Arthur Edward Richardson (1943-2017)

Arthur Edward Richardson

Arthur Edward RICHARDSON was born 2 May 1943, at Halethorpe, Maryland, the firstborn son of Edward James Arthur RICHARDSON and Lillian Louise VIA. He died at the age of 73, on 5 March 2017, at Saint Petersburg General Hospital, Saint Petersburg, Florida. He grew up in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland.

He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 7 November 1961, as a Private, and served for four years, including a one year tour overseas, during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged as a Lance Corporal (E-3) on 13 May 1966. He was awarded the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He was married to Donna Darlene Schmidt (divorced) of Maryland by whom he had one son, Arthur Edward Richardson, Junior (Richie). Arthur worked as an oysterman, guard, and brickmason. At the time of his final illness, he was living at Lexington Health & Rehabilitation Center, 6300 46th Avenue North, Saint Petersburg. He is survived by his son Richie of Pelion, South Carolina and his three siblings, Edna Barney of Springfield, Virginia, Vickie Lynn Egerton of Parkville, Maryland and Ted Roy Richardson of Fernandina Beach, Florida.

On 13 March 2017, he was buried with military honors at Jacksonville National Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida, with services provided by Oxley-Heard Funeral Home, Inc., Fernandina Beach, Florida. His remains are interred at Section 11, Grave 1799.

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Eulogy for Arthur Edward Richardson

This was a part of the Eulogy delivered by Reverend Ida E. Iverson on 13 March 2017 at the graveside ceremony for my brother entitled "Meditation."

     Arthur Edward Richardson, was born on May 2, 1943 and died on March 5, 2017 at the age of 73. I did not know Arthur, but God put in my path his brother Ted, who respected and wanted to have God's word spoken here today along with his sisters, Vickie and Edna. Arthur followed in the footstep of those who had come before him and was a brick and stone mason, and if his work was half as good as his brother's he could take great pride in all that he did. Because when brick and stone work is done well it is meant to last long past the mason's own lifetime.
     Speaking of masonry, Ted, when you were asked to put in the footings and a foundation here at the National Cemetery you had no idea that the monument that was to be placed on it was for the Marines who fought valiantly for their country and that it would be such a connection for you now that your brother will be buried here. Some could say that is a God thing when a connection like that happens and it will stand as a double meaning for your family.
     Everyone has those what might be called comfort foods and Arthur had a couple favorites ... Utz potato chips and Pepsi which he called his juice. When
you told me he had a favorite potato chip I was reminded of friends who came from Chicago, and they always had to bring back with them the local chips that they had grown up with. And of course, we know there are some people who are Coca Cola people and then there are the Pepsi people and Arthur was a Pepsi person or as he called it his juice. Life can be simple if you have the right bag of chips to snack on and your Pepsi to wash it down with.
     Ted something else you told me about your brother, was the one story he shared with you about his time in Viet Nam. You may not have thought of it this way but that was a holy time, a sacred time that you had with him, as he shared that scared story of his life with you.
     As I picked the lessons for today, it was with that story in mind. I thought about what he had experienced that day he told you about. Being surrounded by the enemy, not only having to kill to save his life while attempting to save the lives of those he cared about who were by his side, yet at the same time witnessing the death of too many of his friends. That day he was not just walking in the valley of the shadow of death he was very much deep down in that valley. To come out of that valley is not easy and I have had more than one man who has been there ask if God can forgive them for what they had to do in that valley.
     All I can say to them, is that they have made their confession and they have a God, who loves them so much that he forgives them and they have been absolved through Jesus Christ. Yet, the memories of moments like that do not go away easily and he along with many other warriors, are running a race to get away from those memories. Arthur has now finished the race and those
days are behind him forever.
     No, I did not know Arthur, but I have known many men who served their country and came back to work through the demons of war and as age catches up with them are blessed to find a place where they feel safe and are being treated well.
     Yes, last Sunday, Arthur took his last breath and entered the place that Jesus had gone to prepare for him. The place where there is no more war, where the pain of this side of eternity is gone forever, and where Jesus our Savior, who is the way, the truth and the life, met him face to face greeting Arthur, with welcome home good and faithful servant.
     Let us Pray: Lord, you walk with us through all that life on this side of eternity confronts us with, even in the valley in the shadow of death. We give thanks for the peace that you give as we grieve, and that we walk in the promise of eternal life with you through your Son Jesus Christ. Now, as we go from this cemetery that honors the men and women who served bravely for their country let your peace go with us. Rest in peace Lance Corporal Arthur Edward Richardson. Amen.

"A Butterfly for My Brother" (published on his 74th Birthday 2 May 2017) 

Our Mayflower Ancestors

Our BARNEY family is descended from four Brave Pilgrim Ancestors who sailed from Holland on the British ship Mayflower in 1620. They were a family: JOHN TILLIE, his wife, and his young daughter ELIZABETH TILLIE, and JOHN HOWLAND, a young member of the ship's company.

JOHN HOWLAND has recently been immortalized in Rush Limbaugh's children's book Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims. In the book, everyone was astonished that JOHN HOWLAND had fallen into the sea and yet survived. JOHN was apologizing for going onto the upper deck during a fierce storm. "Do not condemn yourself JOHN, said Elder Brewster. Your salvation from certain death is a miraculous sign. Everything happens for a reason. God has chosen to save you, which I believe means we are certain to make it to America."

"JOHN TILLIE, and his wife; both died soon after they came on shore. ELIZABETH, their daughter afterwards married JOHN HOWLAND." From "The Original Lists of Persons of Quality ... 1600-1700" by John Camden Hotten, 1874, pages xxiv, xxvi. 

All BARNEY family descendants of LOVISA LOSEE who married WILLIAM FRANKLIN BARNEY (1854-1924) and lived at Lake Shore, Utah, are also descendants of JOHN and ELIZABETH (TILLIE) HOWLAND, original settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts and celebrants at the Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving.

CAPITAL - CAPITOL

What is the Difference?

Capital, with an "a", refers to a city that serves as the seat of a government. Ironically, it is not capitalized.

Capitol, with an "o", refers to a building that houses a legislature. Like the names of other specific buildings, e.g., the White House, the Capitol is capitalized.

East, South, and North Capitol Streets are named after the building, so they are spelled with an "o".

The Capital Beltway is named after the city, so it is spelled with an "a".

There is no West Capitol Street. In its place, you will find the Mall, which, like other streets, is capitalized. Like East Capitol Street, Capitol Hill is named after the building, so it takes an "o".

Inspired by HistoryProfessor.org.

My Mother's Market

The Baltimore Market of My Memories
On Mother's Day weekend of 2008, I visited Baltimore's Lexington Market, in remembrance of the times I went there with my mother as a toddler. I remember that I always found it to be a most frightening place, as I only saw the legs and feet of other shoppers. I remember tightly grasping onto my mother's skirt as my younger brother and I stayed with her as she shopped.

I don't remember exactly what groceries she usually purchased, however seeing the market displays that weekend told me that I would have been even more frightened as a toddler if I could have seen above the legs and feet of the shoppers to the iced shelves of the fishmongers' and butchers' products. The food items displayed brought back long forgotten memories of the dishes my mother often prepared at home - fried scrapple, oxtail soup, crab soup, crab cakes and shad roe. Lexington Market Displays (Slide Show)

I wonder how my mother managed to get all of her purchases back home, as she did not drive? Perhaps my father picked us all up after work. Or, perhaps she travelled by street car, which was a very usual way of getting about the city in those long ago days. Then I wondered how she would have managed the street car ride with two toddlers in tow and bags of groceries. As my memories of those days are almost vanished, I can only wonder at how she accomplished all of those things in those bygone days.

