A Sword for Your Face

By Suzanne Norquist

Most adults have experienced a nick or cut from the tiny blade of a razor. Shaving one’s face or other parts is generally required in our society.

Thankfully, we can select from an array of safe, disposable blades. I don’t even want to imagine the mishaps that occurred with straight razors from days of old—also known as cut-throat razors. Men must have truly trusted the barbers who wielded the devices.

The use of the word “sword” in the title of this blog sounds like an exaggeration. However, many shaving blades were developed by sword and cutlery makers who were experts in metallurgy. The Wilkinson Sword brand isn’t just a fancy name for the blades. The company originated as a weapons maker.

Why do people need to shave anyway? In addition to fickle beauty standards, several reasonable arguments exist. Beards could be a breeding ground for lice and small rodents. They also provided a handhold for enemy combatants. In more modern armies, soldiers must be clean-shaven so that gas masks fit properly.

Archeologists have found evidence of shaving with clam shells, flint blades, and metal knives in prehistoric times. In ancient Rome, barbers in shops used iron razors.

Shaving technology didn’t change much until 1762 when Frenchman Jean-Jacques Perret designed the first “safety razor.” He attached a wooden guard to a straight razor to prevent deep cuts. I have to wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with such a simple design.

He drew inspiration from a carpenter’s plane, which has a similar safety feature. It prevented men from accidentally removing part of an ear and allowed them to shave at home instead of making a trip to the barber.

Perret published a book about shaving in 1772. The French name is translated Art of Learning to Shave Oneself. Keeping the blade sharp was one of the challenges of the day. Frequent honing and stropping were required.

In 1847, Englishman William Henson changed the shape of the razor to look more like a gardening hoe. This allowed for a better grip and easier use.

King Camp Gillette invented the replaceable blade in 1901. This was a game-changer since men no longer needed to sharpen the blades regularly. As a traveling salesman, he made money from a consumable product with ongoing demand. In many homes built before 1970, the medicine cabinets have a slot for used razor blades.

During World War I, military shaving kits included Gillette’s. Soldiers kept the handles and continued to purchase blades after the war.

One problem with disposable blades was that they tended to rust. In the 1960s, stainless steel blades provided a solution. A blade sold by Wilkinson Sword became very popular.

In the 1970s, cartridge razors and disposable razors came on the market. Being plastic and basically harmless, it’s easy to forget they started as a sharp metal tool that demanded respect.

En Garde.

***

”Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection

Four historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting.

Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Rockledge, Colorado, 1884

Sarah seeks a quiet life as a seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?

 

Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class.

 

Sharing Faith-Based History Through Story

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

An email came to me with a reminder that today, the 9th of the month, is my day to post. The 9th day is special, not only because you get the privilege of reading a post from yours truly (tongue-in-cheek), but because it's the last single-digit day of the month before the double-digits take over.

Little tidbits like that often excite me, and finding them amidst other research for my novels is more than a golden nugget to me. It's like discovering an entire goldmine, rich with hidden details and secret little unknown facts that create a desire within others to find out more.

When others ask me about my genre, my answer is usually "historical fiction with romance." And that's true. While all of my books so far might be considered category historical romance, several readers have come back to say they feel like they are getting a rich history lesson interwoven with the story of the characters. But it's not the boring details of faceless names or disconnected dates and details. Instead, it's history that you often won't find in textbooks and stories that often get overlooked in the grand scheme of things.

When asked what I write, I usually reply, "Normal stories. The weird stuff (science fiction) is left to my husband." (Stuart Vaughn Stockton) It's why I write romance. That usually means I'm sweet and innocent. Well, all right. So, how about just sweet. On second thought, let's stick with historical fiction author. :) Yes, that will do it.

So, what makes history so appealing to me? Well, that would have to be the simplicity of it all. With the hustle and bustle of today's society, the pressures and demands on our time, and the frantic pace at which most of us live, I love to shift gears and slip into another world where the ringing of the telephone or the blaring of a car horn, or the tick-tock of a clock doesn't remind me of how much I'm not accomplishing. How demanding of your time everyone else is, because whatever they have to do or say is far more important than what's happening in your life.

Going back to when communities rallied around each other, and hard work and sweat, along with a man's word meant far more than it does today. That inspires me and gives me hope that maybe I can help maintain that mindset through the stories I tell and the books readers read.

My stories are usually a showcase of characters living everyday, normal lives, but their faith (or in some cases their discovery of their faith) is what helps them get through the difficult situations life throws their way. Toss in some unique historical facts, some often obscure or lesser-known settings, and some fun supporting characters, and you've got the recipe for most of my novels.

I've also been known to include cameo appearances by well-known historical figures such as George Washington, Thomas Edison, or Henry Ford. That alone can be challenging, as so much is written about people like those, and any portrayal of them must line up with the details that have thus far been written.



But never let it be said that I run from a challenge. Just take a look at my everyday life, staying home, running a business, homeschooling my 2 teenagers, corraling 6 furbabies, while attempting to find time to write and meet deadlines, as well as somehow figure out how to market my books and keep selling new ones. Praise God for my agent, or I likely would disappear into oblivion and lose myself in the mounds of housework, budgeting, errands, teenage drama, and the general craziness ofl ife.

Every day, it becomes clear to me why most authors wait until their children are out of the house before beginning their writing careers. That luxury isn't mine, though, and somewhere in all of this, God has a plan. My job is merely to trust Him and keep doing the best I can to move forward.

That's the simple faith most of my characters possess, and it's what propels most of my stories. I offer a slice of life as it might have been and invite you to lose yourself among the pages of the stories God gives me to tell.

That being said, I'm honored to be here with fellow historical fiction authors who share my love of history and passion for writing. This is my 12th year! It's equally exciting to visit with you, the reader. For without you, we writers couldn't keep doing what we love. Thank you for coming along for the ride!

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Share a little piece of the craziness that exists in your life on a daily basis.

* What has you coming back to this blog day after day, week after week, or month after month?

* When you choose to read historical fiction, what makes you select the book?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways, but especially from the inside out.

Currently, she lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, three dogs, and three cats in southeastern Kentucky. In her 20+ years as a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and has agent representation with Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Sometimes Mail-Order Brides Arrived in Groups

image by mikle15, deposit photos

One group of brides was gathered by Asa Mercer. In point of fact, he made two trips from the Pacific Northwest to Massachusetts in order to bring prospective brides west with him. In 1863, he had gathered enough money from donations to travel east. He hoped to bring hundreds of women back with him, but Massachusetts feared a lack of labor for its textile mills when they reopened after the Civil War. In the end, he only convinced eleven women to travel west with him. All but two found husbands. One of the two devoted herself to teaching, eventually becoming a county school superintendent. Another died, probably from heart problems.

In 1865, Asa returned east to find more women willing to travel west in search of husbands. At one time, he sent a message back to Seattle to prepare for three hundred “war orphans” to accompany him west.

Unfortunately for him, some newspapers became suspicious about Mercer’s motivations, accusing him of recruiting for “dens of iniquity.” As the trip was taking far longer than he expected, Mercer’s capital was shrinking. The ship that was to be given by the federal government ended up in the hands of a man who demanded a far larger price for passage.

Still, he succeeded in bringing at least forty women west on his second trip. When they arrived in California, Mercer was dead broke. He telegraphed the governor of Washington, who had promised to send financial aid if it was required. The governor did not follow through. Many of the women stayed in California, but a few made it to Washington state on several different boats.

Asa Mercer went on to work for several different newspapers in several different states, never seeming to find the exact position that suited him.

image by VitalikRadko, deposit photos

Another plan to bring women west was far more successful. Archer, Thadeus, and Samuel Benton owned a sawmill in Albany, Oregon. In the mid-1860s, the many eligible bachelors in that area commissioned the brothers to go east to bring women west.

The Benton brothers targeted smaller towns. In one town, Endicott City, Maryland, they mailed an advertisement to every home. Many women came to the meeting they held, where the brothers promised peaceful, tree-filled terrain and a husband for every woman.

