Countdown to Book Launch on February 1!
In which I do a ten-day countdown to the book launch of A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri, 1862-65, and share photos and book excerpts along the way.
The Veteran Reserve Corps in the Civil War
In which I describe some of the military records I recently acquired related to my GGG GF James Calaway Hale, including a letter he wrote in Jan 1865 to Gen. Clinton B. Fisk, as well as share what I learned about his service in the Veteran Reserve Corps, aka. the Invalid Corps.
Still Writing ... and Getting Closer!
In which I describe the writing process, which includes lots of research, drafting, editing, feedback, and revisions; and provide some examples of the assistance I am receiving on my book A State Divided from Andrew County Genealogist Kathy Ridge.
Following Family Footsteps in Andrew County, Missouri
In which I describe my visit to Andrew County, Missouri, in October 2022 with my husband Mike, where we to visited the Andrew County Historical Society and Museum in Savannah, met with Genealogist Kathy Ridge to learn more about the Hale and Petree families, walked around downtown Savannah and admired the Courthouse, visited the areas in which the Hales and Petrees lived (including where my great grandmother was born in Rosendale), and found the gravestone for James and Elizabeth Hale, as well as their daughter Amanda, in Fillmore Cemetery
GGG Grandfather James Calaway Hale's first letters from Benton Barracks General Hospital
In which I share some of the first letters James Calaway Hale wrote from the General Hospital at Benton Barracks in St. Louis in June and July, 1863.
Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis
In which I relate some history of Benton Barracks and Jefferson Barracks, both in St. Louis, Missouri; share my initial thoughts and sights upon arriving at the museum; and explain how this turned into a TWO book project - a historical fiction book titled Missouri Daughter and a nonfiction text titled A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri.