Interesting Things to Know
Stephens City’s most distinguished citizen lived a life worthy of all imitation
It is my humble opinion that too little attention has been given by local historians to the distinguished career of Dr. John Bell Tilden. Tilden spent the last 45 years of his life as a resident of Frederick County, leaving a lasting impression on the local church and civil government professions.
Dr. John Bell Tilden, son of Captain Richard and Anna (Meyer) Tilden, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 9, 1761 (gravestone reads 1762) and baptized in the Episcopal Church. He died July 31, 1838, in Stephensburg, now Stephen City, Virginia. He was a student at Princeton College studying medicine at the time of the Revolutionary war. He left college to join the Continental army, receiving a commission as ensign, May 28, 1779, in the Second Regiment Pennsylvania line, commanded by Colonel Walter Stewart. He was subsequently promoted to second lieutenant, his commission to date from July 25, 1780. His regiment left York, Pennsylvania, for the southern campaign in the spring of 1781 and he was present at the siege of Yorktown and surrender of General Cornwallis (was an officer appointed to receive the surrendered arms). At the close of the war he was honorably discharged and became a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati. During his entire service he kept a diary, which is now in the possession of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dr. John Bell Tilden by Frederick Kemmelmeyer, painted in Winchester in 1814. (Eleanor G. Shutter Collection, Stewart Bell Jr Archives, Handley Regional Library, Winchester VA)
Dr. John Bell Tilden married Jane Chambers on August 9, 1784. Jane was daughter of Joseph and Martha Chambers of York, Pennsylvania. Sometime after leaving the army in 1783, Tilden settled in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia). During that time, Tilden was converted to Christ in 1787 and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church there and soon became a layman and an active worker in evangelistic efforts.
He later relocated to Stephensburg, Frederick County about 1793, where he apparently studied medicine and secured a large and lucrative practice until the close of his life. Being a man of culture and extensive influence, Tilden was ordained to the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church on January 31, 1803 with George Reed and James Chipley as Bondsmen. Tilden was elected a Justice of the Peace and also High Sheriff of Frederick County (1795-1813). He occupied prominent positions in the state as well as the church; and by the exercise of justice and integrity in the discharge of his important duties, reflected credit and honor, both upon his ministerial and magisterial professions. Tilden bought a large two story log home in Stephens City sometime between 1801 and 1815. The house which Tilden named Bell Air, was built by the Lewis Stephens family in 1788 and still stands today.
John Bell Tilden purchased this large two story log home in Stephens City, (built in 1788) and named it Bell Air. Photos courtesy of Mark Gunderman
During the agitation of the question of lay representation, Tilden advocated the equal rights of the laity with the clergy in the legislative department of the church. For exercising these Scriptural and American rights, he and other prominent brethren were expelled from the M. E. Church in Stephensburg, in 1828. At his trial he was refused the privilege of reading his defense, so he informed the large assembly, that he would read it from the door steps after leaving the church. Nearly the entire congregation went with him leaving only his accusers behind. Tilden united with his expelled brethren and in the next year, 1829, assisted in organizing the Virginia Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church. In 1872 the M. E. church admitted its error by adopting lay representation into its polity.
The most complete account of Rev. John Tilden’s preaching ability was published in 1880. That year Sketches of the Founders of the Methodist Protestant Church, and its Bibliography by Thomas H. Colhouer, included this description regarding Tilden:
“As a reformer, Tilden was like Paul and Luther, bold, earnest, and outspoken, laboring with both tongue and pen to defend and advance the cause of the New Testament equality in the ministry. He promoted the indisputable rights of the laity to representation in the free Gospel Church of Christ. Tilden was a contributor and industrious circulator of the Mutual Rights Magazine, the organ of the Reform party in the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Rev John B. Tilden was a fine preacher of noble and dignified bearing, chaste in style, pure in diction, graceful in manner, and a profound and earnest profounder of the Word of God. In his holy life, fervent zeal and spotless character, he set an example that was worthy of all imitation.”
Early Days and Methodism in Stephens City, Virginia, by Inez Virginia Steele, first published in 1906 includes an account of a Methodist Dinner Party. The dinner party was held in Rev. Elisha Phelps house in August 1802 at Stephensburg. There Rev. James Quinn described John Tilden as, “an interesting figure, somewhat robust but not corpulent, a fine, manly face, and smiling countenance.”
As a committed early Methodist he acknowledged the equity of all people before God. These democratic views of social order extended across the racial divide. Long before the abolitionist movement was an organized effort to end the practice of slavery in the United States, Dr. Tilden freed his slaves Lucy and her small child James in April 1806 and sent them to Liberia with one year’s provision.