Many of the men of this area had died in the Civil War, as was the case through a lot of the eastern United States. Not only was marriage unlikely in Endicott City, the opportunities for employment were few. One woman, Constance Ranney, worked as a servant at a wealthy family’s home. She was treated badly there, but saw few other opportunities in Maryland. She was one of the first to sign a contract to make the trip.

She also kept a journal of her trip, as did one other woman on the voyage, Josephine Ann Gibney. More than one hundred women had joined the expedition.

image by dechevm, deposit photos

Most of the brides stayed above deck until the ship was underway. By that time, it was too late to back out, though many wanted to when they saw the conditions of their ship, named the Osceolo. This ship was usually used to transport mules, and the “quarters” for the ladies were actually stalls. Smelly stalls, at that.

At first, most of the women demanded the ship return to shore, but a few pointed out that the conditions in Oregon were likely to be challenging as well. At that point, the ladies rolled up their sleeves and scrubbed the stalls. After several days, the smells were banished.

Then the ladies took over the kitchen, led by Miss Gibney, who had served as a cook on her grandfather’s ship. The sailors greatly appreciated the women’s efforts, saying that their food was the finest served on the ship since it first set sail.

The ladies suffered through rough waters for at least two weeks, causing most to succumb to seasickness. While Miss Gibney suffered less from illness, she was forcibly reminded of the weather that took the lives of her grandfather and her uncle.

After almost four months at sea, the Osceolo arrived in Oregon. Within a year’s time, all but seven of the women were married.

image by leszekczerwonka, deposit photos

Unfortunately, any journals written by the ladies after landing in Oregon have not survived, but I, for one, hope they all found their own happily ever after.

Martha Hutchens is a transplanted southerner who lives in Los Alamos, NM where she is surrounded by history so unbelievable it can only be true. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha is frequently found working on her latest knitting project when she isn’t writing.

Martha’s current novella is set in southeast Missouri during World War II. It is free to her newsletter subscribers. You can subscribe to my newsletter at my website, www.marthahutchens.com

After saving for years, Dot Finley's brother finally paid a down payment for his own land—only to be drafted into World War II. Now it is up to her to ensure that he doesn't lose his dream while fighting for everyone else's. No one is likely to help a sharecropper's family.

Nate Armstrong has all the land he can manage, especially if he wants any time to spend with his four-year-old daughter. Still, he can't stand by and watch the Finley family lose their dream. Especially after he learns that the banker's nephew has arranged to have their loan called.

Necessity forces them to work together. Can love grow along with crops?

The History of Equine Therapy ~ By Michelle Shocklee

 

My latest novel, All We Thought We Knew, is set on a Tennessee horse farm during World War II and the Vietnam War. Researching wartime is always sobering. So many soldiers never make it home. So many come home changed--physically, spiritually, and mentally. Because one of the characters in the book is a wounded Vietnam warrior, I spent a lot of time reading about various programs created to help soldiers deal with everything they experienced during the war and everything they must face after they come home. 

One of the most fascinating programs is Equine Assisted Therapy. ETA can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety, autism, cerebral palsy, dementia, depression, developmental delay, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and physical and mental conditions. It is also used for PTSD, loss of limbs, and other debilitating issues soldiers face when they return from war. After reading about the benefits to wounded warriors, I knew I wanted to include some type of horse therapy in the book, especially because I have some experience with it firsthand.

From Verywellmind.com

Many years ago I worked for an older couple in their home. Mr. and Mrs. B were retired and enjoying life when Mr. B suffered a stroke. I had the privilege of helping him with his speech and physical therapy during his recovery, but I also took him to equine assisted therapy appointments. There, I was able to observe how horses and people with disabilities or various issues interact with the horses. It truly is beautiful. 

But how has equine therapy come about and how has it evolved through the centuries? 

Me with some of our horses

Horses have been utilized as a therapeutic aid since the ancient Greeks used them for people with incurable illnesses. Some of the earliest recorded mentions of using horses in this way can be found in the writings of the Greek physician Hippocrates who discussed the therapeutic value of riding as early as 400 BC. Benefits of therapeutic riding were also recorded in 17th century literature where it is documented that it was prescribed for gout, neurological disorder, and low morale. In 1946 Equine Therapy was introduced in Scandinavia after an outbreak of poliomyelitis, or polio.

The type of horse therapy we see today had its beginnings in the 1950s. A Danish woman, Lis Hartel, won the silver medal in dressage in the 1952 Olympic Games. The reason this captured the world's attention is because Lis was paralysed. In 1944, Lis, then a 23-year-old pregnant mother, contracted polio and lost function of her legs. Gradually she reactivated most of her muscles, although she remained paralysed below the knees. After three years of rehabilitation, she was able to compete in the Scandinavian riding championships and finished second in women's dressage.

Lis Hartel,(Photo by Terry Fincher/Keystone/Getty Images)

Soon after, therapists in countries such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland began to increasingly pair therapeutic riding with physical therapy treatment to inspire lasting neuromuscular changes in their patients. Word of this type of therapy spread. By the 1980s, American and Canadian therapists traveled to Germany to learn about it and bring it back to the USA. The American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) began in 1992, and the popularity and use of this type of therapy has grown.

Today, there are different types of equine therapy. Therapeutic Horseback Riding is used by disabled people who ride horses to relax, develop muscle tone, coordination, confidence, and overall well-being. Hippotherapy, which is the type of therapy Mr. B did, is an intervention used by a physical therapist, occupational therapist, recreational therapist, or speech and language pathologist and is also focused on people with physical disabilities. While therapeutic riding is mostly recreational with some clinical benefits, hippotherapy is mostly clinical with some recreational benefits. Equine Assisted Learning can be helpful for anyone with any sort of issue, and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy includes a therapy component so that the individual may reflect upon and further process his or her experiences with the horse. Through grooming, feeding, ground exercises, and riding, clients learn about themselves and others, and works with a therapist to discuss their feelings about working with horses. 

Your turn: Have you heard of equine therapy or know someone who has used it?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including   Appalachian Song, a Christy Award Finalist; Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/all-we-thought-we-knew/9781496484178

Children's Toys During WWII

Toys are more than entertainment. Play and the use of toys are integral to children’s skill development such as analyzing and solving problems, getting along with others, figuring out how things work, using their imagination, and learning to develop new ideas. However, with the onset of World War II and the issuance of General Limitation Order L-81 by the War Production Board, toy manufacturers were prohibited from producing toys that contained more than 7 percent by weight of iron, steel, zinc, or rayon. Existing toys with content over that amount would cease being sold after June 30, 1942.

The Children’s Bureau of the Department of Labor published a pamphlet in 1942 titled Toys in

Wartime: Suggestions to Parents on Making Toys in Wartime. The publication explained how toys could be made for children of all ages, and recommendations included:

• Dolls made from spools
• Pull toys made from spools or “anything with a string attached”
• Easels made for drawing or painting from an old orange crate or box
• Homemade looms made from scrap wood
• Doll houses from repurposed orange crates
• “Walnut shells make boats that bob around in a pool. A toothpick fastened with wax from a candle and stuck through half piece of paper in two places makes the shell into a sailboat.”

As with many adult products, from waxed paper to calendars, the victory theme permeated children’s
toys. Battle scenes, military images, and patriotic motifs also appeared in jigsaw puzzles (popular due to being inexpensive and made from non-rationed materials), coloring books, and checkerboards. Comic books, chapter books, cartoons, films, and radio programs used war plotlines. Items such as tanks and jeeps, cannons, miniature soldiers, and military uniforms for boys and nurse outfits and nurse kits for girls were popular. Model-making, always popular, moved from cars to jeeps, military planes, and navy ships. Adolf Hitler also appeared in numerous children’s toys as an object of derision such as dartboards with his face as the bull’s-eye or push toys that punched Hitler in the face.

What toy from your childhood do you remember?

_______________

A Lesson in Love (part of The Strength of His Heart Charity Anthology):

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all

boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase link: https://amzn.to/4f9iLKO

Linda Shenton Matchett writes happily-ever-after historical Christian fiction about second chances and women who overcome life’s challenges to be better versions of themselves.

