Donald and Me, Not First Responders

Donald Trump said he was at Ground Zero after "it" happened but does not consider himself a First Responder.  Of course not.  So, why did he even mention it?


Above are some pictures of Ground  Zero I took in December 2018, seventeen years and three months later.  I don't consider me a First Responder either.

Valley Forge

George Washington's Winter Quarters

Adan and Rocky, 1990, at the Valley Forge, Pa, Train Station.  I bet it wasn't there when American Revolutionary  Soldiers made the area their winter Winter Quarters

Book Report of the MEMOIR OF COL BENJAMIN TALLMADGE

This is a book report  of an e-book on  Col Benjamin Tallmadge (1754-1835)'s memoir.  The colonel was in charge of the Culper Spy Ring  in the Revolutionary War.  He took very detailed notes, in fact, too detailed notes.  Trying to read through this  memoir  became very boring and you tend to lose where you were in a sea words  in very long paragraphs.

A very long paragraph  that took up pages before a break, and torture to someone like me with a short attention-span.  I had to back peddle many times to see what I skipped through without realizing I was skipping.

The book had some very interesting facts hidden among the words such as General Washington one time suspended General Lighthorse Harry Lee for "twelve months" (one year) for not following his orders.

Interesting facts I already knew about Lighthorse Harry Lee.  He is Robert E. Lee's father.  After the war he visited the plantation of fellow-retired General, Nathan Green's plantation near Savannah, only to discover that General Green had died.  Lighthorse visited anyway, and also died while there.

Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge had a professional, or military, relationship with General George Washington.  Any  quotes or opinions he had on George was strictly military talk.

Sandy Hook was a focal point off and on throughout the book, unfortunately, Sandy Hook still is a focal point.

Alamo Forgotten

Remember the Alamo!

On this date. March 6, 1836. the Alamo fell to Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez.

Did we forget the Alamo?

The Metamorphosis of LBJ

This past weekend we watched the special ALL THE WAY, which was about Lyndon B. Johnson just after he inherited the Presidency from assassinated John F. Kennedy.

Just before Kennedy was assassinated he got the ball rolling on a progressive Civil Rights Bill.  Was the new president, conservative right-winger, Lyndon Baines Johnson expected to pick up the ball and push it through to become law?

Lyndon did.  He ruthlessly took on his cronies in a ruthless fight and won.  And I think the world is a better place because he did.

Of course, many of his old peers became his enemies.  People doubted if the Democrat Party would nominated to run for a term of his own.  But he was.

The special showed him at the Democratic Convention accepting the nomination.

NOW!  This is where I come in:

I can tell you the date he was nominated, August 27, 1964.  I was in the huge crowd outside the Convention Hall in Atlantic City.

I had to Google LBJ to know the specific date.  What I looked for was LBJ's birth day.  It is August 27th.   After he was nominated he and Lady Bird came to a balcony overlooking the hoards of people on the Boardwalk and waved at us.  And they shot ooo and aaahhh fireworks over the waters and the fireworks spelled out HAPPY BIRTHDAY LBJ and we all song "Happy Birthday" to him.

Then they left the balcony and someone shut the doors and several fights broke out in the crowds, there were several groups of protesters with their own axes to grind. 

Today In History, Dec 2nd

Today in History, December the 2nd.

1954 US Senate censures Joe McCarthy (Senator-R-WI) for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute"

In his time Joe McCarthy inspired the "Red Scare".  He ruined many careers of people in the entertainment industry because he insinuated they were communists, or had communist ties, or sympathetic to the communist cause. 

There is a new movie that is just coming out named TRUMBO.  I haven't seen it yet but I read it is about Dalton Trumbo. 

Dalton Trumbo was on the Hollywood Blacklist because of Joseph McCarthy.   Because of the Blacklist he could not get work.   Dalton was a screenplay writer who supported liberal ideals in movies.

I read a book by Trumbo once named JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN.  It is about a War World I soldier who was blown to bits.  He lost his sight, limbs, and mouth mechanism to prevent him from speaking.  In the book he works hard to figure out a way to communicate with the outside world.   

He was in a hospital bed in France.  Nobody knew who he is, only that he was a soldier and needed help.  He was kept alive by iv's. 

Finally he and a nurse find a way to communicate  and near the end he gives a moving speech against man and war.  That might be why Dalton Trumbo made the Blacklist.