Dr. Tilden will always be remembered as a veteran of the Revolutionary war, doctor and Methodist Minister. His spouse, Jane Chambers was born in York County, Pennsylvania, December 18, 1766 and died May 26 1827. In 1802, at the age of 35, Jane was described as an interesting lady with white hair as pure wool and eyes beaming with intelligence. They had ten children. Dr. Tilden and Jane are buried in the Tilden family plot at Stephens City UMC Cemetery.
Dr. John Bell Tilden gravestone at Stephens City United Methodist Church cemetery.
Buried in the Tilden family plot are:
- Anna Belle Tilden: Died 1819
- Jane Tilden: Died 1827
- Dr. John B. Tilden: Died 1838
- Lorenzo R. McLeod: Died Unknown
- Lorenzo T. McLeod: Died 1888
- Anna Bell Tilden McLeod: Died 1890
Interesting Things to Know
5 things to consider when choosing golf shoes
A good pair of golf shoes can go a long way to improving your game and increasing comfort while walking long distances on the course. Here are five things to consider when choosing a new pair.
1. Material. Leather is the most popular choice because it’s breathable, flexible, and stylish. Many leather shoes also come with a waterproof lining. Gore-Tex has many of the same benefits as leather but comes with a higher price tag, which may be worth it if you often play in wet or cold conditions. Polyester shoes are ideal for occasional golfers looking for value.
2. Style. Golf shoes range in style from Oxfords and sneakers to sandals and boots. The first thing to remember is that many golf courses have dress codes, so not all kinds may be suitable. Additionally, consider the golfing you do. For example, sneaker-style shoes may be great if you’re a casual golfer. If you often golf at business meetings, you may want to choose a more upscale style.
3. Spiked or spikeless. The decision between spiked or spikeless shoes comes down to climate and landscape. For instance, if you play in wet environments or on hilly courses, the enhanced grip of spiked shoes is hard to beat. Spiked shoes can be heavy but provide excellent overall support. Spikeless, however, are lightweight and can be worn off the course.
4. Laces. Traditional laces are the most popular because you can easily exact the fit of your shoe. However, Velcro fastenings and mechanical fittings are gaining popularity for their ease of use.
5. Size. Golf shoes usually fit tighter than everyday shoes to keep your foot secure and close to the ground. You should have no pain or pressure when walking and have about 1/4- or 1/2-inch of toe space.
Visit your local pro shop for personalized advice and fitting recommendations.
Interesting Things to Know
Spring revelry: An ancient and riotous tradition
Soon it will be that time of year that delights students and worries parents. Spring break is upon us.
Despite newer destinations like Cancun beginning to rival Florida’s dominance, Florida will see hundreds of thousands of revelers.
Since Connie Francis sang “Where the Boys Are” in the 1960 movie, things have changed. Breakers today have little more money and are more likely to be younger. Even high schoolers are joining the trek south.
Something about spring urges young people to get out, relax, and rejuvenate. It has been true since Socrates proposed a rite to welcome spring and allow young people to vent their energies. At the time, local Greeks complained that the hordes of celebrants had poor morals and caused hardship to the residents of seaside towns.
In the Middle Ages, armed bands of monks stopped the spring revelry. But in spite of many objectors, spring break went on through more modern times.
During WWI, American soldiers in France watched in wonder as Europeans temporarily halted spring offensives to party. From 1929 to 1959, America was too busy with the Great Depression, World War II, and rebuilding. In the 1960s, however, spring break was back and more riotous than ever.
By the 1980s, the ritual had evolved and grown somewhat, and record numbers of students broke their parents’ pocketbooks by going south.
There is some good news. Since the 1990s, overindulgence has eased up, and corporate sponsors are helping with entertainment that includes concerts, shows, and giveaways.
Interesting Things to Know
Scientists create liquid terminator robot (on a small, non-murderous scale)
In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the heroes flee from the T-1000 terminator, a liquid metal murder-bot, in a psychiatric prison.
As the T-1000 pursues them down a hall, it’s seemingly stopped by barred gates. Except the terminator melts straight through the bars, barely losing a step.
Go figure.
Scientists at China’s Sun Yat-Sen University have made a small robot that, like the T-1000, can turn liquid and then reform back as a solid. They even recreated the eerie through-the-bars scene, jailbreaking a Lego-shaped bot from a barred cell.
How? Scientists created a Lego figurine made of liquid metal. Then, using magnets, they melted the figurine down, allowing the tiny robot to slip through a set of bars. This was achieved using a metal called gallium, which has a melting temperature of just 86 degrees F. They then embedded magnetic metals within the liquid metal, allowing them to heat up the gallium with magnetic fields, turning it into liquid. After that, the liquid was moved using magnets, and the original Lego-shaped robot was reformed. Scientists have labeled the bot a magnetoactive solid-liquid phase transitional machine.
Mind you, the current liquid robot is far from a sentient killing machine.
Scientists think this may have more benign uses, such as using the liquids to encapsulate objects, say a sharp piece of metal, in the body. Once encapsulated, the objects can be more safely evacuated from the body.
Interestingly enough, the biggest inspiration for the liquid robot was not science fiction but instead science-fact. Real-life sea cucumbers can alter their own rigidity to reduce physical damage and increase their weight-bearing capabilities. Meanwhile, octopuses aren’t quite liquid but can change their rigidity to squeeze through tight spaces, among other things.
Interesting Things to Know
How to prepare for the 2023 golf season
Spring is in the air, so golf season is just around the corner! Here are a few tips to make your transition back to the green as seamless as possible.
1. Strengthen your muscles. Develop a consistent workout routine to help you improve your performance and reduce the risk of injury. Look up golf-specific exercises and stretches to make the most of your time.
2. Practice your short game. Set up an area in your home, like your basement or garage, where you can work on putting and perfecting your golf swing. Your goal should be to practice at least half an hour a week.
3. Invest in a golf club fitting. Using custom-fit equipment for your golf game can significantly improve your experience. A professional can help you find the right clubs for your swing, body type, and ability level.
4. Re-grip your golf clubs. Slick or worn grips can cause control and accuracy problems. Therefore, hiring a golf retailer or qualified club fitter to re-grip your worn-out clubs is an excellent idea.
It may also help to watch online videos, attend a golf training seminar, or play a few casual rounds at your local golf course. You’ll improve your game and keep up with the latest rules.
Interesting Things to Know
Life is short. Change from average to awesome
If you want to change your life for the better, there are a lot of things you can do. But did you know you can actually change your life by changing your mindset?
Are you ready to take control of your life? This is the ultimate goal of self-improvement. And in order to achieve it, you need to learn how to change your mindset.
We all want to change our lives from average to awesome. But how do you do it? If you’re like me, you probably just keep plugging away and hoping things will get better.
That’s a good thing to do, but what if there was another way? What if there were a simple set of steps to change your life from average to awesome in just a few days?
Are you feeling stuck in a rut with no real plan for your future? Do you feel like life just keeps throwing you curve balls that you can’t seem to catch?
This is what happens when you’re a normal person who spends too much time in front of a screen.
You get addicted to checking your phone, watching TV, browsing Reddit, and spending time on social media.
Then, you start feeling like you’re not making any progress. You’re still stuck in the same routine, and nothing seems to be changing.
So, you spend all your free time working on self-improvement projects – reading books, taking courses, and doing a lot of research.
And then you think to yourself, “Is this all I’m going to accomplish with my life? Is it possible to change my life?”
Yes, it is possible.
But it will take hard work and commitment, and it will take some effort.
Define Your Identity
Your personality isn’t something that’s determined by some random factor in your brain. Rather, it’s something that you’ve consciously chosen for yourself.
Your identity is something that you’ve built up over time. When you get to the point where you’re a bit older, you’ll notice that your identity has changed over the years.
For example, when you were young, you thought of yourself as a typical kid. You thought you’d grow up to become just like everyone else.
As you grew up, your identity started to change. You began to develop your own sense of self. You knew who you were and what you believed in.
This is why people tend to stay the same for so long, but later in life, they start changing their mindsets as they evolve.
If you want to change your mindset, you need first to define it. You’ll have to define your identity consciously, as it’s something you’ll have to work on.
Before you can define your identity, you need to know who you are, what your beliefs are, and where you stand in life. If you can do that, you’re already a step ahead of the game.
Defining your identity will be one of the most difficult things you’ll ever have to do, but it can be the most rewarding. Once you know who you are and where you stand, you’ll know what kind of person you need to be in order to succeed.
You’ll be able to see where you’re weak and where you’re strong, and you’ll be able to work on improving your weaknesses, and you’ll be able to work on creating your strengths.
It’s all about building up your strength and your identity. Don’t worry if it takes a while to get there.
