I recently had a chance to talk with an expert genealogist and historian: Tom Howard. Best of all, he is an expert on a topic that also interests me: Concord Coaches. Even better, Roots Television videotaped our conversation.
If you know what a Concord Coach is, you'll want to see this video. If you don't yet know what a Concord Coach is, you will also want to watch this video to learn about a bit of Americana: the Concord Coaches were undoubtedly the best stagecoaches built in North America.
Concord, New Hampshire was the site of two competitive stagecoach builders. In later years, the companies merged to become the Abbot & Downing Coach Company. The companies used many independent contractors to make the components and most of these skilled craftsmen signed the pieces that they created. Genealogists have since identified many of these craftsmen and their families.
You an watch Thomas Howard describe these fascinating bits of history at http://www.rootstelevision.com/index.html?bcpid=7225568001&bclid=240119644&bctid=22632761001.
You also might want to read my earlier article about Concord Coaches at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2006/03/abbotdownings_c.html and view a few pictures I took at http://blog.eogn.com/photos/stgeorge2006/.
And, yes, the picture to the left is one of me sitting in a Concord Coach that used to serve the town where my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents lived.
