The old family photo of Eliza Crittenden dressed in her Black Death Star eventing wear has always intrigued me as a young historian trying to locate lost family history.
At the time of my visiting local re-enactment events of both the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the American Civil War, I gathered information that I later put to use weaving the life of Eliza Crittenden.
Just image the time it took to make this totally black dress. First you would wait for the black walnuts to fall to the ground in late fall, then take the hull and boil it down to a black, thick liquid to dye the wool from the sheep that had to be soon into wool. It took awhile to let the wool soak in the black walnut base then let it dry, then cut into shape.
There is also a connection with the Grant family in Crittenden, KY. This is still a gathering place for present day generations.
This is a photo of the rare books department located at the J.R. Clarke public library in Covington, OH.
I ask myself, why are Confederate soldiers in Toronto, Ontario during the Civil War? Why is there a Crittenden- LaBoiteaux family connection is all of this. I have learned about this at the Covington, Ohio library.
