JANE N. SLATER

508-645-3378

slaterjn@comcast.net

Dear readers, please permit me to open with a personal story that is truly a Chilmark story. This week Herb and I have as our most welcome guest, Kerin Mosiere of Melbourne, Australia. This visit and the upcoming birth of her first grandchild as an American citizen in July in New York City will complete a large circle of events. In May of 1841 George Harvey Mosher was born to Chilmark residents, James and Harriette Cottle Mosher. In all, they had five sons and a daughter. All the boys went whaling except Elihu, who was Lucy Vincent’s father.

He was also one of the Chilmark deaf. George Harvey made his first whaling trip in 1856 at age 16. He was gone three years and set out on a second trip when he was 19 as second mate. This trip took him to Sydney, Australia, where he met Sarah Martin, the daughter of the woman to whom he took his laundry. He returned home to tell his parents of his decision to return to Sydney and marry Sarah. They wed when he was 21 years old. The couple produced 13 children over the 58 years he lived in Australia. He loved his new country but named all his children after his family and friends in Chilmark. He named his home Chilmark and the house wore a large sign for many years. It was hard to keep in touch across the continents from both sides of the oceans. The Australia family grew very large and some wondered what Martha’s Vineyard really had to do with their history.

World wars intervened and the Moshers went to war for Australia. So, a few weeks ago, Kerin thought it might be fun to travel to Martha’s Vineyard and see if any relatives were still there. It has been fun to watch her surprise as she learns how deep her Chilmark roots are and how many folks in Chilmark are related to her. She and I share great-great-grandparents James and Harriette, and we can visit our third and fourth great-grandparents, all at Abel’s Hill. Along the way, we have learned that her father, George Harvey’s grandson, Kenneth, was a POW in Singapore and Borneo during World War II; that her family changed the spelling of their name, mistakenly thinking it was the original spelling . . . all adding to the difficulty of keeping in touch. We began the process of renewing contact when one day in Menemsha, I asked John Jacobs, who was flying for United to Sydney, to look for Mosher in that city’s phone book. He brought me home a few names and addresses and we started then to try to reconnect. All this lead to Kerin and her visit. She is the first of the Australian family to come back to Chilmark in 150 years.

Now back to our busy current Chilmark, already deep into summer projects and activities.

Welcome to Robert and Emma Shalhope, back at their Menemsha home after a winter in Norman, Okla.

Michael and Jean Levine are back in town for their annual vacation and eager for the visit of their grandson, Caden O’Hara Levine, who will arrive on June 12 for a visit. The family comes from Washington, D.C.

Graydon and Mary McCormick are happy to tell us of the birth on August 30, 2010, of their granddaughter Aubrey Phylida McCormick. She was born to Seth and Cheryl of Cullowhee, N.C., where Seth is a professor of art history at Western Carolina University. Aubrey’s other grandparents are Dr. Mark and Helen Houser.

Ed and Susan Weber and their children, Owen and Anna, came from Union, Me., for a vacation at their Larsen Lane cottage. They visited with Susan’s parents, Charles and Marjorie Phillips. One of the excitements of the visit was watching a snapping turtle lay eggs next to their driveway on Larsen Lane.

The Chilmark Community Church will hold the annual Children’s Fair on the church lawn on June 18. There will be pony rides, food and games and all children are invited to attend. It will be a busy Saturday as the Chilmark School will hold a flea market at the Community Center on June 18 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are welcoming any donations this week that they can sell for the benefit of their children’s programs.

Last Sunday the church held their Sunday service at the dock in Menemsha where they conducted a blessing of the fleet. It was a well-attended, festive program complete with a bagpiper providing some of the music.

The Martha’s Vineyard Democrats will host a visit by state Rep. Tim Madden to the Howes House on June 11. He will be there from 9 to 11 a.m. talking about issues and answering questions.

It is health care week at the Chilmark library. The Chilmark Democrats and the Friends of the Chilmark library will sponsor a program on Tuesday, June 14, Understanding Medicare. Mary Leddy and Cynthia Mitchell will discuss the program and the changes proposed. All ages will benefit from this discussion and the public is invited free of charge.

Are You Getting Enough Sleep? is the title of the program to be presented on Wednesday, June 15, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the library. Laura Murphy, a nurse with the Vineyard Nursing Association, will present the program. Again, all are welcome at no charge.