History
-
Symbolism Run Amok: The Demise of the Bellamy Salute
With their right arms extended stiffly forward, angled upward with fingers straight, man, woman, and child reflexively spoke the familiar…
Read More » -
Genealogy Mystery #1: Fayette, Missouri, 1887
Genealogy Mystery #1: Fayette, Howard County, Missouri – 24 May 1887 I was browsing an antique store on July 29,…
Read More » -
Divining the Truth: The Ancient Mystical Practice of Dowsing
Having spent years discussing all things genealogy with fellow family history enthusiasts, the subject of dowsing for the location of…
Read More » -
Strange Traditions Involving Death in the Victorian Era
The following traditions involving death were once commonly observed in the United States and elsewhere in the English-speaking world. While…
Read More » -
Murder Castle: Henry Holmes’s Hotel of Horrors
Dr. Henry Holmes was a serial killer who built a hotel of horrors dubbed the “Murder Castle” in Chicago in…
Read More » -
Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient Orion P. Howe
Inspiration at Vicksburg: Poetry Beyond the Forlorn Hope In the December 31, 2018, edition of the Missouri Unionist you’ll…
Read More » -
Jesse James: The Legend Who Would Not Die
For anyone who grew up in the Ozarks, the James brothers are not just historical figures, they are local legends.…
Read More » -
Ernest Smelcer (1903-1991), Pulaski County, Missouri
Ernest Smelcer was born in or near Crocker, Pulaski County, Missouri, on December 15, 1903, to James Benjamin Smelcer and Sarah…
Read More » -
Unlikely a Lincoln: The Improbable Progeny of Honest Abe
October 14, 1968, was a day like any other in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a rough year nationally for the…
Read More » -
A Long Journey into Night: Abraham Lincoln’s Corpse at Rest
Although Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, his final burial didn’t occur until 1901, and only after his coffin had…
Read More »