With today being Easter, I thought it would be fun to track down a specific Easter in history and share what those of the past had to say about it for that particular year.Â
Category: History
The Wonders of Local Historical Archives
It's been a wild 2024 so far and the Universe just keeps reminding me I am on the right track or the "write track" if we want to get punny. I don't know about you, but I do love a good pun! I follow many historic sites and history themed pages on my socials and… Continue reading The Wonders of Local Historical Archives
Life Happens…. & Sometimes The Writing Just Stops
It’s crazy to think that it’s been a whole year since I last created a blog post; sometimes the best laid plans go awry because Life just has a different idea for what we should be learning and doing in that time. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is to just go with it; divine timing always has a way of working things out.
The Rise of Astor Dynasty: Gilded Age Wealth and Status
The third generation in the line of the strict male primogeniture created by John Jacob Astor I’s will was the first generation to live entirely under the wealth and inheritance amassed by the first two generations. Long gone were the days of that first Astor in America: there was no longer a need for fur… Continue reading The Rise of Astor Dynasty: Gilded Age Wealth and Status
The Rise of the Astor Dynasty: Part II
William Backhouse Astor was the second son of John Jacob Astor I and one of five children who survived to adulthood. When John Jacob I died in 1848, his eldest son, John Jacob Astor II, could not feasibly inherit due to mental health issues; William Backhouse was named as his father's heir and became the… Continue reading The Rise of the Astor Dynasty: Part II
The Rise of the Astor Dynasty: The First Generation in America
The first John Jacob Astor arrived in America from Walldorf, Germany in the late 1700's after the Revolutionary War. Over the course of his lifetime he held many professions: butcher, like his father; instrument maker and dealer, like both his brother and uncle; furrier; tradesman; and real estate investor. By 1810, when he was in… Continue reading The Rise of the Astor Dynasty: The First Generation in America
Pullman and His Luxury Palace Cars
New York City after the Civil War grew exponentially, and it quickly became the financial center of the world. Investments, inventions and ingenuity paved the way for fast fortunes and new ways to show off wealth. It was also a time of rapid change in transportation, with train travel quickly eclipsing horses and steamboats, especially… Continue reading Pullman and His Luxury Palace Cars
When Research Leads Me Down Another Rabbit Hole
The novel I have been writing for the last few months involves a wealthy American family from New York and an English nobleman. While building the story line and characters, I realized I needed more information about the hundreds of Old Master paintings that had once graced the dining rooms, entry halls and sitting rooms… Continue reading When Research Leads Me Down Another Rabbit Hole
Evelina Wood 