Thank you for accepting me

[Bertie Williams]

Greetings to all:

I stumbled onto your site while searching for any activity the Maine State Historian might have initiated to commemorate the War of 1812- yeah, I know- no photographs so wishful thinking.  First allow me to invite you to contact me directly if you wish. My personal email is [e-mail].

For those of you who are not aware of who I am or what I do:

I used to be a high school educator. My MA Ed was curriculum and Instruction- LD/BD. My two undergraduate degrees were Secondary Education BA Ed. and History with an emphasis on late Renaissance Europe and the rise of Nationalism. BA. History. US history wasnt even my specialty but I had a grandmother who was fully committed to carrying on familial traditions and her mother was the first woman elected to a school board- in 1892-25 plus years before she could vote for herself! We were expected to know our own history. I have at least 6 familial lines that date back to District of Maine 1640s & 50s and at least that many more from Massachusetts. Im DAR, Sons & Daughters of First Settlers of Newbury, Mass, DUV, and if I pushed For it, could also be Colonial Daughters. IM a direct descendant of Dominicus Jordan and Hannah Tristram. Dominicus was one of the original proprietors of Falmouth, killed by indians in 1703 and his wife and children carried off to Canada and held for Ransom, only to return years later to find Boston has resold their father's land in Falmouth. My Jordan Line married into my Chase line(Newbury, Mass) in the early 1800's in Pejebscot, Cumberland County now Auburn, Androscoggin. That's my grandmother's father's side. My Grandmother's mother's side is "northern Maine" and the focus of my contemporary "life". On her side, are the Nova Scotia Refugees of 1785 who went with Col Eddy during the Revolutionary war to Fort Cumberland. they fought in the War of 1812 with the Kennebec volunteers, they settled the Penobscot River after the treaty was signed in 1818 and went to the Aroostook 1830-35 and have lived there ever since.

I was diagnosed with a personality disorder akin to agoraphobia in 2000 and had to stop working. I lost my husband Gene in 2002 (Agent Orange) and came back to Maine to recoup and regain my soul. Also in 2002 I learned that the State did not recognize the Aroostook War on thier "I Vote in Honor of a Veteran" buttons and wondered why! This was our most important war. When I applied for the national "Ticket To Work" Vocational rehabilitation program in 2004, I had a business plan involving internet marketing and a genealogy based target market. That took care of the agoraphia problem but it highlighted a bigger, uglier one- Maine doesnt think people with personality disorders can be productive! As a teacher i learned Apple programs, IBM compatibles are like Greek to me- I needed to be educated. The state didnt want to, so I had to take a different tact. It has been 5 long years but with some serious support of some key people- Congressman Michaud, Sen. Elizabeth Schneider, Rep Bob Deschense, Sen. Kevin Raye and my current State Rep. Beth Turner, We finally got through House Paper 1177 last Legislative Session, Requesting the President, Leaders of Congress and our own Maine Congressional Delegation to enact Legislation making Protectors and Defenders of the Northeastern Frontier of the United States and State of Maine Veterans. The Maine Secretary of State has already sent the letters and Sen. Snowe has a staffer working on drafts of the Act of Congress as Im writing this. (actually since last April LOL).

But it was while attempting to identify or create a committee or commission that would determine eligibility, issue certificates and determine who would be able to be placed on the wall at the Northern Maine Veterans' Cemetery that I learned what a mess our State Historian's office is in; and while doing a genealogy look-up for an Arizona resident with Maine Roots that I encountered an 1807 Resolve in the Massachusetts' General Court calling for a complete Vote in the District of Maine on the issue of Separation. That was 205 years ago! Why isnt that known! Why isnt there a committee or commission working to get all Maine's towns ready for our birthday? We need planning, committees, fundraisers, information gathering and we need to publicize it nationally, I contacted the Maine State Historian AGAIN- third time in as many years but still got no response. My state rep. Beth Turner contacted his office and his office passed me off to Mr Phillips the Director of the Maine State Museum in Augusta. No help there either. We are going to be competing with Alabama who came into the Union in December 1819, and Missouri who hi-jacked our petition for statehood to get admitted as an original state thus avoiding a discussion on Slavery. As it is the rest of the nation considers us just - "The other half of the Missouri Compromise". Maine didnt become a state overnight nor with the wave of a magic wand. We should be commemorating each step of the process and educating our children about our own history. I found a sympathetic ear on the Governor's staff.

So I started rattling cages in Augusta and learned the Maine State Historian's appointment is up next year and I would like us to get one who actually does the job of education and promoting our history! Of having a state website that lists all the community activities like this one so that "Mainers in Exile" can find out what is happening and make plans to visit and participate.

I just got back from Boston- Massachusetts' State Archives and they have some great stuff that we should have. If any one is interested in how Hancock County voted in 1807 regarding Separation, I'd be glad to share and if you have any doubts on the impact of the War of 1812 on the shift of opinion by 1819- let me put them to rest! The impact was significant regarding our association with Massachusetts.

And for the record- the War of 1812 was not the first one engaged in by US forces after Independence. While Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State and during his Presidency, US naval forces were used to fight the Bey of Algiers during the Barbary Coast Wars( 1806 plus) . Again, those were primarily New England Vessels getting hi-jacked and ransomed, sailors killed and ships blown up. Jefferson refused to pay tribute to the Bey of Algiers who fronted for the hi-jackers and tried to get Britain, France, Holland and Norway to fight the so called pirates but they refused and we went it alone and eventually stopped it, So much for the great relationship the US has had with muslim countries that our President touted in Egypt a while back "sigh".

Tell me what I can do to help, although my resources are limited and I dont drive, know very little about computers but i can research, mail, create flyers and rattle cages in Augusta. IM also a member of Maine Genealogy Society and will have a table in Bangor at their annual conference Sept. 24th & 25th if someone wants to attend with me and pass out information on your event.

Bertie

Researcher

The 1837 Foundation of Northern Maine

Dedicated to the Protectors and Defenders of the Northeastern Frontier of the US and State of Maine.

 

[Todd House]

I've been following your work through some other sites and have been aware of what you've done to illuminate this chapter of Maine history (and the settlement of many people in north central and northern Maine a a result, of interest to genealogists), but thanks for posting this for the benefit of new folks.  See you at the conference in September!