Cryptic Poetry

Cora "Ed" Shelton- white shirt, folded arms

Been trying my hand at poetry lately.  Some of it is about me and my life and feelings.  Some are about my ancestors.  Trying to give some meat to their bones.  Some petals for their flowers.  This one is a bit cryptic, but it goes with the story of Cora.  So once you read the story of Cora, it makes more sense.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Regardless...

A Pack of Camels, Unfiltered

Your name was Cora, but you said it was Charles.

You went by “Ed.”

You owned a sewing shop with your young wife.

Your strict parenting was remembered.

Your secrets were remembered.

You were always fun. Always the life of the party.

You had a wife before and it’s sad that through history

It was thought there was divorce.

There was not.  There was tragedy.

Your dark hair and blue eyes have not been passed down.

But your work ethics and your strength have.

Thank you, Grampa Cora.

Scrapbook Sunday- December 2013

Some of our December 2013 activities.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Hall's Balsam

From the Collection of the Museum of Health Care at Kingston

My third great grandfather, Miles Price, filed for a pension from his service in the Civil War. He claims that he contracted the measles while in camp and that they affected his lungs for his whole life.  The druggist in the small town was called on to say that he remembers Grampa buying lots of Halls Balsam.  This was in lieu of going to any hospitals or seeking official treatment, other than from his uncle-in-law doctor, deceased before filing the pension.

In 1849, Dr. Amon L. Scovill partnered with Henry E Morrill to market Dr. Roger’s Compound Syrup of Liverwort, Tar & Canchalagua. Within a few years, they also had other medicines under their name of A. L. Scovill & Co, including Dr. William Hall’s Balsam for the Lungs, Scovill’s Compound Extract of Sarsaparilla and Stillingia, and Circassian Hair Restorative.  The business was taken over in 1872 by John Henry under the name of John F. Henry & Co. 

A book titled, “One Thousand Secrets of Wise and Rich Men Revealed,” by C. A. Bogardus, Champion Quick Shot of the World (yes, it say that in the title) tells us that the ingredients of Hall’s Balsam are ipecac, extract of squills, chloroform, wine of tar, opium and mullen.  Ipecac was once used as an expectorant.  It was often combined with opium in a syrup form for cough medicines.  Extract of squills is extract from the drimia maritime plant (commonly called the sea onion).  The extract was used as an expectorant.  Chloroform was once used to calm patients with asthma and also used in cough medicines, toothpastes, and mouthwash as a sweeting agent.  It, of course, is now known for knocking people out in the movies.  A cloth over the face ALWAYS means chloroform.  And there Grampa was ingesting it like crazy…  Wine of tar was simply a byproduct of the distillation of tar, used as an expectorant.  Mullen weeds are natural bronchial dilator and, obviously, opium, used to relax, calm and basically survive.  And, again.  Grampa was ingesting it like crazy.

Sources:

• http://www.rdhinstl.com/mm/rs220.htm
• http://museumofhealthcare.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/artefactual-dr-william-halls-balsam-for-the-lungs/
• http://fax.libs.uga.edu/AG105XB74/1f/one_thousand_secrets_revealed.pdf
• http://science.jrank.org/pages/1446/Chloroform.html
• http://wikipedia.com

Family Recipe Friday- French Dressing

Vera Mariani’s French Dressing

3 cloves garlic, crushed           1 ½ cup olive oil*

2 tablespoons sugar                 1/3 cup wine vinegar*

1 ½ teaspoons salt                   1/3 cup water

¼ teaspoon pepper                  1 lemon, squeezed

¾ cup catsup                          

Mix all.

*Only use Star brand olive oil in the large tin.  Vinegar was Mariani wine vinegar- over 100 years old!  Near equivalent is Granzella’s Premium Red Wine Vinegar from Williams, California.  Almost as good!

Genea-Hero

Last month the 2014 president-elect of the Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society sent an email to all members saying that he was going to be at the National Archives in Washington DC and that he’d be glad to do some research for others.  I thought how nice it was that he volunteered for this and then I thought how I really wanted to know which file I should order of a Civil War pension, as I have a name with two services.  Maybe he could see which was the right one so that I wouldn’t waste money on the wrong one.  But then I thought he’d be too bogged down with other people with more interesting items to find, so I threw away the email.

Then the next week, he sent another note that he was surprised no one had contacted him.  I felt sad for him and didn’t want him to go to the National Archives with nothing to do (!), so I sent him my dreaded Smith request.  Yes, the dreaded Smith.  But the first name was unique so I’d hoped I wasn’t asking too much. 

Well, my Genea-Hero not only found the right file, but copied it all for me!  I now have a CD of the entire pension file!  And it’s fascinating.

This is my husband’s second great grandfather on his father’s side.  My husband never met his father, nor new anything of his father’s side.  I found that his great grandmother was a Smith and her father was in the Civil War.  Twice (which is why there were two that I found and wasn’t sure who to order—they were the same person!).  He now knows that his 2^nd great grandfather was 5’7” tall, had a dark complexion, gray eyes and brown hair. 

He also knows that his grandfather contracted the measles in Kansas City, Missouri in 1861.  As did my 3^rd great grandfather.  Both rode St. Joseph’s Railroad at the same time.  Did they know each other?  Pass each other?  I’m still working a timeline for him, but he was captured by the Confederates in Little Blue, Missouri on 5 November 1861 and then discharged on 22 December that year and returned home (I assume as part of the release agreement).  He reenlisted on 15 August 1864 and was a sergeant until his discharge on 26 June 1865. 

His pension file mentions diseases of the heart, kidney and back as well as chronic diarrhea, all from the measles contracted in 1861.  Since my own grandfather’s pension file reads nearly exactly the same, except chronic cough rather than diarrhea, I am guessing that everyone maybe exaggerated their symptoms just a bit? 

I am sure that as I analyze his service timeline, I will be adding more writings about Kilbourn Smith (and we know know how HE spelled his first name, as his signature is nice and clear!).

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to my Genea-Hero, Patrick!