A Letter from Rebel Cousin Rachel
In which I share another excerpt from Missouri Daughter that includes a letter to Bailis from his cousin, “Rachel at Rebel Rendezvous,” reflect a bit on how the war tore families apart, and discuss the importance of the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and explain the Platte River Bridge disaster, when Confederate guerrillas burned part of the track and caused a train to derail outside of St. Joseph, killing approximately 20 people and injuring 100.
Researching the Oregon-California Trail: The California Gold Rush and my GGG-GF Henry Petree
In which I discuss some California Gold Rush history, including how my GGG Grandfather Henry Petree took two of his sons, John and Benjamin, with him to California in 1849 to search for gold, leaving behind son Bailis (my GG GF) and his two sisters to live with a nearby family; I also include an excerpt from Missouri Daughter in which I imagine how Bailis might have felt about this, having already lost his mother five years earlier
Researching the Mormon Trail, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the Graham family's arrival in Utah
In which I relate more Mormon history, describe the Mormon Trail and the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and discuss the Graham family’s arrival in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the 1880’s.
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.
Researching the Oregon Trail - Captain John Knox Kennedy, Big Platte, and Fort Laramie
In which I relate some history of the Oregon Trail and key stops along the way, as well as describe Jane’s brother John Knox Kennedy and a bit more about their journey along the trail; I also share information gleaned from the book Trail of Innocents, written by Everill Cummins, about the Kennedy Train.
Some Family Members Move West - A Letter from Walla Walla, Washington, 1864
In which I share an excerpt from my nonfiction book, A State Divided, that explains some family history, as well as share a July 1864 letter from Jane Kennedy Hale, now settled in Walla Walla, Washington.
Some Family Members Move West - A Letter from the Oregon Trail in 1862
In which I share more letters from the Oregon Trail, this time from Jane Kennedy Hale, the widowed wife of James’s brother Meshack, who was killed by Confederate sympathizers; Jane, who traveled with the “Kennedy Train” led by her brother, eventually settled with her son William in Walla Walla, Washington.
Some Family Members Move West on the Oregon Trail - A Letter from California in 1858
In which I share a letter from Lewis Hale, the son of James’s brother Charles, who traveled along the Oregon Trail to California in 1858 with his wife and two children, experiencing many crazy adventures along the way and settling in the Petaluma Valley.
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.
Some Interesting Displays at the Missouri Civil War Museum
In which I describe the exhibits at the Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks, which I visited in April 2022, including displays about key figures and battles, guerrilla activities, uniforms, weapons, medicine, movie representations, and MUCH more.
Missouri: A State Divided Long Before the Civil War Began
In which I share an excerpt from my book, A State Divided, and explain some Missouri history leading up to the Civil War - including the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850/Fugitive Slave Law, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the “Bleeding Kansas” Border Wars, and the Dred Scott Decision.
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.
A Visit to the Centralia Cemetery and Some Traughber Family History
In which I visit the Centralia Cemetery - once with Mike and once with my parents - to pay our respects to the many Traughbers and Brysons buried there, as well as share some Traughber family history.
Centralia, Missouri: The Battle of Centralia
In which I explain how later that same day, when Federal troops went after Bloody Bill and his men, 122 of 125 were slaughtered three miles outside of town in the Battle of Centralia, the highest percentage of men killed in a single engagement of the Civil War; I also share photos from the battlefield
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: A Visit to the Cemetery & Some Petree Family History
In which I describe my visit with my parents to two cemeteries in Kirksville where various family members are born and provide some history of the Petrees
Kirksville, Missouri - The Adair County Courthouse and Historical Society & Museum
In which I describe my visit to both the Adair County Courthouse and the historical museum in Kirksville, Missouri, as well as briefly relate some history about the Battle of Kirksville during the Civil War.
Kirksville, Missouri - A.T. Still University’s College of Osteopathy
In which I briefly relate the history of Osteopathy and its founder, A.T. Still; describe my visit to the College of Osteopathy that my great grandfather, William Francis Traugher, attended in Kirksville, Missouri; and share information I learned from the genealogist with whom my father and I met to learn more about his time there
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
How This Journey Began - The Hales & Petrees of Andrew County, Missouri
In which I discuss how I acquired 50 Civil War letters written by my 3rd Great Grandfather, James Calaway Hale, and 2nd Grand Uncle, Benjamin Petree, as well as other family letters and heirlooms, and started writing a historical fiction novel titled Missouri Daughter