ANGIE MANGINO
journalist | author
book reviewer
copy editor
Click above to sign up to join my mailing list.
Make sure you get updates in your email not to miss any news.
Happy New Year
Wishing you every blessing as we begin 2023
.
At times a state of being overwhelmed takes over. And sometimes, the only solution is to step back, take a breath, and determine what needs focus.
For me after the whirlwind of Thanksgiving festivities, a minor health setback, and the upcoming Christmas preparations looming, I had to do just that.
I stepped back, took a breath, and discerned I needed to take a break from writing to focus on recharging myself and enjoying my family.
That break translated into my not having 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive ready to go to publication by the end of 2022.
I’m back to writing as 2023 begins and will get the birth of this book done.
A book, just like a real baby, comes when it’s ready to be born, no matter how much the mother may want to rush the process.
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
Did you know?
Significant diseases plagued a lot of the 18th century adding to the tumultuous time.
In the 18th century New York City faced many health problems, yellow fever and smallpox epidemics specifically.
Tottenville was mainly country, not as populated as densely as Manhattan at the time, but the impact reached out, especially with all the British stationed on Staten Island during the Revolutionary War.
Summer 2022
One of my goals starting the Tottenville blog was to make sure I write only when I have something of value to say to you.
I began with a monthly format but have decided it’s time to change the timing to seasonal.
Welcome to the Summer 2022 edition.
One aspect of my writing that has been growing alongside my writing on the 18th Century is on the Medium platform.
The interest in Tottenville History is growing there as I write more articles about it along with my essays and other writing.
With over 100 million readers on this platform the response has been encouraging.
Everyone gets to read 3 stories each month for free, so if you’re interested in reading any of the Tottenville articles, here they are with their links.
The story about what got me started researching and writing the Tottenville History Comes Alive book series.
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-story-behind-writing-a-book-series-on-tottenville-a0b79ad17ec1
Highlights of the Lenape, our first residents.
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-lenape-20afbde43ddc
The Influence of the Dutch in New York City and Tottenville
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-dutch-in-new-york-city-b0eafe26d00a
17th Century English Influence
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-english-in-new-york-city-36ccc246ebff
A look at whether it’s fact or legend that Christopher Billopp sailed around Staten Island to make it part of New York
More about Christopher Billopp
https://medium.com/the-biographical-historian/billopp-lived-longer-than-his-peers-95d8a623dd51
For a small monthly fee of $5 a month, or discounted $50 a year, you can read unlimited articles each month — and write your own if you want.
If you decide to join, please consider using my link. It earns me a small commission at no cost to you.
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/membership
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
Meet King George III
In 1760 King George III ascended the throne.
Born in 1738, he was premature, sickly, and not expected to live. His parents Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Princess Augusta saw to it that he was baptized that day.
George went on to become king at the age of 22 to become the longest ruling sovereign before Queen Victoria.
He retired from public life due to alleged mental illness in 1810 and died in 1820.
Later historians and scientists, from medical progression and knowledge over the years, suggest possible physical causes that were incorrectly diagnosed as mental issues.
Ladies of Liberty
The Women Who Shaped Our Nation
By Cokie Roberts
“For the first time, Americans mourned as one.”
The chapter begins with the death of George Washington on December 14, 1799. Congress set the day after Christmas for the official memorial for Washington.
“Her husband’s chief adviser, the First Lady knew this would help John Adams politically, and she was nothing if not politically savvy…. It couldn’t hurt the embattled incumbent president to remind the voters of his ties to the Federalist ‘fallen hero’.”
The chapter proceeds to tell of the marriage of the Adams, with one section that reminded me of Katherine Ann Farmar Billopp maintaining Bentley Manor. For five years John Adams was away from Abigail with the Continental Congress and his time as a diplomat.
“Adams depended on his wife to support the family by running the farm and selling goods he sent from abroad.
Of course, she was also expected to raise the children and take care of elderly relatives. Plus … the British might be coming, at least in the early days of the Revolutionary War.”
It helps us better understand what the women did, something significant that is lacking in most history textbooks we had in school.
“Through it all Abigail Adams had managed admirably, protesting from time to time that women were the best Patriots because they were handling all of the hardships and suffering all the sacrifices for the American cause, but they would not hold high office or even be able to vote if they won.”
18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive is slowly, but surely, coming alive.
My goal is publication before 2022 ends.
My Very First Time as a Podcast Guest
The Packaged Tourist Show by Matthew DiBiase
It was fun to be his guest discussing Tottenville History and sharing about my life & writing career.
https://anchor.fm/matthew-dibiase/episodes/Angie-Mangino-interview-e1f7eac
This podcast features authors, artists, and commentators of all stripes dealing with the arts, sports history, American history, world history, and socio-political issues.
I’m finding a new audience for my writing and for our Tottenville History on Medium.
One of my most read articles this month was the one on The Lenape.
Medium is an open platform with over 100 million readers and growing. Everyone gets to read 3 stories each month for free.
For a small monthly fee, you can read unlimited articles each month — and write your own if you want. If you decide to join, please consider using my link. It earns me a small commission at no cost to you. https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/membership
My Tottenville Articles on Medium
The Story Behind Writing a Book Series on Tottenville https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-story-behind-writing-a-book-series-on-tottenville-a0b79ad17ec1
The Lenape
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/the-lenape-20afbde43ddc
A Childhood Fantasy (about my time as a reporter for the SI Register newspaper & the start of my Tottenville History research.) https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/a-childhood-fantasy-63ea0b355818
List of the links to all of my writing on Medium
https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/list-of-my-articles-b3cc1eeee4af
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
When I learned American history in school the focus was predominantly on the names, dates, wars, and basic facts. I’m confident it was the same for many of you, too. Some good teachers went a little deeper to get us thinking, and I owe them my heartfelt gratitude.
I hated memorizing, always learning best by understanding. As I write about the impact in Tottenville, and in all of our country, with the facts we take for granted as Americans I hope I achieve this type of sharing that makes you not only hear the names again, but hopefully meet them where they were and how they relate to us.
By looking at their weaknesses combined with their strengths, seeing the circumstances around them at the time, we will understand better all that they did to begin the United States of America.
Founding Mothers
By Cokie Roberts
Author and journalist Cokie Roberts was a political commentator for ABC News, co-anchored the weekly ABC interview program This Week and additionally served as commentator for National Public Radio.
In her more than forty years in broadcasting, she won countless awards, including three Emmys. She was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.
In 2002, Roberts, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, was successfully treated at the time. She died from complications of the disease on September 17, 2019.
