National Vanilla Milkshake Day Approaching!

Back in August of 1887, George Goodbub, New Albany's successful confectioner and businessman, purchased a "new machine for making milk shakes."  [New Albany Daily Ledger 06 Aug 1887]  He may have been "ahead of his time."

In researching the milk shake, it was determined that most references from that time period (about 1885) would describe the milk shake as an alcoholic drink, similar to an egg nog, and used mostly for medicinal purposes.  Malted milk powder was invented in 1897, an additive to milk which would make it more easily digested.  By 1900, there are found more references to the milk shake as a "wholesome drink made with chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrup" - more like what we're used to these days.  Except it appears it wasn't until 1922 when ice cream was added, supposedly by a Walgreens employee, who added 2 scoops of ice cream to a malted milk drink.

In 1911, Hamilton Beach Manufacturing Company introduced the Cyclone, their first drink mixer, which is remarkably styled much like a current-day milk shake mixer with a single rod activated by placing the drink container onto the spindle.

The newspaper reference in 1887 stated that Mr. Goodbub, by adding the new drink machine, was "prepared to serve to his customers this new and most delicious summer beverage."  George Goodbub had owned a confectionery (and oyster saloon, in season) since 1857. A reference to the opening of his ice cream saloon is seen as early as 1859, at his Market street location, and appears to have been continued with his relocation to Pearl street in 1861, and following a remodel in 1872.  Another remodel, in 1886, allowed for a courtyard which was fitted up nicely for his ice cream parlor, but it was not a new concept.  He most likely opened his ice cream parlor each summer, in addition to his confectionery, from the beginning of his establishment.

It would be interesting to know whether  he indeed was incorporating ice cream into his milk shakes -- or malted milk powder -- or whiskey -- or a combination thereof.  At any rate, Goodbub was serving milk shakes to the citizens of New Albany as early as 1887, and using a machine that pre-dated the Hamilton Beach Cyclone.  Hamilton Beach, nevertheless, touts themselves with a trademark as "The Original Drink Mixer Company."

[National Vanilla Milkshake Day is celebrated June 20th.]

Squirrels Beware!

Open Season

Open Season. For Squirrels Begins To-Day and Continues to January 1. An Abundance of Game Reported. The open season for squirrels began this morning, and will continue until January 1, with the exception of the period between October 1 and November 10, when no game may be shot, and even the killing of rabbits is prohibited. Farmers report squirrels in greater abundance this season than for many years, and the shooting promises to be fine. Members of a fishing party that had been in the southern part of Harrison county for several weeks say that near their camp the trees fairly swarm with the little animals, and that an expert marksman, had it not been for the law, could have killed a dozen in a half hour. Complaint is made by the farmers that the little animals are so numerous that they have destroyed corn of sufficient value to have paid for all the squirrels in the State a number of times at 25 cents a pound. - New Albany Daily Ledger 01 August 1906

News or No News??

A cow owned by Mrs. Gebhart, a widow, fell over the bank at the bridge cut on Vincennes street, Wednesday night, and was killed.  An Air Line train ran over and killed, Wednesday, a cow owned by Americus Duggins.  On the same day a fine cow owned by ex-city engineer Smith died.  It was a bad day for cows.  - New Albany Daily Ledger 22 Jul 1886

Knob or Knobs?

There has always been a controversy concerning the hilly area to the north and west of New Albany.  Geologically, it is part of the Knobstone Escarpment and I find it quite impressive for our little corner of southern Indiana to belong to such a significant landform and stay quiet about it.  A more northern part of the escarpment is known for its superb hiking trail, the Knobstone Trail, while the more local region is known for its strawberries.  But the controversy hasn't been about the terrain.  It's been about the name.  Growing up in the area, it was just always Floyd Knobs, and I'm not sure anyone really questioned the name - after all, it was located in Floyd County.  Floyd singular.  Not plural.  Not possessive.  Somewhere along the way it started being called Floyds Knobs.  Plural.  Not possessive.  Both Floyds and Knobs. 

Not to get into the controversy of WHICH Floyd is the Floyd in the naming of the County - Maj. Davis Floyd (my vote!! and also the official honoree) or his uncle, Col. John Floyd - and therefore, also in the naming of the Knobs. Or if the Knobs in Floyd County are so named because of their location in Floyd County or were so endowed because of Davis or John or some other Floyd.  I do know the area was originally called Mooresville.  But enough muddy waters. 

