James Rollins was the first of our ancestors to spell his last name Rollins instead of Rawlins. He was born in 1736 and was one of the Green Mountain Boys who, under Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British during the Revolutionary War. Later, he lived in Dublin, New Hampshire, where he was listed in the first U.S. Census in 1790. The following anecdote appeared in the History of Dublin.
"Two members of the Baptist Church, Mr. Rollins and Mr. Riggs had a misunderstanding with regard to some dealings between them, and Mr. Riggs took occasion to call his Brother Rollins an old 'skinflint.' Mr. Rollins considered it scandalous and reported his Brother Riggs to the church for discipline. A meeting was called, and presided over by Elder Willard. Mr. Rollins stated his grievance, and the brethren discussed the matter, and gave their opinions. The Elder cautioned them about being hasty, and suggested the propriety of ascertaining the definition of the term by consulting a dictionary. A messenger returned with a dictionary, but they were doomed to be disappointed, for the word [skinflint] could not be found. In this dilemma they felt somewhat perplexed, but the Elder proposed that Brother Riggs should state to the church what he meant when he called Brother Rollins "an old skinflint." Mr. Riggs, who had been sitting in silence during the whole proceeding, rose up and said in a sonorous and lisping manner, that was natural to him, 'I meant that Brother Rollins was a downright, honest, clever man.' This must, of course, in the absence of other testimony, have been deemed satisfactory."
"History of Dublin, New Hampshire," by Levi Leonard, June 17, 1852; Published in Boston 1855.
While I am documenting family history I thought I would add a few of these shots.
My graduating class ('98)on the corner of one of the Giza Pyramids outside Cairo.
For sports we would compete with other schools in Europe and the Middle East. These were in '93 when my soccer team when to Greece.
Please don't laugh at my hair, socks, Ked's, or lack of style ; )
2 comments:
i don't know! you're pretty rockin' in your white keds. :) high school pics of myself make me nervous and gag a little.
sounds like Rollins was a closet attorney or politician, or both! great story and i loved the team pics...unca dale
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