Whether you choose her books set in the Old West or across the globe during WWII, you will be immersed in the past through rich detail. Follow the journeys of relatable characters whose faith is sorely tested, yet in the end, emerge triumphant. Be encouraged in your own faith-walk through stories of history and hope.

All photos/images property of the author.

Sequoyah - A Cherokee Who Risked His Life to Create a Written Form of the Cherokee Language

By Mary Dodge Allen

His Cherokee name was Sikwayi, but he is best known by the name Sequoyah. He was born in Tuskegee, a Cherokee town in present-day Tennessee, in 1774 or 1775. 

Sequoyah, Oil on canvas, 1988, Tennessee State Museum Collection

Early Years:

His mother, Wuh-teh, was a member of the Cherokee Nation’s Red Paint Clan and his father was a fur trader named Nathaniel Gist. Although Sequoyah was given an English name at birth, George Gist, he was raised solely by his mother, and he spoke only the Cherokee language, even though he knew some English. 

Sequoyah had a slight limp, due to a shrunken leg. Despite this, he maintained an active life, and he was a quick learner. He became a successful fur trader. And later on, he became a self-taught blacksmith and silversmith. He even created his own tools and forge.

War of 1812:

Sequoyah served in the Cherokee Regiment of the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. Historians speculate that during the war, he saw the value of papers containing the written form of the English language, which the Cherokees called “Talking Leaves.” 

Sequoyah probably observed the paper messages and troop orders that were relayed back and forth. He must have also seen American soldiers writing letters to loved ones, and he was probably touched to see the joy on the faces of the soldiers whenever they received letters from home. 

Developing the Written Symbols:

After the war, Sequoyah married and settled in a Cherokee settlement in present-day Alabama. He was convinced a system of writing would benefit his people, and he set out to develop a writing system for the Cherokee language in his spare time. Sequoyah began by experimenting with pictographs, devising an image for each word, but he found this system was too cumbersome to be practical. 

Black and White illustration of Sequoyah working on his syllabary, (Alamy Images)

He then switched to a phonetic system. Sequoyah listened carefully to the sound patterns of Cherokee words and matched symbols to these basic sounds. The work was tedious. And as the years passed, his determination to create a writing system became an obsession, causing him to neglect his family. It is said that his wife got so fed up, she even burned some of his work papers. 

The following is an excerpt from the Chronicles of Oklahoma, Volume 11, No. 1; “Captain John Stuart’s sketch of the Indians.”

“He [Sequoyah] was laughed at by all who knew him, and was earnestly besought by every member of his own family to abandon a project which was occupying and diverting so much of his time from the important and essential duties which he owed his family.” 

Finally... Success!

In 1821, after twelve years of work, Sequoyah succeeded in creating a written system known as a syllabary – a set of 86 symbols that represent every spoken syllable in in the Cherokee language. He was overjoyed when he saw how easily he could teach this system to his six-year-old daughter, A-yo-ka. 

An Example of Symbols from Sequoyah's Syballary, (Public Domain)

Life or Death - Witchcraft Trial:

As word spread about Sequoyah’s syllabary, Cherokee leaders accused Sequoyah and his daughter of witchcraft and put them on trial before the Chief. They believed this written system of communication was a form of magic or sorcery. If Sequoyah and his daughter were found guilty of witchcraft, they would be put to death.

During the trial, Sequoyah and A-yo-ka were separated. Sequoyah was then forced to write a specific message to his daughter, using the syllabary. When A-yo-ka appeared before the Chief and successfully read the message her father had written, everyone was astonished. 

Some still believed it was witchcraft. But in the end, the Chief decided Sequoyah had truly found a way to represent words on paper. Soon, tribal members began asking Sequoyah to teach them to read, including the leaders who had put him on trial! 

Literacy Spreads throughout the Nation:

Sequoyah had tailored his syllabary to the specific sounds of the Cherokee language, which made it relatively easy to learn. Over the next few years, a significant number of the Cherokee population became literate. 

Sequoyah even traveled west of the Mississippi River to teach his syllabary to Cherokees in present-day Arkansas. In 1825, the Cherokee Nation formally adopted his syllabary, and its use became even more widespread. 

The Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper:

Samuel Worcester, undated photo (Public Domain)

In 1828, a Christian missionary named Samuel Worcester obtained a printing press. He and a Cherokee named Oowatie established a newspaper called the Cherokee Phoenix. It was first published on February 21,1828 in New Echota, capital of the Cherokee Nation in present-day Georgia. This was the first bilingual newspaper in U.S. history. 

Front page of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper, in English and Cherokee (Public Domain)

During his ministry, Samuel Worcester used the syllabary to translate the Bible. He became an active champion for Cherokee rights, and they honored him with the Cherokee name, A-tse-nu-tsi, which means “messenger.”

Trail of Tears:

The Trail of Tears, painted by Robert Lindneux, 1942

The Cherokee Phoenix, along with personal written messages, helped the Cherokee Nation to retain a measure of cultural solidarity during the forced migration caused by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. They lost their land, their homes, and many lost their lives as they migrated along the Arkansas River, on what became known as the Trail of Tears. But through the use of the syllabary, members of the Cherokee Nation were able to communicate with each other and keep informed, despite their tragic disbursement.  

Sequoyah's Later Life:

During his lifetime, Sequoyah remained faithful to Cherokee traditions and never adopted American clothing or customs. He always focused on what he could do to help the Cherokee Nation. 

In 1842, Sequoyah traveled to Mexico to find any tribal members who had migrated there, in hopes of persuading them to return to the Cherokee Nation. While there, he contracted a severe illness. Sequoyah died in August 1843, near San Fernando, Mexico.

His Legacy:

Sequoyah’s Cherokee syllabary, referred to in the Cherokee language as Tsalagi Gawonihisdi, remains in use to this day. It is seen on street signs and buildings across the Cherokee Nation (located in northeastern Oklahoma). The syllabary is also taught to students in schools and universities in Oklahoma and North Carolina.

The impact of Sequoyah’s syllabary spread to other cultures around the world, influencing them to develop their own syllabaries. This includes the Cree syllabary used by the First Nations people in Canada and syllabaries used in West Africa and China.

Sequoyah's Syllabary, Tennessee State Museum Collection

It is amazing that Sequoyah - a man who spoke only Cherokee and didn’t know how to read or write in any language - singlehandedly developed an effective written language for his people. He had an intuitive talent for understanding language, and he also persevered for twelve years, ignoring ridicule, until he completed this task. 

His syllabary is an accomplishment that greatly helped the Cherokee Nation. Sequoyah's life illustrates that one person’s vision, determination and hard work can make a positive difference in our world.

_________________

Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers. 

Website: www.marydodgeallen.com

Recent release, anthology devotional: El Jireh, The God Who Provides

Mary's story, entitled: A Mother's Desperate Prayer, describes her struggle with guilt and despair after her young son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh provides what we need. 

Click the link below to purchase on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/El-Jireh-God-Who-Provides/dp/1963611608

Mary's novel: Hunt for a Hometown Killer won the 2022 Christian Indie Award, First Place - Mystery/Suspense; and the 2022 Angel Book Award - Mystery/Suspense.

Click the link below to buy Hunt for a Hometown Killer at Amazon.com:

Hunt For A Hometown Killer: A Novel: Allen, Mary Dodge: 9781952369704: Amazon.com: Books

Link to Mary's Spotlight Interview:   Mary Dodge Allen Author Spotlight EA Books

When Christmas Traditions Bring the Victorian Age into the Twenty-first Century

By Donna Wichelman

Rarely does a person have the chance to step into another era unless, perhaps, they are an actor on the stage. Yet, less than three weeks ago, I experienced a sense of time travel into the Victorian age at the annual Christmas at the Hamill House in Georgetown, Colorado. The event blends the traditions of the 1870s and 1970s when the Georgetown Society, now known as Historic Georgetown, Inc., first acquired William A. Hamill’s house and began the restoration and preservation project.

Donna and friend Cindy Bell Attending Christmas at the Hamill House: Donna's Gallery, December 2024

William A. Hamill stands out as one of the most important figures in Georgetown, Colorado’s history. As a mining mogul during Georgetown’s silver mining heyday of the 1870s and ’80s, he was one of the wealthiest men in Clear Creek County, making money through land speculation and buying and selling mines in Georgetown and Silver Plume. Mr. Hamill also invested in newspapers, wagon roads, and railroads. He served as a state Senator in the first Colorado State Legislature, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Colorado Republican Party, and State Railroad Commissioner.

William and Priscilla Hamill had five children whose family fortunes were affected by the devaluation of silver in 1893. They moved to Denver in the wake of the waning industry, but several of Hamill’s descendants still stay in touch with Historic Georgetown, Inc., including a great-great-grandson and a great-great-great-grandson, who desire to preserve the family and community's history.

Historic Georgetown has worked hard to maintain the Victorian ambiance of the town. To that end and with the support of the Hamill family, they have also lovingly restored the Hamill House and maintained its Victorian roots. In my Gilded Age Historical Romance, A Song of Deliverance, I took a little fictional license since Joseph Watson originally built the house in 1867 as a modest Gothic Revival home. Only in 1874 did his brother-in-law, William A. Hamill, buy the house and, in 1879, expand it into a lavish mountain estate.

At first glance, the exterior front of the Hamill House is unassuming, though one might ponder the beautiful granite walls surrounding the property. But a walk around to the south side allows a view of the more extensive alterations William and Pricilla Hamill made to the house with its conservatory and two-story addition. The Hamills also constructed a two-story stone Carriage House and an office building, where Mr. Hamill conducted business, at the back of the property.

Christmas at the Hamill House, December 2019--Donna's Gallery

South Side View of the Hamill House, August 2024--Donna's Gallery

William A. Hamill's Offices--Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Hamill House Carriage House: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

South Side of the Hamill Estate: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

The house’s interior reveals the growing wealth and social status of the Hamills in the community. According to the museum’s brochure, “The black walnut woodwork, four fireplaces, lighting fixtures, wall/border/ceiling papers, door and window hardward, and approximately two-thirds of the furnishings … are all original. The carpets and draperies are reproductions based on patterns known to exist in 1879."

Thus, one can delight in the décor moving from room to room, imagining what it must have been like for refined ladies in their bustled dresses and dashing men in their evening frock coats dining with the Hamills in front of the marble fireplace with its white onyx columns. Perhaps they started the evening drinking aperitifs in the parlor with its elegant gas-light chandelier, lavish flocked wall and border papers, intricate wall and ceiling moldings, and listened to the music played on the square piano. Then, after the meal, the men retired to the library with its red-leather chaise lounge, one of them taking a book from the ornate bookcase to study the maps, while another heads to the conservatory filled with plants and flowers to smoke a cigar.

Hamill House Parlor: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Hamill House Parlor and Square Piano: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Hamill House Library: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Newly Refurbished Conservatory and Fernery: Donna's Gallery, August 2024

Indeed, the Hamills were well known for entertaining and particularly enjoyed inviting people to their traditional Christmas celebrations. Christmas at the Hamill House emulates the spirit and elegance that would have accompanied their traditions--the yule log procession, wassail toasts, a special reading of T’was the Night Before Christmas, lighting the Christmas tree, and the presence of Saint Nicholas. Lastly, guests would have been invited to sing Christmas carols around the Christmas tree to lend joviality to the festivities.

The Hamill House Museum is worth touring any time of the year, especially if you're a fan of historical fiction of the Victorian era. There are also several other museums from Georgetown's silver mining days that will give visitors a feel for what it would have been like to live during the Gilded Age as the West expanded.

Couple in Victorian Garb, Christmas at the Hamill House Parlor: Donna's Gallery, December 2019

Silver Plume Singers Sing During the Wassail Toasts: Donna's Gallery, December 2024

Donna Gives a Wassail Toast: Donna's Gallery, December 2024

A Reading of T'was the Night Before Christmas: Donna's Gallery, December 2019 

Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony: Donna's Gallery, December 2024

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna's love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic--an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God's love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness.

Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time. Her short stories and articles have appeared in inspirational publications. She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released on December 3, 2024.

Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible.