Colonial Sense: The Web Site for All Things Colonial

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Daily Colonial Quote More words of wisdom can be found in the Colonial Quotes section
How many things there are concerning which we might well deliberate whether we had better know them.
	-- Henry David Thoreau

Latest Activity
Today	7 Calendar Events added/edited 3 Timeline and/or Link entries added/edited
02/07/12	1 Auction Result page added/edited 49 Auction Results items added 2 Broadsheets added 2 Calendar Events added/edited
02/06/12	2 Broadsheets added 9 Dictionary words added/edited 4 Timeline and/or Link entries added/edited
02/05/12	2 Broadsheets added 10 Dictionary words added/edited 5 Timeline and/or Link entries added/edited
02/04/12	2 Broadsheets added 9 Timeline and/or Link entries added/edited

Recent Articles on Colonial Sense
	What	Where	When
	January, 2012	Antiques: Auction Results	02/07/12
	Journey to America	Regional History: Journals	01/28/12 [update]
	Curtains	How-To Guides: Interior	01/11/12 [update]
	New England Weather	Society-Lifestyle: Signs of the Times	01/01/12 [update]
	47th Annual Christmas in Odessa Tour	Architecture: Towns	12/24/11
	November, 2011	Antiques: Auction Results	12/17/11
	The Real Thanksgiving	Society-Lifestyle: Holidays	12/11/11
	Shakerism Unmasked	Regional History: Journals	12/06/11 [update]
	Oley Valley 2011 Holiday House Tour	Architecture: Towns	11/26/11
	Leonardo's Robot Knight	Regional History: Oddities: Technology	11/21/11

This Day in Colonial History -- February 8th: Hover over for links to additional information; or go to the Timeline for more events
	• 1526	-	Heavy storm strikes Dutch coast, many die
	• 1575	-	University of Leiden Netherlands opens
	• 1600	-	Vatican convicts scholar Giordano Bruno to death
	• 1601	-	Earl Robert Devereux of Essex armies draws into London
	• 1622	-	King James I disbands the English parliament
	• 1672	-	Isaac Newton reads first optics paper before Royal Society in London
	• 1690	-	French and Indian troops set Schenectady settlement NY on fire	Additional Information: Wikipedia: Schenectady massacre
		-	Lord Halifax resigns as Lord Privy Seal
	• 1693	-	William and Mary college is 2nd college chartered in US
	• 1735	-	First opera in U.S., Marco da Gagliano's La Flora, premieres in Charleston, SC
	• 1743	-	Comet C/1743 C1 sighted as it approaches within 0.0390 AUs of Earth
	• 1744	-	French/Spanish fleet leaves Toulon
	• 1750	-	Minor earthquake in London
	• 1776	-	Wolfgang von Goethe's Stella premieres in Hamburg
	• 1777	-	Former POW Timothy Bigelow is named colonel
	• 1802	-	Simon Willard patents banjo clock
	• 1807	-	Napoleon defeats Russians in Battle of Eylau	Additional Information: Wikipedia: Battle of Eylau
	• 1809	-	Franz I of Austria declares war on France
	• 1819	-	John Ruskin (writer, critic, scientist, poet, artist, environmentalist, philosopher, Architect) is born
	• 1820	-	William Sherman is born
	• 1828	-	Jules Verne is born
	• 1837	-	First Vice President chosen by Senate, Richard Johnson (Van Buren admin)
	• 1855	-	The mysterious " Devil's Footprints" appear in Devon, England. The hoof-like tracks, which have never been adequately explained, are said to stretch for over a hundred miles and go through solid walls and haystacks, as if there was no barrier.

Latest Broadsheets -- Daily news from around the world concerning the Colonial Era
Older articles can be found in the Broadsheet Archive

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/07/2012
'That's the Way to do it!' Punch and Judy Turns 350
February 01, 2012, Deutsche Welle (Germany) by Daniel Zylbersztajn
London marks the 350th anniversary of the Punch and Judy puppet shows this spring. Punch and his German counterpart Kasperl have their origins in 16th-century Italy although things have changed a lot since then.

When Mr. Punch comes out on the puppet stage, he's instantly recognizable with his clownish grin, glowing red cheeks and a long, hooked nose.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/07/2012 -- Followup
Tennessee Group Wants History Altered
January 31, 2012, The Independent Florida Alligator by Francie Weinberg
The president of the Gainesville Tea Party said she "would probably disagree" with the Tennessee Tea Party's push to remove slavery from textbook references that make the Founding Fathers look bad.

