About the first of July, 1928, my wife’s sister, Mrs. Laura White, who had been an employee of the Home of the Friendless in Baltimore for more than a year and during this time had made us a number of much appreciated weekend visits, was granted a two month vacation and she came to Washington to make us a greatly desired longer than usual visit. Her rather long vacation was in consequence of the very generous act of Mr. Edwin Gould, a son of Mr. Jay Gould, of national fame as a financier and a wealthy gentleman, who had invited the children in the Home to be his guests at his summer camp in northern New York and as the children under his charge woud be absent from the Home during that period about two months, she was off duty, with liberty to spend the time as she desired. We were glad of this fortunate occurrence in the business life of sister Laura, and that we could have her with us. She seemed to be in reasonably good heatth, but evidently tired from the strenuous physical and mental exertion of caring for a lot of obstreperous urchins and she was not nearly so stout as she was when she first went to the Home. And we felt like that the labor incident to her position was too great for a person of her age. She seemed very cheerful though in speaking of her duties and liked the Misses Kilgour very well.

Not long after Laura’s arrival at our home, we began to make short automobile trips in the vicinity of Washington’s suburbs. I think it was on the next Sunday after she came, we made a trip through the picturesque Rock Creek Park, which is quite extensive and much of the scenery is rather pretty. Then we went through the Georgetown section of Washington, the oldest part of the city, Georgetown having been a town far many years before the National Capital was founded. In Georgetown is the Georgetown University, a Catholic institution and the oldest college in Washington. It is a large building and being located on quite an elevation it has a very imposing appearance. At Georgetown we crossed the Potomac River, over the Frances Scott Key Bridge into Virginia. The first place of any note we saw in the Old Dominion was Fort Myers, where there is quite a force of federal soldiers stationed, a number of whom we saw and near the Fort is a wireless Telegraph station. The Fort and the station are a very interesting sight to any who have not seen them. From Fort Myers we continued our trip to Arlington where are the National Cemetery, the Memorial Amphitheater, the Robert E. Lee Mansion and many other noted places. Leaving Arlington Cemetery we crossed the Potomac over the great Highway Bridge and came home, and as it had been a fine day we all had enjoyed the ride very much. On this trip were Sister Laura, Mary, Carroll and Irene, John and Bethel and I. I think we all enjoyed that half days journey through a part of Washington and its environments as much as any short trip we had gone.

It was probably two weeks later that Irene and Carroll, John, sister Laura, Mary and I made another tour through the western section at Maryland. Starting about 9:30 A. M. we drove out Georgia Avenue, through Silver Spring, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Olney, Henderson Junction, and Urbana, all small towns in Montgomery County and Frederick County and arrived at Frederick, a very nice little city. Before we reached Frederick we crossed Monocacy Creek, near which the Battle of Monacacy was fought during the Civil War. The commander of the Federal forces in this battle was General Lew Wallace of Crawfordsville, Indiana and in later years the author of Ben Hur. At a later date in the war Gen. Wallace was Commander of a division in several battles in Tennessee, and brother Dolph’s regiment was a part of the division. The battle off Monocacy was only a few miles from Frederick. Not far from Frederick near the Monocacy Creek is a large stone with a tablet on it stating that "At this place on June 30, 1791 George Washington was met by a cavalcade of horseman who escorted him to Frederick. Here also thirty-three years later, Lafayette on his farewell tour off America turned for a last view of the beautiful valley and the blue robed mountains that lie beyond." Arriving at Frederick we passed over the same streets we had gone on a previous trip. We stopped near the modest cottage where Barbara Fritchie lived and baked, sewed and turned her spinning wheel, and from which she waved the Stars and Stripes when some Confederate troops were passing through Frederick during the Civil War. The house was closed that day as it was Sunday, and we did not get to view the interior of the building which looks to be very old. Sister Laura White went into a nearby house and got some literature relating to historical happenings in Frederick. At Mount Olivet Cemetery near Frederick are the graves of Francis Scott Key, the author of the Star Spangled Banner and of Barbara Fritchie, the Union heroine of 1862. Passing on through Frederick, we soon left Frederick Valley and beginning to ascend the Cumberland Mountains, and after several miles of travel reached the summit of South Mountain where a battle of the Civil War was fought. Here we ate lunch, read the tablets descriptive of the battle of South Mountain and after resting awhile, began our return trip to Washington, passing over the same route we had traversed in the forenoon, arrived home late in the afternoon.