From her Author’s Note in Founding Mothers:
“First a word about what this book is and what it is not. This is a book of stories — stories of the women who influenced the Founding Fathers. It is not a disquisition on eighteenth-century life. These are by definition elite women. There are many other women of the time whose lives were much harder than the ones described here, but the Founding Fathers weren’t listening to them.”
Having a virtual author assistant again has done wonders for my productivity. It’s great to use the extra hours to immerse myself in the writing.
18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive is slowly, but surely, coming alive.
I continue to write 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive, but since open to learning new things that will benefit my writing, I have become more active on Medium.
Medium is an online publication platform/social media connection site.
Previously as a member I had only shared essays there, but now am publishing other articles and book reviews for some of their publications, as well as independently publishing articles related to Tottenville History. I discovered it is an excellent place for engaging with other writers and readers, as well a place for reaching a new audience with my writing.
Here’s a friend’s link to my first Tottenville article giving the back story to the Tottenville History series. It’s trending in the Writers on Writing topic and listed as number 2 in their best articles.
***
Viki Winterton and Expert Insights Publishing published and promoted my contribution to the #1 International Bestseller, How Big Can You Dream? Journal!
http://bestsellingauthorsinternationalnews.wordpress.com
They showcased my profile on Bestselling Authors International Organization (BAI):
http://bestsellingauthorsinternational.com/authorangiemangino
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
Did you know?
Disosway’s was the only grist mill to serve Tottenville for over 200 years, begun around 1700 by Cornelius Disosway.
A grist mill grounds grain. Remember, Billopp’s Bentley Manor was the first large wheat farm in Tottenville, followed by other farms. A grist mill was an essential part of Tottenville’s agricultural society. With Disosway’s grist mill being the only one here for both the 18th and 19th centuries, its contribution to Tottenville was significant.
Happy New Year
Let me begin with sharing an opening I have for a virtual author assistant because my former exceptional assistant had to retire due to personal circumstances. If you’re not interested in the position for yourself, but know someone who qualifies, please let them know asking them to mention you when emailing me.
18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive is slowly, but surely, coming alive.
My goal is to have 18th Century Tottenville Comes Alive, the second book in the series, completed in 2022.
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
Appropriately the book on the 17th Century ends at Bentley Manor. Through the Billopp succession both his great grandson and the Manor will be visited again later on in this book with their key historical significance during the Revolutionary War.
Now it’s time to start our conversation about the 18th Century. Here we’ll meet the Bedell, Cole, Disosway, and Totten families. We’ll explore the area of farms here, as well as conditions in England at the beginning of the century. We’ll experience the beginning decades building up to the Revolutionary War, as well as the war itself from perspectives from both sides. Significant diseases plagued a lot of the century adding to the tumultuous time.
This Thanksgiving season as I reflect on the abundant blessings in my life I want to take the time to thank all of you for your support and interest in my work on Tottenville.
18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive is slowly, but surely, coming alive.
There is such a deluge of information on the century when our country began that it is taking me longer than I would like to get this book finished and into your hands.
A bit on my writing process will explain.
I have years of research that I have already organized on this century.
Posts you made in our Facebook group gave me more ideas, and then I found some more books that had more information that I believe will give you an even more enjoyable reading experience, so I added to the research.
Next came a general outline of the information I have, which I divided into chapters, making notes to myself as to what to use in the Did You Know sections, a list of people to meet, and on what I want to write further about the facts in the Imagine sections. I created the list of all sources for the bibliography.
I am happy to share I have completed all of this.
After the holidays I will begin the writing stage of the process, followed by rewrites, rewrites, rewrites until it becomes the book you deserve.
After final proofreading I will send the manuscript to the person who will set it up on Amazon for me.
Once she's done I’ll be announcing when the Kindle and print editions are available.
I kept waiting to write this blog post since there was no new news about my getting a copy of the print book to proof, each day followed by the next day of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I was frustrated, and didn’t want to share that frustration, thinking each of you had your own frustrations of 2020 and didn’t need mine added to them.
Then I received an emailed text copy, worked with my virtual assistant, and am here now happily announcing that today I am holding the print edition of 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive that so many of you requested when I only published the Kindle edition.
Both the Kindle and print edition are available now on Amazon. https://amzn.to/3ueVMYz
Thanks for your patience and support. ♥
I look forward to completing the writing of the following book in the series to share the 18th Century History of Tottenville with you next. Let’s hope the process of getting it published goes much quicker this time around, because the 19th and 20th centuries are waiting.
Sneak Peek at 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive
I learned from writing the 17th Century that the best process for me is to organize my research, map out a rough outline of chapters, fill in the blanks from what I have, then see where the writing leads me.
I can tell you, however, it will follow the format of the 17th Century first book in the series.
* There will be Did you Know?
* Readers will meet people of Tottenville in the 1700’s.
* The Imagine sections, where I ponder what I have discovered and invite you to speculate with me, will be there.
* The historical setting of the 18th Century will be shared, facts that impacted those in Tottenville. Readers will learn more of New York City, the United States, and the world to better understand what was going on in Tottenville at the time.
* The Bibliography at the end will share where I researched to give the direction to further research by readers if desired.
Most importantly, the writing will stay conversational, to keep the information interesting and easy to enjoy.
One Amazon review of the 17th Century book stated:
“So much great information about the history of my hometown. Reads a little bit like a middle school textbook at times, but if anything, that makes it more accessible to read. Definitely worth it for anybody who has Tottenville roots or who just enjoys history!”
Since one of my goals is for our history to be enjoyed by our children as well as by adults, to pass on our legacy to them, this review encouraged me.
Please encourage your children to take a look at what this series offers.
The 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive print edition work has been completed since March with a frustrating wait on Amazon to send the proof copy to review before publication.
In May I was patiently understanding with Amazon because of the pandemic, yet now it’s August!
I may not be able to control much in what’s going on in the world right now, but know the one thing I can control is myself and what I do. So I followed up with my virtual assistant who has been working with Amazon to get this done, advising her to see if Amazon sent and to go ahead with the publishing process without it if not. I will just buy a copy to do the final proof before doing the launch of the print edition of the book since Amazon no longer has problems shipping purchased books!
I’ll keep you posted on the final edit & launch date.
Until then, I continue to work on 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive to complete the second edition in the series for you.
514 members strong & growing…
I am so happy that the Tottenville History Facebook Group has not only grown,
but even more importantly is alive with interaction.
Members are
Not yet a member?
I invite you to join us.
Don't miss out on all we share.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2278987305503749
Already a member?
keep sharing and inviting others.
Yes, history can be fun!
Now to share more of 18th Century Tottenville with you.
This month I’d like to share a little about Cole Mansion inspired by our group conversation about the Tidewater Inn.
The Tidewater Inn, which stood at 11 Bentley St. in Tottenville, had formerly been known as the Cole Mansion. The Cole family, among the earliest settlers in the South Shore area, built the house in 1795. Abraham Cole was a Staten Island Revolutionary War hero with a Daughters of the American Revolution chapter named after him.
Before the Cole Mansion was built, Billopp had operated a ferry to Amboy, New Jersey, dating back to the 1600s, an important link for travelers making their way to Philadelphia.
Later in 1860, the railroad made its way to Main Street. In 1896, it was extended to Bentley Street, bringing even more visitors to Tottenville. Hotels sprang up along Main and Bentley streets to accommodate the many travelers making their way to Philadelphia and points south, one of which was the Ferry Hotel, whose center section had been Cole’s house.
In 1973 George T. Burke bought the site when it was Anderson’s Tavern, nicknamed Blind John’s.
Burke’s love of its architecture, enhanced by the 1873 mahogany bar from Manhattan’s McAlpin Hotel, prompted him to buy it, not an intention to open a restaurant.
His sister Marge Burke at first starting selling just coffee and cake to those commuting at the Tottenville ferry before it eventually grew into the restaurant.
Fun Fact
In reference to the McAlpin Hotel, Christopher Gray, the eminent Streetscapes columnist in the New York Times, wrote on July 23, 1989:
One of my favorite restaurants at that time was the McAlpin's Marine Grill, "an expansive grotto of polychrome terra cotta" tiles designed by the artist Frederick Dana Marsh.
Where did they get the tiles?
Well of course from Tottenville’s Atlantic Terra Cotta Company!
The 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive print edition work is completed and now the wait is on for Amazon to send the proof copy to me for review. The past two months have been a time of pause, and Amazon understandably has put proof copies at a lower priority. Once I receive it and do the final approval on the print edition I can launch it officially.
I continue to work on 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive with hopes of completing this second edition in the series by the end of the year. I’ll keep you posted.
In other writing I published a tribute to my Mom for Mother’s Day on Medium.
My Mother’s Love
By Angie Mangino
https://.link.medium.com/zVHtjTQlm6
Membership Drive
Friday May 15 - Sunday May 17
I started the Tottenville History Facebook Group on Aug 9, 2019 and by Dec 28, 2019 membership was at 45. From the very beginning it became a community, one that reflected all the good for which Tottenville has been known. Once connected to Tottenville in any capacity, the interest remains no matter where one now lives.
With an end of year membership drive thanks to members inviting friends & family to join us we became a group of 310!
Since then, we continue to grow.
Recent posts in the group showed an increase in people reunited. I reconnected with my former next-door neighbor. One member tells of reconnecting with guys he hasn’t seen in many years. And one member who has been searching for a friend for 45 years was able to reconnect through the group. Talk about the power in community!
More reunions are possible if we grow.
Please take some time this weekend to invite your friends & family to the group.
There’s an easy way to do that right in the group by inviting with the invite section.
Or share this link on your personal page, other social networks, or in email or text. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2278987305503749
As we share the history of Tottenville coming alive, let’s also make Tottenville History for the future by expanding our connection in our private Facebook group.
Yes, history can be fun!
Now to share more of 18th Century Tottenville with you.
This month I’d like to share a little about Bethel United Methodist Church.
In a previous blog post I spoke of the Tottens and how on February 25, 1772, Asbury preached to a group on Staten Island gathered at the home of Gilbert Totten. Gilbert and his younger brother Joseph, who was born in 1759, were among the founders of Woodrow Methodist Church along with Israel Disosway and others who met in their homes until the building was constructed in 1842.
Bethel United Methodist Church – History Highlights
“In 1771 John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist reform movement within the church of England, sent Francis Asbury to the American colonies to assist the Methodist societies which had begun to develop in New York and the mid-Atlantic region. On February 25, 1772, Asbury preached to a group on Staten Island gathered at the home of Gilbert Totten.” https://www.bethelumcsi.com/history.html
“1841 - Bethel Methodist Church is built on an acre of land donated by John Totten Sr.” https://www.tottenvillehistory.com/timeline/timeline.html
“The original Bethel Church in Tottenville burned down in 1886 and was re-built and dedicated the next year. There is a history of the church in Tottenville In Retrospect by Benjamin Franklin Joline, which is at the Tottenville Branch.” https://www.nypl.org/blog/2008/09/11/bethel-methodist-church-tottenville
I continue to work on 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive for publication later this year.
The Kindle edition of 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive is available now.
The requested print edition is in the works to be released. (Having someone experienced with publishing on Amazon working on it & she’s run into some problems. Nice to know I’m not the only one!)
For those who already read the book, please jot a few sentences of review on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2Q4wlb3
What some readers from Tottenville, the rest of the US, & England
said about 17th Century Tottenville Comes Alive:
I felt I was in a time capsule traveling from meeting the native Americans to the meeting at the Conference house regarding Revolutionary War. Eager to read 18th Century Tottenville.
As a native New Yorker, I found this an interesting read covering the 17th century history of the Tottenville section of Staten Island and the surrounding area. An easy read and history lesson. I look forward to reading the upcoming books in the series.
This short account seems to be aimed primarily at the people who inhabit this part of Staten Island in the USA, but I found it a fascinating read which means that it has a much wider reach.
The characters and story is interesting, and the author has researched her subject thoroughly and with obvious passion. A lovely story, well written, an enjoyable read.
History Press, while expressing initial interest in the Tottenville book, required changes and contracted bulk purchasing that make their offer unacceptable to me. After further discussion the editor and I parted ways amicably.
I am discussing the details with someone with experience in Amazon KDP publishing in both Kindle and print editions to get 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive into a print edition as soon as possible for all of you who have been requesting one.
I’m thrilled to share that in the process I found someone who has accepted the position as my author virtual assistant going forward to help with all the many ideas I have to get the word out about my writing. I worked with Bobbie Ann Pimm back in 2010, have kept in touch over the years, and I trust her explicitly to be a trusted representative of me and of my writing. She will be a big help to me on many essential tasks, giving me more writing time to complete 18th Century Tottenville Comes Alive and the subsequent editions for the 19th and 20th centuries more quickly, while still maintaining the other aspects of my writing career.
After the end of year membership drive postings, with members then inviting so many more to join us, I am ecstatic that the Tottenville History Facebook Group has grown so dramatically.
It proves something I’ve been saying to literary agents, collegiate press editors, and history editors all along. There is a huge interest in the history of Tottenville which is not limited to current residents alone.
Once connected to Tottenville in any capacity, the interest remains no matter where one now lives. Many of the new members are people I know personally, but there additionally are so many I am just meeting in the group for the first time. Best of all, I feel the sense of community from the members that I grew to love since moving to Tottenville in 1978, raising my family here, and currently residing.
