Meet the new Library Director

Meet the new Library Director
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=O7vWla1lGqQ

Wanted: Volunteers

Small local charities, such as the Friends of the Roxbury Library, rely on volunteers to provide vision and execution of programs and fundraising for the causes they support. Volunteering for your favorite charity can be a wonderful experience.  In today’s busy world, carving out time to volunteer can be challenging, but oh so rewarding.  There are several ways for you to become more involved with the Friends; as you do your spring cleaning, put aside your unwanted gently used books for our upcoming sale. We will begin accepting book donations Thursday April 19^th.

Or do you enjoy browsing our semi-annual book sale tables looking for your next bedside read? It takes a village of volunteers to take the mountain of donated books to make those neatly sorted tables you peruse. Circle March 31^st on your calendar for the Sorter Orientation meeting and join the village.

Another option this summer, murder will be in the air as we partner with the Roxbury Arts Alliance on murder mystery night to celebrate the finale of Adult Summer Reading. We are looking for a murderer, witnesses, detectives as well as behind the scenes helpers. If you have murder on your mind, e-mail us at FriendRoxburyLib@aol.com or post a message on our Facebook page.

Among Friends Feb 2012

It's been awhile since my last post. Here's the first of many 2012 entries. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=I92cnHRIpq0

History Does Matter

My nephew often complains that history is boring, that it isn’t relatable to the present. Tonight I have proof that his hypothesis is wrong. And that the proof involves his family past and present.

Joe Armstrong at
John Armstrong's grave

I’ve had a road block regarding information on my great-great-great grandpa John Armstrong. In my ongoing ancestry quest, I attended a chat tonight on Civil War research tips hoping for someone to help me find more information on John. While I didn’t find a lot of information on John’s individual record, I did find a fascinating book “The Story of the Forty-Eighth, a record of the campaigns of the Forty-Eighth Regiment Pennsylvania veteran volunteer infantry during the four eventful years of it’s service in the war for the preservation of the union” by Joseph Gould. This particular John Armstrong served in the 48^th regiment from 1861 until his death in 1864.
 

The first story that touched me was about the early 1864 furlough of the regiment (pg 156). That trip took the regiment by train from Pittsburgh to Altoona and finally home to Pottsville. What struck me about this trip was the history of these locations for my family. This John came to America from the Isle of Mann in 1838 settling in Pottsville to work as a miner prior to the war.  My 2nd great-grandpa, Michael Armstrong, and his son Edward Lewis also worked the mines until Edward left the area to work on the railroad in Altoona. 

If this was my John Armstrong, he would have left for the war when Michael was 7 and he was dead by the time Michael was 11. He never would have met my great-grandpa Edward or my grandfather or father whom both born in Altoona. He would never know how the tracks he traveled on his last trip home would 87 years later take his great-great grandson on the reverse trip from Altoona to Pittsburgh where my father met my mother.

At this point in time the only facts I know about John’s time in the war are about his final battle at the Spotsylvania Courthouse in May of 1864. Private John Armstrong was wounded by gunshot on May 12^th in Spotsylvania, sent to a backline hospital in Washington DC where he succumbed to his wounds on July 1, 1864. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

On the day Private John Armstrong was mortally wounded, another soldier Comrade John Morrisey had a premonition he would not survive the day (pgs 178-179). Morrisey turned to his friend Sgt William Wells beseeching him to relay a message to his sister Mary that he died facing the enemy. As the battle commenced, Comrade John Morrisey was shot through the head. During a lull in the battle, Sgt Wells buried his friend.  Later during the war, Sgt Wells was injured and sent to a hospital in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania where John’s sister Mary Morrisey found him. Sgt Wells shared with Mary Morrisey her brother’s last words. This story gave me chills when I realized not only that John Morrisey and Private John Armstrong fought in a battle on the same day that ultimately killed them both, but the hospital where Sgt Wells and Mary Morrisey met was the same hospital where I born... Can anyone say small world.

August Among Friends

I just finished this month's Among Friends e-newsletter. If you're local to Succasunna, I hope you'll stop by the library Saturday and dish books with us.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Among-Friends.html?soid=1104907686970&aid=6NxK1jkxdlI

Upromise Guest Shopping for Kim

I just found a cool new site to help save for my nephew's college expenses! When you shop through their portal or dine in registered local restaurants a portion of the bill is added to your account. You can use the money for any member of your family's college expenses.

Upromise Guest Shopping for Kim

Book Club

Tonight is my book club meeting. I had been waffling about whether to attend because I didn’t have the book. Then this morning the library email notification system sent me the e-book link to this month’s selection “The Happiness Project”. Now I just have to power thru the book and I’ll be all set for tonight’s book club.

But of course nothing is that simple in my life. I replaced my original Sony e-reader (which I donated to my library) with my lovely nookColor. Since my switch I haven’t been able to download library books to my computer and my nook. Luckily a few weeks ago I attended Book Expo America (BEA) and a wonderful Overdrive rep clued me into the solution to my problem. I had to remove Adobe completely from my computer, reboot & reload. That way Adobe would forget about my Sony e-reader and embrace my nook. Well that was a few weeks ago and like all good procrastinators; I did nothing with the knowledge until this morning that is. In order to read the book club selection, I had to fix Adobe 1^st. So an hour + several reboots later  “The Happiness Project” was on my nook. Now to read it before tonight’s meeting…

Oh if you're wondering why I'm posting this when I should be reading, check Chapter 3 and the dictionary for procrastination.