The Express Newspaper – September 11, 2014
Tag Archives: mcbride
The Express Newspaper – August 28, 2014
This Month in the Civil War – by S. McBride
As the steamy days of August, 1864 beset the weary and battered soldiers and citizens of the war-torn United States, Petersburg and Atlanta, two of the most vital cities in the rebellious Confederate States of America, were surrounded by Union forces and under almost constant shelling. A civil war which could have conceivably ended within months had now dragged on for more than three full years with a horrendous loss of life, grievous injuries and the costly destruction of property. Nearly every family, north and south, had been affected in some way. But the gritty rebels refused to give up. They endured the dangers, the hardships and the suffering with dogged determination.
Read the entire article in the August 21 issue of the Express.
The Express Newspaper – August 21, 2014
The Express Newspaper – August 7, 2014
Baker Family 150th Reunion – By Sandy McBride
James Baker was just a boy of 11 when the American Revolution broke out in the colonies. With the flaming rhetoric of patriots inspiring them to take up arms, men of all ages joined the Continental Army and local militia companies to fight for freedom from the oppressive British crown. Three of James’ brothers joined the army. Brother Peter served four years, and was at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Both he and William also served in the War of 1812.
James was the seventh child of James Baker, whose great grandfather, a Puritan, had emigrated from England in the 1630’s to escape religious persecution. His mother was Jemima Kirk Baker, a Quaker preacher in the colony of New York. The Bakers had thirteen children. When the British invaded Long Island, the family moved to Dutchess County.
Read the entire article in the Aug. 31st issue of the Express.
The Express Newspaper – July 31, 2014
Molly Bango Celebrates 99th – by S. McBride
On July 25, 2014, Molly DeCrescenzo Bango will celebrate her 99th birthday. Born to Italian immigrants Antonio and Theresa Malone DeCrescenzo on Hulin Street in Mechanicville in 1915, Molly says she cost a dollar. That was all Dr. Purcell, the legendary physician who tended to the folks of our town for many years, charged them for delivering their baby girl.
Molly had five brothers - Frank, Alex, Elpidio, Joseph and Anthony – and three sisters – Philomena, called Fannie; Thomasina, called Mazie; and Rosina, called Rosie. Mechanicville back in the early years of the twentieth century was a growing railroad and mill town, and many immigrant families settled here, giving our city a hardworking ethnic core.
Read the entire article in the July 24th issue.
The Express Newspaper – July 24, 2014
The Aura of Mount Rushmore – By S. McBride
My dear friend Erin Carola Knotek, when she heard that our vacation destination was Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, told me that when she took her grandmother, the late Aggie Ford, to the mountain back in 1988 “She was so excited to see it . . . she was so proud . . . you would have thought she was meeting the presidents themselves.”
Well, now I’ve been there and I know how Aggie Ford must have felt.
When people asked where we were going on vacation and I answered “Mount Rushmore”, I got a few quizzical looks and at least two “Whys?” I know it’s not your typical summer trip, it being 1800 miles from Mechanicville across seven states, but hey, I’ve always wanted to see it. Why not?
So we went. Loaded up the little RV we love so well and headed west.
Read the entire article in the July 10th issue of the Express.