Category Archives: American History

How Did Smith Brothers Cough Drops Get Its Name?

Posted on January 14, 2019 by

William (Trade) and Andrew (Mark) were the sons of James Smith, who moved his family from St. Armand, Quebec, to Poughkeepsie, New York in 1847. A carpenter by trade, Smith meant to open a restaurant, Smith’s Dining Saloon, in his … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, business, medicine, science | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A “Christmas Eve” Tale from 1820

Posted on December 24, 2018 by

Today, I share with you a “Christmas Eve” piece from the Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. The piece comes to us from Washington Irving. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., commonly referred to as The Sketch Book, is a collection … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British history, Christmas, customs and tradiitons, tradtions | Tagged , , , ,

“Begging Letters” in History

Posted on December 5, 2018 by

We have all received those letters and emails requesting money or asking someone to invest in a scheme. Here is one of the recent ones I received, which is addressed to “Dear Sir.” OOPS!!! Obviously, my gmail account sent the … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British currency, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era | Tagged , , , , , ,

In History, “False Teeth” Were Not So False

Posted on November 26, 2018 by

  What we refer to as “false” teeth are not false, for most dentures in history contained real teeth, either from an other human or from an animal. Some of the oldest finding regarding false teeth come to us from Mexico. … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, British history, Elizabeth I, fashion, history, inventions, medicine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

My Memories of the Marshall University Plane Crash

Posted on November 14, 2018 by

This is not a post based on Jane Austen and her writing or on the Regency Period in England as you would customarily find on my blog. Rather it is a a moment in time when I stood witness to … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, film, real life tales, sports history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

The Battle of the Bees: A Revolutionary War Skirmish Won by American Patriots and a Swarm of Bees

Posted on October 3, 2018 by

I live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Battle of Bees plays an important role in the region’s history. Also known as the Battle of McIntyre’s Farm, the Battle of Bees was a Revolutionary War incident, which occurred on … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, American History, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, research | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Early Origins of the Novel

Posted on August 15, 2018 by

In the mid to late 1700s, the novel, as a means of literary expression developed to an art form. In many of the Regency-based romances that I read, it speaks of the “novel” being something females might read, rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, book excerpts, British history, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Jane Austen, publishing, reading habits, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments