Second Friday Lecture: Spared and Shared: Saving History from the American Civil War

Friday, July 11  |  12pm – 1pm  |  Presented by: William Griffing

When William Griffing (“Griff”) retired 15 years ago, he dedicated himself to the preservation of American history. He uncovered a substantial volume of historical content hidden within letters and diaries from the Civil War era, much of which remained unpublished and unknown to the public. Most of this material was held by descendants or collectors. Griff will elucidate how he accessed these invaluable sources and made transcriptions accessible to the public through his Spared & Shared websites. He will also discuss how the materials he unearthed culminated in a recently published book on Abraham Lincoln, featuring contemporaneous accounts of the 16th President that had never been published before. Copies of his book, A Great and Good Man; Rare, First-Hand Accounts & Observations of Abraham Lincoln will be available for purchase for those who are interested.