My Cousin the Queen Celebrates Her Platinum Jubilee

As this weekend’s celebration of Queen Elizabeth 70 years on the throne wind down, I decided to check out Wikitree’s Connection Finder to see if and how they say I am related to the crown jewels.

My fav tiara!  https://pin.it/4cJMItk

The shortest distance between myself and the Queen is on my dad’s side, but the connections are not all blood related and include Wallis Simpson so doubt there is any tiara borrowing options with this connection.

Now my mom’s side is interesting.  Wikitree says Queen Elizabeth II and I are 12 cousins twice removed. 

I would think a 12^th cousin should at least be granted an overnighter in one of the lesser castles, a private showing of the crown jewels and a photo op wearing ones tiara of choice.

God Save the Queen!

Happy Heavenly Birthday to my 3rd Great Grandma

Happy 139^th Heavenly Birthday to my 3^rd great grandma Mary AnnWoodward.

Mary Ann Woodward was born on June 3, 1839, in Abergavenny in the coal mining area of Monmouthshire,Wales. Her parents John and Sarah Price Woodward married at 17. Mary Ann was the second of their five children.  Mary Ann’s time in Wales was as turbulent as it is sad. Her education was lacking, she never learned to read or write. Her sister died before her first birthday. Mom Sarah died when Mary Ann was 11, her father died a scant two years later, leaving Mary Ann and her siblings orphans. The eldest, her brother William remained in Wales working as a puddler [Puddling is a process converting pig iron into wrought iron with the use of a furnace]. I haven’t been able to trace sister Emma after her parents died.  Mary Ann left the coal region of Wales for the coal region of Pennsylvania. There she reunited with her younger sister SarahMaria Armstrong.

Mary Ann married an Irish coal worker, Thomas Forbes in 1855 in Schuylkill County, PA. They had eight children: Bridget [my 2^nd great grandma], Catherine, John Patrick, Mary Anna Fisher, Thomas Jr, Ellen Purcell, James and Michael Henry.  

During the Civil War many miners including Thomas moved their families to the Shamokin area for work. The late 1870s were difficult times as the country reset itself following the war while railroad and mining management/labor unrest grew. In 1877 the first major uprisingin Shamokin took place, leaving miners like Thomas once again unemployed with little or no resources at their disposal. Daughter Bridget presented her parents with their first grandchild. Little Emma lived with her grandparents for her first few years of her life as shown in the 1880census.

Mary Ann like her parents, died an early death. She passed on March 13, 1884, in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, at the age of 44, and was buried in St Edwards Cemetery.

HIS STORY SPEAKS TO US: HONORING BLACK REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER OLIVER CROMWELL

Revolutionary War Soldier Oliver Cromwell had 14 children and a multitude of great grandchildren. Wednesday he will be honored at his home; the event will be is teeming with his descendants, modern day neighbors, and history enthusiasts. The City of Burlington and the New Jersey State Society Daughters of the American Revolution [DAR] will co-host the unveiling of the Commemorative Bronze Marker for the "Original Home of Revolutionary War Soldier - Private Oliver Cromwell" at 10am, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at the 100 block East Union St in Burlington, New Jersey.

DAR’s mission is to raise the visibility of our Patriots creating interest in who they were and enthusiasm for what they accomplished. New Jersey DAR State Historian Deb Hvizdos has spent years researching American Patriots and their contributions to the founding of this great nation. With Private Oliver Cromwell she knew she found a man and his story that needs to be told.

Oliver Cromwell was born in 1753 in Burlington County, New Jersey and lived to be 100 still residing in the county. He served as a private in the 2nd New Jersey Regiment between 1777 and 1783 fighting in many of the battles that eventually lead to American victory and independence. His discharge papers note he received the badge of merit were signed by George Washington. During his later years he sat outside his home on East Union Street engaging with passerby and neighbors alike. It is at this home where the NJDAR honor him. The placing of this marker is in line with the Society's mission of Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism.

