Research Adventures | alisonherring

My Research Adventures

Jul 22

Election Fraud and the Unveiling of the Lee Monument

The Lee Monument in Richmond has been the epicenter of the latest protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the city. It h...

Apr 21

Measuring Six Yards of Tape: A Euphemism for Kissing (Part 2)

What does measuring tape have in common with kissing? In the 19th century, they were closely connected, and the Powell Family Papers held...

Sep 21, 2018

Ariana

Ariana was a 19th Century African American woman in Loudoun County, Virginia. She was born in about 1816 and was enslaved by Charles Powe...

Mar 24, 2018

The Powells in Henry, Illinois

I've just completed a research trip to Henry, IL and am astonished at what I was able to find on the Powells - including their home, whic...

Mar 13, 2018

A Burning Well Near Henry, Illinois

A well caught fire in September of 1859 near Henry, IL, creating a spectacle that townspeople rode out to see like tourists. It made the ...

Nov 24, 2017

Tales of a Train in 1835 Virginia

Charles L. Powell rode a train for the first time on April 3, 1835, and he had a wild ride: another passenger was almost crushed to death...

Nov 10, 2017

Election Fireworks in 1848

Leesburg, VA celebrated the election of General Zachary Taylor as President with an illumination and fireworks in December of 1848. Mrs. ...

Oct 13, 2017

Kisses from the 1840s

Nina Powell was 6 years old in 1848 when she wanted her kisses included in family letters, and she wanted them clearly labeled so that th...

Oct 6, 2017

A Child's Scribble: 180 Years Old

The artistic scribble of a little girl is as timeless as it is charming. I found such scribble on a 180 year old letter from Mrs. Mary An...

Sep 29, 2017

Serendipity in Leesburg

A headstone peeking out in a photo solved a gossipy mystery from 1848. A "Mr. Benedict" was a regular visitor to Leesburg, and it was know...

Sep 22, 2017

Wait, What's that Word?

Does that word say what I think it says? Surely not - but it's certainly suspicious. The letter is from Lloyd Powell in Henry, IL to his ...

Sep 15, 2017

Measuring Six Yards of Tape: A Euphemism for Kissing (Part 1)

On December 31, 1852, Hattie Powell attended a New Year's Eve party in Henry, IL that got out of hand. A few days later she wrote a lette...

Sep 8, 2017

Treasure Hidden in a Letter

I found a sweet treasure hidden away in a miniature envelope with one of Hattie's letters last week. I've been making my way through the ...

Sep 1, 2017

Who is The Powell in the Window?

In January of 2017, I attended the First Presbyterian Church in Winchester when visiting friends. I admired the stained glass windows in ...

Aug 25, 2017

Lillie & Fanny: Misidentified in a Robert E Lee Letter for 60 Years

Imagine being 18 years old in 1863 and encountering Robert E. Lee on his retreat from Gettysburg. Then imagine that Lee mentioned seeing ...

Aug 18, 2017

Robert E. Lee in Winchester

I have spent a lot of time in Winchester, VA performing research on the Powells, the school they ran for girls, and the town. While ther...

Aug 11, 2017

Finding Bell Eskridge

A girl named "Bell" appears regularly in the Powell family adventures in Leesburg, VA in the 1840s but it has been difficult to identify ...

Aug 4, 2017

Art in the US Census?

When performing research, I often use the United States Federal Census records. They are helpful in confirming the identities of individu...

Jul 28, 2017

Meeting Rebecca

On Friday March 24th of 2017 I finally met Rebecca Powell. Her image was included in a bound summary of the Powell family history - in t...

Jul 21, 2017

Greetings from Mr. Powell!

I received a surprise greeting from Mr. Powell! It's as if he knew I found the pencil sketch the week before (see my earlier post at thi...

Jul 14, 2017

A Robert E. Lee Letter with a Sketch of Charles L. Powell

Is that a sketch of Charles L. Powell on a Robert E. Lee letter? Probably. I came across this pencil sketch on the back of one of Lee's l...

Jul 7, 2017

A Brother's Guide to Tying a Bonnet

What in the world is that sketch? I assumed it would be some mechanical contraption - perhaps an invention by the letter's author. I came...

Jul 5, 2017

Finding Rome

In December of 2015, I had an adventure about as close to the movie, "National Treasure" as I'll probably get. In an earlier post, I desc...

Jun 30, 2017

Searching for Rome

Hattie Powell lived as a war refugee and teacher at a place called Rome from about May of 1862 through some part of the summer of 1863. A...

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ALISON HERRING

My Research Adventures