It seems that Floyds Knobs is pretty official now.  If you google "FLOYD Knobs" the search engine will take you directly to FLOYDS Knobs.  The post office says Floyds Knobs.  The elementary school is Floyds Knobs Elementary School.  It's stumbled over and maybe even lisped over, but we can't deny it.  We don't have to like it (I admit I don't.)  Mostly I don't like it because it just sounds like it should be possessive, and that it's not.  But it still causes problems.  

The pictured flyer was distributed in a local eatery, heralding it's newest location - FLOYDS KNOB.  There's a new one!  This one would take some explaining.  At least it's still not possessive. 

New Albany's "Fool Lieutenant" No Fool

At the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, the staccato rows of memorials seem to march out to sea.  This cemetery is located near the cliffs of Omaha Beach in Normandy, across from the English Channel.  To see the Normandy beaches in combination with the American Cemetery is a most stirring yet solemn experience.  The beaches at their low tide seemed to stretch out to no end as did the memorials standing guard in the adjacent cemetery.  Both are vast in their scope.

The Wall of the Missing. 

The Visitor Center at the American Cemetery in Normandy provides emotionally compelling exhibits in its effort to personalize those involved in the D-Day invasion and its results.  One of the  commemorative displays features a quote from Lieut. Bob Edlin, a member of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion, who grew up in southern Indiana and New Albany.  "I started out to cross the beach with thirty-five men and only six got to the top, that's all . . . "  He was initially wounded at Normandy, but was able to rejoin his battalion to continue the work that was begun on June 6, 1944.  While on a reconnaissance patrol, Lieut. Edlin managed to capture a German officer and force surrender of German fortifications. His exploits, personal narrative and war stories are told in the biography "The Fool Lieutenant", written by sisters Marcia Moen and Margo Heinen.  Edlin moved to Texas with his brothers in 1963 and died there in 2005. [The New Albany-Floyd County Public Library has several copies, one which circulates and the other located in the Indiana Room - 940.54 M693F.]

 

 

Major challenges for the Allied Troops at Normandy were the cliffs and the heavily-fortified German bunkers.  

 




Their arrival at low tide made the great expanse of beach another unplanned challenge.  This D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy, which had been under Nazi Germany control, saw the liberation of northern France and the beginning of the end of the war in Europe. 

SERENDIPITY and SIX DEGREES (Or More)??!!

 This is a post I had planned for later… there is a whole list of connections to Mary Ann in which a person can literally drop name after name that would be worth googling.  I planned to list them and touch on each of them briefly, and still plan to do so, but I can’t let this moment go without commenting. 

My intention in my writing this blog is to be brief and concise, but that’s probably not gonna happen too often, as it goes against the grain of every fiber in my being.  (See – there I go – grain?  fiber? being? – so totally unnecessary and non-academic  . . . and is non-academic even a word????)  Yep, I need an editor!  Or I need to take the time and go back and delete . . . but I just stumbled across some information that puts the serendipity in doing research.  And this will be one of those times where I go off . . . rambling.  And I probably won’t be able to explain myself, but I plan to try.

One of the headstones on the Elias Ayers plot in Fairview Cemetery reads “L. M. Hawley – Consort of F. Thurston, who departed this life July 6^th, 1842, aged 29 years.”  I had done some (okay – a lot of) research on the Ayers and Day families and found no connection to Hawley nor Thurston. 

In a separate incident, a few years ago, an early daybook (book of accounts) was located and purchased for its possible and probable historical value, pertaining to the entries that list New Albany’s early merchants.  This was the Daybook of F. Thurston.  From the original brief research, the most interesting connection I found relating to Franklin Thurston was his marriage here to Laura Hawley.  (Although I need to locate my earlier notes, I could be foggy on the accurate details of the daybook, so am only briefly commenting on that, as the source of my initial interest.)  Thurston’s wife, Laura, had died in 1842 and at least by 1844 Franklin had relocated in Muscatine, Iowa, where he remained until his death in 1878.  Laura had been a published poet, of considerable literary ability, writing for newspapers and magazines, using the name “Viola.” Her poems have been included in collections of American poetry. 