I found one provender who claimed to be an old-timer at the Lexington Market. He was the man at the Muskrat-Raccoon-Alligator counter in my pictures. He began describing the way it was in the 1970s when he first arrived on the scene. I told him that my remembrances were from much earlier - like just after World War II in the 1940s. His eyes glazed over as he told me that there was no one alive today at the market who could remember back that far. It was almost as though I was speaking of the eighteenth century days, like 1782, when the Lexington Market first opened. (The Slide Show)

The image, Lexington Market, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin's account.

My New French Oven

New Red French Oven

The first dish I made after receiving my new six quart French Oven was Coq au Vin and it turned out almost perfectly. Here is a list of other recipes created especially for this beautiful “La Cocotte” by Dominique Tougne of Bistro 110. I will try some of these in future. Staub Cookware Recipes

Old Time Chicken Fryer

Old Cast Iron Chicken Fryer #89 A

This is my old cast iron chicken fryer. It belonged to my husband's Idaho family and is probably from the early 1900s. After all that use, I finally cleaned and restored it last month following some videos on YouTube. The only markings on it are "89 A," which according to Internet sources signifies that it was manufactured by Chicago Hardware. There was quite a multi-day project to clean and restore it. It was crud-encrusted when I first possessed it back in the 1960s and I had no clue as to how to remove all that baked-on grease. I used it quite often when raising my family, mainly making casseroles as I was never big into frying chicken. Then one day in January 2015, I encountered videos on how to clean old cast iron. There were many different procedures, including building a big bonfire and placing the iron pot in the middle of it. I followed a different set of tutorials. I started with Easy-off Oven Cleaner, going over it twice which used the entire can. That did not remove all of the crude, so then I scrubbed it well with very fine steel wool (0000) which removed a bit more, but not all. At that point I resorted to cleaning it on the Self-Cleaning mode of my electric oven. I was apprehensive, but my oven is old and it needed cleaning anyway. Well, that procedure did the trick. Every bit of crud was burned off, but it took many washings to remove all of the rusty residue from the pan and lid. Once I had the cast iron fryer "clean enough," I then started the process of seasoning the pan. I smeared it all over with cocoanut oil and baked it about two hours in the oven. I turned off the oven and left the pan sit in it overnight. The next day I wiped it clean with paper towels and repeated the seasoning process. Now, whenever I use it, I give it a quick re-seasoning by smearing the inside with oil and heating it on the burner for a few minutes before adding my food. The first dish I prepared in it was indeed fried chicken and it turned out delicious: Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe

Major John Weir, 1650

From: Edna Barney
Subject: Major John Weir, 1650 Virginia
Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:09:24 -0500

This is merely food for thought. I have often wondered if the early WARE family of Virginia was connected to Amer VIA. Realizing that the letters "W" and "V" were used interchangeably during the middle ages, we really need to look for the name VIA under the "W" spellings also. I came upon some DNA testings for the Virginia WAREs and they do not seem to match the VIA DNA markers, so I had given up on that prospect. 

I was perusing the on-line Virginia Patents at the Library of Virginia and I came upon Captain (Major) John WEIR (WEIRE) of Rappahannock County, Virginia. He had many land transactions during the 1660s in that county and in Lancaster County also. There is even one deal with Thomas BALLARD. Doing a bit of Internet research about Captain John WIER, I found him in Gloucester County in 1650 and I even found the will of his wife, Honoria (maiden name unknown). Honoria JONES had died by 4 Jan 1685/6 when her will, dated 21st Oct 1685 was recorded in *Old Rappahannock County, Virginia*:

"Will of Honoria JONES, widow & Relict of Mr. George JONES, being sick & weak of body, but ... to my Daughter Margaret BLAGG, that seat... of land wch I purc. of Colnll. John VASSALL lying & being on South Side of Rappa. River contaying Eleven hundred seventy & five acres the sd land to be at her absolute sole disposall for ever... to my Daughter Elizabeth GARDNER my Wedding Ring wch joyned me and my Husband Majr. John WEIRE in Matrimonie... to my Son In Law Mr. Abraham BLAGG 20 Shillings to buy him a mourning Ring... to my son Richard GARDNER, a knife a ring of the aforesd value... to my Grandchild Richard WATTS, one Silver .. Grandson, Edward BLAGG, same aforesaid... to my Grandson Edward BLAGG same aforesaid... Grandson Luke GARDNER the same ... Grandson Jno GARDNER the same... Daughter Margrett BLAGG, Wife of Mr. Abraham BLAGG to be my sole Executrix.. S/Honoria JONES. Wits: James HARRISON, Andw. [AO] ONEBY, Michael BASSEY, Prvd. 21 Dec 1685 by BASSEY, Wits. Henry AWBREY, Geo. TAYLER. Rec. 4 Jan 1685/6." (Old Rappa. WB2:84-5, Old Rappahannock VA Wills, Ruth & Sam Sparacio, McLean, VA)

Notice that a witness to her will is HENRY AWBREY! According to Virginia Patent Book 6, page 565, William VIER was one of 102 persons transported by Mr. HENRY AUBERY who recorded 5100 acres in Rappahannock County, Virginia exactly ten years earlier in 1675.

When Major John WEIR died, he left a will in Maryland:
*7th May, 1671 - 28th Apr., 1678* (Maryland Wills, Liber 9, Folio 78) Will of Major John WEIRE of *Rappahannock Co., Va*. To wife Honoria, dower rights. To daughter-in-law Margaret, wife of John WATTS of Potomac R., and hrs., part of a tract of land, 1,108 A., bought of Henry RANDOLPH of Jamestown (½ of sd. tract having already been sold to *Robert PAYNE*). To dau. Eliza: and hrs., "The Island" at 21 yrs. of age. To son John and hrs., residue of lands in Va. and elsewhere. Exs.: Son-in-law Jno. WATTS, Wm. MOSELY, Capt. Jno. HULL. Test: Jno. BATES, Luke HUMBLETON, Jno. JEFFERY. (Maryland Calendar of Wills: Volume 1, p. 208)

I suspect that the WILLIAM VIER who was transported by Henry AWBREY in 1675, is likely the William VEALE who left a will, 29 May 1693 - 10 Feb 1693/4 in Essex County, Virginia. "May the 29th day 1693. /Will of William VEALE. In the name of God Amen. I William VEALE of the County of Essex in the parsh of Sittingbourne being very sick and weake but of perfect Sence and memory doe make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in matters and forms as followeth." (Orders, etc, No. 1 [Deeds and Wills] 1692-1695, pg 252-253.) http://www.combs-families.org/combs/assoc/butler.htm#c-chas

To add more mystery to this, William VEALE's family married into the BUTLER family and George JONES, Honoria's second husband, had been a co-administrator in 1679 with Amory BUTLER. "Amory" is what I had always suspected was the name that "Amor or Amer" VIA may have been.

The outstanding COMBS Family Research Report (http://www.combs-families.org/combs/assoc/vassall.htm) has an excellent treatise: *VASSALL and WARE/WARRE/WEIRE* Families

Edna Barney (www.ednabarney.com)

Maryland Crab Cakes

As a native Marylander, of course, I have my favorite crab cake recipe. Make sure you use genuine meat from the blue crab. The highest quality "picked" crabmeat, with the least amount of cartilage and shells, can usually be purchased from seafood specialty restaurants.* 1 pound fresh backfin crab meat 1 raw egg beaten 2 slices bread, toasted & cut into small croutons 1 tablespoon milk or cream 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning butter for frying Remove all cartilage and shells from crabmeat. In a bowl moisten bread croutons with milk. Stir in remaining ingredients, except the crabmeat. When well mixed gently fold in the crab meat. Shape into six or eight cakes. Brown the cakes in a frying pan, with just enough butter or oil to prevent sticking, about five minutes per side. Makes 6-8 crab cakes. * I purchase my crabmeat from a local grocery or Costco Warehouse that sells freshly picked crabmeat from the Tidewater area of North Carolina.

