Browsing All Posts filed under »Cumberland Valley history«

A new “area” Civil War blog

October 20, 2016 by

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It’s been a long time since I’ve acknowledged a new Civil War blog on the scene, but, in that this new one also focuses on a portion of the area which holds my interest… it merits a shout-out. So, for those who are interested in western Maryland… and that general area, thereabouts, in the Civil […]

Who were Orrstown, Pennsylvania’s Copperheads?

September 28, 2016 by

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Though I haven’t mentioned it, this past summer my wife purchased a “retreat” in central Pennsylvania. So, when I’m not otherwise overwhelmed keeping up with everything else going on, I’m enjoying the advantages of being in TWO fine valleys… the Shenandoah, in Virginia, and the Cumberland, in Pennsylvania. Whether by accident or not, the exact location […]

Pine Grove Furnace – the Ironmaster’s Mansion (Gardners, Pa)

September 25, 2016 by

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Yesterday afternoon, I had a chance for a quick dash through part of the countryside of central Pennsylvania. Having just enough time, I took a short detour toward Pine Grove Furnace. When I saw a sign for the Ironmaster’s Mansion, I wondered… could this be the Ege family home? Even if so, why would I […]

In defense of Maryland Christianity… and other things. OTD, 1823

September 9, 2016 by

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Update: I had to educate myself a little regarding early Maryland laws and a “Religious Test” I read about somewhere along the way, in finding the article below. It seems, at about this time, there was an argument being made in the state regarding non-Christians holding political office in Maryland. As early as 1819, there […]

A Shippensburg, Pa. newspaper on emigration of liberated slaves to Liberia (1856)

September 9, 2016 by

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As some may recall, last summer, I started transcribing a pamphlet from the American Colonization Society (ACS). It wasn’t because I just then discovered the story of the ACS, but rather, I became intrigued with the activity of the ACS in the Shenandoah Valley. Additionally, my decision to transcribe the pamphlet was based on 1) the fact […]

Following the drinkin’ gourd? OTD, 1831

September 8, 2016 by

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The clip below is taken from the Torch Light and Advertiser (Hagerstown, Maryland), from September 8, 1831, but the subject of the clipping is a slave named Paul Taylor, who escaped from Frederick County, in the Shenandoah Valley. As he made his escape on August 13, by the time this appeared in the newspaper, he […]

Poke Root poultice for snake bite, OTD, 1826

September 7, 2016 by

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News had an interesting way in making it up and down the Valley… and even into the next Valley over. Take, for example this clipping which notes how an article about a Poke Root poultice, originally published in the Staunton Spectator and later republished in the Torch Light and Public Advertiser (Hagerstown, Md.), saved a […]

Special “representation” at the Carlisle Blue-Gray Reunion of 1881

May 10, 2016 by

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Yesterday, an article (“South Dakota tribe seeks children’s century-old remains from War College site“)* popped up in my news feed which, ironically, followed some information I came across just last week regarding “Indian School” attendees at the Blue-Gray reunion at Carlisle, in September 1881. That reunion was actually the second in two months, the first […]

A year after Appomattox – the Hagerstown mayoral election, Unionism, and the continued “Negro question”

April 9, 2016 by

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Looking among the archives of Hagerstown newspapers this week, I took time to pay particular attention to anything found from 150 years ago. In an editorial in the Herald and Torch Light (Hagerstown), of April 18, 1866, I ran across an interesting piece discussing the mayoral election, candidates, loyalty, and Union. At the center of […]

Northern aid to the Shenandoah Valley (1865)

March 2, 2016 by

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  Scanning through some (relatively) local postwar newspapers, I ran across the mention of a relief society for the Shenandoah Valley… that’s right, Northern aid for civilians of the Shenandoah Valley in the wake of “The Burning”. The only article (in Hagerstown’s Herald and Torch) available to me via newspaper.com, about this society, dated to […]

I-81, North… to Scotland

January 5, 2014 by

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The Pennsylvania Farm Show is something that has become an annual destination of mine. It’s a great event, putting… as one would expect… Pennsylvania agriculture in the limelight. There’s lots to see, and I can’t return to Virginia without what I call “my annual re-provisioning of Pennsylvania agricultural goods.” Cheeses, venison summer sausage, mustards, horseradish… […]

Another assist to Southern Unionists, under the Bowman and Tucker Acts

September 13, 2013 by

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I’ll get back to my current run on the discussion of literacy and literature in the antebellum Shenandoah Valley, but, as I promised… still having a deep and dedicated interest in Southern Unionism…  I know I’ve mentioned it before, that though a Southern Loyalist Claim might be barred or disallowed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it […]

Literacy rates in the antebellum Shenandoah Valley

September 12, 2013 by

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*UPDATE: Actually, though they weren’t part of the 1860 census, the numbers of those who could not read and/or write were tallied in the census for both 1840 and 1850. I will probably tally the numbers from that census to compare with the numbers shown in the 1870 census. I’m sorry to say, there are […]

The socially elite, Southern writers of the 19th century, and their legacy

September 3, 2013 by

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I just responded to a comment on my post from yesterday, and thought that I should raise my thoughts to the level of a post. Who can we point to (among Southern writers/authors of the 19th century), for having had the most influence on defining the ideology of the 19th century South as it existed […]

What’s the objective?

