The Dame Garrison House
in Dover, NH

The Charles Hanson House
Hastings, MN

Welcome

Family Stories

• Originally from Cheshire, England, John Damme settled in Dover, NH in 1633.
• Thomas Conary immigrated from Ireland and settled in Deer Isle, ME. All the early New England Conary's are his descendants.
• John Folsom and Mary Gilman, both from distinguished families, immigrated for religious reasons, producing many notable descendants.
• Mary Baily was a survivor during judgmental Puritan times.

Notable Family Members

• Emily Dickinson - beloved poet
• Kenneth Roberts - historical novelist
• Harriet Patience Dame - civil war nurse
• Thomas Nelson - signed the Declaration of Independence
• Alice Martin - one of the first women in the US to be hanged
• Mary Chilton - our Mayflower ancestor; her parents, James Chilton and Susanna Furner, did not survive the voyage
• George Soule - our other Mayflower ancestor
• Thomas and Joseph Rogers - more Mayflower ancestors
• Sir Francis Drake - explorer, slave-trader, privateer
• See more notables in the "Noteworthy Ancestors" report.

Military Service

• Many of our ancestors joined the military, some on opposing sides.
• Conrad Cuntramann (Countryman) was acknowledged by Ripley's Believe It or Not for having 26 sons and grandsons serving in General Washington's army. Another son, Jacob, was a tory.
• Samuel Staples had been married twice and had 11 children and several grandchildren when the British soldiers arrived in Kittery, Maine. Samuel was in his 60s. The British grabbed him and forced him to serve on a war ship. He must have been more trouble than he was worth because he was shot and thrown overboard, never to see his family again. This enraged the community and many young men in the area joined General Washington's forces, including 2 of Samuel's sons.
• Reuben Sutton joined Union forces on 30 Mar 1865, saw the closing of the Civil War, including at least 8 battles, Lee's surrender, and Lincoln's assassination. He was killed after 38 days of service.
• Joshua Staples served 6 years 2 months in the Revolution as a private and a corporal,including the brutal winter at Valley Forge. He was well-thought of and served honorably. His discharge was personally signed by General Washington and he received the Badge of Merit.
• James Allen and Ebenezer Eddy answered the call from Paul Revere at Lexington and Concord.
• During the Civil War, Moses Friend Long was mortally wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, William Meade Dame fought heroically for the Confederac. Peter Fort Countryman was captured and sent to notorious Andersonville Prison.
• George Dame was a Loyalist and fought on the British side during the Revolution as a Lieutenant of the 8th Regiment of Foot. He lost his home in New Hampshire and his possessions when they were confiscated by American forces, but at wars end he was granted 3,000 acres in Bertie, Ontario from the King. His cousin, George Dame was rewarded by the Continental Congress for providing aid to the Continental army.
• The "Ancestors Serving Our Country" report lists all ancestors identified with a military connection.

More Stories

• Conaire Mor - The old saying "Every Irishman has a king or queen for an ancestor," might be true for our family. The Conary line is said to descend from Conaire Mor, the "Peace King", who traces his line back to Adam and Eve. View his remarkable lineage.
• Kissing Cousins - It was not uncommon for cousins to marry, keeping the wealth within the family.
• Grandma's House - an essay.