Proof is in the Proofing

A few people have asked why the blog has been so quiet, and the main reason is I am in the midst of reviewing the proofs of my book.  This is my last opportunity to make ANY changes before it is actually printed.  The view I've had for much of today has looked something like this:



I like making handwritten edits, so I've printed the book out, and placed it in a binder to keep things orderly.  It's been hard staying focused on editing it instead of just reading it--I keep getting into the story and stop focusing on catching any errors, but things are moving along.  And I think that's all I am going to say about "proofing" for now, since it isn't exactly edge-of-your-seat blogging material.

In related (book) news, the University of Alabama Press has printed its Fall 2012 catalog.  Pretty snazzy cover, eh?

I was excited to find that my book is on page 4:



The Press has a lot of interesting books coming out over the next few months.  I added a bunch to my "books to read" list (the full catalog is available on the Press' website, click here).  For now, though, I better get back to my proofs.

Have a great week!

The Missing Piece

After a month and a half of periodically crawling on the floor, re-checking whether a small piece of wood fell between couch cushions, and refusing to vacuum my apartment out of fear of inadvertently losing a piece of history forever, I have finally retrieved the missing piece to the first jigsaw puzzle made in the United States.

My mother miraculously found this small piece even though I told her it was orange (the only other copy of the puzzle I had found showed an orange Schenectady, see here, but it seems the prototype of the puzzle and the one actually made for sale assigned different colors to many of the puzzle pieces).  My Schenectady piece is green.

Here's the puzzle before the missing piece:

And after:

Just looking at it makes me sigh in relief that it is finally complete!

In anticipation of my trip to upstate New York to visit my family and secure Schenectady, I researched my ancestor, Samuel McCleary, to learn more about who he was.  If I were to try to sum him up, I'd say he was an inquisitive and clever man, who was curious and loved making things.  He moved from one profession to another--perhaps searching for one that suited him best, or merely moving on to a new profession after mastering his last. 

In 1850, he identified himself as a "farmer" for purposes of census records, but it was the year before that he commenced his puzzlemaking undertaking.  Interestingly, his partner in his jigsaw venture, John Pierce, may have been a boarder and laborer on Samuel's farm, for the census records show that a "John Pearce" lived with the McCleary family and his profession was recorded as "laborer."  

The upper left hand corner of the puzzle notes it was created by "McCleary & Pierce"

In any event, Samuel McCleary's first invention, his "Dissecting Map of the State of New York" puzzle (with which you are probably well familiar by now), was actually the very first jigsaw puzzle made in the United States.  Not only did he create the puzzle, but he also invented a new method of cutting jigsaw puzzle pieces.  In the 1840s and 1850s (and beyond), jigsaws were massively popular.  They were first invented in 1760 as an educational tool, and were particularly popular in England.  But, their popularity spread quickly and the familiar pieces were soon scattered across parlors throughout Europe.  Since many who lived in the United States had some connection to England and Europe, puzzles naturally made their way across the Atlantic and were imported into the United States during the early 1800s.  McCleary's was the first jigsaw to be invented and manufactured in the United States, and he set off a wave of American jigsaw makers.  In addition to producing the first American jigsaw puzzle, he also patented his own die-cast method of cutting the pieces in 1849.  Click here to see the patent.

McCleary went on to create a second puzzle, which he also patented.  This second game involved a series of wooden blocks with numbers written on them, which could be assembled so that each row--horizontal, vertical, and diagonal--would add up to the same sum.  I don't think he ever produced this puzzle, but, the idea was patented almost 130 years ago, so it is possible they are out there, but few have survived over the years.  Click here to see the patent. 

