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Kinswomen Poem
Kinswomen Blood of kinswomen throbs through my veins twisting strands of shared DNA from women I’ve never known except when they whisper to me in my dreams. Oh, kinswomen, I’ve missed you. Welcome Home Home is where kinswomen linger after they have left the Earth still embracing loved ones shared memories connecting their inner hearts, spirits, and souls remembering lifetimes together Photo by Sandra Seitamaa on Unsplash
Wells Waite Miller: Filling in the Gaps, Part 2
I continue my research into forgotten Civil War hero Wells Waite Miller thanks to a book titled Margaretta Township and Castalia Village: Past and Present (Cold Creek Girl Scouts, 1976). You can find part one here where I fill in some gaps in my knowledge. Here’s the next set. Wells Waite Miller: Short Teaching Career After being seriously wounded at Gettysburg in 1863, Wells served in the position of captain in the Veteran Reserve Corp, effective April 1, 1864. He wanted to return to the regular Army but was denied the opportunity during the rest of the Civil War and
Wells Waite Miller: Filling in the Gaps, Part 1
Today, I headed to the library in Sandusky, Ohio to read a reference book titled Margaretta Township and Castalia Village: Past and Present (Cold Creek Girl Scouts, 1976). Thank you, Girl Scouts! In this slim volume of history, I hoped to find pieces of information to further fill out my understanding of Wells Waite Miller, a largely forgotten Civil War hero from Castalia—and I’m happy to report that I did. In this post and its sequels, I’ll link to previously written posts and add more details to the stories. More Details About the Castalia Massacre I’d previously written about a
Redemption by the River
In this poem, I imagine encountering the ghosts of ancestors along the river bed. Chilly mud dampens my knees as I kneel at the edge of the river. Relentless water ruts the earth, pummeling ancient boulders, stripping even grace bare. I’m hammered by heartbreak with ghostly mist my only witness. When I finally lift my head, the moon is my lantern and I see you, standing silently by the riverbank. My heart flutters, a tambourine, till I realize how long ago your tears fed this river in the opening by the pines. Your blood now flows in my
Are You a Writer?
Wondering if You Are a Writer? Give yourself one point for each of these that sound like you: You love to read: Maybe you hide a flashlight under your bed so you can read under the covers, late at night. You probably tuck a book in your book bag, so you’re never without reading material. If without a book or magazine, you’ve been known to read ingredients on a can of food. You love to write: You might write poetry or essays or stories. You might keep a journal. We each have our own types of reading and writing that
Thomas Miller: Ancestors in England
Wells Waite Miller’s direct ancestor, Thomas, came to the Colonies from England during the Great Puritan Migration in the 1630s. Initially an integral part of the community, Thomas ended up being at the center of one of its greatest scandals. How? He fathered a child with his maid, Sarah, Nettleton, while still being married to Isabel. Their child, also named Thomas, is part of Wells’ direct lineage. Certain first names were commonly used throughout generations in the Miller family—something not especially unusual. Nor were the names repeatedly used: Thomas, John, Samuel, and Joseph for males and Margaret for females. Thomas