Who's that ewe?

Now that the girls have grown some they've been (unofficially) named. In June we'll tag and register all seven. I think we'll be keeping at least five of these girls, but we'll have to see how they turn out in the next few months.

And now for the history lesson...

Nettie
(Crystal x Cedar)

Nettie Maria Stevens was a teacher and scientist. Born in Cavendish, Vermont in 1861, Stevens spent much of her early adult life saving money to attend college. At the age of 39 she finally began her career as a research scientist. Credited with discovering inherited sex chromosomes as the cause of gender determination, her theory was not initially accepted by the scientific community.

Cali
(Crystal x Cedar)

Calista Robinson Jones was raised in Bradford, Vermont where she later co-founded the Bradford Public Library. Known for her patriotism, she helped sew and erect the first national flag flown over a Chicago public school in 1861.  A national president of the Women's Relief Corps, Mrs. Jones sought to increase patriotic celebrations nation-wide and helped raise money for the Southern Memorial Day fund.

Ella

(Kira x Cedar)

Ella Amelia Colt lived in Brookfield, Vermont during the 19th and 20th centuries. A recently discovered photographer, she photographed daily Vermont life.

Franny  

(Maggie x Cedar)

Named after Frances Allen, daughter of Ethan Allen. While this ewe's name has been shortened to Franny, it should be noted that the historical figure went by Fanny.

Born in Vermont, Frances Allen devoted her life to helping the sick in Montreal where she was a nun. Fanny was also the hospital's chemist. Today, Fanny Allen Hospital stands in her memory in Colchester, VT.

Isabel 

(Clover x Cedar)

Isabel Hayes Chapin Barrows was the first female eye doctor, and she was from Irasburg, VT. She spent much of her adult life living in D.C. where she and her husband worked for the State Department. Over the years she lived abroad in India and Russia. For several years her family ran a summer camp on the Canadian shores of Lake Memphremagog.

Hannah
(Poa x Cedar)

Hannah Dustin famously escaped from native captors after being held for fifteen days. A memorial stands in her honor at the confluence of the Merrimack and Contookook rivers in Boscawen, NH.

Molly
(Poa x Cedar)

Molly Stark, wife of General John Stark, was born in Haverhill, NH. During the Revolutionary War she became a doctor, nursing her husband's wounded troops in their home in Wilmington, VT.




All information was researched through the following sites: www.womenshistory.vermont.gov,  www.pa-roots.org, www.nature.com, and www.heritage-history.com. Pictures of several of these influential women and their full stories may be found at the womenshistory.vermont.gov website.

And I almost forgot! For those of you who have been following the lambing news, you may be wondering what happened to Wynona's ewe lamb. Sadly, for unknown reasons, this ewe did not make it through her second day with the flock. I came home from work last Monday to find her dead in the barn. I'm not sure if she was unable to compete with her brothers (although she seemed to be nursing), or if she was just too weak to keep up with the flock. In the future I will definitely keep triplets confined for a few extra days before integrating them. Wynona's rams seem to be doing just fine, and she is being very attentive to them both.