The City of Burlington is rolling out the red carpet, Main Street is lined with Oliver Cromwell banners and a Fife and Drum corps who will be performing during the day. The Daughters of the American Revolution will be represented by President General Denise VanBuren, New Jersey State Regent Bonnie Matthews and the NJDAR Board of Management. Speakers for the day include Secretary of the U.S. America 250! Commission Lynn Forney Young, DAR Historian General Laura Kessler, family members Jane Fox Long and Pastor Timothy Hutton.  

Revolutionary Patriot Ned Hector has sent word he looks forward to attending the ceremony honoring a fellow Patriot. The color guard representatives from the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Revolution and the Rhode Island 14^th Regiment bring us back in time on historic Union Street.

Reisha Raney, host of Daughter Dialogues is speaking on the “Untold Histories from American Revolution Patriots’ Descendants of Color”. As a DAR member, Reisha works to perpetuate the legacy of all the men and women who achieved independence. The Daughters of the American Revolution is taking a leading role in researching and promoting how diversified participants assisted in the creation of our nation, including those who were African American, Native American and female. DAR is committed to better telling the stories of these Patriots, who have all too often been left out of the pages of history.

Additional information about Private Oliver Cromwell’s military service and history as well as other Patriots can be found on the Daughters of the American Revolution  Patriots of Color online genealogical research database as well as the online DAR exhibit “Remembrance of Noble Actions: African Americans and Native Americans in the Revolutionary War.”

Come out to Burlington, New Jersey join the celebration and learn about our collective American history.

Americans Forces Battled British and Hessian in Trenton: Final Score 2-0

New Jersey is under appreciated for their role in the American Revolution. The Battle of Assunpink Creek is a pivotal moment in that history. Twice during in the 10 Crucial Days of the American Revolution, American forces met their foe in Trenton and defeated them. After the famous Crossing of the Delaware, the Americans went on the offensive for the first time, attacking the garrison in Trenton, defeating the Hessians. Then on January 2, 1777, the Continental Army met British and Hessian troops on the banks of the Assunpink Creek in what is now Mill Hill Park. Three times the British tried to storm the bridge and were repelled with terrific losses. One Continental said of that night “The bridge looked red as blood, with their killed and wounded and their red coats.” This second battle in Trenton was the lynchpin of the offensive as Washington’s troops were able to defeat both British and Hessian troops that night. The Continental Army then marched to victory in Princeton at for the third and final battle of the campaign.

Bonnie Matthews, State Regent of the New Jersey State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NJDAR) and State Board of Managers are proud to announce the unveiling of the DAR America 250! Patriots Marker. at 2pm, Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at Mill Hill Park in Trenton, New Jersey. This is a part of the DAR national initiative to raise public awareness about the men and women who achieved American independence.

NJDAR State Regent Matthews is hosting the event. The Sons of the American Revolution will post our Nation’s colors. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) President General Denise VanBuren will give remarks. The marker unveiling ceremony of the “Revolutionary War Patriots – This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence. These Patriots, believing in the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to form a new nation. 1775-1783.” marker will involve DAR America 250 National Chair and Secretary of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission Lynn Forney Young, DAR Historian General Laura Kessler & NJDAR State Historian Deborah Hvizdos.

DAR Daughters work tirelessly to honor Revolutionary War patriots, engage youth through contests and educational programming, and support efforts to better tell the story of underrepresented and diverse patriots who helped to win the American War of Independence. To learn more about DAR membership, visit njdar.org or contact njdarstateregistrar@gmail.com.

The Madden Connection

The Connection Finder on WikiTree is closer to a Six Degreesof Kevin Bacon relationship than a blood relationship. Still, it is a fun tool and can open up lines of research. For me it helps satisfy my dad’s side of the family until I can break through multiple brick walls that can make WikiTree’s Relationship Finder accurate enough to use. Today’s connection should make the football fans in the family happy.

From Patriot Ancestor to President Hoover

One of the fun things you can do with WikiTree is find famous relatives. The WikiTree mission is to create an accurate, single family tree that makes genealogy free and accessible for everyone. Anyone can enter their family information linking to already existing family members. Now the fun begins.

 Amongst the famous relatives list is US Presidents; my closest relation is the 31st President.

