Nipmuc Nation Family Lines
The Nipmuc Nation recently opened their tribal rolls to new members. Anyone with a direct family member already on the roll can submit an application for enrollment. It’s not much but after 10 years of refusing to add anyone other than new births, it is welcome news. For those of you unaware of what Nipmuc family lines are eligible for enrollment, here is the list. … Continue reading Nipmuc Nation Family Lines
How Hard is Hard?
Everything in my life is hard now. Dealing with my daughters and grandsons is hard now. Dealing with fear-filled council members is hard now. Getting money for the Museum is hard now. Dealing with a loco “friend” is hard now. My blood pressure is out of control and I really need to chill out but I am surrounded. So what can I change? Absolutely nothing … Continue reading How Hard is Hard?
The Used-to-Be Woods Across the Street.
Most folks that know me know that I’ve been mourning the loss of trees in the woods around my neighborhood for quite awhile. Lately, though I’ve seen evidence that when something is taken away, something else is given. Where trees once stood, fields of plants abound. Seeds that lay dormant in the soil for who knows how many decades have given birth to a huge … Continue reading The Used-to-Be Woods Across the Street.
Hassanamisco Indians
I love this document. It’s a survey of property allotted to Hassanamisco Nipmuc Sarah Robins who married Peter Muckamaug. Though Native, Peter was not from Hassanamesit so the land could not be allotted to (or owned by) him. When Sarah Robins died, the land passed to her children. Image from the American Antiquarian Society The Muckamaug allotment was originally 106 acres. The land came from … Continue reading Hassanamisco Indians
Who is Molly Pegan? (Part 2)
Molly Pegan is my sixth great grandmother and a source of much controversy in my small Nipmuc community. Some of us believe her to be Nipmuc, especially since her maiden name is Pegan – a known Nipmuc name. Others (including nameless BIA researchers) don’t think she is Nipmuc and that the name is simply coincidence. Now her last name is not the only reason folks … Continue reading Who is Molly Pegan? (Part 2)
Bostics, Then and Now, Part 1
My nephew is one of the last in our family with the surname of Bostic. The other day, while driving with my daughter through the local cemetery, he asked to see the monument with his name on it. (Yes! My children consider cemeteries as appropriate sightseeing destinations – after all, they were raised by me.) My daughter called me for the street name it was … Continue reading Bostics, Then and Now, Part 1
Shelve the Haters
last week, someone told me to put a particularly troublesome person on a shelf and to not give any of my energy to that person again. and I fully intend to do that – after I write this. there are those who think that being a council member gives you the right to be not only respected but worshipped by the people. that’s not true. … Continue reading Shelve the Haters
Cheryll Toney Holley 