quiltersmuse.com Blog

Charlotte Croft sent the following note after having looked at a blog entry a few days ago about the gravestone of Rufus Leavitt, a 26 year old, Civil War soldier who was a member of Co. A. 6th NH. He died in 1865 as a result of “inhuman treatment” by his North Carolinian captors.

She writes:

Hi Pat,

After seeing the gravestone of Rufus Leavitt, I invited my friend Polly to check out your blog for that day. Several years ago there was a law student living in East Barnard (Vermont) who loved puns. One of my favorites that he came up with was … “East Barnard: Leavitt or leave it!” This is because there are so many people related to Leavitts in East Barnard.

When Bert and I and our older son Eric attended Dud and Jo Leavitt’s 40th anniversary party in Sept. 1965, we were part of the dozen folks who were not related, out of about 125 attending.

But then one summer Bert’s younger brother worked for him and met Mary Van Alstyne. They fell in love and got married in 1970. Mary is a granddaughter to Dud and Jo.

Then John Leavitt’s daughter, Tina, married Art Lewin. Art’s grandfather and Bert’s grandmother were brother and sister. So we are twice connected to the Leavitt family. And indeed, Rufus is an ancestor of Bud’s. Polly says history is interesting.

All the best,

Charlotte

Thanks for the charming story, Charlotte. Love it! We are all so interconnected in this world! Scroll back a few blogs to see the original post.

Pat

Based on genetics and world history, the potato is believed to have originated in southern Peru where it was cultivated by an advanced indigenous population called the Incas, a now extinct civilization. After the Spanish conquest, the potato was toted to northern Europe in 1536. It was welcomed by the poor, subsistence farmers in western Ireland and became a staple of Irish diet.

A PBS program about this crop states that a diet of cow’s milk and potatoes was enough to provide vitamins and health to the multitudes. All was well until one day when a ship pulled into port. Among its cargo was a fungus that was carried by the wind, turning all of the Potato plants black within several weeks. The Irish famine lasted three years, (1845-1848), killing one of every eight Irishmen, and taking the lives of one million people.

Scientists now analyze that the problem could have been lessened had there been more bio-diversity, that is, if more than one variety of plant had been cultivated. Ironically, potato farmers could face a similar problem today. To keep their “client” happy, they are forced to produce tons of Russet Burbank potatoes used to make French Fries for McDonald’s Corporation, a product that is distributed worldwide.

Unfortunately, a certain beetle is fond of the Russet Burbank variety. Although scientists have found a way to genetically-alter this type of potato plant so that if a beetle eats it, the beetle goes belly up, activists among the general population have resisted food from genetically-altered plants. So, farmers are back to square one: using pesticides on their fields.

We have seen that the potato originated in Peru, traveled to Europe and to Ireland, but did you realize that the first potatoes farmed on American soil were produced by a Scots-Irish immigrant on a farm in Derry, New Hampshire? Being a New Hampshire-ite, that is a quaint piece of information. Having been brought up in an Irish family, I do remember eating lots and lots of potatoes. They were a staple commodity.

As a child, I played with “Mr. Potato Head” and “Mrs. Potato Head.” At the time, I think I had to bug my mother for real potatoes into which I inserted various ears, arms, legs, noses, etc. Today, there is quite a variety of these types of toys on the market.

To read more about Potatoes, if you are so inclined, please visit this file: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato I was amazed to learn that today China and India grow 1/3 of the entire potato crop of the world. Potatoes have Vitamin G, found in no other living organism. The potato is believed to prevent and/or help relieve bouts of gout (arthritis of the joints). Potatoes are tasty, nutritious, and a versatile staple of the kitchen. Now, please pass the potatoes. Thank you!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

This morning, a friend brought to my attention a new musical CD that combines both history and some of the finest arias ever written. The artist is Cecilia Bartoli. She has done extensive research about young men who were castrated so that there voices would remain “high” forever, for the sake of the art. In mid-18th century, she says in one interview, 4,000 boys, annually, underwent this procedure in Italy. She has written a “Castrato Compendium” to explain more about this trend, and that accompanies her just published CD. In Italian, the plural of castrato is castrati.

In the words of the artist:

“The age of the castratos was one of the most dazzling and remarkable in European music history. Seldom has there ever been such a complete fusion of sensuousness and splendor, form and content, poetry and music, and, above all, such a perfection of vocal virtuosity, as was achieved in the glory days of the Baroque era. The legendary art of the castratos continues to exert its fascination even today, and despite the great human sacrifice it exacted, a new assessment of this extraordinary period is surely justified.” – Cecilia Bartoli

The cover of the album presents the strong image that the artist intended: a female head and a male body. Bartoli has an exquisite and well-trained voice and seems to have been the right person to have achieved this kind of historical exploration. With her many abilities, she certainly appears to present a true depiction of the time period.

In addition, Anne Rice has written a novel that includes details about the castratos of Venice and Naples.

Patricia Cummings

Press Release sent by CCC Legacy:

PBS: The American Experience

“The 1930s: Civilian Conservation Corps”

Put it on your calendar and tune your TV to your local educational channel.

Monday, November 2, 2009 – 9/8 p.m. Central

The Civilian Conservation Corps is once again in the spotlight on PBS. Robert Stone Film has developed a five part series for PBS under the popular programming of WGBH “American Experience.” This series captures significant events of the 1930s and brings them to us in a presentation that offers us a comprehensive view for our education and entertainment.

Special interest to our readers is the second segment, “The 1930s: The Civilian Conservation Corps.”

CCC Legacy was proud to work with Robert Stone Productions on recommending and locating interviewees. Thanks goes to Robert Stone and staff and WGBH, for arranging for us to present a special pre-screening to our members who attended the Annual Gathering and Reunion in Colorado. It was nice to see that all four people interviewed have been our members at some time: Harley Jolley, NC; Vicente Ximenes, NM; Clifford Hammond, AZ; and Houston Pritchett, MI.

The segments are aired each Monday night through November 23. Please tell your family, friends, historians, students, teachers and others about this series. As a reminder, forward this email to people who you think would be interested so they too can enjoy learning from this “American Experience.”

Previews can be viewed online. Learn more by exploring the WGBH/American Experience website.

Today, we did something that is always fun to do. We walked through a small country cemetery. I love to read epitaphs. Often, there is some endearing tribute or religious sentiment on very old stones. On several that we saw today, the words simply said, “Gone home.” It is amazing to see that only a rock marks some graves.

Walking through the cemetery, I paused to squint at one inscription when all of a sudden, the song of a chickadee in a nearby shrub, pierced the air, startling the silence. Some of the stones had been laid flat by the force of wind or weather. A couple of the fragile marble stones had broken into two pieces and had been hinged back together. Lichen growth was heavy on many granite stones, to the point that any writing, including names, was obscured.

Jim discovered this stone that is a tribute to a Civil War soldier.

Rufus L. Leavitt died …
in consequence of inhuman treatment during an imprisonment of 5 mo. in Salisbury, NC – 26 yrs, 1 mo.

Jim walked through one half of the cemetery and I walked through the other. I found exactly what we were seeking, to follow up on a most interesting story of humor shared recently by New Hampshire’s own humor writer, Rebecca Rule. I hope that it will be in her next book!

This particular 50 year old man may have earned the right to be called a “pillow” (of the community).

I was so pleased that Jim found the headstone of the town minister about whom I’d read so much. Likewise, I was elated that he located the headstone of the grandparents of an important woman (Ellen Emeline Hardy Webster) whose life I have chronicled. Their names are Ichabod Packard Hardy and Emeline Mary Webster.

This is the gravestone of Ellen Emeline Hardy Webster’s grandparents. Ellen’s middle name is the same as her grandmother’s first name. I wrote a 355 page biography of Ellen last year. Ellen’s married name was Webster, and it only coincidental that her grandmother’s maiden name was also “Webster.”

So much history to be found in New England, which is why I love it here. I can’t imagine going anywhere else to live. In being able to view the actual gravestones of once-living people, I realize how important (and nice) it is to have a final resting place. Somehow, it proves that you were “here.” For me, it makes the names of people I’ve read about in print seem like old friends. Yes, I do love old cemeteries!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications