by Sharon Hall | Aug 18, 2014 | Mothers of Invention
As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” In the late 1940’s single mother Bette Nesmith was an executive secretary at Texas Bank and Trust in Dallas. To cover up her typing mistakes she mixed a batch of tempera water-based paint to match the...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 16, 2014 | Surname Saturday
I ran across this surname while walking through a prairie cemetery in Lubbock County, Texas: My curiosity was piqued to find out its origins. As always there will be more than one opinion as to a surname’s origin – here are three theories: One source believes that the...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 15, 2014 | Feisty Females
In December of 1848 a man and woman, both born into slavery, devised a scheme – a ruse – which would lead them to freedom. Their reason for embarking on such a daring adventure was later eloquently stated in the opening lines of their memoir, Running A Thousand...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 13, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Wild West Wednesday
Historical accounts vary as to whether today’s Wild West character came by his name via the middle name of “Xavier” or it was a family nickname, or he just adopted “X” as his name after becoming a well-known member of the Montana Vigilantes. Following the big 1863...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 11, 2014 | Mothers of Invention
If you’re in law enforcement or serve your country in the military, you have today’s “mother of invention” to thank for helping protect you when bullets are flying. Stephanie Louise Kwolek was born on July 31, 1923 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania to parents John and...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 9, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Today’s surname originated in France, derived from the French word “roche” which means rocky crag or someone who lived near a rocky crag. After the Norman invasion in the late eleventh century, the name became more prevalent throughout both England and Ireland, but...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 8, 2014 | Feisty Females
When she was scarcely one year old, her father claimed his daughter could throw a corn cob at a cat with the skill and precision of any pitcher in the big leagues. Alta Weiss was born on February 9, 1890 in Berlin, Ohio to parents George and Lucinda Weiss and at the...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 6, 2014 | Digging History Magazine, Ghost Town Wednesday
On May 26, 1863 a group of men (Barney Hughes, Thomas Cover, Henry Rodgers, Henry Edgar, William Fairweather, Bill Sweeney and others) were on their way back to Bannack, Montana, scene of a gold discovery the year before. After being diverted from their route by a...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 5, 2014 | Tombstone Tuesday
By her own admission before the Department of the Interior Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes on October 24, 1900, Delilah Sixkiller Bushyhead was around fifty years old, meaning she was probably born sometime between 1849-1851 in the Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma...
by Sharon Hall | Aug 2, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Bushyhead You won’t find today’s surname in Patronymica Britannica, nor will you find a family crest or coat of arms. I ran across the name recently, decided to research its origins and found it to be quite fascinating. The name appeared before the Revolutionary War...
