Tag Archives: U.S. history

U.S. Grant and Son: Meeting Lincoln

Little Fred Frederick Dent Grant (1850-1912) was the oldest son of Ulysses S. Grant. His earliest memory of his father may have been when he was four, and he and his two-year-old brother were playing on the porch of their … Continue reading

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George and Martha Washington: Dinner for Two

When George Washington married Martha Custis, he was a well-known personage in Virginia. Col. And Mrs. Washington For fifteen years, George Washington, former Colonel of the Virginia militia, lived in gentrified society, which included a seat in the House of … Continue reading

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IKE: Bearing Witness to the Unthinkable

By early April, 1945, US soldiers in Europe were horrified by scenes that had hitherto been semi-dismissed as “rumors.” Death Camps and Corpses For a few years, there had been undercurrent rumors that the Germans had embarked on wholesale internment … Continue reading

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Lincoln and Sherman: Plugging the Hole

When Abraham Lincoln became President, he knew very little about the military. He learned quickly. The Bull Run Debacle The Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, was an eye-opener on many levels. The Union forces, mostly short term … Continue reading

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Saying Goodbye to FDR

Death is always private, but the death of a world figure becomes a public event. President Roosevelt’s Health When Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in April, 1945, the world was stunned. He had been US president for twelve years, just recently … Continue reading

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ULYSSES UNDERGROUND: A Book Review

If anyone wants to know anything – even the most minute detail about the abolitionist movement and/or the Underground Railroad, particularly as it applies to Southern Ohio & Indiana, let them look no further than G.L. Corum, who knows practically … Continue reading

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Under This Roof: The White House and the Presidency: A Book Review

Everyone knows the White House. Everyone should know the Presidents. And the rooms themselves are a national treasure! Paul Brandus is a long time Washingtonian  POTUS expert, and happily for all, a fellow who understands his audience. He does not … Continue reading

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Martha Randolph: Jefferson’s One Slender Thread

Martha Jefferson Randolph had many advantages as Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, but her life was far from happy. Patsy: The Early Years Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was twenty-seven when he married Martha Wayles Skelton, a twenty-three year old widow with a toddler … Continue reading

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The Presidential Stepping Stone

More than half our Presidents have been lawyers, at least by discipline. Whether they liked it or not, and even whether they actively “practiced law” is something else. POTUSes Reading Law In the “olden days,” one did not need a … Continue reading

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Nellie Taft, Edwardian

  No one wanted to be First Lady more than Helen Herron Taft!  The Root of Nellie Taft’s Ambition Nellie Taft (1861-1943) had her eye on the White House from her teens.  Her family was prominent in Cincinnati, Ohio, and … Continue reading

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