Norman Gasbarro | January 5, 2011
Alfred Mordecai (1804-1887) Alfred Mordecai (1804-1887) was born into a Jewish family in North Carolina. His father Jacob was a pioneer educator. Because Alfred was a good student, he was admitted to West Point in 1819 and four years later graduated at the top of his class. After a stint as a teacher at West […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 4, 2011
One of the best sources for general information about individual soldier Civil War service in Pennsylvania military units is Steve Maczuga’s Pennsylvania Civil War Project also known as “Pennsylvania Civil War Project: Pennsylvania in the Civil War.” Steve Maczuga is at the Population Institute at Penn State University. A fully downloadable database contains the names […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 2, 2011
The previous post on the subject of the Pennsylvania Dutch language noted the words that were used to describe the religious life and ways of many of the people of the Lykens Valley. This post deals with how the Pennsylvania Dutch people spoke of the medical issues they faced. Going to war meant that returning […]
Norman Gasbarro | January 1, 2011
On New Year’s Day 1861, there was some anxiety about the secession of South Carolina which took place on 20 December 1860 in response to Abraham Lincoln’s election. Plans were being made to hold a day of fasting and prayer as called for by President James Buchanan. We learn that the pastors of the M.E. […]
Norman Gasbarro | December 31, 2010
In 1825, the first ferry was “poled” across the Susquehanna River at Millersburg. At the time of the Civil War barges were in operation, mainly to transport goods. The one mile journey across the Susquehanna River was not easy as the river provided a formidable barrier between Dauphin and Perry Counties, and other than the […]
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