Image courtesy of Colonial National Historical Park, Yorktown.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Genealogy Sites Guide

As many of our members are also interested in genealogy, Maria Jones sent me the following link, "25 Best Genealogy Sites - The Definitive Guide." Thanks, Maria!

100 Members!

For the first time in our history, we have hit 100 members.  Thanks to all our new members and to all who have been part of our history.  Impressive from a four member start. 

As a reminder, all dues paying members from 2020 have had their dues credited to 2021.  That means that no dues will be required from this group.  New 2021 members will be assessed the regular $20 fee (including $5 for preservation), unless circumstances change. 

Seventh Congress of ARRTs: November 19-21, 2021

The seventh Congress of American Revolution Round Tables will meet at George Washington's Mount Vernon over the weekend of Friday, November 19 through Sunday, November 21, 2021, with the Congress to be held in their library.  Tours of the estate and library will be part of the weekend.  The staff at Mount Vernon has been very helpful and accommodating in assisting us.  https://www.mountvernon.org/

Tentative plans include a Friday night dinner at a restaurant to be determined and hopefully a Saturday night dinner gathering at Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria.  The actual Congress session will occur on Saturday, with Sunday reserved for local history visits.

All ARRT members are invited, not just group officers.  Especially welcome are folks in the process of forming a round table.  Please share this news with your members and others.

The local arrangements committee is working on hotel and other details.  As usual, you will be responsible for the cost of lodging and meals.  More details will follow within the next few months.

Please reserve November 19-21 for the 7th Congress.  We look forward to seeing you at Mount Vernon!

July 21, 2021 Meeting

Bob Selig will present at our July 21 Zoom meeting. His topic will be: "Do you believe in Magic? Spells and Witchcraft during the American War of Independence."

Dogs that would not bark, horses that would not walk, women who turned into animals at night: the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft was widespread during the second half of the eighteenth century. Sometimes these powers were employed in the cause of American Independence, sometimes against it. Decades later veterans would record these super-natural occurrences in their pension applications or tell them to people collecting oral history accounts and traditions of the war.

Based on pension applications and accounts found in oral history collections such as the Asa Fitch Papers, the McDonald Papers, and the Draper Collection, this talk presents some of these events, looks into the medieval origins of these beliefs, and places them into the historical context of the War of Independence.