From the 1870's until the early 1900's, Halloween rivaled Valentine's Day for most romantic day of the year. This was a time when matchmaking games were popular at Halloween parties as a way to identify their future spouses, particularly for single women. According to the Milton House Museum, there was one game called The Bible Trick. A key was placed in a bible, with the rounded end sticking out. The bible would then be held on the finger tip of two boys while a hopeful girl would recite "If the initial of my husband starts with the a turn, key turn." She would then slowly start to recite letters of the alphabet, and if the key turned causing the bible to drop, it meant that her future husbands name started with that letter. Another parlor game was writing the initials of a couple on nut shells and tossing them into a fire. If the nut cracked and popped and likely broke, it meant the relationship was going to have a tough year. If the nut blackened but did not c...
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. This is a time to remember the men and women of the military who died during military service. They may have fought in battle and fell amongst their comrades. Or died in service, whether it was the 1918 influenza epidemic, a medical condition sustained during training, friendly fire accidents, and more. John Alexander Moore III, my third cousin, was killed on 18 Nov. 1973. He was a Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class of the United States Navy. He died at twenty-six years old. Based on the year of his death, we would expect that he died in Vietnam. He actually died in an automobile accident in California and was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital. He was a sailor stationed at the Moffett Field Navy Dispensary. John's father, also named John, applied for his military marker at Tucson Memorial Park in Tucson, Arizona. He was buried under a Latin Cross (the family was Catholic) and a flat bronze marker. How John Sr. must have ...