Local History: They're Not From Around Here — True Crime in Portsmouth and Elsewhere

They're Not From Around Here: True Crime in Portsmouth and Elsewhere
with Milli S. Knudsen

The years 1883-1915 were a very adventurous time, especially in a seaport like Portsmouth. The whole country was experiencing train travel, the beginnings of auto trips, and mass immigration. Newspapers brought stories from around the world into anyone’s living room, much as television later did. The fluid movement of a bustling seaport brought clashes between immigrants and opportunities for criminals to slip in and out of trouble.

In 1911, the federal government began to make use of the state prison systems to house naval personnel who ran afoul of the law while at sea or in foreign ports. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard housed 195 prisoners over this period. Only one led to a crime committed right here in Market Square.

Join us for a local history presentation with Milli S. Knudsen, a veteran author and genealogist. She'll delve into the criminal underworld of late 19th and early 20th century New Hampshire, with a special focus on Portsmouth.

About the Presenter
Milli was born and brought up in Maine, graduating from Oxford Hills High School in South Paris. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Social Sciences from the University of Southern Maine (called Po-Go U back in the day). She went on to get her masters as a Reading Specialist, which supported her career in teaching in the Londonderry (NH) School District.

For years she had a genealogical research company called Rootin’ for You and became interested in creating genealogical support material. Milli is the author of What’s News in Coos County, Volumes 1 & 2; The Knowledge of Mankind; Manchester in the Mirror; ‘Til Divorce Do Us Part; and Obliged to Ask for Relief, all published by Heritage Books of Bowie, MD.

After preparing a spreadsheet for the NH State Archives based on the first prison register housed in their vault, she was intrigued by the stories of crimes and criminals suggested there and wrote her first crime book Hard Time in Concord in 2005. Several years later, she began volunteering with the NH Cold Case Unit which led to her being hired as their paralegal/data analyst in 2022.

Milli is married to Paul Knudsen. They have four grandchildren who keep them energized and grounded. Outside of work Milli is a quilter, a reader, a golfer, and loves ballroom dancing with Paul.