Fifth Annual iGene Awards

The Carnival of Genealogy's Annual iGene Awards have returned - where Geneabloggers choose the Best of their Best posts from the past year in five categories: Best Comedy, Best Biography, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, and Best Picture.

The TransylvanianDutch chapter of the Academy of Genealogy and Family History has participated in all prior years, and will do so again. For those who are nostalgic, here were our selections in 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008 from the prior year's posts.

With no further ado, we will open the envelopes for 2012


Best Picture

For Best Picture, the winner is:  March 22nd, 2011 (which was posted on the 23rd)

The rules define this as a photograph, but a video is made up of a series of stills. And some videos this is more true of than others. We know the winning video has very little to do (directly) with our family history, past or future, however, other aspects of this post swayed us in our selection.

Runner Up:

Wordless Wednesday - Tel Aviv hotels, and postage stamps - 1944 was also nominated.   This post contained scanned images of several Tel Aviv business cards and postage stamps from the 1940s.  The war-time souvenirs were from my maternal grandfather's collection.

Best Screen Play (story you would make into a movie including the cast)

For Best Screen Play, the winner is: Dawes Commission Testimony

Readers may point out that some of these posts were prior to 2011, however, it seems appropriate that the series of posts win an award for the year of completion.  I've indicated the year of each post below, and five of them were in 2011.

Dawes Commission Testimony - Samuel T Hartley - Nov 21, 1900 (2009)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Robert Hartley - Nov 21, 1900 (2011)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Virginia Hartley Shultz - Nov 21, 1900 (2011)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Sophronia Hartley Cagle - Nov 21, 1900 (2011)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Melvin Elijah Van Every – Nov 21, 1900 (2009)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Samuel W Denyer - Nov 21, 1900   (2011)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Caroline Hartley Taylor - Nov 26, 1900 (2011)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Eliza Caroline Foster Reeves – Nov 26, 1900 (2009)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Georgia Hartley Phillips – June 17, 1902 (2009)
Dawes Commission Testimony - Samuel T Hartley – June 17, 1902 (2009)
The Dawes Commission Decision - July 11, 1902 (2010)

Casting: The Dawes Commission judges made a point that none of those testifying 'looked Choctaw."  However, I have no photographs of any of them, except my great grandfather, Melvin Elijah Van Every.

My first choice for casting Samuel T Hartley will be Morgan Freeman.  My second choice will be Leonard Nimoy.  My third choice will be Kirk Douglas.  None of them appear Choctaw, so they fit the requirements. (How Samuel T Hartley, who fought for the Confederacy, would feel about some of those casting suggestions doesn't matter to me.  He's not my ancestor.)

For Samuel's four daughters: Sophronia, Virginia, Georgia, and Caroline, I'd like to cast Drew Barrymore, Natalie Portman, Mayim Bialik, and Soleil Moon Frye.  Don't ask me why, but I think they'd make excellent sisters.

Perhaps Leo DiCaprio could play the role of my great grandfather, and Macaulay Culkin could be Robert Hartley.  Jewel Staite can complete the main cast members as Eliza Foster Reeves.

Best Documentary (investigative research)

For Best Documentary, the winner is: Civilian Occupation Codes: What's Going On?

This series of posts began with the discovery that Ancestry had changed the occupation for my great uncle on his Army Enlistment record, sometime after 2007 when I first obtained the record.  I conducted some research, and realized several other members of my family had had their occupations changed.  I identified the cause: Two different lists of Occupation Codes.  In my final post, I linked to the report from the National Archives indicating that the original Occupation Codes were in error.  It was dated in 2005, two years prior to when I initially obtained the records from Ancestry.  I still don't know when Ancestry updated their records.

Runner-up

Also receiving a nomination is: 1942 Tax Returns - a post where I looked at my grandparents' tax returns and calculated how salaries, and deductions compared to today.

Best Biography

The winner for Best Biography goes to: 

Judson Van Every - Manchester Journal - 1902 - 1910 and Judson Van Every - Manchester Journal - 1915-1917.

These two posts contained newspaper clippings from the Manchester Journal (OK) concerning my great grandfather's brother, Judson Van Every.  The clippings reveal a lot about the 15 years of his life. 