"If they're asking for an accurate rendition of what happened, then yes, I'll support what they have to do, but I do not support a whitewash," said Laurie Newsom, president of the Gainesville Tea Party.

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Tennessee Tea Party wants to remove material from textbooks so "no portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers."

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/06/2012
Madrid Museum Finds 'Copy of Mona Lisa by da Vinci Pupil'
February 01, 2012, The Telegraph (UK) by Fiona Govan
A painting thought to be the earliest copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and painted alongside the original has been discovered in Madrid's Prado museum, giving a fresh insight into what the model for one of the world's most famous paintings actually looked like.

The discovery, hailed as one of the most remarkable in recent times, was made during conservation work and is believed to reveal how the famous sitter would have looked at the time.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/06/2012 -- Followup
Escaped Slaves may have Lived in Great Dismal Swamp
January 29, 2012, The Virginian-Pilot by Bill Bartel
It's the closest thing to a clearing of dry LAND that can be found in the deep interior of the Great Dismal Swamp.

Less than 20 acres of ground where the dense, shallow roots of tall beech trees help thin the forest by keeping other trees from sprouting nearby.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/05/2012
San Gabriel Dig Site Offers New Insight into California History
February 02, 2012, Pasadena Star-News (CA) by Lauren Gold
California's industrial revolution has its roots in a small grist mill built by an ex-pirate on a 40-acre farm at the San Gabriel Mission, archaeologists said.

...The mill was finished in 1823 and was built by Boston native Joseph Chapman. He became involved with pirates and was eventually captured by the Spanish and employed as a builder for the California Mission system.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/05/2012
Centuries-Old Bones Could Halt Danville Industrial Project
January 31, 2012, GoDanRiver.com by Denice Thibodeau
A 158-acre tract of land acquired by the Danville Industrial Development Authority for development as industrial sites has turned up some surprises — remnants of a plantation dating back to the 1700s, as well as signs of outbuildings and a cemetery.

The property is located on Gypsum Road, with road frontage on Celotex Way as well. It stretches back to the banks of the Dan River, and was purchased from Ben Coleman for $635,182 in the fall of 2011.

In 1783, Thomas Fearn — one of the original trustees of the Town of Danville — began acquiring property in that area, ultimately owning more than 1,200 acres. By 1823, the property had changed hands and his descendants had scattered around the country. Now, the only signs left of the Fearn family at the site are foundations and some bits of floors for the main house, what appears to be a separate kitchen, barns and other outbuildings, slave quarters, a cistern, a well and outhouses.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/04/2012
Monument for Black Revolutionary War Patriots Readied for Senate Consideration
January 28, 2012, The Examiner by Charles Pekow
A monument in Washington, DC to honor slaves and free blacks who fought in the American Revolution came once step closer to getting built. Legislation (S. 883) to authorize such a project was reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar.

Similar legislation failed in the last Congress, however.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/04/2012
The Capitol Architect Wanted to Reanimate George Washington’s Dead Body
January 28, 2012, io9 by Lauren Davis
George Washington may have been America's first president, but was he nearly America's first zombie-in-chief? If William Thornton, physician and designer of the US Capitol, had had his way, Washington's body would have been subjected a scientific experiment designed to bring the deceased former president back to life.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/03/2012
Tutan-Cat-Mun: 18th Century Mummified Kitty Falls out of Ceiling as House is Being Renovated
January 27, 2012, The Daily Mail (UK) by David Baker
Bringing old homes up to scratch is nothing out of the ordinary for property renovators Andrew and George Hartley,

But this professional couple nearly jumped out their skin when greeted by their most recent form of preservation - as a mummified cat fell on them.

The couple got a face full of the ancient feline as they removed ceilings from an 18th century property in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire.

posted on Colonial Sense: 02/03/2012 -- Followup
Former President John Tyler’s (1790-1862) Grandchildren Still Alive
January 25, 2012, The Sideshow by Eric Pfeiffer
Former President John Tyler, born 221 years ago, still has two living grandchildren. The one-term president isn't a well-known historical figure; he's probably best remembered for helping to push through the annexation of Texas in 1845, shortly before leaving office.

So, how is it possible that a former president who died 150 years ago would still have direct descendents alive today? As it turns out, the Tyler men were known for fathering children late in life. And that math is pretty outstanding when added up:

Colonial Sense Stats
Event Calendar Listings: 165	Online Resources Links: 539	Recipes: 437
Dictionary Entries: 1,338	Broadsheet Archive: 1,436	Food and Farming Items: 199
Colonial Quotes: 1,298	Timeline Events: 5,252	Trivia Challenge: 286
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