Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

MYSTERIES OF THE H. L. HUNLEY BEING REVEALED

 Much has been written and publicized in newspapers and other media recently about the raising of the CSS H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to ever sink another ship during wartime. It was 137 years ago, on February  17, 1864 that the Hunley attached and detonated a 90 pound torpedo to the hull of the Union blockade ship, the USS Housatonic. The Housatonic burned for three minutes before it collapsed and sank to the bottom of Charleston Harbor leaving five union sailors dead.

 After attaching the torpedo to the Housatonic, the Hunley sailed away, surfaced long enough to display a planned blue light of accomplishment to those on shore and disappeared with all on board.

 Mystery has always shrouded the sinking. Some have speculated the Hunley was sunk by the percussion of the explosion of the Houstatonic, or that Union fire penetrated the wall of the submarine. Others have felt the Hunley crew suffocated in their tight quarters or water somehow filled their work area causing them to sink.

 After 136 years the Hunley was raised from 30 feet of water four miles from Charleston near Sullivan's Island on August 8, 2000. The submarine is now in a preservation tank at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center near Charleston. As archaeologists sift through the mud and artifacts they have found among other things buttons, textiles believed to be uniforms and the skulls and bones of eight of the nine crew members. They anticipate finding the skeleton of Lt. George Dixon, the commander soon. His body would be in an area of the sub not yet excavated. The bones of crew members are being identified and will be buried with military honors in Charleston next to sailors, including H.L. Hunley, namesake of the sub, who lost their lives in earlier Hunley sub-surface experiments.

 The Friends of the Hunley have a multi-media website at http://www.hunley.org which contains a history of the submarine and the excavation. Linked to it  is a website at http://www.charleston.net with almost daily reports on the progress of the excavation.

HUNLEY FAMILY SOUGHT

 John T. Hunley of Madisonville, Louisiana has been an admirer of Horace L. Hunley of the Hunley submarine fame since he first heard about the H. L. Hunley submarine. He has been involved in the search for and the raising of the Hunley in Charleston for many years.

 As a family historian Hunley is compiling a family history of Hunleys everywhere. Anyone interested in H.L. Hunley or in Hunley family history should contact Hunley at P.O. Box 613, Madisonville, LA 70447-0613 or by telephone at 504-898-1481.

GENEALOGY CONFERENCE IN LUFKIN

 The 5th Annual Angelina College Genealogy Conference will be held Thursday-Saturday, July 26-28, 2001. Two Houstonians, Trevia Wooster Beverly, and Emily Croom, are part of the Conference staff. Other speakers include John A. Sellers, Alvie L. Davidson, Donald R. Raney and others.

 For a Registration & Information Packet, contact Angelina College at PO Box 1768, Lufkin TX 75902-1301. The Community Services Conference Center may also be reached by telephone at 1-936-633-5206 and by FAX at 1-936-633-5478. Vivian Toole Cates is the coordinator and may be reached via e-mail at vcates@ballistic.com.

NEWS FROM THE BOOKSHELF

 Writer-journalist Michael J. Varhola has compiled a book anyone interested in the Civil War will want on their bookshelf. Everyday Life During the Civil War: A Guide for Writers, Students and Historians is an informative guide to the everyday life of all people, civilian and military,  living in the era of the Civil War. It is available for $16.99, plus shipping, from Writer's Digest Books, 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207.

 Various chapter topics in the book include: the People of the North and South; Wages, Currency, Clothing and Dry Goods; Life in City, Town and Country; Food and Diet; Fun and Games; The War Viewed from the Homefront; Brothers at War; Slang and Idiom; Technology; Arms, Equipment and Uniforms. Appendixes include a Civil War Timeline; a Bibliography with Recommended Books; Resources, such as, Books, Periodicals, Maps, Websites, Historical Sites and Museums:  and Lyrics of some of the more popular Civil War era songs.

 Arranged in a topical or dictionary-like format the author offers an explanation of some aspect of life during the Civil War. Under the topic of wages, Varhola lists the salaries earned by a number of different military and civilian occupations throughout the War.

 Under food and diet, the author explains what civilians and military personnel of the North, and of the South ate or drank on a regular basis and on special occasions. He also tells what various food items cost at different times during the War and  how meat and other commodities were preserved and cooked in the field.

 The book is a great way to learn more about one's Civil War era  ancestors. The book is strictly about social history and offers no political agenda for or against either side of the conflict.