Making Our Way Home

 Part of this trip was my goal to learn more about my mother's side of the family. My older sister, back in New Hampshire, was doing the heavy research....she's a librarian and good at that stuff!  We were in contact via the wonderous and marvelous internet and also in contact with two cousins, one a first cousin and the other a second cousin. We chatted almost daily, sharing our memories, stories and "finds" from our individual investigations. As a result of all of this "work", we were able to put together a very clear picture of four generations of this particular side of the family. As you know from my earlier post, I made a pilgrimage to the place where my mother spent her childhood, Bay St. Louis,  and a pilgrimage to where my grandmother spent her childhood, Mobile. Previous to that the two branches of the family lived in Pennsylvannia and Illinois. My great, great grandfather, James Baird, was one of 11 children. The younger three boys fought in the Civil War. Two for the Union and one for the Confederacy. This was a family torn apart by the war. One was killed in Missouri fighting in the guerilla wars, another who fought for the Union,was captured in August 1862 and died in the infamous Libby Prison in Richmond. The third gave his life for the Confederacy. This was Henry Baird. He was on the second crew of the Hunley submarine. This was a new kind of weapon designed and being used to break the Union blockade of southern ports.These submarines were very experimental and extremely risky. The Hunley made three voyages into Charleston Harbor. The first two attempts were failures but the third and final voyage was a success. The crew was able to sink the USS Housatonic. However the Hunley and crew never made it back to the dock. Several years ago the Hunley was found resting in the mud of Charleston Harbor. Today researchers are trying to understand why it never resurfaced. John and I made our way to the building where the public can view the Hunley. It was a moving experience knowing that someone, long ago..... someone who was a part of my family, had died in this terrible way. We also made our way to the site of Libby Prison in Richmond. The site is directly facing Belle Island, both notorious prisons housing Union officers and enlisted men. These prisons were both places of terrible deprivation, starvation, and torture, a place where humans were turned onto beasts. A terrible scar on our nation. Thinking about the experiences of my ancestors and the thousands of people who died in that terrible war only makes me feel more deeply about the wastefulness and foolishness of any war, then or now.

 

The Magnolia Cemetary in Charleston, where all three crews of the Hunley are buried.

 Looking toward Belle Island in the James River, Richmond, Virginia. 

 Charleston is a beautiful, historic city. Yes, it has a dark past.....it was a major center for the buying and selling of slaves. But it is known as the "Holy City" because it has 18 churches. The earliest American synagogue is here in Charleston. There is also a very early Greek Orthodox church, an early Huguenot church and many different Protestant and Catholic churches dating back to the 1700s and 1800s. Architectually this has to be one of my favorite cities to visit. It is very walkable and has great restaurants. 

 

 There are so many estuaries, marshes and tidal rivers along the East coast. We never become tired of looking at them. Each is different and special in their own way. One might not realize that the Newark, New Jersey area was once an amazing rich tidal marsh and river estuary. Looking across it to Manhatten, I saw a few glimpses of its former beauty. But humans have traditionally thought of these marshes as wasteland. And so, have put the worst kind of structures near or on these beautiful and incredibly important lands.

 

 Such as nuclear power plants, factories, parking garages and landfills.  

 

 Oh joy!  Finally we arrive in Vermont. 

 " These green hills and silver waters, are my home, they belong to me.

And to all her sons and daughters, may they be strong and forever free. 

Let us live to protect her beauty and to look with pride on the golden dome. 

They say home is where the heart is, these green mountains are my home....." 

The Vermont State Song

 

 Snow squalls in the mountains near Bolton flats. 

 Spring planting near Richmond, Vermont.

Well, we have had quite the trip and continue to feel so fortunate to be able to travel, explore and adventure. We have many more sights to see, places to explore, rivers to kayak, streets to walk, people to meet. In August we begin another quest. In the meantime, I have gardens to plant, weeds to pull, windows to paint and grandkids to care for....a whole summer to look forward to.