Tag Archives: Post-Traumatic Stress

An Andersonville Anniversary

Posted on February 10, 2014 by

It was 150 years ago this month—February 24, 1864, to be exact—that Andersonville Prison first took in captured Union soldiers. Over the next 14 months, 12,699 men died there, close to one-third of the prisoners to pass through its gates. … Continue reading →

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Tarantella, an ancient Sicilian dance ritual

Posted on September 22, 2013 by

My Italian ancestors lived in the Dolomite Mountains, the Alps near the Austrian border. However, there’s a theory that the family name, Ciliotta, referred to a migration from Sicily (note the “cil” in both words), many centuries back. So when … Continue reading →

Posted in mental health, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Can this be Hell?”

Posted on February 18, 2013 by

The diary of Connecticut POW Robert Kellogg indicates that it was raining the day my great-great-grandfather, William Davies, arrived at Andersonville Prison. Kellogg had already been there for a month, enduring the Georgia heat of mid- to late May of … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, prisoners of war, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Greetings from Andersonville Prison

Posted on February 9, 2013 by

No, I’m not in jail. I spent yesterday at the National Historic Site marking the prison where my great-great-grandfather spent three months as a POW during the Civil War. On June 10, 1864, William Davies was captured at the Battle of Brice’s … Continue reading →

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Alpine avalanche in World War I

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

My grandfather, Attilio Ciliotta, was born in the Italian Alps, near the Austrian border. At the start of World War I, his older brothers applied to join the elite Alpini Corps. Only Mario, the oldest, was accepted. Attilio, at nine … Continue reading →

Posted in history, mental health, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ancestral flood relief

Posted on October 6, 2011 by

I’m not saying I totally believe in this stuff, but it does seem to work. I’ve been excessively anxious since the hurricane. I’m grateful the water didn’t enter my house, but cleaning up the flooded garage and crawlspace has been … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, mental health, spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Post-Traumatic Stress, 1864 to the Present

Posted on December 2, 2010 by

“July 11, 1864  11 of our men was Hung on the same Scaffold & at the same time for robbing & murdering their fellow Prisoners.” –from the diary of William Morgan Davies I’m interested in whether and how my great … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments