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Bidwell Lore – Agrippa Hull and Mary Bidwell

Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 150! This week we are going to share a letter from Mary Bidwell to Barnabas in which she mentions Agrippa. After this week’s Bidwell Lore, we are taking a two-week break and will be back in your inbox on July 11th. One of the reasons we are taking that break is...

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Bidwell Lore – The Sedgwicks and the Bidwells

Welcome to Bidwell Lore number 148! This week we are bringing Barnabas and Mary Bidwell into the Agrippa story through their long connection with the Sedgwick family. The Sedgwicks and the BidwellsRick Wilcox, 2022 This week we are going to bring Barnabas Bidwell and his wife, Mary Gray Bidwell, into the story of Agrippa Hull. Barnabas...

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Bidwell Lore – Barnabas’ Time In Canada

Welcome to week 32 of Bidwell Lore! This week we begin wrapping up Barnabas’ incredible story with two pieces written by Barnabas himself. Last week we shared the shocking story of Barnabas Bidwell’s political downfall.  It was a scandalous story in its day and resulted in Barnabas moving to Kingston, Ontario, where he lived until his death...

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Collections Focus – Portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell, Part III

Welcome to the final installment of our exploration of the portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell. If you have been following our Bidwell Lore series, you have come to know both Mary and her husband, Barnabas, and you can learn more about Mary and the entire Bidwell family here: https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/blog/. In the previous installments, we discussed...

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Collections Focus – Portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell, Part II

Welcome to the second installment of our exploration of the portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell. If you have been following our Bidwell Lore series, you have come to know both Mary and her husband, Barnabas, and you can learn more about Mary and the entire Bidwell family here: https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/blog/. In the last installment, we discussed...

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Bidwell Lore – Ultracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment, Part III

Welcome to week 28 of Bidwell Lore! This week we finish the three-part series Ultracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment.  Last week we also started a three-part series in our Friday email about the history of the Mary Gray Bidwell portrait we have used to illustrate many of these recent emails.  You can read part I of that series...

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Collections Focus – Portrait of Mary Gray Bidwell, Part I

If you have been following our Bidwell Lore series, you have come to know Mary Gray Bidwell. If you are not familiar with the series, you can check it out here to learn more about Mary and the entire Bidwell family: https://www.bidwellhousemuseum.org/blog/. Her image has appeared in several of the entries, written by Bidwell descendent...

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Bidwell Lore – Ultracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment, Part II

Welcome to week 27 of Bidwell Lore! This week we continue the three-part series Ultracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment. Congressman Barnabas Bidwell, often a dinner guest of President Thomas Jefferson, was one of two floor managers in the House of Representatives. As floor manager, he was often referred to by Federalists as “the sworn interpreter of executive...

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Bidwell Lore – Ultracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment, Part I

Welcome to week 26 of Bidwell Lore! This week we begin a new three-part series, still in the world of Barnabas and Mary, titledUltracrepidarianism, Slavery, and The Age of Enlightenment. Thank you Rick Wilcox for all of your work writing these articles! Ultracrepidarianism: the habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside of one’s knowledge. In my role...

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Bidwell Lore – Mary Bidwell in Saratoga

This week we are sharing a short story containing letters from Mary Gray Bidwell to Barnabas Bidwell that Mary wrote in July of 1803 when she traveled to Saratoga Springs. A possible reason for this journey to Saratoga Springs was that between 1786—when health officials first began recording mortality rates—and 1800, tuberculosis claimed 2 percent...

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