Wendy Erisman 6/15/24 Wendy Erisman 6/15/24

Her Children Sign from the Breast

In a 1684 treatise with a title far too long to include here, Increase Mather, a noted Puritan minister, set out to describe instances where God had intervened in the world in remarkable and miraculous ways. Among the “illustrious providences” he recounted was the story of my nine times great-grandparents Matthew and Sarah (Hunt) Pratt, both of whom were hearing and speech impaired but who were also respected members of the church and community in 17th century Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Wendy Erisman 6/1/24 Wendy Erisman 6/1/24

11,670 Miles

11,670 miles—that’s how far my three times great-grandfather Christopher Erisman is said to have traveled with his regiment—by rail, by river, on horseback, and on foot—over the course of the Civil War.

Wendy Erisman 5/31/24 Wendy Erisman 5/31/24

Why Reindeer?

A few years ago while going through a scrapbook put together by my great-grandmother, I found an odd photo. It showed people dressed in fur, some sleds, and what appeared to be a large herd of reindeer.

Wendy Erisman 5/30/24 Wendy Erisman 5/30/24

Brave Women

Late last year, the Austin Chronicle published a short Texas history trivia quiz. One of the questions was as follows:

Q: After statehood in 1845, the U.S. built a series of around three dozen frontier forts along a boundary that kept shifting westward. Native Americans only attacked one. Which one?