Vanderbilt Chivalry

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Today is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. As a former PSNC employee (who loves Gilded Age history and all things Vanderbilt), Alex used to hear a lot of family lore about one of America's richest (and most interesting) families while working at the Breakers. One story that always stuck with her was that of Alfred Gwyn Vanderbilt (the 4th child of Cornelius Vanderbilt II), who died while on board the Lusitania. Alfred was last seen removing his life vest and wrapping it around a woman with a baby.

The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson

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On June 22 or June 23, 1611, the crew of English explorer Henry Hudson mutinied, on his fourth voyage to discover the "Northwest Passage" through North America to Asia. Captaining the British East India Company's ship Discovery (which had earlier been one of the ships led by Captain Christopher Newport on the voyage which ended with the founding of Jamestown), Henry Hudson had sailed 'round the tip of Iceland and Greenland, then reaching the Hudson Bay in Canada; everything going according to plan until the ship became trapped in the ice in James Bay in November of 1610. Hudson and his crew were forced to disembark and spend the winter along the bay. After the ice cleared in the spring, Hudson wanted to resume his exploration, but the tired crew wished to return home, and staged a mutiny; setting Hudson, his son John, and a few sick and/or loyal crewmen adrift in a small river barge. None of these abandoned men were seen of or heard from again. Eight of the eleven mutineers survived the trip back to England, and named two of the deceased as the leaders of the rebellion. The surviving mutineers were never punished for their crimes- perhaps because the knowledge they carried of routes to and around the New World was too valuable.

This painting, entitled "The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson," was done in 1881 by English artist John Collier.

This painting, entitled "The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson," was done in 1881 by English artist John Collier.

1860 Marriage Equality

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"Marriage today is not what it was under the common law tradition, under the civil law tradition. Marriage was a relationship of a dominant male to a subordinate female. That ended as a result of this court's decision in 1982, when Louisiana's Head and Master Rule was struck down. Would that be a choice that state should be allowed to have? To cling to marriage the way it once was?" -The Notorious RBG

This week we listened to the oral arguments for Obergefell v. Hodges- the Supreme Court's current case about the legality of gay marriage bans while digging through a bunch of pension records (because we are nerds). Think the definition of marriage hasn't changed over time? Check out this government-issued 1860 marriage certificate from the city of St. Louis. Ladies, submit to your husbands, and gents, don't be bitter about it! No wonder Thomas and Catherine got divorced.

Now That's a Dress!

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Finding images in military records is rare, but we do occasionally come across a photograph, a tintype, or even a daguerreotype in the files. This daguerreotype was found by a gentleman doing genealogy research on his family- he was not as excited, since apparently it was great-great-great grandad's 1st wife, and his family descended from the 3rd, but we were PUMPED. As a warning to those about to attempt tracking down family genealogy, people in the 19th century got married A LOT!

Your Own Personal Jesus

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"I like to picture Jesus in a tuxedo T-shirt. 'Cause it says like, I wanna be formal but I’m here to party too." This 1887 baptism certificate is one of the more elaborate we've come across. It belonged to the daughter of a Civil War veteran, and was submitted by his widow as proof of their marriage, so she could receive a pension.