Yesterday afternoon, I finished reading the 1918 edition of The Chipley Banner. This publication is significant in Emmett’s research because Chipley, Florida was Emmett’s boyhood home. His father, Dr. F.C. Wilson, was a well respected townsman and the postmaster (a patronage gift from Emmett while a congressman). While Emmett was […]
Readers, I had been planning another trip to Pensacola to get information on Emmett’s career as an attorney, District Attorney, and State Attorney during 1906-09. However, that second trip may be delayed. I found this today: Uh oh. I’ve kvetched about hitting roadblocks before, but this barrier is a significant […]
Check this out: Big, eh? I didn’t realize Emmett and his friends would have to had carried around large wallets. The old bills are attractive; they were worth something too, since they were based on the gold standard back then. Here’s the other side: Did you know they used to […]
The blogger Michael Segal asks an interesting question: Is ambition an addiction worth having? As some of you know from a few earlier posts, Emmett Wilson essentially drank himself to death at age 35 on May 29, 1918. Behind the drinking, I think, was another addiction: Ambition. Part of a […]
This last week I’ve been tracking down an elusive document in Emmett Wilson’s research; specifically, a copy of a eulogy given for him at the annual Elk’s Lodge memorial service, held on December 2, 1918. It’s obscure, folks. So what else is new? LOL! All these obscure leads I’ve been […]
Folks, as some you already know, I teach for the University of Maryland in between research and writing Emmett’s book. The Fall academic session started on Monday, so we are on Day Four of an eight-week mini-semester. Already, I’ve had to do the following: On the second day of class, […]
Friends, a while back I had mentioned that Emmett and I share a common ancestor way back in the family tree, namely the Earl of Caithness. “Earl” is on my maternal grandmother’s side of the family. For Emmett, Earl is on his maternal grandfather’s side of the family, if that […]
Readers, I just finished the second Brand Whitlock book, Her Infinite Variety, in two days. It was a quick read (only 185 pages), and thank God for that. It made me seethe, it was so damn irritating! Argh! In a nutshell: Busy Chicago state senator finds himself languishing and bored […]
Earlier this week, I came across a book, The 13th District, by Brand Whitlock. It piqued my interest in that it was written by a journalist-turned-lawyer-turned-politician, who was in Washington at the same time as Emmett. Also, it seemed like the type of fiction Emmett might have read. Although the […]
Say hello to Emmett for us — and perhaps could you give him a few tips on punchlines? Emmett’s jokes were corny at best — but you don’t have to tell him I told you that. 🙂
Tell my story. 