Genealogy Road Show

The rain did not stop us Saturday (March 28), at the Genealogy Road Show in Paragould. Above, members of the Shaver Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and I are placing the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. We all had a great time at the Community Center, where I presented the life of the drummer boy and several others spoke on historical themes. We also manned booths and talked with the public as they came through to view Civil War paraphernalia, arrowheads, and other historical objects. My thanks goes to the Greene County Historical and Genealogy Center who hosted the event!

I will be speaking next in Springdale, Arkansas at the Women's Republican Meeting on April 22 at 11:30am and Fayetteville Christian School on April 23, from 10:55 to 11:47am. Look forward to seeing you there!

Sons of Confederate Veterans

Thursday (March 26), I was in Little Rock at the Fletcher Library and attended the meeting of the Newton Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. I gave a presentation on the drummer boy, and also "If My People" on the similarities between the Revolution and the War Between the States. My appreciation goes out to the commander Corey Dunn (far left) and all the gentlemen of the camp for their Southern hospitality.

Meanwhile, I am finished writing the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Now, it will go into the editing/proofing stage. Hopefully, I will have it out this summer, so be looking for that. I'm also excited about making a video on "how to make a drum" to load to my blog. Make sure you view that when it comes out.

See you in Northwest Arkansas on the 22nd!

Harlingen, Texas

It is a sunny December down here in South Texas. I visited the Harlingen Public Library on Saturday, December 20 to give a demonstration to three classes of youngsters at a Christmas event hosted by the library. I was able to share about the drummer boy's life and what a soldier might experience during a Civil War Christmas. I was also able to play "Joy to the World" on my fife, a song we accept as a Christmas carol today, but was originally written about the Second Coming of Christ.

There was no age limit for Civil War drummers. Here I am trying to find recruits.

Also, I showed the kids how to load a musket.

It gets pretty hot in South Texas for Santa impersonators. This one was pretty anxious to shave.

My thanks goes out to Josie Balboa (far left) and the other librarians in Harlingen who made this event possible.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

Last Friday, December 5, my family and I traveled to Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Our first stop was at Hasting's Books (above) where we met up with Jamie Billings and her mom. Here, we spoke about the Civil War, and I signed some books. We also had the pleasure of meeting another author who was having a book signing there. Then, we stopped by Eugene Fields Elementary and spoke to the kids about the war. Jamie did an excellent job sharing about the women's role during the war, and the kids all seemed to have a good time. The kids really enjoyed seeing Jamie's hoop-skirt, that she made herself, and hearing the fife and drum.

Here we are in the gymnasium at Eugene Fields.

Jamie talking to the students . . .

. . . and me.

I want to thank the school principal, Jan Arnold, for setting up this event. Also, my appreciation goes to all the teachers, especially the PE teacher who leant us her class time.

Parker's Crossroads and Brownsville

Parker's Crossroads was a blast last weekend, despite the sweltering heat. My friend Alex and I drove over on Saturday morning and stayed till Sunday afternoon. During the daytime, our tent was like a greenhouse, but in the evening it turned very cold. It was only a small taste of the hardships our ancestors had to endure.

We took part in three battles Saturday and one on Sunday. I was also able to share about the drummer boy's life and sign some books. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures at Parker's. However, the Lexington Progress caught me on the fife. View it here: Lexington Progress.

On Sunday evening, we stayed with my grandmother in Arlington then hit the trail again to Brownsville, Tennessee where I demonstrated the drummer boy's life at the Elma Ross Public Library (pictured below). Alex did a great job sharing how to load the musket and cap and ball pistol. Thank you to all the librarians who did an excellent job at organizing this event.






Pictured below is Alex, me, Katherine Horn of the library, and two young history enthusiasts.

In Brownsville we stopped by the monument to the Confederate dead, located in front of the courthouse. In our uniforms, we paused by the monument to play a few songs on the fife and honor our soldiers.

This is my grandmother and me when we stayed at her home.