World War II Reenactor at Kirtland Public Library

Join us on May 17^th at 7:00 pm at the Kirtland Public Library as reenactor Peter Booth brings the story of an American soldier to life.  Told in the first person, Peter shows us what it was like for American soldiers landing on the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day in June 1944.

To help bring this story more fully to life Peter will be bringing historical objects from the time period to show what types of equipment and weapons American soldiers used and fought

against.  The public is invited to bring any items of historical interest along to the event, however we ask that any weapons be left at home.  This event is made possible through the generosity of the Friends of the Kirtland Public Library.

The library has many great resources, for adults and young readers, which can help illuminate more fully the story of D-Day and America’s involvement in the Second World War.  If you don't see the book you want on this list ask a librarian and they will be able to help you find what you want.

Books for Young Readers

The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World War II Soldier by Walter Dean Myers

Rangers Lead the Way: Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day, 1944 by Steve Zaloga

Remember D-day: The Plan, the Invasion, Survivor Stories by Ronald J Drez

Books for Adult Readers

D-day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor

Eyewitness D-Day: Firsthand Accounts From The Landing At Normandy To The Liberation Of Paris by D.M. Giangreco

Voices of Valor: D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Douglas Brinkley

Overlord: D-Day And The Battle For Normandy by Max Hastings

Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris by John Keegan

D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen Ambrose

Double Cross: The True Story of the D-day Spies by Ben Macintyre

The Longest Day: June 6, 1944 by Cornelius Ryan

Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory by Adrian R. Lewis

Movies & Documentaries

While these movies & documentaries featured here might not strictly be about D-Day they offer insights into the experiences of American soldiers during World War II

D-Day (2004)

D-Day's Sunken Secrets (2014)

D-Day 360 (2014)

The War (2007)

Band of Brothers (2002)
Also available on Blu-Ray, based on the book of the same title by Stephen Ambrose

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Also available on Blu-Ray, based on the book of the same title by Max Allan Collins

Thanksgiving and the Presidents

Our celebration of Thanksgiving owes more to our Presidents than it does to the Pilgrims.

By now we know that what the menu for the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 differs from what is found on most of our tables today.  The first Thanksgiving, celebrated among the Puritan Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe would’ve featured venison, shellfish, corn, and other roasted meats.  These would’ve been cooked using Native American spices and cooking methods.  The meal most likely did not have any desserts or other sweets as the Pilgrim’s exhausted their provisions over the previous winter.  Although, cranberries were probably present at both the first Thanksgiving and on our tables today.  The Pilgrims held a second Thanksgiving in 1623 after a long drought ended that threatened that year’s crops.  Days of fasting and thanksgiving became common features of many New England settlements.

The first national proclamation of a day of thanksgiving issued by the Federal Government came in 1789.  George Washington called the day to celebrate the end of the American Revolution and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.  John Adams and James Madison also proclaimed days of thanksgiving during their administrations.  Thomas Jefferson, our third president, felt it was not appropriate to issue proclamations for days of Thanksgiving, because of the separation of church and state.  By 1817 New York became the first of several states to declare an annual day of Thanksgiving, celebrated on different days.  As with many of our holidays the celebrations began as regional or state affairs, only becoming nationally recognized later on.

In 1827 Sarah Joseph Hale, author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” began a 36 year campaign

to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday, expanding the holiday from its traditional home in New England throughout the rest of the country.  During that time she sent dozens of letters to politicians, senators, representatives, leaders, and government officials urging them to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

Finally, at the height of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln scheduled Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November.  In a speech written by Secretary of State William Seward, President Lincoln declared that the fourth Thursday in November would be an official U.S. holiday, Thanksgiving Day.  Lincoln also used this opportunity to thank God for recent Union victories in the American Civil War.  This marked the first time since 1815 that an American president had declared a day of thanksgiving.

Annually, Presidents issued Proclamations of Thanksgiving which made the last Thursday of November Thanksgiving Day.  This tradition held until 1939.  That year the last Thursday in November did not occur until the 30^th, leaving less than a month until Christmas.  Several retailers approached the President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and urged him to move Thanksgiving up by a week to allow for a longer shopping period.  It was hoped that consumers, who shopped after Thanksgiving, would buy more for the Christmas holiday.

This decision caused a great deal of confusion and anger.  FDR’s opponents questioned his disregard for tradition by moving Thanksgiving to another date.  The mayor of Atlantic City pejoratively called the new date “Franksgiving.”  Aside from irritating his opponents the effect of transferring Thanksgiving had a very real impact.

Schools that had vacations and tests set had to revise their schedules.  Then, as now, Thanksgiving was a big day for football games.  Many teams needed to examine and revise their schedules.  To make matters worse many of the country’s governors did not agree with Roosevelt’s decision to change the date of Thanksgiving.  Twenty-three state governors decided to follow Roosevelt’s lead and moved Thanksgiving to November 23.  Twenty-three other disagreed and chose to keep Thanksgiving Day on its traditional date of November 30.  The governors of Texas and Colorado decided to recognize both days as Thanksgiving Day.  These decisions by the state governors split families whose members lived in different states and could not get together to celebrate the holiday due to having different days off.

In 1940 FDR moved Thanksgiving Day again up by one week. Thirty-one states followed suit while 17 continued to follow the traditional date.  In 1941, many people anticipated the new date and celebrated Thanksgiving Day on November 20.  In October 1941, the House of Representatives passed a joint resolution making the last Thursday in November a legal, national holiday.  The Senate agreed, however they amended the resolution to make the fourth Thursday in November a legal holiday, which takes into account years where November has five Thursdays. President Roosevelt agreed and signed the resolution into law on December 26, 1941.  Since then Thanksgiving has always been observed on the fourth Thursday in November.

The library has many good cookbooks to help you find that perfect recipe to make your family meal extra special.

Martha's Classic Thanksgiving (DVD)
The Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create your Own Holiday Tradition

Their are many great websites out there that feature traditional Thanksgiving recipes, or if you want to try something different, new twists on the originals or something new and exciting.  Check out these following websites:

Better Homes & Gardens Thanksgiving Dinner Menus
Thanksgiving Dinner Menu Ideas and Recipes
Thanksgiving Menus & Recipes from the Food Network 
Thanksgiving Menus for Beginners to Experts  from allrecipes.com or their other page for more Thanksgiving Recipes

Halloween and Its Origins

The roots of Halloween stretch back over the centuries.  Today we will examine the origins of the holiday and a few of its most cherished traditions.  Do you have any cherished Halloween traditions?  Share them in the comments section for others to read and enjoy.  Also, visit the library and see some of the Halloween books in our collection the librarians have set out.

Samhain

The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) fell around the time corresponding to November 1^st on our modern calendars.  This festival marked both the beginning of the Celtic New Year and the beginning of winter.  The Celts believed that during this festival, which lasted approximately three days, the line dividing the spirits of the dead from the living was thinner and more permeable.  At this time ghosts, fairies, and demons walked and mingled with humanity for a short period.

The Celts divided their year into two halves.  A light half (summer) when the earth produced fruits and vegetables and was green, and a dark half (winter), a time when the earth went dormant and lost its greenery.  As with other festivals, Samhain provided a time for feasting, dancing, and other merrymaking.  It was a way to enjoy the waning days of warmth and to prepare for the cold dark days that lay ahead.

As barbarian Europe converted to Christianity, pagan holidays were incorporated into the Christian liturgical calendars and given new Christian meanings.  In the Christian calendar, November 2^nd is All Souls’ Day, when the dead are traditionally prayed for.  November 1^st was All Saints’ Day or All Hallows Day.  This was the day of the year when all the Saints of the Church were remembered.  October 31^st became known as All Hallows Eve, or with the English propensity to shorten and contract everything: Halloween.

Jack O’ Lantern

The history of Jack O’ Lanterns originates with the story of Stingy Jack.  According to legend

Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him.  Jack, unwilling to pay for the drink, convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the drink.  Instead of paying for the drink, Jack stuck the coin into his pocket next to a silver cross which prevented the Devil from regaining his original shape.  After forcing the Devil to agree not to harm him for a year or to take his soul after he died Jack left the devil go.

The next year Jack tricked the Devil into climbing the tree to pick a piece of fruit.  While the Devil was in the tree Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree, preventing the Devil from climbing back down.  Once again Jack was able to extract a promise from the Devil.  This time the Devil agreed not to bother Jack for ten years.

Shortly after the second agreement with the Devil, Jack died.  Jack appeared at the Pearly Gates and God, wary of having such a duplicitous character in heaven, refused him admittance.   The Devil, still upset at being tricked so easily and yet true to his word, would not take Jack into hell. Instead, the Devil gave Jack a burning coal to help him find his way.  Jack put the coal into a carved turnip and has been roaming the earth since.

In Ireland and Scotland people made their own Jack O’ Lanterns by carving scary faces into potatoes and turnips and displaying them on their windowsills.  This was to frighten Stingy Jack and other malevolent spirits away.  In England, large beets were carved.  Immigrants from the British Isles brought these traditions to America, where it was soon discovered that pumpkins, a gourd native to North America, made the perfect Jack O’ Lantern.

Why do we go trick-or-treating and wear costumes?

As mentioned above the ancient Celtic peoples believed that during the festival of Samhain the line between the living and the dead was thinner.  The Celts would take precautions so as not to draw any unwanted attention from wandering ghosts and spirits.  Adults would dress themselves in costumes made of animal skins to frighten away spirits.  Others would fill tables full of goodies in order to satisfy wandering spirits and make them leave the local villagers alone.

By the year 1000 CE poorer members of the local community would visit the homes of the better off during this particular season.  In exchange for pastries, called soul cakes, they promised to pray for the souls of that family’s departed members.  This custom was known as souling, and was later taken up by children demanding food, treats, and ale.  This is reminiscent of the Christmas tradition of “wassailing” where the poor would converge upon the homes of their betters and demand food and drink – think “O give us some figgy pudding,” and “we won’t go until we get some.”

In Scotland and Ireland the young would visit other homes while dressed in different types of costumes.  In exchange for performing a little song or dance or reciting a poem or some other “trick” they would be given a “treat” of fruit, nuts, or some coins.

Irish and Scottish immigrants brought their traditions with them when they arrived in the United States.  This helped to cement the various celebrations associated with Halloween firmly in the states.  In the early 20^th century many American youth seemed to take the idea of a “trick” literally and began engaging in vandalism, assaults, and occasionally violence.  In an effort to curb more destructive behaviors, local authorities organized community trick-or-treat programs in the 1930s.  After a hiatus during World War II due to sugar rationing the traditions picked back up and now the newly emerging baby boomers gave a boost to this tradition.

Bobbing for Apples

Although associated with Halloween parties and fall festivals now this game was originally associated with finding love and divination.  Like some of our other Halloween traditions this one originated in the British Isles and made its way to the New World with Scottish and British immigrants.  There are several variations of this game with different rules and superstitions attached to the outcome of the game.

In the first version of the game apples are assigned the name of a potential mate.  Young ladies would then take turns bobbing for apples.  In this game the girl would try to bite the apple.  If it took only one turn to bite the apple they would marry.  A second attempt meant the man would court the girl, but the love would fail.  If it took three tries the relationship was doomed.  Another variation of the game consisted of a race and the first to bite an apple would be the first to marry.  Another related superstition held that if the girl placed the apple she bit under her pillow she would see her future mate in her dreams.

These games are pretty tame compared to another apple-themed game popular in the 1800s.  The game of Snap Apple consisted of an apple stuck to the end of a stick.  A lit candle was affixed to the other end.  The goal of this game was to take a bite of the apple while it was spun around and trying to avoid a face full of candle wax.  Definitely not the type of game one would consider playing at Halloween parties today.

The library has many books and CDs available to help you get into the Halloween spirit.  Here are a few examples of the items we offer:

"It Came From Ohio..." by James Renner
"Haunted Ohio" by Chris Woodyard, we also have volumes II, III, IV, and V
"Ghosthunting Ohio" by John B. Kachuba

 

"A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness
"Dark Witch" by Nora Roberts

 

"Hocus Pocus! Halloween Crafts for a Spooktacular Holiday"
"The Pumpkin Carving Book" by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell 

We also have CDs full of spooky sounds and noises!

 

"Graveyard Terror"
"Halloween: Monster Mix" by Mannheim Steamroller
Martha Stewart Living "Spooky Scary Sounds for Halloween"

If you need help finding something you don't see here or need a spooky recommendation find one of our librarians and they will be glad to help you.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Turhand Kirtland

Our city's namesake, Turhand Kirtland, was born in Wallingford, Connecticut in 1755 (the village of Kirtland Hills is named for Turhand's son, Jared Potter Kirtland). Turhand Kirtland was the resident general land agent for the Connecticut Land Company which sold parcels of land in the Western Reserve during the 1800s.

Turhand Kirtland

Turhand had nine siblings. His great-grandfather, Nathaniel Kyrtland, came to Massachusetts from England in 1635. Turhand began work by manufacturing carriages and stagecoaches, and acted in the provisional service of New York.

Turhand and other land agents formed the Connecticut Land Company and purchased the Western Reserve from the state of Ohio in 1795. In 1796, General Moses Cleaveland began a survey of this land. Two years later, the land was divided among the Connecticut Land Company stockholders by a draft. Turhand drew the township of Mecca, part of the township of Auburn, Poland, Burton, and 2,000 acres in Kirtland.

Turhand owned much of the township that was Kirtland but sold most of it and never lived there. He lived in Poland, Ohio with his wife, Mary Potter, and three children: Henry, Nancy, and Mary. (Son Jared remained in Connecticut to be educated. He gained fame as a physician, teacher, naturalist, horticulturalist, and ornithologist.) Turhand helped establish libraries and schools among the reserve, including Western Reserve College.

In 1798, Turhand, along with a group of surveyors and settlers, began surveying and laying out the townships. Turhand kept a diary of this time. You can read it here or you can follow us on Twitter as we tweet entries beginning May 12.

For more Kirtland history, check out A History of Kirtland by Anne B. Prusha or read 20th Century Memoirs of Kirtland, Ohio by Grace E. Parks which is available for purchase at the Library.