It seems McCleary didn't settle on any particular trade.  He went from farmer to puzzle maker to shoemaker to tanner.  As he grew older, he and his wife moved in with their son, Edward McCleary (the Civil War veteran I featured on the blog during the week leading to Memorial Day), and it seems Samuel either delighted or tortured Edward's children with his educational games.  One of my favorite McCleary family relics is this map of New York State, drawn by Edward's daughter, Jennie.  As you can see, she drew each county of New York and labeled them, apparently modeling her map after her grandfather's puzzle:

Jennie McCleary's drawing of the counties of New York State, which appears to be modeled after her grandfather's puzzle

Samuel McCleary went on to live into his late 80s.  In fact, in a letter Edward wrote to a family friend in July 1895, he noted that his father lived with him for nine months out of the year and there was "no need to inquire about his health he is past-88 and a Dynamite Bomb would take no effect on him."  In November 1895, however, Samuel McCleary suddenly passed away after suffering lung problems.  He was buried near his family, in Albany, New York.

While the creation of the first jigsaw puzzle in the United States may pale in comparison to many of the other incredible things that have been invented and produced in America, the jigsaw has proven to be a classic game for all ages.  Even 160 years after the first one was made here, the simple pleasure of an afternoon spent piecing together a puzzle continues to be a favorite pastime for many.

For more information about jigsaws, a great source which I used for some of the background information in this post is Linda Hannas' The Jigsaw Book (which happens to mention that Samuel McCleary and John Pierce created the first American-made jigsaw puzzle).

Puzzle Me This

A few months ago, my mother came to visit me in New York City and she brought a bag with a few old things she thought might interest me.  Several days passed before I gave the bag a second look.  But, one night, feeling bored and a little curious, I discovered this among other things:

Thanks to the Civil War letters, I was familiar with Edward McCleary, so it seemed likely that Samuel McCleary was a relation (and a second look at the letters showed that Samuel was Edward's father).  As it was bound by string, it seemed something must have been inside of it.  But what?  It is only about 1/4 or 1/2 an inch wide and made of wood.  I looked to the back of it to see if it gave any clues, and this is what it looked like:



A Table of Explanations, Showing Distances Between Major Cities in New York State


Moving it, a few pieces of wood fell from it, and when I untied the string, I realized I had a puzzle on my hands.  A puzzle of New York State and all of its counties.  Since I have lived in New York for my entire life, I thought I might as well try to put the thing together and see if I had all of the pieces.  But, New York is a tricky state, with counties that are ridiculously small (and several of them were barely familiar to me).  I went to work, but the puzzle was harder than I thought.  Maybe 45 minutes or so into trying to put it together, I finally caved in and googled a map of the counties of NYS, and ultimately I got the whole thing together.  Well, almost.




I was missing Schenectady.  I wondered if the missing piece was the type of thing I could find on ebay, so I turned to the computer to do a little investigating and I found out that there does not appear to be another puzzle exactly like the one I have.  You see, Samuel McCleary was actually one of the first jigsaw puzzle makers in the United States.  What I had before me appeared to be his prototype.  Samuel McCleary partnered with John Pierce to create McCleary & Pierce, and they patented in 1849 a special diecast method of cutting jigsaw puzzle pieces.  The puzzle was created in 1850, winning the acclaim of esteemed educator Emma Willard, as well as the Governor of New York State.



The Puzzle Was Recommended by Many Influential Persons

 The only other copy of this puzzle I have been able to find online has a different cover than mine, and the puzzle pieces are different colors.  (To see the collector's copy, click here)  As for the cover, rather than advertising that all inquiries about the puzzle were to be made to Samuel McCleary (like my copy), the cover of the collector's copy reads: "Dissecting Map of the State of New York."  So, as far as I can tell, the copy of the puzzle that I have is most likely the first one made.  Pretty amazing.



Schenectady, the Missing Piece

But, what about the missing piece?  After my time-consuming attempt to put the puzzle together, plus my time researching what it was and its significance, it was past 11pm, and so I decided NOT to call my mother to ask if she had any idea where Schenectady (the puzzle piece) might be.  I told my husband that we could not vacuum or otherwise clean our floors until Schenectady was found.  We may have crept around the floor (on more than one occasion) to be sure that the missing piece--no bigger than a pea--had not fallen out of the bag that my mother had carried it in.  We searched everywhere, but, alas, Schenectady was not to be found in our apartment.

