Tag Archives: #HistoryMatters

An Interesting Sidebar

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Today’s post is a bit of a sidebar. If you follow our site, you are familiar with the ‘Laws of Base Ball’, especially Doc Adams’ handwritten 1st draft. However, you may or not be aware that their provenance passes through Princess Constance Wilcox Pignatelli. She was the granddaughter of William H. Grenelle, who penned the formal copy of the Laws. William H. Grenelle and his wife, Julia Porter Huntington had seven children: Constance Wilcox was the daughter of Mary Hobart Grenelle and George Augusta Wilcox. She married Prince Guido Pignatelli di Montecalvo of Italy, which is how she became a … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (part 4)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “He was often asked in later years how the …

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Talk About Big Shoes To Fill

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It’s always a challenge for children to live up to their celebrity relatives. This article in the “Argus and Patriot” (Montpelier, VT) dated August 28, 1895 illustrates that this is not a new phenomenon. The article is a recount of a game between National Life Insurance Company and the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company. The game was played on Seminary Hill in Montpelier, Vermont on a rather inc…

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The 2026 Annual Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival

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The 2026 Annual Doc Adams Old Time Base Ball Festival was held on August 8-9 at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. In 2015, this longest running annual vintage base ball festival of its kind was renamed in honor of Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams. This year’s festival once again lived up its reputation as a must see for baseball fans, history buffs, and anyone looking for a day of outdoor fun. Even though it was a hot and humid weekend, and not the traditional 1st weekend in August, the ballists and cranks fully enjoyed the weekend, with a great time was had … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (part 3)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “In the interest of uniformity it seemed wi…

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Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (part 2)

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Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “The first five years of the existence of …

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Happy 13th Birthday DocAdamsBaseBall.org!

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The Doc Adams Base Ball website celebrated its 13th birthday! It’s been a fun, exciting, and rewarding ride – one that will continue until Doc and his contributions are well known by baseball fans. Hopefully, this will result in his having a plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s gallery. A lot has happened just since this website was established 13 years ago. An engaging and memorable interview of Doc Adams (Marjorie Adams) at SABR’s 6th Annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference in Cooperstown…. Selection of Doc Adams as SABR’s 2014 Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend…the longest … Continue reading →

Memories Of The Father Of Base Ball (Part 1)

Doc Adams Base Ball (Official) Posted on by

Buffalo, New York August 1939 Written by: Roger Cook Adams “During the present year when the centennial of the first out-break of base ball is being celebrated at Cooperstown, it may be of interest to record the important part played in the development of the game by an early member of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York.” … “The Knickerbockers were unquestionably th…

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Doc Adams – SABR’s Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend

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On July 31, 2014, Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams (1814 – 1899) was selected as the 19th Century Overlooked Baseball Legend by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). This recognition came in the bi-centennial of his birth. Each year SABR honors a 19th century player, manager, executive or other baseball personality not yet inducted into the National Baseball Hall of…

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Baseball Americana At The Library Of Congress

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Doc Adams’ “Laws of Base Ball” (page 1) In 2018, The Library of Congress hosted the Baseball Americana exhibition. The ‘Laws of Base Ball” authored by Doc Adams was the centerpiece of this major, year-long exhibition. The exhibition explored baseball’s past and present and how the game forged a sense of community for players and fans across the country. “The founding documents of…

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