Urquhart Clan Chief

Kenneth Trist Urquhart of Urquhart, 27th Hereditary Chief of Clan Urquhart, expired on Oct 17, 2012. A memorial service will be held on Friday, Dec 28, 2012 at St Rita Church, 7118 Jefferson Highway, Harahan, Louisiana 70123. Anyone who would like to send a reminisce for inclusion in the Memorial Issue of the Clan Urquhart…

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John Cromartie bible

The John Cromartie (son of William) bible, which is in my possession, is filled with information regarding births, deaths, and marriages of his family. Attached is a copy of the pertinent pages with typed transcriptions as it will appear in the soon-to-be-published Cromartie genealogy book. John Cromartie Bible with record and transcriptions

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Killing Lincoln

Killing Lincoln book cover

I just finished Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard.  The authors manage to make interesting a plethora of data about the Civil War, the assassins, and the seeds of the punitive measures of the reconstruction.  The book reads like a novel as it educates the reader.  It even answers the age-old question of, Who’s buried…

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Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors: the War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure is a nonfiction book that has altered my thinking on the government’s response to drug use in this country.  I have always supported the “war on drugs.”  After all, illegal drugs have destroyed countless lives and have few redeeming factors.  The problem brought out…

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A Dark and Lonely Place

A Dark Lonely Place

I attended the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference in St Augustine in September.  Some of the speakers included Steve Berry, Jeff Lindsey, and Jeff’s wife Hilary Hemingway (niece of Ernest Hemingway).  A banquet honored Edna Buchannan.  She discussed life in Miami, her time as a crime reporter for the Miami Herald, and her…

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Without Fail by Lee Child

Without Fail Lee Child

I just gave up reading Without Fail by Lee Child.  He is one of my favorite writers, and Jack Reacher is one of my favorite characters, but this sixth book in the Jack Reacher series did not compare well to the others.  A woman in the secret service recruits Jack to help prevent an assassination of Vice-President-elect…

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James H Cromartie

James H Cromartie, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, is known internationally for his paintings. His portraits of the Smithsonian Institute, the White House, the Supreme Court, and the US Capitol are well known. He now lives on Nantucket Island where he maintains the Cromartie Gallery and Studio (http://www.cromartiegallery.com/about.php). He traces his ancestry to James…

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The Cromartie Family Reunion 2012

The Cromartie Family Reunion will take place on Saturday October 6 at the South River Presbyterian Church. Please note that this is the first Saturday of the month. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. for the program that begins at noon. Dr. Walter H. Conser Jr. will talk about the Place of the South River Presbyterian…

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Weapons of Mass Destruction

For anyone interested in a brief, easy-to-read summary of weapons of mass destruction, Fox News published Weapons of Mass Destruction Handbook at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,76887,00.html.This site gives a brief summary of the three main categories of WMD: Biological, Nuclear, and Chemical Weapons. It includes history, types of weapons, delivery systems, symptoms, treatment, and a list of the…

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Shelter by Harlan Coben

Shelter book front

Shelter by Harlan Coben is a teenage adventure story staring Mickey Bolitar, the nephew of Coben’s prime protagonist, sport’s agent Myron Bolitar.  Mickey, whose father has died and whose mother is in rehab for heroin addiction, begins his sophomore year at a new high school in a new town.  He has lived in third world countries…

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