Probably few know that Abraham Lincoln had a close relationship with the Jewish-American community. Many Jews held Lincoln in high esteem, particularly after his stern revocation of an 1862 military order issued under Ulysses S. Grant, expelling Jews from a wide area covering Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi, due to unwarranted suspicion of black market dealings. Dr. Gary P. Zola, Executive Director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives at Hebrew Union College, will discuss this fascinating and very little-known facet of Abraham Lincoln’s life. Dr. Zola recently published a book on this topic, We Called him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry (Southern Illinois University Press 2014).

Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann (Speaking Saturday, 10/10/2015 – “War within a War: The Sioux Uprising of 1862”)

Dr. Tolzmann, a noted local author and German-American history specialist, will enlighten us on a Civil War event many may not be aware of: The Sioux Uprising of 1862 in Minnesota. He will talk about how a large group of German-American settlers, a good number of whom came from the Tri-State area, became unexpectedly embroiled in a battle with the once peaceful nearby Sioux Indian tribe. What compounded the conflict even more was that most all Federal troops normally stationed in the area were now engaged in Civil War battles hundreds of miles away. Dr. Tolzmann translated and edited a memoir recounting this horrible event, New Ulm, Minnesota: J. H. Strasser’s History & Chronology (Little Miami Pub. 2003). Dr. Tolzmann will have copies of this title and several other of his publications for sale following his talk.

Dr. Eric Jackson, Northern Kentucky University (Speaking Saturday, 10/24/2015 – “Local Origins of the Underground Railroad, Part 2”)

Dr. Jackson, Director of Black Studies at Northern Kentucky University, continues his fascinating discussion on the formation of the Underground Railroad right here in the local area.  Dr. Jackson will give new historical meaning to the Ohio River, traditionally viewed as a valuable economic waterway. But, to enslaved African-Americans, crossing the Ohio was a gateway to freedom. However, even after crossing the Ohio, standing in the way were the enforcers of the Fugitive Slave Act and a substantial portion of southern Ohio that was sympathetic with the Confederacy. Dr. Jackson will discuss how, in reaction to these obstacles, hundreds of courageous citizens, both black and white, formed an intricate chain of secret safe houses and abodes in the local region that transported thousands of escaped African Americans into free territory. Dr. Jackson, along with Richard Cooper, recently co-wrote Cincinnati’s Underground Railroad (Arcadia Publishing 2014). Dr. Jackson will have copies of his book to sell and sign following the presentation.

Dr. Martin Johnson, Miami University (Speaking Saturday, November 7, 2015) – “Lincoln at Gettysburg”)