"The War of 1812".

Sounds about right.  We don't study the war here very much because then it would have to be admitted the the British actually burned down the White House.  The US also let loose a bunch of men they dubbed "privateers", what they actually were were legalized pirates, some of the greatest fortunes were made by these guys who were also slave traders.  There is a shabby history that the powers that be don't want to dwell on.

The US also let loose a bunch of men they dubbed "privateers", what they actually were were legalized pirates, some of the greatest fortunes were made by these guys who were also slave traders. 


Letters of Marque was standard practice at the time.  And England, France, and Spain did the same thing.  It was considered a cheap way of disrupting a nations commerce, without having to devote your wn navy to the task (leaving it free to battle the other nation's Navy).

One thing I notice that is missing is the mention of the topic that largely started the war:  Impressing of American seamen into te Brittish Navy.

Even though the Revolution had been won over 25 years before, England still treated the US like a colony in many ways.  They would stop a US ship in international waters, and randomly declare sailors to be "deserters", seizing them and forcing them to work on their ships.  England did not recognize "American Citizenship" at the time, claiming anybody that emigrated to or was born before the Revolution to be a Brittish Citizen.

What is interesting to me is that the most people really do not understand this war.  Although the US lost, it gained a lot of territory.  And the most famous battle was nt even fought until after the war was over.

But it did force England to recognize the rights of their former colony.

Can I sing? 

In 1814 We took a little trip

Doing my family genealogy I found that my ggggrandfather was in the War of 1812.  He was from New York.  We found out because we found that he had a will leaving his sons land Iowa and we couldn't for the life of us figure how he got it.  Doing some research we found that veterans of the war were given "bounty land'.  It was used as a way of settling lands to the west. 

Hey guys, I learned more tonight about a part of our history than the 12 years of history classes in grade school...

Hey guys, I learned more tonight about a part of our history than the 12 years of history classes in grade school...


The thing about history classes in grade and high school is that most of the teachers make it as dry and uninteresting as they possibly can.  When you get out of school and either go to college, or get sent in the right direction by people who love history it is a great awakening.  History is great stuff, but I didn't find that out from any teacher I ever had.

The thing about history classes in grade and high school is that most of the teachers make it as dry and uninteresting as they possibly can.  When you get out of school and either go to college, or get sent in the right direction by people who love history it is a great awakening.  History is great stuff, but I didn't find that out from any teacher I ever had.


Danoota&Me, my passion for history started back at my boy scout days. Scouting and history went hand and hand camping the outdoors teaching you local history, it's folklore, and the Indian life style of our area. But what hooked me on history was the stories told of our local history. I live in Union NJ there is 300 years of it history that had an major impact on getting independent from England and the formation of the United States.

Union's original name in the 16 and 1700's was Connecticut Farms and a major factor in winning the Revolutionary War by winning a critical battle that took place in Union and neighboring Springfield border line. British troops were defeated by local Patriots made up of mainly farmers. As the battles were going on George Washington sent 5000 regular troops from Morristown NJ to help the locals in their fights. The 5000 troops camped around the area of the Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church, the church was used as a fortress and the British set on fire on they're retreat back to New York. It's now a landmark of the United States and still being used as a house of worship today.

I could go on and on about Union's history, but what amazes me that I live in this small town and most people who live here don't know or care that there small town served as the first Capitol of the 13 United Colonies when First Continental Congress was originated and ratified in Liberty Hall, Liberty Hall is a mansion built in Union by William Livingston a lawyer and the first elected Governor of New Jersey. A stately mansion where George and Martha Washington would visit and stay on special occasions, where Alexander Hamilton lived and attended grammer school, and many many more politicians, heads of state and past Presidents and Royalty visited and stayed there over the past 200 years. The Kean family owned the mansion for the past 100 years and recently the Kean Family donated Liberty Hall and it's land and all of it's priceless artifacts thousands of historical papers and personal letters from past presidents to the Kean University for future generations to learn from and enjoy. The Mansion itself is open to the public as a museum, I haven't gone yet but will get there this Spring.

Oh yeah, I live about 200 yards from the Connecticut Farms Church, the farmland where part of Washington's 5000 troops camped on is the same land where my home is built on. I dug a few rusty relics in my back yard over the years. My passion grows.

^ I feel the same way about history.  I can just feel it, know what I mean?  I grew up in the Boston area, you would think that history would have been high on the educational agenda, but sadly it wasn't and still isn't.  I have always loved history, but I grew passionate about it after high school, when my real education began.  The educational system had sanitized it (this was in the 50s), and the teachers were by and large abysmal, though I did have one that did what he could given the constraints of the system.  I am pretty much self educated, and my dream retirement includes a bit of historical research.  I am trying to narrow down what exactly I would like to focus on.

^ I feel the same way about history.  I can just feel it, know what I mean?  I grew up in the Boston area, you would think that history would have been high on the educational agenda, but sadly it wasn't and still isn't.  I have always loved history, but I grew passionate about it after high school, when my real education began.  The educational system had sanitized it (this was in the 50s), and the teachers were by and large abysmal, though I did have one that did what he could given the constraints of the system.  I am pretty much self educated, and my dream retirement includes a bit of historical research.  I am trying to narrow down what exactly I would like to focus on.


Being from the Boston area, join a historical society and go from there. I'll have a lot of the time after I retire also, and joining our historical society is on my bucket list. I'm curious to find out if our town had a community garbage dump in the 17 and 1800's and if so where it was located, maybe the society will know, and if there was one and still accessable I'll go and scope the area with a metal detector and try to dig up a few relics, you never know. Enjoy!

Being from the Boston area, join a historical society and go from there. I'll have a lot of the time after I retire also, and joining our historical society is on my bucket list. I'm curious to find out if our town had a community garbage dump in the 17 and 1800's and if so where it was located, maybe the society will know, and if there was one and still accessable I'll go and scope the area with a metal detector and try to dig up a few relics, you never know. Enjoy!


I work in construction and have been on a couple of excavating jobs.  One was a "bottle job"  that's a job when you dig down and find lots of bottles and pottery.  I got a couple of real nice bottles from the 1800s.  Sometimes there are clay bottles from the 1700s.  Bottle jobs are great!

I work in construction and have been on a couple of excavating jobs.  One was a "bottle job"  that's a job when you dig down and find lots of bottles and pottery.  I got a couple of real nice bottles from the 1800s.  Sometimes there are clay bottles from the 1700s.  Bottle jobs are great!


OK! we're on the same wave length, go back and find more treasures, invest in a metal detector and go where man has never gone before, you'd think, and I bet you'll find something there, and you said you needed to focus on something...well? it's a hell of a hobby to treasure hunt for historical relics, coins and bottles, or anything lost. It's that rush you get when you do find something, you gaze in wonder on it's history and then a sense of  satisfaction giving it a new life in another period of time. Look into Whites detectors, they're the best and enjoy your passion and retirement.

PS...Bottle jobs? is it part of your work or a hobby?

OK! we're on the same wave length, go back and find more treasures, invest in a metal detector and go where man has never gone before, you'd think, and I bet you'll find something there, and you said you needed to focus on something...well? it's a hell of a hobby to treasure hunt for historical relics, coins and bottles, or anything lost. It's that rush you get when you do find something, you gaze in wonder on it's history and then a sense of  satisfaction giving it a new life in another period of time. Look into Whites detectors, they're the best and enjoy your passion and retirement.

PS...Bottle jobs? is it part of your work or a hobby?


A bottle job is when you get on a construction job and they are excavating.  They get down to a certain level and if you are lucky you are over an old dump or trash heap and there are all sorts of treasures to be had.  I can't pick and choose my jobs, so it is luck when I get one that yields a treasure trove.

A bottle job is when you get on a construction job and they are excavating.  They get down to a certain level and if you are lucky you are over an old dump or trash heap and there are all sorts of treasures to be had.  I can't pick and choose my jobs, so it is luck when I get one that yields a treasure trove.


That's! what I'm looking for in my hometown, an old garbage dump. Make the most of those digs when you get them D&M, you lucky duck. Let me know if you get another one and what you find...cool!