It’s good to catch up with a relative, even if they are long gone. I never met my great uncle J.E. (Joe) Thompson, Jr., but thankfully, he left behind hand-written notes that chronicled some important, and some not so important, events in his life, including a few details about his legendary trip around the world. […]
Judah P. Benjamin Was Forced to Leave His Desk Behind
When Judah P. Benjamin fled the country following the Civil War — he needed to skedaddle since he’d served as Secretary of State for the Confederacy — there was only so much he could take with him. First, the portly attorney could only fit so much on his horse, which he rode through the South, […]
J.R. Boyce Tells All in Revealing Graveside Interview
This blogger caught up the other day with his third great-grandfather, J.R. Boyce, for a graveside interview at the Benton Avenue Cemetery in Helena, Montana. Though available for only a few minutes before returning to his rightful place in heaven, James Richard (1817-1898) was characteristically gracious and clear-minded during his first contact with a live […]
Elizabeth Boner’s Close Cousin Went Down With the Titanic
Going through some old family photographs, I stumbled on the one to the left–a picture of a young Elizabeth Boner, my great grandmother, posing with her cousin, Walter Clark. My mother always said that Bessie Boner (1878-1954), whose mother died when she was seven, was raised by “the Clarks,” and by that she probably meant […]