Where did the name "Martha's Vineyard"
come from? English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold
is credited with giving Martha's Vineyard its name. When he visited this area
in 1602, he had two journalists on board his ship who documented the voyage. When
Gosnold returned to England, a book was published describing the voyage and the
name "Martha's Vineyard" was assigned to this island. Martha was the
name of Gosnold's mother- in-law, who supposedly helped finance the voyage, and
also the name of his infant daughter. At the time of the voyage, and still today,
wild grapevines grow throughout the island.
Do
you have any information about the deaf community on Martha's Vineyard?
During the latter part of the nineteenth century and into
the 1900's there was a sizeable deaf population on Martha's Vineyard, most of
whom were living in the town of Chilmark. These people carried on normal lives
and used a unique sign language. There has been a good deal of research and publication
concerning these people. The MVM's quarterly journal the Intelligencer has devoted
a number of articles to this topic. You can purchase back copies through the Museum
Shop or the Library. In addition, the book, "Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language"
by Nora Groce, is available through our Museum Shop for $19.95, including tax,
shipping and handling.
Do
you have any information about African-Americans on Martha's Vineyard?
African Americans have been part of the Vineyard population since the early
1700's at least. During the 1800's many African-Americans came to the island to
attend religious camp meetings, and created a sizeable summer community in what
is now Oak Bluffs. The Martha's Vineyard Museum has published a special edition
of the Intelligencer entitled, "African Americans on Martha's Vineyard"
which is available through the Museum Shop for $10.00
I am looking for genealogical information about my family.
How can you help me? The Gale Huntington Research
Library at the MVM has a large collection of genealogical material including published
volumes, town directories, and vital records from Massachusetts towns, as well
as the histories of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. There are many genealogical
manuscripts, as well as Bible and Church records, diaries, letters, and wills.
These collections are used extensively throughout the year by Island residents
as well as genealogical researchers from all over the country. Our staff genealogist
is constantly updating and adding to the collections. For special inquiries you
may write or email our staff genealogist directly: Catherine
Mayhew
Martha's Vineyard Historical Society
PO Box 1310 Edgartown, MA
02539
or
I
would like to donate an item (book, furniture, photograph or any other item) to
the MVM. How do I go about this? You may call,
write to or email either
and
in the curatorial department to discuss the donation of an item to the Museum.
Or, you can write or email
in the Library with a question about a
paper object. The Museum welcomes and encourages the donation of material that
relates to Martha's Vineyard History. The MVM also recommends taking a look at
the organization's Collections Policy. This document specifies the type of materials
that the Museum is seeking to collect. For more information, please refer to the
MVM Collection Development and Acquisitions Policy. (link)
There is a donation
form that needs to be filled out by the donor as well as the Museum and serves
as a permanent record of the gift. The donor of an item is responsible for providing
an appraised value - the Museum legally cannot do appraisals. If the donor wishes
to provide a monetary value for the gift, this figure will go on the donation
form and serves as the receipt which can be used as a tax deduction.
I
would like to donate something to the Museum but I don't think it came from or
relates to Martha's Vineyard history - do you still want it? When
someone has something that they do not wish to keep for whatever reason and would
like to donate it to us, if it does not relate to Vineyard history, we would not
be able to accept it into our permanent collection. We can assist you in finding
the right museum to donate the item to or we will accept the item, give you the
proper receipt for its value and we will sell the item through a reputable auction
house. We then use the revenue to purchase an item for the collections that is
appropriate or pay a conservator to work on an item we have that is in need of
restoration.
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