Semper paratus

TL;DR -- An little known example of being "prepared" is the U.S. Coast Guard which celebrates its 235th birthday this year (this weekend). The Owasco class cutter is one example from the long history of the Coast Guard.

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Of late, we have mentioned the 250th of the U.S. and its defense organizations: U.S. Army; U.S. Navy; U.S. Marines. With these, we will be studying the history of the Revolution. Today, we start to look at the U.S. Coast Guard and its history. 

The U.S. Coast Guard birthday was celebrated at The National WII Museum in New Orleans on 4 Oct 2025. 

DoD's site provided a nice overview of the service provided by the Coast Guard over 235 years. Also, see a definition of "semper paratus" there: always ready. The coast guard got its start with Washington approving expenditures for 10 cutters in 1790. Alexander Hamilton was the founder. 

Much focus might have an emphasis on "domestic" duty of the service. But, the Coast Guard supports the U.S. Navy in times of war. And example was use of the Owasco class cutter during the Vietnam conflict. 

See Vietnam service,
"Crew cititation"

Provisioning at sea
off Vietnam with
USS Guadalupe 

U.S. Navy battleship USS New Jersey and the
U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Owasco (WHEC-39)
off Vietnam in 1968

Paul Switlik (John's brother) served as an Electrician Mate on the USCGC Owasco (WHEC-39) on its Vietnam tour in 68/69. He tells the story of the photo . 

The Stars & Stripes newspapers had us come along side this big baby for the photo shoot. The headline read:

big N & little o says: "No TO THE VIETCONG"

The New Jersey was firing her 16" guns which was shaking the hell out of us. We kept hollering, get us the hell out of here before all of our nuts and bolts come loose.  

Remarks: Modified: 08/05/2025

08/05/2025 - Changed photos to clearer version. Added one for the rendezvous with the USS New Jersey. Included comment by Paul about the photo event with the battleship. 

U.S. Coast Guard History Program

Cannons from Ticonderoga

TL;DR -- George Washington took control of the Revolutionary Army on 3 Jul 1775. He spent 11 months in the Boston area. Henry Knox convinced Washington that he could bring cannons from Fort Ticonderoga which Ethan Allan had captured earlier in the year. Knox succeeded, and the cannons were placed on a hill overlooking the British encampment which resulted in the evacuation of Boston.  

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Early, in our research, we saw a reference in Joseph Felt's book on Ipswich to cannons from Fort Ticonderoga being used at Boston during the Revolutionary War. This British fort has been captured by the Green Mountain Boys of Ethan Allen. 

Traversing winter landscape
in New England pulling cannons
(took months)

Yesterday's look at George Washington's role during the Siege of Boston got us to look further. Below, we summarize what happened and provided links to further research. 

• Washington Takes Command of the Continental Army - Massassachusetts History's overview. 
• Henry Knox Trail - this page shows commemorative markers along the route taken by Knox. 
• The Knox Trail - report by the Hudson River Valley History organization about the 1926/7 effort by the States of New York and Massachusetts which provided the map below. 
• The guns of Ticonderoga - gives an overview of the event, with the consequence of the British rmoving their huge force and ships. 
• Dragging cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, 1775 - letter from Knox to Washington written along the way. 
• Henry Knox Cannon Trail - there are two Revolutionary War Routes in the Hudson River Valley covered in the page. The second is the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route related to northern events in the war during which the French joined in the fray. After success in the north, the majority of the focus was the south.  

There's a lot more to look at. But, the cannons had arrived by March, later than expected. Once they were in place, the British commander opted for them to leave. But, looking at the size of the equipment available to the British, one is amazed by the success of the maneuver. 

• On the night of March 4, the cannons were moved into position on Dorchester Heights, overlooking the city and the harbor. On March 5, when British General William Howe learned what the colonists had done, he exclaimed that “these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my army do in three months.” On March 6, 1776, he gave the order to prepare for evacuation. On Saint Patrick’s Day 1776, 120 ships carried 9,000 British soldiers, 1,200 dependents, and 1,100 Loyalists out of Boston. On the deck of one ship, the merchant George Erving told other Loyalists, “Gentlemen, not one of you will ever see that place again.”

Remarks: Modified: 08/01/2025

08/01/2025 - Edit typos; changed Felt's book from Salem to Ipswich; added image of the cannons being pulled by oxen, horse, and men. 

George Washington in Boston

TL;DR -- George Washington was in Boston MA for eleven months in 1775/6. He was joined by Martha during the latter part of that period. Siege of Boston? That was the event. 

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We are still in the time of the Siege of Boston, in 1775. It started back in the spring months and continued into 1776 when the British were evacuated. The day is celebrated in Boston on March 17 which is St. Patrick's Day, too. 

This post will consider the time that George Washington spent in Boston during those 11 months. For one thing, we could look at the houses that he occupied. 

• Wadsworth House - This is the house of Benjamin Wadsworth who was 8th Head of Harvard. 
• Longfellow House - This larger house had been occupied by the troops of Col. John Glover, but Washington moved in 16 Jul 1775. He and some senior officers lived there. Many came to visit Washington and conduct business such as Gen. Nathanael Greene who later would be given a lot of responsibility. Martha joined him in December of 1775. 
• Christ Church Cambridge - George and Martha attended a service on New Year's Eve of 1775. The church was closed and its organ melted down to make bullets. 

There are many others that we can report on as we get into details of the Revolution. 

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Let's step back a two decades. Washington was involved, as a young man, with the French Indian affair. This New England report provides some commentary on the period: The French and Indian War: A New York Perspective.  

Earlier, we had a post about Lord Fairfax who was related to Washington. 

Remarks: Modified: 07/31/2025

07/30/2025 - 

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts

TL;DR -- Artillery comes to mind when thinking of the defense of the U.S. The effort to defend the U.S. started early. An organization with "ancient" roots was reorganized in Massachusetts. The modern organization devoted to recognizing the service goes by the name of Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. We will be looking further at their mission.  

--- Theme: 250th, Army, Navy, Marines. 

Effort at protecting what became the US started early. In 1637, a London-based company was restarted here by members who had come over as colonists. 

The organization by the name of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (A&HAC) was a colonial version of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) of London. The HAC was founded by King Henry VIII in 1537. Artillery in those days consisted of the longbow and equivalent. Gunpowder was still in the future on the islands. 

The HAC is now a Regiment of the Royal Army.  

The A&HAC was formed in 1637 which was during the period of the Great Migration (1620-1640). Many members had belonged to the HAC prior to their leaving for the colonies. There are Hereditary Societies in the U.S. for which descendants of A&HAC members with known lineage can join the "THE OLDEST CHARTERED MILITARY ORGANIZATION". 

Women Descendants A&HAC

Remarks: Modified: 07/15/2025

07/15/2025 - 

250th, US Marines

TL;DR -- The 250th for the US Marines is in November of 2025. Their media page has a list of events for the year with a major kickoff occuring at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans earlier this year. Featured at their site is a photo showing the change in rifles over the 250 years. 

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The message from the US Marines on their 250th page: Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fidelis and Happy Birthday! Their start was on 10 Nov 1775. 

The year, just started on 4 Jul 2025, leads up to the 250th of the Nation which will be celebrated in June of 2026. The Marine page shows a schedule for activities for the public in 2025. An early event was the celebration held this year at Super Bowl LIX which was held in New Orleans, LA. 

From the Marine media page: 

• Since its founding in 1775, the United States Marine Corps has earned a distinguished reputation as one of the world's premier naval infantry forces. This legacy is built on an unwavering fighting spirit, strict adherence to the highest standards, and formidable marksmanship skills. This legacy was forged in combat using a tool of warfare that has evolved dramatically over the last 250 years - the rifle.

Rifles used by US Marines

Remarks: Modified: 08/02/2025

08/02/2025 - The U.S.Coast Guard has a commemoration for its 235th on 4 Aug 2025.  

Navy and Nation, 250th

TL;DR -- The US Navy celebrates its 250th all year with visits to American cities. Their first vessel was owned by a veteran of Bunker Hill who was from Marblehead, MA. 

--- Theme: 250th, Army, Navy, Marines. 

We are in the year leading up to the 250th of the U.S. It took some effort to get the Independence sought with the Declaration that is celebrated. Conflict was regular and required organized support. Hence, the U.S. Army was founded last month, June 1775.  Later in that year, October, the U.S. Navy was founded. They are celebrating all year with a visit to 15 cities. 

We have mentioned the 1st vessel that was under their command: USS Hannah, schooner, owned by Col. John Glover of Massachusetts who also served at Bunker Hill. The schooner was ordered into service by Gen George Washington on 2 Sep 1775 a month before the official start. 

USS Hannah

Remarks: Modified: 08/02/2025

08/02/2025 - The U.S. Coast Guard has its 235th birthday celebration on 4 Aug 2025.  

Toward the 250th

TL;DR -- The 249th came and started the clock for the 250th and for activity leading up to the celebration next year. Not that there hasn't been activity to date. We need to remember the 400ths as well. 

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We just had the 249th this weekend. On the 1st of July, our post was about Rev. John Wise who inspired the Declaration of Independence. On the 3rd of July, President Trump was at the Iowa State Fair to kick off the year up to 4th Jul 2026. "lookback" was used which is what we can do over the period of this 250th in the making. 

Earlier we had mentioned that on this date, the colonists were still involved with the Siege of Boston during which the battle of Bunker Hill was fought. There will be plenty of material to cover, on several levels. 

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Let's stop to show a countdown which can be visited on several sites. 

America250, countdown

Countdown250 will be a regular theme. At the same time, we will bring in tidbits about the 400th of Naumkeag which was renamed to Salem, at a later date. 

Remarks: Modified: 07/15/2025

07/11/2025 -  Added link to the countdown. 

Rev. John Wise

TL;DR -- Everyone talks of the 250th. Wait a moment. That's a year away. And so, let's use the coming days to look at the Revolution in new ways that represent the marvels of the modern times.While, at the same time, look to the idiciocies that potentially loom and recognize them for what they are. We suggests a focal of the human variety. Aside: in 2026, we have the 400th of what became Salem. 

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Now, we are a few days prior to the commeration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Lots has been written and said about that event. Some people have been mentioned (too many to list). Many (most) were not. Even Dr. Frank's look at the Siege of Boston only mentions the officers. 

And, at the same time, we are approaching one year to the 1776 event's celebration. Meanwhile, we can use this year to dig in. Sometimes, we'll dive deeply. Mostly, we expect to mention pending research items that would keep us busy for a very long time. 

So, this week's look back is from the timeframe of 249 years having elapsed. The 250th, then, is next year. What else is associated with 2026? Well, 100 years ago, Salem celebrated its 300th. You see, the country was too new to do the 200th. Besides, the War of 1812 had just ended. "Manifest destiny" was beginning to bloom. All of that is already on the list. The next year, we will specifically deal with the Revolution and the 365 days leading up to the big split on paper. 

Given the times, Salem MA sponsored a pageant which was a play about the early days leading up to the establishment of the Naumkeag settlement. Cape Ann has been mentioned a lot here; since last year, we are in a new era there as digital records indicate that some of the information might have been other than correct. Typical. 

Anyway, the Pageant of Salem was performed in the towns of Essex County and elsewhere. Of note, most of the characters were played by descendants. We can look at that closer. Too, many of those of the time of the 300th were descendants, too, of participants in the Revolution (both sides - warning, we also look at Loyalists - say, Count Rumford who gave money to Harvard so that that provincial institute could modernize - needless to say, Rumford and later Gibbs will again get time in the spotlight this year). 

