Linda Shenton Matchett's Blog, page 66

Traveling Tuesday: Maryland

Traveling Tuesday: Maryland
Happy book birthday, Murder of Convenience. The first in my "Women of Courage" series was released one year ago, today. In celebration, I'm spotlighting the state in which it is set. Let's take a look at the state of Maryland and how they “did their bit” for the war effort.
As with all states, Maryland sent its citizens off to war, and even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the state was preparing its National Guard units for combat. The 29th Infantry Division comprised of members from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia compiled one of the most distinguished records in the war with two Medals of Honor, forty-one Distinguished Service Crosses, 816 Silver Stars, 5,151 Bronze Stars, and countless Air Medals. In addition, the division received a Presidential Unit Citation.
Production of war materiel commenced as over 900 factories were converted from manufacturing peacetime commodities, such as Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows Point who produced nearly twenty tons of steel. The Bethlehem Fairfield shipyard build 374 Liberty ships, and shipyards around the state repaired over 10,000 vessels. Between them the George L. Martin Company and Fairfield Aircraft Division assembled over 16,000 planes.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds (a military installation where weapons or technology are tested or experimented with, or where military tactics are tested) and Andrews Air Force Base are perhaps the state’s most famous locations, but numerous airfields were created for training pilots and air crew. Many of these airports were converted to municipal airports, while others were returned to agricultural use. Hundreds of “temporary” buildings survive today and used for other purposes.
In 1940, University of Maryland was tapped by the U.S. Surgeon General to help form a Medical Reserve Corps. Two years later, two dozen graduates were activated for duty with the 42nd and 142ndGeneral Hospitals and served in Australia, the Philippines, and Fuji. Eventually, more than 150 graduates went on to serve in all branches of the military.
I lived in Gaithersburg, Maryland for ten years and had no idea it was one of the twenty POW camps located in the state. Fort Meade received the first POWs in 1942 and ultimately housed more than 2,000 prisoners. POWs worked on local farms as well as at Bethesda’s Stonyhurst Quarry where they broke and loaded flagstone. Others cut pulp wood at Smith Point.
Victory gardens were a part of everyday life of course, but Henry Irr, president of Baltimore Federal Savings and Loan raised the production bar by sponsoring a statewide competition that included bonds as prizes. Not to be outdone, Constance Black, wife of Baltimore Sun executive Harry Black, converted the hill behind her mansion to a Victory Garden and then opened a neighborhood farm stand.
These are just a few of the way, the tiny state of Maryland pulled her weight during WWII.
______________________________

May 1942: Geneva Alexander flees Philadelphia and joins the USO to escape the engagement her parents have arranged for her, only to wind up as the number one suspect in her betrothed’s murder investigation. Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, she must find the real killer before she loses her sight…or is convicted for a crime she didn’t commit.
Set in the early days of America’s entry into WWII and featuring cameo appearances from Hollywood stars, Murder of Convenience is a tribute to individuals who served on the home front, especially those who did so in spite of personal difficulties, reminding us that service always comes as a result of sacrifice. Betrayal, blackmail, and a barrage of unanswered questions… Murder of Convenience is the first in the exciting “Women of Courage” series.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2VHlJ27

Mystery Monday: First Female Pinkerton Detective

Mystery Monday: First Female Pinkerton Detective
Finding employment as a widow in the mid-1800s could be challenging. Prospects for jobs included teacher, store clerk, office clerk (although senior secretarial positions for mostly held by men,) housekeeper, governess, and laundress. None of these positions held allure for Kate Hulbert Warne, a 23-year old widow from New York.
Instead, she answered an advertisement Allan Pinkerton placed in one of the Chicago newspapers. Stunned at Mrs. Warne’s interest at being hired as a detective, Pinkerton replied, “It is not the custom to employ women detectives. Indeed, I never heard of a female detective.”
But Kate was persuasive saying, “Women can be most useful in worming out secrets in many places which would be impossible for a male detective. A woman would be able to befriend the wives and girlfriends of suspected criminals and gain their confidence. Men become braggarts when they are around women who encourage them to boast. Women have an eye for detail and are excellent observers.”
Pinkerton asked for twenty-four hours to consider her request. When he hired her the following day she became the nation’s first female detective. It is reported that she is the one who thwarted an assassination attempt on President Lincoln. She often worked undercover, and her cases included discovering the whereabouts of $40,000 stolen from Adams Express Company, finding the killer of City Bank of Atkinson teller George Gordon, and solving the attempted murder of Captain J.N. Sumner.
Few photos exist of Kate, but Pinkerton described her as: “Her features, although not was could be called handsome, were decidedly of an intellectual cast. Her face was honest, which would cause one in distress instinctively to select her as a confidante.” In his memoirs that were published as her death, he commented that “she exceeded all his expectations.”
Highly successful, Kate passed away at the age of 37. Newspapers praised her work saying “She was quick to perceive and prompt to act; she proved that females are useful in a sphere to which the wants of society have long been loath to assign them. As she lived, so she died, a fearless, pure, and devoted woman.”____________________________
May 1942: Geneva Alexander flees Philadelphia and joins the USO to escape the engagement her parents have arranged for her, only to wind up as the number one suspect in her betrothed’s murder investigation. Diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, she must find the real killer before she loses her sight…or is convicted for a crime she didn’t commit.
Set in the early days of America’s entry into WWII and featuring cameo appearances from Hollywood stars, Murder of Convenience is a tribute to individuals who served on the home front, especially those who did so in spite of personal difficulties, reminding us that service always comes as a result of sacrifice. Betrayal, blackmail, and a barrage of unanswered questions… Murder of Convenience is the first the exciting new “Women of Courage” series.

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2VHlJ27

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, Barbara Britton!

Talkshow Thursday: Welcome Back, Barbara Britton!
Linda:  Welcome back to my blog. I’m a huge fan of your work and am so pleased you are taking time to visit. Congratulations on your upcoming release, Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey. How did you decide to write about this particular biblical character?
Barbara: One of my fellow Bible study leaders mentioned a story about five girls who inherited their father’s land in the book of Numbers. I had just finished a read-through-the-Bible challenge and didn’t remember the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. After reading about the sisters’ historic “ask,” I decided to write their story. One book turned into three.
LM: What is something you learned about Mahlah during your research that really stuck with you?
Barbara: I was amazed how much Scripture in the Bible deals with the daughters of Zelophehad. How had I missed it all these years? Mahlah and her sisters remind Joshua about their inheritance of land eight years after their promise of land from God and Moses (Joshua 17:3-6).
LM: How much, if any, of yourself, goes into your characters?
Barbara: My characters are bolder in most circumstances. Women in ancient times didn’t have the rights or support we do today. They had to fight to gain freedoms and financial stability.
LM: You write about biblical places. Out of all the locations you’ve researched, where is one place you’d like to visit if you had the opportunity and why?
Barbara: I definitely want to travel to Israel and see where Jesus walked, but also see where some of my novels are set. I would like to see the Jezreel Valley, Jordan River, and Jerusalem. Visiting the ruins of ancient cities in Israel would be interesting, and it may give me more story ideas.
LM: What words of advice do you have for fledgling writers?
Barbara: For aspiring authors, I would recommend joining professional writing organizations and getting involved in their local chapters. Going to conferences and meeting other writers builds a network of support. Fledgling authors makes me think of authors who are struggling to find writing time, or who are burned out on writing. Sometimes you have to sit down and write even if you aren’t excited about your project. In other instances, you need to make the time to write like getting up fifteen minutes earlier each day or writing during a lunch hour. It isn’t easy to find time to write and market books with a busy life. In the last years, authors are being asked to do more and more to promote their books. There is more work to be done with the same hours in a day. We love what we do but writing takes a lot of mental and physical energy, plus time. So, hug an author!
LM: Here are some quickies:
Sweet or Salty for a snack: sweet--chocolateCoffee or tea as your “go-to” drink: iced teaWalk, bike, or drive as your preferred mode of transportation: I love to walk on level pathways.
LM: What is your next project?
Barbara: A WWI Historical and another Biblical.
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
Barbara: My website is a one-stop shop http://www.barbarambritton.com or they can find me on Twitter and Facebook or Goodreads.
You can find “Lioness” at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Book blurb for “Lioness: Mahlah’s Journey:”While the Israelites struggle to occupy the Promised Land of God, Mahlah bat Zelophehad is orphaned and left to care for her four sisters. But daughters of the dead are unable to inherit land, and it will take a miracle for Mahlah to obtain the means to care for her sisters and uphold the vow she made to her dying mother.

Mahlah must seek Moses, the leader of her people, and request something extraordinary—the right for a daughter to inherit her deceased father’s land. A right that will upset the ox-cart of male inheritance and cast her in the role of a rebel.

But, God is the protector of the orphan and the widow, and five orphaned daughters need His help. With God, anything is possible. Even changing man’s tradition.

Mystery Monday: The Pinkerton Agency Part II

Mystery Monday: The Pinkerton Agency Part II
With the death of Allan Pinkerton in 1884, the agency was taken over by his sons, Robert (in New York) and William (in Chicago). Shortly, thereafter a branch was opened in Denver, with James McParland and Charlie Siringo managed the Western Division. Many of the agency’s assignments were connected to the federal government, and operatives performed may of the same duties that are now handled by the Secret Service, FBI, and CIA. In addition, Pinkertons (as they began to be called) worked for the railroads and overland stage companies, chasing down outlaws, such as the Reno Brothers and Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch.
By this time, the company had become heavily involved in the anti-labor movement, often hired by large organizations to break strikes or prevent them from happening by using undercover agents to infiltrate the unions. However, the state of Ohio was not impressed with the agency, and in 1890 outlawed them saying that Pinkerton’s 2,000 active agents and 30,000 reserves were larger than the US army and could be hired out as a “private army” or militia.
At the turn of the century, Pinkerton began to face competition from other security agencies that had popped up as well as from improved city police departments. As a result, the agency expanded its operations to conduct investigations for insurance claims and provide protection at racetracks and public events. In 1907 Allan Pinkerton II, grandson of the company founder, inherited the agency. By the 1920s, the firm also began investigations into the growing Mafia presence in New York and New Orleans.
In 1930 Robert Pinkerton II, the great-grandson of Allan Pinkerton became head of the agency. During the labor upsurges of the Depression years, strikebreakers and union-busters relied heavily on spies and espionage. With an emphasis placed on undercover work, Pinkerton became the most important supplier of industrial spies in the country. By 1940, however, the agency narrowed its focus to private investigative services and guarding of property. During WWII, operatives were hired to guard war supply plants. _______________________________
With most U.S. boys fighting for Uncle Sam in far off countries, Rochelle Addams has given up hope for a wedding in her future. Then she receives an intriguing offer from a distant relative to consider a marriage of convenience.
Conscientious objector Irwin Terrell is looking forward to his assignment at Shady Hills Mental hospital to minister to the less fortunate in lieu of bearing arms. At the arrival of the potential bride his father has selected for him, Irwin’s well-ordered life is turned upside down. And after being left at the altar two years ago, he has no interest in risking romance again.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof to Rochelle, Irwin is drawn to the enigmatic and beautiful young woman, but will time run out before his wounded heart can find room for her?
Inspired by the biblical love story of Rebekkah and Isaac, Love’s Allegiance explores the struggles and sacrifices of those whose beliefs were at odds with a world at war.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2oWnlsJ