Master Your Mindset
How many times have you seen a successful person do something that seemed completely random? Perhaps they were speaking to a group of people, and while talking, they suddenly picked up a pen and started writing on the back of an envelope.
When the rest of us saw this happen, we would probably think that they were crazy and would get in trouble. In fact, that’s exactly what people thought about Einstein when he began working on his theory of relativity.
Yet, Einstein was the genius we know today. He was able to turn his random acts of insanity into a breakthrough that would forever change the world.
It’s your mindset that can make or break your life. It’s your mind that decides how you view the world, whether you’re pessimistic or optimistic, whether you’re happy or not. It’s your mind that decides whether you have the courage to act and follow your dreams.
We see the world through our minds. If you don’t like the way the world is, your mind is the one that makes it so. Your mind can bring happiness and success into your life, or it can kill and destroy it.
That’s why it’s so important to have a positive mindset. It will determine everything that you do and the results you get. Even if you’re not a naturally positive person, you can still become one through sheer willpower and dedication.
Your mindset can be changed with the proper mindset and mindset training techniques. If you want to live a happy life, you need to be a happy person, and it’s just as important to be a happy person as it is to be a successful person.
That’s why there are so many different types of positive thinking programs and techniques that you can try to improve your mindset and become more successful.
The key is to make sure that you pick the right one for you and your needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all type of positive thinking program, so be sure to make sure that you choose the one that will work best for you.
Do Small Things Consistently
It’s been said that if you want to succeed at something, you should be able to do it in 10 minutes or less. If you want to accomplish something in your life, it’s best to break down the task into smaller and simpler parts.
Successful people often do this. They take a large, intimidating goal and break it down into a series of small tasks they can complete over time.
If you want to achieve anything in life, you should be able to do it in smaller chunks and make it a habit to get these small tasks done over and over consistently.
Instead of focusing on just one big goal, focus on many smaller goals. When you notice that you’re getting closer to your ultimate goal, you’ll also start to get closer to the smaller milestones you need to reach to get to it.
It can help to think of the process of achieving your goal as a marathon. You can’t run a marathon by sprinting from one-mile marker to the next. You need to take small strides and progress slowly in order to get from point A to point B.
As you gain momentum, you’ll be able to take those small steps more quickly, and you’ll be able to do so more consistently. It might not be easy to get started on something new, but you’ll find that once you get going, it’s easier to get through each day and build up your momentum.
If you’re always on the lookout for something new to do, you won’t get anywhere. Instead, try to break down your bigger goals into smaller ones, and make sure to work on those regularly. By working on the small things, you’ll be able to build up momentum in your life.
The key is to keep yourself consistent. You can’t just work one day and then not again because you’ll lose that momentum if you do. Keep your momentum up by making sure to work on the small things every single day.
Don’t take a break from your life. There’s a reason that they call it “breaking” a habit, and if you’re breaking a habit, then you’re actually building up a new one.
Change Your Mindset To Become A Successful Person
If you are feeling frustrated with how you live now, it’s time to stop being a victim and start being a victor.
You must decide that you will never be a victim again.
You must realize that no matter how hard you try, you will never change the world.
You have to realize that you are only responsible for yourself.
So, take a step towards success and change your mindset.
Interesting Things to Know
The IRS is watching digital ‘assets’
The Internal Revenue Service doesn’t consider cryptocurrency to be actual money. But it does consider it a valuable asset, and if you made dollars on bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, that money would be taxed.
On the other hand, following the $1.4 trillion crypto industry drop in value in 2022, you could get some tax relief if you had substantial losses, as many did.
Expect the IRS to pay close attention to crypto and other digital assets, such as NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The IRS now asks tax filers if: At any time during 2022, did you: (a) receive (as a reward, award, or payment for property or services); or (b) sell, exchange, gift, or otherwise dispose of a digital asset (or a financial interest in a digital asset)?
Congress also beefed up reporting requirements for exchanges and other organizations. While some reporting measures were delayed this year, expect more of a paper trail going forward.
It’s been a tough year for crypto trading, with one of the largest exchanges, FTX, imploding under the weight of alleged fraud and mismanagement. At one point, FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was considered a billionaire. Now he faces complicated legal battles and potentially long jail sentences. Many crypto traders have lost money this year, but regardless, Americans will need to report crypto income and losses to the IRS.
The crypto industry’s trillion-dollar losses in 2022 are believed to be greater than the nominal GDP of Spain in 2021, which was estimated at $1.28 trillion. Exchanges, investment funds, and others have been hit hard, with some organizations and individuals now all but bankrupt.
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