Telling My Story to Los Gatos Rotary
In which I describe the presentation I gave to Los Gatos Rotary in November 2022 about my book projects and share photos as well.
Exploring the Pony Express - and Creating a Family Connection
In which I explain some of the history of the Pony Express; describe its first rider, Johnny Frye; share photos from our visit to the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri; and share an excerpt from Missouri Daughter in which Bailis recalls watching that momentous first day of the Pony Express with his brother Benjamin.
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
Researching the Oregon Trail - The Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838
In which I relate some little known Mormon history, especially as it relates to Independence, Missouri - which at one point Joseph Smith proclaimed the “New Jerusalem,” claimed was the original Garden of Eden and the site of the construction of Noah’s Ark, and where he said the Second Coming of Christ would take place.
Centralia, Missouri - Home of the Traughbers and Site of the Centralia Massacre
In which I describe my visits with both Mike and my parents to Centralia, where my great grandfather, William Francis Traughber, grew up and attended high school, and where 22 Union soldiers and one civilian were killed by William “Bloody Bill” Anderson and his guerrillas on September 27, 1864, in what became known as the Centralia Massacre (and to which, it turns out, I have several family connections - on BOTH sides of the war)
Kirksville, Missouri - Home of the Petrees: Missouri State Normal School & Former Petree Houses
In which I describe my visit to Kirksville, Missouri with my parents in April 2022, as well as my visits to the school my great grandmother, Nora Elma Petree Traughber, attended and the house where she grew up