Latest news with #CivilWar-era
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of President John Tyler, dies at age 96
Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the grandson of John Tyler, the 10th U.S. president, has died at the age of 96. Harrison Tyler died May 25, according to a statement shared by the Sherwood Forest Plantation Foundation, which operates the Tyler family's historic home in Virginia. "A beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him. His accomplishments in business changed the lives of countless employees of ChemTreat, the company he co-founded in 1968," the foundation shared in a statement on Facebook. Jimmy Carter, 39Th President Of The United States, Dead At 100 "His love of history and his birthplace, Charles City County, VA, led him to preserve both Sherwood Forest, President Tyler's home, and Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War fortification nearby. He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him." In 2012, Harrison Tyler had a series of small strokes and developed dementia, according to the National Archives. Read On The Fox News App Harrison Tyler was born Nov. 9, 1928. His grandfather, President John Tyler, was in office from 1841 to 1845. Harrison Tyler was the son of Lyon Gadiner Tyler and Sue Ruffin in Richmond, Virginia. Harrison Tyler's father was born on Aug. 24, 1853, when President Tyler was 63 years old, which explains how a grandchild of the president from almost 200 years ago would still have been alive. Fred Harris, Former Democratic Senator From Oklahoma And Presidential Candidate, Dies At 94 Harrison Tyler graduated from William and Mary, the same university where his father was the president for over 30 years, and Virginia Tech, where he studied chemical engineering. In 1968, Tyler and his business partner, William P. Simmons, opened a water treatment company called ChemTreat. After founding ChemTreat, Harrison Tyler acquired the historic plantation Sherwood Forest, which once belonged to his grandfather, and oversaw its restoration. Today, the plantation is open to the public. Harrison Tyler also paid for the preservation of Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War-era fort built by Black soldiers of the Union's U.S. Colored Troops, which is near Sherwood Forest. At William and Mary, students and other guests can attend the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History, which was named in his honor after he donated books and $5 million. Harrison Tyler's wife, Frances Payne Bouknight Tyler, died in 2019, and his brother, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr., died in 2020, making Harrison Tyler the last living grandchild of the 10th president. Harrison Tyler is survived by his three children and multiple grandchildren. The president's birth and his grandson's death were separated by 235 article source: Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of President John Tyler, dies at age 96
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Rumer Willis dreaming of teaming up with mum Demi Moore for action film
Rumer Willis dreams of teaming up with her mother Demi Moore in an action-packed movie. The 36-year-old actress daughter of Bruce Willis is currently promoting her latest film 'Trail of Vengeance' – a Civil War-era Western in which she stars as a gun-slinging widow on a quest for retribution. She has now told People about her future movie dreams: 'I would love to do an action movie with (my mother.) That would be so fun.' Rumer's new film, directed by Johnny Remo and co-written by Daniel Backman, was released in select US theatres and on VOD on 23 May. Set in 1875, the film features the actress alongside Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jeff Fahey, Eric Nelson and Graham Greene. Rumer said her passion for action roles was reignited during filming. She added: 'I felt like a little kid when I found out I got it.' Describing shoot-'em-up Westerns as her 'dream job,' she also said: 'I'm such a huge fan of 'Yellowstone', '1883'.' The actress – who is the eldest daughter of Demi Moore, 62, and 69-year-old Bruce Willis, who has been battling dementia for years – said her desire to work with her mum is rooted in admiration both personal and professional. 'As a daughter and then also as an actor, as a peer, it's been such an exciting time to see her finally receive awareness and accolades,' she said, referring to Demi's recent Oscar nomination for her performance in 'The Substance'. She added: 'I feel excited as a daughter, but also excited to just watch what she does next.' Rumer also credited her father's Hollywood legacy in the action genre as another motivating factor. 'My dad is such an action man,' she said, referencing Bruce Willis's roles in franchises such as 'Die Hard' and 'Red'. Rumer added: 'My mom's done her fair share (of action) as well. 'Man, I have such a kooky Hollywood legacy.' Rumer also said her two-year-old daughter, Louetta – whom she co-parents with her ex-boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas – was unbothered by the sight of her mother covered in blood on set. She added: 'It didn't scare her. I was like, 'Man, I really know that you're a Willis girl'.'
