The untold history and legacy of Kirkwood’s ornithologist
Robert Windsor Smith
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Smith family history: Part 21
Turk II – 1881-1887 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series A brief note today, about what may initially seem like an inconsequential fact. During the years 1881-1887, I was able to find mentions of Robert Windsor Smith owning, showing, and breeding a mastiff named Turk II. While the details of Robert’s activities with his…
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Smith family history: Part 20
Gilded Age – 1877-1883 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series Reconstruction had ended with the Compromise of 1877, and Georgia wasted little time in imposing Jim Crow laws like the 1877 statewide poll tax. The poll tax had existed in a previous form, but the 1877 poll tax required voters to also pay any…
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Smith family history: Part 19
Reconstruction era – 1874-1877 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series The Scofield v. McNaught case was decided in the Georgia Supreme Court January term in 1874. I’m certainly no lawyer and will spare you my attempt to try and interpret the decision, but feel free to read through it yourself. It is interesting to…
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Smith family history: Part 18
Reconstruction era – 1871-1873 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series In the early 1870’s Atlanta was still rapidly rebuilding, including the commercial and retail area of downtown. The (first) Kimball House hotel began construction in March 1870 and was still underway in October of that year. The Kimball House was an important symbol of…
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Hope to action: Make Windows Safer, Day and Night
Part of the ‘Hope to action’ series The following is mirrored from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds.” I will add some additional localized context and resources below. The challenge: Up to 1 billion birds are estimated to die each year after hitting windows in the United States and Canada.…
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Smith family history: Part 17
Reconstruction era – 1870-1871 Part of the ‘Smith family history’ series Robert and Mary’s family was enumerated in the 1870 federal census on June 16, 1870. In addition to Robert, Mary (M C), son Eugene Everton (E E), and daughter Evelyn Alexander (E A) the census lists a 28 year old domestic servant, Lucia Turner,…
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