Changing Ameria.

During the show we discussed a conflict between Samuel Sewall and John Saffin over the issue of slavery (see pages 102-122 of Ten Hills Farm). One of the documents related to this disagreement, written by Sewall, is called "The Selling of Joseph" which can be viewed on the Massachusetts Historical Society website.

Princeton University Press, the publisher of Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North, donated a copy of the book which was given as "door prize" during the live show to a listener in Texas. A big thank you to Princeton University Press for their generosity!

To see the Heirloom Registry entry -- including photos -- for the radio, visit www.heirloomregistry.com and enter registration number: SNTS-256-996-3497-2012.

Fieldstone Common's sponsor is Houstory, makers of the Home History Book and the Heirloom Registry. Fieldstone Common listeners can take 15 % off their Heirloom Registry order by visiting the Heirloom Registry at www.heirloomregistry.com, and entering FIELDSTONE – in all caps – at checkout.

Fieldstone Common greatly appreciates the support of Houstory as a sponsor. Show your support for Fieldstone Common by visiting our sponsor's site.

** Read "New Service Safeguards Heirlooms’ Lore" in Antique Trader Magazine featuring Fieldstone Common sponsor The Heirloom Registry by Houstory. **

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Ten Hills Farm with CS Manegold now a Podcast

2013-02-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring C.S. Manegold, author of the book Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Ten Hills Farm with CS Manegold

2013-02-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 14 February 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This week on Fieldstone Common, Marian Pierre-Louis interviews CS Manegold, author of Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North.

Ten Hills Farm tells the powerful saga of five generations of slave owners in colonial New England. Settled in 1630 by John Winthrop--who would later become governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony--Ten Hills Farm was a six-hundred-acre estate just north of Boston. Winthrop, famous for envisioning his 'city on the hill' and lauded as a paragon of justice, owned slaves on that ground and passed the first law in North America condoning slavery.

C.S. Manegold

In this mesmerizing narrative, C. S. Manegold exposes how the fates of the land and the families that lived on it were bound to America's most tragic and tainted legacy. Challenging received ideas about America and the Atlantic world, Ten Hills Farm digs deep to bring the story of slavery in the North full circle--from concealment to recovery. Manegold follows the compelling tale from the early seventeenth to the early twenty-first century, from New England, through the South, to the sprawling slave plantations of the Caribbean.

C. S. Manegold is the author of In Glory's Shadow: The Citadel, Shannon Faulkner, and a Changing America (Knopf). As a reporter with the New York Times, Newsweek, and the Philadelphia Inquirer, she received numerous national awards and was part of the New York Times team honored with a Pulitzer Prize in 1994.

Show Notes - Black Gotham with Carla Peterson

2013-02-11T11:00:00.002-05:00

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 7 February 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with Prof. Carla L. Peterson, author of Black Gotham:A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Prof. Carla L. Peterson is professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park.You can learn more about her and her book at her website and a special website called the Black Gotham Archive set up to provide more details about information from the book. She hopes that others will also contribute stories and photos of New York City African American history as well which can be uploaded directly to the site.

The book Black Gotham:A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City, published by Yale University Press, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

Carla Peterson is also the author of "Doers of the Word": African-American Women Speakers and Writers in the North, 1830-1880.

Carla did much of her research for Black Gotham at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture which is part of the New York Public Library. It is open Tuesday through Saturday each week.

St. Philip's Episcopal Church was one of the center of the Black community in 19th century New York City.

One of the extraordinary in this circle of successful African American men was James McCune Smith, a physician, pharmacist and abolitionist.

Yale University Press, the publisher of Black Gotham:A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City, donated a copy of the book which was given as "door prize" during the live show to a listener in Delaware. A big thank you to Yale University Press for their generosity!

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Black Gotham with Carla Peterson now a podcast

2013-02-07T17:02:00.000-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring Professor Carla L. Peterson, author of the book Black Gotham: A Family history of African Americans in 19th-Century New York City is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Winner #2 of The Caning

2013-02-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

The second copy of The Caning by Stephen Puleo is being given out to a member of the Fieldstone Common mailing list.

I used a random number generator and then selected the person associated with that number based on the order of when people joined.

The winner of the second copy of the The Caning goes to Chris Klauer! Congratulations Chris!

I will be contacting you by email to notify you of your win!

Black Gotham with Carla L. Peterson

2013-02-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 7 February 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This week on Fieldstone Common, Marian Pierre-Louis interviews Carla L. Peterson, author of Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City.

Part detective tale, part social and cultural narrative, Black Gotham is Carla Peterson's riveting account of her quest to reconstruct the lives of her nineteenth-century ancestors. As she shares their stories and those of their friends, neighbors, and business associates, she illuminates the greater history of African-American elites in New York City.

Black Gotham challenges many of the accepted "truths" about African-American history, including the assumption that the phrase "nineteenth-century black Americans" means enslaved people, that "New York state before the Civil War" refers to a place of freedom, and that a black elite did not exist until the twentieth century. Beginning her story in the 1820s, Peterson focuses on the pupils of the Mulberry Street School, the graduates of which went on to become eminent African-American leaders. She traces their political activities as well as their many achievements in trade, business, and the professions against the backdrop of the expansion of scientific racism, the trauma of the Civil War draft riots, and the rise of Jim Crow.

Carla L. Peterson

Told in a vivid, fast-paced style, Black Gotham is an important account of the rarely acknowledged achievements of nineteenth-century African Americans and brings to the forefront a vital yet forgotten part of American history and culture.

Carla L. Peterson is professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of "Doers of the Word": African-American Women Speakers and Writers in the North, 1830–1880.

Upcoming in February on Fieldstone Common

2013-02-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

Be sure to mark your calendar. We'll be giving away some great books during the live broadcasts of Fieldstone Common.


7 Feb. 2013 at 1pm EST		Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in 19th-Century New York City with Carla L. Peterson. Black Gotham challenges many of the accepted "truths" about African-American history, including the assumption that the phrase "nineteenth-century black Americans" means enslaved people.
14 Feb. 2013 at 1pm EST		Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the Northwith C.S. Manegold. Ten Hills Farm tells the powerful saga of five generations of slave owners in colonial New England. Challenging received ideas about America and the Atlantic world, Ten Hills Farm digs deep to bring the story of slavery in the North full circle--from concealment to recovery.
21 Feb. 2013 at 1pm EST		Connecticut's Fife & Drum Tradition with James Clark. Musician and historian James Clark is the first to detail the colorful history of this unique music. This engaging book leads the reader through the history of the individual instruments and tells the story of this classic folk tradition through anecdotes, biographies, photographs, and musical examples.
28 Feb. 2013 at 1pm EST		Down East Schooners and Shipmasters with Ingrid Grenon. Nothing is more iconic of Maine than the image of a majestic vessel—masts raised—gliding through the fog on the dark North Atlantic. In this collection, author Ingrid Grenon presents the most important and incredible stories from the decks of Down East’s schooners, revealing how these remarkable vessels and Down East Maine are tied together.

Show Notes - The Caning with Stephen Puleo

2013-02-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

*** Win a copy of The Caning by Stephen Puleo simply by signing up for the mailing list. Sign up by 6pm Tuesday, February 5, 2013 to qualify. Details here. ***

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 31 January 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with Stephen Puleo, author of The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Stephen Puleo is a writer based in Massachusetts. You can learn more about him at his website and you can follow him on Facebook.

The book The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War, published by Westholme Publishing, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

His other books include:

Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
A City So Grand: The Rise of an American Metropolis, Boston 1850-1900
The Boston Italians: A Story of Pride, Perseverance and Paesani, from the Years of the Great Immigration to the Present Day
Due to Enemy Action The True World War II Story of the USS Eagle 56

The Caning occurred on May 22, 1856 when pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks attacked staunchly anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner. The beating stopped just short of taking Sumner's life.

To learn more about Charles Sumner you can read his biography, Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War by David Herbert Donald. You can learn more about Preston Brooks from his wikipedia page.

Westholme Publishing, the publisher of The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War, donated two copies of the book. One was given as "door prize" during the live show and went to a listener in Pennsylvania. The other copy will go to a listener who has signed up for the Fieldstone Common mailing list (to be announced Tuesday night). A big thank you to Westholme Publishing for their generosity!

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Win a Copy of The Caning by Stephen Puleo

2013-02-01T07:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I gave away one copy of the The Caning: The Assault that Drove American to Civil War to one of the audience members during the live broadcast.

I'll be giving the second copy away to a mailing list member so even podcast listeners will have a chance to win.

I recently started a new mailing list for Fieldstone Common. You can read all the details about it here.

In order to win the second copy of The Caning all you need to do is sign up for the mailing list.

I will randomly select a member of the mailing list to receive the copy. (I will use a random number generator on the internet and then select the corresponding mailing list recipient in order of signup.)

Deadline: Signup by Tuesday, February 5, 2013

MAIL LIST SIGN UP HERE

The Caning with Stephen Puleo now available as a Podcast

2013-01-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring Stephen Puleo, author of the book The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to Civil War is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

NEW - Sign Up to Receive Email Reminders

2013-01-30T10:14:00.002-05:00

There is a newly created mailing list option so that you can receive email reminders for Fieldstone Common.

The email reminders will be sent out once a week on Wednesdays and will provide details about the weekly guest and topic.

Enter your email address in the link below. On the second page select Fieldstone Common (if you like you can also select options for the Marian Pierre-Louis Newsletter, and episode reminders for On-Site Research New England).

The list will also be used occasionally for announcements and to give away door prizes.

MAIL LIST SIGN UP HERE

Leave a comment if you have any questions.

The Caning with Stephen Puleo

2013-01-27T14:42:00.000-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 31 January 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This week on Fieldstone Common, Marian Pierre-Louis interviews Stephen Puleo, author of The Caning: The Assault That Drove America to Civil War.

One of the most shocking and provocative events in American history, the caning convinced the North and the South that the gulf between them was unbridgeable and that they could no longer discuss their vast differences of opinion regarding slavery on any reasonable level. The Caning: The Assault That Drove America to Civil War tells the incredible story of this transformative event. While Sumner eventually recovered after a lengthy convalescence, compromise had suffered a mortal blow. Moderate voices were drowned out completely; extremist views accelerated, became intractable, and locked both sides on a tragic collision course.

The caning had an enormous impact on the events that followed over the next four years: the meteoric rise of the Republican Party and Abraham Lincoln; the Dred Scott decision; the increasing militancy of abolitionists, notably John Brown’s actions; and the secession of the Southern states and the founding of the Confederacy. As a result of the caning, the country was pushed, inexorably and unstoppably, to war. Many factors conspired to cause the Civil War, but it was the caning that made conflict and disunion unavoidable five years later.

STEPHEN PULEO is the author of five books, including the bestselling Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 and Due to Enemy Action: The True World War II Story of the USS Eagle 56. A former award-winning newspaper reporter and contributor to American History and other publications, he holds a master’s degree in history and teaches at Suffolk University in Boston.

Show Notes - Carved in Stone with the Gilsons

2013-01-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

** Read "New Service Safeguards Heirlooms’ Lore" in Antique Trader Magazine featuring Fieldstone Common sponsor The Heirloom Registry by Houstory. **

NEW - Sign up to receive email reminders for Fieldstone Common. Emails will be sent out once a week on Wednesdays. Enter your email address and then on the second page you will have the option to choose Fieldstone Common.

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 24 January 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with Thomas and William Gilson, authors of Carved in Stone: The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

William Gilson

William Gilson is a writer now based in England. Thomas Gilson is a photographer based in New York. You can view sample images of the gravestone photos from the book on Thomas Gilson's website.

Thomas Gilson

The book Carved in Stone: The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones, published by the Wesleyan University Press, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

Three well-known gravestone researchers/authors were mentioned during the interview: Harriette Merrifield Forbes, Allan Ludwig and Vincent Luti.

A great reference tool for viewing early 20th century black and white photographs of New England gravestones, many of which were photographed before stone deterioration, is the Farber Gravestone Collection at the American Antiquarian Society.

A great place to learn more about gravestones and their carvers is the Association for Gravestone Studies. Be sure to check out their scholarly publication, Markers.

You can view gravestone photos by Marian Pierre-Louis on her blog, the Symbolic Past.

The Wesleyan University Press, the publisher of Carved in Stone: The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones, donated a copy of the book that was given as "door prize" during the live show. The copy went to a listener in Massachusetts. A big thank you to the Wesleyan University Press for their generosity!

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Carved in Stone with the Gilsons now Available as a Podcast

2013-01-24T16:14:00.001-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring Thomas and William Gilson, authors of the book Carved in Stone: The Artisty of Early New England Gravestones is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

Carved in Stone with the Gilsons

2013-01-22T13:40:00.002-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 24 January 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This Thursday on Fieldstone Common we will speak with authors and brothers Thomas and William Gilson about their book Carved in Stone: The Artistry of Early New England Gravestones.

Gravestones are colonial America’s earliest sculpture and they provide a unique physical link to the European people who settled here. Carved in Stone is an elegant collection of over 80 fine duotone photographs, each a personal meditation on an old stone carving, and on New England’s past, where these stones tell stories about death at sea, epidemics such as small pox, the loss of children, and a grim view of the afterlife. The essay is a graceful narrative that explores a long personal involvement with the stones and their placement in New England landscape, and attempts to trace the curious and imperfectly documented story of carvers. Brief quotes from early New England writers accompany the images, and captions provide basic information about each stone. These meditative portraits present an intimate view of figures from New England graveyards and will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in early Americana and fine art photography.

Thomas E. Gilson is the author of The New England Farm, a highly praised book of photographs. He taught black and white photography in Vermont for 17 years and was managing editor and photographer for the New England Farmer. His photographs have been widely published and exhibited.

William Gilson attended the University of Connecticut, and his writing has been published in journals and magazines including New England Review, Orion, and Poetry Salzburg Review.

The Gilson brothers were born and raised in Connecticut.

Show Notes - The Devil Made Me Do It with Juliett Mofford

2013-01-19T08:29:00.000-05:00

Juliet Haines Mofford

Following are some items that were mentioned during the 17 January 2013 Fieldstone Common interview with Juliet Haines Mofford, author of The Devil Made Me Do It: Crime and Punishment in Early New England.

The podcast of the interview is now available.

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common
on Blog Talk Radio

You can connect with Juliet Mofford Haines on Facebook and LinkedIn. Juliet also gave out her email address during the show. Have a listen to the show to get that.

The book The Devil Made Me Do It, published by the Globe Pequot Press, is available for purchase from major books sellers online and off such as Amazon.com.

Juliet has published eleven books some of which include

Cry "witch": the Salem witch trials, 1692 (Discovery Enterprises, 1995)
Greater Lawrence, a bibliography : an annotated guide to the history of Andover, Methuen, Lawrence, and North Andover (Merrimack Valley Textiles Museum, 1978)
The history of North Parish Church of North Andover, 1645-1974: and firm thine ancient vow (Mofford, 1975).

She has also written a number of history books targeted toward juvenile readers.

One of the places that Juliet mentions during the interview is the Old Gaol in York, Maine. Juliet not only worked there previously but she also writes about it in the book. The Old Gaol is part of the The Old York Historical Society which has number of historical buildings which you can visit.

