Amanuensis Monday: Myrtle Vanevery and Delta Sigma Sorority

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

---

Below I transcribe a couple newspaper articles from the St. Louis Star and Times mentioning my grandmother, Myrtle Vanevery Deutsch (1900-1951).

---

St. Louis Star and Times, June 26, 1933, p. 6.

DELTA SIGMA OFFICERS 

Miss Florence E. Slatery, 5879 Delor street (left), as national president, today opened the annual convention of the Delta Sigma Sorority at the Coronado Hotel. Above (right), is Mrs. David Campbell, 5927 Kingsbury avenue, national treasurer, and below is Miss Myrtle Van Every, chairman of the committee in charge of a bridge luncheon to be given tomorrow afternoon at the Glen Echo Country Club in honor of visiting delegates. The Delta Sigma is a national philanthropic organization. More than 200 delegates and local members are attending the convention, which will continue with business sessions and social entertainment until Thursday evening.

St. Louis Star and Times, Sept 13, 1933, p. 14

Sorority Has Rush Tea

Missouri Alpha Chapter, Delta Sigma Sorority, began its fall rush season Saturday with a tea at the home of Miss Florence Slatery, 5879 Delor street.

In the receiving line were: Miss Esther Linquist, national secretary of the organization, and Miss Myrtle Van Every, president of the local chapter. Chapter officers presided at the tea table, decorated in pink and lavender, sorority colors.

Invitations were issue to the following rushes: Misses Dorothy Burscheid, Naomi Burton, Inez Green, Mildred Johnson, Terrye Kuntzsch, Evelyn Leatherbury, Melba Proctor, Marle Townsend, Lillian Woodruff and Mrs. Richard Hauk.

---

Notes:

1. Both of these articles were found in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch archives There are actually four newspapers in the collection: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1874-2016), St. Louis Star and Times (1910-1950), St. Louis News (1978),  St. Louis Times (1978-1979). When the archives were first released earlier this year, the Star and Times articles weren't searchable.

2) I'd seen references to her activity in the Delta Sigma sorority previously, but this is the first article that mentioned she was President of the local chapter. And this is also the first article that identifies Missouri as the Alpha Chapter.

Weekly Genealogy Picks and Calendar

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.

• Gena Philibert-Ortega at GenealogyBank Debunks Myths about Cemetery Research
• James Tanner at Genealogy's Star asks: Record Hints vs Manual Searching: Which Wins?
• Bill West at West in New England has announced submissions are open for the Eighth Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge
• Examining mitochondrial DNA may help identify unknown ancestry that influences breast cancer risk (Source: Science Daily)
• A single migration from Africa populated the world (Source: NY Times)
• A Nazi Time Capsule Unearthed in Poland (Source: History.com) 
• Can Bats in a Cemetery Attract Wildlife? (Source: St. Louis Public Radio)

Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

• September 25
• Start of Banned Books Week (US)
• September 26
• European Day of Languages (EU)
• September 27
• World Tourism Day (UN)
• September 29
• Meskel (Ethiopian Orthodox/Eritrean Orthodox)
• Michaelmas (Christian)
• September 30
• International Translation Day (International Federation of Translators)
• October 1
• Navaratri Oct 1-10 (Hindu)
• Muharram - New Year (Islam) (starts at sunset)
• International Day of Older Persons (UN)
• October 2
• International Day of Non-Violence (UN)
• Rosh HaShanah - New Year (Jewish) (starts at sunset)
• October 3
• German Unity Day (Germany)
• October 4
• St. Francis Day (Catholic)
• Beginning of World Space Week (UN) (Oct 4-10)
• October 5
• World Teacher's Day (UN)
• October 6
• German American Day (US)
• October 9
• National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust (Romania)

George Washington Did Have Children. Two of them.

I have heard it repeated countless times by trustworthy genealogists that George Washington had no children. Today I found out that is untrue. After marrying Martha Dandridge Custis, he adopted two of her grandchildren from her first marriage.

A child by blood is not more of  a child than a child by law.

If I interpret the above link - Organizations Acknowledge George Washington's Biracial Family Tree - correctly, it is new information, or at least confirmed rumor, that Washington's adopted son had children with slaves. However, it isn't new information that the adopted son had children through marriage.

George Washington Parke Custis married Mary Fitzhugh in 1804, and their child, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married Robert E Lee. Here's a chart of their descendants for three generations.

I first learned of this news story at: ExtremeGenes

Weekly Genealogy Picks and Calendar

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.