More of Neddy's Recipes

Colcannon Recipe

“Well did you ever make colcannon,
Made with lovely pickled cream,
With the greens and scallions mingled
Like a picture in a dream?
Did you ever make a hole on top
To hold the meltin’ flake
Of the creamy flavoured butter
That our mothers used to make?

Oh you did, so you did,
So did he and so did I.
And the more I think about it,
Sure, the nearer I’m to cry.
Oh weren’t them the happy days
When troubles we knew not,
And our mothers made colcannon
In the little skillet pot?” ~~The Black Family

The Colcannon Recipe 

Ingredients:
1 pound cabbage
2 pounds russet or yukon gold potatoes
2 small leeks, green onions or scallions
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons butter
dash of nutmeg or mace

Core, quarter and shred the cabbage and place in a pan, covering with boiled salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Peel and cut the potatoes into two inch pieces and cook those in another pan, insalted water for about 15 minutes. Drain the cabbage and chop into very small pieces. Drain the potatoes and mash by hand. Do not use a processor or mixer! Meanwhile, wash and chop the onion - using the middle parts - not the root end or rough ends of the green part. In a pan large enough to hold the cooked potatoes and cabbage, combine the onions and milk and cook over medium heat until they are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, and mace to the onions and milk and stir over low heat until well-blended. Add the cabbage and 1/2 cup of butter and stir again to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Mound the mixture in the middle of a platter and make an indentation. Add the remainder of the butter. Serves 4 to 6.

(This was first published on 1 August 2011, by Edna Barney at "Neddy's Kitchen.")

Old Time Boiled Frosting

This is a four-generations-old Virginia recipe that I have used for many years. It makes a cake frosting similar to Seven Minute Frosting. I found it in the recipe book "Virginia Hospitality" (1975) on page 216.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

With an electric mixer whip the eggs whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until egg whites stand in stiff peaks, but are not dry. In a heavy saucepan boil sugar and water for two minutes. Slowly, pour the boiling hot syrup into egg whites whilst beating at highest speed. When frosting becomes stiff enough to spread (2-4 minutes), fold in vanilla.

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Old Time "Unboiled" Frosting:

(I have not tested this recipe)

1 cup white sugar

1 unbeaten egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup boiling water

Beat all ingredients together until stiff enough to frost cake. This recipe makes enough icing for a large angel or chiffon cake.

Old Time Boiled Frosting:

(I have not tested this recipe)

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix flour and milk over medium heat until it forms a paste. Let cool. Mix butter and sugar together then beat in cooled flour and milk mixture. This will take 10 minutes, at least, until no sugar granules can be felt between fingers. Add vanilla.

Quick Banana Bread

I originally published this recipe to the Internet on March 16, 2007

This is my basic recipe for banana bread. I almost always fancy it up a bit with additions such as vanilla, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg, grated orange peel, chopped nuts, raisins, dried blueberries, shredded coconut or whatever I have on hand that sounds good. Be creative.

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2-3 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups flour (I use 1 cup of whole wheat plus 3/4 cup of all purpose white.)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 very ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups mashed)

Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs one at a time. Add the mashed bananas and continue mixing well. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt and add to the creamed banana mixture, mixing well.

At this point you can fold in any additional ingredients, such as chopped nuts.

Pour into a greased and floured* 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 50-60 minutes, until the top is chestnut brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake rest in the pan for five minutes, and then run a knife around the edge and remove to cool. Serves eight generously.

*I usually do not use flour for this step, but spinkle the oiled pan with granulated sugar instead.