August 27, 2013 by

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For the (over) five years in which I’ve been blogging, I’ve focused mostly on the American Civil War. As the title of the blog suggests, however, I have room to roam whenever I get the whim. I don’t like to keep myself too “hemmed-in”. The title has given me enough flexibility that I feel comfortable moving in just […]

Who was this Capt. Summers who fell at White House Farm?

July 9, 2013 by

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I first encountered a reference to Capt. Summers (see yesterday’s post in which I mention his death) when I was looking into the names of the different G.A.R. posts in this general area. It so happens that George D. Summers Post No. 13 was out of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. There is, by the way, […]

White House Farm and the death of Capt. Summers

July 7, 2013 by

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Just the other day, I was driving in search of a location which has significance in relation to the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg. I found it, and then (being who I am) ventured… or strayed… along the old Charles Town Pike, toward Summit Point and Charles Town. I think my curiosity proved rewarding, as I […]

Who was free black Isaac Dunn?

May 8, 2013 by

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There are certain things that sit there… in my mind… unanswered in my quest to understand better my ancestors and the people around them… and this is one of them. He appears but once, as far as I can tell, in the census records. Isaac Dunn was listed, on September 6, 1860, as residing with […]

The loyal ladies of Clear Spring

March 23, 2013 by

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This past week, WHILBR (Western Maryland’s Historical Library) posted a link on Facebook that caught my eye. It also reminds me… it’s been a while since I’ve written about my people up that way. Anyway, what strikes me is that the article (below) pinpoints such loyalty to the ladies of Clear Spring, Maryland. Indeed, both Four […]

How a picture and an antique beer bottle led to interesting ancestral connections… (conclusion)

January 20, 2013 by

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Picking-up where I left off in yesterday’s post… Ah, yes, but even Draden’s association with alcohol distribution runs further back than that. The 1880s census shows him, as of June 2nd of that year, as a “Bar Keeper”, and boarding at the hotel (“The Crawford”, located on Main Street) owned by W.D.F. Duval, in Salem, Roanoke […]

How a picture and an antique beer bottle led to interesting ancestral connections… (part 1)

January 19, 2013 by

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Sometime in the 1980s, I received a photocopy of a picture (ca. 1887-89) from one of my distant cousins. It showed three men (and a dog & horse) standing in front of a C.C. Moore bottling wagon. I took it that the three men were my third great grandfather, Cyrus S. Moore, and my gg […]

Coincidence?

January 2, 2013 by

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Off topic… sorta, but… In the last week, I’ve scored three major pieces on Ebay; at least “major” to me, personally. All three have to do with my Moore family, specifically rooted in my third great grandfather (the same one I mentioned in the blog post the other day) or his sons. The first piece […]

German influence in the Shenandoah Valley… even into the Civil War

September 23, 2012 by

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I posed a question yesterday… But, how far back, before the 1850s, is it necessary to take such a study? Of course, I meant, specifically… how the varying sentiments during the Civil War era South came to be… and how they might be traceable  to earlier points in time. Again, as one who concentrates heavily […]

Nobody really cares (NOT!): Sesqui 150, “Live” @ Antietam

September 17, 2012 by

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On my drive toward Antietam this morning, I wondered how many would actually be there (here) so early in the morning. Upon closing-in on the park entrance, I noticed the increased traffic. Making the left turn and rounding the corner… the Visitor’s Center parking lot was closed… already full. I continued past the Dunker Church […]

“It is a good time of the day”: Antietam

September 16, 2012 by

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I’ve stopped briefly, after my walk from the Visitor’s Center to the Bloody Lane tower. Part of me considers the civilians on this day, 150 years ago… their concerns of what might yet come. Part of me considers relatives in gray, on the next day, near Dunker Church… Part of me considers relatives in blue, […]

Hurrah, for Thomas Walter! A Sesqui reflection.

September 15, 2012 by

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I had hoped to have this posted on the anniversary of the event, but six days later… can’t be too bad with a “live” blog post from the actual site! So… 150 years ago, six days ago… Thomas Walter saved what is one of the most attractive features of the old C&O Canal… the Monocacy […]

The alarm goes out in Clear Spring, 150 years ago today

September 10, 2012 by

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Following-up on my post from Saturday, I look back again at the village of Clear Spring. I have nothing to show how my ancestors felt… there and in nearby Four Locks. Instead, I rely on what is available… not so much as a reflection of what they also felt, but to add another dimension to the […]

Across the Potomac and into Maryland

September 7, 2012 by

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It’s where my mind has been for the past few days… Since September 4th, I’ve been thinking about the Confederates crossing the Potomac and moving into Maryland, and how long the news might have taken to reach my family members, just to the west of Hagerstown. My third great grandmother Kate Moore lived near Four […]

An ironic newspaper ad

September 3, 2012 by

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But more from our vantage point, and not from those who read it at the time… This is from the September 3, 1862 edition of Hagerstown’s newspaper… 150 years ago today. Now, I guess it seems more ironic because of 1) Hagerstown’s proximity to Sharpsburg/Antietam… and 2) the fact that, in just 14 days, the […]

Maryland’s “Treason Law” of 1862 & the “sharp tune” it played between a Southern Unionist and his Confederate son

September 2, 2012 by

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I’m a little late on this one, and had intended to post something about it in March, when on or near the actual Sesqui anniversary, but… better late than never, I suppose. On top of that, having a severe hankering for western Maryland-related content (it’s been quite a while since I last posted anything about […]

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