My father, Eugene Nason Doherty, was a wonderful storyteller. But not all of his stories were the same. Family stories could be rich and encompassing. They could also be grim with scanty details and trail off to a dead end. One such story was about my grandmother, Edna Nason Doherty, who survived an avalanche that killed her parents and orphaned her brothers and sisters. Family stories about the...
Did Baker Nason Murder His Brother, Jonathan Nason?
Baker and Jonathan Nason were the sons of Richard Nason and Sarah Baker of Pipe Stave Landing in what is now South Berwick, Maine. Baker Nason was born around 1642. Jonathan Nason was born around 1645. These birth dates are probably close but may not be accurate. In court records, Jonathan was described as Baker’s older brother. At the time of the killing both men were in their 40s, married and...
Grandmother’s Hair
This lock of hair is from my grandmother, Anna Pavloske Anderson. She died in 1937 and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey. At that time, wakes were held in homes. She lived at 13 Atlantic Street in Elizabeth, NJ. My mother was 14 years old when her mother died. She told me that she went downstairs during the night and held her dead mother’s hand until she was chased back...
Buffalo Bill
I know of very few personal belongings of my great-grandfather, Karl Andersen. He was born in Grimstad, Norway in the 1850s, a second or third son of the family. Karl became a ship’s carpenter and ended up in Elizabeth, New Jersey in the 1870s or 1880s. My mother, Helen Anderson Doherty, told me about his beautifully carved sea chest, his massive canopied oak bed, and his Buffalo Bill photo. ...
Sketch of An Unknown Man
I don’t know who this man is, where or when the drawing was made, or why my mother kept it for many years. My sister found the sketch when she was going through Mother’s papers after she died in January 2011. It must have meant something to her, since she brought it with her to Florida after she discarded most things when she moved from Vermont in the early 90s. I vaguely remember her showing it...