Fort Sumter, the First Shot In the Civil War

This is Memorial Day Weekend.   This weekend we are trying to show appreciation for the American military.    So, here is another true war story, illustrated.

The time we went to war with ourselves.   We won.  We lost.  The actual first shot was fired at Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861.  It was the first shot to start this nation's Civil War.

By the way, once we took a tour of Fort Sumter Island, out in the Charleston Bay.  Did you know it is not a natural island?  Huge rocks were shipped down the coast from New England and the rocks and boulders were dumped in the exact spot over and over.  Can you imagine how huge of a project this was?  Without the use of power machinery.... it boggles my mind to even think of the huge task involved.

The story was written by  EC's FRONTLINE COMBAT  Comicbook's editor Harvey Kurtzman, but to be honest, History wrote really wrote it.  Will Elder and John Severin  were the artists.

Kurtzman, Elder, and Severin were long time friends and business partners.  They were three of the five original artistic staff of MAD Comicbook.

click on each image in order to make it larger so you can make sense of what it is about.

From EC's FRONTLINE COMBAT Comicbook, #9

Old Post Car of the John Ross Home, near Rossville, Ga.

Here is an old post card of the John Ross Home near Rossville, Georgia.  John Ross was a Cherokee Indian.  He owned a ferry on the Tennessee River.   His ferry was a step in  The Trail of Tears herding the Cherokee Indians off their native land to Oklahoma.  Ironic.  

Hunter Reunion, It Is a Small World thing.

The Hunter Reunion, which is for the Descendents of John Hunter (c1775-1848), is to be June 7,  at Alexander's Track Rock Campground, in Union County. 

In 1982, I carried with me my uncle Doug Hunter (1916-1986).  After the Reunion my distant cousin Austine  Hunter Wallis invited us over to her father's house for a visit and look at her Hunter line old home place.    Austine and I have been communicating years swapping information about Hunter history.

she showed us around the house she grew up in and  her elderly father Jess Hunter still lived in.  Interesting, in the living room of the old house she pointed out bullet holes where one time before 1900 there was a gun fight ruckus in the house.

Her brother Jack Hunter dropped in.   Jack said he was up on business.  He did not attend the reunion.  We were introduced to Jack and said we lived in Marietta.  He said so did he.  My uncle Doug said he lived in the Fair Oaks area and he said so did he.  One of them said they lived on Pine Street and they other said so did he.

It turned out they lived next door to each other.  Jack was new on Pine Street and had not met his neighbors yet.

Jack was a contractor (he died since).   One time he was delivering a load of dirt to my neighbor.  My neighbor Jim told me a Jack Hunter was delivering him a load of dirt so a made a point to be there and speak to him.   He did not remember me and our brief meeting at his old home place in Union County.

A similar "its a small world" encounter at the Hunter Reunion in Union County, Georgia:   2008 was the last time I attended the Descendents of John Hunter Reunion in Union County.  I think I must have wore my NAVY USS NEWPORT NEWS ball cap.   A man looked to be about my age, also a John Hunter Descendant , asked me was I on the USS NEWPORT NEWS.  I told him I was on it with the HU-4 Helicopter Squadron all of the last week of December and all of January 1965.  Our primary objective was to meet a British ship in New Orleans and reenact the Battle O f New Orleans.   Apparently no one told them the Battle of New Orleans  of the war should have never been .  Peace was agreed upon before that date, but new traveled slow.  The man said he was on the USS NEWPORT NEWS the same time, in a Marine Unit.

ex Marine on USS NEWPORT NEWS 1965

That is amazing, I was not aware I was on the same ship as blood kin and did not know it until 33 years later in the north Georgia mountains, then just by coincidence. 

Book Report: KINGS MOUNTAIN by Sharyn McCrumb

The Battle of King's Mountain was October 7, 1780.

KING'S MOUNTAIN  by Sharyn McCrumb.   I knew this book was coming out and was eager to read it.  It is about the the Battle of King's Mountain in the Revolutionary War.  The reason I wanted to read it because my ancestor William Trammell and some of  his brothers fought in that battle. One of  William's arm was sliced off during the combat, but he lived into his 80s.  The battle itself lasted about one hour but of course it had a lot of events which were explained before and the many events afterwards. 

Interesting Kings Mountain is on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, and it is not much of a mountain at all.  The book explains that it wasn't named in honor of a King as some thought, but after a man with the surname King who once owned much of the property.

The leading officers on both sides in the book were actually people that were actually there that fateful day, which was the turning point in the war.  Sharyn McCrumb gave the leaders conversations between themselves, which I  have mixed feelings about.  It is giving some credit for saying some very profound statements , which they may or may not have really said.  But if they didn't say what they are credited for  they should have, I suppose.

The book shows examples of the cruelties of war on both sides.  The British, the Tories, and the Patriots. Indians, and whoever else.   They were mostly* hanging  happy.   Hang your enemies and make good examples of them.  The good guys were just as bad, up to a point. In many cases it was neighbor against neighbor, even friend or relative against the same with deathly results.

Another thing McCrumb brought up I had never thought of but it makes sense, even as cold hearted as it is:  Before going into battle only the well-bodied men went.  It you were sick or weak you stayed behind without  much weapon power, the ones going into battle would need those.  That would leave a bunch of weak  weaponless men fend for themselves, in case the enemy Army came marching by and saw them.  It would have been a slaughter, but that didn't happen.

Sharyn did some very detailed research  to explains some behind the scenes that you will not find in the history books.  It was a good read and I feel I gained some knowledge reading it. 

*except the Indians, they were not mentioned much but they had killing methods, other than hanging.

SUNDAY FUNNIES!! FRONTLINE COMBAT's BULL RUN!

Story by History.

Art by John Severin

Edited & planned by Harvey Kurtzman

And Then What?

After we declared our Independence from England we had to put up or shut up.  There was a war with a lot of hangings and shootings.  To make a long story short:  We won!

My ancestor William Trammell and his brothers fought the Brits  at different points in the Carolinas with the last one for him at the Battle of Kings Mountain, North Carolina.    His arm was sliced off during combat.  He lived to be about 86 years old and is buried at the First Methodist Church in Franklin, North Carolina.  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POSTAL!!!

On this date, March 11, 1789, the United States Post Office was established.  Benjamin Franklin was on the payroll for a while at the beginning.  And 200 years later I hopped on the payroll and lingered for 33 years, then I hopped off, handing my torch to someone else to carry it on.

 

I think linger is generally the word thought of when the public thinks of a postal employee.  There are  also other words such as hanging out,  loitering, and more descriptive words.  Seriously, those are words used by the general public who has never worked at the Postal Service and don't know anybody who has.

 

When I started my job at the Atlanta Post Office I was to unload trucks and railway cars twelve hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week, and forget  being off on holidays.  Only the postal employees who met the public got off.

 

Now, some Republicans want to sell the Postal Service to private enterprise who is eager to turn it into a profit making enterprise.  I wonder if those same people ever thought of selling another public service, the Armed Forces?   Wait!  I just remembered,  it appears they have outsourced  some of the gun shooting to Blackwater.

 

You get most of your mail within a day or two.  You would be surprised just how efficient the Postal Service is, considering the billions of pieces of mail they handle hourly, around the clock.

 

Hug a Postal employee today!

 

Happy 224th Birthday Postal!

Americans' Love - Hate Relationships

HAPPY PRESIDENTS'S DAY!!  The Post Office will be closed.

Checking Out LAWLESS

LAWLESS is a movie based on facts of the moonshine business in Franklin, Virginia, during prohibition.

It is action packed and bloody and of course the family of outlaws are the heroes.

The story was written by Matt Bondurat, grandson of one of the Bondurant brothers in the moonshine business.  It is sort of funny, Matt, I'm sure,  got most his information from his great uncles and grandfather.  It is apparent they painted the head Revenuer as Satan, plalyed by Guy Pearce.  He looked evil and reeked evil.   I was expecting him to spin his headand upchuck green vomit he was so evil. He did not have one likable qualilty, even Will Rogers would have disliked him if they had met. 

And of coursr the moonshiners were just family with good hearts who were just trying to make a honest living.  Seriously, there was no work to be had in that area and tilme.  Moonshining was about the only kind of work available.  It was either that or starvation.

The people who made the props such as old country houses and barns  should get credit for their craftsmanship.

I think it was pretty good or at least not all that bad.

Get the picture?

Visiting St James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta

The Saint James Episcopal Church Cemetery at Polk and Winn Streets is a very interesting cemetery*. Local history comes alive there – well, I don’t think “comes alive” are the words I’m looking for. But you see the city leaders of the past, street names, and local business names, all crammed in a small cemetery.

