Ripleys, Believe It or Not

I was looking for Ripleys, believe it or not. A day earlier, on a tour of the neighborhood with a couple of kind locals — including 93-year-old Lloyd Weatherbee, a distant relative — I was shown all the houses along the rural road that were at one time associated with Ripleys. The next day, I

Deacon Francis Parott Esq.

Francis Parrat, my 8x great-grandfather, arrived in America back in 1638 with his two sisters, Ann and Faith. They were part of a big group of followers of Reverend Ezekiel Rogers who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Rowley, Yorkshire, England. Soon after arriving, Francis married Elizabeth Northend, another immigrant who also came over

Rowley Settlers

On my first drive through Rowley, Massachusetts, I passed this house and wished it was mine—to draw, that is. I love drawing old houses and the more wear and tear they have, the better. However, research led me further down the street to a far less interesting spot — a bend in the road where