Recently, we looked at a Roxbury (muddy waters, whatever, Suffolk County) family who married into a family at Ipswich (Essex County) or was it the other way: Gardner married Wise. In this case, Abigail Gardner was the sister of Mary Gardner Boylston. They were both grand aunts of a causalty (Col. Thomas Gardner) of Bunker Hill which we just looked at. 

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Abigail married Rev. John Wise. Who is this guy? Well, large male. Harvard graduate. As we see, Reverend. Was in an area of what was/is known as Ipswich. That little place on the waters even produced seagoing vessels. The American spirit, so to speak. 

But, this is about John. He has lots of tales about him. One dealt with his early years when he was out with a hunting party. They ran into some Native Americans so as the potential for violence rose. But, John's party negotiated a wrestling match with John being chosen. The tale notes that the Reverend-to-be won and did so by throwing his opponent several feet in a remarkable feat of strength. 

Ipswich MA

One can just imagine this guy. Not like John Adams who fled the farm to be a lawyer. Nope, Rev John was involved with physical labor all of this life. And, he was noted to be an inspiration of the Declaration of Independence. The image is about the 1689 event where the colonials rebelled against taxes. Mind you, from 1620 until later in the 1640s, the colonials were more or less here and living freely. We will look at what led up to this event. Why? When the Patriots were getting hot-headed (again, a cousin, Samuel of the beer), someone published a pamphlet written by Rev. John decades prior.  

We need more types like Rev. Wise, especially in the age with the digital illusions grasp people psychologically and wreck havocs on lives that way. And, let's count the other ways of mischief. Don't doubt that we can do this. Well, that needs to be our technology focus which will go forward with our arguing the importance of psychology and other studies that deal with humans. 

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Aside: We have waited a whole for this: in 2026, we have the 400th of Conant's moving from Cape Ann to Naumkeag which became Salem: Massey's Cove. 

Remarks: Modified: 07/01/2025

07/01/2025 -  

The 249th, finally

 TL;DR -- It's time for a GB issue (XV, 1) as we're 15 years into this work. Then, technology as a focus has grown in the past few years. That in itself would have been captivating. However, lots has changed in the world in the past year or so. 

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We're at the sixth month's end. The Holiday is four days away. And, we're in the prepartory phase. That is, we're at 249 of 250 years that we will be facing next July 4th. This day has been awaited for a while; let's review those types of things as we go along. 

There are many topics to discuss, but we will take two. 

• Gardner's Beacon, XV, 1 - we will be doing this shortly, hopefully before the 249th which occurs on Friday of this week. 
• Technology - lately, lots and lots of people have been declaring there knowledge that GenAI/LLM is a vaccous mess. How did this come about? Well, at the same time, CEOs have decided this year to remove people and put this chimera in a prominent role in their company. Reports are coming out that this step has had negative results of an inordinate quantity. That will have to be watched closely. But, the things to pay attention to is huge. We'll venture down that path though. 

With this post, we're at 41 posts for the year. That's a prime number. Our posts have usually come from topics of interest as we followed trends in technology and genealogical/historical areas. 

How great?

Remarks: Modified: 06/01/2025

06/30/2025 -  

Bunker Hill

TL;DR -- The Siege of Boston continues until March of next year. This past week, there was an effort by the British to dislodge the patriots (or provincials as known in London) which didn't work. We will have to look at what the next nine months entailed for both sides, in MA and elsewhere. Speaking of which, "Bunker Hill" has been used a lot in naming over the 250 years. We compare the MA one with that area in DTLA with the name, again. But, will look at some others, ,worldwide. 

--

Right now, we are in the period that was associated with the Battle of Bunker Hill with a main skirmish happening on 17 Jun 1775 with the first piece of the action happening at the locale of Lexington & Concord in Apr of 1775. Bunker Hill Day is a regular holiday in Boston on Jun 17th. 

At this time, in 1775, the British were still surrounded. The Siege of Boston continued. The next day of commeration will be the Evacuation of Boston that happened on 17 Mar 1776. 

As we mentioned, the Massachusetts Magazine had an article on the troops that participated in this Siege with some information about the officers. There was an article in every issue, 1911 to 1918. 

And so, we will look at events and people over the coming years as the 250th lookback unfolds. 

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May we change gears? Bunker Hill is a little over 100 feet high and is in the Charlestown neighborhood. There is a monument for the event on Breed's Hill which has a lower elevation and where most of the activity took place.

At the time of the Battle, the British owned the waters as Boston was across the Charles River from where the Battle took place. The whole affair is quite strongly resident in the American mind. In fact, Bunker Hill has been used as a name in many places. We will look again at Bunker Hill West which is in Los Angeles and about which we have had several posts. Today, we look at the lay of the land. 

But first, here is a London map of the situation in 1775. 

Printed Aug 1775, London

Before transitioning to the west coast, we have to mention the last surviving veteran of the incident: Ralph Farnham (1756-1860). He is of the upper part of Massachusetts now known as Maine and is cuz as are many. We will look at him, again, as the whole of the Maine experience needs more attention partly due to the case of the southern entity, Boston, was more prevalent in historical accountings. 

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Now, Bunker Hill West? The name has been used in many places: the Wikipedia list. Notice that Los Angeles is on the top of the list. Our interest was first brought to the area as this is where the stage coach route from St. Louis arrived after an arduous trip down into Texas, across the souther border (wandering into Mexico), and then ending in Los Angeles. That was not the terminus, as with some refreshment of resources, the stage line then carried passengers and freight up to San Francisco. Where, the process started again on the way back to St. Louis. 

