Harriet Jacobs hid in an enclosure 9 feet by 7 feet in Edenton, NC, which we visited last week.

Connecting Bostonians William Cooper Nell and Lydia Maria Child with Harriet Jacobs.

A presentation by Fran Bromberg about the creation, forgetting, and rededication of the cemetery on South Washington Street

Fortunately, a much calmer boat ride to Nats Park from the Alexandria waterfront last week than in October 1862.

A trip to New York to learn about biography-writing and work on my next project!

A fascinating talk by Leslie Rowland, director of the Freedmen & Southern Society Project, on the Black Military Experience during the Civil War—drawn from National Archives documents.

Pamela Toler, author of Women Warriors, explains how she organized research that spanned epochs, continents, and personalities.

Stories behind Civil War graffiti at Historic Blenheim in Fairfax, VA.

What Maddy McCoy and others learned when they went page by page through more than a century of Fairfax County paperwork.

Learning about Civil War photography from Dean DeRosa and Bob Zeller.

Alexandria Archaeology held a reception and model unveiling on Saturday night.

My son’s recent move (his 4th in 4 years) made me think about moving in the 1800s.

Esther Bubley took photographs of Tomball, Texas, in 1945. I visited a different Tomball last week.

What do Langston Hughes, Myrna Loy, and Blanca Verala have in common? They all lived in D.C., as did hundreds more writers you do and do not already know.

A National Gallery exhibit shows the early career of photographer Gordon Parks.

One great benefit in writing about Julia Wilbur has been talking with other authors about their biographies. Such as—Candice Shy Hooper, author of Lincoln’s Generals’ Wives.

Researcher John Lustrea shared tales of Clarissa (“Clara”) Jones, whose Civil War nursing service included time at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Va.

Here’s a short hand-out that I used at a writing-for-publication workshop last week.

Julia Wilbur and other “dutiful daughters” (and nieces, aunts, et al.) often had their hands full.

Here’s how Julia Wilbur—and finally liberated African Americans—celebrated July 4, 1865, in Washington, DC.