Swiss born Gregor Jonas Huber is my linking ancestor to President Herbert Hoover. Gregor, my 8^th great grandfather was born in what is now the Canton of Aargau. In 1698 he immigrated to Germany due to religious persecution. Shortly after settling in Ellerstadt he married fellow Swiss immigrant Anna Kreutzer. They had eleven children including my direct ancestor Johannes Jacob and President Hoover’s direct ancestor Andreas. Both brothers immigrated to the American Colonies; one settling in the north, the other in the south. 

Johannes Jacob married Maria Magdalena shortly before boarding the Mortonhouse bound for Philadelphia; eventually they settled in Lancaster County. Now that, Covid fears are waning, I plan on making a trip to Lancaster to find out more about my ancestor’s history in that area.

Their son, my 6^th great grandfather, JacobHoover is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution as a Revolutionary War Patriot. Simply put, Ritts Kids cousin’s, you are eligible to apply for membership with the DAR or Sons of the American Revolution.

Almost all of my direct ancestors came into America via Philadelphia, and in a generation or two settled in the Bedford - Blair - Cambria county area. Martin Hoover, my 5th great grandfather was an exception. About 1805, he along with his second wife Catherine Knee and several of his grown children decided to travel west settling in Ohio and Indiana. 

Martin's daughter Christina, my 4th great grandmother did not travel west with her father and siblings. She married  Dunkard Preacher John George Metzker, remaining in what became Blair County. They had 13 children in 19 years, including my ancestor Isaac who ran the family farm. His daughter Eliza moved back to farm with her younger children after both her mother and husband, Alexander Hudson passed away. Eliza, her parents and several children are buried in the Mennonite Cemetery which is down the street from the farm she grew up on.

Mennonite Cemetery by the Altoona Airport

Eliza’s eldest daughter Lizzie, married Harry Ritts. They had nine boys and my Nana, whom we affectionately refer to as the Ritts Kids. The “kids” were raised on a farm in Antis Township, which is now the Pine Grove exit on Rt 99. Only a few Ritts Kids descendants still reside in the area. Most moved west to Pittsburgh and beyond.

Wreaths Across America Radio Interview

Earlier today I was interviewed by Michael Hale from Wreaths Across America Radio about the Daughters of the American Revolution's partnership with Wreaths Across America.

https://soundcloud.com/wreathsacrossamericaradio/wreaths-radios-meet-the-dar-armstrong?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

Betty White Connections

Last week we lost the beloved Betty White. Known to make people laugh through her work on Golden Girls and Mary Tyler Moore, most people don’t realize she was a pioneer in TV. She and the late great Irma Phillips laid the foundation of TV’s daytime landscape; Betty White helped found daytime talk shows, while Irma Phillips is the mother of daytime soaps creating Guiding Light ranks as the longest running scripted show. GL aired for 72 years before going off the air in 2009. To celebrate our feat, the Daytime Emmy’s asked Betty White to introduce the Guiding Light tribute at the 36th Emmy Awards. This week I began reading When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong which profiles both of these great women. Granted I’m only a couple of chapters in, but it is a fascinating read.

WikiTree believes we are all connected so of course I had to check out how I might be connected to Betty White. According to their calculation I am 19 degrees from her connecting through my mom’s brother’s wife’s line to Allen Lunden, Betty White’s husband.

My new obsession is with Jigsaw Explorer. A friend posted links to a few puzzles she created and I was hooked. Besides her puzzles I can select a photo from my computer and turn it into a puzzle. I've been having a great time solving personalized puzzles. Now I want to share a photo puzzle with my nephews. Apparently the image has to be associated with a web address and be a .png or .jpeg. 

Let's see if posted to this blog I can use this photo for a puzzle. Got it, here it the puzzle link https://jigex.com/kMPJ

Family Christmas Connections Part 2

On this Christmas Eve, I thought I’d share my WikiTree connection to the beloved The Christmas Song crooner Nat King Cole. My parents loved that big band and smooth singing of Nat, Frank and Dean. Their songs became the background music of my childhood. Natalie Cole’s tribute to her daddy, Unforgettable always brings a smile to my heart and a tear to my eye.

Nathanial Adam Coles was born 17 Mar 1919 to Perlina Adams and Edward James Coles in Montgomery, Alabama. The Reverend Coles moved to a new church in Chicago, IL when Nat was 3. Nat and his brothers, Ike, Eddie and Freddy, got their music start thanks to their choir director mama. By age 14 Nat had formed his first band. He hit the charts with his next group the King Cole Trio, penning several of their hits. As his fame grew, he moved into a solo career and starred in his own TV show, The Nat King Cole Show. A chain smoker, he died of lung cancer. Posthumously he gained a new generation of fans when daughter Natalie with the help of modern technology recorded several duets with her father.

Missing my daddy, I can only imagine the heartache in the Cole family that February 1965 when first Grandpa Coles passed on the 2^nd only to be followed by his famous son thirteen days later. The last of the Cole brothers, Freddy Cole, past away a few months ago at age 88.

Family Christmas Connections Part 1

This morning I received an email from WikiTree showing how I am connected to several famous singers known for some of my favorite Christmas tunes. Over the next few days, I will be sharing these finds. 

“Bing’ Harry Lillis Crosby Jr, [born May 3, 1903, Tacoma, Washington, U.S. – died October 14, 1977, near Madrid, Spain]. Harry became known as Bing as a young kid; after his favorite comic strip, The Bingville Bugle. The Academy Award winner starred in song filled movies including Going My Way, High Society and White Christmas.

The Crosby family has long ties in America. Great Grandfather Captain Nathaniel Crosby #3 on the chart [1810-1856] moved the family from the east coast to the west coast to capitalize on the California Gold Rush shipping timber to China. Bing’s 3^rd great-grandfather Private Nathaniel Crosby, #5 on the chart [1733-1827] fought in the American Revolution. The first Crosby immigrant, Simon Crosby emigrated to New England in 1635 aboard the Susan & Ellen.

 

Bing Crosby’s co-star in White Christmas, Rosemary Clooney is also a WikiTree connection. A 6^th generation Kentuckian, Rosemary [23 May 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky – died 29 Jun 2002 in Beverly Hills, California] has family dating back to the beginnings of the state. Her 4x great grandfather Colonel William L. Farrow arrived with his widowed mother to the Kentucky frontier in the summer of 1784.

Rosemary began her show biz career singing with her sister Betty. Primarily known as a singer, her hits include Hey There, This Ole House, Half as Much and Tenderly; she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Roxbury Wreaths Across America Covid Edition

Like most things this year, Covid mucked up this year's Wreaths Across America event in Roxbury. Pivoting we scrapped the popular indoor remembrance ceremony, extended wreath laying over two days, and I pulled an all-nighter putting the last pieces of the virtual ceremony video together. 

Hopefully next year we will be back inside the sanctuary for our remembrance ceremony and Fellowship Hall for our post event lunch. To that end, Wreaths Across America is kicking off the fundraising season by matching any wreaths sponsored to RoxburyWAA.org between December 19 – January 15

The 10th President of the United States has a Grandson Still Living in 2020!

Cool Historical Fact Learned Today

10th US President John Tyler

The 10^th President of the United States has a grandson still living in 2020! President John Tyler [1790-1862] served as President from 1841-1845. Vice President John Tyler became President after William Henry Harrison’s death only one month into his presidency. While President, John married for the second time at age 54 to twenty four year old Julia Gardiner. President Tyler only served on term then moved he and Julia moved back to Virginia.¹ John and Julia had seven children:

David Gardiner Tyler [12 Jul 1846 - 5 Sep 1927]
John Alexander Tyler Jr [7 Apr 1848 - 1 Sep 1883]
Julia Tyler [25 Dec 1849 - 8 May 1871]
Lachlan Tyler [2 Dec 1851 - 26 Jan 1902]
Lyon Gardiner Tyler [24 Aug 1853 -12 Feb 1935]
Robert Fitzwalter Tyler [12 Mar 1856 - 31 Dec 1927]
Margaret Pearl Tyler [20 Jun 1860 -30 Jun 1947]²

President Tyler died in 1862 when Lyon was only eight. Like his father Lyon married twice. First to Anne Tucker, then at age 70, to Sue Ruffin. Lyon and Sue had three children:

