Mossy Feet Books – Author Paul R. Wonning
Books About Indiana History, United States History and Garden Guides
Colonial justice was harsh and quick. Just over one year after Oglethorpe founded Savannah in 1733 indentured servants Alice Riley and her boyfriend, Richard White allegedly murdered their master William Wise, becoming the first murderers in the fledgling settlement. The first hanging came just weeks after the murder. Continue reading Podcast – The First Woman Hanged In Georgia
First Blacks Land at Jamestown Virginia
Sometime in late August, 1619 a ship docked at Jamestown bearing a cargo of blacks. The probable origin of these people was Angola, Africa. Thus, the first blacks had arrived in the New World. The status of these people is unknown. The institution of slavery did not exist yet. Many historians feel that these blacks served as indentured servants for a period. There are records that blacks received awards of land in later years, lending credence to that theory. Continue reading Podcast – First Blacks Land at Jamestown Virginia
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado had explored large areas of what would become America’s Southwest in 1540 – 1542. Spain had never followed up on this great expedition. King Phillip II of Spain decided to end this neglect by charging explorer Juan de Oñate with the mission of exploring this region on September 21, 1595. Continue reading Juan de Oñate Expedition to the Great Plains
Greetings, today I will conclude the tale of the Roanoke settlement in Virginia Continue reading John White Returns to Roanoke
The last episode related how Richard Grenville returned to Roanoke Island to find the colony deserted, as Sir Walter Raleigh had rescued the beleaguered settlers some days before Grenville arrived with fresh supplies. This episode is the conclusion of the tale of Roanoke Island. Continue reading Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke Colony Part 2
Sir Humphrey Gilbert Ill-fated Attempt To Settle Newfoundland
Native to Devon, England, Sir Humphrey Gilbert attended Oxford where he received training in the military and navigational arts. He joined the British military and served at the siege of Le Havre on the French coast where he was wounded. He and Sir Walter Raleigh were half brothers. Continue reading Podcast – Sir Humphrey Gilbert And His Ill Fated Attempt To Settle Newfoundland
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s fleet departed San Miguel de Culiacán on their quest to explore what the area of the Colorado River on April 22, 1540. Hernando de Alarcón would depart by ship in May. The plan was for Alarcón to find the mouth of the Colorado River, sail up it and rendezvous with Coronado’s overland expedition. Continue reading Podcast – Coronado’s Search For The 7 Cities Of Gold
Hernando de Soto lived from October 21, 1496 until May 21, 1542. His parents were members of a minor Spanish nobility class called Hildagos. As nobility, they would pay no taxes, however they had little property. He spent his childhood migrating with his family between 3 towns in southwest Spain. As he matured, he attended the University of Salamanca, courtesy of a family friend’s generosity. During his early life tales of the adventures of the Spanish conquistadors circulated widely among the people. Intrigued by the possibility of wealth and fame, he decided to become one of these adventurers. Continue reading Podcast – Hernando De Soto’s Expedition to the Mississippi River
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor granted Spanish conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez a license to claim the gulf coast of what is now the United States. Continue reading Podcast – Pánfilo de Narváez Explorations
By the time of da Verrazzano’s expedition many began to suspect that Columbus had not visited Asia. Instead he had found an entirely new land. German geographers Martin Waldseemuller and Matthias Ringmann published a map in 1507 that depicted the discoveries as part of a new world in 1507. Continue reading Podcast – The Explorations of Giovanni da Verrazzano
His small fleet included four ships and departed on May 9, 1502. His stepbrother Bartolomeo, Diego Mendez, and his 13-year-old son Fernando accompanied him. During the final leg of the voyage, he encountered a hurricane that was brewing, so he did stop at Hispaniola to warn the governor. The governor ignored his warning and sent a 28-ship fleet laden with treasure on its way. The ships did encounter the hurricane, which sank 24 of the 28 ships. Columbus had placed some of his possessions on one of the ships and this ship was one of the survivors. Continue reading Christopher Columbus’ Fourth Voyage, Death and His Wanderings After Death
Today I will talk about the first Spanish settlement in the New World and the conclusion of Columbus’ second voyage. Continue reading The First New World Spanish Settlement
About a month after Columbus’ ships departed Hispaniola a fierce storm blew up. Heavy winds tossed the ships on tall, angry waves. The storm’s intensity increased. Columbus, fearing that the ships would perish in the storm, prepared a written account of the voyage, rolled it up, sealed it with wax and stuck it in a bottle, which he corked and sealed with more wax. He hoped that if the ships sank, some account of the voyage would be found, he tossed the bottle into the raging seas. Continue reading Podcast – Columbus’ Crew Imprisoned, Released and the Return to Spain
Columbus and he crew reached Cuba on October 28, 1492. While there he did not find any gold, however he discovered the natives growing two crops that would generate much gold for the settlers that migrated to the New World in the coming decades, corn and tobacco. Continue reading Columbus on Cuba- Learns of Corn and Tobacco
My newest book release is a book titled Democracy in America – The Early Documents
By the time the American Revolution began Americans already had great experience in self-governing. The vast distance and time required to travel made this necessary Continue reading Podcast – Democracy in America – The Early Documents
Today the author discusses the completion of the Reconquista and the contract that would lead to great riches for Spain and a firm place in history for the previously obscure Christopher Columbus. Continue reading Reconquista Complete and Columbus Signs Contract
Greetings, today I will talk about the initial meeting between Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella and tell a little bit about Columbus’ life up to this point. Continue reading Podcast – Columbus Meets with Queen Isabella
In 1469 Spain was still a disunited nation. The Kingdom of Castile was the largest kingdom and occupied the region between Portugal and the Kingdom of Aragon. The Atlantic Ocean lay to the north and the Muslim region of Grenada lay to the south. The Kingdom of Aragon bordered Castile to the west and France to the northeast. The Pyrenees Mountains formed the Aragon/France boundary. The Mediterranean Sea lay to the southeast. Continue reading Events Leading to Columbus’ First Voyage
July 09, 1766 – Jonathan Mayhew Died – Originated the Phrase “No Taxation Without Representation”
The phrase that became the motto of American revolutionaries originated in a sermon given by clergyman Jonathan Mayhew in 1750 during a sermon he gave in Boston’s Old West Church. Continue reading Podcast – Great American History Stories – Conclusion
Greetings, today I will tell some more stories from my book, A Day in United States History – Book 1. This batch of stories are from July through December and are much shortened versions of the articles in the book. Continue reading Podcast – More Selected American History Stories
Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 