If you are not yet a member, I invite you to join us.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2278987305503749
Don't miss out on the exciting happenings in 2020 making Tottenville History come alive.
If already a member, keep sharing your knowledge, asking questions, and inviting those you know who love Tottenville History to be a part of our community.
This month I’d like to share a little about the Bedell family.
Robert Bedell, an English-born farmer of French Huguenot-ancestry, settled in Hempstead, Long Island, by1657. His grandson Joseph started the Staten Island branch of the family established around 1740.
Joseph married Hannah Disosway and most likely built the Bedell homestead in Greenridge that remained until 1897.
The Bedell family rose to prominence in Staten Island during the eighteenth century.
Hannah and Joseph’s grandson Silas Bedell was a physician on Staten Island in the 1760s.
Their descendent John Bedell was the private secretary to Christopher Billopp and a Justice of the Peace in the 1780s.
When we look at the 19th Century we will meet Isaac P. Bedell, often called upon to build caskets, who in 1841 established Bedell Funeral.
In the 20th Century we will meet his son James W. Bedell, his grandson Herbert Bedell, and Herbert’s nephew Joseph E. Bedell, who many of us in Tottenville knew.
At my mother’s death in 1986 it was Joe who so caringly helped my young sons deal with their grandmother’s death. I can still see him showing them the posted little league photos as he calmed their nervousness. He was a loving man who I will cherish always for his compassion.
If you signed up on the blog for my mailing list
I’ll be back in your mailbox in February.
~Angie
I did the final proofread of my essays for the Community Book Project on Inspiration print book as well as for my entry in How Big Can You Dream? as both books get ready to publish in January 2020.
Cristina Isabel interviewed me for a guest spotlight on her site about 17th Century Tottenville Comes Alive & my writing career. Currently it’s scheduled for January. When it’s live in 2020 I’ll share the link with you.
The editor of Cornell University press, just like the literary agent, liked my book proposal, but he, too, cannot take it on. His suggestion, however, was for me to approach History Press, who is now reviewing the proposal.
I’ve decided this will be the last of my seeking a traditional publisher for the Tottenville history, since all this proposing is cutting into my writing hours. Should this not get me a contract that works for me I’ve decided to seek out and hire an author virtual assistant experienced with publishing on Amazon. This way I can do more of what I enjoy, which is the writing of the books, and still have someone else do the publishing work, which I don’t enjoy.
With a lot of effort and hours I figured out the basic Amazon setup for Kindle, but I really do want the Tottenville History published as a printed book as many of you requested. Hiring an assistant I can get the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries done in the Kindle series with the combined overall book finally getting out into a print edition more quickly!
Now, a little more on the 18th Century
In 1788 the New York State Legislature established four towns on Staten Island: Castleton, Northfield, Southfield and Westfield. Westfield included Tottenville.
In 1800 at the start of the 19th century, the population of all of New York City was 60,000, on Staten Island 4564, and in Westfield 1571, with more people at the end of the 18th century than the 1,063 population of all of Staten Island at the end of the 17th century.
Until next year, I hope you have a wonderful holiday, whichever it is you celebrate, hoping it is one that inspires and recharges you for the new year.
Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah!
If you signed up on the blog for my mailing list
I’ll be back in your mailbox in January.
~Angie
I sent in yet another two essays (total four) for the Community Book Project on Inspiration print book due to be published January 2020.
Additionally I sent my entry for another book, How Big Can You Dream? due for January publication.
And of course, I continue writing 18th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive which I plan to have on Kindle in 2020.
New reviews are on Amazon & GoodReads for
17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive.
If you read and enjoyed I’d really appreciate seeing your review.
Only a couple of sentences to comment would do it.
New Facebook Group: Tottenville History
Learn & share Tottenville History.
Bring your knowledge & your questions.
Invite others to join us on Facebook in our Tottenville History group.
In school when we learned about the American Revolution did you realize how young most of the Continental Army was? I know I didn’t. Nor did I fully realize how long that war was fought and how close to home it was. The unease in the colonies essentially began in 1763, with the war breaking out in 1775, continuing until the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
When researching history, I find books an excellent source to give substantiation to the historical facts. At the end of each of my Tottenville History books I list the ones for that century in the bibliography. But if you’re like most readers, and I confess to be one of them for other books, going to the books in a bibliography never happens.
That gave me an idea which I will begin periodically in this blog of spotlighting one book with a brief summary and excerpt from it to give you a taste of what my background reading includes.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving !
If you signed up on the blog for my mailing list
I’ll be back in your mailbox in December.
~Angie
Tottenville History
October 2019
Last month I shared how writing the book proposal for the agent was more difficult for me than writing the book. So when the reply came back that the scope was too narrow for a major publisher, I still was encouraged when he said that it was a good proposal, as well as a project that personally interested him.
Yay! The book proposal I so dreaded doing was a good proposal.
His advice was to move away from seeking an agent and to reach out with my proposal to editors of smaller and academic publishers to attract interest directly. My homework now is to get the “good” book proposal into the hands of an interested editor. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
That said, I’m still working on the next Kindle book in the Tottenville History series: the 18th Century, as I continue to market and solicit book reviews on the 17th Century..
In other writing news I sent in another two essays for the Community Book Project on Inspiration print book due to be published January 2020 and Medium published my essay “Never Forget the Fragility of Every Human Life” in remembrance for September 11th. https://medium.com/@AngieMangino/never-forget-the-fragility-of-every-human-life-d3afe6acbe3b
If you read 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive, I’d really appreciate a review on Amazon.
Only a couple of sentences to comment would do it.
Thanks.
In the 18th century New York City faced many health problems, yellow fever and smallpox epidemics specifically. Tottenville was mainly country, not as open to the conditions in Manhattan at the time. My research so far hasn’t found any information specifically to Tottenville, but I would think there must have been some impact, especially in the latter half of the century with all the British stationed on Staten Island during the Revolutionary War.
Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease spread through mosquito bites. It got this name from the yellowed appearance of the skin and eyes caused from the built-up toxins in the body from damage to the liver. After contracting yellow fever some people develop even more serious illnesses that lead to bleeding, shock, organ failure, and sometimes death.
In 1702 a Yellow Fever outbreak caused 570 deaths. From 1743 to 1745 there was another Yellow Fever epidemic. At the time a correlation with dockyard areas was noted, but mosquitos causing it was not known.