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Author Maria Bostian

 Talkshow Thursday: Meet Maria Bostian
It was October 9, 1871. The day started out like any other for most residents, but little did they know that it was going to be hot… and dry… and windy… and that their heroic firefighters were tired and weary from yesterday’s work. 
And Chicago sat… waiting like a matchbox.
One spark quickly spread from structure to structure, wagon to wagon …person to person. Embers flew through the air as far as a mile, lighting everything they touched.
Sounds like the gripping introduction to a fiction piece, doesn’t it? Does it make you feel sad? Anxious? Scared?
You can find the rest of the story below, on the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) website, or another reputable source. Just Google “Great Chicago Fire.” Yes, that is right. This isn’t the beginning of a good tale, it’s a reality… it’s our past, it’s a tragic part of our US history.
https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Preparedness/Fire-Prevention-Week/About
While it is a sad fact that the Great Chicago Fire is the 3rd greatest fire in US history, something good did come from the event. In 1925, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed fire prevention week as a national observance. It is the longest running public health observance in our country. And why is it celebrated during the full week of October 9th each year? It’s celebrated during this time to remember the devastating Great Chicago Fire.
So how to you plan to remember the heroes and the victims of the Great Chicago Fire during Fire Prevention Week 2019?
Are you testing working smoke alarms?Are you creating or practicing a fire escape plan?Are you purchasing safety devices such as long-like smoke and carbon monoxide alarms   and fire extinguishers?Are you looking into a residential fire sprinkler retro-fit?
Whatever your plans, make sure to take time to talk “fire safety” with the family. Do you have small children? If so, make it fun!Time your fire drill. Now do it again. Can each of you make it to your meeting place a little quicker?Visit a local fire station and deliver cards, cookies, or other treats. Ask firefighters to explain the importance of a safe, outdoor meeting places and other important fire safety information to your children. Read fun and engaging fire safety stories and see if you can act them out. Looking for some suggestions? My What Should Daisy Do and Firefighters’ Busy Dayare both factual, yet interactive and provide additional safety tips and activities in each!
Once your family has practiced fire safety, encourage friends and neighbors to do so.Have a neighborhood fire drill.Plan a fire safety block party.Visit and assist shut-ins; checking safety devices, clearing exit pathways, etc.
So, have I “sparked” any Fire Prevention Week ideas? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Need more fire safety information? If so, feel free to reach out. I can always be found on Facebook as @MJBostian or on my Pinterest page @K-Town Fire Girl.
Interested in copies of my children’s fire safety books? Today’s special for Linda’s blog readers and friends is: $12 per copy or $20 for both. This includes personalized signed copies, coloring sheets, and shipping. Email me for details @MJBostian@gmail.com with FPW BOOK OFFER in the subject line. Need multiple copies for classrooms, libraries, or fire stations? If so, please put FPW MULTIPLES in the subject line for special pricing. All orders received on Thursday will be mailed out by Saturday afternoon for use during Fire Prevention Week!
About Maria: Maria Bostian is a Montessori-trained Fire & Life Safety Educator for a NC fire department with 10 years in the classroom and 15 years of fire service experience. She began the long road to publishing in 2014 and is looking forward to the release of her injury prevention chapter book series featuring the lovable Fraidy Brady Bobcat. 

Wartime Wednesday: American Chop Suey

Wartime Wednesday: American Chop Suey
At the school where I work, American Chop Suey is one of the kids’ favorite meals. Our dish is a combination of pasta (typically elbow macaroni), ground beef, onions, peppers, and crushed tomatoes. So when I found a recipe with the same name in my Better Meals in Wartime cookbook, I wanted to see if there were any differences. Intriguingly, the recipe is almost nothing like the dish I’ve come to know, however it is just as delicious.
As with many of the recipes in the book, the tone is conversational, and the author indicates “The Chinese always cut their vegetables in strips, it seems, so for this receipt we do it just that way.” A gross generalization to be sure, but a common thought back in the 1940s. Nonetheless, a yummy meal that’s easy to make:
3 lean pork chops3 onions1 bunch celery½ cup uncooked rice3 green peppers3 bouillon cubes dissolved in 3 cups water or use 3 cups vegetable water
The celery and peppers are cut in thin strips about 2 inches in length. Chop the onions fine. Mix these vegetables together.
Cut the pork chops in very, very small pieces about the size of a pea. Brown the meat in fat and add the vegetables to it.
Next add the rice and three cups of water (either bouillon or vegetable based). Cook all together for 40 minutes in a frying pan over a slow fire. The rice will absorb most of the beef bouillon and at the end of the specified time the rice will be cooked, the meat done and all will have a nice rich gravy that needs no further attention. You must be sure that the pork is cut very small so that it will be thoroughly cooked.
________________________________
With most U.S. boys fighting for Uncle Sam in far off countries, Rochelle Addams has given up hope for a wedding in her future. Then she receives an intriguing offer from a distant relative to consider a marriage of convenience.
Conscientious objector Irwin Terrell is looking forward to his assignment at Shady Hills Mental hospital to minister to the less fortunate in lieu of bearing arms. At the arrival of the potential bride his father has selected for him, Irwin’s well-ordered life is turned upside down. And after being left at the altar two years ago, he has no interest in risking romance again.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof to Rochelle, Irwin is drawn to the enigmatic and beautiful young woman, but will time run out before his wounded heart can find room for her?
Inspired by the biblical love story of Rebekkah and Isaac, Love’s Allegiance explores the struggles and sacrifices of those whose beliefs were at odds with a world at war.
Purchase Link: Buy Love's Allegiance

Mystery Monday: The Pinkerton Agency and its Early Years

Mystery Monday: The Pinkerton Agency and Its Early Years
I’ve always been intrigued by the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Founded in 1850, by Scotsman Allan Pinkerton, only eight years after he emigrated to the United States, the agency still exists as a subsidiary of the Swedish company Securitas AB. Leaving school at the age of ten after his father died, Pinkerton was primarily self-taught and by all reports a voracious reader. He was a cooper by trade, and his job is the reason he became a detective (albeit by accident).
While in the woods looking for trees appropriate for use as barrel staves, he came upon a gang of counterfeiters. As the story goes, he watched their movements for a long time then snuck away to inform the local sheriff who arrested the men. As a result Pinkerton was appointed the first police detective in Chicago. The following year he partnered with Edward Rucker to open the North-Western Policy Agency, later becoming Pinkerton & Co.
During the first two years of the Civil War, Pinkerton was head of the Union Intelligence Service. Part of his duties were to guard President Lincoln, and it was said that on one particular trip, Pinkerton thwarted an assassination attempt. He went undercover for the remainder of the war, often working in the deep south to determine Confederate plans. This counterintelligence work is comparable to the work done by today’s US Army Counterintelligence Special Agents in which Pinkerton’s agency is considered an early predecessor. After the war, the agency continued to track down train robbers, outlaws, and gangs as well as work heavily against the labor movement.
The agency’s logo of a large unblinking eye with the tagline “we never sleep,” gave rise to the nickname private eye for detectives. Pinkerton is also noted for hiring the first female detective, Kate Warne, a widow who convinced the Scotsman that she could “worm out secrets in many places to which it was impossible for male detectives to gain access.” Pinkerton would later declare her one of his best investigators.
At the time of his death in 1884, Pinkerton was working on a system to centralize all criminal identification records (such as mug shots, case histories, suspects’ distinguishing marks and scars, newspaper clipping, raps sheets, known associates and areas of expertise.
Stop by next Monday to learn more.


