Honoring My Home State on Maryland’s 228th Anniversary

On April 28 in 1788, Maryland became the 7th state admitted to the United States. During our nation’s first census in 1790, Maryland’s population numbered 319,728. By the 1790 Census the United States had expanded to 13 states and its total population was just under 4 million (3,929,214).  The Census Bureau estimates and projections program …

Mapping the Spread of American Slavery

Lincoln Mullen is an assistant professor in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University, working on the history of American religions as a digital historian. He writes regularly on his own blog and for the Religion in American History group blog.  He also teaches a course on “Data and Visualization in Digital History” where …

Remembering Our Mount Calvary School (MCS) and Community

June 10, 2016 Thanks to Rob Maloof and his visit to Mount Calvary School this week, we have some new photos from inside and out.  Hope you enjoy them and we will see you tomorrow, June 12,  2016 at the special 10:30 Mass to Honor the Students and Mount School for its long and honorable …

“Snuffing Out” Tobacco in Southern Maryland

Tobacco's 17th Century Beginnings in the Colonies Maryland's tobacco growing farms date back to the 17th century. Upon their arrival in 1634, Maryland settlers quickly hopped onto the tobacco bandwagon which the Virginians had started at the beginning of the century in Jamestown, Virginia. Borrowing seeds from my 11th great grandfather, Captain John Thomas Rolfe's (1585-1622) …

My Genealogy Story

My Desires to Know and to Learn One day my dad and I were talking about his young life, the absence of his mother early on and her mysterious death at age 32 that had left him and his family with unanswered questions. We also visited my paternal great grandmother about once a month for …

Addicted to Genealogy

For the Love of a Dear Sister After many years as an Ancestry.com (the world's largest online history resource) subscriber and enthusiastic supporter, I went looking for a similar but free resource for a friend of 40 years (who's like or better than a biological sister to me) who has never been consumed like me by …

Family Life – Then and Now . . .

Family Life Under Seige Family life today is under siege and family units have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. Families are beset by divorce, crises in roles, absenteeism of parents, breakdowns in authority, preoccupations with other things, inadequate times together, financial pressures, and a host of other problems. An Analogy:  Imperfectly Formed Yet …

Before there were Alarm Clocks

There were "Knocker Uppers" Sometimes I go searching and researching for interesting stories to share on my blog site.  And, sometimes, the stories just come to me.  Most times, my posts are personal, about hardships or successes of my ancestors or relatives despite their challenges, and almost always lack humor.  But today's post is factual, telling …