Pretend to at Least

Duncan submitted this poem which was written by Charlotte Hamilton Rice. Required reading for all of our better halves!

The superscript numbers refer to the folks at the bottom and their links to our family tree.

Long, long ago in the dim days of yore
There lived very close to the Hamilton Shore
A group of kids called the Tribe of Tom
And they were the folks that we come from.

Ruby(1) and Julia(2) and Addie(3) and Sue(4)
These were the girls in that lively crew.

Alec(5) and Frederick(6) and Sidney(7) and Ben(8)
But the nicest boy was the one called Hen(9),
Our Grandsire from whom we directly descend.

The Tribe of Thomas did swim in the bay,
They ran thru the woods and they jumped in the hay.
They walked on the shore, they dug clams in the sand,
They loved every inch of this Down-in-Maine land.

So we, their descendants, have all the same yen
To get back to Maine just whenever we can.
And we want all the in-laws to have the same passion
If you belong to our family, it’s really the fashion.

Oh, Anita(10) and Ginny(11), Marj(12), Nancy(13) and Ann(14)
And Penny(15), Ed(16), Albie(17), please see if you can
Be an actually ardent Down-in-Maine fan.

So, here’s to Tom’s Tribe and our spot way down East
And if you can’t like it – pretend to at least.

Charlotte Hamilton Rice – July 14, 1962

(1) Rubie Hamilton, 1853-1900, married Charles Gerry.
(2) Julia Hamilton, 1836-1932, married Freeman Higgins.
(3) Adelaide Hamilton, 1842-1922, married John Marks.
(4) Susan Hamilton, 1838-1860, married Geoge Bartlett.
(5) Alexander Hamilton, 1830-1887, married Naomi Lufkin.
(6) Frederick Hamilton, 1850-1933, married Adelle Grindle.
(7) Charles (Sidney, went by Syd) Hamilton, 1847-1937, married Clara Joyce.
(8) Benjamin Hamilton, 1832-1918, married Sarah Hamilton (yes her maiden name..).
(9) Our own Henry Hamilton, 1845-1915, married Eva Byard.

James Hamilton, 1828-1909, and John Hamilton, 1836-1864, aren’t mentioned.

(10) Anita Tabor, married to Hammy Gates.
(11) Virginia Ellis, married to Dick Gates.
(12) Marjorie Jones, married to Ken Rice.
(13) Nancy Garfield, married to Dave Rice.
(14) Ann Lang, married to Bob Hamilton.
(15) Elizabeth Ruggles, married to Doug Hamilton.
(16) Ed Lodge, married to Frannie Hamilton.
(17) Albie Smith, married to Peggy Hamilton.