Blanche Douglass was born in Tensas Parish, Louisiana back in 1860. I don’t know her fathers or mothers name but it doesn’t matter. Anyway, on with the lesson. She married and as such she became the daughter-in-law of T.P. Leathers. You may be asking yourself sooooo? Well now I mentioned that because it ties in with the rest of the story.You see he T.P. Leathers was the Captain of the riverboat Natchez. She was there to see such passengers as Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis as they travelled down the mighty Mississippi. Sorry maybe does the name Blanche Douglass Leathers ring a bell? Hmm, so let me tell you a story for you see back in 1894 she began an historic voyage up the mighty Mississippi as she was the first female steamboat captain on the Mississippi piloting the Natchez up the... 11/18/2016

William Shippen was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1712 to Edward and Abigail. He joined the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia back in 1742. He helped Benjamin Franklin who founded the Public Academy in 1749, serving as one of its trustees.He served as a trustee of the College of Philadelphia from 1755 to 1779, the College is now known as the University of Pennsylvania. He was chosen as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1778 to1780. He remained active well into his eighties. He died in 1801 and is buried in the First Presbyterian Churchyard in Philadelphia.So, no biggie, here right? Well not so fast cowboy for you see it was some of his offspring that will be wrote about later that will tell the rest of the story. more to follow on this man later.  Stay tu... 11/11/2016

Archer Alexander was born around 1810 on a Virginia however there is no official record as Archer was a slave. Archer was bought and sold several times finally winding up on border of Missouri in St. Charles County and Warren County. He married Louisa and they had several children all of which were sold by his owner James Naylor.He worked for Naylor for over twenty years. During that time, he gained the respect of Naylor and was put in charge as an overseer on the farm. Just prior to the Civil War he listened to the political issues and determined that if the opportunity presented itself he would flee from his life as a slave. He did so around 1863. His escape and recapture is something you should read however; it is too long in this forum. Suffice it to say he was kept safe until the E... 11/08/2016

Walter Chauncey was born in New Britain, Connecticut back in 1859 to Everett and Ellen.  He attended Hopkins Grammar School and entered Yale College in 1875 graduating in 1880.  He went on to attend medical school at Yale Medical School from 1880 to 1883 however, a bout of typhoid fever interrupted his studies.  During his time at Yale he played intercollegiate football, then the teams were allowed 15 players.  He served as the head football coach for Yale from 1888 to 1892.  Sadly, he died in 1925 in New York, New York.  What he did between 1880-1925 is what he’ll be noted for in the history books.  For you see today I’m writing about Walter Chauncey Camp.  Does the name ring a bell?  If not that is okay for when I finish I’m sure you’ll remember his name.  he was on various collegiate... 11/04/2016

William was born in Circleville, Pennsylvania back in 1809. He made his fortune in the railroad industry in Pittsburg. Moving to the Kansas Territory in the 1850’s, he founded a homestead in Leavenworth where he lived with his wife and 9 count em 9 kids.Moving yet again he staked his claim by laying cottonwood logs along a square-mile parcel of land on a hill. He planned the site and sold tracts to miners and other migrants headed through the Rocky Mountains. He anticipated becoming the first governor of the state however, another one was appointed to that position. He later became a United States commissioner and judge.He served as a Kansas state senator from 1867-1870. He retired and moved back to Leavenworth, Kansas and died in 1875. So, what can you tell me about William Larimer Jr.... 11/02/2016

Henry Soskin was born in London, England back in 1930. He studied acting t the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He appeared in some television series like “the Avengers, The Saint, Man in a Suitcase and The Champions.” He co-wrote the movies “The Abominable Snowman, The Web of Fear and the Dominators.In 1969 while on vacation in the Cevennes he read a book that forever changed him and of course all of us. More on the book in a moment. Anyway, after reading that book he embarked on a journey which to this date he is still on the hunt. After reading the book he wrote several other books including “The Priest, the Painter and the Devil and The Shadow of the Templars”. If you haven’t figured it out by now I’m writing about Henry Lincoln (born Henry Soskin) who co-authored The Holy Blood and t... 11/01/2016

