Blessed be the Ties that Bind

By Timothy Nathan Pinnick Timothy Nathan Pinnick FOREWORD In the spring of 1984 as a young lieutenant in the United States Army, I began my quest to discover my family heritage. Two years later I published what I had uncovered to date in a six-page handout titled PINNICK – JOHNSON REUNION ’86 “BLESSED BE THE … Continue reading Blessed be the Ties that Bind →

The Van Duin (Van Duyne) Story

By Margaret Van Duyne Baskerville Guyney (b1/20/1901) My father, Pieter Van Duin, a teacher in America, changed the family name to Van Duyne. Born February 6, 1860, in Opdam, Holland. Married Margaret Klaver on May 1, 1881, in Opdam. They had 19 children – 3 died in infancy. (John, Richard, and Margaret.) Peter had one … Continue reading The Van Duin (Van Duyne) Story →

My Great Grandfather, Blacksmith in the Civil War

C.C. Augustus Ginter II (b. 9/28/1837 – d. 9/19/1892) Growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, I don’t remember my mother or her siblings talking about the Ginter family history or the fact that their grandfather had served in the Civil War. Mom’s parents, Oscar and Minnie (Becker) Ginter, were virtually unknown to me. Minnie … Continue reading My Great Grandfather, Blacksmith in the Civil War →

Braidwood News 1871-1872

August 19, 1871 – People’s Advocate We are reliably informed that surveys have been made for a canal from the Kankakee River to the Braidwood coal fields. The stakes are driven at a point on the west side of the river near the “Camp place”, about one mile above the guard lock and upper dam. The … Continue reading Braidwood News 1871-1872 →

There is No Racism

Let’s tell the truth. We (I) have been using the term “racism” incorrectly all along. By using this term, we are deluding ourselves by assuming that there black, brown, yellow, and white races when, in fact, there is but one human race. There are no variations, or subcategories. By constructing subcategories, we mistakenly identify each … Continue reading There is No Racism →

A Real Braidwood Person

I recently received a message from a lady in Michigan. She traces her genealogy back to Scotland and is a “Braidwood.” Thought that this might be of interest to Braidwood, Illinois historians. Her name: Stacy Kmetz Stacy Hi, Tom! I came across your post and have read some of your stories…interesting to me because I … Continue reading A Real Braidwood Person →

Living on Walker Street

Carole Kennedy Robeson I'm not sure what looked Mr. Davy like. He was a dark shadow of a figure when he opened the door of his home. It was very dark inside and everything about the house seemed to be leaning toward the earth. But I loved going across the street to his house on Sunday, carrying his dinner that … Continue reading Living on Walker Street →