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Grandson of 10th US President John Tyler, who left the White House 180 years ago, dies at 96
The grandson of the 10th President of the United States, John Tyler, has died at 96 — 180 years after his grandfather was last in the White House. Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the son of President Tyler's 13th child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler, died on Sunday evening at a Virginia nursing home, ending the last living link to an 18th-century presidential administration. When he was born on Nov. 9, 1928, his father was 75 years old. Having children into old age was a family trait, as President Tyler was 63 when Lyon he was born. President Tyler would go on to have two more children before he died in 1862 age 71. 4 Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of President John Tyler, has died at 96. WTVR Born into a prominent slaveholding Virginia family in 1790, John Tyler served as President William Henry Harrison's vice president on the Whig ticket in 1840. He became president after Harrison died just 31 days into his term. While in office, Tyler was a believer in manifest destiny, and signed a bill offering Texas statehood shortly before leaving office. 4 Tyler, the 10th US President, was born in 1790 and served one term in the White House between 1841 and 1845. Getty Images But he fell out with the Whig Party, who chose not to nominate him for reelection, instead opting for Henry Clay, who lost to the Democrat James K. Polk. He fathered more children than any other American president, including eight with his first wife, Letitia Christian, and seven with his second, Julia Gardiner, whom he married in 1844 — two years after Letitia died of a stroke. Harrison Ruffin Tyler was a feature of curiosity from a young age due to his ties to America's past. 4 President Tyler was 63 when his wife gave birth to Harrison's father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler. Getty Images At age 8, he was invited to the White House to meet FDR, and Lady Nancy Astor paid his $5,000 tuition fees at William & Mary College even though the two had never met. He also had a historic lineage on the side of his mother, Susan Ruffin Tyler, and was a direct descendant of Pocahontas. But despite that, he grew up poor during the Great Depression and, after graduating, he continued his education at Virginia Tech due to a lack of employment opportunities. In 1968, he founded the industrial water treatment company ChemTreat with his business partner William P Simmons, serving top clients such as Kraft and Philip Morris. 4 Harrison had been living in a Virginia nursing home when he died on Sunday. WTVR In 1975, he bought his grandfather's former home, Sherwood Forest Plantation, from relatives and restored it along with his wife, Francis Payne Bouknight Tylor. The property is now open to the public and operated by a foundation. It boasts not only 'the longest frame house in America' but is also home to a ghost known as the Gray Lady, who visitors claim to have heard for over 200 years. In 1996, Tyler bought and financed the preservation of Fort Pocahontas, a Civil War-era earthwork close to Sherwood Forest built by black Union soldiers. In 2001, he donated thousands of papers and books, along with $5 million of his own money, to William & Mary's history department, which was renamed in his honor in 2021, The Richmonder reported. Tyler's wife died in 2019, and he had been living in a nursing home in Richmond at the time of his death. He is survived by three children and numerous of grandchildren.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day ceremony marks 'solemn' remembrance for military fallen
Gathered beneath a large tent Monday, dozens of area residents marked Memorial Day at Sandyvale Memorial Gardens and Conservancy continuing a generations-long tradition in the city of Johnstown. 'I ask you to find meaning in your life for those who gave all in service of our country,' retired U.S. Army Col. Jeff Pounding said. He served as this year's keynote speaker on the hallowed grounds which previously served as a cemetery and had Revolutionary and Civil War-era soldiers interred there. Pounding is a decorated service member who told the crowd that Memorial Day is a 'solemn' occasion for him in which communities come together to commemorate the valor of those who gave their lives for their country. Dozens of people attended the event on the cool May morning, including several veterans from nearly every branch of the military. James A. Clark was one of those people. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and said after the ceremony that Memorial Day is a reminder to him that people of all races and creeds have allied in defense of the United States and paid the ultimate price in doing so. Clark has attended the Johnstown event for decades, having started when he was a boy and his father, James. F. Clark, a U.S. Merchant Marine, would take him. 'Very inspirational,' he said. James Dudley, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1981, arrived shortly after the ceremony concluded but still wanted to pay his respects. 'These are all my brothers,' he said. 'The ones who didn't come home.' Memorial Day is an emotional day for Dudley, who said he always pays tribute to the fallen. Other speakers during the day including state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township, and Jason Minor, Junior Vice Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. 'We can truly never thank those that died in the line of duty so that we can remain free,' Langerholc said. He also told the crowd the story of U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Phillip Langerholc, his great uncle, who served during World War II. The elder Langerholc died in combat while fighting in the Pacific Theater, and the senator has the last letter his relative sent home before perishing. Wayne Langerholc said reading that letter and speaking Monday were earnest reminders of the price of freedom. Minor read Gen. John A. Logan's General Orders No. 11, otherwise known as the Memorial Day Order. Logan issued the directive on May 5, 1868, writing that the end of May would be reserved for 'the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.' 'In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit,' Minor read. Diana Kabo, president of the Sandyvale Cemetery Association Inc. and memorial gardens, said the Johnstown community has gathered at Sandyvale since 1886 when the holiday was formerly known as Decoration Day. Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune- Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
On This Date: A Once-Forgotten May Hurricane Struck Florida
A Civil War hurricane once made landfall in Florida before hurricane season started, and it wasn't widely known until a 21st century study brought it to light. On May 28, 1863, 162 years ago today, a Category 2 hurricane slammed ashore near Apalachicola, Florida. This is the first known May U.S. hurricane landfall on record. That was almost two weeks earlier than Hurricane Alma, which also made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on June 9, 1966, the next earliest U.S. hurricane landfall. The hurricane claimed 72 lives in Florida and another 38 lives at sea aboard the vessel Soler two days before landfall. A 2013 study by Michael Chenoweth and C.J. Mock rediscovered this once-forgotten Civil War-era U.S. hurricane. Poring through ship records, including those from the Union Navy blockading the Gulf Coast, as well as local newspaper accounts and other weather records, the study found a tropical storm formed on May 25, then turned north as a hurricane beginning on May 27, before its May 28 sunrise landfall. The hurricane was named "Amanda" after a Union ship driven ashore. According to the study, acting Volunteer Lieutenant George Welch claimed to see Confederate troops and, thus, ordered the ship to be abandoned. But a court the following month failed to turn up evidence of Confederate troops. It's a reminder that more impactful tropical storms and hurricanes can happen even this early in the calendar. Thirteen years ago today, Tropical Storm Beryl very nearly reached hurricane status when it came ashore near Jacksonville Beach just after midnight. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