Mind you, folks, there are several things to consider: logistics (compared to the Pony Express, this was much more of an intricate maneuver; we are talking pre-Civil War however some of the western States had been defined (such as Missouri in 1820 - added along with Maine to balance the north-south  issues; in terms of Bunker Hill in DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles), though, the terrain was entirely different as we will be pointing out. 

The lowest point in DTLA was about 59 feet. The hightest was the hills to the west with Bunker Hill (BHW) topping 350 feet. DTLA is many miles from the ocean. In terms of survival, being in a sheltered, inland cove with fresh water from the mountains would be more appealing than the environment now associated with being encrusted by salty waters. 

In the latter part of last century (post the 1950s), there was an effort to knock BHW down which seems to have been successful. They flattened the basis for the high rises that rose and that are now photogenic against the background of Nature's display of mountains. 

Here is an example. I marked three things. 1) On the right, the line points to where City Hall pokes its head up proudly. This 1937 building was the limit for heights until later in the 1900s. We can be more specific. There are early photos from Bunker Hill showing the top of the spire of the City Hall. 

Now is the time to mention one other thing. In the center, the tannish (round) building behind the white (square) one was the first building to penetrate the old limit. The developers used the opportunity of the LA Library having experienced arson and selling its airspace to get funds to recover as a means to start the trend that gave us the high-rise look. 

So, speaking of the Central Library, they recovered physically and bought replacement books. But, there was another instance of arson later. To me, on any of these photos, I look for the bank building and figure out where the library is nestled (having spent many hours there; across the street; the base of the bank building is on higher ground along the elevation of BHW). 

2) and 3) These have to do with old DTLA from the time of New Spain onward. In the middle, the text says that if we jump (or fly like superman) over the buildings we would find the Old Plaza Church. Several of our posts have photos of this building from various time periods. Yes, it was there when Butterfield came in with his stage line. In terms of the beauty of DTLA, the Train Station which is a remarkable example of SoCal architecture is across the street. 

So, now we can consider another church. Not far from the Old Plaza Church and the City Hall is the structure that was St. Vibiana, a Catholic cathedral. That old building dates from the 1870s which is new from the west coast view point (reminder for those looking from the east). An earthquake caused some damage but not enough to destroy the building. It now is an event center of some note. 

The cathedral was moved to the left side of the photo where US 101 and the 10s intersect. We can figure out the lingo, but the area has been visited by tourists with many photos extant. This view shows the extent of the high-rise area. And, the larger buildings are clustered there at BHW. 

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There are early photos (1870s) showing that people started to try to tunnel from the getgo. Several tunnels were completed with many still operational. As well, there were steps put up for people having to go up to the buildings on the BHW or over to the other side. And, the Angel Flight configuration of a rail car exploited the arrival of electrical power. Fortunately, through many periods of reconfiguration such as the scraping down the elevation, people saved the old mechanism which is now more of a tourist event rather than operational. 

 

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What's next for looking at the namesakes of Bunker Hill? 

Remarks: Modified: 06/22/2025

06/22/2025 - 

Harvard, technology

TL;DR -- Harvard goes back 400 as does our focus. Of late, they have free courses that are pertinent to current technological events. We appreciate that. But, we also call attention to the 250th and remind of Rev. John Wise who was the inspiration of the Declaration of Independence. 

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I wonder how many students at Harvard know that the money to move the institution from a clergy-focused mode to work in the emerging senses of science and engineering came from a Loyalist who went over to the older realms and used his talents: thermodynamics; system engineering; ... Count Rumford (our blog post) will be in focus from time to time. Of course, Harvard did the legal side of things early, as well. 

And, early? We're involved since the beginning: The Hebraist. But, lots and lots of the family went to Harvard over the years; lots and lots did not. So, we will provide a balanced view of 400 years that led to that which we will be commemorating: The 250th.  

Now, technology will be a huge focus. The GenAI/LLM mischief of late is an example of things that could have been (were) forseen. How was it missed? We have a good story to tell there. Meanwhile, to change subject somewhat, Harvard is providing free access to courses dealing with AI and related. 

• CS50's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python  

Now switching gears, of the 250th, we have not even reached the point of the real split, yet. That will happen next year where July 4th is one known day every year celebrated. That we have eight years to look at the turmoil and rhetoric and activities and more in a new vein, brought by the internet, is daunting to think about. 

We will look at parallel events, such as the 200th and 300th of New England (which was huge in impact on the culture) of the U.S. Here's an example, dealing with Rev. John Wise. His pamphlet was republished when the fever of independence was starting to grow after the French, Indian affair. 

Ipswich: John Wise

Disclosure: All kinfolk, directly. But, we will honor everyone of New England who was not given proper attention by history in the sense before technology. And, the sense means sources with known provenance as well as discussions about issues. And, technology? Can be tamed. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/21/2025

06/21/2025 - 

Lord Fairfax

TL;DR -- Little known facts are around and about upon the landscape of the U.S. Our normal attention is west (west is best; east is least - sort of thing ;>). However, there has been and will be attention to the eastern activities as the western part came about 150 years later where the Revolution became a central theme. This post touches upon the time that Braddock came over. Evidences abound due to preservation efforts. Otherwise, the landscape has been abused (data centers abound, for instance). 

--

We had to mention the 400th (Jamestown, et al) so as to set a stage that will be permanent. We would not have had the 250th without the earlier phases. So, Fairfax? His name is all over northern Virginia as are others of the upper class (kin/cuz, as well). But, the main thread will be dual. For this post, let's use "French, Indian affair" which we have touched upon before. 

While researching people who went out west from the older east side of the country, we had to bring in other cultures, such as New France and New Spain. From each, the U.S.obtained land that had to be incorporated into the Union. Too, there had to be maps that to allow reasonable control of land use (or misuse). We looked at some of this in a post titled Practice for carving about the work that went on for decades, starting in St. Louis. 