• Diane Haddad at Genealogy Insider provides 3 Tips for Choosing a DNA Relative to Test
• Natalie at Crestleaf offers Oral History Prompts to Get Your Older Relatives Talking
• In Get Your Chuckles Here Sheri Fenley, The Educated Genealogist lists her favorite sources for genealogy humor
• Tamura Jones at Modern Software Experience discusses software that refuses to let you enter same-sex marriages, and workarounds in Deliberately Limited Genealogy Programs
• Melissa Barker, A Genealogist in the Archives discusses Your Ancestors and their Signatures

Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

• September 18
• National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (US)
• September 19
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Geek)
• September 21
• International Day of Peace (United Nations)
• September 22
• New Years Day (French Republican Calendar)
• Equinox (Wicca/Pagan)
• Hobbit Day (Geek)
• September 26
• European Day of Languages (EU)
• September 27
• World Tourism Day (UN)
• September 29
• Meskel (Ethiopian Orthodox/Eritrean Orthodox)
• Michaelmas (Christian)
• September 30
• International Translation Day (International Federation of Translators)
• October 1
• Navaratri Oct 1-10 (Hindu)
• Muharram - New Year (Islam) (starts at sunset)
• International Day of Older Persons (UN)
• October 2
• International Day of Non-Violence (UN)

Be extra careful with geographical names

Just received a comment on an old post correcting an error I made several years ago.

I recorded a residence as "Houston, Texas" when the census record is for Houston County, Texas. The city of Houston is in Harris County. The county is about 100 miles north of the city. This is also a reminder that recording both City and County whenever possible is important.

I retrieved the census record in my early research and have never re-viewed it. I hope I wouldn't make that mistake today.

Updates to Family History Documents

I updated the Family History Documents page, adding a couple of new discoveries.

1) Mary Blackadar Piersol's book, Records of the Van Every Family; United Empire Loyalists (1947) is now available online. The copy that was scanned was a copy that the owner had handwritten a few notes, including additional names.

2) Sixty Years in Southern California (1853-1913), containing the reminiscences of Harris Newmark (1916) is also available online. [It's unclear if I am related to this family, however, a few individuals are mentioned in this work who were briefly in St. Louis, but left before my ancestors arrived.]

3) I updated the link to an article by Gary Boyd Roberts on Notable Descendants of the Immigrant Stoughton Siblings of Massachusetts. (I've updated this link a few times. The New England Historic Genealogical Society seems to have a habit of reorganizing their website.)

Pelion Van Every - Genealogy in the Comics

I wonder how I am related to the fictional character, Pelion Van Every, from the classic comic strip, "The Heart of Juliet Jones." The below strip appeared on November 28, 1961. [Source: St. Louis Post Dispatch Archives]

I like how this comic suggests not all family stories are accurate.

It's impossible to know where the cartoonist came up with the surname Van Every. He may have known someone with the surname, or have borrowed it from the famous historical novelist and Hollywood screenwriter, Dale Van Every.

The character Pelion Van Every appears to have only been a part of the strip between November 1961 and February 1962. Juliet Jones is researching the history of the fictional town of Devon, and seeking descendants of co-founders Pelion and Dundee. She ultimately introduces Pelion Van Every to Dundee Greer. And, well, I don't want to spoil what happens next.

Weekly Picks and Calendar

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.

• Arlene Eakle provides some suggestions on how to Fortify your Genealogy Research Projects
• Tamura Jones at Modern Software Experience has a series on Choosing Genealogy Software including Why You Need a Desktop Application as your Main Genealogy Program and Using More than One Genealogy Program.
• Maureen A. Taylor, on Photo Detective, discusses Toxic Hairstyles in Family Photos
• Author George RR Martin, on Not a Blog, offers a Salute to Immigrants
• WikiTree announces a Source-a-Thon with cash prizes (Geneapress)
• Irish Birth/Marriage/Death Records now available free online (Who Do You Think You Are Magazine)
• David Malki, in his webcomic, Wondermark, illustrates a conversation some of us may have had.

Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

• September 10
• Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day (Islam)
• World Suicide Prevention Day (World Health Organization)
• September 11
• Start of Eid al Adha - Sept 11-14 (Islam)
• Auditor's Day (Church of Scientology)
• Grandparents Day (US/Canada)
• National Day of Service (US)
• September 12
• Saragarhi Day (Sikhism)
• September 14
• Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Orthodox)
• September 15
• International Day of Democracy (United Nations)
• September 16
• National POW/MIA Recognition Day (US)
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (United Nations)
• Constitution Day (US)
• September 18
• National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (US)
• September 19
• International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Geek)
• September 21
• International Day of Peace (United Nations)
• September 22
• New Years Day (French Republican Calendar)
• Equinox (Wicca/Pagan)
• Hobbit Day (Geek)

Labor Day 2016

Happy Labor Day

As you light up your barbecue and enjoy your day off from work (those who have the day off) - take some part of the day to consider the advancements we have made in workers' rights over the last century - Many of us may have ancestors who worked in the coal mines or sweatshops.

