Category Archives: American History

January 7, 2015 · 10:35 am

Bordentown, POSTCARD HISTORY SERIES

DSCF3454DSCF3457

DSCF3458I

In case you didn’t know…..the latest book on Bordentown (NJ) from Arcadia Publishing is a postcard book. It’s full of pictures of the postcards printed about Bordentown for over 100 years. The newer ones represented, are the motels and restaurants in the township. Patti DeSantis and I collaborated to bring you another book about our beloved town for their Postcard History Series. While many of the postcards may be familiar to you, there are many more pictured that are rarely seen, even by postcard collectors.
For your convenience, Randy Now’s Man Cave on Farnsworth Avenue still has some books in stock. The cost is $21.99. Barnes & Noble in the Hamilton Marketplace carries them and of course, Amazon on-line.
Check it out. Look for your favorite postcard and those that you haven’t seen before. Enjoy!

Leave a comment

Filed under American History, book review, Manual Training School, Mastoris Diner, New Jersey Turpike, Old Ironsides, Sheraton Motor Inn, trains

Tagged as ,

July 28, 2014 · 10:09 am

WRITING IN BOOKS

DSCF3332

DSCF3334

DSCF3334
DSCF3335Were you taught to not write or mark your books when you were growing up? Teachers especially stressed that the books loaned to us for class had to be reused the next year and the year after that. Strong words were spoken about the love and care of books.

That love and care of books remains with me today and the memories of those teachers. Yet after decades of keeping my books pristine has changed drastically.

In the 90s I came to appreciate and to buy mostly used books. Often I would open a book to see a personal note written on the flyleaf by someone gifting the book. This brought me into the scene of the giver and receiver. A privilege; almost like being invited to share a confidence.

Pictured here, the John Woolman, American Quaker by Janet Whitney book, a first edition published in May 1942, is inscribed, To Cousin Gertrude, a Direct Descendent of John Woolman, with love and best wishes, from H…. Hutchinson Cook. The dots replace the writing I could not read. The first initial could be an H or a TH. I wonder about the relationship between these two cousins. I imagine the delight she felt with receiving this gift. He sounds happy to have found this book for her to read.
The original price in the book is $3.75. It is listed online for $33.00 to $85.00. For serious book collectors the inscription would lower the value of the book. I think of it as adding value.

More on this subject in the near future.

Leave a comment

Filed under American History, books, general, opinion, reflection, writing

Tagged as , ,

March 26, 2013 · 8:00 am

Pssst……..in case you haven’t heard:

DSCF2528DSCF2526DSC00306
Sherman Johnson has invited me to his radio show to talk about ghosts….& things that go bump in the night and maybe more….wow! ….on the radio! WARR 1520 AM or on your computer….on Wednesday, 27 March at 10 am. Who knows what subjects may come up……it’s a month for women’s history! Join us, expect the unexpected………..
AND
Thursday 28 March 2013, at 5 pm at the Warren County Memorial Library….a Reading, Signing and talking about: Ghostly Spirits of Warren County & Beyond. Question & Answer period to follow. I’d love to see you. C’mon out and we’ll talk…

Leave a comment

Filed under American History, Bordentown, paranormal, women

Tagged as , ,

March 8, 2013 · 10:01 am

Ghostly Spirits of Warren County, North Carolina & Beyond – a Reading going on

TA-DAH! For the latest good news.
I’ll be reading from my newest book “Ghostly Spirits of Warren County and Beyond at the Warren County Memorial Library on the 28th March from 5 – 6 pm.

A candle in the window, a man who walks through walls, a woman from long ago…..peek into the personal stories of hauntings from those who wish to remain in their place on earth instead of going forward into the after-life. Warren County was a wealthy, thriving place during the antebellum years. Warrenton was the hub of activity, a destination on market days where friends gathered. These imprints were left and remain today.

Stories brought to Lake Gaston come to life as events are unveiled by those who have the gift of seeing what others cannot see. Stories of their paranormal moments and they are sharing them with so you can learn and understand more about the afterlife.
Added is the historical background that will endear you to place and time, to personal experiences for your compassion and understanding. As time progresses and changes are made, some spirits remain as they were forever.
DSCF2526
Come join us if you can, spread the word, it’s happening at 119 S. Front Street in Warrenton, NC. Books will be available to purchase or bring yours in to be signed. Refreshments will be served. Thursday, 28 March 5 – 6 pm. Question period following.

Leave a comment

Filed under American History, paranormal

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 13, 2012 · 5:19 pm

Major Fraser’s

Back in the 80s when the mortgage rates dropped to an all-time low, I trained and became a real estate appraiser, thanks to Ed MacNicoll owner of the business of that name. Architecture had long been of interest to me and that position fueled my passion for it. I often got the assignments for the big, old Victorians or farmhouses that took more work and time to appraise. I loved the challenge and still do love it .

Little did I know that what I learned in that profession would be called on when I wrote Major Fraser’s, but expanding in a different sense. Yes, the house is the basis for the story but Major Fraser and his family are the heart of it carrying the story from Bordentown to South Carolina and into France.

He came from Scotland in the 1700s, reason unknown to me but many families lost all they had after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Even if they fought against England during that conflict, many that took the forced loyalty oath, adhered to it and fought for England during our Revolution. Thomas Fraser did, fighting his way up to the rank of Major.

During the War he married Southern belle Anne Loughton Smith. After the War they lived in Charleston and Philadelphia. They came to Bordentown during the dangerous summer seasons to get away from big city killing diseases.

Major Fraser’s, whose daughter married Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew,  is a dip into the past history of our country revealing the personal stories of people who lived before we were a country and on up until the present.Image

2 Comments

Filed under American History, Bordentown, women

Tagged as , , , , , , ,