Come See Me In Frankfort This Coming Saturday.

Rachael tells me there are still a few tickets left for "American Whiskey 101 with Charles Cowdery" at Capital Cellars, 227 W. Broadway, Frankfort, Kentucky, this Saturday, April 28, from 4 to 6 PM.

The class will be an introduction to bourbon and other American whiskeys, but we'll get as 'advanced' as the class wants and time permits.

You’ll learn what whiskey is, how it compares to other distilled spirits, and how American whiskey compares to other world whiskeys, such as scotch, Canadian, and Irish. Production methods, recipes, tasting techniques, and history are all covered.

And we will taste four, maybe five whiskeys (Class Theme: "All Bourbon, All 100 proof and Above"). The class will be informal and student participation is encouraged. You'll also have a chance to buy copies of my book, Bourbon, Straight, and my DVD documentary, "Made and Bottled in Kentucky."

Cost is $30 ($25 for Cru Club Members). Contact Rachael Peake at Capital Cellars, 502-352-2600, for more information.

Cowdery Farms Three Sisters Pizza.

While my wrist heals, I'll have other family members carry some of the freight here on the blog. One benefit of having an unusual surname is knowing that most other people who have it are related to you in some way.

In this case, Larry and I share Ethan Cowdery (1788-1848), whose parents brought their family to Southeastern Ohio in 1808 from Hartland, Connecticut. Ethan was my great-great-great-grandfather.

The family settled in what is now Meigs County. Larry's branch stayed. Mine left in about 1886. My link to Ethan, his son Josiah, seems to have forsaken farming for town life. According to Josiah's eldest son, who left, they lived in Coolville, Ohio.

I don't actually know Larry and Kim, although I have corresponded with them and with Larry's parents. This is a story about a pizza made with vegetables grown on their farm.

After 207 Years, Bodies Of 13 Americans Still In Libya.

I've written before, here and here, about my family connection to an obscure bit of American history.

Dr. Jonathan Cowdery's father and my great-great-great-great-great grandfather were brothers. Dr. Cowdery was ship’s surgeon on the U.S.S. Philadelphia, which ran aground while fighting pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. Three-hundred officers and sailors were captured and imprisoned in Tripoli. Thirteen officers and sailors were killed trying to rescue them. Dr. Cowdery identified the remains and supervised their burial in Green Square.

They're still there.

In the earliest of those two previous posts, I linked to a newspaper article that is no longer up. Here, instead, is a link to another account of the story on the "Remember the Intrepid" web site. It is run by Bill Kelly, who knows all about this stuff, especially the part about the remains of the 13 Americans still buried there. Although people in Libya have a lot going on right now, efforts to repatriate the remains continue, according to Kelly.

Dr. Jonathan Cowdery and the Heroes Of Tripoli

Dr. Jonathan Cowdery is the second most famous Cowdery in history. No, I'm not #1. That honor belongs to Oliver Cowdery, the Second Elder of the Mormon Church, Mormon founder Joseph Smith's right hand man during the church's earliest days.

Oliver and Jonathan were first cousins from a large family. Another of the first cousins was Jacob Cowdery Junior, my great great great great grandfather.

On September 5, 1804, the bodies of 13 men of the USS Intrepid washed ashore and were buried at Tripoli, Libya. 

The U.S. Navy was there to fight pirates.

The unmarked graves of the 13 officers and sailors are 720 feet south-southeast of the Red Castle's walls, a few feet below Green Square. The officers were identified by Jonathan, who was ship’s surgeon for the Philadelphia, whose Captain Bainbridge and his 300-man crew were being held in the castle dungeon. Jonathan and a party of prisoners from the Philadelphia buried the men together, marking the graves one cable’s length south from the castle walls.

According to sailing manuals of the day, one cable length is listed as 720 feet.

Jonathan and the other prisoners were eventually released. The story of the Heroes of Tripoli is largely known through the journal Jonathan kept and published upon his return.

Oliver's most famous work is also a book, The Book of Mormon, for which he was the principal scribe.

As a writer, I have a lot to live up to.