Belgian Waffles

I first published this recipe on February 18, 2007

I have had my Belgian waffle maker for a few weeks now and it has been a great addition to my kitchen. Thanks to my neighbor Kathleen for recommending it. The waffles that I have made are as tasty as any that I remember eating in Belgium and they are far superior to any that I have ordered in American restaurants anywhere. Do not expect this recipe to be as good if you use an ordinary waffle maker, as it will not become hot enough. When my waffle maker first arrived I did not have all the ingredients to make the recommended recipe, so I used Jiffy Mix and the waffles turned out wonderfully. With the Jiffy Mix recipe, I did separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the batter and folding in the whipped egg whites at the last. Following is a recipe that I adapted from the one that came in the instruction booklet for the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker. That original recipe did not turn out well for me, and I feel it was probably because the fresh milk was not scalded, which may have affected properties of the yeast.

Edna's Belgian Waffles (Makes Ten Waffles)

Classic Belgian waffles have a crispy outside and are soft and moist on the inside. The Belgians often serve them as a part of a celebration. You can try these waffles for something as simple as celebrating a beautiful day. My husband likes his with Mrs. Butter-Worth syrup. I prefer fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries or blueberries mixed with sweetened Greek yogurt or whipped cream.

* 1 1/4 cups water
* 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
* 4 eggs, separated
* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 cups milk (scalded if using fresh milk)
* 3 cups sifted flour
* 1/3 cup sugar (I use Splenda)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm (105°-110°F) water with a pinch of real sugar (not Splenda); let stand for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture begins to foam.

Cool the scalded fresh milk or heat the dry or canned milk in a heavy saucepan. Add the butter and when it has melted, stir in the oil, vanilla and remaining ¼ cup water and cool the mixture to lukewarm, 105°-110°F. Add the egg yolks to the yeast mixture and stir until smooth. Slowly stir the egg yolk - yeast mixture into the lukewarm liquid mixture.

Put the flour, sugar (or Splenda) and salt into the large bowl; stir to blend and then slowly stir the entire liquid mixture into the flour mixture and beat until it is smooth.

Let stand for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Whip the room-temperature egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them into the waffle batter at the first 15-minute interval.

Preheat your waffle maker on your preferred setting. Setting #4 for the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker achieves a golden brown baked Belgian waffle. You can adjust the browning control if you prefer lighter or darker waffles. The green ready indicator light will turn on and the waffle iron will beep when preheated.

Using the provided measuring scoop, pour the batter into the preheated iron. You may use a heat-proof spatula to spread the batter evenly over the grids, however once you get the knack of pouring the batter evenly you will not need to do this. Close the lid and rotate the waffle iron 180° to the right. Bake until the beeper indicates that the waffle is done. Rotate the waffle iron 180° to the left to open.

For best results, do not open the iron during the cooking of the waffle, as doing so offsets the timing mechanism.

I save the remainder of the batter not used, covered in the refrigerator, and two days later, I give it a stir or two, and it is just as delicious as when first made. Be creative. Orange or apple juice or flavored tea can be substituted for the 1/4 cup of water. Freshly grated orange rind or nutmeg can be added or a teaspoon of almond flavoring. The oil used can be a flavored one such as walnut or almond. A small amount of whole wheat, bran, ground oatmeal or almond meal can be substituted for the white flour. A couple teaspoons or so of flax seeds or chopped nuts can be added.

Your iPhone Tracks You Wherever You Go

Did you know your iPhone tracks you everywhere you go?

Go to Settings -> Go to Privacy -> Location Services -> and scroll all the way down to the last item, System Services. Open and scroll down to the bottom of System Services and tap Frequent Locations. Apple has hidden a feature here so that your iPhone tracks you everywhere you go. This depletes battery power by constantly tracking your whereabouts, so turn it off unless you want to be tracked. Then go back to the bottom of System Services and turn on the Status Bar Icon, so that you will know when one of your Apps is tracking you.

If you want to prevent your Apps from tracking you, you will need to read this article, which has many tips on saving iPhone battery power: The iPhone Battery Fix

Where's the Haggis?

