My paternal grandfather’s great-uncle, Eli H. Dowell, was in the 38th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company K, of the Union Army during the American Civil War. His unit took place in many actions in what was considered “the war in the west”, including the major battles of Perryville, Stones River (Murfreesboro), and Chickamauga.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Historical
Lunar Landing – A Half a Century Ago
Incredibly, today, July 20th, 2019, is the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, which fulfilled President Kennedy’s 1961 vow to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
Continue readingTies to the Mayflower
Though it’s estimated that about 35 million Americans are related to the passengers of the Mayflower to some degree, it’s a little rarer to have a direct line to one, and no easy task to be able to prove it.
Continue readingThe Muncie Flyers
Congerville/Muncie Flyers
I recently ran across this well done video over some of the history of “Middletown U.S.A” on the Delaware County Historical Society website.
Continue readingMr. Powell – Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Of all my albums from the 70’s, one of the few I’d listen to when I needed comfort, peace of mind, and a good night’s sleep was Car Over the Lake Album by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, perhaps the most under appreciated band of the era.
Continue readingA Real Doozy!
1935 Duesenberg Convertible SJ LA Grand Dual-Cowl Phaeton. Image source: Wikipedia.
I remember in the fall of 1974 venturing north to Auburn, Indiana for the annual Auburn Classic Auto Auction. Auburn is where the Duesenberg Automobile manufacturer thrived in the earlier decades of the 20th century. The factory still stands and is now a museum and host to the annual event.
Continue readingA Giant Leap for Mankind …
Neil Armstrong in LEM, July 20, 1969. (NASA/Newsmakers)
Flags have been at half-mast with the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong this week, which brought back fond memories of the summer of 1969. Looking back, I recall the enormity of the achievement as it marked the victorious end of Kennedy’s space challenge in which he vowed to “put a man on the moon by the end of the decade”. The awesomeness of the feat has faded considerably over the decades since.
Continue readingOn This Day – The Sesquicentennial
On this day exactly one hundred and fifty years ago, Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard’s South Carolina militia opened fire on Major Robert Anderson’s Union troops in Charleston harbor.
Continue readingChickamauga
There is a creek that flows north through upstate Georgia into the Tennessee River named Chickamauga. The name is derived from an Indian word for “bloody creek”, earned from the numerous inter-tribal conflicts in the area, between namely Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Cherokees.
Continue readingIndiana 84th
For about as long as I can remember, the diary of Samuel B. Smith has been a cherished asset to the family. The first time I laid eyes on the relic was sometime in the early 1960’s and the manuscript was falling apart then. The last I saw of it, the heirloom was in the hands of Wanda Murphey, Jim’s wife. Jim Murphey was Lorraine’s brother. Lorraine was my Grandmother. Samuel B. Smith was Lorraine and Jim’s Grandfather. The scope of the diary is the days while Samuel served in the 84th Regiment Indiana Infantry during the American Civil War. His enlistment was for a 3 year term. Copies of the original diary were made in the 1970’s for all immediate family members. I have had 2 in my possession through the years and have read it so many times that I practically know it verbatim. At the back of the diary is a family tree which is fairly modern, the manuscript was actually penned many years after the events from Samuel’s notes.
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