Lyon Gardiner Jr. [3 Jan 1925 – 26 Sep 2020]
Harrison Ruffin Tyler [ 1928 - ]
Henry Tyler [18 Jan 1930 - 26 Jan 1930]³

Little Harrison was only seven when his father Lyon Sr died, his mother passed away when he was 25. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather, Harrison graduated from William and Mary in 1949 with an engineering degree. Cool side note, Harrison’s great-grandfather Virginia Governor John Tyler⁴ was college roommates with Thomas Jefferson. Father, Lyon Sr did not attend William and Mary however was the college’s President for 34 years from 1888 to1919. Back to current day, Harrison’s brother Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr recently passed away in September 2020⁵, leaving Harrison, at age 91, the last of President Tyler’s grandchildren still living.

Sources:

1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-tyler/ 

2] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tyler-150

3] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Tyler-149

4] https://www.wm.edu/as/history/news/news-archive/2001-2005_archive/harrison-ruffin-tyler-49-pledges-5-million-to-lyon-gardiner-tyler-department-of-history.php

5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/lyon-g-tyler-jr-grandson-of-president-john-tyler-dies-at-95/2020/10/10/6c5825c8-0a60-11eb-859b-f9c27abe638d_story.html

Relative Finder Says I'm Related to George Washington!

While playing around with FamilySearch.org I found a new toy - Relative Finder, which I suppose is their answer to the now defunct We're Related app by Ancestry. Relative Finder has found connections to 180 famous, infamous and otherwise notable people including 13 US Presidents. I was aware of distant connections to two presidents, Herbert Hoover & Richard Nixon through my own research. Today I verified my connector ancestors to George Washington. 

Curious thing as I look at this chart, my patriot ancestor Bancroft Woodcock and George Washington are 6th cousins. Contemporaries, the two corresponded with at least one letter from Bancroft to the General still in existence. At one point when Wilmington, Delaware was under consideration to become the US capitol, Bancroft's beloved Bellveau set upon a hill overlooking the city was a candidate for the presidential residence. 

Laundry, errands and reports beckon, more discoveries will have to wait until another day. 

Happy Birthday Samuel H Burket!

Today is my 2^nd Great Grandpa Samuel H Burket’s 179th birthday. He was born in April 21, 1841 to John Burket and Elizabeth Ulrich Brown. He was a lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren and resident of Hopewell, PA. Samuel followed in his father’s footsteps farming their land in Yellow Creek. Married twice to women named Mary; with the first Mary [Weaverling, 1841-1872] with whom he had three children – David, John & Elizabeth. The second Mary [Fluke Replogle, 1843-1912] a widow, also brought three children to the marriage. 

Black Beauty by Ann Sewell

A neat find while researching Samuel - he liked to read. These blurbs were in the Everett Press back in 1894.  In honor of his birthday and his liking of Black Beauty I re-read the book during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

With the 1918 Pandemic raging across the country his daughter Elizabeth died in September 7, 1918 of acute meningitis while Samuel died of a stroke on March 19, 1919 at age 77.

Right to Vote - Check, Run for Office - Check

In my last post, I wrote about my nana and her mother gaining the right to vote. Since then, I have been introduced to a new ancestor on my dad’s side who went beyond casting a vote. Eusebia Krise born 1884 in Altoona, lived most of her life in the New York City area. Eusebia was 35 years old, single, working as a clerk for a furniture store in New York City when she gained the right to vote in 1920.

Eusebia's Candidate Photo

Two years later, living in the Junior League Hotel for Women at 78th Street and East River, New York City she decided to run for the 16th District New York State Senate seat as a Prohibition Party candidate. The Prohibition Party founded in 1869 is the nation’s third-oldest operating political party. Since 1872, the party has fielded presidential and vice presidential candidates every four years. The Prohibition Party was formed by a group of disillusioned Republicans defecting from the GOP, believing that big business had claimed their party. They decided to focus their new party on the continuing problems caused by alcohol. The new forward-thinking party also sought suffrage for women and was the first to grant women equal status as convention delegates. As a modern single working woman it is understandable why Eusebia would have been drawn to the party's women's plank. While we have not found any concrete information that Eusebia actively participated in the suffrage or prohibition movements, it seems logical she must have been involved in one if not both the movements, given her run for office on the Prohibition ticket. As the only woman running for the office she came in 4th in the field of five. Clearly this was a lady ahead of her time, and I am proud to call her cousin.