One Sunday morning in July, 1928 we got a reasonably early start an a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There had been a big rain the day before, and that morning it was clear and rather cool for the time of year. There were with me on this trip, my wife’s sister, Mrs. Laura White, Mary, Carroll and Irene and their little son John, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Donohoe, John's paternal grandparents. We went by the same route we had gone the previous summer when we started to Gettysburg and failed to reach there on account of Carroll’s car becoming disabled. Our route on this trip passed through Frederick, and Emmitsburg where we had to stay so long getting the car repaired and then a few miles after we crossed the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line we came to the Gettysburg battleground, where in 1863 a great battle was fought between the Federal forces commanded by General George Gordon Meade and the confederates under the command of General Robert E. Lee, the greatest military chieftain of the Confederacy. There were driveways in many directions through the battleground and in driving along these hard surfaced roads we viewed many noted places on the battlefield which were marked by monuments and tablets, which described various features of the famous battle and which were a very impressive spectacle. Then we stopped and ate our lunch after which we walked over parts of the battlefield not accessible by road, and getting a closer view of some of the monuments. It was on this battlefield that President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous address which the world knows as Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg. This was on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the soldiers monument, the loftiest and most imposing monument on the battlefield. We stood near it and read a part.of Lincoln’s address which is inscribed on the monument. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days, July 1-3, 1863. The first two days were indecisive, but on the third day Gen. Lee was forced to retreat. After viewing the many wonderful and inspiring sights of the great battlefield as long as our limited time would permit, we drove into the town of Gettysburg about a mile further north and after traversing several of its streets we started on our return to Washington. We came home by a different route, passing through several towns, the largest of which is Westminster, quite an old place, and Ellicott City which I have previously mentioned. We enjoyed every moment. of our trip and the few hours we spent seeing the Gettysburg battlefield will never be forgotten by us. We arrived home about 9:30 P. M.

The trip we made to Gettysburg battleground was the last one I was one of the automobile party during the remainder of thc year 1928, but the balance of the family or rather some of its members and sister Laura White made several short trips and one all day journey before she returned to her charges at the Home in Baltimore. I do not now recall where they reported they had gone on a few afternoon rides, but they were to points near Washington. It was about the middle of August as well as I remember that the all day trip referred to was made. I thought some of going with sister Laura, Mary, Carroll and Irene and their little boy, John, when they were getting ready to go that morning but the weather was very hot then, and as I was not feeling very well, I decided not to go, and I guess it was fortunate for me that I changed my mind, as not a great while after they left home, I was taken quite painfully ill. The intense pain was in my left side and shoulder, and I suffered almost unbearably during the afternoon, and I became so ill about nightfall that the family called Dr. Ralph, a neighborhood physician, who gave me treatment and after quite awhile I was partially relieved. The doctor diagnosed the ailment as caused by a very acid condition of, or what is usually known as excessive gas on the stomach. By the time the folks returned from their trip about 10 P. M., the pain was greatly relieved and I was feeling better.

Those who were on the automobile journey that August day said their route was through Alexandria, Fairfax Court House, Aldie and Middleburg, and the next place they passed through was Paris, a very small village, where they stopped at a store, on the front of which was a sign J. W. Lindsey. They interviewed Mr. Lindsey and his mother, an old lady who was about 90 years old. She said she knew Abraham Lindsey, who lived near Winchester, Virginia and she thought he was probably a relative of theirs. This Abraham Lindsey is believed to have been the father of Amos Lindsey, the grandfather of my wife and her sisters and brother. The aged Lindsey lady said there was another Lindsey, a Mr. George W. Lindsey who lived near there who was a very well-informed man as to the history of the Lindsey family, and might be able to give some valuable information. Sister Laura took this Mr. Lindsay’s address and after her return to Washington wrote two letters to him, the last of which he answered, curtly stating that he knew nothing that would be of any value in the matter of inquiry.

Leaving Paris they pursued their journey to Winchester, a prosperous little city in the 5henandoah Valley, and they stopped there in front of a two story house which was said to be the building from which Federal General Sheridan started on his memorable ride down the valley to Cedar Creek battleground during the Civil War. At the time they saw the building it was the clubhouse of the Elks of Winchester, a fraternal organization. Not far from this building, on another street they saw the Public Library Building and Irene took Kodak pictures of the two structures. Winchester is in a great horticultural section of Virginia and every year the apple blossom celebration is held there. From Winchester they continued their trip up the Shenandoah Valley to Harper‘s Ferry, West Virginia, made famous by John Brown’s raid into Virginia in 1859, who seized the government buildings at Harper's Ferry and attempted to liberate the slaves in that vicinity. This band of about twenty men were afterward captured and he and six of his companions were hanged at Charlestown, West Virginia.

Crossing the Potomac River at Harper's Ferry they continued their journey through western Maryland passing through a section of the Cumberland Mountains, crossing the summit at South Mountain, where as elsewhere stated, a battle was fought during the Civil War; through Middletown and other small villages, and traversing a part of Frederick Valley they again passed through the old city of Frederick. It was getting late then and they continued their ride over the route traveled on several previous occasions, and they arrived at hcrne about 10 P. M. considerably wearied after their long journey through a part of three states. By the time they arrived I was resting fairly well.

After Carroll’s recovery from the appendicitis operation, all of the family had been fairly well until about the time that I had the attack of stomach trouble, as already stated. Nelle became ill of an intestinal affection. The day I was so sick she was feeling very bad and really should have been in bed. A few days after their return from the last described automobile trip, Sister Laura White returned to Baltimore and resumed her work in the Home. We regretted that her business duties called her away, as we had all enjoyed her visit at our home very much.

Nelle‘s ailment continued to grow worse and our family physician, who gave her some treatment which proved ineffectual, advised that she have an operation for the alleviation of her intense suffering. Accordingly on the 23rd day of August, 1928, she went to the Sibley Hospital, and on August 24th she was operated upon for the removal of an intestinal tumor. The operation was very satisfactory and successful and she made a rapid recovery. She was in the hospital about seven days and came home much relieved and after remaining at home about ten days she was able to resume her work at the Natalie dressmaking establishment. She had been in poor health for some time, but after the operation her health gradially improved until in a few months she was feeling better than for long time.

During the early part of the faI of 1928 I was still pretty badly afflicted with acid condition of the stomach and in consequence thereof I was restricted very much in my diet, having to avoid the use of foods that had a tendency to cause acidity or gas on the stomach. However by exercising strict care in that respect and by taking as much outdoor exercise as possible, I began to slowly improve and by early in December I was feeling much better. Nelle made good improvement in health and before the end of the year had grown stouter and looked better than she had for a long time. All the balance of the family were having reasonably good health except our daughter Irene. For a year or more she had been having attacks of acute gastritis, nervous chills and deficient circulation and resultant numbness. Her physician thought her abnormal condition was probably caused in part by abscessed teeth and she had an x-ray taken of her teeth which revealed that she had two abscessed molars, which a dentist extracted. But even after the removal of the diseased teeth, the stomach trouble, nervous chills and numbness still persisted, and in addition to these annoying and at times painful illnesses she had a continuance of pain in the abdominal region of the appendix from which she had suffered more or less for a year or more. Finally early in December she had a very severe and painful spell of the stomach affection with continued pain in the left side of the abdomen. Dr. Walsh was summoned and after an examination he diagnosed the affliction as appendicitis. But to be sure that his diagnosis was correct he had a specialist in diseases of the appendix to come and make an examination. He also pronounced it to be appendicitis and he, as well, as Dr. Walsh advised an immediate surgical operation. Accordingly on the 11th day of December, 1928, her mother’s birthday, she was taken to the Sibley Hospital, Washington, and on December 12th, Dr. Thos. E. Kelley, a very skillful surgeon of long experience, performed the operation, removing her appendix. She rallied nicely from the operation and after remaining in the hospital, had made such a good recovery she was feeling fine and late in the evening of the 11th day she rode home in the automobile, and suffered no bad effects from the ride. She continued to improve and by the first of the year, 1929, she was able to be up and around the house.

At Christmas time 1928, there was a nice green tree nicely adorned and lighted with candles. John and Beth were both large enough to be greatly delighted with the pretty tree with its many colored adornments, and to enjoy the multitude of presents their adoring parents, grandparents, aunts and other relatives acting as Santa Claus, generously gave them. We all received presents from Joe and family; the Lindseys of Springfield, the Lightners of Independence, Mo., the Thurstons of Glendale, Ariz., Aunt Laura White of Baltimore, Joesphine Pitts and Aunt Mattie Coon of Hermitage, Mo., and a multitude of Christmas cards.