Lee de Forest was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa back in 1873 to Henry and Anna Margaret. His father was a Congregational Church minister that wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He attended the Mount Hermon Boys’ School and attended a three-year course of study at Yale University’s Sheffield Scientific School in New Haven, Connecticut. His dream was to become a successful famous and rich inventor.His inventions were to say the least very unsuccessful. During an important lecture by Professor Charles Hastings one of his experiments caused a total blackout which resulted in him being expelled from school. during the Spanish-American War in 1898 he enrolled in the Connecticut Volunteer Militia Battery however, the war ended and he was mustered out.His first job was with Western Elect... 10/28/2016

Ellen G. Harmon was born in Gorham, Maine back in 1827 to Robert and Eunice. Her father was a hat maker and most of her youth was spent in the business. When she was nine while with her sister Elizabeth an older classmate shouted some angry words and threw a stone that struck her in the head. Thinking she was going to die she confessed her sins.At twelve she attended William Miller’s lectures feeling guilty for her sins so in 1842 she was baptized in Casco Bay, Portland, Maine where she eagerly waited for Jesus to come again. In 1845 she met her future husband James. The union bore them four sons only two lived to adulthood.From 1844 to 1863 she experienced between one and two hundred visions, typically in public places and meeting halls. It was during this time she began to write about... 10/24/2016

Emma Didlake was born in Boligee, Alabama back in 1904. The family moved to Kentucky where she married a coal miner in 1922. In 1943 when she was 38 and the mother of 5 children she enlisted in the WAAC during WWII. She served as a private and a driver. She earned the Women’s Army Corps Service Medal, American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.After leaving the service she moved to Detroit, Michigan where she lived until her death. On July 17th , 2015 at 111years old she visited Washington D.C. meeting President Barack Obama durin the honorary trip. She attributed her longevity to a diet with a great deal of fruits and vegetable. Every day she ate golden raising which she had soaked in vodka overnight (my kind of woman). About a month after visiting the White House she f... 10/16/2016

Ralph Waldo McBurney was born in Quinter, Kansas back in 1902 to George & Mary. Can’t say much about his childhood but what I can tell you of course is the rest of the story. he attended Sterling College and transferred to the Kansas State Agricultural College graduating in 1927.He was an elder in the Quinter congregation of the reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. He held multiple Master athletics world records for track and field. He was a beekeeper in the city of Quinter, Kansas.   He died in 2009 at the age of 106. Now most of you know that is not the end of this story so can you tell me what he is most noted for? In 2006 he was recognized as the oldest worker in America. That’s right he was still working at 103. 10/13/2016

Belle Macomber was born in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts back in 1840. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Iowa where when she was old enough she moved back East to complete her education. She taught school in the wilderness of Cass County, Iowa. In 1860 she married and moved to Peoria, on the anniversary of her wedding news about the firing on Fort Sumter reached her.Her husband was called up for service with the Seventeenth Illinois. Belle followed her husband experiencing all the horrors of war, sleeping on the ground with the occasional blanket. After the war she studied medicine and surgery where for the rest of her time she was on the clinical staff of Hahnemann College in Chicago. So no big deal you may be asking yourself as hard life was the norm back in those days. For... 10/11/2016

This is one that I usually don’t post but I thought you may enjoy it. I have an email marketing campaign I use to attract agents. I send several every day to agents. Well yesterday I was just finishing lunch when my phone rang. “Hi this is (Adam) not his real name. I received an email from you and I want to know what is going on? Interesting first line as my email stated it all.Anyway I told him I had sent out the email as a marketing plan to get new agents to come over to our firm. He was impressed and stated he called me to chew on my A$$. Guess he didn’t know who was talking to. To make a long story short is seems his mother owns an agency and is ready to retire. He hasn’t got his broker’s license and is looking to either get it or switch to another agency.What he thought was going t... 09/28/2016

James King was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota back in 1923 to Rolf and Ruth. After graduating from Washburn High School we worked as a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at Burlington freight yards in Minneapolis. He wanted to be a naval fighter pilot but he had poor eyesight and was 6’7” tall. At the time the limit was 6’2”. He was called up for the Army and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He served as a rifleman with the U.S. 3rd, Infantry Division. He was severely wounded during Operation Shingle at Anzio.In 1945 after having undergone several surgeries he was honorably discharged. Among his decoration were the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three battle stars, the WWII Victory Medal and the Combat Infan... 09/23/2016