______________________________
With most U.S. boys fighting for Uncle Sam in far off countries, Rochelle Addams has given up hope for a wedding in her future. Then she receives an intriguing offer from a distant relative to consider a marriage of convenience.
Conscientious objector Irwin Terrell is looking forward to his assignment at Shady Hills Mental hospital to minister to the less fortunate in lieu of bearing arms. At the arrival of the potential bride his father has selected for him, Irwin’s well-ordered life is turned upside down. And after being left at the altar two years ago, he has no interest in risking romance again.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof to Rochelle, Irwin is drawn to the enigmatic and beautiful young woman, but will time run out before his wounded heart can find room for her?
Inspired by the biblical love story of Rebekkah and Isaac, Love’s Allegiance explores the struggles and sacrifices of those whose beliefs were at odds with a world at war.
Purchase Link: Buy Love's Allegiance

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Valerie Massey Goree

Talkshow Thursday: Meet Valerie Massey Goree
I am so excited to introduce you to Valerie Massey Goree. She is one of my critique partners, so I know how wonderful her books are. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and read on to learn more about her and her latest release Day of Reckoning.

Linda:  Thanks for joining me today. Congratulations on the release of your latest book Day of Reckoning. Where did you get the inspiration for the story?
VALERIE: Day of Reckoning is a stand-alone sequel to Weep in the Night. Both stories feature agents who work for the International Retrieval Organization. Lela was introduced in Weep, and I knew when I met her that she needed her own story. One aspect I love about writing fiction is creating my story world. The IRO—a top-notch detective agency of sorts—has unlimited resources, and therefore my agents have everything they need to accomplish their tasks. The inspiration for Lela’s story was inspired by my daughter-in-law who is a strong and accomplished Hispanic woman.
LM: You relocated in the midst of writing this book. How did the move impact the project?
VALERIE: The 2,500 mile move did interrupt my writing, both before and after. I envy authors who can sit down and write for ten minutes, and then tackle a chore. I need a block of time to concentrate. Needless to say, I had to take off a couple of months. When our office was set up and I’d unpacked etc., I had to reread what I’d written to get back into the plot, but found I was able to pick up and complete the story. Good thing I wasn’t on a deadline!
LM: Research is an important part of the writing process. What are some of the ways you have researched your books? For Day of Reckoning did you discover a particularly intriguing bit of information you knew you had to include?
VALERIE: I use online sources, my own experiences, but I also rely on chatting to real people if possible. For instance, in my first novel, a crime was committed in a small Texas town. I visited the Country Sheriffs’ office, explained my situation, and asked to speak to a deputy. He answered all my questions, and thanked me for using proper procedure, and not ‘making up stuff.’ For Day of Reckoning I needed to know what might cause severe scars on Lela’s abdomen. Without revealing any spoilers, I read about several products then conducted a couple of experiments on the back porch. You’ll have to read the story to find out more.
LM:  What is your favorite part of the writing process: research, writing, or revising?
VALERIE: I love revising. By then the hardest part is done. The major plot is set, characters are developed, and my critiques partners have provided input.
LM: Here are some quickies:
VALERIE: Favorite vacation spot: I grew up in South Africa. Our family always vacationed on the coast in the city of Durban. Golden sand, crashing waves, and as a kid, no responsibilities but to enjoy myself. After I married, we vacationed in a variety of places, so no one area stands out as a favorite. We’ve been blessed by being able to travel to many countries on four continents.

Favorite childhood author: Enid Blyton, a multi-published author from England. Among many other books she wrote The Famous Five and The Secret Seven series, mystery stories for young readers.
Favorite food: Only one? I suppose my go-to choice will always be a good, juicy steak.
LM: What are you currently working on?
VALERIE: I’m revising the very first novel I wrote, way back when. See, I told you I like revising. It’s set in Australia and loosely based on my mother’s family. The original was a romance, but I’m including a suspense thread.
LM: What advice do you have for fledgling writers?
VALERIE: If you want to play tennis, you have to read how-to books, and watch professionals whack the ball, but until you step on a court with a racquet in hand and attempt to hit the little yellow target, you’ll never become a proficient player. The same can be said about writing. Sure, read the craft books, attend conferences and workshops, but you must write. And write. Write the story on your heart.   
LM: Where can folks find you on the web?
VALERIE: I love to hear from my readers.Website:  www.valeriegoreeauthor.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValerieMasseyGoree/
Publisher: https://pelicanbookgroup.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Valerie-Massey-Goree/e/B004GI3UAY