“The press was reluctant to publish the extent of yellow fever due to fears of people leaving the city and the economy suffering. New Yorkers falsely believed the disease was not contagious, and by 1798, the dispersion of yellow fever had reached epidemic proportions claiming the lives of thousands. Various efforts were made to clean up certain neighborhoods most widely affected by the disease, but other than quarantining infected ships, the newly formed health department did little to prevent the sickness from spreading.”
Smallpox
Smallpox is an airborne disease, with the tendency to spread the smallpox virus quickly, with the added chance of infection from contaminated clothing or bedding.
In 1731 during a 3-month smallpox epidemic hundreds died with another 549 dying in 1732.
Benjamin Franklin’s four-year-old son, Francis Folger Franklin, died of smallpox on November 21, 1736.
“In 1736 I lost one of my Sons, a fine Boy of 4 Years old, taken by the Small Pox in the common way. I long regretted that I had not given it to him by Inoculation, which I mention for the Sake of Parents, who omit that Operation on the Supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a Child died under it; my Example showing that the Regret may be the same either way, and that therefore the safer should be chosen.”~ Benjamin Franklin, quoted in Franklin on Franklin by Paul Zall
In 1746 there was another outbreak of smallpox.
In 1759 the information about inoculation began to circulate through the free distribution of pamphlets.
“At the suggestion of his friend Benjamin Franklin, English physician William Heberden wrote a pamphlet called "Some Account of the Success of Inoculation for the Small-Pox in England and America: Together with Plain Instructions By which any Person may be enabled to perform the Operation and conduct the Patient through the Distemper." https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all?timeline_categories[]=49
In 1775 smallpox was a factor during the Revolutionary War.
“George Washington’s siege of Boston was complicated by smallpox infection inside the city. British troops occupying Boston had been variolated or exposed to smallpox in the past. But Washington’s Continental Army troops were more vulnerable. Most had never been exposed to smallpox and were not previously variolated. Washington himself had survived a case of smallpox while on the island of Barbados in 1751.” https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all
In 1777 “George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, based at his headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey, ordered mandatory inoculation for troops if they had not survived a smallpox infection earlier in life—possibly in reaction to the inability of Benedict Arnold’s troops to capture Quebec from Britain the year before, when more than half of the colonial troops had smallpox. Recruits passing through Virginia were inoculated at Alexandria.” https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all
Washington Inoculates an Army https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/washington-inoculates-army
Tottenville History
September 2019
Somehow August got away from me, understandably since that’s a big birthday month in my family: My grandson on the first, my son on the third, and mine on the fourth.
This year they surprised me with a three day/ three state celebration at the beginning of the month for my big day. The following weekend was devoted to my grandson, with the next weekend a wonderful reunion with a friend who flew in from England.
I may be young at heart, but the other body parts are older which made for needing a lot more hours of restorative sleep on the days I wasn’t traveling or celebrating.
“1776 Peace Conference Celebration”
Saturday, September 7th, 11:00 – 4:00
Re-Enactment of the Peace Conference begins at 1:00 p.m. on the Great Lawn!
Enjoy fun activities, colonial cooking, colonial music and dancers!
(Rain date: Sept. 8th)
In a previous blog post I spoke of the Tottens and how on February 25, 1772, Asbury preached to a group on Staten Island gathered at the home of Gilbert Totten. Gilbert and his younger brother Joseph, who was born in 1759, were among the founders of Woodrow Methodist Church along with Israel Disosway and others who met in their homes until the building was constructed in 1842.
Now for some information on the Disosway’s Mill.
Disosway’s was the only grist mill to serve Tottenville for over 200 years, begun around 1700 by Cornelius Disosway. A grist mill grounds grain, so necessary at that time. In 1786 he left the mill to his sons, Cornelius and Israel. As years went by there were name changes to the mill as the ownership changed.
In the 1800’s it was Butler Mills. Many years later it became Cole’s Mills. The apparent last owner, W. Weir, added a sawmill in 1870, with the subsequent name becoming Weir’s Grist & Saw Mills. Shortly after 1900 the mill was entirely razed, removing it from the Tottenville landscape and concluding a long history as a business there.
"The Disosway family, and later the Coles, were among the earliest settlers of Richmond Valley. Records indicate that Cornelius Disosway's grist mill was constructed on Mill Creek Pond prior to 1772. It was the earliest known commercial establishment in southwestern Staten Island. Later owners of the mill would include the Butlers, the Coles, and, by 1870, the Weir family who were the last to operate the mill."
The Tottenville Civic Association invited me to speak
about my research on Tottenville
at the Biddle House, home of the Tottenville Historical Society.
We’re in the process of setting a mutually workable date,
but I wanted to give you a heads up on the news.
This is a chance to spend time in person with you,
something I’m looking forward to doing.
I’ll send out an announcement as soon as the date is set.
In the spirit of July 4th I am proud to have taken part in
the Community Book Project ‘s latest book: Independence
with my essay “Independence Is Worth the Risk.”
In last month’s blog post I began with the question: Did you know an event on September 11,1776 in Tottenville could have been the end of the United States before it began keeping us all British?
I wrote about the Peace Conference at the Conference House that could have ended the Revolutionary War if it had been successful.
It seems the topic has now expanded to more coverage in other media outlets, something that makes me very happy to see.
The Washington Post’s Travel section ran an article about us on May 10th of this year.
“Staten Island’s Conference House, where a last-ditch effort could have ended the American Revolution.”
Then the Staten Island Advance devoted three pages on June 13th with “A revolutionary landmark: A 1776 meeting here on Staten Island might have meant the end of the war.”
When I started researching Tottenville History many years ago, Tottenville was considered the forgotten town in the forgotten borough of Staten Island. Now we’re even in the Washington Post!
It’s so nice to see our history get the attention it deserves. There is a far-reaching global perspective in the history of Tottenville that has been unappreciated for too long.
As I wrote about 17th Century Tottenville Comes Alive when I first made it available on Amazon Kindle:
“Live Tottenville history with me in this first book in a series,
looking at Tottenville from a more global perspective.
Meet the people from each century, not just historical dates and facts.
Experience how events impacted life in Tottenville through what was happening on Staten Island, in New York City, in the United States, and in the World.
Imagine what life was like to take away a deeper understanding of Tottenville.
We learn from the past to better live the future.”
Did you know an event on September 11,1776 in Tottenville could have been the end of the United States before it began keeping us all British?
In this month’s blog I explore the unsuccessful peace conference held in the 18th Century in Tottenville with added information found in The Politically Incorrect Guide to the American Revolution by Larry Schweikart and Dave Dougherty.
During the American Revolution the British found New York, and especially Staten Island, an excellent choice to be a base for the fight. It was convenient for British Navy access with Staten Island having many Tories, strong supporters of the King and against the Revolution. When General Sir William Howe arrived with his forces on Staten Island in June 1776, he received initially an enthusiastic welcome from Staten Islanders.