Curtis Wain was born in Lamar, Colorado back in 1916 to Dan and Nellie. The family moved to Las Animas which was the county seat in Bent County where his father ran for sheriff and was elected. The family lived below the jail and his mother cooked for the prisoners. He was the quarterback of Bent County High School football team. During WWII he served in the United States Army from 1943-1945.After the war he attended Colorado College to study medicine but left shortly to pursue his musical career. He joined the “Sons of the Pioneers from 1949-1953, he also sung in the tommy Dorsey band. Columbia Pictures signed him to a contract where he starred in a series of musical Westerns. One of his songs still resonates with me and it is still played today the title “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” H... 09/20/2016

Ezra Lee was born in Lyme, Connecticut back in 1749. I don’t have any background as to his education however, when you hear the rest of the story it really doesn’t matter.In 1776 he was selected to volunteer for a mission. Then Sergeant Lee was one of several men taught to operate the Turtle, more on that in a minute. Many stories have been written because of the failure of the Turtle and Sergeant Lee to complete their mission. So the Turtle was the first man-made submarine to be used in war. The first story is that Lee could not bore through the hull of the British ships due to their thick copper-sheeted hull. In fact, the copper was thin, it is believed now Lee’s drill struck a metal rudder support which was thick. Another myth is that Lee was frail and did not have enough strength to... 09/14/2016

Elias Dayton was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey back in 1737 during the French and Indian War. He was a captain in the New Jersey militia during Pontiac’s War in 1760. In 1774 he joined the Continental Congress call to resist Parliament’s recent tax policy and to boycott good imported from Britain. When New Jersey turned against Royal Governor William Franklin in 1775 the New Jersey Provincial Congress chose Elias to lead the 3rd, New Jersey Regiment.In 1776 his troops were sent to invade Canada but they were diverted to New York’s Mohawk Valley. He was put in charge of constructing fortification to protect the colonists. He supervised the construction of Fort Dayton, now Herkimer, New York and Fort Schuyler now Rome, New York.In 1777 he set up a spy network for George Washington on Stat... 09/08/2016

Michael Alan Weiner was born in the Bronx, New York back in 1942 to Benjamin and Rae, Jewish emigrants from Russia. He describes his childhood as difficult as his father died in 1970. He graduated from Jamaica High School in 1958 and attended Queens College earning a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1963. He taught school for several years after graduation.He worked for Timothy Leary as keeper of the stone gatehouse for the Hitchcock Cattle Company in Millbrook, N.Y. afterwards he went on to study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. There he earned a Master of Science in botany in 1970 and a Master of Arts in anthropology in 1972. In 1978 he obtained a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in nutritional ethnomedicine.He wrote a health and nutrition manuscript in 1194 which w... 08/31/2016

Matthew Webb was born in Dawley, Telford back in 1848. At the age of 12 he joined the training ship HMS Conway for two years. Afterwards he joined the merchant navy where he served a three-year apprenticeship. While serving about the Cunard Line ship Russia travelling from New York to Liverpool a man fell overboard. He jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue him however, the man was never found. For his daring rescue attempt he was awarded the Stanhope Medal and became a hero of the British press.Again in 1863 while he was at home he rescued his 12-year old brother Thomas from drowning in the Severn near Ironbridge. However, on August 24th 1875 he did something no-one else had ever accomplished and therefore be forever written down in the history books for. What was this accomplis... 08/28/2016

Noah was born in Hartford, Connecticut back in 1758. His father was a farmer and deacon of the local church. His mother spent long hours teaching her children spelling, mathematics and music. At 6 he attended a dilapidated one-room primary school. He described his teacher as the “dregs of humanity” complaining they taught mainly religion.At 14 he was taught Latin and Greek by the local pastor. Just before he turned 16 he entered Yale College. He graduated from Yale in 1778. He taught school briefly in Glastonbury, due to low pay and harsh conditions he quit to study law. He passed the bar examination in 1781. Reports indicated he fell into a state of depression due to a failed romance. Turning to literary work as a way to overcome his losses plus channel his ambitions he began writing. ... 08/20/2016

Erroll Brown was born in St. Petersburg, Florida back in 1950. He graduated from Dixie Hollins High School in 1968. After graduation he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He graduated in 1972 after majoring in Marine Engineering. He continued his education with a master’s degree in Naval Architect and Marine Engineering. Not that it was enough but he also earned a second masters in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan.The journey continues in 1986 he received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.   Just one more to tell you about in 1994 he graduated from the Naval War College with yet another master degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.He served aboard the Burton Island, Jarvis and Cutter Rush... 08/16/2016