46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 1: Washington to Monroe

I'm going to take a break from the Battle of Princeton (and hopefully get back to it in a more timely amount of time than last time) to go through this list from the History Site about our presidents in honor of Presidents Day coming up this Monday.

1.  GEORGE WASHINGTON (1789-1797)  

The first U.S. president and hero of the American Revolution was an enthusiastic dog breeder, particularly of hunting hounds,  to which he gave names like "Sweet Lips" and "Drunkard."

2.  JOHN ADAMS  (1797-1801)

Adams and his wife Abigail exchanged more than 1,100 letters over the course of their lengthy relationship.

3.  THOMAS JEFFERSON (1801-1809)

Jefferson, the principal author of the declaration of Independence, died on July 4, 1826, within hours of  his "frenemy" John Adams.

4.  JAMES MADISON (1809-1817)

Madison was the shortest president at 5'4" and weighed barely 100 pounds.

5.  JAMES MONROE--  (1817-1825)

Other than Washington, Monroe was the only president to ever run essentially unopposed, coasting to re-election in the 1820 race.

--CootPres

Six Interesting Coincidences in History: July 4th a Bad Day for Some President's and a Booth Saves a Lincoln

From the August 29, 2015, History "6 famous coincidences" by Sarah Pruitt.

1.  Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died hours apart  on the same day:  July 4,  1826, the 50th anniversary  of American independence.

James Monroe became the third U.S. president to die on July 4 in 1831.  James Madison, Jefferson's close friend and Virginian came close to dying on Independence Day on June 28, 1836.

2.  JUST A YEAR BEFORE JOHN WIKES BOOTH KILLED ABRAHAM LINCOLN, BOOTH'S BROTHER EDWIN SAVED THE LIFE OF LINCOLN'S ELDEST SON, ROBERT.

Edwin Booth was a solid supporter of the Union, unlike his brother.  In late 1864,  Robert Todd Lincoln  fell on some railroad tracks and would have been mangles or killed had someone not saved him.  Robert recognized his savior as being the famous actor Edwin Booth.

Edwin Booth only learned later who the man was he saved.  His friend Adam Badeau, a colonel in the Union Army,  wrote Edwin congratulating him for saving the president's son.  At the time, Robert Lincoln was serving  with Badeau on Gen. Grant's staff.

--Cooter

About That Woke San Francisco School District

Some of the proposed school name might surprise you.

Abraham Lincoln High School

George Washington High School

Dianne Feinstein Elementary

Roosevelt Middle School

Jefferson Elementary

Alamo Elementary

Lincoln was "listed" because of his treatment of Indians.  Washington and Jefferson because they were slaveowners. Feinstein because, as mayor, she ordered a Confederate flag replaced after an early form of BLM destroyed one in a public display of flags of the United States.

One organization says that  there are more than 240 schools across the U.S. named for a Confederate leader.

--CootAlamo

10 Lesser Known Facts About Revolution Era America-- Part 2: Blood Sports, Dueling and Opium

5.  IT WAS THE PEAK OF BLOOD SPORTS

Bears vs. a dog or a bunch of dogs and then there was goose-pulling.

4.  NEWSPAPER EDITORS HAD TO CARRY GUNS

Attack a politician in print, defend yourself on the dueling field.

3.  NOVA SCOTIA COULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERED THE 14TH COLONY

Before the Revolution, it was just British North America, not the 13 colonies and N.S. was considered part of it.

***************************************

2.  THOMAS JEFFERSON CONSUMED OPIUM HABITUALLY

Well, our 3rd president had a habit.  And then, there was his slave.

1.  POLITICS WERE VERY, VERY UNCIVIL

And you thought politics are uncivil now.  They pale to those of the 18th-century.  Lord help you if you insulted Andrew Jackson.

I Challenge You to a Duel!!  --CooterCoward

More on Ohio Presidents-- Part 3: "Foreign-Born" Presidents

Only William Henry Harrison wasn't actually born in Ohio, but he did call Ohio home from the time it became a state.

Actually, when he was born, there were no states.  Just 13 colonies.

In fact, he was the last president to be elected who could be considered being born under a foreign power.

The other seven presidents  born under a foreign power were:  George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

They were British subjects when born.

--Cooter

Longest Living Presidents

From the May 2, 2019, Kenosha (Wis.) News

10.  Richard Nixon   81 years

9.  Thomas Jefferson  83 years

8.  James Madison  85 years

7.  Harry S. Truman  88 years

6.  Herbert Hoover  90 years, 71 days

5.  John Adams  90 years, 248 days

4.  Ronald Reagan  93 years, 119 days

3.  Gerald Ford  93 years, 165 days

2.  George H.W. Bush  94 years, 171 days

1.  Jimmy Carter  94 years and counting

This past summer, Jimmy and Rosalyn celebrated their 73rd year of marriage.  No trophy wife for him.  Probably the most sincere and honorable president we've had since Harry S. Truman.

And, I Met Him When he Was Governor.  --Cooter

On July 4 ...-- Part 1: You Know and a Bad Day for Presidents

From the July 4, 2019, Chicago Tribune.  These are events that happened this date over the years.

1776--  The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

1802--  The United States Military Academy opened at West Point, New York.

1826--  The nation's second and third presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died.

1831--  The fifth U.S. president, James Monroe, died  in New York.

--Coot4th

The Interesting Story of Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer-- Part 3

According to one account I read, Col. Eugene Lietensdorfer was William Eaton's chief of staff for the move on Derna, in which the Marines earned the line "Shores of Tripoli" in the Marine Corps Hymn.

After the evacuation of Derna, Lietensdorfer continued his wanderings until 1809, when he arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, and looked up William Eaton.  He then made his way to Washington, D.C., and armed with letters of recommendation from Eaton, got a job with Thomas Jefferson's chief architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, as surveyor of public buildings.

In 1833, as part of his role in the March to Derna, he received 300 acres in Missouri, where he lived until his death in 1845.

That is all I can find out him.  Sure wish there was more.

But, Quite a Life.  --Cooter

Little-Known Facts About First Barbary War: Meriwether Lewis

Meriwether Lewis was Thomas Jefferson's  private secretary and the only other occupant of the White House.  Before becoming private secretary, Lewis had been a captain in the Army of the West.  His grandfather and Jefferson's father had a shared past.

Shortly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Jefferson chose him along with his friend, William Clark, to lead an expedition to explore and map the newly acquired land of the western United States.

--Cooter

Nine Things You Didn't Know About the 4th of July-- Part 2: Three Presidents Have Died July 4th

3.  During the American Revolution, George Washington gave his troops a special treat on July 4.

On July 4, 1778, he ordered a double ration of rum for his soldiers.  He also ordered a cannon salute for the occasion.

Drinking has always been a large part of the 4th of July celebration.  In the past it was traditional to drink 13 toasts, one for each of the states that voted for independence.

4.  In a bizarre coincidence, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826.  The two Founding Fathers and adversaries died within five hours of each other.  As Adams lay on his deathbed, unaware that Jefferson had already died, his reported last words were, "Jefferson still still survives."

James Monroe was the third president (and only one since) to die on the date, July 4, 1831.

Some Coincidence.  --DaCoot

How About a Kosciuszko Day-- Part 4: Captured By Russians, Returned to U.S.

After the war, Kosciuszko returned to Poland and fought for his own country.  He also advocated for full citizenship of peasants and Jews.  Eventually wounded in battle, he was captured by the Russians.  After the death of Catherine the Great, Czar Paul I pardoned him and set him free.

Kosciuszko returned to the United States for a time and became a friend of Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson became both the executor and beneficiary of Kosciuszko's will.  He left Jefferson his wartime pay as compensation for freeing and the education of Jefferson's slaves.

--Cooter

History of the Fourth of July

From History site.

Also known as Independence Day or July 4th.  It has been a federal holiday since 1941, but its traditions go back to the 18th century and the American Revolution.

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence and two days later delegates from thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

From 1776 to the present, July 4 has been celebrated as the birthday of American independence with festivals, fireworks, parades, coverts, family gatherings and barbecues.

Happy B-D, U.S.A.!!  --Cootstarsandstripes

Think Beyond BBQ on This Fourth-- Part 2: A Slave's Story

Not everyone rejoiced this date 239 years ago.  It was a gamble many didn't want to take.  Britain would consider the Declaration of Independence and all its supporters as being guilty of treason, punishable by death.  Others wanted to stay with Britain.

Jehu Grant was a slave and the declaration was written by a slaveholder.  Yet he heard something in Thomas Jefferson's words that weren't intended for him:  "Songs of liberty that saluted my ear, thrilled my heart," Grant said in his petition.  "These considerations induced me to enlist in the American army, where I served faithful about ten months, when my master found me and took me home."

Later he purchased his freedom and unsuccessfully applied for his pension.

July 4th Through the Years

This date in U.S. History, besides being our 238th birthday today.

1801:  The United States Military Academy to train Army officers officially opened.

1803:  The Louisiana Purchase was announced in newspapers.  A great land deal.  France sold a huge tract of land to the U.S. for $15 million, coming out to 3 cents an acre.

1817:  Construction on the Erie Canal began in New York state.  It connected the Hudson River at Albany and Lake Erie at Buffalo.

JULY 4th was a bad day for earlier American presidents.  Three died on this date in 1826 and 1831.

1826: Presidents Thomas Jefferson (3rd) and John Adams (2nd)
1831:  James Madison (6th)

--Cooter

It's Like Finding Buried Treasure: Jefferson's Books

I read in Panama City Herald today that dozens of Thomas Jefferson's books were found at Washington University in St. Louis. Some of them even had handwritten notes from him, which make them all the more valuable.

Actually the number of books is 69 and the school already had five others. Librarians are searching the rest of their rare book collection for more volumes that might have belonged to the nation's third president.

The school's 74 Jefferson books ranks it as the third-largest collection in the nation after the Library of Congress and University of Virginia.

But, I have to wonder why someone hasn't looked through the collection before. You never know what you'll find in all that stuff.

Just Like Finding Sunken Treasure. --Cooter

Thomas Jefferson's "Other" Home

I've been going through some old National Geographics and came across an interesting article in the Geographica section of the March 1999 issue.

Most everyone knows about Monticello, but I didn't know about Thomas Jefferson's other home near Lynchburg, Virginia, that he designed himself called Poplar Forest. It had a small octagonal structure, service wing, and landscaping.

He journeyed to this other home as often as four times a year from 1809 to 1823, and, like Monticello, constantly refined it.In 1813, he wrote about, "The excellent dwelling house I have built there has been associated by me with delight."

His grandson sold the house in 1828. In 1845, there was a fire and major alterations. Throughout the following years, there were more alterations until it didn't much look like the home envisioned by Jefferson.

In 1984, encroaching development led to the creation of a nonprofit group that bought the property and set about restoring it to the 1826 appearance.

The exterior restoration work is now finished.

That was 1999.


NOW

Looked up Poplar Forest and found a site at www.poplarforest.org. In 2008, excavations are going on for some new Jefferson building sites discovered on the grounds as well as slave quarters. This November 1st, five poplar trees are being planted on the north lawn in honor of former resident Jimmy Watts. The public is invited.

Thomas Jefferson, Architect and Designer. --Old Coot