"Just a cautionary note, with regard to no birth certificate having been found for Ard Browning (neé Bolenbaugh)--The legal requirement for birth (and death) certificates was imposed state by state, over a period of many decades. I don't know what the situation was in Illinois, but I do know that my late mother-in-law, who was born in Kentucky in 1905, had no birth certificate--a fact which caused her considerable grief when she first applied for a passport. I also know that death certificates were not yet required in Nebraska when my great grandmother died in 1901, because I have looked in vain for such a record."

Good point. Unfortunate, but true. -Editor

Last month Heidi Dehn asked for reference data on the value of currency in the Union and Confederacy for a story she is writing set in December of 1864 in Texas. -Editor

"None of the papers I am familiar with had that specific data. But I did find this page, which may help out:
https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1860-1869 ."

Thank you. Worth bookmarking. -Editor

"I have a question that is somewhat related to my enjoyment of this article: 1838 PROPOSED NATIONAL CURRENCY NOTE

"I was thinking about the very confusing element of reserves, settlement balances, CBDC etc. I assume that before there was a national currency, and many banks had their own banknotes, their must have been a settlement process. The banks would need to keep track of their notes, they would need to be exchanges of notes. There might even have been an exchange rate given the different quality of different banks.

"Has your fine website ever done a post, or edition exploring that dynamic?

"Thanks and keep up the great work!"

Thanks for your note - great question. Indeed, such settlements are a key part of the banking business, and still are as more and more transactions are done electronically. The industry has long established common clearinghouses to handle these settlements among multiple institutions. Here's one definition from the Encyclopaedia Britannica. -Editor