Now, in the interior, we usually think about things that happened after Lewis & Clark and the War of 1812. However, there was earlier activity out there by Europeans, for the most part related to involvement as trapper, trader, and rancher. In that regard, prior to what we are now celebrating (the 250th anniversary), there was the conflict that trained colonists for the coming Revolution. 

Namely, we consider the French, Indian affair which seems to have been mostly forgotten. Dr. Frank wrote about this conflict in his series on the Regiments that were at the Boston Siege. But, stepping back, we have had posts on this affair.  A grandpappy kept a diary that was later published: Nathaniel Knapp's diary about his time with the Louisbourgh Expedition. Some who were involved participated in the later Revolution, many times in a leadership role. 

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With the French, Indian affair, we have taken a New England focus since Quebec was the principal establishment of New France. But, the conflict involved all of the colonies. An example is Virginia. 

Today while at a park, we read a historic sign. It mentioned Braddock. But, being in Virginia, there were two other names of note: George Washington; Daniel Boone. We last mentioned the former (Washington) here in this blog in a post on Col. John Glover who was featured in the series by Dr. Frank. But, Washington mapped and surveyed the Potomac River which we have to consider further. This post is a start as we have covered many of the rivers of the west. 

Now, the latter (Boone) has been mentioned many times in posts about the early settlement of the west. Boone, well-known explorer: opened a pass; served in the French, Indian affair and the Revolution; settled areas from the east to western Missouri; ventured out into the west.  

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Washington was also involved with a conflict between the British and the French. The resentments that led to the Revolution are thought to have resulted with the arrival of Edward Braddock  and the reaction of the colonists to his methods. One of Braddock's early campaigns involved a planned attack on Fort Duquesne, French facility, near the start of the Ohio River. This expedition did not go well which left lasting impressions on both Washington and Boone. Braddock was mortally wounded which meant that he had no say in subsequent matters nor in the trashing of his reputation. 

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Braddock arrival into Virginia was near Hampton Roads. After some meetings in Virginia, there was preparation for the attack on the Fort. Now, accomplishing this required going over a moutainous region that impeded traffic. Washington was familiar with the area due to his duties with the surveying crews that mapped the Potomac. 

But, let's look at the route that was set up for Braddock's forces by using a couple of images. 

Braddock's route from 
Alexandria, VA to Braddock, PA

Braddock's route from
Cumberland, MD to Braddock, PA

The first images shows the "approximate" route from Alexandria (on the coast) which is on the Potomac to the final destination near Fort Duquesne. It passes through the interior of Northern Virginia and climbs up into the Blue Ridge mountains. This map gives us the elevations. At Cumberland, the elevation is much higher, and we see the route through western Maryland into Pennsylvania. 

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Braddock's route went through the Keyes' Gap which is over 900-feet high. Formerly, that route from Alexandria to the mountains was called Vestal's Gap. Parts of the trail can be seen in eastern Loudoun County of Virginia. This area is near Dulles Airport outside of Washington, DC. 

The route follows an old Indian trail which is 65 miles in length from Alexandria to the  mountains. 

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In terms of historic preservation, Loudoun County has provided historical markers with notes in the area. Too, they have a website which is of interest. This is an example of the web/cloud being useful to education at several levels. One example (2019, LoudounNow): 

• In Our Backyard: Preserve the Vanishing Vestal’s Gap Road - property of Lord Fairfax, originally, almost 400 acres are preserved surrounded now by heavy residential and commercial development including Dulles International (and recently, the heavy foot of data centers trample the countryside). Pieces of the trail still exist (with an interest not unlike those remnants that we can see of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails in the middle of the country. 

We have written of New England (south) for several reasons, such as people from New England (north) going south. As well, the culture is the same. The south was more swashbuckling and plantation driven, not that the north was heaven on earth, let alone a beacon as desired by John Winthrop. 

Now, finally, for this post, the Native trail ran from the coast up into those things called the Blue Ridge mountains where we find things like the Shenandoah River and artifacts related to the Civil War that was mentioned on historical markers too. Right by the above-mentioned site runs a modern highway that was prototyped (real life) in the early 1800s since the traffic was heavy. It bears the name, in areas, realated to one of the early towns. 

• Leesburg, Virginia - county seat of Loudoun County. Town of the Carters, Lees, and Masons. was in an area that was good for farms and plantations. In the War of 1812, federal documents were brought from DC for safety. 

As we proceed being involved with the eight years of the 250th and then the long trek to 1820 and Boone's western influence taking hold, there is no end to the topics to cover. One theme will always relate to the influence of New England and it families that contributing to the establishment of the U.S.  

Remarks: Modified: 07/13/2025

07/31/2025 - The of the Lord's American cousins was George Washington. We need to look more closely at the relationships between those here 400 years ago and those of the 250th being celebrated.

250th, U.S. Army

TL;DR -- We have the 250th of the U.S. Army to celebrate this month. Later in the year, we will see the Navy and Marines feated with respect to their heritage. The Revolution was long going into 1783 so we have several more years to explore themes of Independence. 

--- Theme: 250th, Army, Navy, Marines. 

This month (soon) will be the 250th of the U.S. Army. "army mil" has information related to the anniversary that will be of interest over the next few years. An example, the presented timeline is wonderful. 

https://www.army.mil/1775/timeline.html  

• The first entry is from 24 Mar 1774 which was the Boston Port Act. Our post: Boston Tea Party. 
• The next entry from 20 May 1774 is for the Massachusetts Government Act. 
• Then,  there is an entry from 19 Apr 1775 for the Lexington & Concord incident. Our post: Where was Salem? 

The current entries are few and go up to 1789, but the site is undergoing updates. Hence, there will be lots of material to cover including those from this U.S. Army site. 

