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Susan K. Mearig was born 9 November, 1845, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Reuben Mearig and Anna Kraft, and had brother named George Mearig.
Susan married John C. Sherley on 31 May, 1866, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, which in more recent times became the home of Camp Silver Belle, a Spiritualist retreat where ghosts aplenty were raised. Sherley was born 8 October, 1845, to Joseph Sherley and Elizabeth Sweigart, Pennsylvanians of German origins. The family first appears on the 1830 census of Earl Township, Lancaster County. John’s mother died when he was 11, and his father passed only two years later. The Sherley children were divvied up amongst neighboring families. According to a history of the family written by one its members, John’s older sister Susan went to live on a farm owned by Abraham Scheibley in Upper Leacock. The Scheibley farm was next to one owned by the Bushong family, and on it lived George Mearig, Susan’s brother, who surely proved to be the connecting point between the future couple.
John Sherley, as well as two of his brothers, fought in the Civil War. He joined up on 31 December, 1863, age 18, and served with Company B of the 20th Pennsylvania Infantry. His enlistment papers note that he had blue eyes and was only 5”2’ tall, although he later grew to 5”6’. Sherley was discharged in June 1865.
The couple had five children: Mary Ann (13 October, 1866 - 1954); Jacob E. (20 April, 1868 - 1933); William Martin (1876 - 1924), Harry Albert (1880 - 1967), and Albert Eugene (1882 - 1960).
On 10 April, 1871, John Sherley left his family in Pennsylvania and went west to Kansas with a group of sixty men and one woman who had vowed to pool their resources to form what they called the Pennsylvania Colony. According to the family history, “After the settlement had been established, lots were drawn to see which property each member would hold. Properties were 160 acres each and in John’s draw, he acquired acreage located just east of the town they had established and named ‘Osbourne City.’”
Sherley sent for his family and they joined him on the new property. In 1875, the Kansas census, taken on the first of March, placed the family in Penn (short for Pennsylvania Colony?), Osbourne County, where John, Susan, daughter Mary Ann and son Jacob, were farming. Susan was probably quite pregnant with the couple’s second son William at the time. The history says that John’s farm flourished at first, but then came a grasshopper plague that destroyed his crops and forced him to sell out. On the 1880 census of Osbourne, Osbourne County, finds John enumerated as “farmer, now hotel keeper.” Their listing includes three of their five children, servants, and hotel boarders. Later, John became a Singer Sewing Machine agent who traveled “with a pony team and a Singer Company light spring wagon.”
The family moved to Clay Center, Kansas, in the early 1880s, and later relocated to Lancing, where John worked as an electrician at the state prison at Leavenworth, and as a machinist at the Fisher Machine Company, and at the Wadsworth Old Soldiers Home.
Susan died on 11 April, 1910, in Clay Center, Clay County, and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Clay Center. In 1922, John’s heath failed and after stays at several hospitals, he died on 26 October. He was buried beside Susan.
A photo of Susan and John: www.flickr.com/photos/60861613@N00/8727662206/in/photostream
© Ann Longmore-Etheridge Collection
Inscribed in the case appears to be ""Ellen Jane Wells," as well as a number of unreadable and struck-through words. There is also a slip of paper that says "L. V. R. Wells, 2 A???b."
The redoubtable lady in this photo may be Ellen Jane Wells of Bridgeport, Connecticut, born about 1789, making her in her 50s when this photo was taken. The book she is holding seems to be titled "History of the World," perhaps? She also appears to be in widow's garb.
The plate is stamped "E. White Maker N.Y. Finest Quality A No. 1" According to expert Dennis Waters, "At the end of 1841, along with the SCOVILLS, Edward White (E. WHITE MAKER N.Y. FINEST QUALITY A No 1) and an unknown firm, L.B.B. & Ce 40, produced the majority of the manufactured plates that contained a hallmark. All three firms began to systematically clip the corners of their plates in 1842." Those clips are present in this plate.
© Ann Longmore-Etheridge Collection
I think she is utterly adorable. She is also dressed in widow's garb.
The Plate is marked "Double, A. Gaudin, 40," the hallmark of Antoine Gaudin & Bro. 9 Rue de la Perle, Paris, a French company whose products were widely used by daguerreians throughout America.
A sad yet moving portrait of a young child who has been carefully arranged on an Eastlake style sofa. Portrait by the J. B. Gross Studio, Dayton, Ohio. Found in Ohio.
One More Angel
Description: The subject portrayed is post-mortem and was already found in such a state.
Tingids are very tiny Hemipterans, this one measured around 2mm or less. The pronotrum and forewings of the adults possess a labyrinth of paths and windows strung together, giving them their common name. Although they can bite, the pain is a minimal nuisance and they do not transmit any diseases. Generally, they are host specific, piercing the epidermis of the plant tissue and sucking the sap out of it; this usually empties the cell and leaves a bronzed or silvery wound. Usually, they never leave their host plants which means that encountering this one on a lamp, possibly attracted by the lights in which I had no intention of happening, suggests it never found its host plant, died of age or hunger. It seemed to be dead for quite a while after I found it.
They usually have two generations per year, but some species are able to have many. Some Tingids undergo incomplete metamorphosis in which the immature stages resemble the adults, but are smaller and wingless. After the second and third instars the wing pads appear and they increase in size. They may undergo from four to five instars, depending on the species.
Tingoidea's phylogeny is not very well established and many authors treat the families, subfamilies and tribes differently. Bug Guide, for instance, treats the superfamily as Miroidea (bugguide.net/node/view/2723/tree).
As for the genus Gargaphia, I'll quote a source I'll provide below:
"This genus may be distinguished from all others of the family by the sinuous transverse carina interrupting the rostral groove between the meso- and metasternum. In general it may be characterized as follows: Head small, black, more or less shiny, with five prominent spines, three of which are on the front between the eyes and two at the base of head, one on either side. These basal spines may be erect or decumbent and reduced to mere threads. The frontal spines may be reduced to mere stubs. Antennae long, first and second segments stout, the first at least three times the length of the second, and about equal to the fourth in length, segments more or less hairy. Pronotum with a hood, varying in size with the species but never entirely covering the head, three longitudinal membranous carinae, and a wide membranous lateral margin which is more or less flaring and angular in some species. A transverse sinuous carina interrupts the rostral groove between the meso- and metasternum. Elytra lacy, with hyaline areoles at least in the costal area. Various areas of elytra well defined. Elytra narrowed at the base, never.
The following list of food plants is given merely as an aid to
identification. It is as complete as possible with the data at
hand, which was taken from various publications and insect labels. All use subject to about.jstor.org/terms
EDMUND H. GIBSON
Amphiachyris species
solani (Heidemann)
Basswood (Tilia pubescens)
tiliae (Walsh)
Beans
angulata (Heidemann)
Coffee Weed (Cassia species)
solani (Heidemann)
Cotton (Gossypium species)
solani (Heidemann)
Dahlia parryi
condensa (Gibson)
Dahlia spinosa
opacula (Uhler)
Egg plant (Solanum melongena)
opacula (Uhler)
solani (Heidemann)
False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
amorphae (Walsh)
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
solani (Heidemann)
Mallow (Malva species)
iridescens (Champion)
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
angulata (Heidemann)
Night Shade (Solanum species)
iridescens (Champion)
solani (Heidemann)
Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
solani (Heidemann)
Ragweed (Ambrosia species)
iridescens (Champion)
Sage (Salvia pitcheri)
solani (Heidemann)
Sand Nettle
iridescens (Champion)
White Horse Nettle (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
solani Heidemann
Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)
tiliae (Walsh)
Willow (Salix species)
opacula (Uhler)"
Source: www.jstor.org/stable/25077010?seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
The previously quoted morphology is for the genus in general, but the appearance of Gargaphia changes between species, and due to this I can't be 100% certain of the genus, but there is more certainty than doubt.
Maternal care has been observed in a few species of Gargaphia as well as a few species of Tingids in general. Gargaphia's behaviour often include the aggressive protection of the eggs.
Special thanks to Tyler Katz (www.facebook.com/tak11123?fref=search) for suggesting the genus Gargaphia and going even further as to risk the species Gargaphia tiliens, although there is no 100% certainty of anything here.
Other sources include the Wikipedia article for Tingidae which I'll mention below. Other sources can be found in the text itself.
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingidae
Scielo: www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0085...
PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1992305757
"Patronized by H. M. the Queen. Album Portraits, photographed by Fred'c Jones, 146 Oxford Street, London." On the reverse are also written the initials "RNR."
Easington Colliery is a town in County Durham, England, known for a history of coal mining. It is situated to the north of Horden, a short distance to the east of Easington Village. The town suffered a significant mining accident on 29 May 1951, when an explosion in the mine resulted in the deaths of 83 men.
Easington had a population of 4,959 in 2001, and 5,022 at the 2011 Census.
The town's prominence increased after its use as the fictional Everington in the film Billy Elliot (2000), starring Jamie Bell.
Easington Colliery began when the pit was sunk in 1899, near the coast; indeed the pylon for the aerial flight that carried tubs of colliery waste from the mine stood just inside the North Sea. Thousands of workers came to the area from all parts of Britain, and with the new community came new shops, pubs, clubs, and many rows of terraced "colliery houses" for the mine workers and their families.
On 7 May 1993, the mine was closed, with the loss of 1,400 jobs, causing a decline in the local economy. The pit shaft headgear was demolished the following year.
The town's former infant and junior schools were built in 1911. They are adjacent to Seaside Line but lie derelict. A development company bought the buildings in 2003 and applied for planning permission to build 39 residential units, but a public inquiry gave a ruling that protected the buildings from demolition. They have since been listed. Both buildings were demolished in 2021.
It was decided in 2009 to create a new unitary authority — Durham County Council — to cover the whole of the county, and most of Easington's staff moved into new offices in Seaham. Easington District Council's office building, which had been the department's home for over eighty years, was demolished in April 2013. The fixtures and fittings, including oak desks, from the council chamber, were placed in storage at Beamish Museum.
A history of the Easington Colliery was published in the Journal of the North East Labour History Society.
The youngest soldier to be awarded a Victoria Cross during World War II was Dennis Donnini, who was from Easington. His father, an Italian named Alfred Donnini, had married an Englishwoman named Catherine Brown and ran an ice-cream shop in Easington. Donnini attended Corby Grammar School in Sunderland.
In an action on 18 January 1945, fusilier Donnini (then aged 19) was wounded twice yet still led an assault on the enemy before being killed. His gallantry had enabled his comrades to overcome three times their own number of the enemy. He is buried at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Sittard, the Netherlands.
There was a major mine disaster in 1951, sometimes called the Duckbill or Duck Bills Flare (or Fire).
Although the shafts for the colliery had started to be sunk in 1899, the first coals were not drawn until 1910 due to passing through water-bearing strata. Two main pits were sunk: the North Shaft (downcast) and the South Shaft (upcast). Both of these reached down to the Hutton seam, at 1,430 feet (440 m) and 1,500 feet (460 m), respectively. The seams worked were Five Quarter, Seven Quarter, Main Coal, Low Main and the Hutton at the bottom. Underground, the colliery was split into a number of distinct areas or districts. The explosion occurred in the West or "Duckbill" district (named after the duckbill excavators used in the district), which lies to the northwest of the shafts and to the north of the village. The village is built over the seams, and to safeguard it from subsidence there is a reserved area under it.
Significantly, one district extends for four miles (6.4 km) under the North Sea; ventilation was, therefore, not simple: enough air was needed to ventilate the extremities of the eastern workings, whilst that for the closer faces did not need such a powerful supply. Too much air in the closer workings would starve the distant ones. Supplementary fans and traps needed to be employed. The Duckbill district was being developed, and it appears that the effect of this on the ventilation was overlooked, as admitted by the Assistant Agent (Mr H. E. Morgan) in cross-examination.
From the pit bottoms, the main roadways extended 380 yards (350 m) to the north, where the West Level branched off and ran for 640 yards (590 m) west to the junction with the Straight North Headings, which head north via drifts into the Five Quarter seam. The West Level continued into a training area. Around 300 yards (270 m) along the Straight North Headings was a further junction where the First West Roads headed west. Some distance further on the second and third roads branched off.
Along the First West roads were a number of headings both north and south. The seat of the explosion was at the far end, down the Third South heading.
At the end of the Third South heading a cross passage was driven and "long wall" excavation commenced on the retreating wall principle. The cutting machine travels from one end of the long wall to the other, and then back. The cuts are made towards the roads, thus the face retreats from where it started back towards the start of the headings. Behind the cut is a void (known as "goaf") into which spoil was placed and normally the roof is allowed to collapse upon this spoil as props are withdrawn. In the case of the Third South workings this collapse did not occur properly and a void developed above the spoil.
The area above the goaf was inadequately ventilated and acted as a reservoir for firedamp. The origin of the firedamp is debatable: either the fractured roof allowed a sudden outburst from the seams above, or else the firedamp was gradually emitted from the waste into the void. Roberts discusses these possibilities in the report and comes down in favour of the latter.
All collieries are susceptible to the build up of coal dust, not just at the face but along the roadways and conveyors. Coal dust when dispersed in air forms an explosive mixture. Mines therefore adopt three principal means of combating this risk: removal of the dust, spraying with water and diluting the coal dust with stone dust. All three were practised at Easington, but not in a satisfactory manner.
At this date firedamp detection was by means of a flame safety lamp. Certain men were required to have the lamps with them. These men were not permitted to have electrical lamps with them which might disguise the changes in the flame they were meant to observe. Provision was made for the mine manager to issue written permission for these men to carry electrical lights. At Easington this permission was routinely given. Since the flame lamps were not needed for illumination they were an additional item to carry and were sometimes left behind. On the day of the explosion both lamps had been left at the intake and were not being used for detection. Roberts was unsure whether, in this instance, the lamps would have provided timely warning of the firedamp.
The coal cutter has a rotating head on which are mounted hardened teeth, known as picks. Within the coal can be found inclusions of rocks such as pyrites or quartz which shatter and produce a finely divided powder. If this powder is between the pick and the rock it will be ground and thereby heated. Blunt picks are more likely to do this than sharp ones. Prior to the explosion sparking had been observed from the cutters in the Duckbill district.
At Easington in 1951 blunt picks from the coal cutter hit a patch of pyrites and generated sparks. The firedamp leaking from the void above the goaf was ignited. When firedamp explodes in a tunnel it generates a blast of gas which raises any coal dust lying around. The coal dust, being finely divided, in turn explodes and the resulting explosion propagates along the tunnel as a flame front. At Easington the explosion travelled down the south headings to the west roads and then along the west roads, down the straight north headings and into the main coal where it reached as far as the training area. Two falls occurred: one in the main coal shortly before the drifts leading to the straight north roads, the other in the Duckbill district shortly before the 3rd south heading.
At that time Durham mines worked three production shifts and a maintenance shift. The fore-shift was from 03:30 to 11:07, the back-shift from 09:45 to 17:22 and night-shift from 16:00 to 23:37. The maintenance and repair shift was the stone-shift from 22:00 to 05:37. Shift timings related to going underground through to returning to the shaft top, therefore at 04:35 both the stone-shift and the fore-shift were underground at the faces. 38 men from the stone-shift and 43 from the fore-shift were killed, all but one instantly. The man who survived died of his injuries just a few hours later. As a result of the total loss of life in the vicinity there were no eye-witness accounts of the explosion or its immediate aftermath.
One man (Frank Leadbitter) was at the shaft-bottom stables and led a party of men through the dust cloud towards the explosion. They headed along the main coal west haulage road towards the duckbill district. The Chief Inspector of Mines singled Leadbitter out for especial praise for continuing even after feeling what they thought was a second explosion.
The air in the pit was foul with afterdamp. As the rescuers started to move into the affected area, the canaries carried were overcome almost at once. The afterdamp led to the deaths of a further two men, bringing the total deaths to 83. The first death was John Young Wallace (26) who simply sat down, fell unconscious and died. His self-contained breathing apparatus was tested and found to be satisfactory. A post mortem examination revealed emphysema and it was thought that the exertion led to breathlessness caused him to open his mouth and allow ambient air to leak in. The air was thought to contain about 3% carbon monoxide (30,000 ppm), well above the 667 ppm fatal concentration.
Three days later another rescuer collapsed in a similar way and died. The postmortem revealed bullus empysema. A bulla (blister) on his left lung had ruptured and the pain had made him gasp for breath, thereby inhaling a fatal amount of carbon monoxide.
A memorial comprising a large carved triangular rock painted white. It bears a tablet of stone removed from the scene of the disaster, and a metal plaque with an inscription. The memorial was inaugurated on 22 March 1952. On the same occasion, Easington Colliery's youngest miner, a boy of 16, planted the first of 83 trees, to line the walkway. Each tree symbolises a life lost in the disaster.
The youngest victim was 18-years-old, the oldest 68, whilst the average age of the pitmen killed was 43.
Easington Colliery Band was founded in 1915. Players with band experience were encouraged by the management to come from the West of Durham to work at the colliery and play in the band. The band was supported financially and run by the joint board of unions, until the start of World War II. The band played for community activities, such as dances, concerts, and competitions. For the duration of the war the Easington Colliery Youth Band became the National Fire Service Band, which was eventually 'demobbed' in 1945 to become the Easington Public Band.
In 1956 the Public Band and the Colliery Band amalgamated to become the Easington Colliery Band as it is today. April 1993 witnessed the end of an era when Easington Colliery finally closed. The band is now self-supporting and relies on funding from concerts held throughout the year. The band is still based in Easington Colliery in the old colliery pay office opposite the Memorial Gardens, which is on the site of the old colliery. The building is the last remaining evidence of the pit.
Easington Colliery doubled as the fictitious Everington in the 2000 film Billy Elliot. About 400 locals were used as extras during the filming in 1999.
Due to Easington Colliery's pit closure in 1993, the film's mining scenes were filmed at the Ellington and Lynemouth Colliery in Northumberland, with some filming in Dawdon, Middlesbrough and Newcastle upon Tyne.
Scenes inside the Elliot home and local street shots were filmed in Easington Colliery. Alnwick Street, on which the Elliot family lived at number 5, was one of several streets demolished in 2003 after becoming derelict. Michael lived at the corresponding number across the alley to the west on the also-demolished Andrew Street. A green space now stands in their place. Avon Street, to the east, which is still intact, is shown when the postman walks up to the front of the Elliot residence to deliver Billy's letter from the Royal Ballet. The faded white-brick wall of Wright's Prize Bingo, on Ashton Street, is also still visible. This was directly in line with the Elliots' terrace.
Almost all of the scenes set in Everington were filmed at the top of the sizable slope that is visible in the street views, near the allotments on Tower Street that still remain today. Easington coal mine was located past the eastern end of Tower Street. It is also down Tower Street that Billy is seen dancing with his ballet shoes around his neck. He then turns right to go behind the Anthony Street terraces, looking down the hill to Ashton Street, on what is now Gardener and Leech Courts, with Bede Street rising up on the other side. The rear of Anthony Street, where Austin and Arthur Streets once stood, is also used in the scene in which Billy steals a ballet book from the mobile library van. After a dance class, Mrs Wilkinson drops Billy off at a vacant lot of land on Crawlaw Avenue, just beyond Andrew Street.
There are three scenes filmed at the southern end of the terraces: when Debbie is dragging the stick along the walls (and police shields) on Ashton Street at the ends of Avon Street, firstly, and then Alnwick Street. Billy then crosses Ashton Street en route to Seaside Lane. The same crossing is made by Billy, Jackie and Tony when they take Billy to the bus station. Mrs Wilkinson parks on Ashton Street, at the bottom of Alnwick Street, when she pays the Elliots a visit.
The Rialto, a former cinema on Oswald Terrace, is shown briefly in the movie. It is now the only surviving cinema building in the town, although it has now been taken over by a carpet superstore. Part of the original façade, which Billy walks by, is still visible, however. It ceased being a cinema in the mid-1970s. It is in the alley behind Oswald Terrace that the Christmas scene featuring Billy and Michael is shot. Fake snow is used to cover the scene. The rear of the Rialto doubles as that of Everington Boys' Club, where Billy attends boxing and dance practices. The interior shots were filmed on the top floor of Hanwell Community Centre in London.
Billy Elliot the Musical (2005) is set in Easington and the town is named in song lyrics.
Singer-songwriter Jez Lowe was born and brought up in Easington. His song, "Last of the Widows", was written in 1991 to mark the fortieth anniversary of the pit disaster. Many of his other songs are inspired by life in County Durham and Easington in particular.
Poet, Songwriter and Durham miner Jock Purdon penned and sang the lament "Easington Explosion" regarding the 1951 disaster.
In 1971, members of rock band The Who shot the cover photograph for their album Who's Next at a concrete piling protruding from a spoil tip in the area. This cover was named by the VH1 network as one of the Greatest Album Covers.
In 2008, the town was featured in an episode of Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire, in which advertising mogul Carl Hopkins donated over £30,000 to the community.
Peter Lee Hammond was a miner at Easington pit and a singer-songwriter. Every year, Easington held a carnival, and in 1989 Hammond was asked by the Easington Carnival Committee to write and sing a song about the community, mining history and the pit disaster of 1951. The A-side song was called "Living in a Mining Town", which included Hammond singing with his band Just Us, and the B-side was an instrumental version of the song and included Thornley & Wheatley Hill Colliery Brass Bands and local school children from Easington Junior school & Shotton Primary school singing harmony. The B-side was conducted and brass arrangement by Gorden Kitto. Local renowned poet and Colliery resident Mary Bell also helped organise the single's release. The song became a big hit with the locals and it was decided to make it into a single, with the proceeds going to a handicapped school in Easington. As the newspapers and radio got involved then quite a few celebrities gave their support and got involved in giving donations and funding the song, including HRH Prince Charles, the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Neil Kinnock M.P. and Sir Paul McCartney, and the song was mixed at Abbey Road Studios. Hammond was quoted as saying in a radio interview:
"Having one of my songs done at Abbey Road Studios was great. What a fantastic place it is, and Paul and Lynda helping was a dream. And to have the local school kids and brass bands on the B-side shows how strong the mining community is in this area and it gave the community a sense of pride when the single came out, I was very proud and honoured to have been asked to do this for the place where I was born and raised."
A copy of the song was requested by Queen Elizabeth II to be sent to her at Buckingham Palace, and a copy of the song was made part of the living history memorabilia exhibition at the Yardy Gallery museum in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. The song was played on many radio stations and was a major success in the area. Hammond went on to win many awards for his other songs and recording albums abroad and is still writing to this day.
County Durham, officially simply Durham is a ceremonial county in North East England. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to the north, the North Sea to the east, North Yorkshire to the south, and Cumbria to the west. The largest settlement is Darlington, and the county town is the city of Durham.
The county has an area of 2,721 km2 (1,051 sq mi) and a population of 866,846. The latter is concentrated in the east; the south-east is part of the Teesside built-up area, which extends into North Yorkshire. After Darlington (92,363), the largest settlements are Hartlepool (88,855), Stockton-on-Tees (82,729), and Durham (48,069). For local government purposes the county comprises three unitary authority areas—County Durham, Darlington, and Hartlepool—and part of a fourth, Stockton-on-Tees. The county historically included the part of Tyne and Wear south of the River Tyne, and excluded the part of County Durham south of the River Tees.
The west of the county contains part of the North Pennines uplands, a national landscape. The hills are the source of the rivers Tees and Wear, which flow east and form the valleys of Teesdale and Weardale respectively. The east of the county is flatter, and contains by rolling hills through which the two rivers meander; the Tees forms the boundary with North Yorkshire in its lower reaches, and the Wear exits the county near Chester-le-Street in the north-east. The county's coast is a site of special scientific interest characterised by tall limestone and dolomite cliffs.
