Sounds funny, but Julie Beauvais and I had a grand time wandering through Maplewood Cemetery, in search of Durham’s history. Thanks to the Durham County Register of Deeds office (Sharon Davis) for showing me how to look up land deals involving Richard B. Fitzgerald. Also thanks to the kind folks in the Estate Division in the Courthouse who assisted me in locating Fitzgerald’s will. He left $50,000 in real estate and personal property, which amounts to nearly $800,000 in today’s money. Wow!
For this week’s reading, Bird by Bird was a great read, especially for writers. Lamott’s style is both instructive and humorous. I love the way she writes. Very useful and entertaining.
Melody,
Jay (my husband) and I just visited the Maplewood Cemetery yesterday! I had a great time recapping Pauli Murray’s family history, and was excited to see a mural of her on a wall off of Buchanan Rd. on the way. What a remarkable experience this process (having historical and modern access to a city you’re researching) is!
Laura