Notice of Sherman Sayles' suicide attempt appeared in newspapers throughout the country. It's hard to know if my great-grandfather, Clifton Sayles, subscribed to any of them. He may not have learned of his younger brother's peril until the Chase City, Virginia family was contacted by administrators at St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C. Sherman had traveled … Continue reading The Tigerish Glare: part two
Sayles
The Tigerish Glare: part one
Sweat beaded across the brows of the Third Missouri Volunteers as they marched the mile and a half from Dunn Loring Station to Camp Alger, Virginia in late May of 1898. Sherman Sayles, newly enlisted private, was older than most of his mates, but no less determined to become a military man. He, along with … Continue reading The Tigerish Glare: part one
Weekly Scribe: Ira Sayles to E.B. Hall, 9 October 1884
This letter was sent to Ira Sayles' pharmacist buddy, E.B. Hall, during the USGS employee's field work several months after the June correspondence. Though Ira does not name the son who is traveling with him through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, it can be deduced. Ira and estranged-wife Serena lost their daughter, Florette, in 1858 … Continue reading Weekly Scribe: Ira Sayles to E.B. Hall, 9 October 1884
Weekly Scribe: Ira Sayles to Edwin B Hall, 1884
Today I transcribed this letter posted from my 2x great-grandfather, Ira Sayles, to his long time friend, Edwin B. Hall, at the end of June, 1884. I suspect that the friends first met in the 1860s after Ira's sister, Rhobe Sayles Crandall, moved with their elderly parents to Wellsville (Allegany County, New York) where Hall … Continue reading Weekly Scribe: Ira Sayles to Edwin B Hall, 1884
Horizons Expand
In early February I tracked Christopher Sherman Sayles, my great-grandfather's youngest brother, to St. Elizabeth's Hospital, a mental asylum for the residents of the District of Columbia and for the veterans of the US armed forces. Sherman had enlisted in April 1898 with Company C, Third Missouri Volunteers, Second Division, Second Corps, swept up by … Continue reading Horizons Expand
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 