How to find a topic ..(visiting 1865, then North Bend, Ohio, then on from there.)

It's Monday evening and I have not made a blog post for today (It turns out that Monday is now, feed the Grand kids day. I took one from here and went to the others house, stopping at KFC along the way. One mother has classes until 5:30 and then a project group. the other mother works until 8pm.)  I look around the desk and the top of my file cabinet. Hmmm..  A folder that says Book Time lines, that should spark an idea.

1865 was a busy year. Union fleet takes Charleston, Richmond, Va. surrenders to Grand: Jefferson Davis appoints Gen. Robert E Lee General-in-Chief of the Confederate Army (It's about time, perhaps that, no, I read on) Confederate States of America formally surrenders at Appomattox, Apr. 9
Abraham Lincoln assassinated April 14.. 
Davis captured
US Civil War Ends
Stuff happening in Europe
13th amendment Abolishing slavery becomes part of the US Constitution

Well all written about over and over.

How about Literature/Theatre
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" published (And to think I just read it this year, didn't like it, but I read it. Book Clubs are wonderful. :-))
Mark Twain: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," short story. (well at least I liked that one!)
People born and died.....

Hmmm some interesting stuff in Science, Technology Growth, I will come back to that another day.

Here we go - Daily Life - my kind of topics

Baseball Convention, representing 91 baseball clubs, held in New York:
Nottingham pawnbroker William Booth moves to London to organize the Christian Revival Association (renamed The Salvation Army in 1878)
Ku Klux Klan founded, Pulaski, Tenn (Where did that name come from..)
First railroad sleeping cars, designed by George M Pullman, appear in US (good topic, traveling by train Wed.)
The Queesnsberry Rules governing boxing are first outlined.
"San Francisco Examiner"  and "San Francisco Chronicle" founded
First train holdup at North Bend, Ohio
Union stockyards open at Chicago
1700 die in explosion of "Sultana" on Mississippi River
Edward Whymper climbs the Matterhorn
First woman, Maria Mitchell, appointed as professor of astronomy, Vassar College

Well there are lots of topics there, you know I think North Bend is on the western side of Cincinnati. (I grew up on the Eastern side)
I think I will go check a map and see if that is true.

(Sure enough: )"The Village of North Bend is located in the southwest corner of Ohio in Hamilton County, 15 miles west of downtown Cincinnati and 6 miles east of the Ohio/Indiana state line. Named for the most northerly bend of the Ohio River between the Muskingham and Mississippi Rivers, North Bend is rich in local and national history."

"North Bend takes great pride in its illustrious history. Settled by John Cleves Symmes in 1789, North Bend is the home of William Henry Harrison- the 9th U.S. President, birthplace of Benjamin Harrison-the 23rd President and the cradle of local Three Rivers history. North Bend, along with Quincy, Mass. are the only two communities in America that can claim two presidents. As the site of such a magnificent history and heritage, North Bend occupies a lofty seat in American history. "

http://www.northbendohio.org/

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Now most people would read that paragraph and focus on the two Presidents, not me, oh no... I see the settled by John Cleves Symmes in 1789. I grew up on the Eastern side of the part of Ohio known as the Symmes Purchase. Must look that up...

I do look it up and I am surprised about the connections with my new home State of New Jersey. 1 year in Kentucky, 17 years in Ohio, 1 year in Virginia, 14 years in Ohio, 26 years in New Jersey. Don't add that up, the math is too complex. 

Okay, Symmes Purchase is worth writing about, but before I write it, I am reminded of Symmes Township, where "The Harvie Family" lived. & Union Cemetery in Symmes Township is where Marjorie Fay Mohney is interred. Yes, the Marjorie I wrote about yesterday. Ah it mentions Camp Dennison, the other little piece of the township, where Bill Harvie's family is buried. Lots of connections with Symmes Township. Camp Dennison is there a website about the Civil War Camp there. Yes, why yes there is...

Okay I have two topics to write about. Symmes Purchase and the interesting New Jersey connection. and Camp Dennison and personal connections there. Great, I want to get them both written tomorrow, since Wednesday will be a travel day. I will be off to Manassass Va to visit my daughter, then onto DC for some investigation and to the National Book Fair. Yoo Hoo!

So there it is, how can a grown woman be distracted for 2 hours and still not get to the writing stage of her blog. Tomorrow I promise to Focus! Focus! Focus!