The next day, waiting until the civilized hour of 7am, I called my mother, frantic, asking whether she could check to see if Schenectady had somehow been left where she had found the rest of the puzzle, or if she could otherwise search everywhere for the missing piece.  Unfortunately, it was too late.  She said that she had vacuumed the closet where she had found the puzzle, and she didn't know where else the piece would be (note: cleanliness can be overrated, especially when looking for very small things).  I was crushed.  As a lover of history, holding in my hands something so old and significant as perhaps the first jigsaw puzzle made in the United States, I felt that the whole puzzle needed to be preserved.  Including Schenectady.

I told my mother all about the history of the puzzle, and she was very excited and promised to be on the lookout for an orange triangular piece of wood, but the search seemed futile. 

About one and one-half months later, on my mother's birthday no less, she called my cell phone and left a message (I was at work).  I figured she had called to thank me for the card I had sent, but when I listened to her voicemail, I could hardly believe what she had said.  She had found Schenectady!  When she first found the puzzle, it had been inside of a cardboard box.  By the time she gave it to me, she had no idea what had come of that box.  But, on that fateful birthday morning, she was putting a few things in a box to give to my sister when she caught a glimmer of a little orange piece of wood on the bottom!  Schenectady!  The puzzle would be complete!  And this amazing piece of history will soon be intact (considering what we have been through searching for it, with the vacuuming moratoriums and countless phone calls pining away over a 1/4 inch piece of wood, it's not like she could just mail it to me--this is the type of thing that can only be delivered in person).

I am planning to visit my parents sometime this month, and when I do, my mother has promised to hand over one of the smallest counties in New York State (thanks to the puzzle, I know such NYS county trivia) so the whole puzzle can be together again.  So, for now, I leave you with a final picture of the incomplete puzzle.  The gaping whole is, of course, Schenectady.

If you'd like to see more pictures, which can be made much larger, please visit my website by clicking here.


(I found that there are actually t-shirts for sale with a picture of Samuel McCleary's & John Pierce's Dissecting Map of the State of New York.  My mother received a belated birthday present of this t-shirt--after all, we were basically obsessed with finding the missing piece for over a month and sort of bonded with the puzzle in the process.  The t-shirt is available here).

What My Book Is About in 60 Seconds or Less

Here's a short preview of my book.  Enjoy!

I decided to try to create a short video giving the basic premise of my book, The Myth of Ephraim Tutt, in a highly dramatic fashion.  It only scratches the surface of what it's all about, but if you want to check it out, just click the video link above.

Have a great weekend!

The Sad Fate of Libraries

[My favorite New York City Public Library Branch-- Jefferson Market]

As a writer, researcher, and reader, I have been troubled by the recent headlines about the proposed cuts to funding for the New York City Library system.  In New York City, $43 million is to be slashed from the library's budget--which will result in the loss of some truly important community services that only the library offers.  Free classes to help people find jobs and gain computer skills will cease.  The quantity of books and DVDs will be cut by one-third.  Staff cuts will result in slower service and fewer jobs in an already difficult employment market.  And twelve libraries may close altogether.  Of the libraries that survive, their doors will no longer be open six days per week; they will be open for only four.  New York City is not alone--financial woes are threatening libraries across the United States. 

Making it more inconvenient for people to use public libraries is tragic.  For some people, the library may be the only place where they have access to computers.  For voracious readers, the library helps keep a healthy reading habit affordable.  For most anyone, it offers the chance to broaden one's horizons, discover new things, and better oneself. 

I recently read Andrew Carnegie's autobiography, and was surprised at how great a role a single library played in his ultimate success in life.  Growing up in poverty, Carnegie was forced to stop attending school when he was 13, and took up a job as a bobbin boy in a Pittsburgh factory, making $1.20 per week.  From there, he operated a furnace for $2 per week, and rose to the position of being a clerk thanks to his ability to write and calculate numbers.  From a clerk, he became a messenger for the nearby telegraph company--a job that allowed Carnegie "to really get started in life."  Surrounded by newspapers and the business of the world, Carnegie was learning constantly. 

