Charles Sumner, 1865, by Matthew Brady Statesman Charles Sumner was one of the very few political men in Washington, DC, with whom First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was friends. She believed that most of those who frequented her husband’s offices – office seekers, and men in Lincoln’s Cabinet, in the…
I can no longer use the following items as excuses for not posting any blogs recently: The old computer died, and I am still working to get used to the new one and get everything set up. I’m still missing some programs, and some email accounts still won’t send. There’s…
Sophie with Sophie May Ten days ago, my husband’s sister-in-law Sophie R. Chetwynd died after an extended illness. Her death has disrupted our lives, which are usually far from tranquil with everyday activities and events, but this sort of thing always prompts some thinking on our loved ones and on…
Tecumseh, from life, artist unknown One hundred and ninety-eight years ago this week, during the War of 1812, Tecumseh’s warriors and their British allies met defeat by American forces under William Henry Harrison (future president) at the frontier Battle of the Thames, north of Lake Erie near present-day Chatham, Ontario….
Daniel Boone, 1820 On September 26, 1820, intrepid frontiersman Daniel Boone died, a few weeks short of his 86thbirthday. He had spent a lifetime exploring the frontier west of the Appalachians. The myth and legend surrounding this American icon grew rampant even in his lifetime. The sixth of eleven children,…
This month in 19thCentury American history features many events of significance in the heritage of African Americans. On September 15, 1830, the first Negro Convention of Free Men convened in Philadelphia, PA, with a mission to identify problems to the black race in the United States and to establish practical…
Yes, I know, I’ve neglected my blog recently. I’ve been quite busy (as if no one else is!). September is always crazy around here, and we don’t have time to go to the bathroom. But I want to settle down and get back to regular posts. I do enjoy researching…
Unlike Tornado Alley in the nation’s mid-West, New England is fortunate to suffer only rarely from tornados of magnitude. Every year, funnel clouds are sighted across the region, with little or no destruction reported. We are not immune to tornados, however, as we fell victim this past May to two…
It may cool you off a little, as we wallow in the current swelter, to think about the snow that fell in Calais, Maine, on July 20, 1890. From the report “Observations of the New England Meteorological Society in the Year 1890,” published in the “Annals of the Astronomical Observatory…
Mary Lincoln “Peggy” Beckwith On July 10, 1975, thirty-six years ago this week, Mary Lincoln “Peggy” Beckwith, Abraham Lincoln’s only great-granddaughter, died in the hospital at Rutland, VT, age 76. When her younger brother Robert “Bud” Todd Lincoln Beckwith died ten years later, Abraham Lincoln’s direct bloodline came to an…
