Springfield Illinois

Today was mostly a travel day for me on my way to Springfield. This morning I left Richmond, Indiana and followed the National Road, Route 40, to Glen Miller Park. There I saw the Richmond Madonna of the Trail.
The National Road is pretty interesting and you can find out more about it at http://www.nationalroad.org/.
The Madonnas were the brain child of the Daughters of the American Revolution. They commemorate those brave and hardy pioneer women who bore the children, planted the gardens, and learned to shoot as well as sew as they traveled by wagon towards the west. I hope you have an opportunity to see one of the Madonnas. For now, I will try to add one to the blog.

Travels With Sandie

Today's blog comes to you from Ohio! This Scipio Historian is on the road. Certainly, my trip will be easier than that of my ancestors. I am heading for a conference; the National conference of the Daughters of Union Veteran's of the Civil War. It is being held in Springfield, Illinois - the land of Abraham Lincoln. I am excited about the opportunity to see the Lincoln Museum and the several other Lincoln sites in the area. I also look forward to experiencing my first National DUVCW conference. It will be helpful as we prepare for next year's conference, scheduled to be in Syracuse NY.
On my way to Springfield, I will be traveling sometimes on Route 40, otherwise known as the National Road. This stretches across the center of our country, and was the route taken by so many of our pioneer ancestors. I will also spend some time on Route 30, the Lincoln Highway. There are many historical sites along the way and I hope to share them with you as I go.
At the end of the week, I will be going for the first time to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is one of the largest genealogical libraries in our country, and I have a list. Actually, two lists - one for me and a few of my "brick walls" and one for Scipio and Cayuga County. Stay tuned!

Loss to our Community

I'd like to take a moment to say I will really miss a fellow historian. Hallie Sweeting of Sterling passed away into history on July 8, 2010. She was part of our Fillmore Days celebration just a few weeks ago; that's just the kind of person Hallie was.
She loved her town and it showed. She wrote several books about it, and was a source of information and assistance to the general public as well as her fellow historians. She had been at it for more years than I can count, and will not be an easy act to follow.
Thank you, Hallie.