What is now County Durham was on the border of Roman Britain, and contains survivals of this era at sites such as Binchester Roman Fort. In the Anglo-Saxon period the region was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria. In 995 the city of Durham was founded by monks seeking a place safe from Viking raids to house the relics of St Cuthbert. Durham Cathedral was rebuilt after the Norman Conquest, and together with Durham Castle is now a World Heritage Site. By the late Middle Ages the county was governed semi-independently by the bishops of Durham and was also a buffer zone between England and Scotland. County Durham became heavily industrialised in the nineteenth century, when many collieries opened on the Durham coalfield. The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened in 1825. Most collieries closed during the last quarter of the twentieth century, but the county's coal mining heritage is remembered in the annual Durham Miners' Gala.
Remains of Prehistoric Durham include a number of Neolithic earthworks.
The Crawley Edge Cairns and Heathery Burn Cave are Bronze Age sites. Maiden Castle, Durham is an Iron Age site.
Brigantia, the land of the Brigantes, is said to have included what is now County Durham.
There are archaeological remains of Roman Durham. Dere Street and Cade's Road run through what is now County Durham. There were Roman forts at Concangis (Chester-le-Street), Lavatrae (Bowes), Longovicium (Lanchester), Piercebridge (Morbium), Vindomora (Ebchester) and Vinovium (Binchester). (The Roman fort at Arbeia (South Shields) is within the former boundaries of County Durham.) A Romanised farmstead has been excavated at Old Durham.
Remains of the Anglo-Saxon period include a number of sculpted stones and sundials, the Legs Cross, the Rey Cross and St Cuthbert's coffin.
Around AD 547, an Angle named Ida founded the kingdom of Bernicia after spotting the defensive potential of a large rock at Bamburgh, upon which many a fortification was thenceforth built. Ida was able to forge, hold and consolidate the kingdom; although the native British tried to take back their land, the Angles triumphed and the kingdom endured.
In AD 604, Ida's grandson Æthelfrith forcibly merged Bernicia (ruled from Bamburgh) and Deira (ruled from York, which was known as Eforwic at the time) to create the Kingdom of Northumbria. In time, the realm was expanded, primarily through warfare and conquest; at its height, the kingdom stretched from the River Humber (from which the kingdom drew its name) to the Forth. Eventually, factional fighting and the rejuvenated strength of neighbouring kingdoms, most notably Mercia, led to Northumbria's decline. The arrival of the Vikings hastened this decline, and the Scandinavian raiders eventually claimed the Deiran part of the kingdom in AD 867 (which became Jórvík). The land that would become County Durham now sat on the border with the Great Heathen Army, a border which today still (albeit with some adjustments over the years) forms the boundaries between Yorkshire and County Durham.
Despite their success south of the river Tees, the Vikings never fully conquered the Bernician part of Northumbria, despite the many raids they had carried out on the kingdom. However, Viking control over the Danelaw, the central belt of Anglo-Saxon territory, resulted in Northumbria becoming isolated from the rest of Anglo-Saxon Britain. Scots invasions in the north pushed the kingdom's northern boundary back to the River Tweed, and the kingdom found itself reduced to a dependent earldom, its boundaries very close to those of modern-day Northumberland and County Durham. The kingdom was annexed into England in AD 954.
In AD 995, St Cuthbert's community, who had been transporting Cuthbert's remains around, partly in an attempt to avoid them falling into the hands of Viking raiders, settled at Dunholm (Durham) on a site that was defensively favourable due to the horseshoe-like path of the River Wear. St Cuthbert's remains were placed in a shrine in the White Church, which was originally a wooden structure but was eventually fortified into a stone building.
Once the City of Durham had been founded, the Bishops of Durham gradually acquired the lands that would become County Durham. Bishop Aldhun began this process by procuring land in the Tees and Wear valleys, including Norton, Stockton, Escomb and Aucklandshire in 1018. In 1031, King Canute gave Staindrop to the Bishops. This territory continued to expand, and was eventually given the status of a liberty. Under the control of the Bishops of Durham, the land had various names: the "Liberty of Durham", "Liberty of St Cuthbert's Land" "the lands of St Cuthbert between Tyne and Tees" or "the Liberty of Haliwerfolc" (holy Wear folk).
The bishops' special jurisdiction rested on claims that King Ecgfrith of Northumbria had granted a substantial territory to St Cuthbert on his election to the see of Lindisfarne in 684. In about 883 a cathedral housing the saint's remains was established at Chester-le-Street and Guthfrith, King of York granted the community of St Cuthbert the area between the Tyne and the Wear, before the community reached its final destination in 995, in Durham.
Following the Norman invasion, the administrative machinery of government extended only slowly into northern England. Northumberland's first recorded Sheriff was Gilebert from 1076 until 1080 and a 12th-century record records Durham regarded as within the shire. However the bishops disputed the authority of the sheriff of Northumberland and his officials, despite the second sheriff for example being the reputed slayer of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scots. The crown regarded Durham as falling within Northumberland until the late thirteenth century.
Following the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror appointed Copsig as Earl of Northumbria, thereby bringing what would become County Durham under Copsig's control. Copsig was, just a few weeks later, killed in Newburn. Having already being previously offended by the appointment of a non-Northumbrian as Bishop of Durham in 1042, the people of the region became increasingly rebellious. In response, in January 1069, William despatched a large Norman army, under the command of Robert de Comines, to Durham City. The army, believed to consist of 700 cavalry (about one-third of the number of Norman knights who had participated in the Battle of Hastings), entered the city, whereupon they were attacked, and defeated, by a Northumbrian assault force. The Northumbrians wiped out the entire Norman army, including Comines, all except for one survivor, who was allowed to take the news of this defeat back.
Following the Norman slaughter at the hands of the Northumbrians, resistance to Norman rule spread throughout Northern England, including a similar uprising in York. William The Conqueror subsequently (and successfully) attempted to halt the northern rebellions by unleashing the notorious Harrying of the North (1069–1070). Because William's main focus during the harrying was on Yorkshire, County Durham was largely spared the Harrying.
Anglo-Norman Durham refers to the Anglo-Norman period, during which Durham Cathedral was built.
Matters regarding the bishopric of Durham came to a head in 1293 when the bishop and his steward failed to attend proceedings of quo warranto held by the justices of Northumberland. The bishop's case went before parliament, where he stated that Durham lay outside the bounds of any English shire and that "from time immemorial it had been widely known that the sheriff of Northumberland was not sheriff of Durham nor entered within that liberty as sheriff. . . nor made there proclamations or attachments". The arguments appear to have prevailed, as by the fourteenth century Durham was accepted as a liberty which received royal mandates direct. In effect it was a private shire, with the bishop appointing his own sheriff. The area eventually became known as the "County Palatine of Durham".
Sadberge was a liberty, sometimes referred to as a county, within Northumberland. In 1189 it was purchased for the see but continued with a separate sheriff, coroner and court of pleas. In the 14th century Sadberge was included in Stockton ward and was itself divided into two wards. The division into the four wards of Chester-le-Street, Darlington, Easington and Stockton existed in the 13th century, each ward having its own coroner and a three-weekly court corresponding to the hundred court. The diocese was divided into the archdeaconries of Durham and Northumberland. The former is mentioned in 1072, and in 1291 included the deaneries of Chester-le-Street, Auckland, Lanchester and Darlington.
The term palatinus is applied to the bishop in 1293, and from the 13th century onwards the bishops frequently claimed the same rights in their lands as the king enjoyed in his kingdom.
The historic boundaries of County Durham included a main body covering the catchment of the Pennines in the west, the River Tees in the south, the North Sea in the east and the Rivers Tyne and Derwent in the north. The county palatinate also had a number of liberties: the Bedlingtonshire, Islandshire and Norhamshire exclaves within Northumberland, and the Craikshire exclave within the North Riding of Yorkshire. In 1831 the county covered an area of 679,530 acres (2,750.0 km2) and had a population of 253,910. These exclaves were included as part of the county for parliamentary electoral purposes until 1832, and for judicial and local-government purposes until the coming into force of the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844, which merged most remaining exclaves with their surrounding county. The boundaries of the county proper remained in use for administrative and ceremonial purposes until the Local Government Act 1972.