Click on each photo to see the details.


Agricola Street is off Allgood Road.


Rip Blair was one of the city fathers who turned this town from a rural to an Industrial town. I don’t know if this is Rip’s grave but if not, I bet it is a relative.


The name Otis Brumby has been associated with publishing the Marietta Daily Journal for many years. Unfortunately, this Otis Brumby lived only 7 months.



Above two markers - a touch of the Old Country


Clark Gable? Not THE Clark Gable I was told by the grounds keeper.


Coryell is a street off Roswell Street.


Denmead owned a large plantation in the area of Hospital. He also owned Denmead Warehouse, by the railroad tracks on Mill Street. Notice the Glover memorials in the background?


Dupre’s Store on Whitlock Avenue by the railroad tracks. Dupre’s adjusted to the times all through its long history. When Cobb County was an agricultural community they catered to the farmers. Later when Bell Bomber and afterwards Lockheed subdivisions sprung up and with less farms Dupre’s sold less farm supplies and more appliances. Now, Cobb County is the home of many upper middle class yuppies who love antiquing – now Dupre’s is an antique center.


Robert Flouroy was a colorful mayor and later a colorful judge.


Freyer Drive is off Cherokee Street. Freyer Drive was the addresses of at least two of Marietta Mayors.




In early times of Marietta the Glover family just about owned the town, really! Even down to the very center of it – Glover Park, which they donated to the city.


Abraham Green was born in 1802. Unless he was an Indian, I doubt if he is a native of Marietta. Marietta was not opened to white settlers until 1832.


Harold Willingham was the county attorney at one time and another time the city Attorney. He was also a powerful influential state representative. With his legal fees as an attorney for the local governments he died a very rich man.



Eldred Tait Hunter, Jr. is no relation to me as far as I know, even though we have the same initials, including the Jr.




PROVIDENCE, edited by Connie M. Cox & Darlene M. Walsh is an excellent book about the history of this region before, during, and after the Civil War. It follows the correspondence of mainly George Camp who was an officer in the Roswell Mill, working directly for Roswell King, the owner of the mill and the founder of Roswell, Georgia.. George Camp bought Tranquility and the parcel of land came with it the subdivision of Keeler Woods was developed. Look at these names on the above memorials – the same names of the streets in Keeler Woods.


A Massey was president of the First National Bank of Marietta.


The McNeel family owned McNeel Marble and developed Cherokee Heights, Marietta’s first subdivision.


Across the street from the cemetery is Marietta Junior High school. It was Marietta High School when I attended. The steps in front lead up to the administrative offices. I spent many hours in those offices explaining myself.




The Noble family owned the Pontiac Dealership in Marietta. Their son Ben was a friend in high school and had plenty of parties at their home near Little Kennesaw Mountain on Old Mountain Road. In Ben Senior senior years he took an active role in protecting small family cemeteries. After I was married we sold Mrs. Noble a baby schnauzer that our Schatzi had.


The Northcutt family has been business leaders in the downtown Marietta since before 1900




Jon Benet and her mother Patricia Ramsey’s graves. The poor little girl was bludgeoned to death in her home in Boulder, Colorado, making national news. The murder was never solved.
The tree that hangs over Jon Benet’s grave used to have many cards and plastic angels on it, now, there are only two.



Mr. Schilling, an immigrant from Germany owned a very successful hardware store on the Marietta Square. Now, Schilling’s Restaurant is in the same space.


The Skinners have interesting markers and interesting places and dates.



The Tumlin family owned Marietta Lumber Company and a descendant, Steve “Thunder” Tumlin is now Mayor.


The lady and her babies need a nice bubble bath with a pressure washer. It has been rumored for years that the marker is haunted. The rumor is that at midnight if you circle her three times and asked her what happened to her babies she will cry. I don’t believe in such nonsense but I am afraid to be in the cemetery at midnight to prove the rumor wrong.




Grady Veach owned Veach’s Wholesale Groceries. His warehouse was the old Denmead warehouse on Mill Street.


Whitlock as in Whitlock Avenue or Whitlock Inn.



Winters was one of the early pioneers of Marietta, and Winters Street was an early street in downtown Marietta also.

Studying local cemetery markers is sort of creepy isn’t it?