Category Archives: Nifty History People

Lincoln: The Triumphal Stroll

The Procession As far back as recorded time goes, when a Great War was over, the victors paraded through their towns and villages, trumpets blaring. Hundreds, and even thousands of soldiers glittered in their armor, assembled and proud.  Most marched. … Continue reading

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Thomas Jefferson and the Cheshire Cheese

Cheese Practically all cultures include cheese (no pun intended). It basically an offshoot of milk, whether from a cow, a sheep or a goat, etc. to include the curd. As one would expect, the different animal milk produces different types … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison: Medium Payne

The Promise of Payne Payne Todd had no memory of his natural father who died in a cholera epidemic when his toddler son was a year old. Aside from the fact that his mother remarried a year later to one … Continue reading

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Civil War Divas: Mary & Julia Part II

After the initial “how-do,” Mary Lincoln and Julia Grant did not meet again for a year. Mary Lincoln: 1864-5 Mary Lincoln took a long time to emerge from her deep grief over her son Willie’s death in early 1862. Custom … Continue reading

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Jefferson, Madison and Mellimelli

Piracy was not new in 1800. It had been around for centuries. The Barbary Pirates For centuries, North African countries then part of the Ottoman Empire, augmented their respective economies by state-sponsoring rogue pirates to plague commercial shipping on the … Continue reading

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Mary Lincoln’s Bad Hat Story

First the source. When she was a very old lady in 1931, Julia Taft Bayne published a slim volume called Tad Lincoln’s Father. It was her personal memoir of 1861-2, when, as a teenager, she spent a good deal of … Continue reading

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Poems by Presidents: The First-Ever Anthology

A Book Review Roses are red, Violets are blue, POTUSES, Politics. Poetry too? What a surprise! Editor Michael Croland has amassed a charming little array of actual poetry (ok, plus a few limericks and light verse) written by some of … Continue reading

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James Madison: Quarantined by a Hat

Hats Circa 1776 James Madison is seldom connected to a amusing (somewhat) story, so here is one to treasure! Head coverings for both men and women have always held an important place throughout history. Some religions demand them inside a … Continue reading

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Mary Lincoln and Julia Grant: The CW Divas Part 1

The similarities were apparent; the dissimilarities were intrinsic. Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1883) was seven years older than Julia Dent Grant. From Kentucky and Missouri respectively, they were both considered “westerners” in the early part of the 19th century. They both … Continue reading

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Dolley Madison: Little Payne, Little Pain

In many ways, Dolley Payne Todd Madison had a (1768-1849) charmed life. A loving childhood, her essential wants and needs met, and an exposure to the excitement of Philadelphia – the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the USA.   … Continue reading

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