Month: February 2022

image_pdfimage_print

Moving Day

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

It is easy to forget how hard life was in the early years of our country’s founding. One way to remember is to read the first-hand accounts of people who were there. The following narrative was written by Lavinia Morris, my aunt’s third great-grandmother who, with her Baptist minister husband, moved their family of eight from Kentucky to Ohio, some 200 miles north. It was in the early 1800s.

“The road from Bellefontaine, Ohio to Lima, Ohio was hub deep in mud and the trees and brush had to be cut out part of the way. We landed here on the 8th of October and built a house 16 feet square out of poles. A door served for a window. We built a fire in one end of the house, without any chimney, allowing the smoke to go out through the cracks and crevices. We lived this way until my husband could build a chimney and a door, and chink and daub the house. The house was built without any floor, and we lived this way for one year. We then built a log cabin with puncheon floor, and a square hole with paper pasted over it for a window. This was equal to the finest parlor in those days. We brought three barrels of flour with us which lasted one year with corn meal. We had plenty of wild meat, such as deer and turkey, and wild fruit, such as grapes, plums and berries. I remember one instance, I think it was in the fall of 1834, we were without bread for four weeks, as the nearest place we could get grinding done was Cherokee in Logan County or Sidney in Shelby County, but we had plenty of pumpkins, squashes and potatoes.”

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Privateer or Pirate?

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

William Joseph Kidd, the 8th great-granduncle of my niece’s husband, was, by all accounts, an accomplished seaman. He was born around 1654 in Scotland at a time when sailing was fraught with dangers. England was at war with France and piracy was common. Kidd, recognized for his skill and bravery, was given a privateering contract by high-ranking English investors. He was also given the 34-gun Adventure Gallery as well as the license to attack and seize French ships along with any pirate ships he came across. The spoils were to be split between the crew and his backers.

He set sail for Madagascar and the Indian Ocean, known to be a hotbed of pirate activity, but for the next two years found little action. A third of his crew died of disease and the rest were becoming surly. His luck changed in 1698 when he captured the Queddah Merchant, a Moorish ship with cargo owned by Armenians and captained by an Englishman. While it was not covered under the terms of his contract, it was allegedly sailing with French papers so Kidd decided it was fair game. He seized the ship and its contents, selling them off and dividing the proceeds with his crew. Their gain would be the equivalent of about two million dollars by today’s standards.

Kidd moved onto the Caribbean but news of his actions reached British shores and his investors, now influential members of the government, moved quickly to distance themselves from him. They labeled him a pirate and worked to keep their involvement with him a secret. Meanwhile, Kidd, learning of this, went to New York to clear his name. But first, as pirates are now known to do, he buried his treasure on Gardiner’s Island off of Long Island.

He was arrested and though he vehemently proclaimed his innocence, he was convicted and executed on May 23, 1701. While his treasure off the shores of New York was recovered, there are tales of a second treasure Captain Kidd may have buried “in the Indes” which, to this day, remains to be found.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

The Brown Lady

~ michaelhvs ~ 1 Comment
image_pdfimage_print

The legend of The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall dates back centuries. Lady Dorothy Walpole (1686-1726), a distant relative of my daughter-in-law, was the second wife of Charles Townshend. Upon learning of her prior extra-marital affair with Lord Thomas Wharton, the temperamental Townshend had her locked into her room at the family estate and forbade her to see any of her seven children. She remained there until she died. Her cause of death is still debated. She either succumbed to smallpox or suffered a broken neck from being pushed down the Grand Staircase.

However she perished, the reports of her ghost appearing in the halls of her family home are well documented. The first sighting was in 1835 by Colonel Loftus, a Christmas guest of Viscount Townshend, who allegedly saw a female image clad in a brown brocade dress, as he was retiring for the evening. He recognized her from her portrait that hung in the hallway. He chose not to remain in the house.

The next year, Captain Fredrick Marryat, a friend of Charles Dickens and a popular author of sea novels, specifically requested to spend the night in the “haunted room.” He claims to have come face to face with The Brown Lady. Startled, he discharged his firearm point blank at the image which immediately vanished. His bullet lodged in the door across the corridor.

In 1936, a photographer for Country Life magazine was taking pictures for an article on Raynham Hall. He captured an image (pictured above) that some believe to be proof of the spectre. It has been largely discredited. There have been no further sightings since that time.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in family memories through the digialization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

All The World’s A Stage

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

The years between 1500 and 1660 is widely known as the English Renaissance which saw a flowering of the arts, particularly within the dramatic field. William Shakespeare was, of course, the most notable figure to come out of this time. But he was not alone. Near the end of this grand period came James Shirley, the 10th great-grandfather of my aunt. He was a favorite of King Charles I and became the leading playwright for Queen Henrietta’s Men (the second leading acting troupe of the day, only behind the King’s Men for whom Shakespeare wrote.).

He was a prolific writer, credited with 37 tragedies, comedies, tragi-comedies and masques before his art was stymied by the times in which he lived. When the London theaters were closed in 1636 to prevent further spread of the plague, he moved to Dublin to become the dramatist for St. Werburgh’s Theatre. He moved back to London in 1640 but then Parliament again banned stage entertainment after the first English Civil War in 1642, citing the current “times of humiliation” and their incompatibility with “public stage-plays”, representative of “lascivious Mirth and Levity.” Shirley turned to teaching and the publication of some educational works. Following the English Restoration in 1660, the ban was lifted but Shirley never again wrote for the stage… although many of his previously produced plays enjoyed a revival.

