About Me

About Me

Hello and welcome to Defending the Legacy!  My name is Jordan Jachim and this is my blog.  I’m glad that you stopped by.  This is primarily a history blog, where I feature paintings and historical essays that mostly focus on 1660-1783.

Why history?

I’ve loved history since I was 4.  I learned to read early and read voraciously.  Two history books that I especially enjoyed in my early years were Armstrong Sperry’s John Paul Jones, Fighting Sailor and Leonard Everett Fischer’s Picture Book of Revolutionary War Heroes. 

Me at Fort Michilmackinac 2012.  Photo credit: my mom.

My love of history continued through grade school and into 2009, when I discovered that it was the 250^th anniversary of the French and Indian War.  Upon learning that a reenactment of the battle of Quebec had been cancelled, I was propelled into learning more.  This would ultimately spark a blog post on the subject: http://faithful-legacy.blogspot.com/2009/09/celebrating-gods-providential-hand-at.html.  Much to my surprise, it quickly became well-trafficked (as of January 2016, this post has seen 1335 views) and ultimately led to launching a blog specifically about history.

Why the name?

As I study history, I have found that many modern historians are quick to point out the bad deeds that history’s main characters have committed.  And indeed, people in the past were not perfect (just like people today are not perfect).  But I fear that in a quest to make history’s heroes more “human”, their heroic accomplishments have been minimized.  Sometimes their good deeds are deliberately hidden so that the historian or author can preach his political or social agenda.  This is contrary to the 9^th Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”  Here on Defending the Legacy, the goal is to give an honest Christian perspective on history and its characters.  This blog certainly is not infallible, but it attempts to truthfully recount history without any deliberate errors.

The Journey of Defending the Legacy

In May of 2010, Defending the Legacy was begun to provide a space where I could write about history and other subjects.  This year will mark the 6^th year that Defending the Legacy has been running and some things have changed in that time.  I have begun adding footnotes and sources to my historical essays, rather than just blogging historical quotes.  One thing that has remained constant, however, is that each post (with only a few exceptions) is illustrated with paintings, engravings, and sometimes photographs.

Volunteering as a tour guide for a local museum.
The outfit is an original uniform that they own.
Photo credit: my dad.

Blogging has allowed me both to write and to interact with other history lovers.  One of my readers (who is a blogger herself) wisely noted in a comment that “blogging is … a very communal activity, and we are interdependent with all those who read and comment. So in some ways, we are almost public servants!”  And I have found this to be a true observation.  Nothing encourages me more than seeing that someone read and is interacting with what I have written.

Is this blog just about history?

No, certainly not!  On Defending the Legacy, I have published short stories, theological musings, some personal anecdotes and even Lego creations.  Nevertheless it would be fair to say that probably 85%-90% is about history.

What do you do when you’re not blogging?

I am currently studying for a B.A. in History and running a company named Through All Ages LLC (https://www.wargamevault.com/browse/pub/14586/Through-All-Ages-LLC), which creates  paper soldiers and historical regimental flags.  Sometimes I volunteer as a tour guide for a local historical museum.  In my spare time, I enjoy reading books, painting military miniatures (a.k.a. toy soldiers), and organizing things.