The setting of the scheduled peace conference at Colonel Christopher Billopp’s home in Tottenville that September was ideal to attempt to end the war.
A rowboat carrying John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge, and a British hostage left Perth Amboy, New Jersey with the colonists disembarking from the rowboat onto what is now the Conference House Beach. Admiral Lord Richard Howe met them, and together they climbed to the top of the hill to the Conference House to attempt a compromise to the Revolutionary War.
Before the war, Lord Howe and Benjamin Franklin were friends in London. Representing the Continental Congress, Franklin introduced Adams and Rutledge to Howe as they sat cordially around the table. The conference lasted three hours as they tried to reach a compromise.
Howe stressed the advantage to the colonists to be part of the British Empire. The delegates reiterated the colonies voted for independence after past indignities, trying to convince Howe of the ways that an independent nation would be a benefit to England.
The Continental Congress representatives only had the authority to work for peace through independence from England. The Declaration of Independence had already stated the colonists’ grievances with the “history of repeated injuries and usurpations” of King George III. It was the job of John Adams, Edward Rutledge, and Benjamin Franklin to try to get freedom for the colonies without continuing the war.
“The Howe brothers were more than military commanders. They had been designated as peace commissioners, empowered to negotiate with the colonial leaders in order to end the fighting. One thing, however, was missing from their instructions — they could not grant the colonies independence.” ~ The Politically Incorrect Guide to the American Revolution
Lord Richard Howe’s job basically was to get the colonists to back down from this breaking away from the crown to end the war.
With both sides unable to compromise with these conditions set firmly in place, there was no common ground with which to reach a settlement. Continuing to fight the Revolutionary War was the only possible response left to resolve the issue.
Imagine how frustrating it must have been for them as they tried to negotiate peace for three hours when the stipulations on both sides destined them to fail!
Oysters
On Monday, April 15, Borough President James Oddo and the NYC Department of Education welcomed fourteen Staten Island schools participating in the Billion Oyster Project to a Maritime Forum at the Michael J. Petrides School in the Borough President's Hall of Science.
Approximately 60 students made one-on-one presentations regarding their field work to Borough President Oddo and Deputy Borough President Ed Burke.
This is the first time all Staten Island schools and students participating in the Billion Oyster Project were gathered together in a single event. Those in attendance had the opportunity to participate in a passport program where they collected a sticker from each table they stopped at.
Reading how oysters are once more of interest reminded me of Barnett Shepherd’s book Tottenville: the Town the Oyster Built, where he wrote:
Today the Billion Oyster Project's mission is to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public education initiatives.
Spring
Spring is starting to show itself in Tottenville as I write this, something that makes me happy. The season offers rebirth, not only to nature, but to all of us when we stop to reflect on the possibilities.
January and February made this winter not a good one for me, consumed with worry and hospital visits to a friend who thankfully is now home and healing. At the end of February until March 21st I went on a previously booked two-week Caribbean cruise, with four nights before and after in Fort Lauderdale to acclimate my body to the rapid change in weather from snow to sun.
There is something about the sun beaming onto me in weather that is warm, but not humid, that helps renew me. When a gently breeze is added I can equate it to feeling God’s warmth embracing me, reassuring me that all is well. Now home, it has been so healing to me when I can sit on my porch on the days which we’ve been fortunate to have such weather here at home.
As I resume compiling my research notes on the 18th Century Tottenville History now that I am back home, I decided this month to share with all of you some of the feedback I’ve received thus far on the 17th Century book.
I was touched by a congratulations card from a neighbor who told me:
“I enjoyed reading your book and appreciated its conversational tone. I look forward to reading 18th Century Tottenville History.”
When I was writing the book, I struggled with its tone. Many sections sounded too much like a history text book to me which prompted repeated edits to change it to a conversation for readers to feel as if they were meeting the people and experiencing the events. I must confess that the process was painstaking and quite frustrating, many times making me doubt if I could achieve what I set out to do. When finally, I took the leap in faith and published in November, I prayed I had done a decent job of it. What a blessing to be told I had!
Another neighbor posted an Amazon review after reading the book.
“I felt I was in a time capsule traveling from meeting the native Americans to the meeting at Conference house regarding Revolutionary war. Eager to read 18th Century Tottenville etc. We need to self-educate our history as the schools seem to fall short with this.”
A friend in England who is interested in 17th Century English History bought the book for my book’s chapter on England, as well as to support me as a friend. His review on the Amazon UK site said:
“If you have a keen interest in 17th century history then you will know the development of early settlers in the USA from Europe from the European point of view. This delightful book looks at a different perspective from the settlers themselves and their efforts to make a success in the New World. The characters and story is interesting, and the author has researched her subject thoroughly and with obvious passion. A lovely story, well written, an enjoyable read.”
After the review, another book sold in England, making the story of Tottenville helping me to become an internationally published author. Wow!
As book sales continue to grow, I look forward to more feedback from readers and to more Amazon reviews.
Thanks for all the continuing support of my work!
Angie
Meet John and Gilbert Totten
As I begin work on the 18th Century for the next in the Kindle series, it is appropriate to share some information on the beginning of the Totten family on Staten Island. Thus, this month we’ll talk a little about John Totten and his son Gilbert to get a taste of what will be in the new book.
The patriarch of the Totten family in America, John Totten came from England to New York, most likely Hempstead Long Island in the 18th century. A weaver by trade, John purchased land in Princes Bay in 1767 where he lived with his wife, Mary Manwaring Totten and their children.
The eldest son Gilbert was born on December 13, 1741 in Westfield. A farmer, he went on to own four parcels of land in Tottenville, the area eventually named after the family. Gilbert married Mary Butler, living with their children here. The original farm was near Disosway’s Grist Mill.
Disosway’s was the only grist mill to serve Tottenville for over 200 years, begun around 1700 by Cornelius Disosway. In 1786 he left the mill to his sons, Cornelius and Israel. As years went by there were name changes to the mill as the ownership changed.
Francis Asbury came as a missionary to America sent by John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist reform movement within the church of England in 1771. On February 25, 1772, Asbury preached to a group on Staten Island gathered at the home of Gilbert Totten. Gilbert and his younger brother Joseph, who was born in 1759, were among the founders of Woodrow Methodist Church along with Israel Disosway and others who met in their homes until the building was constructed in 1842.
February 2019
Our Lady Help of Christians School
A school for children in Tottenville to get a Catholic parochial school education began in 1904 in a convent chapel on Main Street. In 1910 the school opened on Yetman Avenue behind the church. In 1956 the current school was constructed with the addition added in 2010.
https://olhcschoolsi.org/our-history
The loss of the school at OLHC was threatened many times before but saved through parents coming together to fight for their children's future at a small school that gave the individualized Catholic education they wanted for them.
“Where my children go to school is where my parish will be,” I remember telling Father Burke when he told me the school needed to be closed. Holding my infant daughter in my arms, I continued, “And if I need to build a tent in the parking lot, my daughter will graduate from OLHC!”
All three of my children graduated from OLHC. The school survived a financially rough time through faith. 2010 saw classrooms built to expand the school. Now nine years later it’s closing. Where is that faith in the future?
The Archdiocese issued this statement:
“Sadly, Our Lady Help of Christians School in Staten Island will cease operations at the end of the current academic year. Despite the Archdiocese’s best efforts to maintain the operational and financial viability of the school, continuing to educate students in a building that is underutilized has proven unfeasible.”
That the battle apparently is lost I find heartbreaking.
January 2019
Happy New Year!
Last year ended on a particularly happy note for me with the publication of 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive on Kindle.
I want to thank those of you who have already bought a copy and encourage you to let me know what you think about the book by leaving a review on Amazon.
Please leave your review.
- It's easy to do and matters a great deal!
• It doesn't have to be long. Even a few words will be enough.
• It will help Amazon readers make an informed decision.
• It will make a huge difference in the book's Amazon ranking.
• It will help increase the Author Ranking.
YOUR single Amazon review is important.
Your feedback will help as I begin exploring 18th Century Tottenville for the next book in the series scheduled to publish by the end of 2019.
In this century of the American Revolution almost 99 % of Staten Island remained loyal to King George III, being the only county to not send delegates to the First Continental Congress.
Most were middle class yeomen farmers. They owned modest farms ranging in size from 80 to 275 acres run by family labor. Bentley Manor, Billopp’s 1600-acre estate, however, was the one exception.
“Among those governing the island, none was more influential than Christopher Billopp … Wealthy and imbrued with strong political and religious connections, Billopp played a prominent role in the activities on Staten Island before and during the American Revolution.”
Loyalty to the King by the farmers was most likely related to keeping the status quo to not upset their lives and to following the lead of Billopp.
On July 4, 1776, as the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, the last of Howe’s British troops landed on Staten Island “greeted warmly by the elated and anxious Staten Islanders.” On July 6 over 500 men “happily took an oath of allegiance to King George III. … Billopp accepted the rank of lieutenant colonel with a commission to lead the provincial corps.” Yet later the following happened.
“British occupy forces plundered and physically attacked Staten Islanders, regardless of their declarations of loyalty. … Even property belonging to … Christopher Billopp was not safe from the British occupying forces.”
By 1783 most of the Loyalists left Staten Island, leaving behind “a community physically and emotionally scarred by the war, … it was time to heal old wounds, to rebuild their community, and give their loyalty to their new country: the United States.”
My Tottenville History research began when The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI) awarded me a grant in 1999 to hold an interactive workshop at Our Lady Help of Christians Auditorium on September 24 of that year.
In 2000, the New York Public Library sponsored another workshop at the Tottenville Branch, and in 2002, the N.Y. State Assembly named me a Staten Island Woman in History.
Now in 2018 the first in a series of books from that work is available on Kindle. https://www.angiemangino.com/
I
After twenty years of accumulated research it was time to write the book.
I had such great information and wanted to share ALL of it with you. Doing that, however, would have inflicted back injuries on my audience who would have to lift the massive heavy book that would produce!
I became overwhelmed trying to decide what to include and what to delete from four centuries of Tottenville history. The turning point this year was the chain of events that began in the spring that led to making this book become a reality in the fall.
Writers helping other writers has been my mantra for all the years of my writing book reviews for other authors. Now I am the one who is so grateful to the other writers that shared what I needed to hear this year to get the book done.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
First, at the ASJA annual writing conference in Manhattan, a quote from Andrea Jarrell talking about writing her book started the process.
"I finally stopped sabotaging my dream."
She put her book first on her daily writing schedule, knowing as a professional, she'd do the paid work to meet deadlines.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next came my joining an Alexa Skill writing class with Clay Morgan and Donna Kozik that included admission to one of Donna's Write an eBook in a Weekend courses.
During that weekend I organized the many file cabinets of research in my office into separate book ideas by century and with encouragement from Donna just started writing and writing and writing. It took my refusing to go to sleep on Sunday night until that draft was done, but I made it to bed around 2am with 8000 words in a very rough draft of an eBook.
Clay's love of history had him contributing ideas that further improved my work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then a webinar with Jeff Goins gave me the final tools I needed with his five draft process of writing a book:
He shared his writing system of 500 words a day, every day, not looking at the end result, but rather consistently adding progress into each of the five drafts.
To me 500 words seemed such a small amount and so doable. After all, I wrote 8000 words in one weekend and already had my junk draft. It was in the doing, however, that I learned it wasn't the word count, but the organization & consistency, that made the process work.
Happy Thanksgiving
My deepest gratitude this holiday goes to the support & encouragement I receive from the writing community and from you, my ever loyal readers.
When you get the chance to read my book, please do share your thoughts about it with me either by email or what would be especially helpful, as a customer review on Amazon.
From your feedback I'll discover the direction for writing the next eBook in the series on 18th Century Tottenville.
With love,
Angie
September 2018
For September this post will be shorter than usual as I devote most of my writing time to the final revision of the last draft of 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive:
Meet the People.
Experience the Events.
I plan to publish on Amazon Kindle before the month ends.
The Conference House, however, has two events in September I wanted to share with you.
On Saturday, September 8th from 11am – 4pm will be “1776” (Rain date 9/9) to commemorate the Peace Conference I wrote about last month.
In addition, on Saturday, September 22nd from 2pm-6pm will be the Harvest Festival.
http://theconferencehouse.org/events/
August 2018
Did you know?
On August 5, 1674 British Royal Navy Captain Christopher Billopp received land granted to him that included what is now Tottenville. The 932 acres grew to 1600 acres when the land grant increased in 1687.
“The Conference House (formerly known as the Billopp House) is a two-story, rubble stone masonry building constructed circa 1680 by Captain Christopher Billopp. Originally a rectangle in plan, with two rooms and a center hall on each level, the house was extended in the 18th century with the addition of a one-and-a-half story kitchen wing. The wing was constructed of rubble stone and clapboard. The steep gable roof is distinguished by brick gable ends and parapets.” http://theconferencehouse.org/about/history/
The Conference House is a designated New York City Landmark.
In my soon to be released book 17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive: Meet the People. Experience the Events. I write an entire chapter on Christopher Billopp, as well as sharing what information I discovered about his wife.
August 2018
Did you know?
On August 5, 1674 British Royal Navy Captain Christopher Billopp received land granted to him that included what is now Tottenville.
The 932 acres grew to 1600 acres when the land grant increased in 1687.
“The Conference House (formerly known as the Billopp House) is a two-story, rubble stone masonry building constructed circa 1680 by Captain Christopher Billopp. Originally a rectangle in plan, with two rooms and a center hall on each level, the house was extended in the 18th century with the addition of a one-and-a-half story kitchen wing. The wing was constructed of rubble stone and clapboard. The steep gable roof is distinguished by brick gable ends and parapets.” http://theconferencehouse.org/about/history/
The Conference House is a designated New York City Landmark.
In my soon to be released book
17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive: Meet the People. Experience the Events.
I write an entire chapter on Christopher Billopp, as well as sharing what information I discovered about his wife.
If Tottenville interests you, it should. That is the date of the failed Peace Conference at the Conference House to try to stop the Revolutionary War.
Representatives of the Continental Congress (John Adams, Edward Rutledge, and Benjamin Franklin) met with a representative of the King (Lord Richard Howe) at the home of Colonel Christopher Billopp to try to prevent war.
To clarify between the two Christophers, Colonel Christopher Billopp was the grandson of British Royal Navy Captain Christopher Billopp.
“Colonel Christopher Billopp (1737-1827) was born in the manor house and inherited the Manor of Bentley. He was the “Tory Colonel” of the American Revolution.” http://theconferencehouse.org/about/history/
A rowboat carrying John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge, and a British hostage left Perth Amboy, New Jersey with the colonists disembarking from the rowboat onto what is now the Conference House Beach. Admiral Lord Richard Howe met them, and together they climbed to the top of the hill to the Conference House to attempt a compromise to the Revolutionary War.
As they tried to negotiate peace, they were destined to fail.
Imagine how frustrating it must have been for the four men who sincerely tried to end the war.
Franklin regularly played chess with Howe’s widowed sister. Inside Howe’s home they tried to find a way to arrive at a peaceful solution. Representing the Continental Congress, Franklin introduced Adams and Rutledge to Howe as they sat cordially around the table. The conference lasted three hours as they tried to reach a compromise.
Howe stressed the advantage to the colonists to be part of the British Empire. The delegates reiterated the colonies voted for independence after past indignities, trying to convince Howe of the ways that an independent nation would be a benefit to England.
The Continental Congress representatives only had the authority to work for peace through independence from England. The Declaration of Independence had already stated the colonists’ grievances with the “history of repeated injuries and usurpations” of King George III as discussed in last month’s blog post. It was the job of John Adams, Edward Rutledge, and Benjamin Franklin to try to get freedom for the colonies without continuing the war.
Lord Richard Howe, the King’s representative, had strict instructions from King George III that would never allow the colonies their freedom. His job basically was to get the colonists to back down from this breaking away from the crown to end the war.
As they tried to negotiate peace, they were destined to fail. With both sides unable to compromise with these conditions set firmly in place, there was no common ground with which to reach a settlement. Continuing to fight the Revolutionary War was the only possible response left to resolve the issue.
This article in the Journal of the American Revolution gives an informative background of Lord Richard Howe.
RICHARD HOWE: ADMIRAL OF THE BRITISH FLEET IN NORTH AMERICA AND PEACE COMMISSIONER by Bob Ruppert
Chris the Hobby Guy graciously allowed me to share his video at last year’s event with you.
Looking forward to this year’s celebration,
--Angie
July 2018
Happy Independence Day!
I have always seen the 4th of July as so much more than a red, white, & blue summer celebration. Barbeques….picnics…..fireworks displays….summer fun on a hot July day & night.
It is great to be free to enjoy this time thanks to Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The meaning of the day held significance to me ever since I was a little girl.
My mother was born in Italy; my father was born in the United States. As I was growing up my mother instilled in me how important it was to be an American, despite its human flaws.
My Dad fought in World War II. At home my Mom was spit on for being Italian. Italy sent a notice to join Mussolini’s army to her older brother, which he promptly discarded. Their younger brother was in the US Army with my Dad.
Our freedoms are not free. Our country is not perfect, but that’s the responsibility of each and every one of us to work to improve it.
The Declaration of Independence
Because of an act of violence reported in the news at the Capital Gazette, I found out something I never knew about the Declaration of Independence that I want to share with you.
“The Maryland Gazette traces its origins back to 1727 in Annapolis … In July 1776 the Gazette was one of the first newspapers to publish the Declaration of Independence, although it appeared on page 2; then, as now, local news took precedence.” Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun, June 28, 2018 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-capital-history-20180628-story.html
I found the complete text of the Declaration of Independence, not the shortened version that was in our school textbooks, complete with list of the King’s offenses that prompted the document. Have you ever read every word of it?
Imagine what it was like to read it with Congress before signing. They were taking a risk. They were going against the King. They were declaring independence from tyranny.
Read the full text of the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
“England’s longest-ruling monarch before Queen Victoria, King George III (1738-1820) ascended the British throne in 1760.”
http://www.history.com/topics/british-history/george-iii
Do you know what King George did that propelled us onto the course of the Revolutionary War?
Quoted from the Declaration of Independence:
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
— Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
See the flag this 4th of July remembering its meaning
Do you know what it symbolizes?
Thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that declared independence from England; fifty stars symbolize the current 50 United States.
White signifies purity and innocence, red signifies valor and bravery; and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice.” https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/national-us/state-flag/american-flag
Each American is responsible for keeping our freedoms. Yes, that means you and me. Imagine if one day the America we grew up in no longer allows the freedoms we take for granted.
If we leave it to others, we should not be shocked if one day these freedoms disappear. --Angie
In memory of:
Tottenville History Blog
An ongoing series of informational entries
Latest Blog Entry
June 16, 2018
Great News to Share with You
Many of you have been waiting for my book on Tottenville to finally become a reality. I know I sure have!
The book 20th Century Tottenville is taking longer than anticipated as I go the traditional publishing route creating a book proposal to submit to literary agents and university presses that have indicated interest in the project.
Who knew that compiling information and writing a non-fiction book proposal would be more difficult for me to do that writing a book?
BUT…
Thanks to a course I’ve been taking this summer I am in the process of learning how to write & self-publish an eBook from all the crates full of prior to 1900 information accumulated over the years that will not be in 20th Century Tottenville.
So while I have no idea when 20th Century Tottenville will finally make it to publication, I’m determined that the beginning of Tottenville History will be published as an eBook by the end of the summer!
My working title for this first eBook is:
17th Century Tottenville History Comes Alive:
Meet the people. Experience the Events.
I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for all your support & patience,
Angie