World History and Genealogy
April Fools’ Day, a day marked by pranks, jokes, and trickery, arrives annually on April 1st, but its origins remain a topic of debate. While the exact genesis is elusive, several theories attempt to explain the tradition.1 One popular explanation traces the holiday back to the 16th century, specifically the shift from the Julian to … Read more
Much to be Thankful For Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate a year of hard work and to give thanks for the blessings you’ve had during the year. Sometimes it is also a time to be thankful for surviving a dreadful year, with a hope of better days and years to come. This latter mode … Read more
Before coming to North America in 1620, some of the Pilgrims tried living in a country much closer—Holland. Several families moved there in 1608, but found the society too liberal in accepting different beliefs and ideas. So they moved back to England for a time, before heading across the Atlantic in 1620. The Pilgrims were … Read more
The people born just before the Great Depression faced a lot of challenges in their lifetimes. Many people spent their lives facing economic hardships, as their parents experienced bank failures, home foreclosures, and job losses. Then, as they became adults, they were thrust into World War II. After overcoming these significant challenges, some have called … Read more
You probably haven’t thought about it before, but you have a lot of great grandparents. For example, if you go back 10 generations of ancestors, in that 10th generation alone, you have 1,024 8th great grandparents. And if you go back 2 more generations, you’ll have 4,096 of your 10th great grandparents. Your total number … Read more
April 2nd – 3rd The Fall of Petersburg After the success at the Five Forks intersection and the capture of thousands of prisoners, the Union troops struck a final blow on Petersburg. At 4:30 a.m. the VI, IX, and XXIV Corps all struck the thinned Rebel lines from directly south and east of Petersburg. After … Read more
The Appomattox Campaign had begun slowly, with both Union and Confederate forces moving west and getting into position for a fight. Then, on March 31, 1865, the two forces met along two main roads for two bloody fights. The Confederates attacked first at White Oak Road, under the direction of General Robert E. Lee. However, … Read more
The morale of General Samuel Crawford’s 3rd Division must have been very high in the last week of March 1865. The division had just been reviewed by their Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and their commander of The Army of the Potomac, General George Meade. But their opponent, the Army of Northern … Read more
By the time my great grandfather Nelson arrived on the front line south of Petersburg, Virginia in 1865, over 600,000 people had died in the Civil War. Fifteen percent of all Union troops who entered the war would die, mostly from disease. One in thirteen men would lose an arm or a leg. What would … Read more
In January 1865, 19-year-old Nelson Hughes gave up his work on a farm in Williamsburg, Canada, crossed the St. Lawrence River, and joined the New York Volunteers. Little did he know that in the next 4 months he would cross paths with American icons, take part in decisive victories, and celebrate the war’s end with … Read more
