Historical Research
An 1801 Whodunnit
Say you’re on a jury in 1801 Massachusetts. On trial is a young man accused of killing his sweetheart. Her family did not approve of their connection. On the day in question, he had told two witnesses he passed on the road that he was on his way to her…
The Trial of Margaret Douglass
From American State Trials: “A Southern lady (Margaret Douglass) living with a daughter in Norfolk, Virginia sixty-six years ago (1853) and being greatly interested in the religious and moral instruction of colored children and finding that the Sunday school where they were allowed to attend was not sufficient, invited them…
Lizzie Borden Not Guilty – Her Period Did It
This is the bedroom where Lizzie Borden allegedly took a hatchet to her step-mother. (And you can actually stay here in this room – the house is a bed & breakfast now.) I’ve long known about the infamous axe murder of her parents and the fact that Lizzie was generally…
Trial for Bastardy – 1808
Place: New York City Time: August 1808 On Trial: Alexander Whistelo, “a black coachman” The Story: “Adam-colored” Lucy Williams and her black lover Alexander Whistelo had a child together, a child whom Whistelo accepted as his own until his friends (possibly named Iago?) “put it into his head that it…
Women, Menstruation, and Lysol
“For perhaps the first time in your active, tom-boy life, you must accept the fact that you are a girl. … You’re a girl and you are getting ready for the special role of childbearing. … You may think you were intended to be a Hollywood star, or a scientist,…
Colonial Coffee House
Guess what the newest exhibit at Colonial Williamsburg is – a coffee house!From The Washington Post:”Now [Williamsburg] is home to the modest Charlton’s Coffeehouse, built from scratch on historic foundations and billed as the only 18th-century coffeehouse in America.””At some point in the 1760s a young immigrant named Richard Charlton…
Remembering Henry: the 89th American Division and the End of World War One
The Red Poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day, 11 November. Remembrance Day was started in 1919 as Armistice Day, to honor the end of The Great War. The War to End Wars. Which came to be known as World War I. After World War II, the name was changed…
Prince Albert’s Prince Albert
From the Archives:Yes, we’re back to piercing again. This is sort of a tangent off of my Victorian Breast Piercing Research – it’s male piercing. If you don’t know what a Prince Albert piercing is … try Wikipedia.You will find many websites – and even books – declaring that this…
More on Victorian Nipple Piercing
From the Archive:Okay, I’ve found another book that mentions the “bosom ring” – it says that Victorian English women would go to France to get their nipples pierced.This book is from the same era (1970s) as the other book that referenced Victorian nipple-piercing. It does not contain any direct quote…
Victorian Nipple Piercing
From the Archives:That got your attention, right? I’ve been off doing research for a Victorian short story I’m writing. I luuvvvv doing research. This is one of the books I read. Tell me what you think:A history of make-up by Maggie AngeloglouMy reviewrating: 4 of 5 starsI really liked this…