Most importantly, however, was the announcement by Colonel James Anderson that he would open his private library (of 400 books) to "the boys" working in the telegraph office.  These young men were allowed to take a book each Saturday and exchange it for another one the following Saturday.  Carnegie took full advantage of this offer, reading constantly to improve his mind.  Later in life, Carnegie still felt such gratitude for Colonel Anderson's generosity with his books that Carnegie was inspired to donate millions of dollars to open public libraries so that all who wished to read and improve themselves would be enabled to do so.  Thanks to a donation of over $5 million to the New York City Public Library system, 68 new libraries were built, with an additional 20 libraries built in Brooklyn.  In the end, Carnegie was responsible for the creation of over 2,500 public libraries.  I was pretty happy to discover my local library is just one of his gifts.

Libraries are extremely important, and while some funding cuts may be necessary, closing locations, reducing the number of books available, and cutting the hours that libraries are open are only going to lead to fewer people being able to use libraries.  Who knows how many Andrew Carnegies are out there who stand to benefit immensely from gaining free access books.  I hope a way is found to keep libraries functioning and accessible to the public without reducing their funds so drastically.  I have written to my local public officials voicing my concerns.  If you are a New Yorker, you can also do so by clicking here and then clicking on "help protect NYPL."

Read on!

The Bullet After the Battlefield

This is the final installment of my four-part series on Edward McCleary's Civil War experience.  If you need to catch-up on the story, part one is here, part two is here, and part three is here.

[Edward McCleary, First Lieutenant, Seventh Regiment, Union Army]

After McCleary was mustered out of the Union Army, he returned home--to upstate New York, to a small town called Watervliet Centre (now Colonie).  While his life carried on as many do-- he married, had children, cared for his aging parents, and worked to support his family-- the Civil War continued to play a role in his life.  The friendships he made in his Regiment and on the battlefields did not dissolve with the Army--though distance may have separated them, their shared sacrifice bonded them for life. 

Piecing together what happened to McCleary after 1865 is difficult.  He was no longer writing letters to his home explaining what was happening to him and how he felt.  However, he attended the 20-year reunion for his Regiment--the New York State Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Seventh Regiment, where he received the honorary medal below.  This reunion was held in 1885.

Amazingly, despite all he had gone through, McCleary lived into the next century (it's amazing since he was probably in his early 20s when he fought in the 1860s, and considering he was shot in three places, left for dead in a field where he laid wounded for over 24 hours, and received medical care that was likely inadequate--that he lived well into his 70s is incredible).  Thanks to a series of letters that were preserved from the 1890s and 1900s, it is possible to formulate an idea of what McCleary's life was like during his later years.

In July 1895, McCleary wrote a long letter to an old friend of his.  He noted that his father lived with him for nine months out of the year and there was "no need to inquire about his health he is past-88 and a Dynamite Bomb would take no effect on him."  He also noted that he had "two girls married nearby each one has a little granddaughter for me to buy Christmas presents for.  My third girl taught school last winter--about 3 miles from home--so you know I have got to be one of the old fellows now.  And to tell the truth I am about done up-- the Malaria and Grip together have flattened me out so completely that I am of no earthly use except as an ornament."

McClearly recovered fully from his health problems, and the next remarkable episode in his life involved a nagging pain he noticed around 1901 that caused great discomfort in his thigh.  He went to a doctor who recommended that x-rays be taken.  The x-rays revealed that a bullet remained in McCleary's body--38 years after he was originally shot.  Apparently, the doctors at Libby Prison had believed that the bullet that had entered McCleary's thigh had somehow traveled through his body and exited it.  However, the x-rays taken in 1902 proved otherwise.

McCleary's wife was away when a surgery was scheduled to remove the bullet.  Around the time of his surgery, one of his old Civil War buddies--Jacob Wiggins--died, and McCleary wrote to his wife that Wiggins had specifically chosen "4 old soldiers" to be his pall bearers before he passed on.  When McCleary arrived at his home after Wiggins's funeral, an old war friend of McCleary's--whose nickname was "Mali"--had showed up on McCleary's doorstep and he volunteered to go with McCleary to the hospital for his surgery.  McCleary told his wife that Mali "wants to go down and see the bullet cut out and see it by the x-rays," and would "nurse me up" afterwards.  McCleary added: "wish you were here to go with him."  (One theme apparent from all of the letters written to McCleary's wife is that he loved her dearly.  In fact, in one letter sent to her he noted "we thought we loved in 1863--we know more than love in 1900.").

The removal of the bullet from McCleary's body was important enough to make it into the newspaper.  (The hospital where the bullet was removed happens to be the same hospital where I was born.)  Here's the article telling the story:

The final artifact that I have of Edward McCleary's is the old bullet itself.  He had cut-out the story of its removal from the newspaper, wrapped the bullet with the newspaper excerpt, and put both into a small felt bag:

I will be thinking of Edward McCleary today.  I sincerely wish I could have met him, as I admire the sacrifice he made for the country and have grown so fond of him by reading his letters.  I have always loved studying the Civil War, and it has meant a great deal to me to discover that not only did I have a relative who fought on the side of the Union, but he volunteered to do so and even remained in the Army after he was gravely wounded and captured as a POW.  In honor of the men in his Regiment who were not lucky enough to have lived through the War, I am ending this post with a photo of the Memorial (located in Central Park in NYC) to those who served the Union in McCleary's Regiment--the Seventh--and lost their lives:

Captured, Hospitalized, and Stuck in Rebel Hands

Thanks for coming back to read the third installment in the story of one of my ancestor's experiences fighting in the Civil War.  If you are just joining in and want to read the first and second installments, the first is here; the second here.

We left off with Edward McCleary informing his parents that, despite being shot in his thigh, leg, and abdomen, and spending over twenty-four hours lying wounded in a field before he was captured as a POW, he was healing nicely and he expected a full recovery.  He was still housed in the notorious Libby Prison, where as many as 50 men died each day because of the poor conditions.  For McCleary, he mentioned that he went to sleep hungry many nights, but he did not otherwise hint at how awful his experience probably was.

After being captured by the Confederates on June 3, 1854, McCleary remained a prisoner at Libby until sometime around November 18, 1864, for in a letter bearing that date addressed to his sister, McCleary explains that he was transferred out of Libby, though he had not yet been "exchanged" and returned to his Regiment.

McCleary was moved to the U.S. General Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland, and when he wrote to his sister, he secured stationary that had a picture of the place he was staying, even placing a dot of ink on the building (the dot is in blue ink--do you see it?) that had become his temporary residence.

Just in case the ink dot is too hard to spot--here's another copy of the photo with McCleary's lodging highlighted:

McCleary provided a detailed description of his life in this hospital, so I will just let him do the talking:

... it is a perfect little Eden here the buildings you see are all Hospitals and I should judge they occupied about fifteen acres of ground all laid out with walks and shade trees.  We have a fine view down the Chesapeake Bay and plenty of white sails can be seen of all kinds of craft.  There is a lively band kept here which [plays] the sweetest music.  Each room contains four neat little beds, also a good coal fire which burns night and day.  Capt. Marsh occupies the room with me.  He is an old Vet and was with me in Libby.  I am not yet Exchanged and don't know when I shall be....

We have an Officer in the next room who is crazy.  He is Adjutant of the 11th Va.... and was with me in Libby.  He was badly wounded in the shoulder with a piece of shell and appeared to be a real intelligent and good-hearted man.  After he was paroled and sent here he learned that his Lady Love had proved false and married another man.  He is quite rational on other subjects but when he talks about that the poor fellow can't contain himself.  He has been religiously inclined and takes me in to all his private councils.  I would like to have you try an experiment just for the novelty and for his good also.  Write him a nice letter saying you learned his address through a friend and expressing your sympathy for him as one of our Country's brave defenders who had been suffering from wounds and imprisonment in behalf of our Nation's honor.  It might divert his mind and make him a man once more.

-------------------------------------------------

I don't know if McCleary's sister complied with McCleary's request to send a letter to his suffering friend, but it seems that McCleary--as is apparent from many of his letters--was always concerned about the well-being of the people around him and his family.

A few weeks later, McCleary was transferred again, this time to Camp Parole.  His spirits remained high, as this letter to his mother shows:

Camp Parole near Annapolis, MD
Dec. 4th, 1864

Dear Mother,

This is just such a Sunday morning as I could enjoy if I were at home.  The sun shines in through my window warm and bright and all the men in Camp are looking happy for they are just receiving 30 days furlough to visit their friends after being prisoners from 4 to 20 months....

I am getting along fine, enough to eat and enough to mess.  There is a rumor that we are exchanged but I don't believe it.  I was Officer of the Day yesterday and have command now of one Co. numbering 133 men.  They will all go home this week.

My Love to All and Write Soon,
EG McCleary

--------------------------------------

Chances are, rumors of exchange were common and so, although many of the men being housed with McCleary were being "exchanged"--which refers, I believe, to the Confederacy agreeing to release X number of Union POWS in exchange for release of X number of Confederate POWs by the Union--McCleary did not seem hopeful that his turn would some come.

But it did.  Less than two weeks after he sent this last letter home, Special Order No. 3112 was issued by the Quartermaster General's Office.  A copy of this document is below.

It reads (to the best I can decipher):

Pursuant to instructions Received from the War Department ... dated Washington D.C. Dec. 6th, 1864--the following named Officer, having been declared exchanged will immediately join their Respective Commands for duty.

2 Lieut. E McCleary, 7th NYV. Arty--
The Quarter Masters Department will furnish the necessary transportation

By Order of
Col. A. R. Root

--------------------------------------------------------------------
It's kind of interesting that all it took was this one handwritten letter to execute McCleary's release (I can only imagine what it would take today to negotiate the release of prisoners of war), but McCleary followed orders and  proceeded straight to his Regiment--not his home.  It's unclear if he received a furlough so he could visit his parents and sister, but he continued to serve in the Union Army through 1865.  He was even sent back to the front lines.  In fact, the letters that I have suggest his spirits were a little lower after he was released from Confederate hands, since he was once again on the move and he didn't receive mail from his family very regularly.  For example, a March 1865 letter to his sister began:

Fort McHenry, MD  March 22, 1865

Dear Sister,
It is rather discouraging to write home as I have not heard a word from any of you since I left the front.  We have moved so often since then the letters are lost.  I think you can direct to this place for we shall not move far from here....

This is an old and very strong Fort.  There are a great many prisoners confined here, both Rebels and Bounty Jumpers.  The Provost Marshall wants me for an assistant in his Office, but as I am the only Officer in the Company, I don't feel like leaving them alone.  It is but 12 hours ride from there to here and you can take that trip we were planning out last Spring when the weather gets a little warmer.

In haste,
EG McCleary

-----------------------------------------

McCleary's reference to his sister coming to visit is not unique--the public would sometimes picnic from vistas near the frontlines so they could watch the Civil War battles.  It doesn't seem that McCleary's sister would do just that, but if she made a trip, she would likely stay at a nearby inn and the two would spend time together when McCleary was off duty.

On April 12, 1865--two days before the Confederacy surrendered--McClearly wrote his mother for the last time as an enlisted officer.

Fort McHenry, Md. April 12th 1865

Dear Mother,

I have received one letter from you since I left the front....  We are quite sure of staying here the rest of our time I am going to be relieved from the Command of my Company tomorrow.  As I have been detailed in the Office as Asst Provost Marshall.  I will have charge of all the Rebel Prisoners at this Post, which number sometimes 1000.  Things have changed since last summer....

My pants are worn out as I do not want to buy any more as my time is so near out.  I am on Guard today so excuse me for not writing more.

Yours,
EG McCleary

------------------------------------------------------------

He made it.  McClearly survived the Civil War, even though he had been shot three times, captured as a POW, and lived in the Libby Prison for months.  Now, he faced the battle of adjusting back to civilian life--would he get married?  Would he live a long life?  Were his wounds healed as well as he said they were?  The final installment will answer these questions and provide a glimpse of McCleary's personal life and how he spent the remainder of his life.