All Categories - 1777 - DANBURY ON FIRE!

2025 - Easter

4/20/2025

Never Enough Research Part Two!

More money came from The Battlefield Trust for research of the Ridgefield area where Benedict Arnold and Gen. Wooster tried to stop the British on their retreat back to their boats. A letter just went out requesting landowners to contact those in charge of the coming project.

For the serious scoop on how this accidentally began, go the the Ridgefield Historical Society's page archives and go back to Dec. 2020 for the news/explanation on the original excavation.

So many events and reenactments this year, but I have to work! Darn!

Just Letting You Know: Never Enough Danbury Research!

10/8/2024

The Ridgefield Historical Society, in collaboration with the State Historic Preservation Office, seeks to contract with a professional cultural resource management firm to carry out the objectives of an American Battlefield Protection Program Grant, administered by the National Park Service. The tasks associated with the scope of services are intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of The Battle of Ridgefield and to promote future preservation and stewardship activities. The currently requested services consist of conducting additional research, archaeological excavations, and preparing a final report of the investigation.

Still Not a Scam: No! It's Hard Work!

10/8/2024

I never make a secret of the fact that I hate to write because everything I say sounds so trite to me!
After enrolling in a class from an LA group, I realized that I had chosen well. The lady mentioned previously was not a good match with me after all.... So what to do if I can't/won't write new?

Just take all the dialogue out of the book and use it! Craig Fernandez, our fearsome leader seconded the idea, so it can't be too bad.

Still Not a Scam

8/6/2024

Never put all your eggs in one basket - so I found another site with movie experts, among them a delightful lady to work with - at least when I have composed said work.

Looking for fall events that I cannot swear I can attend due to possible work, which only shows up in fall. Maybe this year I will go back to The Southern Campaign - who have changed their name AGAIN. This was an outstanding event, national BAR, when I when for their first production several years ago. I will remember it all my life....

It's not a scam if you learn something from it, right?

7/22/2024

Disgruntled and dissatisfied folks will complain about services that don't work out well for them and call them scams. But what if that experience inspires buying books on the subject and seeking out other professional advice - while still receiving personalized advice from the alleged "scam?"

Here's how my first call to a supposed scriptwriter went a few years ago:

Movie Guy: How about we send your protagonist on a 'hero's journey?'
Me: The story is about Danbury - where he lives.
Movie Guy: The how about we blow something up at the end?
Me: The book's about fire. Plus they had no gunpowder.
Me Again: Good-bye.

This time will doubtless work out the same, but it's a lot more fun to learn terminology and how to observe movies instead of watching them.
Another thing I learned: maybe we should add visuals of that beheading....

England: The Train Strike Struck

6/3/2024

There's more to my family than I put into 1777 - the Trowbridges. My grandmother's name was Minerva Trowbridge Hamilton. We may have met Lt. John Trowbridge before when Joe and Capt. Hamilton stop to talk at the closed-up tavern belonging to the officer.
My 9-10 great-grandfathers owned a wool sales site in Taunton England at 15 Fore Street. It's still there, now a Caffe Nero.
I had left my little day trips in England until my long trips to Scotland and France were complete, but alas...
On the way down from Scotland, most of the trains after mine were cancelled or delayed: "No crew." Well, no crew indeed, when a 4-day train strike overtook me and plans went down the drain.
Well, as the say in baseball, "Maybe next year!"

And here we are in a new year and winter gone already!

3/9/2024

Vows to travel more came to fruition and this week I'll sail over the seas to England and Scotland, the latter being the home of the Hamiltons. Alas, they came so early to America that no information on their lives before arriving from Lanark exists now other than several birth/death records.

My focus instead will be on my Trowbridge family and visiting the home/business place of this fine wool mercer whose grandson came to New Haven CT in 1636, only to return a few years later to Taunton, Somersetshire.

Having searched for actual site information there, I found absolute blanks as far as anyplace except the local churches where I could "visit family." One church was said to have a partially worn-away in-floor stone -- as stated in 1860. Want to bet that it's completely worn away by now? My spirits sank.

BUT THEN! One day last month, I hit the jackpot! My 10th great-grandfather's house has its own Wikipedia page! Check out 15 Fore Street, Taunton, UK. (Dbl-cl for link)

The house held two businesses and was in sad repair before having a costly renovation in 2003. Probably every century had seen a new and costly remodel!

My connection to the Trowbridge family is this: my paternal great-grandmother was born Minerva Trowbridge. (See my complete genealogy in the back of my book.)

Think I'll just drop by for coffee on Saturday, April 6 with my new friends from the Historical Society.

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Where did a year go....

12/7/2023

Hard to believe that I was too depressed to make any entries for a whole year, but when I recovered from that, I was too busy catching up! Of course, I have probably never recovered from moving into this house almost 8 years ago! I become obsessed with the little things
such as my tiny garden, I plant, reconfigure, put in a raised bed, take out raised bed, fight drought, dig up to give away all the stuff my green thumb has encouraged. (If I were talentless at gardening, I would save a lot of time.)

(If I had talent at writing, I would save a lot of time, too! I did complete a picture book (a snarky one), but just one PB (with no illustration) will sell nowhere.

I became embroiled in friends' and family member's health issues, which basically took no time at all. The worries did take time because then I distracted myself by time-sucking means.

After being in the 1976 Daniel Morgan's riflemen group, I decided to attach myself to his Millwood VA place of business, which involved both the 2 10-day art shows and appearing in costume each Saturday.
I now go to New England more than in previous years (went 3 times this year) and hope to visit more states in 2024. Already getting a new sidesaddle skirt stitched!

Spring Into 2023

2/26/2023

OK, so IO sold my period tentage. And bought new costume parts. And hate bad weather. Where to go?

Prime requisite: indoors. Other prime: clientele must be interested in history of a violent type.
Answer: Gun Shows

I attended several Showmasters shows in the past and enjoyed them. I also attended a relic and antique arms show in Fredericksburg, but Civil War interest often trumps the Revolutionary War.
PA demographics show up well for my book and so I have several shows planned in York and Gettysburg. So we shall see! (Does anyone else ever use the word 'shall' anymore?)

Doing My Reenacting at WorkI

11/23/2022

A few fall plans went by the wayside, but can't say I'm sorry.

I managed Chadd's Ford PA for a lovely Friday/Saturday. Then the smart money smelled rain, so the vendors in my environs decamped for home. I will say that the event was so enjoyable in many different ways, both for us and for the non-costumed folk.

But somewhere in there a seed was sewn... as I contemplated loading up the car.

And I walked over to the nearest large military unit and asked them if they wanted my tentage.

They did.

Then I went home and bought a new costume riding jacket.

So I am not out of the game, but will blanket-trade from baskets in the future. Truth of it is that I seem to gather bad weather the way a dog gathers fleas - unintentionally but steadily.

I also need to finish my next book and do all the things that years of devotion to "1777" have blocked me from doing. (Now ... if I could only afford those things!)