Clare McKeagney
About Clare McKeagney
Posts by Clare McKeagney:
In the past couple of years we have used photos from within the community of Denmark for our header image. Each season we change the photo.
We’d like to thank our photographers for the use of their photos.
Enjoy the slide show!
Thank you’s go to:
Jennifer Stacy Bartlett
Michael Berube
Bonny Clark Greenleaf
John Patrick
Declan Perkins
Heather Perkins
Carol & Terry Rhoads
Jolene Snow
Micki Warner & Alvina Day
Linda Whiting & Daniel Eaton
Thank you for your request for information pertaining to John Watson Gilmore and Rebecca Paine. I have been searching Town of Denmark records, along with the records within our society. As you know records before 1892 are minimal, as people were not required to register births/marriages/deaths before that time. And, sadly, when it comes to female documentation there is less information.
I believe I have found a lead, not a complete family line for you. I will include contact information at the end of this message.
I reviewed our cemetery files and did not find citations for either Gilmore or Paine families in Denmark for that time period.
In checking records from the Town of Denmark I find a marriage intention record for John W. Gilmore of Denmark and Rebecca Paine of Standish, Maine filed 02/10/1833. John’s family does not appear in Denmark records before this time.
And birth records for James born 12/02/1834, Antoinette Eliza born 03/25/1837, Helen Paine Gilmore born 01/27/1839 and Susan Maria born 04/29/1841 to John W. & Rebecca Gilmore. All 4 children were born in Denmark. After these records there are no further mention of this family in Denmark’s records.
Interestingly marriage intentions were filed 08/20/1837 for Dominicus Tarbox and Sally Paine of Standish. Could Rebecca and Sally be sisters or cousins?
Readers – Do you have information about John Watson Gilmore and his bride Rebecca Paine?
Summary: The Denmark Historical Society is seeking to establish a fund to purchase artifacts pertinent to the history of Denmark which may come available primarily at auctions of house contents or on on-line auction sites.
Organization Description and History: In 1989 the Denmark Historical Society was organized to coordinate the efforts of a group of residents who demonstrated an interest in the History of Denmark. They wised to encourage broad participation in the preservation and enjoyment of the town’s rich heritage.
More specifically, the goals of the Society are to collect and preserve historical memorabilia and important records relating to the town.
Background: The recent auction of house contents in town brought our problem into focus. There were many records and items auctioned that would have added nicely to the Historical Society collection and thereby been available to anyone interested in Denmark’s history. We have no mechanism in place to select which items should be purchased, how much money should be available for such purchases and who should decide which items to purchase.
This problem is complicated by the success of on-line auction sites. Many individuals are making a business of finding and buying memorabilia that they can sell on EBay or other internet sites. These individual were bidding at this auction and the Society had to watch Denmark history leave our town, perhaps forever.
The donation of the Community House Stage Curtain dating from 1903, to Centennial Hall is another example of the need for an acquisition fund. The mural painted on this curtain is of a saw mill near the dam. Fortunately for all, the preservation of the curtain will be done by the owner of Centennial Hall and the curtain will remain in town. But had not this generosity been available and the curtain put up for sale, the Society would very likely not have been able to purchase and preserve it.
We cannot predict these events and need a fund that can be quickly accessed to buy and save Denmark history.
Project Description: When an artifact becomes available there is a need for the Society to be agile and decisive in its acquisition. For example, if records from a Denmark mill come up for sale on EBay, the board does not have time to meet, discuss the merits of the purchase, and determine how much should be spent if agreement for the purchase is reached. The same holds true for local auctions.
The Board will establish guidelines for the intrinsic value of items to the Society’s collection, the limits to physical size (we do not have storage for carriages or equipment), the amount of money to be spent without Board approval, the individual responsible for the decision to buy and a procedure to quickly obtain Board approval should such be needed.
Budget: The Historical Society would like to raise a fund of $5,000 and to maintain this amount through fund raising, but mostly through outreach to members of the community. Monies for this fund would not come from our General Fund.
DENMARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Sunday, June 11, 2017 2:00 p.m.
Centennial Hall
72 West Main Street
Denmark, ME 04022
All interested parties are welcome!
Learn about society activities.
Get involved!
We will be voting to update the by-laws. Please find both the current and proposed by-laws under the heading About Us & the Bylaws tab
Proposed slate of officers:
President: Terry Rhoads
Vice President: Clare McKeagney
Secretary: Astrea Fatica
Treasurer: Daniel Eaton
Denmark Historical Society Report to Town 4/16 through 3/17
The Historical Society held two events this past year.
In May, the historic hand painted stage curtain was cleaned and restored by specialists from Curtains Without Borders, along with local volunteers. The work was done upstairs in Centennial Hall, then mounted on the wall downstairs. The curtain was a generous gift from the Monson family.
Following completion of the restoration, a brief talk was given by the director of Curtains Without Borders, Chris Hadsel. She explained the significance of our curtain, and put it in the larger context of the early 1900s proliferation of small local halls, primarily in rural northern New England.
In late July, local author Caroline Grimm gave a talk on her series of books, “Voices of Pondicherry”. Period appropriate treats and refreshments were provided by Beth’s Café, sponsored by Ace Insurance.
In other business, the Society developed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centennial Hall. The agreement allows the Society to accept larger artifacts as gifts, which are then stored or displayed by Centennial Hall. Previously we were limited to small items which could be displayed in cases in the basement of the Library.
We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Denmark Public Library. This will allow us to make books from our collection available for reference (within the Library only).
Our curator, Lee Ann Shand, has been busy, as always, responding to inquiries from the public. She maintains our website, www.denmarkhistoricalsociety.org. The site has an abundance of interesting material, including genealogical material and historic films, as well as an active blog.
Along with a group of volunteers, Lee Ann has been cataloguing our collection. And she has made arrangements for a professional service to scan our historic documents and images, so they can be accessed without further deterioration from handling.
Many thanks to our members, as well as our sponsors, who make all our activities possible.
Ace Insurance Agency Lakeside Dock Services Pleasant Mountain Camping
Country Plumbing and Heating R H LeGoff Excavation Co. Red Shed Cottage
Dianne Lewis Designs MacDonald Motors smallboat shop
Granger Pond Camping Area Maine Virtual Home Tours Stacy’s Service Center
Jennifer Bartlett Photography Mega Industries, LLC Wyonegonic Camps
Respectfully submitted,
DHS Board of Directors: Terry Rhoads; Lee Ann Shand; Dan Eaton; Daryl Kennison; Pat Largey; Astrea Fatica; Clare McKeagney; Mari Hook; JoAnne Harbourt
Found recently in a crawl space in a remodel of the former Jack farmhouse, next to Centennial Hall, in the village is a school report from 1854, along with a painting and wallpaper.
