Nelson's Lodge

I am a self proclaimed "history seaking nerd." I love history. When I was a child I started getting into classical music, historical and period clothing, poetry, fiction and nonfiction, generational customs, etc. I read lots of books and would get into a topic or story and really dig in for more meaning. Before computers and the internet you would have to visit a library, museum, use your imagination, or look at art or old photographs to get a visualization of that era. Now with the internet, there's no limit to how much information you can find online.

It wasn't until the past 15 years that I really started doing any genealogy or looking into my own family history. I created an Ancestry. com account and started gathering birth certificates, marriage certificates and death certificates. One side of my family is from Texas while the other side is from the North East. It's a painstaking endeavor but fruitful when you start to gather little bits of history and form a big family tree.

When we purchased our property in Barnstead NH we learned there was an old cemetery on the property. Nelson and Langley are the names on the headstones. I didn't hesitate a moment to look into it.

I discovered an old book published in 1872 called "The History of Barnstead" and read up on our Mr Samuel Nelson. I learned he and his wife were among the many that were here when the town was incorporated in 1727. He was the Town Clerk for a while and married into the Tasker family, having several children and losing many as well at a young age. His family married into the Langley family and they are buried here. I was not able to find any records of any Langleys owning our home though.

We have named a trail through our woods "Nelson's Pass" which brings you along the edge of a steep decline and provides a gorgeous view of Prospect Mountain. We seemed it would be fitting to dedicate our cabin to Mr Nelson and his family. We feel they loved this farm quite a bit if they planned to be buried here with their entire family.

When we discovered the cemetery it was dark and hidden deep into the woods. I thought it was strange that they would be buried in the forest like that. It wasn't until we received an aerial photo of the farm from the 1950's and discovered the field used to be open back when it was a full functioning farm. We have since opened their cemetery back up by cutting down some large trees around the cemetery stone walls. The cemetery is facing due East. Its a pleasant feeling knowing that the sun rises on the headstones and gives light back to the families buried there.

They may not be of any ancestral connection to me but I do call them "family." I can't even begin to imagine what life was like for them when they came here. The only stories we have from them are the miles of stone walls, stately hardwood trees, historic apple trees and various dug wells around the farm. I know they and everyone after them cherished this land though. It may have been conveyed to many owners after Samuel Nelson but no one ever subdivided it. We plan to honor that tradition and keep it intact for as long as we own it.

History is through storytelling and I am honored to be able to share their story. We are extremely honored to name our cabin, built by hand from local trees, after this noble family. Nelson's Cabin is the finest tribute.