Historical Connections

Oct 30
6 min

A Spirit For The Prosecution

Just in time for Halloween, here is a true story that took place and was probably well known local news to my Holmes ancestors who lived...

Oct 2
3 min

The Mennonite Educator

Christopher Dock was born about 1698. He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County...

Jun 12
5 min

A Curious Letter, Part Four: Facts v. Legend

Without a doubt, the story was extremely moving. However, as with any legend, it is somewhat difficult to get at the real facts of this...

May 8
4 min

A Curious Letter, Part Three

Click here for Part 2 Nearly ten years passed as Magdalena and Christian rebuilt their burned house and continued farming the land. ...

Apr 30
4 min

A Curious Letter, Part Two

After I came across that letter, I did more digging and found an earlier reference to it with more (and different) information. (For...

Apr 3
4 min

The Witch and William Penn

The cows were acting funny. That is how the only official witch trial in Pennsylvania history began. Eight years before the infamous...

Mar 6
3 min

Washington's Drummer Boy

A tale of a young man during the American Revolution. While not a direct relative, one of his daughters married into the family. Johann...

Oct 11, 2021
5 min

The Lenape Diplomat

Here is my post in honor of this year's Indigenous Peoples' / Columbus Day. Tatamy, also known as Tashawaylennahan, was born sometime...

Sep 13, 2021
6 min

The Patriarch of American Lutheranism

Heinrich "Henry" Melchior Muhlenberg was born in 1711 in Einbeck, in the German Electorate of Hanover. He studied theology at the...

Jul 4, 2021
4 min

The Tea Burners of Greenwich

It is likely that everyone has heard of the Boston Tea Party that took place on 6 December 1773. It was one of the most iconic events of...

Feb 18, 2021
3 min

True Crime in 1832 - Death And Cider

Here is the story of the murder case that was brought before the Court during Lino's trial while they were waiting for witnesses to...

Feb 15, 2021
3 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 19 - Lino and Lucretia, the Enduring Legacy

What is it exactly about the story of Lino and Lucretia that has endured over the past 190 years? It is indeed a "truth is stranger than...

Feb 13, 2021
3 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 18 - The Other Victims

When Lucretia died, all five of her children became orphans. They were minors, except for Mary, the oldest. It would appear that...

Feb 11, 2021
6 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 17 - "The Way of the Transgressor Is Hard"

After being acquitted in the murder of her husband, Lucretia returned to her home, hoping to resume her life. She would find that it...

Feb 8, 2021
11 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 16 - "Oh, my God! the hour is arrived."

After his conviction, Lino kept himself occupied by writing the history of his life. He had become even more of a celebrity and...

Feb 4, 2021
7 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 15 - Commonwealth v. Lino Esposimina

With Lucretia's trial out of the way, Deputy Attorney General Thomas Ross turned his attention to the upcoming trial of Lino. It was...

Jan 31, 2021
8 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 14 - Commonwealth v. Lucretia Chapman

The successful separation of trials, although requested by Lino's counsel, was actually a boon for Lucretia. Tried together, they could...

Jan 28, 2021
7 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 13 - The Trial Begins

On Monday, 12 December 1831, the Court of Oyer and Terminer opened in Doylestown. The Court consisted of a Supreme Court Justice and two...

Jan 25, 2021
5 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 12 - Lawyering Up

About the time Lucretia was arrested, David Paul Brown, one of the most fully employed and successful of the many eminent "criminal...

Jan 23, 2021
8 min

True Crime in 1831, Part 11 - A Daring Escape

The governor of Pennsylvania, having received authentic information following the examination of William's body confirming that he had...