Trivia Advent Calendar

[J. Beckert]

I suspected you mentioning pink was some German mind trick....

[J. Beckert]

Welcome back to Day 12 of the Trivia Advent Calendar fun. Eva has flown the coop for a few days, so it's on me again. Time for the Geist Brenner edition...

These trees are near a home once occupied by a famous person mentioned many times here on Roger's forum. Where are they???

   

[Dave Taylor]

Well since you were likely ejected from Hildene after touching so many things, I'll guess you took this picture of the trees outside of Robert Todd Lincoln's home.

[J. Beckert]

Sorry, Dave. Wrong side of the War of Northern Aggression....

[Dave Taylor]

In that case is it a tree outside of Jefferson Davis' home?

[Gene C]

I don't know, but from a home insurance standpoint the trees are too close to the house and need to be removed. A heavy rain and windstorm, branches or the entire tree could be blown down damaging the roof and walls.

Where are they? I'd guess the trees are in the corner of the front yard?
Thomas Jones?

[J. Beckert]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRpq7o1mKXY

[Dave Taylor]

Lee's trees?

[Gene C]

Back yard?

Tudor Hall?

[J. Beckert]

Congrats, Dave! You've turned the Geist Brenner into the Spezielle Gast-Host-Brenner ! The trees are located outside the home Gen. Lee occupied while governing Washington & Lee University in Virginia. Once referred to here as the other Great Emancipator, Lee freed his own slaves a year before the EP kicked in and also made sure they were educated first.

Thomas 6
Roger 4
Laurie 2
Dave3
Joe 2

[wpbinzel]

(12-12-2016 08:52 AM)J. Beckert Wrote:  Once referred to here as the other Great Emancipator, Lee freed his own slaves a year before the EP kicked in and also made sure they were educated first.

I read somewhere -- but have not attempted to verify -- that Lee freed his slaves before the Grants did. (Though, as I recall, the slaves held by the Grants during the Civil War came from Julia Dent Grant's father, and Grant may not have "owned" them directly. I believe that Grant did at one time "own" a slave (again, a "gift" from his father-in-law), whom he freed in 1859.)

Don't accept this as gospel, and I will certainly yield to someone who has done some research on this subject, but it does seem to make for one of those interesting, and ironic, factoids.

[J. Beckert]

I think you're right on the money, Bill. Rick Smith shared this fact about Lee and several others. One who did the same was (I believe) Stonewall Jackson.

[Linda Anderson]

(12-12-2016 08:52 AM)J. Beckert Wrote:  Congrats, Dave! You've turned the Geist Brenner into the Spezielle Gast-Host-Brenner ! The trees are located outside the home Gen. Lee occupied while governing Washington & Lee University in Virginia. Once referred to here as the other Great Emancipator, Lee freed his own slaves a year before the EP kicked in and also made sure they were educated first.

This is from Laurie's post in the Robert E. Lee, The Great Emancipator thread.

"Lee's father-in-law's will stipulated that his slave property was to be manumitted upon his death IF the estate was financially sound. If not, they would continue as slaves no more than five years hence. Mr. Lee determined that the estate needed more security and that the slaves needed more training in skills that would benefit them when freedom came. That freedom came within the specified five-year period on December 29, 1862 -- beating the deadline of the Emancipation Proclamation (which was ignored by the Virginians anyhow) and the deadline of Lee's father-in-law for manumission."

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...bert+e+lee

[J. Beckert]

Good morning and welcome back to Day 13 of the Trivia Advent Calendar fun. The Geist Brenner edition completely backfired yesterday. Today's submission should prove more difficult. Let's call this one the Seelen brenner edition....

This home once housed a person that's been mentioned on this forum before. For 2 points, where is it and what is it now called?



   

[RJNorton]

Wild guess - Elizabeth Quesenberry's house?