For my Armstrong cousins this diagram shows how Eusebia Krise fits into our family tree.  After a DNA match led me to Lewis Krise I have had contact with one of his great granddaughters who is a wealth of information on this branch of our family including providing pictures of Eusebia. There is a question as to whether Lewis Krise was Eusebia’s biological father. However, Lewis treated her like a daughter, and she carried the Krise name so she’s family.

#familyhistory #womensvote100 

100th Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote

Ritts Family Reunion Circa 1927

This photo popped up on my Facebook timeline today. As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment, I reflect on what a difference the suffrage movement had on the women in this picture. My Great Grandma, Lizzie Hudson Ritts [1866-1947] was a grandmother many times over before casting her first ballot. While my Nana, Mary Ritts Burket [1893-1981] was married and had a daughter before gaining the right to vote. My Aunt Maybelle Burket Gillespie [1917-1992] age three 100 years ago was part of the first generation of women to grow up with the right to vote. #WomensVote100

Mary Ritts Burket and Lizzie Hudson Ritts

Maybelle Burket Gillespie with her parents and childern

Effort Underway to Support Wreaths Across America in Roxbury, New Jersey

Ferro Monte Chapter DAR is looking for wreath sponsors to ensure that all veterans at Succasunna Cemeteries are honored this December

Thank you wreath
made by Roxbury children

The Ferro Monte Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and local volunteers are working hard to ensure that all veterans laid to rest at three Succasunna cemeteries: Flanders-Hillside, First Presbyterian Church and United Methodist Church. are honored this December on National Wreaths Across America Day. This year, the ceremony, held simultaneously across the country at nearly 2,000 participating locations, will be on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019.

The goal: to place a live, balsam fir veteran’s wreath at the headstone of every veteran buried there and spread patriotism and ensure no one if forgotten. The cost: Each wreath sponsorship costs $15.

 “Every wreath sponsorship is a meaningful gift from a grateful American who knows what it means to serve and sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “We are so grateful to the community of Roxbury for participating in our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.”

“It is an honor and a privilege for DAR to support Wreaths Across America” said Denise VanBuren, DAR President General. “For years DAR members have remembered those who have worn the uniform of our nation through participating in their local Wreaths Across America observance.” The Daughters of the American Revolution is a volunteer women’s service organization with more than 185,000 members, who seek to honor their revolutionary ancestors and promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism in their communities. The partnership between DAR and WAA helps to ensure communities across the United States learn the indelible mark our veterans have on our country and the value of honoring their sacrifices. National Wreaths Across America Day is a free, non-political event, open to all people. For more information, to donate locally, please visit www.RoxburyWAA.org, facebook.com/RoxburyWAA, and twitter.com/RoxburyWAA.

About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 1,800 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. To learn more about Wreaths Across America visit youtube.com/WreathsAcrossAmerica

About Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 185,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organizations.  DAR members are committed to volunteer service having served more than 12.5 million hours in communities throughout the world during the past three years.  To learn more about the work of today's DAR, visit DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media: facebook.com/TodaysDAR, twitter.com/TodaysDAR and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.

The Sewing Machine

Today I started "The Sewing Machine" by Natalie Fergie. It is a story spanning four generations

Review: Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mysteries, #1)

Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mysteries, #1) by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A new series by one of my favorite authors Sheila Connolly, a little mystery, a little history and a little genealogy. The heroine of the series Kate Hamilton is a hotelier in Baltimore when a childhood friend asks her to help "save" their hometown. Sheila paints a picture of a small town who's best days may be behind it unless it can be re-imagined. The old 1800 mansion the town recently acquired figures prominently in Kate's revitalization plan for the town and her life.

Best yet, my favorite character Nell Pratt and the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society from Sheila's Museum Mysteries series is called upon to help sort out some historical finds at the Henry Barton estate. Whether the treasures inside the estate will be enough to save the town only future books will tell.

Unfortunately, Kate and the police first have to solve who killed Kate's high school nemesis at the Barton estate.