Other 250th sites:

https://www.navy.mil/Navy-250/ 

https://www.marines.mil/Marines250/   

We have been in the 250th mindset for a long while, from before this post on Real daughters who were children of Patriots and members of D.A.R. Also, D.A.R. had an initiative related to tracking lineage from a Patriot back to the Mayflower whose 400th was in 2020. We took that and adapted it to Cape Ann to Patriot. 

Remarks: Modified: 08/02/2025

07/15/2025 - Did posts on the Navy and Marines. So, we have this theme: 250th, Army, Navy, Marines. Plus, Ancient and Honorable. 

08/02/2025 - The U.S. Coast Guard has its 235th birthday celebration on 4 Aug 2025. 

Arkansas River

TL;DR -- The Arkansas River ought to get some attention. Hernando de Soto saw the river. The French saw it back in the 1500s on their journey out of the northern regions through the Great Lakes and then the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. Cattle drivers saw the river on their way from Texas to the railroad yards of Kansas for shipment of their product to the eastern markets. 

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The Arkansas River has been mentioned a few times so we need to look at it specifically. Hence, this post will spawn many others. One early mention was about the French crew who came down from the Great Lakes but turned around when they got close enough to the Gulf to see the Natives having goods from Spain. Then, we looked at Zebulon Pike's journey and work in the early 1800s with respect to him passing through the area of the Osage Mission of southeast Kansas. Jedediah Strong Smith was killed in the Arkansas River basin in southwest Kansas.  

As an aside, Hernando de Soto saw the river in his exploration of the area.   

Since we have more than 250 years to cover, we thought that we would look at cattle and its influence. The drives from Texas up to the rails had to cross the Arkansas River. Let's let the FB group, Be Texas Proud, be our source for material about things cattle, ranch, and more. 

Chisholm Trail (brown)
bifurcates, twice
courtesty of Be Texas Proud

They had recent posts on the Chisholm Trail that passed through Wichita, KS.

On This Day in Texas History – May 27, 1870

The Kansas Daily Commonwealth made the earliest known printed reference to the Chisholm Trail, the now-legendary cattle route that helped shape Texas and the American West.

 Named after trader Jesse Chisholm, who originally blazed parts of the route for wagons and trade—not cattle—the trail became the backbone of a booming cattle drive era. Between 1867 and the early 1880s, millions of Texas longhorns were herded up this trail to railheads in Abilene, Ellsworth, and Dodge City, where they were loaded onto trains bound for eastern cities.

There were several "ford" areas for the Arkansas River in or near Wichita, KS. Depending upon the weather, the water was low enough for easy crossing. However, storms could raise the water level very quickly. 

Quoting the The Chisholm Trail – Herding the Cattle: 

The long trips up the trail from Texas were hazardous for the cattle and the cowboys. The trip took two to three months as the drives crossed significant rivers, including the Arkansas and Red Rivers, and traveled through canyons and low mountain ranges. In addition, the drovers also had to be concerned about Indian attacks, outlaw cattle rustlers, and cattle stampedes.

Further posts will look at origins and the trail of this river as it runs from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/03/2025

06/03/2025 - 

2021, time of the pandemic, II

TL;DR -- Continuation of the pandemic theme from before. We look at posts from the remainder of 2021 and at the themes covered which are of a wide variety. 

--

Part 2 of 2 (Part 1). 

In 2020, restrictions changed our activity. Like most, we did computer work over the time of the pandemic but had been doing such work anyway. What was different was the focus. 

We looked more at local issues. But, we had anyway (to wit, our post of Flyover country). By 2021, we were rolling along and did more posts. Part 1 looks at those from Jan through Jun. Now, we'll pick up with posts from Jul through Dec.

The 250th came more into focus. We also spent a little time looking at S.A.R. which is the sons version of what the daughters did with D.A.R. But, AI started to come into focus after almost a decade of making headway (according to some views - the jury is still out) and claiming attention: Jeopardy win; Go win; modeling complicated lab work (Google had several of these); ... 

But, we had a post (Carving the land) which was motivated by our study of the activities out of St. Louis which was a hub for land management of the U.S and its west.  At the same time, Gloucester was approaching its 400th. We had an interest in that as the Dorchester crew came into that area in 1623. But, the great northwest? Michigan was approaching its 200th. 

Another twist was diving into the history of Harvard starting with an introduction to James Bryan Conant. He was a chemist and professor. He had wanted the Rumford chair. But, ended up in Europe and came back to become a Head of Harvard. At the same time, we decided that the long reach of New England was a theme of interest, as we had settled on All Things Gardner (22 Aug 1485) with respect to the many families with the name. 

Oh yes, AI was proposed for genealogy work. Again, that is an ongoing bit of study. But, we started to look at the genealogy of Harvard Heads. Many were of old New England families. D.A.R. found an interest in the 400th as well by starting work on identifying Patriot to Passenger (in this case, Mayflower) families. We took on Cape Ann to Patriot. 

Houses? While looking at the Dudley family, we got into houses of note. There were two in New Hampshire of interest. Both were built by relatives of descendants of Thomas and Margaret. One is now associated with the Society of Cincinatti. That brings up the other side of a coin. We honor the Loyalists of the family. Count Rumford mentioned above was a Loyalist who found success in Europe and left money to Harvard. 

The technology focus became more prominent. IEEE had an article: How dumb is AI? A few years later, we saw a general amount of interest. One observaton? Humans degradate themselves to make technology look good. Yes. Expect to see that theme periodically. 

A photo of the grandmother Dr. Frank (and 2nd great of Ann and her siblings) was found. We got that published. Generations? An eternal topic. Looking at this, we can say that the Revolution (250th now in progress) was done by the 5th generation. More on these. 

We picked up Dr. Frank's series on the Siege of Boston that were published in The Massachusetts Magazine, with issues four times a year for a decade. He started the series with Col. John Glover of Marble head. One of his vessels was the first vessel of the U.S. Navy. 

We continued our interest in rivers, as we mentioned in Part 1. The trails and railroads are always of interest, as well. But, jumping to technology now, we looked at John's favorite site dealing with the mathematics of physics. It was of the old style until a few years ago. The old stuff is still there and serves as the basis for the new. 

Aside, we are seeing lots of websites being done using new methods. Our prediction is that this method is not as stable as claimed and so have failures that are hugely visible and that will have negative repercussions. But, other than be aware, we have to wait and see. 

Why? If one looks at the whole campus of techies, there is no solution yet. Experiments have become a mainstay of life. But, take a plane, experiment types of these are not used to carry passengers. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/01/2025

06/01/2025 - 

2021, time of the pandemic, I

TL;DR -- The pandemic started. Life was restricted. We did local things. And, worked on the web/cloud in various modes. 2021 culminated in the most posts that we had since our start with topics that cover a very wide range. Knowing the U.S. and its history is one motivation. 

---

Part 1 of 2 (Part 2). 

In 2020, we found out about the coming restrictions after being in one of the cities where the disease was reported and said to be related to someone returning from overseas. Then, we endured the restrictive period with access to the outdoors as well keeping busy with "web/cloud" activity along several lines of research. 

Our focus on technology was one line of study for the Thomas Gardner Society, Inc. The next year, 2021, had the most, 105, posts published since the start of our work. Below, we provide a list by month of the titles of the posts. As can be noted, the topics varied greatly which we will comment on below. 

First, here is a list of the topics for the first six months. 

A subject of lots of focus was the travel of folks from the east to the west through the middle. Of course, looking further at the west coast got our attention to New Spain. The rivers of the interior were of particular interest as the Missouri River starts out in the far western mountains, closer to the Pacific than to the Mississippi River which it joins at St. Louis. Not far from there, the Ohio River comes in from the distant east having started in Pennsylvania. But, there is more. The Arkansas is a little south of that area and had eastern visitors from (what became) Canada early on. That exploratory group from New France headed back up north when they started to see evidence of New Spain. 

Naturally, looking at the Missouri, we had to consider other rivers near its origin, such as the Gardner River (Yellowstone, plus) which flooded recently. We looked at several tales related to the area, including that which motivated the movie, The Revenant. Our earlier focus was there, namely Jedediah Strong Smith. 

Going back up north from the Arkansas on the Mississippi, we get to the Wisconsin River that joined above St. Louis. The French group had traveled over the Great Lakes to the mouth of the Fox River. About one-half way to the Mississippi River, there was a portage which was brief, comparatively, being only two miles or so between the Fox and the Wisconsin (on the western part of the trip).  

In work related to family history and genealogies, we decided that there was a frontier century which is observant now with respect to missing documents. St. Louis was a hub of movement. The U.S.Government was early there with land management. Think of the time of Daniel Boone who was out, with his family, to western  Missouri (Kansas City area) as a settler. But, he also ventured further out past the Rockies. Other federal activity was military: Fort Larned, KS. 

Speaking of which, there was a stage line that ran from St. Louis to San Francisco. Not across the middle of the country. No, this one went south and joined regular movement from Texas to Los Angeles through Tucson in Arizona. In Los Angeles, the activity was in the Bunker Hill West area which has a long history that we have written about (Mirror building). Of course, then we had to look at mail and freight. Too, newspapers were delivered. 

We didn't forget the sea as the California cities were largely populated by ship in the beginning. Once the internal trails were established there was a huge flow across the middle. The Pony Express carried mail and small material. Several stage lines carried people and freight. We looked closely at the Butterfield Express. 

Why? All of this activity was seriously associated with, or driven by, New England influences. In fact, Kansas was a Massachusetts project with its University being founded by a group that included women who came to set up a free State. We have a lot more to write of that. 

Everywhere in the unmapped territory, we had trappers. Some were even venturing down from New France and Canada. Then, the next phase was trader as folks moved across the country, many of them stopping at locations that exist today having been started by the pioneers. 

Along came the railroads which have a special interest due to family involvement. That facilitated one of the major memes of the west, driving cattle to the markets. So, rancher/farmer would be the next phase continuing today, in the flyover country (had to menton that - it's from an earlier post). 

Next up, we'll look at the second half of 2021 in terms of posts. These posts cover the U.S. and its history. Interspersed are posts on technology, which increased with the release of OpenAI's GenAI/LLM. 

Remarks: Modified: 06/03/2025

06/03/2025 - Clarify that the journey on the Fox to the Mississippi starts at the Great Lakes and runs upstream in IL to a point where the Fox is close enough to the Wisconsin for a reasonable portage. The Wisconsin then runs down, and connects, to the Mississippi. In the reverse, the journey goes up the Wisconsin to the portage and down the Fox to the Great Lakes. Modern technology has improved that route with locks allowing the height changes to be managed. 

Regimental Series

TL;DR -- Bunker Hill is around the corner. The 250th starts eight years of rememberance and learning. 

--

The Battle of Bunker Hill is a well-known historical event which started with the turmoil at Lexington and Concord. This time around, we are at the 250th. Even the Memorial Day program by PBS last night emphasized that anniversary, with regard to the Army, Navy and Marines. 

Earlier we wrote that Dr. Frank had included a part of his series in each of the issues of The Massachusetts Magazine which published from 1908 to 1918. 

• The Patriot Army at the Siege of Boston -- in this introductory issue, he provided an overview of the regiments that were to be covered. 

He also provided his thoughts that the American side was not an armed mob. 

Our addition might be that the 5th generation did the deed as we bring the whole of the U.S. history to bear at any moment.  

Through the next eight years from now, we will cover each regiment with respect to the activities (by time and place) of that year. Dr. Frank gave us the roll of each regiment plus information about the service of each officer. 

He starts the series with the Regiment of Col. John Glover (Wikipedia) of Marblehead. George Washington chartered his schooner, USS Hannah, to be a privateer. Hence, it may be considered the "first vessel" of the, soon-to-be, U.S. Navy.  

Context:

Massachusetts Magazine
Vols I and II                      see Vol I for Col. John Glover's regiment 
Vols III and IV
Vols V and VI
Vols VII and VIII
Vols IX and X/XI

Remarks: Modified: 05/26/2025

05/26/2025 - 

Memorial Day, 2025

TL;DR -- We have took special interest each May since 2019 with respect to Memorial Day. Its weekend in May serves as the start of the summer season. 

--

We are coming up on the first weekend of summer. For many, the school season is over though many go into June. Too, many college graduations have taken place. 

Memorial Day in the U.S. aligns well with summer activities and is a traditional time with activities such as visiting and decorating graves of family and friens, honoring graves of veterans with the U.S. flag; trips to the park or other journey; BBQ in the backyard; and such. Many locations have parades and ceremonies at their cemeteries. 

In this post, we started a regular post for the Holiday starting in 2019. See the list below. For each year, we summarize the content of the post. 

Also, in 2019, we provided information about the burial of Dr. Frank in the Gardner/Dennet plot at the Greenlawn cemetery in Salem, MA. The post is titled Gallows Hill with respect to Thomas' remark about seeing the water at his favorite relaxing place and recapitulates some of the issues remaining open about the location of Thomas' remains. We will update that information during this pause to reflect. 

Today is the Visitation/Memorial of Eric W. Gardner, recently of Rapid City, SD. about whom we wrote earlier this month. 

Memorial Day, 2019 --  as we were researching Ann's genealogy, we gathered information about her grandparents who were three generations back. One finding was that a "findagrave" record about a burial at the G.A.R. cemetery at Saugus, MA held a veteran with no ties. After documenting the links, we updated his findagrave record: Walter A. Ingalls. If you pick his spouse, you will find information about his in-laws as we requested that links be updated. Too, we tied records in WikiTree with the ones at findagrave. 

Memorial Day, 2020 -- in the Covid times we were researching families in the middle of the country where they had stopped. Others had flowed on west. We mentioned the absence of graves. Or, as we see out here, there are unmarked graves. findagrave is full of these. We mentioned the record that we did for Dr. Frank. We can honor people through virtual memorials. 

Memorial Day, 2021 -- a brief recap of the two prior years and then a look at the many conflicts which produced veterans to honor. 

Memorial Day, 2022 -- we looked at a cemetery in the west as a photo from the area could have been taken in New England. It is at the site of an early mission to support Native tribes, some of whom had been in the area for centuries as well as newcomers from replacement efforts. We looked at William Whites Graves who was honored by the Natives for his support of the Osage Mission. 

Memorial Day, 2023 -- we looked at a few posts from May since our beginning in 2010. We asked the question which is still being researched: was Thomas at Cape Ann? See the post, Restart somewhat. We say, yes; but, the story will need to be altered with new information which will result from structured research. Stay tuned. 

Memorial Day, 2024 -- we looked at Nantucket and heard from Diana Davidson. She descends from the Gardners of Nantucket and lives in England, near Dorset. 

Over the rest of the month, we will work to find pertinent information with regard to the theme of this post. As we write on that, we will come back and update this post.

Remarks: Modified: 05/21/2025

05/21/2025 - 

Bunker Hill

TL;DR -- We're in the time of the Siege of Boston with the Bunker Hill incident on the horizon. But, the Siege went on until March of 1776. So, we have a few more items to look at prior to the hubbub of the Declaration of Independence whose inspiration was, in part, brought by kin from almost 100 years prior.  

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Siege of Boston

The first thing to remember is that we are at the 250th of the Siege of Boston. Earlier, we looked at an event that led up to this: Lexington and Concord. This start of the turmoil on April 19th attracted support of able-bodied men in the area, except for Salem troops under the command of Col. Pickering (Where was Salem?).  

In our research, we ran into the battle of Bunker Hill (17 Jun 1775) early on through reference to Col. Thomas Gardner who was killed in that conflict. His 25th Continental Regiment was involved in several engagements. 

This brings up Dr. Gardner's look at the Regimental history through a series of articles that appeared in each of the issues of The Massachusetts Magazine. In the first article, he discusses the Siege of Boston and notes that the revolutionaries were not solely rebels. Many officers had served the Crown in early conflicts. 

The Siege was almost a year, going to March of 1776. We have time to look further with respect to our themes. 

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Los Angeles (LA) of California (CA) has a neighborhood that is called Bunker Hill west. We have had several posts on the area which represents the history of LA from the time of Spanish rule to the current age of skyscrapers that have populated Bunker Hill West area. Early English involvement the area was in the 1830s. After that, many New Englanders showed up in the area. We have been researching this influx and have reported on some families. 

A stage line came into LA from Arizona (AZ) that was part of a freight/mail business with an eastern terminal at St Louis of Missouri (MO). Pre-Civil-War activity on the line followed a tight schedule and was supported by stops along the way through several current States, including Texas (TX). The area in LA where the line had their stop and supporting businesses, such as those that provided horses, stage maintenance, and more, was at the bottom of Bunker Hill West. 

The Butterfield Express, and many other Express companies, were New England in origin. Of interest is that many of these are still in existence. 

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The Revolutionary War started in 1776 and went until 1783. So, we will have several years to look at this history in all aspects including families and their genealogies. So, let's remember Rev. John Wise of Ipswich, MA who was seen, almost 100 years later, as the inspiration for the document normally associated with the War, the Declaration of Independence. The Col. Gardner mentioned above was related to Rev. John through their Gardner lineage. Both are kin. 

 

Remarks: Modified: 05/18/2025

05/18/2025 -