The Northeastern Pennsylvania Genealogical Society recently moved its library to Annex Two of the Kirby Health Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre. What a delight to return to this regional treasure, now housed in a second floor suite of rooms filled with bright ambient light and tended by a dedicated corps of family history sleuths. Today I … Continue reading Today’s Trip to the Genealogical Society: The marriage of Martin Corrigan and Mary Walker
1861
The Union of Martin Corrigan and Mary Walker: Throwback Thursday
The United States was teetering on the brink of civil war as Mary Walker of Tamaqua (PA) made plans for her union with Ebervale (PA) coal miner Martin Corrigan. President Abraham Lincoln spent the Easter season contemplating the resupply of Fort Sumter. Mary and Martin completed the final details for their marriage. On Easter morning, 31 … Continue reading The Union of Martin Corrigan and Mary Walker: Throwback Thursday
Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of the Virginia Dodsons, 1853-1865
A couple of months ago I received a query regarding my ancestors, the Dodsons of Mecklenburg County, Virginia. In particular, Angela Pearl Dodson was seeking information about the slaves that this family owned, or that relatives of this family had owned. I circle back to this topic today, with a posting from the special collection … Continue reading Friend of Friends Friday: Slaves of the Virginia Dodsons, 1853-1865
You have to read this!! – 1861:The Civil War Awakening
Growing up in southwestern Virginia I studied the War of Northern Aggression American Civil War twice before leaving elementary school. Book reports, timelines, war monuments, heroes' homes, battlefields and class lectures were integral pieces of the Lost Cause/States' Rights curriculum. None of that childhood education or my recent family research prepared me for the chaos … Continue reading You have to read this!! – 1861:The Civil War Awakening
Project 150: Ira and Serena Sayles in 1861
November 1861 The rolling hills of Allegany County, New York were studded with trees, bare-limbed but for the oak trees. Red brown leaves would be clinging fast to those branches until harsh winter winds pulled them into crunchy swirls. Ira and Serena Sayles would have been leading very full lives on the campus of … Continue reading Project 150: Ira and Serena Sayles in 1861
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 