Esther Edwards Burr (1732-1758) was the author of a letter-journal that provides one of the earliest extensive accounts of a colonial American woman's daily life. Most women of her era wrote primarily for exchange with friends and circulation among acquaintances, and the letter-journal that Esther Burr exchanged with Sarah Prince was no exception. Writing on vellum with quill pens, Esther Burr recorded daily entries of varied lengths and then she bundled them into "paquets" of up to twenty pages whenever a suitable courier was available. These "paquets" also contained "privacies," secret enclosures recording candid opinions on mutual acquaintances that Sarah burned after reading them. Parts of the journal were first published by Jeremiah Rankin in 1902, in a volume that drew on Burr's manuscript but embellished it freely to create a document largely of Rankin's own invention. In 1930 Josephine Fisher published authentic excerpts and commentary in a scholarly journal. The complete work first appeared in Laurie Crumpacker's 1978 dissertation, and Crumpacker and Carol F. Karlsen edited the full journal for publication in 1984. The semiprivate nature of Burr's work, its history of distorted and partial publication, and her relationship to three of the most prominent men in early America--Jonathan Edwards, Aaron Burr Sr., and Aaron Burr Jr.--all promoted the long eclipse of her literary significance. Since the publication of her complete letter-journal, Burr has emerged as an important contributor to the development of women's writing in America.
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/esther-edwards-burr-dlb/2.html

A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. In the British Isles, "shire" is the original term for what is usually known as a county; the word county having been introduced at the Norman Conquest of England. The two are synonymous. Although in modern British usage counties are referred to as "shires" mainly in poetic contexts, terms such as Shire Hall remain common. Shires in England bearing the "shire" suffix include: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. These counties, on their historical boundaries, cover a little more than half the area of England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire

Berks County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 411,442. The county seat is Reading. Berks County is part of the Reading, PA, metropolitan statistical area and as of 2005, is also considered part of the Philadelphia combined statistical area. Reading developed during the 1740s when the inhabitants of northern Lancaster County sent several petitions requesting that a separate county be established. With the help of German immigrant Conrad Weiser, the county was formed on March 11, 1752 from parts of Chester County, Lancaster County, and Philadelphia County. It was named after William Penn's family home of Reading, Berkshire, England. Berks County began much larger than it is today. The northwestern parts of the county went to the founding of Northumberland County in 1772 and Schuylkill County in 1811, when it reached its current size. In 2005, Berks County was added to the Delaware Valley Planning Area due to a fast-growing population and close proximity to the other communities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berks_County,_Pennsylvania

The Old Clock on the Stairs by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Somewhat back from the village street
Stands the old-fashioned country-seat.
Across its antique portico
Tall poplar-trees their shadows throw;
And from its station in the hall
An ancient timepiece says to all,--
"Forever--never!
Never--forever!" (first verse) The house commemorated in the poem is the Gold house, now known as the Plunkett mansion, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the homestead of Fanny Appleton’s (Longfellow’s second wife), grandfather. The poem was not written until November1845, suggested by the words of Bridaine, an old French missionary, who said of eternity, c'est une penduledont le balancier dit et redit sans cesse ces deux mots seulement dans le silence des tombeaux,--Toujours, jamais! Jamais, toujours! Etpendant ces effrayables révolutions, un réprouvés'écrie, "Quelle heure est-il?" et la voix d'un autre misérablelui répond, "L'Eternité."'" The English translation reads: "This is a clock of which the pendulum says and repeats endlessly those two words only in the tombs'5 silence, -- Always, never! Never, always! And during these frightening changes, a condemned one cries out, `What time is it?' and the voice of another wretched one replies, `Eternity.'" See entire poem plus commentary at: A Critical Edition of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Poem, “The Old Clock on the Stairs” http://www.etsu.edu/writing/amlit1_sum06/longfellow_edjulie.htm

“The best tonic is the Housatonic.” OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR. The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table
“The Valley of the Housatonic: a ‘Happy Valley’ indeed! A beautiful little river wanders singing from side to side in this secluded paradise.” FANNY KEMBLE, ACTRESS, 1835
“I was born by a golden river and in the shadow of two great hills.” W.E.B. DUBOIS, Darkwater http://www.upperhousatonicheritage.org/pdfs/pubs/UHVNHABrochure.pdf
Note: I now understand why the Happy Valley Guitar Orchestra http://www.hvgo.org/about.html based in Northampton, Massachusetts chose its name.

Florida names connected to last fall's mortgage "robo-signing'' scandal are turning up on documents again. County officials in at least three states say they have received thousands of mortgage documents with questionable signatures in the past eight months. Lenders say they are working with regulators to fix the problem but cannot explain why the practice, which led to a nationwide halt of home foreclosures, has continued. "Robo-signing is not even close to over," says Curtis Hertel, the recorder of deeds in Ingham County, Mich. "It's still an epidemic." In Guilford County, N.C., the office that records deeds says it received 456 documents with suspect signatures from Oct. 1, 2010, through June 30. The documents, mortgage assignments and certificates of satisfaction, transfer loans from one bank to another or certify a loan has been paid off.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/banking/known-florida-robo-signing-names-turn-up-on-mortgage-documents-elsewhere/1181163

Website of the Day Apollo 11: Scenes from the Moon www.life.com/image/first/in-gallery/23232 This photo gallery of the Apollo moon landing from Life magazine captures the day 41 years ago when the first humans walked on the moon.
Number to Know 3: Weeks the Apollo 11 crew spent in quarantine after returning to Earth. Officials wanted to make sure the men didn’t bring back any contaminants or viruses.
This Day in History July 20, 1976: Hank Aaron hits his 755th home run, the final home run of his career.
Today’s Featured Birthday Musician Carlos Santana (64)
Daily Quote “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” - Sir Edmund Hillary, who was born on this date in 1919. http://www.dodgeglobe.com/lifestyles/x910598157/Morning-Minutes-July-20