Thanksgiving Reading IV

Posted on November 23, 2020 by vanbraman

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching so I thought I would share some new books that I have that are appropriate for Thanksgiving Reading.

plymouth, mayflower, colonialEarlier this year I read They Knew they were Pilgrims: Plymouth Colony and the Quest for American Liberty by John G. Turner.

This book was published just this year, so is a good up to date history of the Plymouth Colony.

This book compares well with Saints and Strangers: Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers and Their Families, with Their Friends and Foes, and an Account of the Posthumous Wanderings, and the Strange Pilgrimages of Plymouth Rock by Robert F. Willison and Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul, Church State and the Birth of Liberty, John M. Barry, Colonial, Rhode IslandTurner talks about Roger Williams time both in Plymouth and Rhode Island and his help with Native American relations. This reminds me of Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul by John M. Barry. See: The American Soul

Many people do not realize that Roger Williams spent time in Plymouth Colony.

For more a about this see: Roger Williams in Plymouth Colony

Pilgrim Migration, Mayflower biographical information, 400 years since mayflowerAlso released just this year is The Mayflower Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth. 1620 by Robert Charles Anderson.

Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration, Genealogy, Puritan PedigreesThe book has updated biographical information on the passengers of the Mayflower. I was a little disappointed that some of the latest information I have seen about George Soule was not included, but perhaps more research is needed to verify what has been found.

This book is mainly an extract, with updates, from Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony 1620 – 1633 which is also by Robert Charles Anderson.

Mayflower 500, Gary Boyd Roberts, Mayflower, genealogyAnother new book that I have this year is The Mayflower 500: Five Hundred Notable Descendants of the Founding Families of the Mayflower by Gary Boyd Roberts.

It is interesting to see who some of the notable descendants of the Mayflower passengers are.

There have been several good Mayflower resources published this year since it it the 400th anniversary of the landing at Plymouth.

It was nice to add new volumes to my Colonial History shelf this year. I still have a bit of room left on the shelf, so must find a few more volumes to add to it.

I will have to read some excerpts from some of these books this Thanksgiving.

Steven

 

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Where Were You When?

Posted on November 22, 2020 by vanbraman

Today is the anniversary of an event that most people will remember where they were when they heard about it. These days where people remember where they were are usually major events in our history that affect the entire country or world.

For the event being remembered today I was not yet born, but it was an event that my parent’s generation all vividly remember.

Area Shocked by death of President Kennedy - 50 Year Anniversary - JFK - John F. KennedyMy grandmother had saved clippings from the event, which was of course the assassination of  President John F. Kennedy.

I talked to my Mom seven years ago on the 50th anniversary of the event and asked her what she remembered from when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She was walking up the stairs to her apartment when a neighbor asked if she had heard the news. She then went in and watched the news on her neighbors TV.

My Mom was getting ready for a big event in her life. Her wedding was only two weeks away.

Kennedy Memorial Record - Kennedy Speeches - News Broadcasts - Memorial - 50 year anniversary of JFK's deathOne day long ago when I was a field service engineer I stopped into an antique store in a small Kansas town while waiting for a doctor’s office to open.

I was looking through a stack of records and ran across this interesting album. The album is a tribute to JFK and contains recordings of his speeches and news broadcasts from the day of his assassination. I think that I paid either 50 cents or a dollar for the album. I think I got a good bargain.

Listening to the tracks on this record helped me understand how people at that time heard about what was going on. They of course did not have the instantaneous media from different sources that we have today.

U. S. News and World Report - Challenger Tragedy - MemoriesFor my generation probably the most remembered event from our school years was the Challenger Tragedy. I still vividly remember hearing about it between classes while I was in college.

September 11, 2001 - 9/11 - Planes on runway in Edmonton, Canada - Long JourneyThe most recent memorable event that most people remember is probably 9/11. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 20 years ago, but the events of that day are still easily brought to mind.

I will never forget what I was doing on September 11, 2001, and how it changed the world.

See: Remembering September 11

Of course people remember other notable events such as when their teams win championships, major weather events, election results, tragic deaths or the passing of notables. However, I believe that these three events are probably the most remembered today and where people remember where they were when they heard about them.

Where were you when …..?

Steven

 

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