A Spirit For The Prosecution
Just in time for Halloween, here is a true story that took place and was probably well known local news to my Holmes ancestors who lived...
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An Exploration of my Family's Genealogy, Ancestors and Their Journey Through History
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Oct 2, 20233 min read
The Mennonite Educator
Christopher Dock was born about 1698. He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County...
Jun 12, 20235 min read
A Curious Letter, Part Four: Facts v. Legend
Without a doubt, the story was extremely moving. However, as with any legend, it is somewhat difficult to get at the real facts of this...
May 8, 20234 min read
A Curious Letter, Part Three
Click here for Part 2 Nearly ten years passed as Magdalena and Christian rebuilt their burned house and continued farming the land. ...
Apr 30, 20234 min read
A Curious Letter, Part Two
After I came across that letter, I did more digging and found an earlier reference to it with more (and different) information. (For...
Apr 3, 20234 min read
The Witch and William Penn
The cows were acting funny. That is how the only official witch trial in Pennsylvania history began. Eight years before the infamous...
Mar 6, 20233 min read
Washington's Drummer Boy
A tale of a young man during the American Revolution. While not a direct relative, one of his daughters married into the family. Johann...
Oct 11, 20215 min read
The Lenape Diplomat
Here is my post in honor of this year's Indigenous Peoples' / Columbus Day. Tatamy, also known as Tashawaylennahan, was born sometime...
Sep 13, 20216 min read
The Patriarch of American Lutheranism
Heinrich "Henry" Melchior Muhlenberg was born in 1711 in Einbeck, in the German Electorate of Hanover. He studied theology at the...
Jul 4, 20214 min read
The Tea Burners of Greenwich
It is likely that everyone has heard of the Boston Tea Party that took place on 6 December 1773. It was one of the most iconic events of...
Feb 18, 20213 min read
True Crime in 1832 - Death And Cider
Here is the story of the murder case that was brought before the Court during Lino's trial while they were waiting for witnesses to...
Feb 15, 20213 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 19 - Lino and Lucretia, the Enduring Legacy
What is it exactly about the story of Lino and Lucretia that has endured over the past 190 years? It is indeed a "truth is stranger than...
Feb 13, 20213 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 18 - The Other Victims
When Lucretia died, all five of her children became orphans. They were minors, except for Mary, the oldest. It would appear that...
Feb 11, 20216 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 17 - "The Way of the Transgressor Is Hard"
After being acquitted in the murder of her husband, Lucretia returned to her home, hoping to resume her life. She would find that it...
Feb 8, 202111 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 16 - "Oh, my God! the hour is arrived."
After his conviction, Lino kept himself occupied by writing the history of his life. He had become even more of a celebrity and...
Feb 4, 20217 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 15 - Commonwealth v. Lino Esposimina
With Lucretia's trial out of the way, Deputy Attorney General Thomas Ross turned his attention to the upcoming trial of Lino. It was...
Jan 31, 20218 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 14 - Commonwealth v. Lucretia Chapman
The successful separation of trials, although requested by Lino's counsel, was actually a boon for Lucretia. Tried together, they could...
Jan 28, 20217 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 13 - The Trial Begins
On Monday, 12 December 1831, the Court of Oyer and Terminer opened in Doylestown. The Court consisted of a Supreme Court Justice and two...
Jan 25, 20215 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 12 - Lawyering Up
About the time Lucretia was arrested, David Paul Brown, one of the most fully employed and successful of the many eminent "criminal...
Jan 23, 20218 min read
True Crime in 1831, Part 11 - A Daring Escape
The governor of Pennsylvania, having received authentic information following the examination of William's body confirming that he had...
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