Dr. Marty Olliff's monthly column examines a World War 2-era military newspaper that can be found in the Wiregrass Archives at TROY's Dothan Campus.
In 2015, the Wiregrass Archives received a collection of newspapers published by the 31st “Dixie” Infantry Division beginning with issue 1, dated Jan. 10, 1941, and ending with issue 46, dated Nov. 24, 1941. Only issue 35 is missing.
A search of library and archival catalogs reveals no other holding of this camp newspaper.
The…
Dr. Marty Olliff looks at the extensive documents in the Henry County Records at the Wiregrass Archives, located at TROY's Dothan Campus.
Every genealogist, and everyone who has ever talked with a genealogist, knows the importance of probate records to family history work. In 19th century Alabama, the probate judge was the most powerful official in the lives of common citizens, and county probate offices hold an array of important records that tell us about our ancestors…
Dr. Marty Olliff's monthly dig through the Wiregrass Archives focuses on a major parade held in Dothan during the Great Depression.
The Great Depression had ravaged the United States for years when Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated president on March 4, 1933. His New Deal resulted in passage of 16 landmark bills in the first ever “Hundred Days” that ended on June 16.
On that 100th day, Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act, one…
Dr. Marty Olliff discusses the travel diary of Pauline "Polly" Burdeshaw, a Dothan socialite who defied societal norms by travelling the world.
Pauline (neé Byrd) Burdeshaw was an anomaly.
In an era when few women traveled far and most did not travel without their husbands, Polly, as she was known to her friends, made multiple trips in North America, South America, and Europe. Staying in high-end hotels and traveling by luxury steam liners, she met the famous…
