Touched by History - A Soldier's Diary

I'm always on the hunt for old books, ledgers and diaries. I didn't find many at Brimfield this time, but picked up a few along the way.  Back at our hotel one night I discovered that one simple little notebook was actually the diary of a soldier.

"A. H. Leach, Co B 1 Reg Vt. Vol., Chickamauga, July 6, 1898, Ga" 

is the inscription inside the front cover. 

A.H. noted that he was mustered in to service on May 16, 1898 and arrived in Chickamauga on May 23rd.

 There are less than six pages filled with his notes. I didn't take the time to read them that night, but did look at the last page.

The final entry on July 18, 1898:  "...Still sick sick all night..."

I remember remarking casually 'I wonder if he died?'

After arriving home, I read through all the pages. 

He mentioned receiving letters, sending money and pictures home, guarding prisoners...

Tucked in a pocket in the notebook I found railroad receipts for a package that he sent to Sheldon, Vt on July 4th. I can't quite make out his diary entry for that date.

Recently I googled the name A.H. Leach and found a Vermont cemetery record:  "Leach, Adelbert H...25 July 1898 at Chickamauga Battlefield..."  The cause of death wasn't noted so I dug a bit more. (Last year, CG and I visited the Chickamauga National Military Park.  It's a sobering yet beautiful area, best known for it's role in the Civil War.  What I didn't remember was that it played a part in the Spanish-American war as well.)
Here's what I found:

"Thirty years after the war, a camp was established on the old battlefield to train men for the Spanish-American War. The camp was named after Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga”. During the brief time the camp was in operation, disease ran rampant here and men died by the score.... ending with more deaths than the American forces suffered during all of the fighting in Cuba"  http://www.prairieghosts.com/chick.html

I then discovered a heart-breaking account of the conditions that A.H. Leach and his comrades endured at Chickamauga.  "...The First Vermont Volunteers did not see battle but did experience indescribable misery through the Nation's neglect.  I am certain the Regiment would have preferred, yes, welcomed, battle to the suffering, heat, poor water, typhoid fever, dysentery, disgusting food and lack of medical equipment at Chickamauga.  Vivid, undimmed by the years, is my memory of the suffering of the sick, their courageious fights to live, and the despair of those trying to aid them.  All honor to them....who went stoically about their duties, half sick, through that terrible experience. Soldiers true, all of them..."  You can read much more of this account from Vermont in the Spanish American War by clicking here.  

Later in the same text, I found this:

"Pvt. Adelbert H. Leach,. Co. B. Fairfield

Died July 25, 1898, at Division Hospital, Camp Thomas, Ga., of typhoid fever...Age 21."

As we celebrate Memorial Day, one of the soldiers I'll be thinking of is a young man I've just 'met' and giving thanks for all who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Brimfield Finds & Answers

Good morning!  Four boxes of my Brimfield treasures all still in route, but I've got a few things to show you, in no particular order. I'll also answer a couple of questions I've had.  If you have a Brimfield question - let me know!

This texture of this Irish linen bookbinder's thread grabbed me.

Gina asked how we managed to avoid getting crushed in the opening crowds.
Our strategy this year was to arrive early and stake a position on the edge of whichever group we were in, preferably next to the road, a garbage can or a fence.  At the opening moment, we hung back for just a few seconds and then went in, again along the edge of the crowd.  We'd head toward the back or outside edge of a field - the crowds disperse quickly throughout a field.

No one will be surprised that I couldn't leave without these.

I'm often asked if you can buy for resale at Brimfield. Yes. You have to work at it, but it can be done. You do need to be careful not to be caught up in the 'wonderfulness' of something unusual. When I'm out purchasing items, there's a continuous ticking in my head - I'm calculating cost, expenses and potential profit.  Don't forget to consider  expenses. (In the case of Brimfield, it's travel, hotels, meals, shipping....)  I know what percentage I need to add to the item cost to find the true cost.  Experienced sellers know this, but I do meet a lot of young people just starting out.

This "Kate Greenaway Almanak for 1925" is not in great condition, but the illustrations are fabulous.

As much as I love you, my fellow dealers, my customers, my merchandise, this IS a business.  When I started, (part-time), in 1996, I decided I would always try to buy 'smart', never, ever use family money for my business, and always pay cash for merchandise.  If I do choose to purchase with a credit card, the balance is paid in full when the bill comes in.  ***This is what works for me - your situation may be different.***  At Brimfield, credit cards are not an option anyway, so be sure to bring plenty of cash.  It would be no fun to be there for a week with no money to spend! 

I love early books, (just for the look, mainly), and didn't find as many as I would have liked.

If you are fortunate enough to be at Brimfield 'just for fun', then have at it!  I can promise you'll enjoy shopping just for yourself!  I didn't initially buy this tote to keep...

...but it will probably stay with me, at least for awhile.  :)
It may end up on my bench with a portion of the sea glass collection I purchased. (Thank you USPS for flat rate boxes!!)

I love the patina and original labels on these old dumbbells.

You knew I'd come home with some letters, right?

There are 10 - 12 pounds of these in various sizes.  The largest are about 1 1/2" tall.

Margaret spotted a box of 12,000 'pearl-head' jewelry pins for me. Yes, 12,000.  You know I like multiples!
And these...

...probably thousands of 'jewels', many still individually wrapped.

This old beauty is a wax seal...

...letter 'R'.

That's all for today!  There are more pics to come, but I'll probably just post them on my facebook page as time allows.  Have yourselves a wonderful Tuesday.

Don't forget the Elkhorn Antique Market in Elkhorn, Wisconsin this Sunday, 7-3.  We'll be in the Small Animal Building, Space 29!

Brimfield - Random Thoughts

What a great time Margaret and I had roaming the fields of Brimfield, Massachusetts last week!   Brimfield is a tiny town with a two-lane highway running  through it.  On either side of the highway are 21 fields which fill with about 6000 dealers three times a year.  Different fields open on different days.  The show officially starts on Tuesday, but upon arrival Monday afternoon we learned that there was great early shopping to be done in some areas.  Here you'll see random photos, most taken on the last day - the first sunny day we had. I'll share some finds in another post.  Monday thru Thursday we encountered rain.  Never exceedingly heavy, but the fields were muddy.  Comfort always trumps fashion at Brimfield, and with layers and rain gear, we were not deterred by the weather.

We made it for the opening of all the best fields.  Shows open anytime between 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
We were up between 4:00 and 5:30 every day to get into Brimfield to get in line early and to have good parking. (We made multiple trips back to our van each day to drop off purchases.)  Lines stretch for what seems like miles just before an opening.

The line for the J&J show on Friday is the most genteel.  Everyone is polite.  In some of the fields it's a mad rush and we learned how to get in quickly without getting caught up in that, (after a horrible experience last year!)

Brimfield this year was a nice  mix of vintage and antiques.  We saw far more industrial items than we did last year.

Japanese buyers were plentiful.  Most often we saw them purchasing clothing and industrial items.

Pricing varies widely at Brimfield.  Some dealers had high-end show prices. If we stopped at a booth and saw only three digit numbers on the tags, we moved on.  There's plenty to be found at reasonable prices.

Styles are mixed.  One of the most frustrating things about Brimfield is that a large portion of the dealers do not tag their items at all.  With crowded booths, waiting to get the attention of the seller to ask a price can be very frustrating.

We didn't see a lot of common 'brown' furniture.  (You'll note that this booth had no one even looking at the merchandise.)  Most furnishings we saw being purchased were primitives or cool industrial pieces.

There were only a handful of dealers featuring white or Annie Sloan colors. Those booths did not appear to be very busy either. The farmhouse primitives with original finish seem to be more in demand at Brimfield.  (I think the Midwest may tire of white soon; we're always a bit behind the curve - but I reserve the right to be wrong!)

Because we flew in, we were limited to purchases of small items.  I think it would be terribly frustrating to be on the hunt for larger pieces at Brimfield.  Buying teams from Ralph Lauren, J Crew and others swoop in and grab the best items so fast that it makes your head spin. 'Sold' tags are slapped on big piles of stuff and off they go.

Old advertising is plentiful.  I loved this sign.

Displays are random...tables filled as things come out of the box.  You can't overlook a table like that; there can be treasures among the trivial.

At $1000, this little beauty was still available on Friday.

There were things on my list that I did not find, but in the end I shipped 200 lbs. of wonderful goodies and can't wait for all of my boxes to arrive this week.  My biggest regret was not meeting some of my Aussie buyers, Mike & Lizzie of Hobohemia.  Because I stooooopidly did not check my FB page for a couple of days, I missed connecting with them.  :(
Here's Margaret, as we were taking our last load of the week to Fed-Ex.  (A mini-van rental is essential if you plan to purchase much!)

Another Brimfield essential - stamina.  We walked 4 - 7 miles each day and then had to haul all of our finds into our hotel, pack 'em up and back out to Fed-Ex.  There are few places to rest at Brimfield;  it's difficult to find an empty table to sit down for a quick lunch.  Margaret was a perfect shopping partner; we work at that same pace and have different tastes so were not competing for the same items.  Can't wait to do it all again next year!

 

Random Thoughts from Brimfield

There hasn't been much time to ponder the fun of Brimfield since returning home...but, the laptop now has a new hard drive, the van's expensive repair is complete, the insurance claim is in for the water-damaged hardwood floor, and my stoooooopid 'smart phone' has at long last been replaced by a new iphone.    

Finally, there's a moment to reflect on Brimfield.  Randomness rules...here goes!




 Margaret and I flew in to Hartford on Tuesday and arrived in town just as Brimfield Acres North was opening.  Our plan to go straight to the back of the field fell apart as we each spotted something we had to have just after we entered.  To say that we were overwhelmed and giddy at the sight of acres of great junk would be a huge understatement.



 I hadn't been to Brimfield in over a decade and this was Margaret's first time.  It was probably a good thing that we flew and could only buy what we could ship.  Otherwise we would likely have spent our entire stash the very first day. Wonderments abounded.



The first thing we learned was to get up early and arrive in Brimfield about 90 minutes before the 'hot' show of the day was opening to get primo parking. Making a quick run to the car now & then to unload makes for easier two-fisted shopping.



Most all the drool-worthy pieces were 'sold'.  I loved, loved, loved this piece that sat waiting for pick-up.



It seemed that the majority of dealers don't price their items. I wonder why?  I walked away from several things that caught my attention because dealers were flooded with people asking "how much".  Who wants to stand around all day just waiting to find out the price of something?  Not gonna happen when there is so much to see.



It was fun to meet Tricia from Red Door Antiques.  I missed finding most of the others on my list...drat.  We did pop in to the fabulous Tweet-Up tent, met some fun folks and admired Lu's work-in-progress. 



Packing boxes in a hotel room is hard work.  And some post offices close at 4:30 on Friday.  (Thanks to the nice peeps at the Ludlow post office for not being mean when we arrived at 4:29 with three huge boxes. Who knew they'd close so early?) Between us we shipped home over 170 lbs. of treasures, and brought over 100 lbs. more back in our luggage. 







We had a fun chat with Palmer from Ruby Lane, (and those great bags he gave us came in so handy - thanks Palmer!)  Here's Margaret doing a little spot for his video.



The food at the New England motel and just across the road really is good. Lobster rolls, ceaser salad pita, ribbon fries, ice cream.  Finding a table and taking a break mid-day is essential.











Porta potties stink and, (most), potty patronizing men really are pigs.  We discovered the 'secret potties' the second day we were there and revisited them often.  Tucked away, they were much less disgusting than most.



 We had to go to Massachusetts to find these very cool 1940's folk-art boxes from Wisconsin.



This one's for my bud Tamarah in Australia. Weren't you looking for these at JB last year?



I still love "my" shades of blue








This old gal was  headed to her new home



After 3 1/2 full days of shopping, we hadn't seen but a fraction of Brimfield. 



Great merchandise was everywhere, the weather was decent, most other dealers and shoppers were pleasant and the trip just couldn't have been any better.  I can't wait to return, soon!