About Day of Reckoning: International Retrieval Organization Agent Lela Ortiz is assigned the kidnapping case of businessman, Chuck Davenport. When her boss allows Jay Vashon, Chuck’s brother-in-law to assist, Lela accepts the help with reservations, especially when Jay prays at the most inopportune times.

Jay would do anything to help bring Chuck home, even work with feisty Agent Ortiz. As Jay and Lela decipher clues Chuck sends to his son with special needs, they are forced to work in close proximity.
Can Jay break through the barrier Lela has constructed around her heart? Will Lela be able to overcome her distrust of men and God?
And Chuck? Can the pair locate him before the ransom deadline?
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2knyaly

Wartime Wednesday: Lumberjills of New Hampshire

Wartime Wednesday: Lumberjills of New Hampshire

The hurricane of 1938 was devastating. In September of that year, the storm was forecasted to turn out to sea, but instead moved directly north into New England. The storm surge that occurred ahead of the storm caused south facing bays such as Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island to experience overwhelming flooding and loss of life. In New Hampshire, Maine, and Nova Scotia high winds (with gusts above 180 mph) flattened entire forests. Electricity was out for days, homes were destroyed, and 2.6 million board feet of timber had been blown down—enough to frame more than 170,000 homes.
More logs ended up in Concord, NH’s Turkey Pond (12 million board feet) than anywhere else after the U.S. Forest Service harvested the tangled mess of trees and brought them to sawmills in the North East. The wood was processed, but by 1942 most of the lumbermen were gone overseas into combat and the mills couldn’t keep up with the work.
As with other industries, the women stepped up to fill the jobs vacated by the men, and Turkey Pond became the first sawmill to be operated by women. And by all accounts, including a November 19, 1942 U.S. Forest Service newsletter that reported, “the experiment being conducted in Concord was going along nicely.”
The publication went on to say, “It is most surprising and gratifying to see the way those gals take hold of the job. In addition to the jobs we anticipated women could handle, we have found them capable of rolling logs on the deck, running the edge, and for ‘show purposes’ even running the head saw. May it will be possible to actually man a mill 100 percent with women sometime in the future.”Recruiters initially contacting local farming families to find people who were “rugged and reliable.” However, other women who worked as waitresses, seamstresses, and housekeepers left their jobs to earn the same $4.50 per day as the men (double their normal pay). The oldest woman at Turkey Pond was in her 50s and went by the nickname of “Gram.” The youngest was 18.
David Story remembers his mom coming home at the end of each day at the mill to cook a full meal for her family. Says David, “I know she was always really proud that she did that {work at the mill}. They always talked about that and how they always tried to beat the mean—because there was a man’s sawmill across the lake—and the big deal was to see if they could out-saw them, which they did, a lot.”
Logs were dumped into ponds throughout New England to protect them from insects and decay. In New Hampshire the federal government used 128 lakes and 110 fields to collect and store logs from the surrounding woodlands. Operating from 1939 through the end of 1943, an estimated 600 million board feet of timber was salvaged in New Hampshire—an amount equivalent to 60,000 tractor-trailer loads of lumber.
Will you ever look at a tree the same way again?
____________________________
With most U.S. boys fighting for Uncle Sam in far off countries, Rochelle Addams has given up hope for a wedding in her future. Then she receives an intriguing offer from a distant relative to consider a marriage of convenience.
Conscientious objector Irwin Terrell is looking forward to his assignment at Shady Hills Mental hospital to minister to the less fortunate in lieu of bearing arms. At the arrival of the potential bride his father has selected for him, Irwin’s well-ordered life is turned upside down. And after being left at the altar two years ago, he has no interest in risking romance again.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof to Rochelle, Irwin is drawn to the enigmatic and beautiful young woman, but will time run out before his wounded heart can find room for her?
Inspired by the biblical love story of Rebekkah and Isaac, Love’s Allegiance explores the struggles and sacrifices of those whose beliefs were at odds with a world at war.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/2ZXb9JQ

