The inspiration for this episode was from researching my husband’s relatives from Massachusetts (especially his distant cousin – Annie Thurston) which then leads to many interesting historical connections in the mid-19th century. Early in this episode to illustrate some of this history – we’ll have an interview with Dr. Robert...

General Lew Wallace is certainly most famously known for being the author of the novel – Ben Hur.  This novel was made into the “old-time Hollywood” classic of 1959 – with Charlton Heston and the chariot race. But there is so much more to Lew Wallace, with his Civil War...

Amalia Kussner was a miniature portrait artist and a “darling” of the Gilded Age – the age when the American Industrialists and their families where effectively the royalty of America. She painted many of those families and as part of their extended social circles – was introduced to the crowned...