I don't generally do this, but since I don't have much new to share, I thought I would re-blog a couple of items that might be of interest due to our Underground Railroad connection here in Easton/Greenwich. I hope to be back on track when my office is finally moved next week.
Sojourner Truth:
Olivia Twine writes, "[t]he unveiling of the Sojourner Truth statue in the town of Esopus, NY
where the abolitionist preacher was held a slave as a child, was a
remarkable experience. I’ve lived in the Hudson Valley County of Ulster
all my life and have never witnessed the 'owning' of the shameful past
of slavery before. Truth’s statue in the Esopus hamlet of Port Ewen
represents the only statue in the world of a child slave at work,
according to Ulster County Historian Anne Gordon.
Although Truth was well known in her time, her status as an emblem of
northern slavery is coming to light on a broad scale. That the people of
Port Ewen honor a former slave who left Ulster County and never looked
back, that children run their hands over her bronzed back to feel the
welts of the beatings she endured here, that the town supervisor proudly
describes her as 'a child of Esopus,' suggests that we as a people are
ready to move to the healing phase of a sordid aspect of our history..." Read more here.
Harriet Tubman:
"On November 8 and 9, 2013, Cayuga Community College in Auburn, NY will
host Harriet Tubman: No Longer Underground, a two-day symposium
marking the centennial of the death of Harriet Tubman in 1913..." Continued here...
Greenwich, NY
Showing posts with label Underground Railroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Underground Railroad. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Write it Down
Any of you that came to the Underground Railroad Tour of Greenwich in June will remember the message from tour guide Cliff Oliver, "Write it down." He gave us this nugget of advice because many members of the Congregational Church involved in the Underground Railroad left written records of what happened, what they did, how they helped with the cause. Without this first hand documentation, we as historians would be in the dark as to the involvement of the citizens of Greenwich & Easton in the Abolition Movement.
Did these citizens have a sense of their part in history? Is that why they took pains to record their part? In this particular case, I think so. But what about us? Do we realize our unique place in history? As an historian, I think I do. I keep a diary; a daily account of my everyday life. I also keep a number of journals; including ideas for embroidery patterns, poems, prose, ramblings & musings about various topics, an exercise log, etc. I also have 2 blogs, this one & one that is an extension of my embroidery design journal.
What about you? Do you journal or blog? Are you a diarist? If so, do you have a plan for what becomes of your writings & records? In my official capacity as Town Historian, those records belong to the citizens of the town & will stay in the custody of the Town of Greenwich, but what about my person records? I've been thinking about this more & more, as I completed my Information Science degree & while I was interning at the NY State Archives. Where would be the best repository to entrust my records? The Gill Room? My Alma Mater, & if so, which one? Hmmm...
As you can see, my own diary entries are nothing earth-shattering, but they are my own. They provide a look into my life as a single parent, raising her daughter in the same house with her parents in rural, upstate NY. If my diaries were the only ones to survive, would this paint an accurate picture of history?
If you want your story to be told, "Write it down." (Then preserve it in an archives.)
 |
| Just some of my personal diaries |
Did these citizens have a sense of their part in history? Is that why they took pains to record their part? In this particular case, I think so. But what about us? Do we realize our unique place in history? As an historian, I think I do. I keep a diary; a daily account of my everyday life. I also keep a number of journals; including ideas for embroidery patterns, poems, prose, ramblings & musings about various topics, an exercise log, etc. I also have 2 blogs, this one & one that is an extension of my embroidery design journal.
 |
| May 8, 2011 diary entry of Tisha Dolton |
What about you? Do you journal or blog? Are you a diarist? If so, do you have a plan for what becomes of your writings & records? In my official capacity as Town Historian, those records belong to the citizens of the town & will stay in the custody of the Town of Greenwich, but what about my person records? I've been thinking about this more & more, as I completed my Information Science degree & while I was interning at the NY State Archives. Where would be the best repository to entrust my records? The Gill Room? My Alma Mater, & if so, which one? Hmmm...
 |
| Diary entry of February 24, 2007- Tisha Dolton |
 |
| July 15, 2005 diary entry of Tisha Dolton |
As you can see, my own diary entries are nothing earth-shattering, but they are my own. They provide a look into my life as a single parent, raising her daughter in the same house with her parents in rural, upstate NY. If my diaries were the only ones to survive, would this paint an accurate picture of history?
 |
| Diary entry of July 5, 2004- Tisha Dolton |
If you want your story to be told, "Write it down." (Then preserve it in an archives.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)