Bible study outlines, illustrations, et al
Josiah Bartlett was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1729. He was the fourth son of Stephen Bartlett. His mother’s maiden name was Webster. Daniel Webster was a cousin. His ancestors came from England during the seventeenth century. Young Bartlett did not have the opportunity to study at a college. His uncle, Dr. Webster, taught him…
John Hancock is the most well-known signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress. Later, Hancock served as the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. John Hancock: Early Years and Family John Hancock was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. When his father died, Hancock’s uncle Thomas raised him….
Elbridge Gerry was born at Marblehead, Massachusetts, on July 17, 1744. His father emigrated to America in 1730, where he became a merchant. He lived in Marblehead until he died in 1774. His peers respected him as a man of judgment and discretion. Young Elbridge attended Harvard College when he was fourteen. He wanted to…
Wife of John Hancock As the presiding officer of the Continental Congress of 1775, John Hancock was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence. This conferred upon his wife, Dorothy Quincy Hancock, the honor of being the wife of the first “signer.” Dorothy Quincy was the youngest of ten children of Judge Edmund…
The Controversy Protesters are tearing down historical statues, trying to diminish the history of Western civilization. History books, teachers, and professors denigrate famous men who once served as virtuous exemplars. One target of revisionists is Christopher Columbus (1451–1506). After discovering New World, European immigrants flooded into North and South America. Some revisionists teach that Columbus…
Birth and Education Firstly, John Adams was born on October 19, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts. His father noticed that Adams had a strong aptitude for learning. Consequently, his father hired Mr. Marsh as Adams’ teacher. Mr. Marsh also taught several students who played a large part in the American Revolution. Adams later graduated from Harvard…
Character is not made in a crisis; it is only exhibited. The best way to be somebody is just be yourself. A good man, like a bouncing ball, springs ever upward from a fall. Big people are those who make us feel bigger when we are with them. God allows U-turns. How a man plays…
Joni Eareckson shares her privilege of suffering in her book, Joni. She tells about her paralysis as a teenager and her amazing fight to a useful and productive life of ministry through her art. This is from the preface of the book: “Isolated by itself, what is a minute? Merely a measurement of time. There…
Beverly Sills, operatic great, tells of her two severely handicapped children in her pictorial autobiography, Bubbles. Her own natural daughter is deaf and her stepdaughter is also severely handicapped. She writes: “I was now only thirty-four, but a very mature thirty-four. In a strange way my children had brought me an inner peace. The first…
Dandelions, a common weed, can be frustrating to gardeners. A gardener took great pride in caring for his lawn. But one year it grew full of dandelions. He tried every method and product to get rid of them, but nothing worked. Exasperated, he wrote the Department of Agriculture, explaining all he had done. “What shall…