ANCESTRY- AN URBAN MYTH LED TO SPENDING $20 BILLION OVER 25 YEARS The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a 28-mile-long (45 km) canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and...
KATE THOMPSON SMUGGLED A $200,000 STOCK RECEIPT THROUGH UNION LINES We covered the “Confederates on the Great Lakes” on July 13, 2024, Confederates on the Great Lakes and the Mystery of the Silver Teapot” in the June 29, 2024, edition Mystery of the Silver Teapot. We gave you a glimpse into...
THE QUAKER ANTI-SLAVERY MIGRATION FROM THE SOUTHEAST TO THE NORTHWEST John Woolman (1720-1772) was an American merchant, tailor, journalist, Quaker preacher, and early abolitionist during the colonial era. Based in Mount Holly, near Philadelphia, he traveled through the American frontier to preach Quaker beliefs and advocate against slavery and the slave...
MOTORING ON MICHIGAN HIGHWAY 185 IS IMPOSSIBLE Out of more than 4 million miles of public streets in the United States, there’s an 8.2-mile stretch of road on Mackinac Island that stands apart. M-185 is the only state highway in the country where motor vehicles are not allowed. Instead, the traffic on...
HAVE YOU EVER GONE CEMETERY HUNTING? Yes, it is part of Genealogy. I had come across a comment in an old newsletter saying that my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Gilbreath Falls Neill, was buried in the Neill Cemetery across the railroad tracks in Beech Bluff, TN. So, in about 2013, I was in...
THE ROSE OF LONG ISLAND AND HER HERITAGE Julia Gardiner was the daughter of David Gardiner, a landowner and New York State senator (1824–1828), and Juliana MacLachlan Gardiner. The Gardiners had a prestigious heritage, were a wealthy and influential family, and she was taught to value social class and advantageous marriages. She was...
COULD YOU GET A PENSION FOR YOUR DESCENDANTS IF YOU HAD A JOB WITH NO SALARY? The answer is yes if you are a former First Lady. The president's wife receives no salary, but they can receive a pension. I became aware of first ladies' pensions when we visited Sherwood Forest. The...
ANCESTRY- THE HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRE Ancestry, The Hollywood Vampire. The Richmond Vampire (locally called the Hollywood Vampire) is a recent urban legend from Richmond, Virginia. Richmond residents claim that the mausoleum of W. W. Pool (Dated 1913) in Hollywood Cemetery holds the remains of a vampire. Supposedly, Pool was run out of...
5 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN IRELAND. THERE ARE 39 MILLION AMERICANS OF IRISH DESCENT WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GENEALOGY You can imagine the demand to discover Irish records for genealogy purposes; however, Ireland is one of the most challenging first-world countries to find information. Here is one of the reasons why...
BEFORE THERE WAS WOKE THERE WAS WIDE AWAKE, ARE THEY PART OF YOUR ROOTS? The Wide Awakes were a youth organization and later a paramilitary organization cultivated by the Republican Party during the 1860 presidential election in the United States. The organization introduced many to political participation through popular social events,...
Call/Text Dan: 214-914-3598