Scottish Breakfast of 1775: "He found Miss Bradwardine presiding over the tea and coffee, the table loaded with warm bread, both of flour, oatmeal, and barleymeal, in the shape of loaves, cakes, biscuits, and other varieties, together with eggs, reindeer ham, mutton and beef ditto, smoked salmon, marmalade, and all the other delicacies which induced even Johnson himself to extol the luxury of a Scotch breakfast above that of all other countries. A mess of oatmeal porridge, flanked by a silver jug, which held an equal mixture of cream and butter-milk, was placed for the Baron's share of this repast; but Rose observed, he had walked out early in the morning, after giving orders that his guest should not be disturbed. Waverley sat down almost in silence, and with an air of absence and abstraction" -- Waverley by Sir Walter Scott, 1814

The Richardson Hammer

My father and grandfather patented this masonry hammer in 1935, while they were living in Baltimore, Maryland. I just came upon Google's Patent Search and looked up their names, Arthur J. Richardson and Edward J. Richardson. Voila - their patent popped up immediately: HAMMER - Richardson et al.

An interesting bit of trivia is that I see my father was using only the initial "J" for his middle names. His full name on his birth record was "Edward Arthur James Richardson." I am posting it under "technology," although that does seem a bit odd for a hammer in today's computer world. But ... it was something new, wasn't it? A new technology for masonry?

Those ever-inventive Richardsons! What will they think up next? See A Richardson Grandson.

The image, Richardson Hammer, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin's FLICKR account.

British Pathé Archives Open

"News that British Pathé has added all 85,000 of its films to its YouTube channel should come with a health warning: dip a toe in its archival stream and you risk losing all sense of time and place – and half a day. More than 3,500 hours of newsreels include classics such as the Hindenburg disaster and Arnold Schwarzenegger at Mr. Universe 1969, but is best viewed as a captivating resource for personal historians. The vast digital library spans 1896 to 1976. A search function allows you to enter any word you like - your street perhaps, or favourite childhood haunts."

The article is here, or go directly to the YouTube channel here.

HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY 2014

Blooming Jonquils of Sugar Hollow

The jonquils are now blooming in the woods along the Moormans River of Sugar Hollow, Virginia. Spring has finally arrived.

The Promise of Perfection,

I found this poem in the preface of a genealogy book written in 1907, by W.H. Miller, Richmond, Kentucky. I believe the poem was written by the author's wife, Katherine Oldham Miller (K.O.M.)

Atoms massed, make up the universe.
The many littles make at last the whole;
No man is great, but each created soul has yet within,
the promise of perfection,
The image, and the stamp of the divine.
Adversity may hinder, dwarf and crush,
A chilling frost may blight the budding flower,
And years break down the growing tree of greatness
But, as the cycles roll, each passing life
Bequeaths its portion to a common good.
The generations piling, each on each,
Time writing still prosperity and failure.
And still recording effort and achievement,
And life and death, and shade and shine succeeding,
Bring on the world to that millenial age.
When every hill shall blossom with perfection,
The waters leap and dance for very joy.
And man regenerate stand great and good.
The statue and the fullness of a God.
~~K. O. M.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps

Happy 238th Birthday United States Marine Corps

Formal commemoration of the birthday of the Marine Corps was begun on November 10th, 1921. That date was chosen because it was the date that the Second Continental Congress resolved in 1775, to raise two battalions of Continental Marines. The rest is history.

The Marines performed with honor at the first war proclaimed by our new nation. In 1801, when Thomas Jefferson became president, he refused to accede to the Barbary pirates of Tripoli’s demands for an immediate payment of $225,000 and an annual payment of $25,000. This refusal brought about the first war the United States would fight as a country. The first line of the Marine hymn, “from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli,” references the 600-mile march across the Libyan Desert of a group of Navy men and others to capture the port city of Derna, Tripoli. It took a concerted effort by England, France, Spain, and the United States to end over four hundred years of Muslim piracy on the Barbary Coast.