Mary Hamilton
The Stuff We Keep Shortly after our parents passed away and we went through the process of disposing of their belongings, my husband and I watched many of our friends go through the experience. We’re at That Age. It’s never easy to sift through someone else’s lifetime collection of Stuff and decide what’s worth keeping, …
One big reason for our tour of the Civil War battlefields was a painting that has been handed down from Great-grampa Hamilton. It depicted a place called Champion’s Hill, but no one in the family knew the significance of it, or even its location. Once we started reading the letters from Great-uncle Robert, we discovered …
Memorial Day I’m jumping out of sequence here on my Civil War travelogue, partly because of Memorial Day and partly because of a recent trip to Gettysburg. Did you know that Memorial Day was first observed (not celebrated) in 1868, just three years after the Civil War ended? It was intended as a day to …
While in Little Rock, Arkansas, I learned about Ed Stilley, a farmer who trusted in the Lord but was having a hard time making ends meet for his family of a wife and five children. In fact, as late as 1969, he still plowed his fields behind a mule. One day, thinking he was having …
Lessons from the Civil War, Pt. 2 Wayne’s Great-grampa Mart and great-uncle Robert were mustered into the Union army in Springfield, IL in August 1861. They trained there before heading to their first encampment at Cairo, IL in September 1861. Lincoln Museum If you ever find yourself in Springfield, be sure to visit the Lincoln …
I don’t write historical novels, but I find history fascinating. Unfortunately, I’m generally not a detailed person, and if I wrote historicals, I’d always be afraid of missing some important fact. But last summer, my husband and I started a historical journey that has led us down an interesting path. Each month, I’ll share a …
Allow me to introduce you to a new author, Terri Wangard. Her debut novel, Friends and Enemies, released this week and I’m very excited for her. The story idea grew out of some letters written by Terri’s relatives during the second World War. She’s been working on this novel for several years now, and I highly …
I first became acquainted with Deborah Heal through her delightful historic/fantasy Time and Again Trilogy. Now, I’m excited to learn she has a new series out. Recently Deborah Heal released Only One Way Home, book 2 in her Rewinding Time Series. Enjoy this excerpt from her book. At the end of the excerpt, “My Cherokee Roots” …
Birthdays seem to stimulate memories. Since this is my birthday month, I’ve recalled quite a few memories. Thought I’d share this one with you. I went to a small elementary school that sat all by itself out in the Wisconsin countryside. When I attended, the school had one classroom for each of the five grades …