But no indication as to why she was buried in Elias Ayers’ plot. 

Fast forward to the research currently being done on Mary Ann’s grandfather, Gold Selleck Silliman.  He had been captured and was being held prisoner by the Tories.  His wife, Mary Fish Silliman, fled to a nearby tavern as the British later set fire to much of Fairfield.  She was pregnant with their child, and gave birth to Benjamin Silliman, America’s first scientist and pioneer in energy [our Mary Ann’s uncle, half-brother of her father, William Silliman, and mentioned here for the "Six Degrees" aspect – more later ], in that tavern.  The tavern was originally the large Colonial home built in 1765 by Ebenezer HAWLEY. 

I know, I know.  I’m not jumping to conclusions.  But I am excited that this could be the connection I’ve been looking for. 

By this time, the building (tavern) was no longer in the possession of the Hawley family, and this Mary Silliman was the step-mother of Mary Ann’s father…. The connection is weak, but it COULD be that Laura Hawley Thurston, who came to New Albany as a single young woman, was taken in by Mrs. Ayers (at that time), as a fellow kinsman with a connection to her family back East. 

Worth pursuing!!!!  Mostly because all other trails leading to Laura Hawley Thurston have led nowhere, I can’t help but think (if only for a moment) how sweet it will be if a connection can be made. 

Just wanted to share.  And, hey, it’s MY blog!!

[ADDENDUM:  The Hawley family who had built the tavern in Connecticut has proved to be the same family that eventually gave us Laura Hawley Thurston, the poet.  However, information garnered since that discovery cannot support nor dispute the fact that Laura Hawley came to New Albany as a direct result of her connection to the Silliman (Mrs. Mary Ann Silliman Ayers specifically) family, from nearby Fairfield.  A short biography in "The Poets of Connecticut" states that Laura had studied at the Hartford Female Seminary and subsequently, "through the recommendation of Mr. Brace, she was invited to take charge of a female school at New Albany, in Indiana."  -- Mr. Brace having been John Pierce Brace, the principal of the seminary.  From this statement it appears that he may have been approached as to who might be a suitable candidate and it was just coincidental that the individual was Laura Hawley.  But very likely, Mary Ann was influential in this appointment.]

New Albany Theological Seminary

Born in a log cabin in 1829 was a Presbyterian seminary.  The location was Madison, Indiana, on the campus of what was then Hanover Academy.  The academy grew, and became Hanover College, while its Theological Department, including the seminary, struggled.  There were financial difficulties, dissension among the Presbyterian denomination and a tornado in 1837 which all contributed to the concerns of whether or not to rebuild the seminary in the rural locale of Hanover.  

Elias Ayers, one of the most active members of the seminary’s board of directors, offered a memorial to the seminary in honor of his son, who had died while studying for the ministry.  The gift of $15,000, which included the land to build a new facility, also included the stipulation that it be located permanently in New Albany.  The seminary was built in New Albany at Sixth and Elm Streets. In November of 1840, classes began.

Elias died in January of 1842, too soon before all his expectations of a successful seminary could be realized.  Elias’ widow, Mary Ann Silliman Ayers, remarried to Rev. Philip Lindsley in April of 1849.  Rev. Lindsley had been acting president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) 1822-1823, and chancellor of the University of Nashville for 25 years.  He had also been a kinsman of Ayers, both being born in Morris Co., New Jersey.  Following his marriage to Ayers' widow, Rev. Lindsley had relocated in New Albany, and was persuaded to teach at the seminary, which he did for two years, without compensation. The school continued to struggle and relocated after the commencement of 1857, to Chicago, and currently is known as the McCormick Theological Seminary. The building in New Albany was utilized as the New Albany Female Seminary, then Tousley's School, and as a Civil War Hospital, and eventually a coffin factory.

Photograph [725 P8 211] used with permission of the Stuart B. Wrege Indiana History Room, New Albany-Floyd County Public Library. Information garnered from documents in VF Schools - Ayers University, particularly “McCormick Theological Seminary: An Informal History” by Marshal L. Scott, and “The McCormick Story – Celebrating 125 Years (1829 – 1955) of McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois."