The Union army appeared to be making quick work of the southern insurgency as the United States entered the new year of 1862. Recruitment offices around the north just shut down. Why keep something open when it was so clear the war was going to end and soon? But then came General McClellan's attempts to … Continue reading Volunteer! Volunteer! Brave Hearts of Allegany!
New York
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
Amanuensis: A Letter from Ira Sayles to brother James K. Sayles, 1869
Rushford, Allg. Co., N.Y., Saturday, July 24, 1869 My Dear Brother, James, Yours of the 18 inst[ant] came to hand, last evening. I need not say I was somewhat surprised: for I had lost all trace of you. My last to you was directed to La Porte, and was never answered. I received a paper … Continue reading Amanuensis: A Letter from Ira Sayles to brother James K. Sayles, 1869
Sometimes You Can Go Home
On May 28, 2016 I drove through the rolling landscape of north central Pennsylvania to the New York border. I drifted west over winding backroads until I hit the outskirts of an ancestral home. Along the banks of Cryder Creek, Whitesville contains the memories of pioneering people, including the White and Teater families, from which I am … Continue reading Sometimes You Can Go Home
The Passing of Sarah Sayles: Sunday’s Obituary
I want to thank Nick at the Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society in Janesville, Wisconsin, for his help in retrieving the following obituary in the Sabbath Recorder, volume 22: issue 18, p. 71. DIED In Wellsville, N.Y.; February 24th, 1866, Mrs. SARAH SAYLES, wife of Christopher Sayles, in the 72nd year of her age. She … Continue reading The Passing of Sarah Sayles: Sunday’s Obituary
Shoots, Roots, and Leaves 