Also consider in what ways the struggles aren't over.

Here's a playlist of songs which may help.



A Pict Song - Rudyard Kipling (1917)

Rome never looks where she treads,
Always her heavy hooves fall,
On our stomachs, our hearts or our heads;
And Rome never heeds when we bawl.
Her sentries pass on—that is all,
And we gather behind them in hordes,
And plot to reconquer the Wall,
With only our tongues for our swords.

We are the Little Folk—we !
Too little to love or to hate.
Leave us alone and you'll see
How we can drag down the Great!
We are the worm in the wood !
We are the rot at the root!
We are the germ in the blood !
We are the thorn in the foot !

Mistletoe killing an oak—
Rats gnawing cables in two—
Moths making holes in a cloak—
How they must love what they do!
Yes,—and we Little Folk too,
We are as busy as they—
Working our works out of view—
Watch, and you'll see it some day!

No indeed ! We are not strong,
But we know Peoples that are.
Yes, and we'll guide them along,
To smash and destroy you in War!
We shall be slaves just the same ?
Yes, we have always been slaves;
But you—you will die of the shame,
And then we shall dance on your graves.

We are the Little Folk, we ! etc.

Weekly Genealogy Picks and Calendar

Highlights from news stories and blog posts I have read in the past week that deal with my overlapping interests in Genealogy, History, Heritage, and Technology.

• Diane L. Richard at Upfront with NGS discusses Digital Estate Planning Laws and the genealogist.
• In an interview at ExtremeGenes Thomas MacEntee discusses PokemonGo, Augmented Reality, and the future of genealogy
• Maureen Taylor at the FamilyTreeMagazine Photo Detective provides 3 Tips to Locate Photos of Ancestral School Days
• Rachel Swarns at The New York Times discusses Georgetown University's Plans to Atone for Slave Past 
• Efraim Zuroff at the Jerusalem Post says there is Hope for Change in Lithuania, as he describes a Holocaust memorial event in Moletai, Lithuania.  In I'm Not Jewish, Lithuanian playwright, Marius Ivaškevičius, explains why he participates. (Lithuanian original)

Upcoming holidays - religious and secular, national and international - for the next two weeks

• September 4
• Immigrant's Day (Argentina)
• September 5
• Labor Day (US)
• International Day of Charity (United Nations)
• September 6
• Start of Paryushana Parava - Sept 6-15 (Jain)
• September 8
• Nativity of Virgin Mary (Christian)
• International Literacy Day (United Nations)
• September 9
• Day of the Victims of Holocaust and Racial Violence (Slovakia)
• Children's Day (Costa Rica)
• September 10
• Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day (Islam)
• World Suicide Prevention Day (World Health Organization)
• September 11
• Start of Eid al Adha - Sept 11-14 (Islam)
• Auditor's Day (Church of Scientology)
• Grandparents Day (US & Canada)
• National Day of Service (US)
• September 12
• Saragarhi Day (Sikhism)
• September 14
• Elevation of the Life Giving Cross (Orthodox)
• September 15
• International Day of Democracy (United Nations)
• September 16
• National POW/MIA Recognition Day (US)
• International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (United Nations)
• Constitution Day (US)
• September 18
• National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (US)

Poem: The Genetic and Synthetic

The below poem of mine was entered into the 2016 International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Excellence-in-Writing competition and was awarded second-place in its category.

I've added a few footnotes for the references.

The Genetic and Synthetic

I research my roots:
The nucleotides of life
and the synthesis
of ancestral experience
make me whole.

If she hadn’t left
her Texas home at age 20;¹
If he hadn’t fled
the Russian pogroms;²
These words wouldn’t be written.

Rural Transylvania, 1910.
A gun fired:
One child maimed;
One child entered
a depression-fueled starvation
he never exited;
One child, my maternal grandfather,
stood witness.³

Philippines, 1945.
A gun fired:
One soldier cleaning his rifle;
One soldier entered
a hospital he never exited;
His brother, my paternal grandfather,
stood Kaddish.⁴

Neither event changed my DNA,
but both influenced how I was raised,
who I became.

1. My maternal grandmother, Myrtle Vanevery Deutsch
2. My paternal 2nd great grandfathers, Moshe Leyb Cruvant, Morris Blatt, and Selig Dudelczak could all be referenced here, with a little flexibility on the term, Russian, to include Lithuania, Poland, and Volhynia, respectively.
3. More details can be read here.
4. More details can be read here.