The Globe Pequot Press, the publisher of The Devil Made Me Do It: Crime and Punishment in Early New England, donated two copies of the book that were given as "door prizes" during the live show. One copy went to a listener in Colorado and the other to a listener in Massachusetts. A big thank you to the Globe Pequot Press for their generosity!

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

The Devil Made Me Do It with Juliet Mofford now a Podcast

2013-01-17T17:16:00.000-05:00

The most recent episode of Fieldstone Common featuring Juliet Haines Mofford, author of the book The Devil Made Me Do It: Crime and Punishment in Early New England is now available as a podcast.

The podcast can be played through the computer using your default media player (click play below) or downloaded to iTunes (also below).

Listen to internet radio with Fieldstone Common on Blog Talk Radio

The Devil Made Me Do It with Juliet Haines Mofford

2013-01-14T09:26:00.001-05:00

LIVE: THURSDAY, 17 January 2013 at 1:00pm EST

This Thursday on Fieldstone Common we will speak author Juliet Haines Mofford about her book The Devil Made Me Do It! Crime and Punishment in Early New England.

Whether it was Sabbath-breaking, blasphemy, or public drunkenness, colonial laws were strict and frequently broken, and those who broke them could expect swift punishment. Laws were designed to reflect Puritan ideas of ensuring God’s blessings upon the community, as well as to tightly maintain order in ways that would benefit the entire colony. Each neighbor had a role in preserving family values and keeping the community safe from “railing scolds,” vagabonds, malefactors, and malefic witches.

Some of the ways that seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century New England communities dealt with murder and mayhem seem brutal to modern sensibilities. Today, Joan Andrews would not be forced to wear a T for theft upon her bodice for placing stones in the firkin of butter she sold a client. And Lydea Abbot would certainly not be made to suffer in the stocks for “uttering ten profain curses.”

Juliet Haines Mofford

Drawing from early court dockets, diaries, sermons, gaolers’ records, and other primary sources, the chapters in this book investigate crimes like these and illuminate the social and political causes behind legal cases from a time when accused felons often pleaded in their own defense: “The Devil made me do it!”

Juliet Haines Mofford is a historian and museum educator based in Maine. Two of her eleven books received national awards from the American Association for State and Local History. Her feature articles have appeared in the Boston Globe and many other publications. She served on the educational board of the American Association of Museums.

Upcoming in January on Fieldstone Common

2013-01-14T09:08:00.001-05:00

Be sure to mark your calendar. We'll be giving away some great books during the live broadcasts of Fieldstone Common.


3 Jan 2013 at 1pm EST		In Death Lamented with Sarah Nehama. Sarah Nehama is a jeweler who has a passion for historical jewelry, in particular mourning jewelry. She is the curator of the recent exhibit on mourning jewelry at the Mass. Historical Society and the author of the companion book In Death Lamented.
10 Jan 2013 at 1pm EST		New England Genealogy with David Allen Lambert. David Allen Lambert is the Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. His book A Guide to Massachusetts Cemetery is already in the 2nd edition. We will talk about Cemetery Research, Native American and African genealogy and hopefully a little baseball too.
17 Jan 2013 at 1pm EST		The Devil Made Me Do It! with Juliet Mofford Haines. Whether it was Sabbath-breaking, blasphemy, or public drunkenness, colonial laws were strict and frequently broken, and those who broke them could expect swift punishment. We'll discuss from a time when accused felons often pleaded in their own defense: “The Devil made me do it!”
24 Jan 2013 at 1pm EST		Carved in Stone with Thomas and William Gilson. Thomas and William Gilson have created a book that captures the art and beauty of colonial gravestones in words and photographs. Take a virtual walk with us through New England's oldest graveyards.
31 Jan 2013 at 1pm EST		The Caning with Stephen Puleo. One of the most shocking and provocative events in American history, the caning of Senator Charles Sumner in 1856 convinced the north and the south that the gulf between them was unbridgeable. As a result of the caning, the country was pushed, inexorably and unstoppably, to war.