Boldon Book (1183 or 1184) is a polyptichum for the Bishopric of Durham.
Until the 15th century, the most important administrative officer in the Palatinate was the steward. Other officers included the sheriff, the coroners, the Chamberlain and the chancellor. The palatine exchequer originated in the 12th century. The palatine assembly represented the whole county, and dealt chiefly with fiscal questions. The bishop's council, consisting of the clergy, the sheriff and the barons, regulated judicial affairs, and later produced the Chancery and the courts of Admiralty and Marshalsea.
The prior of Durham ranked first among the bishop's barons. He had his own court, and almost exclusive jurisdiction over his men. A UNESCO site describes the role of the Prince-Bishops in Durham, the "buffer state between England and Scotland":
From 1075, the Bishop of Durham became a Prince-Bishop, with the right to raise an army, mint his own coins, and levy taxes. As long as he remained loyal to the king of England, he could govern as a virtually autonomous ruler, reaping the revenue from his territory, but also remaining mindful of his role of protecting England’s northern frontier.
A report states that the Bishops also had the authority to appoint judges and barons and to offer pardons.
There were ten palatinate barons in the 12th century, most importantly the Hyltons of Hylton Castle, the Bulmers of Brancepeth, the Conyers of Sockburne, the Hansards of Evenwood, and the Lumleys of Lumley Castle. The Nevilles owned large estates in the county. John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby rebuilt Raby Castle, their principal seat, in 1377.
Edward I's quo warranto proceedings of 1293 showed twelve lords enjoying more or less extensive franchises under the bishop. The repeated efforts of the Crown to check the powers of the palatinate bishops culminated in 1536 in the Act of Resumption, which deprived the bishop of the power to pardon offences against the law or to appoint judicial officers. Moreover, indictments and legal processes were in future to run in the name of the king, and offences to be described as against the peace of the king, rather than that of the bishop. In 1596 restrictions were imposed on the powers of the chancery, and in 1646 the palatinate was formally abolished. It was revived, however, after the Restoration, and continued with much the same power until 5 July 1836, when the Durham (County Palatine) Act 1836 provided that the palatine jurisdiction should in future be vested in the Crown.
During the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, Henry VI passed through Durham. On the outbreak of the Great Rebellion in 1642 Durham inclined to support the cause of Parliament, and in 1640 the high sheriff of the palatinate guaranteed to supply the Scottish army with provisions during their stay in the county. In 1642 the Earl of Newcastle formed the western counties into an association for the King's service, but in 1644 the palatinate was again overrun by a Scottish army, and after the Battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644) fell entirely into the hands of Parliament.
In 1614, a Bill was introduced in Parliament for securing representation to the county and city of Durham and the borough of Barnard Castle. The bishop strongly opposed the proposal as an infringement of his palatinate rights, and the county was first summoned to return members to Parliament in 1654. After the Restoration of 1660 the county and city returned two members each. In the wake of the Reform Act of 1832 the county returned two members for two divisions, and the boroughs of Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland acquired representation. The bishops lost their secular powers in 1836. The boroughs of Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool returned one member each from 1868 until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885.
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 reformed the municipal boroughs of Durham, Stockton on Tees and Sunderland. In 1875, Jarrow was incorporated as a municipal borough, as was West Hartlepool in 1887. At a county level, the Local Government Act 1888 reorganised local government throughout England and Wales. Most of the county came under control of the newly formed Durham County Council in an area known as an administrative county. Not included were the county boroughs of Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland. However, for purposes other than local government, the administrative county of Durham and the county boroughs continued to form a single county to which the Crown appointed a Lord Lieutenant of Durham.
Over its existence, the administrative county lost territory, both to the existing county boroughs, and because two municipal boroughs became county boroughs: West Hartlepool in 1902 and Darlington in 1915. The county boundary with the North Riding of Yorkshire was adjusted in 1967: that part of the town of Barnard Castle historically in Yorkshire was added to County Durham, while the administrative county ceded the portion of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in Durham to the North Riding. In 1968, following the recommendation of the Local Government Commission, Billingham was transferred to the County Borough of Teesside, in the North Riding. In 1971, the population of the county—including all associated county boroughs (an area of 2,570 km2 (990 sq mi))—was 1,409,633, with a population outside the county boroughs of 814,396.
In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 abolished the administrative county and the county boroughs, reconstituting County Durham as a non-metropolitan county. The reconstituted County Durham lost territory to the north-east (around Gateshead, South Shields and Sunderland) to Tyne and Wear and to the south-east (around Hartlepool) to Cleveland. At the same time it gained the former area of Startforth Rural District from the North Riding of Yorkshire. The area of the Lord Lieutenancy of Durham was also adjusted by the Act to coincide with the non-metropolitan county (which occupied 3,019 km2 (1,166 sq mi) in 1981).
In 1996, as part of 1990s UK local government reform by Lieutenancies Act 1997, Cleveland was abolished. Its districts were reconstituted as unitary authorities. Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees (north Tees) were returned to the county for the purposes of Lord Lieutenancy. Darlington also became a third unitary authority of the county. The Royal Mail abandoned the use of postal counties altogether, permitted but not mandatory being at a writer wishes.
As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England initiated by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the seven district councils within the County Council area were abolished. The County Council assumed their functions and became the fourth unitary authority. Changes came into effect on 1 April 2009.
On 15 April 2014, North East Combined Authority was established under the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 with powers over economic development and regeneration. In November 2018, Newcastle City Council, North Tyneside Borough Council, and Northumberland County Council left the authority. These later formed the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
In May 2021, four parish councils of the villages of Elwick, Hart, Dalton Piercy and Greatham all issued individual votes of no confidence in Hartlepool Borough Council, and expressed their desire to join the County Durham district.
In October 2021, County Durham was shortlisted for the UK City of Culture 2025. In May 2022, it lost to Bradford.
Eighteenth century Durham saw the appearance of dissent in the county and the Durham Ox. The county did not assist the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. The Statue of Neptune in the City of Durham was erected in 1729.
A number of disasters happened in Nineteenth century Durham. The Felling mine disasters happened in 1812, 1813, 1821 and 1847. The Philadelphia train accident happened in 1815. In 1854, there was a great fire in Gateshead. One of the West Stanley Pit disasters happened in 1882. The Victoria Hall disaster happened in 1883.
One of the West Stanley Pit disasters happened in 1909. The Darlington rail crash happened in 1928. The Battle of Stockton happened in 1933. The Browney rail crash happened in 1946.
The First Treaty of Durham was made at Durham in 1136. The Second Treaty of Durham was made at Durham in 1139.
The county regiment was the Durham Light Infantry, which replaced, in particular, the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and the Militia and Volunteers of County Durham.
RAF Greatham, RAF Middleton St George and RAF Usworth were located in County Durham.
David I, the King of Scotland, invaded the county in 1136, and ravaged much of the county 1138. In 17 October 1346, the Battle of Neville's Cross was fought at Neville's Cross, near the city of Durham. On 16 December 1914, during the First World War, there was a raid on Hartlepool by the Imperial German Navy.
Chroniclers connected with Durham include the Bede, Symeon of Durham, Geoffrey of Coldingham and Robert de Graystanes.
County Durham has long been associated with coal mining, from medieval times up to the late 20th century. The Durham Coalfield covered a large area of the county, from Bishop Auckland, to Consett, to the River Tyne and below the North Sea, thereby providing a significant expanse of territory from which this rich mineral resource could be extracted.
King Stephen possessed a mine in Durham, which he granted to Bishop Pudsey, and in the same century colliers are mentioned at Coundon, Bishopwearmouth and Sedgefield. Cockfield Fell was one of the earliest Landsale collieries in Durham. Edward III issued an order allowing coal dug at Newcastle to be taken across the Tyne, and Richard II granted to the inhabitants of Durham licence to export the produce of the mines, without paying dues to the corporation of Newcastle. The majority was transported from the Port of Sunderland complex, which was constructed in the 1850s.
Among other early industries, lead-mining was carried on in the western part of the county, and mustard was extensively cultivated. Gateshead had a considerable tanning trade and shipbuilding was undertaken at Jarrow, and at Sunderland, which became the largest shipbuilding town in the world – constructing a third of Britain's tonnage.[citation needed]
The county's modern-era economic history was facilitated significantly by the growth of the mining industry during the nineteenth century. At the industry's height, in the early 20th century, over 170,000 coal miners were employed, and they mined 58,700,000 tons of coal in 1913 alone. As a result, a large number of colliery villages were built throughout the county as the industrial revolution gathered pace.
The railway industry was also a major employer during the industrial revolution, with railways being built throughout the county, such as The Tanfield Railway, The Clarence Railway and The Stockton and Darlington Railway. The growth of this industry occurred alongside the coal industry, as the railways provided a fast, efficient means to move coal from the mines to the ports and provided the fuel for the locomotives. The great railway pioneers Timothy Hackworth, Edward Pease, George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson were all actively involved with developing the railways in tandem with County Durham's coal mining industry. Shildon and Darlington became thriving 'railway towns' and experienced significant growths in population and prosperity; before the railways, just over 100 people lived in Shildon but, by the 1890s, the town was home to around 8,000 people, with Shildon Shops employing almost 3000 people at its height.
However, by the 1930s, the coal mining industry began to diminish and, by the mid-twentieth century, the pits were closing at an increasing rate. In 1951, the Durham County Development Plan highlighted a number of colliery villages, such as Blackhouse, as 'Category D' settlements, in which future development would be prohibited, property would be acquired and demolished, and the population moved to new housing, such as that being built in Newton Aycliffe. Likewise, the railway industry also began to decline, and was significantly brought to a fraction of its former self by the Beeching cuts in the 1960s. Darlington Works closed in 1966 and Shildon Shops followed suit in 1984. The county's last deep mines, at Easington, Vane Tempest, Wearmouth and Westoe, closed in 1993.
Postal Rates from 1801 were charged depending on the distance from London. Durham was allocated the code 263 the approximate mileage from London. From about 1811, a datestamp appeared on letters showing the date the letter was posted. In 1844 a new system was introduced and Durham was allocated the code 267. This system was replaced in 1840 when the first postage stamps were introduced.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911): "To the Anglo-Saxon period are to be referred portions of the churches of Monk Wearmouth (Sunderland), Jarrow, Escomb near Bishop Auckland, and numerous sculptured crosses, two of which are in situ at Aycliffe. . . . The Decorated and Perpendicular periods are very scantily represented, on account, as is supposed, of the incessant wars between England and Scotland in the 14th and 15th centuries. The principal monastic remains, besides those surrounding Durham cathedral, are those of its subordinate house or "cell," Finchale Priory, beautifully situated by the Wear. The most interesting castles are those of Durham, Raby, Brancepeth and Barnard. There are ruins of castelets or peel-towers at Dalden, Ludworth and Langley Dale. The hospitals of Sherburn, Greatham and Kepyer, founded by early bishops of Durham, retain but few ancient features."
The best remains of the Norman period include Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, and several parish churches, such as St Laurence Church in Pittington. The Early English period has left the eastern portion of the cathedral, the churches of Darlington, Hartlepool, and St Andrew, Auckland, Sedgefield, and portions of a few other churches.
'Durham Castle and Cathedral' is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Elsewhere in the County there is Auckland Castle.
Truly one of the saddest photos I own. What makes this one special is the composition. I have never seen anything like it.
Within eBay’s vintage and antique photo subcategory, every slightly odd-looking baby is a dead baby. I confess that when I saw the listing for the carte de visite (CDV) above, I thought this was an infant gone, never to grow up, forever to sleep, dressed in angelic white and buried in a tiny coffin so unfairly made-to-fit, with her grave topped by a small stone lamb. This was cruel fate; this was a Victorian postmortem. But those who explore the Victorian propensity to mark gut-wrenching loss via photography, should take this story as cautionary tale, not unlike one I featured last November, “To Be, or Not to Be, a Victorian Postmortem.”
The CDV’s backstamp is that of “John Davies, Portrait & Landscape photographer, BelleVue High Street, Weston-super-Mare. Formerly with the late T. R. Williams, London, Photographer to the Queen and Royal Family.” There is also a handwritten inscription: “Alice Maud Culley, 8 weeks old, Aug. 1879.”
Upon receipt of the carte, I scanned, enlarged, and enhanced the image. Immediately, I was aware of motion blur caused by the child’s arms moving during the exposure. Alice Maud Culley wasn’t dead. I could then plow into the public records because of the fortuitous identification upon the reverse.
To continue this article, visit dyingcharlotte.com/2017/04/27/alice-isnt-dead-a-cautionar...
I just had to buy it when I saw it, it is an Alien autopsy kit play set...
it is so morbid and twisted... what are we teaching the kids?
Danny "mushroomBrain" Hennesy
Carte de visite by J. Connery of New Berlin, N.Y. The drum and binoculars that lay next to this deceased boy suggest he had an interest in a Civil War that he would never know the outcome. Dressed in an ornate outfit with a cape, he is surrounded by the toys he loved most, including cards and alphabet letters. He holds what may have been his most favorite playthings—a hammer and a penknife.
I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.
For We're Here - Memento Mori
Oh my gosh we laughed so hard during this shoot (see out takes). I have one piece of advice for you: Never fart whilst rolled up in a carpet. There is no escape!
Also for Sliders Sunday. Desaturated, darkened in levels, then dodged on the lips, burned under the eyes, and on the arm and leg to simulate postmortem lividity. Cropped to eliminate the remote control. lol
Put some zing into your 365! Join We're Here!
Written on the reverse: "Mrs. Ella Howard, Rochester, N.Y., 1886."
Ellen “Ella” Blanchard Howard Folsom was born 4 April, 1851, in Rochester, New York. She was the daughter of Hiram Blanchard, a pioneer settler of Buffalo, New York, and his wife Lavina McCracken.
Her husband was Hamilton Howard (b. 9 April 1848 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). He was son of Osier Howard (b. 8 March, 1813 in Bridgewater, Mass.) and Patience Maxim (b. 29 April, 1816, in Carver, Mass.) the daughter of Thomas Maxim and Patience Swift. Patience and Osier married in Carver, MA, on 19 June, 1834.
A passport application for Hamilton Howard exists from November 1876 that says he was born in Hamilton whilst his father was there for a short term, presumably for business. However, his father died in Hamilton on 24 September, 1851, and his mother remarried thereafter Daniel Shearer (b. Montreal, Quebec, Nov. 13, 1824) and remained in Canada until about 1860, when the Shearers relocated to Buffalo (then Black Rock), New York. The application notes that Hamilton Howard was 5'8" with blue eyes, an oval face, a straight nose, light hair, a small mouth, a round chin and medium forehead.
The Canadian 1851 Census shows Hamilton living in Ontario at age 4, attending school. He appears to be alone--perhaps at a boarding school. (The census notes he was a Methodist.) Hamilton did, however, have siblings: Oliver Cromwell (b.1836, Wareham, MA), Harriet Anna (b. 1838, Wareham, MA), Susan (1840 – 1840, Wareham, MA), Osier (b. 1841, Wareham, MA); and Charles Bartlett (b.1844, Wareham, MA). He also had step-siblings from his mother's second marriage to Daniel Shearer on Nov. 17, 1855: Mary Elizabeth (b.1857, Hamilton, ON), Maria Antoinette Valentine (1859 – 1871, Hamilton, ON), and Daniel Creswell (b.1861, Buffalo, NY) Shearer.
By 1870, Hamilton was back in the U.S., living in Rochester in the house of the bridge builder Edward Wilkins. He appears in the Rochester City directories at various addresses as a builder and contractor, sometimes tied to H. A. Kingsley & Co.
Ella is listed on the 1880 Rochester, New York, census with Hamilton. Hamilton and Ella had a six-month old daughter, Blanche, born 18 December, 1879.
According to the Rochester City directory, he died 13 April, 1881, just days after his 33rd birthday, of Tuberculosis. He was buried on 19 April at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester.
Hamilton’s stepfather, Daniel Shearer, died in Buffalo on 26 June, 1884. His mother died there on 26 June, 1893. All of Hamilton’s siblings remained in Buffalo, married, and had many descendants, enumerated in the book “Descendants of William Shurtleff of Plymouth and Marshfied, Vol. I.”
If the date on this image is correct, Ella is not mourning for Hamilton, but another member of her family. After the death of her husband, Ella began spending much of her time in Muskegon, Michigan, with her sister. This led to the rekindling of a childhood romance, as the Monday, 21 July, 1893, Muskegon Daily Chronicle reports: “Mrs. Howard is a sister of Mrs. Charles B. Mann of this city…. With her daughter, Miss Blanche Howard, she is now passing the summer here…. Mr. Fulsom is a cousin of Mrs. Grover Cleveland and has recently resigned the office of the United States consul to Sheffield, England, to which he was appointed by President Cleveland during his first term. Mr. Fulsom has not yet returned to this country, but is expected to do so in September. It is expected that the wedding, which will be a very quiet one, will take place in this city sometime in the coming autumn. Since the engagement was made public, Mrs. Howard has been in almost constant receipt of congratulatory letters and messages from acquaintances in all parts of the country…The acquaintance which has culminated in this happy manner is one of long standing and in fact dates back to the school days of both Mr. Folsom and Mrs. Howard.”
On 11 October, Ella married Fulsom “at the residence of the bride’s sister, in Muskegon, Mich., by the Rev. Archibald Hadeau,” notes the Buffalo Express.
The second marriage did not produce offspring. After marrying, the couple returned to Buffalo, where Folsom took up private legal practice until 1902, when he retired to California. He died in Pasadena, California, on 17 August, 1922.
Ella died on 5 May, 1932, in Pasadena.
© Ann Longmore-Etheridge Collection.
This sad, proud widow peers at us through what seems to be a hole in time. She has been expertly restored by Casey Waters. You can see her before conservation here: www.flickr.com/photos/60861613@N00/12757176263/in/set-721....
The plate has the hallmark "40," and nothing else. That number indicates that the plate is 1 part silver to 39 parts copper.
"56 Crockherb Town, Cardiff, J. Long, Artist and Photographer." Another stunning hat atop a mound of hair and an unusually posed deceased or sleeping child laid upon her lap.
The grandmother, mother, and daughter, stand in the Larson family plot by a recent grave upon which summer flowers have sprung.
Full image: www.flickr.com/photos/60861613@N00/8727520760/in/photostr...
A tiny white coffin resting on folding wooden supports holds a young child and a bunch of flowers. The cabinet card is by Simenhoff of Lancaster, PA.
Kyle William Foster was born in Tennessee on November 1, 1914 and died on November 14, 1914.
Uncle Kyle Foster was the son of Lonnie Foster and Myrtle Foust-Foster. Myrtle Foster had several miscarriages before her first baby, Kyle, was born. He was delivered by his midwife great grandmother Liza Jane Williams. He accidentally smothered to death in bed and is buried in Bethel Cemetery in Anderson County, Tennessee. His funeral was held on the front porch of their little house across the road from Bethel cemetery where he was laid to rest. He looks like his mother in the face.
In the Sky
Description: The subject portrayed is post-mortem and was already found in such a state.
Tingids are very tiny Hemipterans, this one measured around 2mm or less. The pronotrum and forewings of the adults possess a labyrinth of paths and windows strung together, giving them their common name. Although they can bite, the pain is a minimal nuisance and they do not transmit any diseases. Generally, they are host specific, piercing the epidermis of the plant tissue and sucking the sap out of it; this usually empties the cell and leaves a bronzed or silvery wound. Usually, they never leave their host plants which means that encountering this one on a lamp, possibly attracted by the lights in which I had no intention of happening, suggests it never found its host plant, died of age or hunger. It seemed to be dead for quite a while after I found it.
They usually have two generations per year, but some species are able to have many. Some Tingids undergo incomplete metamorphosis in which the immature stages resemble the adults, but are smaller and wingless. After the second and third instars the wing pads appear and they increase in size. They may undergo from four to five instars, depending on the species.
Tingoidea's phylogeny is not very well established and many authors treat the families, subfamilies and tribes differently. Bug Guide, for instance, treats the superfamily as Miroidea (bugguide.net/node/view/2723/tree).
As for the genus Gargaphia, I'll quote a source I'll provide below:
"This genus may be distinguished from all others of the family by the sinuous transverse carina interrupting the rostral groove between the meso- and metasternum. In general it may be characterized as follows: Head small, black, more or less shiny, with five prominent spines, three of which are on the front between the eyes and two at the base of head, one on either side. These basal spines may be erect or decumbent and reduced to mere threads. The frontal spines may be reduced to mere stubs. Antennae long, first and second segments stout, the first at least three times the length of the second, and about equal to the fourth in length, segments more or less hairy. Pronotum with a hood, varying in size with the species but never entirely covering the head, three longitudinal membranous carinae, and a wide membranous lateral margin which is more or less flaring and angular in some species. A transverse sinuous carina interrupts the rostral groove between the meso- and metasternum. Elytra lacy, with hyaline areoles at least in the costal area. Various areas of elytra well defined. Elytra narrowed at the base, never.
The following list of food plants is given merely as an aid to
identification. It is as complete as possible with the data at
hand, which was taken from various publications and insect labels. All use subject to about.jstor.org/terms
EDMUND H. GIBSON
Amphiachyris species
solani (Heidemann)
Basswood (Tilia pubescens)
tiliae (Walsh)
Beans
angulata (Heidemann)
Coffee Weed (Cassia species)
solani (Heidemann)
Cotton (Gossypium species)
solani (Heidemann)
Dahlia parryi
condensa (Gibson)
Dahlia spinosa
opacula (Uhler)
Egg plant (Solanum melongena)
opacula (Uhler)
solani (Heidemann)
False Indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
amorphae (Walsh)
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
solani (Heidemann)
Mallow (Malva species)
iridescens (Champion)
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
angulata (Heidemann)
Night Shade (Solanum species)
iridescens (Champion)
solani (Heidemann)
Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
solani (Heidemann)
Ragweed (Ambrosia species)
iridescens (Champion)
Sage (Salvia pitcheri)
solani (Heidemann)
Sand Nettle
iridescens (Champion)
White Horse Nettle (Solanum elaeagnifolium)
solani Heidemann
Wild Cherry (Prunus serotina)
tiliae (Walsh)
Willow (Salix species)
opacula (Uhler)"
Source: www.jstor.org/stable/25077010?seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
The previously quoted morphology is for the genus in general, but the appearance of Gargaphia changes between species, and due to this I can't be 100% certain of the genus, but there is more certainty than doubt.
Maternal care has been observed in a few species of Gargaphia as well as a few species of Tingids in general. Gargaphia's behaviour often include the aggressive protection of the eggs.
Special thanks to Tyler Katz (www.facebook.com/tak11123?fref=search) for suggesting the genus Gargaphia and going even further as to risk the species Gargaphia tiliens, although there is no 100% certainty of anything here.
Other sources include the Wikipedia article for Tingidae which I'll mention below. Other sources can be found in the text itself.
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tingidae
Scielo: www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0085...
PROJECT NOAH (Português): www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1992305757
I am so delighted that The Ornamental Being (whose photostream is like crack for historical costume fans) chose my picture of Miss Maggie Webber to use for a very special university project. She has completely recreated Maggie's stylish mourning gown and bonnet. You can see her blog about the project here:http://ornamentedbeing.tumblr.com/post/47786765786.
I am so thrilled to see these clothes brought forward in time. Thank you so much, TOB!
"Postmortem" is a bit unfair as this small Kansas town isn't quite dead yet, but its business section is definitely moribund. Virtually every building is empty and in disrepair. There was a barbershop that seemed to be still in business across the street from this row of buildings, and if memory serves, just down the block there is a recently built micro-bank. Otherwise . . . .
This was my second stop on my way to DC/Maryland in June--off Kansas Highway 4, only about 35 miles NE of my hometown of Topeka. I figured as I left home, that it was about even money whether I would make it out of state before nightfall or not (mind you, the border with Missouri is only 85 miles from home the way I was traveling, but my propensity for detours, and stopping for photos often means that traveling 100 miles in a day is often unlikely). "Even money" turned out to be exactly right, as I ended up spending the night in Elwood, KS, which is right on the boarder with Missouri--and ended up driving into St. Joseph, MO to eat. So, depending how you look at it, I came just short of leaving the state, or barely managed to do so.
"L. D. Judkins, Photographer, No. 10 Main Street, Haverhill, Mass."
This woman in mourning clothing makes me think of what Emily Bronte might have looked like in life.
© Ann Longmore-Etheridge Collection.
The mat carries the imprint "M. P. Simons."
The woman in this image wears one of the dark wigs often favored by older ladies, as well as an ethereal widow's hat and square mourning brooch with black enamel and a hair viewing chamber.
M.P. Simons was listed in the 1843 Philadelphia city directory as a casemaker at 173 Chestnut St., and from 1844-1847 as a casemaker at 100 Chestnut St. He then turned to daguerreotyping in 1848, and was listed as a photographer on 173 Chestnut St. in 1849. In Nov. 1849, Simons' firm also advertised as a daguerreian studio in Charleston, SC. From 1850-1851, Simons listed himself as a daguerreotypist on 179 Chestnut St. in Philadelphia. He then opened a gallery in Richmond, VA, which operated from 1852-1856. It is possible that this daguerreotype was produced at the Richmond, Philadelphia or Charleston galleries. Simons was then listed as a daguerreotypist in Philadelphia on 76th St. in 1857, and at 922 Chestnut St. from 1858-1860. (Information obtained from Craig's Daguerreian Registry, Oct. 20, 2011.)
Diptych: Detail Joachim Bueckelaer "Marktweib (market woman)" 1561 Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. Rotfuchs Lobau 2011
Part of the set "postmortem".
DMC-G2 - P1130093 22.9.2011
DMC-G2 - P1220915 13.12.2011
Someone rather unhelpfully decided to darken some areas of this CDV for unknown reasons. I retouched it to remove as much of the doodling as I could.
On the reverse is written "Almira Dunbar."
Almira Bates was the wife of Bravo Curtis Dunbar (b. 27 April, 1803, Massachusetts - 1879). She was born 6 April, 1810, in Newton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and was the daughter of "L. and H. Dunbar," according to burial information.
Bravo was the second son of Moses C. Dunbar (b. 16 November, 1776-1861) and his wife Hannah Bravo (b. 5 June, 1782-1867). He had an elder brother called Peter (b. 3 August, 1801), and younger siblings Relefe (b. 5 August, 1806), Thomas Jefferson (b. 20 May, 1809), and twins Moses and Jesse (b. 8 February, 1813). He married a woman named Mattie L. before 1834, when she died. Bravo then married Almira Bates in about 1835.
In 1840, the couple lived in Easton, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Because the 1840 Census only lists the name of the head of household, little more information can be gleaned save that there were a total of six people in the household, including their daughter Almira Jane, who had been born in 1836. In 1850, they were still in Easton, with 16-year-old daughter Almira Jane and an Irish servant. Bravo is enumerated as a "trader," although the U.S. Federal Census Nonpopulation Schedule shows he also ran a farm valued at $1,000 near that of his younger brother Moses, whose farm was valued at $800.
Their daughter Almira Jane married twice--first to shoe-maker Daniel Billings White, son of carpenter Alanson White and his wife Rebecca, on 26 August, 1872, to whom she bore a daughter in 1854, Ella Jane White. The same year that her child was born, Almira Jane's first husband died and she shortly was remarried to Henry Joseph Edwards (1832-1895). A son, George Dunbar Edwards, was born in 1858, who lived until 1916. He, in turn, married Viora Pierson (1858-1925) had five children: Mina Viora (1882-1971), George Dunbar, Jr. (1885-1919), Arthur Lee (1888-1968), Elsa (1888-1974), and Clinton Marsh (1891-1963).
Almira Jane died in 1860. This CDV is almost certainly of the elder Almira in mourning for her lost only child. Her mourning clothes are well-tailored and show the wealth of her husband's business, as will be described below.
When the census was taken that year, the grief-stricken parents, Bravo and Almira, were enumerated in Syracuse, New York, with their orphaned 7-year-old granddaughter Ella, as well as an Irish maid. Bravo was working as a wagon maker with a personal estate of $3,000 and real estate of $12,000--not an insignificant amount for the era. The 1862 Syracuse city directory fills out the picture: Bravo ran a carriage manufacturing company with business partner and son-in-law Henry J. Edwards. The company, called Dunbar & Edwards, operated out of 136 Warren Street. Bravo's home was then at 129 E. Washington.
Almira died at age 62 on 3 October, 1872, in Syracuse. She is buried by her husband in Oakwood Cemetery. You can view her grave here: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=90399651.
Bravo outlived his wife by seven years, dwelling at 134 Warren Street. He appears to have married for a second time to a much younger woman named Martha L., who is listed in later Syracuse directories as his widow. Bravo died on 18 March, 1879. His grave can be seen here: www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=90400095.
On reverse is a green 3-cent stamp and imprint, "A. Sonrel, 46 School St., Boston."
According to Wikipedia, Antoine Sonrel (d.1879) was an illustrator, engraver, and photographer in Switzerland and Boston, Massachusetts, in the 19th century. He moved from Neuchâtel to the United States around the late 1840s, and was affiliated with Louis Agassiz throughout his career. As a photographer he created numerous carte de visite portraits in the 1860s and 1870s; subjects included his friend Agassiz, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Abbott Lawrence Rotch, and sculptor Anne Whitney.
COLUMBA: Ongoing photographic project started 16.8.2011 Part of the set "postmortem".
DMC-G2 - P1260409 24.1.2012
"Photographed by Crum, Penn,Yan, N.Y." On the reverse is a 2-cent orange tax stamp, stamped with a cancellation date of 8 October, 1863. According to "Gordon's Gazetteer" of 1836, "Penn Yan, founded by Mr. Abraham Waggener (sic), incorporated 29th April, 1833; the shire town about half a mile below the foot of the east arm of Crooked Lake upon a pleasant plain, and on the outlet, partly in the town of Benton, contains a new court house of brick, a prison of stone, a fire-proof office for the county clerk, 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist, 1 Baptist and 1 Episcopal church,; an academy, incorporated and highly flourishing; 18 general stores, 2 book stores, 2 printing offices, each issuing a weekly paper; 5 taverns, a bank, incorporated April 2nd, 1831, with a capital of $100,000; 2 grist and 2 saw mills, and 450 dwellings. This is a thriving village, growing rapidly,and has many good buildings. It is finely exhibited to the passenger descending the hill on the road from Geneva. Its singular name was derived from the circumstance that its inhabitants were Pennsylvanians and Yankees, in equal numbers."
This is one of my spooky pictures that I wanted to post pre-Halloween. I found online a photograph of what I thought was a fantastic post-mortem cabinet card from the 19th century. I did a little research on it and found it was actually done in 2008 by a very talented California artist named Christine Elfman. She used an authentic cabinet card format and made a photograph of an amazing paper mache and cast plaster sculpture which she had also created.
I asked her if I could post this photo that I had created of an abandoned plantation house and its old grand piano which also includes her wonderful "new" cabinet card image. She agreed and asked that I include this information and her website which is www.christineelfman.com. The piece of art is called Cabinet Card--Storydress II. You should go look at the cabinet card she created too!
Part of the set: MORPH. COLUMBA: Ongoing photographic project started 16.8.2011
DMC-G2 - P1250496 17.1.2012 Bearbeitung 22.1.2012
#fantasie #dream #traum