“A good cause will make a coward Brave.”

A blog about the late 18th Century and the American Revolution (mainly focusing on the aides of Washington and Steuben).

[secondcarddown]

Guys!! I’m going to be seeing a letter written by John Laurens and a letter by the Baron von Steuben in person tomorrow!! Plus the Steuben letter is about Fairlie!!

I’m so excited!!

[secondcarddown]

Whilst looking for Middle Temple Lane, I accidentally stumbled upon the church where Frances Eleanor Laurens and Francis Henderson were married!

[secondcarddown]

Whilst we’re on the subject of the Mannings, earlier this year, I travelled to London to see the Tower (specifically where Henry Laurens was kept), the site of the Carolina Coffee House (Birchin Lane), and St. Andrew Undershaft! Here are the pictures I took of St Andrew Undershaft, the church where Frances Eleanor Laurens, daughter of Martha Manning and John Laurens, was baptised, and also where Elizabeth Ryan Manning was burried. Immediately to your right upon entrance, you can see a plaque on the wall in Elizabeth’s memory (the plaque was erected by Martha Manning’s brother, William Manning).

[secondcarddown]

Okay, so I’ve always believed Martha Manning Laurens’ middle name to be Weathered, due to its mention in the 1909 edition of ‘Caribbeana : being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiques of the British West Indies,’ but recently I’ve realised that perhaps her middle name was actually Weatherell?

I mean, on her marriage certificate, it states ‘Martha Weatherell Manning’ to be her name twice, and it was signed by both William and Elizabeth Manning (her parents), herself, and John Laurens, so you’d think that if it had been spelt incorrectly at least one of them would have noticed.

Meanwhile, Caribbeana also claims that Martha married “Colonel Laurens, President of American Congress,” which would actually be referring to Henry Laurens rather than John Laurens, so it’s certainly off in that regard. It also neglects to mention Frances Eleanor Laurens (her daughter), her sons-in-law, or Francis Henderson Jr. (her grandson).

To conclude, I think the more likely option is that her middle name was in fact Weatherell. I’d better get to changing her name in my notes!

[secondcarddown]

Hi there! I’m not quite sure how to start this post, so I’ll just cut to the chase!

I’m SecondCardDown, a Computer Science student and general AmRev nerd! I predominantly research and write about the aides-de-camp during the Revolution (specifically those to Generals George Washington and the Baron von Steuben).

My favourite historical figures to write about at this point in time are:

- John Laurens

- Richard Kidder Meade

- Tench Tilghman

- James McHenry

- Alexander Hamilton

- The Old Secretary (a.k.a. Robert Hanson Harrison)

- Deborah Sampson

- Pierre Du Ponceau

- Benjamin Walker

- William North

I also enjoy researching and writing about the Martha Laurens' (Martha Laurens Ramsay and Martha Manning Laurens) and a few of the generals of the revolution too (namely George Washington, the Marquis de la Fayette, and the Baron von Steuben)!

Aside from the AmRev and the 18th Century in general, I also enjoy writing about the ancient Phoenicians, the Titanic era, and a little on LGBT+ history as well.

In terms of other accounts, I have a Wattpad account where I write about the AmRev and an Instagram account where I do weekly quizzes and posts on the 18th century (same username as here)!

I hope everyone reading has a nice day! :-)