Herbert is president of the Fairfax County Historical Society and author of the recently published book, “God Knows all Your Names: Stories in American History.” Herbert also used to work as a special investigator for the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.
How did you get interested in history?
Just started reading. Fifteen years ago, my uncle did an extensive family genealogy — it showed we had ancestors in the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and one on the Mayflower. I guess it’s in my blood. My dad’s a history buff.
Did your interests cross with his at all?
He just reads his own stuff, and I’d read mine. He read six to seven hours on the weekend, and I’d think, ‘Get a life!’ But now, that’s what I do. I love it.
How long have you been working on the book?
On and off for seven, eight years. It’s stand-alone stories. Quite a few are local, but not all of them.
Do you think the history in the suburbs around here gets lost in the shuffle with all the monuments and museums in D.C.?
Everyone hears about [the battlefields]. What does get lost in the shuffle are the smaller things.
Describe the book. Why would the average reader pick it up?
All the stories are written for the guy on the street. But if you are a history buff, there are a lot of things you’ll find interesting as well…like Lincoln’s bank account. He made $100,000 during his four years as president. And he saved $89,000 of it. When he died, there were like nine paychecks in his drawer. So, go figure.
What’s next?
I’m going to continue to write stories. For example, pigeons and war — pigeons were used to transmit messages during World War II. There were 3,000 soldiers used to train pigeons. Whatever obscure, unknown point of history [there is] — that’s my focus.
–David Sherfinski
