Prairie Fires and Forest Fire: Flames for New Consciousness?

Fire is an important part of many healthy ecosystems. Suppressed, it often becomes an uninvited guest!   Prairie Fires and Forest Fire: Flames for New Consciousness? The settlers coming into Illinois during the early part of the 19th century suffered many of the hardships of any people populating an unfamiliar territory. Drawn by location and the… Read more »

More “Incidents” As Told by William Edward Peabody

More “Incidents” As Told by William Edward Peabody My great grandfather William Edward Peabody was born in Stonington, IL in 1846. His father William Starr Peabody was one of the colony’s main founders.  The following is excerpts from his remembrances about Old Stonington Colony around experiences that became stories told over and over, stories they… Read more »

Family Stories: Snakes and Wampum

Wampum beads, Wikipedia My novel Snakes grew out of years of hearing snake stories, some coming from family stories I heard as a child, and from these relatives who migrated from Stonington, Connecticut, to Old Stonington Colony, Illinois. The following stories were recounted by my great uncle Guy Peabody (b. 1878), son of William Edward… Read more »