Handbook of Texas Online

This photo of the screen on my laptop highlights the page for James Wrigley at The Handbook of Texas Online . . . and I am using this for my photo-of-the-day because today I discovered that this page just happens to mention one of my blogs in the bibliography . . .

As it happens, it was 115 years ago yesterday when this James Wrigley died in Alvarado, Texas . . . and I have a blog-page about him because . . . during the 1860s, he is mentioned frequently in the Hall Journal as recorded by James Madison Hall . . . as a matter of fact, in 1862, Hall writes in his Journal about naming his newborn son after his friend, James Wrigley . . .

This J.M. Hall was the brother-in-law of my 2nd great-grandpa, Samuel Houston Sharp (yes, he was named for an old family friend by the name of Sam Houston) . . . Hall was also the stepson of my 3rd great-grandma, Mahala . . . who was the mother of the previously mentioned Sam Sharp . . . in other words, our Mahala married J.M. Hall's father, Joshua James Hall . . . and then J.M. Hall married Mahala's daughter from her first marriage, Margaret . . . so he was her stepson as well as her son-in-law . . .

Milk Punch

Friday, February 22nd, 1861. To day I went home and found Bill at work on the mill house. In the evening the little woman & Florence with Father, Mother & Toby came up. They returned home late in the evening. This being my birth day I took a milk punch. weather changable & warm for the time of year. James Madison Hall

This photo shows the 500+ pages of my copy of the 1860-1866 Journal of James Madison Hall . . . on today's page, he mentions that he took a milk punch in honor of this being his birthday . . . what is a milk punch? . . .

Cool. From PETERSON'S MAGAZINE, March 1868 . . . Put two quarts of French brandy, eighteen lemons, three-quarters of a pound of best loaf sugar, and three pints new milk to two quarts of water. Strain this frequently through a jelly bag until it becomes clear and fine. Make two or three days before it is required, and bottle it off.

Warm. From PETERSON'S MAGAZINE, March 1868 . . . Throw into two quarts of new milk the very thinly pared rind of a fine lemon, and half a pound of good sugar, in lumps; bring it slowly to boil; take out the lemon rind, draw it from the fire, and stir quickly in a couple of well-whisked eggs, which have been mixed with less than half a pint of cold milk, and strained through a sieve; the milk must not of course be allowed to boil after these are mixed with it. Add gradually a pint of rum, and half a pint of brandy. Mix the punch to a froth and serve it immediately with quite warm glasses.

See also . . . Benjamin Franklin's Milk Punch Recipe . . .