Traveling Tuesday: Michigan During WWII

Traveling Tuesday: Michigan During WWII
Not surprising the great state of Michigan comes from the Ojibwe work “mishigamaa” meaning “large water” or “large lake.” The state consists of two peninsulas (the only state with this feature); the lower peninsula often described as being shaped like a mitten and the upper peninsula referred to as the U.P. The two land masses are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge connects the two peninsulas. With the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, the states is bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. Because of this a person in the state is never more than six miles from a natural water source or more than eighty-five miles from a Great Lakes shoreline!
Citizens of Michigan played an integral part in the success of World War II. Ask most historians, and they will indicate that one of the main reasons the Allies won the war was because they outproduced the Axis powers. And the automotive industry primarily headquartered in Michigan was responsible for much of that production. Manufacturing nearly eleven percent of the U.S. military armaments during the war, Michigan ranked second behind New York among the forty-eight states.
Consider these numbers: Chrysler alone built 25,000 tanks in four years. GM produced the majority of the nearly 10,000 Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers produces. Pontiac built more 20-mm anti-aircraft cannons on license than the existing Swiss manufacture of the weapon. Oldsmobile put out forty-eight million rounds of artillery shell. Buick manufactured 1,000 aircraft engines per month, and Michigan factories produced four million engines during the war. This is to say nothing of the rifles, mess kits, gyro compasses gun feeds, map cases, and hundreds of other items needed for the nation’s citizen army.
In addition to manufacturing, Michigan also sent its young men and women into war. Out of its five million residents, more than 600,000 of them served in the armed forces, 30,000 of whom gave their life. Michigan’s National Guard units were activated and those in the 32nddivision served in the southwest Pacific theater. Among the first American soldiers to meet the enemy, they went on to establish the longest combat record of any American division in the war. Overseas for forty months, the men fought continuously for over eighteen of those months. A Presidential Unit Citation for the entire division confirmed its record.
At home, Michigan houses 6,000 German and Italian POW soldiers. They were processed at Fort Custer near Battle Creek, then assigned to thirty-one smaller camps in mostly remote areas. Over Nazis and Fascists were removed from the general popular of prisoners, most of whom were homesick young men who were glad to be out of the war. Many of the prisoners worked in the agricultural industry picking fruit, harvesting sugar beets or felling trees. A group of Italians at Detroit’s Fort Wayne landscaped city parks and served on road crews. Multiple stories are told of the friendships developed between guards and prisoners, some of whom returned after the war to become U.S. citizens.____________________________
With most U.S. boys fighting for Uncle Sam in far off countries, Rochelle Addams has given up hope for a wedding in her future. Then she receives an intriguing offer from a distant relative to consider a marriage of convenience.
Conscientious objector Irwin Terrell is looking forward to his assignment at Shady Hills Mental hospital to minister to the less fortunate in lieu of bearing arms. At the arrival of the potential bride his father has selected for him, Irwin’s well-ordered life is turned upside down. And after being left at the altar two years ago, he has no interest in risking romance again.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof to Rochelle, Irwin is drawn to the enigmatic and beautiful young woman, but will time run out before his wounded heart can find room for her?
Inspired by the biblical love story of Rebekkah and Isaac, Love’s Allegiance explores the struggles and sacrifices of those whose beliefs were at odds with a world at war.
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