First Voyage Of Columbus

Source

The Night Before Christmas Was Mentioned

Source

Abstracts of Wills on File in the Surrogate's Office: City of New ..., Volume 29,  By New York (State). Surrogate's Court (New York County), William Smith Pelletreau (Will of Joseph Moore):

"...Benjamin Moore, one of the sons...was the father of Clement C. Moore, noted as a liberal promoter of the Episcopal Theological Seminary in New York, and also a scholar of great attainments, and still more famous as the author of 'The Night before Christmas.'"

A Christmas Eve Custom

Source

Source (Page 94)

Thanksgiving In Plymouth

Source

Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts from the website, America's Hometown, Plymouth Massachusetts.

Independence Day Address

Independence Day: An Address, by Edward Everett Hale:

Quebec During Lent

From Travels through Canada, and the United States of North America: in the years 1806, 1807, and; 1808....:

Looking Back Through The Past

Source

"It is a useful employment for societies, as well as individuals, to look back through their past history and mark the dealings of a kind Providence toward them." [Source]

Independence Forever!

"He died on the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and it is thought that his last words were suggested by the noise of the celebration."

Taken from The Last Words (real and Traditional) of Distinguished Men and Women.

Christmas Eve

Source

Evacuation Day

A description of the First Evacuation Day celebration:

Writers say Washington made his headquarters there [Fraunces Tavern] and that the building was illuminated in the evening.  On this occasion the memorable thirteen toasts were drunk, the first being to "The United States of America" and the last "May the Remembrance of THIS DAY be a Lesson to Princes;" and "The New York Gazette" of November 26, 1783, gives a full account of the parade and ceremonies of the day before and the public dinner given to the Commander-in-Chief at Fraunces Tavern in the evening.  The bill as follows:

Source

For the celebration of Evacuation Day, November 25, 1813, the record states that:

Source

"The Independent Veteran Corps of Artillery assembled at the Arsenal in Elm Street in the morning, and, after performing the duties of the Day, adjourned to Kent's Hotel (now Fraunce's Tavern) and partook of a dinner with usual toasts."

We Were....American Soldiers

SOLDIERS

We were that which others did not want to be,

We went where others feared to go, and did what

others failed to do.  We were.....

AMERICAN SOLDIERS

Happy Halloween

Early Christopher Columbus Bio, Older Portrait

Source

Not the traditional Columbus portrait...

Though Christopher Columbus in his will expressly notes that he was born in Genoa..., several other places have claimed either his birth or his origin. It seems, however, clear...that he saw the light there in 1447 or
1448, his father being a butcher. The old gentleman went to Savona during Columbus' boyhood, and carried on that trade there, also turning tavernkeeper; but he went back to Genoa in a few years, where he owned two houses and was fairly well-to-do, though he died in embarrassed circumstances. Columbus must have been a clever lad, for he was sent to school at Pavia, where he did not stay very long, going off to sea at
fourteen. [Source]

Labor Day In Michigan

Walking across the Mackinac Bridge is a Michigan Labor Day tradition.  Cheering for the Detroit Tigers is my personal tradition, though.

The Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University (my alma mater), was named for a famous labor leader.  A recent article at the Reuther Library blog included the following information that was new to me:

"Metro Detroiters recognize radio station WDET 101.9 FM as Wayne State University’s local voice for National Public Radio. Prior to 1952, however, WDET served as the local voice for labor."

 "The Reuther Library is the largest labor archives in North America and is home to the collections of numerous unions and labor-related organizations."

Captured Kaskaskia On The 4Th Of July

Dedicated In Memory Of

GEORGE ROGERS CLARK

And His Heroic Men Who Captured

Kaskaskia From The British July 4, 1778

A Bittersweet Day

It was a brutal Father's Day, June 16, 1974, when my Dad's fatal heart attack took him from us.

"And now he's gone at only 45 years of age. It's difficult to imagine him having a heart attack. It must have been massive because Dick's heart had room for everyone. It's ironic that he died on Father's Day because his eight children are testimony to love for kids."

Words taken from a 1974 article in the Flint Journal written about my Dad and also featured in my blog.

Memorial Day 2013

National Cemetery At St. Louis, Missouri

Empire Day In Ontario (Now Commonwealth Day)

Empire Day (1898-1957)

Source

Included in the program in 1913 was a poem about King Alfred, the Flag of the Empire, the Meaning of Empire, the Livingstone Centenary, the Death of Captain Scott, and Songs of the Fleet.

A picture of H.R.H. The Prince of Wales was on the inside cover:

Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) will be celebrated on March 11, 2013.

Palms And A Christmas Tree

Jim's parents in Detroit circa 1950's sitting by the Christmas tree

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Participants Represented In The Garden At Huntsville, Alabama