Hope the New Year has treated you well, so far!
Marty and I took a two-week vacation in the D.C. area, house-sitting for some friends who have a gorgeous home in the woods of Maryland. Having been to D.C. on many previous occasions, we have long-ago covered the essential tourist sites. Marty even worked in the White House about three years ago on a webcast project for President Obama. Nonetheless, there is always something interesting to do in our nation's capitol, as well as in Virginia and Maryland, so we made excellent use of our time there.
Armed with Library of Congress library cards (not difficult to obtain -- see the LOC website!), Marty and I toured the magnificent Jefferson Building of the LOC and spent time in the Main Reading Room. Of course, I had plans for research at both the LOC and the library of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Library of Congress Main Reading Room
(photo by Carol M. Highsmith)
Last September, I had passed through the D.C. area briefly and had made an attempt at touring the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History, and I managed to get into this popular museum, but the lines for the main historical galleries were too long. I knew that Marty and I would be back in the area, and this time there was a smaller crowd. As you can probably imagine, this museum contains some powerful, emotional exhibits. It is a must-see!
Another new museum in D.C. is the Museum of the Bible, which of course we had to check out. Its exhibits contain an impressive collection of both original and facsimile artifacts as well as videos, living-history displays, and even a virtual-reality section (which we skipped). This museum is decidedly non-preachy and concentrates its efforts upon the historical and social impacts that the Bible has made over the centuries. It is privately owned and is therefore not free to visit, but it is well worth visiting at least once!
Logo for the Museum of the Bible
(clever use of a rotated B symbolizing 10-Commandments tablets!)
Another not-free-but-more-than-worth-the-price museum in D.C. is the Newseum, which provides a fascinating multi-media tour of the history of international news media, with a focus upon American news, of course. Their collection of artifacts and memorabilia is immense and includes a huge gnarled section from the World Trade Center as well as several segments of the Berlin Wall and one of its towers. Wow!
Drawer after drawer of historic newspapers at the Newseum!
Previously, I had been apologetic about the fact that much of my recent writing has not been included in this weblog due to use restrictions demanded by the periodicals publishing my articles. However, my most recent article has been published on a weblog that any of you can view! It is the blog for the upcoming International German Genealogy Conference taking place in Sacramento, CA this coming June.
This latest article is part of a series of profiles I have been writing about people of German descent who have been important to the history of California. The first article in the series, about Adolph Sutro, was published in a recent edition of the quarterly Der Blumenbaum.
The second article in the series regards the not-so-famous son of the famous John Sutter. Although I do not mention this in the article, my dear hubby Marty is a direct descendant of John Sutter, and he is also descended from the subject of my article, August Sutter. Here's a quick tree to illustrate the relationship:
John Augustus Sutter -- Anna Dubeld
|
John Augustus "August" Sutter, Jr -- Maria del Carmen Rivas
|
Victor Alphonse Link -- Anna Elisa Sutter
|
Frank Sutter Link -- Aida Wanda Verdi
|
John Martin Brenneis -- Aida Anna Link
|
Martin "Marty" Brenneis
Apart from my family history interest in August Sutter, he has historical significance that I believe is undeservedly ignored, as he is overshadowed by his notorious father. You can find the article here: August Sutter Article.
Lastly, while on my two-month research trek last September and October, I took some video of historic cemeteries in southern Ohio. The cemeteries featured are Ash Ridge, Winchester, Straight Creek Baptist, and Pleasant Hill. Those videos, and others, are available on My YouTube Channel.
Until next time, fair readers!
Annie
"There are three kinds of people who run toward disaster, not away: cops, firemen and reporters." -- Rod Dreher, quoted on a wall in the Newseum's 9/11 exhibit (and one of my favorite modern authors -- see his excellent books "How Dante Can Save Your Life" and "The Benedict Option"!)
