Tag Archives: history

George Washington: Disposing of Stuff

The Retired General George Washington (who preferred his military title of “General” once retired from the Presidency) was only 67 when he died in December, 1799 – a couple of weeks before the turn of the nineteenth century. No doubt … Continue reading

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Mother Bickerdyke: Civil War Ranking Nurse

Right after the Civil War, there was a huge parade in Washington, DC. Leading the Soldiers On May 23, 1865, as the intense mourning over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln began to slowly ebb, the newly discharged Army of … Continue reading

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The Tragic Death of Bennie Pierce

The Pierce Parents When Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) married Jane Means Appleton (1806-63) in 1834, he was nearly thirty, a fine age for a man to marry. Mature, and financially solid enough in trade or profession to provide for a wife. … Continue reading

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Corinne: The Long Neglected Roosevelt

Little Sister Corinne The iconic Theodore Roosevelt was one of four siblings. The oldest of the four remarkable Roosevelts was Anna (1855-1931), called “Bamie” by her siblings, and “Auntie Bye” by the next generation. Despite an early childhood illness which … Continue reading

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G.P.A. Healy and the Portraits of Presidents

The Young Artist George Peter Alexander (usually known as G.P.A.) Healy was definitely born poor in 1813 to Irish immigrants in Boston. A bit late to his calling, he was sixteen when he first picked up a brush, but the … Continue reading

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General Grant’s No-Exchange Order

Hard to Believe, But… After millenniums of savage butchery, more “civilized” armies faced each other on the most favorable empty grounds they could find and they became battlefields, far from villages and towns and private citizens. If a belligerent was … Continue reading

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Frances Cleveland: Saturday

Frances Folsom Cleveland was only 21 when she became First Lady. The Young FLOTUS-To-Be Frances Folsom (1864-1947) was the total antithesis of her husband, sitting President Grover Cleveland. She was young (he was 49), slim and trim (he weighed in … Continue reading

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Martha Washington’s Speckled Apron 

Mistress Custis, Mistress Washington Martha Dandridge (1731-1802) was not born to wealth per se. She was born, very much like George Washington, to a family of gentry. Her father, John Dandridge, owned several hundred acres. This entitled him to a … Continue reading

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Al Smith: The “3-P” Loss of 1928

Al: A Brief Run-Up Alfred Emanuel Smith (1873-1944) was born to Catholic immigrants in a rough neighborhood on NY’s lower East Side. He identified with his Irish forebears, but in fact, he was a mixed breed. His father was working … Continue reading

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George Washington’s Birthplace: Pope’s Creek 

Spoiler Alert: This site is a re-creation. Nevertheless… The Land Itself… Pope’s Creek, a beautifully situated tributary of the Potomac River in a still-rural and sparsely populated area of Westmoreland County, in Virginia’s Northern Neck, had been in the Washington … Continue reading

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