Shirley and his second wife suffered devastating loss during the Great Fire of London (1666) which led to both of them dying shortly thereafter due to fright and exposure.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

The Green Duck Company was founded in 1906 in Chicago, Illinois as a metal stamping and novelty production house. Within two years they landed the prestigious contract to produce campaign buttons for the presidential runs of the candidates from both political parties (Republican William Howard Taft and Democrat William Jennings Bryan). Their market dominance continued throughout the next six decades. It is estimated that they were responsible for 80% of all campaign buttons made during the 1950s.

The name Green Duck was chosen as it was a combination of the two founding businessmen, George Greenberg and Henry Duckgeishel. While they were predominantly known for their buttons (political, corporate, or commercial), they did make other kinds of metal novelty items including license plates, commemorative spoons, cigar cutters, etc. During WWII, they supplied the U.S. Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions with “crickets” or “clickers” which resembled a child’s noisemaker. These were used during the D-Day landing to distinguish American troops from the enemy. Two clicks for a U.S. soldier; four clicks meant a German soldier was nearby.

Green Duck continued to manufacture campaign buttons as late as the 1960s, generating two designs each for JFK’s and Nixon’s campaigns. However, the signs of waning appeal were already beginning to show. By the time the company was approaching its 100th anniversary (after multiple changes in ownership), its doors were closing for good. But in its prime, it provided steady employment for hundreds of workers, including Walter J. McLaughlin, the great-grandfather of my niece’s husband.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotape, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Dunrobin Castle

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

The story of Dunrobin Castle is a story of earls and dukes that dates back to the 14th century.  Located in the Highlands of Scotland in what is now Sutherland, the land was granted by King Malcolm I to a Flemish knight named Hugh de Moravia. In 1235, his son William was made 1st Earl of Sutherland.

The Sutherlands were thus one of just seven medieval earldoms of Scotland and part of the ruling elite of the country, intermarrying with many of the other important families of the time. On Nov 19, 1614, Jean Gordon-Sutherland was born within the walls of the castle keep. She was the 10th great-grandmother of my niece’s husband.

The castle, which began as a fortified square structure with walls six feet thick, evolved over the years. Its largest redesign took place in the 1800s when it was remodeled by architect Sir Charles Barry who transformed the fort to a house with a Scottish Balmoral style and French influences which tripled its size. It remains privately owned and used as a family residence although sections of the castle are now opened to the public and available to tour.

The motto of Clan Sutherland is “Sans Peur,” which is French for “Without Fear.” It appears on the Countess’s Coat of Arms and the Clan Crest.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

Tornado of 1929

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

Natural disasters are nothing new. In the early 20th century, especially in the rural/agricultural areas of our country, they could be especially devastating.

In April of 1929, a series of tornadoes cut a swath of death and destruction across half a dozen counties in Georgia and South Carolina. Over 70 persons died and several hundreds were injured in the storms which also destroyed many family homes and ruined the crops (and livelihoods) of their farms.

At approximately 8pm in Cochran Ga, some residents described a red, whirling funnel advancing up the main street before swerving some five blocks from the town center. It descended on a settlement known as Happy Hill, virtually wiping it out. It then jumped to Dexter GA and again to Renz GA before moving up the Atlantic seaboard into Spartanburg SC. Every place it touched down was left in ruins.

Reports of miraculous salvation came from all corners. A family saw their home blown to bits as they took “shelter” by lying in a drainage ditch. They were unharmed. Seven farmhands were lifted by the tornado and flung far into the air, landing in the Canoochee Swamp. They lived to tell the tale.

Others were not as fortunate. A second tornado formed around 11pm in Metter GA, where my 2nd great aunt and uncle lived with their family of five. Their home, which at the time was known to be the oldest home in Metter, was splintered by the winds, collapsing upon the family residing inside. All were pinned underneath the debris but it was my 65 year old great-aunt, Sarah J Trapnell (nee Buie), who lost her life.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio of Mount Dora specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.

The Black Hawk War

~ michaelhvs ~ Leave a comment
image_pdfimage_print

History is filled with events little thought about or even remembered today. Yet every pebble thrown into the pool of time causes ripples. The Black Hawk War of 1832 may have lasted only a little over 4 months but it did cause ramifications felt for many years after.

It began when Black Hawk, a Sauk leader, led a group of Indians (known as the British Band) from Iowa Indian Territory, across the Mississippi River, into the state of Illinois. Perhaps he was hoping to reclaim land sold to the U.S. in the disputed 1804 Treaty of St Louis.

The U.S., expecting hostile action, mobilized a frontier militia (which included James Adams, the 4th great-granduncle of my niece’s husband.) They opened fire on a delegation from the Native Americans on May 14, 1832. While Black Hawk was initially successful in engaging the U.S. forces before leading his followers into a secure area in what is now Wisconsin, the British Band were tracked down in August of that year and defeated. Black Hawk surrendered and was imprisoned for a year.

This small “war” served as impetus to the U.S. policy of Indian removal, pressuring Native American tribes to sell their lands and move west of the Mississippi. It also gave a 23 year old Abraham Lincoln his only military service – as captain within the volunteer militia. He saw no actual combat and mustered out shortly after the skirmish ended.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives, and slides. For more information, call 352-735-8550 or visit our website.