Best Comedy

The winner for Best Comedy is: Missouri Sheriff has a Mule Problem - the St. Louis Post Dispatch had a little fun at the expense of Sheriff Louis P. Gober of Scott County, Missouri (my fiancee's second great grandfather)

Runner-Up:

Also receiving a nomination was a poem I wrote: Genealogy Research

This ends the awards for the five main categories.  However, in 2010 and 2011 I added a category where  I present awards to show my gratitude to other Genea-Bloggers who commented upon, or in some other way responded to an entry, providing me with more information on my family.

Geneabloggers in a Supporting Role

This year this award goes to a blogger whose post spurred me to conduct some research for which I am grateful.

Philip of Blood and Frogs back in April posted a primer on finding and ordering US Naturalization Records.  While I already had the Declarations of Intent for most of my immigrant ancestors who arrived recently enough, I realized there were several other documents of which the National Archives might have copies.  The process led to the Naturalization Petition for Salomon Deutsch - my great grandfather - and the first name of his first daughter who remained in Transylvania, and likely died in the Holocaust.  The process also led to the Naturalization Petition for Barnet Newmark - another great grandfather - and a date for his arrival in St. Louis.

Thus concludes the Fifth Annual iGene Awards - TransylvanianDutch Chapter

Slave Records and Genealogy Research

There’s a new Carnival on the Geneablogger block. It’s one to which I likely wouldn't have contributed until just a month ago.

It’s the Carnival of African American Genealogy, and the theme for the first edition is: Restore My Name: Slave Records and Genealogy Research.

Five questions are asked, from which the blogger can choose to respond.

1. What responsibilities are involved on the part of the researcher when locating names of slaves in a record?

2. Does it matter if the record(s) are related to your ancestral lines or not?

When I see these questions, my first thought is to drop the two words “of slaves." What’s our responsibility when seeing any name in a record? If the person is a part of our family history, our first and foremost responsibility is obvious – write the information down. For me, this responsibility applies equally for those related by blood, marriage, or property. (At least with female slaves, we don’t know if their names might not become more important in our research down the road. And while less common, there’s a possibility with male slaves as well.)

What responsibility do we have to share the records? This is a fascinating question. I look up an ancestor’s obituary in newspaper microfilm. Their obituary is surrounded by other obituaries. I’m certainly not responsible for sharing all those obituaries on various surname message boards, or wherever.

There are people who do. There are people who photograph and transcribe cemeteries. It’s a wonderful thing. But a responsibility? No.

While I am unaware of recent African ancestry (Mankind originated in Africa), I have experienced, I feel, a small sliver of the frustration those of African American heritage feel in their research. My maternal grandmother’s known ancestry stretches back to the 1500s. The ancestry of my three other grandparents end abruptly in the mid-1800s. Not all, but many of the records from the shtetls in which they lived were destroyed by the Nazi or Communist regimes that overran Eastern Europe in the mid 20th century. Some of the records that survive are being entered into online databases, but it’s slow.

How would I feel if I learned a European genealogist came across records detailing the names of those killed in a pogrom, and decided not to release the information?

Angry.

I think it's a rare occurrence, but if a researcher comes across records
A) They know are scarce
B) in a manner unavailable to most genealogists
And they intentionally hide those records, they are performing a disservice to the genealogical community.

However, if the records are readily available to others, that responsibility disappears. All of our time is precious, and there is no reason we need to spend it resharing information that can be found easily by someone else -- Unless that is our desire. Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness are always welcomed.

3. As a descendant of slave owners, have you ever been pressured by family not to discuss or post about records containing slave names?

Up until very recently I had no idea I was a descendant of slave owners. When I made the discovery, I discussed with my mother how we felt about the information. The ancestor lived in 17th century New York, and there are indications he may have freed the one slave he’s known to have had. Neither of us felt the information needed to be kept private. (It really couldn't be, since it already appeared in print in several places.) So I wrote about it in a blog post. I didn’t give any other family members time to weigh in on the matter. If I had, I would have had to ask a whole lot of people, since the ancestor goes back ten generations for me, and I'm sure he has a lot of descendants.

4. As a descendant of slaves, have you been able to work with or even meet other researchers who are descendants of slave owners?

N/A

5. Have you ever performed a Random Act of Genealogical Kindness involving slave ownership records? Or were you on the receiving end of such kindness?

I haven't had the opportunity yet. Some people might consider my blog post, Labors of Hercules, such an act, though I don't. It contains very little if any genealogical information on my ancestor's slave. However, the blog post is likely to help any descendant of the slave owner researching their roots to make the discovery a lot quicker than I did.

The CoG has been posted

The 89th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted. 18 poets wrote odes to their family history.

The topic for the next edition (#90!) of the COG will be: The Third Annual iGene Awards, The Best of The Best! It's Academy awards time... time for the Academy of Genealogy and Family History, aka AGFH, to honor their best blog posts of 2009 in the following 5 categories:

• Best Picture - Best old family photo that appeared on your blog in 2009. Tell us which you liked best and why.
• Best Screen Play - Which family story that you shared in 2009 would make the best movie? Who would you cast as your family members?
• Best Documentary - Which was the best informational article you wrote about a place, thing, or event involving your family's history in 2009?
• Best Biography - Which was the best biographical article you wrote in 2009?
• Best Comedy - Which was the best funny story, poem, joke, photo, or video that you shared on your blog in 2009?

More information here

The CoG has been posted

The 84th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted, with 23 participants describing what the CoG means to them.

The topic for the next edition of the COG is: “Orphans and Orphans.” The first type of orphan refers to those ancestors or relatives who lost their parents when they were young. The second type of orphan would be those siblings or cousins of our ancestors whom we think of as “reverse orphans.” They are the relatives who, for whatever reason – death at a young age, never having married or had children, or having children who did not survive to provide descendants – have no direct descendants of their own, so it falls to us, their collateral relatives, to learn and write their story. Greta will be the host this time around (thank you Greta!). The deadline for submissions is December 1st.

More information here.

Pony Tales

To the left is a photograph of my paternal grandmother, Belle (Sissie) Feinstein, and her brother Seymour (Babe). I don't have a year for the photograph, but my grandmother was born in 1914, and her brother in 1917.

I'm not sure where they are, but I notice if they aren't in their 'Sunday best', they're pretty close to it. Not the attire one would normally expect one to wear to go pony riding. Possibly they were at someone's birthday party, or some other celebration that included pony rides for the kids.

The theme for the 78th Carnival of Genealogy is Pony Pictures, and this picture is the first one that came to my mind. However, I knew I could find a couple more if I broadened the search to taller cousins of the pony, such as the horse.

On the right is my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every. The caption places the year at 1936, which is the year she married my grandfather on December 31, so there is a good chance he took the photo.

One look at her boots, and you can tell she was there to ride. She was no stranger to horseback riding at that point, and had long been a fan. While my paternal grandmother was a city-girl, growing up in urban St. Louis, my maternal grandmother grew up on a Texas farm. There is a story she once broke up with one of her beaus, because he wouldn't buy her a saddle.

Here is a photo of her in 1919. The caption even tells us the name of the horse.

77th CoG has been posted

The 77th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted, filled with stories of disaster.

The topic of the 78th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Pony Pictures! This is your chance to show off those pony pictures in your family album. Did you ride your first pony at the state fair or on a farm? Did you have to sit on the back and hold on to your older brother? Was your pony real or a rocking horse? Got any pictures of other family members on ponies? Show us the cowboys and cowgirls in your family and tell us the stories to go along with them. Giddyup pony! The deadline for submissions is August 15.

More Info

I should be able to pony up one or two pictures for this carnival.

This post is a DISASTER!

This post is written for the 77th Carnival of Genealogy

As human beings, our very existence is proof of the survival skills, faith, or just plain luck our ancestors possessed in order to persevere through millennia of disasters: epidemics, wars, pestilences, famines, accidents, and acts of nature.

Tell about a disaster that one or more of your ancestors lived through. Did they survive a hurricane, flood, tornado, train wreck, sinking ship, plague, genocide, explosion, mine collapse, or some other terrible event? How did they survive? Research the details of the disaster and explain how it affected your ancestor (guilt, fear, faith, gratitude, etc.), your family's history, and even yourself!

I have relatives who survived (and others who didn't survive) genocide, but my ancestors managed to get out of Europe before World War II. There are no disasters I am currently certain any non-living ancestors directly experienced. (I exclude War, and the Great Depression, though there may be a strong argument to include the latter.)

However, there were two great cyclones/tornadoes in the St. Louis area which have been written up as noteworthy disasters, and I had ancestors living in the St. Louis area at the time. The question is how much they were impacted.

The Great Cyclone of 1896
[image from NOAA's National Weather Service]

"The 'Cyclone of 1896' has been described as the single most deadly event that hit the St. Louis area in recorded history."

Over 250 dead, over 150 missing, over 1000 injured.





The St. Louis Cyclone
Words by Ren. Shields, 1868-1913
Music by George Evans, 1870-1915

In the city of St. Louis on a busy afternoon,
Just before the ev'ning shades began to fall,
The streets were filled with people who were home from toil,
No danger seemed to threaten them at all;
Each one was smiling gay as they strolled along the way,
The world to them had never looked so bright,
When a cyclone with a roar down the streets and byways tore,
Leaving sorrow and destruction there that night.

CHORUS
Many hearts are aching,
Many homes forsaken,
Many lov'd ones gone forevermore;
Wives and mothers weeping,
At the harvest death is reaping,
As it travels on its way from door to door.

Rest of song (NB: midi auto-plays)

My paternal Cruvant, Feinstein and Blatt ancestors were all in St. Louis in 1896. However, the path of the cyclone is described as hitting the Southwest portion of the city, and my ancestors were in the central corridor at the time.

The Tornado of 1927
[image from NOAA's National Weather Service]

Between 72-79 killed, over 550 injured. This tornado struck the central parts of St. Louis City. However, I think my ancestors had moved west of the city by then.

In addition to all four branches of my paternal ancestry, my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every, was in town. The divorce proceedings from her brief marriage in California to Dale Ridgely had been filed a month earlier, and according to her employment records from the US Post Office, she had resumed her job on Sept 26th. The cyclone hit on Sept 29th.

While I'm not certain what impact these natural disasters had on my ancestors, I also have an inverse situation. There may have been a disaster that killed three of my ancestors, but I am unable to identify it.

• My fifth great grandfather, Mark Fretz, lived from December 1750 to Feb 24, 1840.
• His daughter, my fourth great grandmother, Barbara Fretz Sliver, lived from April 21, 1775 to June 10, 1840.
• Her daughter, my third great grandmother, Elizabeth Sliver Denyer, lived from Feb 20, 1798 to Aug 10, 1840.

The latter two are recorded in family histories as having died in Texas, while their father/grandfather is likewise recorded as having died in Pennsylvania. It could easily be happenstance, but three generations dying in the same year seems suspicious to me.

Smile for the Camera: They Worked Hard for a Living

The word prompt for the 15th Edition of Smile For The Camera is "they WORKED hard for the family." The professions of our ancestors are almost as interesting as the people themselves. Some of our ancestors worked very hard; they took in laundry, worked the land, raised many children, or went to school and became professionals. Photographs of them working are called occupational photographs and are rather hard to find.

I agree, they definitely aren't easy to find. However, I have found a few. I'll start with my maternal grandparents Martin Deutsch (1907-1991) and Myrtle Van Every (1900-1951) who worked at the St. Louis Post Office together in 1935 when this photo was taken, less than a year before they were married. I've drawn a box around my grandparents.
The below photograph of my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark (1914-1992), shows him with gavel in hand as a City Judge. I like how the nameplate reflects in the photo.
Here's a photograph of my great grandmother, Margaret (Denyer) Van Every (1868-1923) at work on the farm. The photograph was likely taken after 1920, as the writing on the back suggests my grandmother, the recipient of the photograph, had already moved to St. Louis. The writing also indicates that El Paso had received some snow. Which isn't completely unheard of.
Finally, I have a photograph - circa 1935 - of the Lichtmann Leatherworks shop in Margitta, Hungary - Address: 43 December Street - birthplace of my maternal great grandmother, Helen (Lichtmann) Deutsch (1881-1958). The people in the photo are my grandfather's first cousins, Andre and Sanyi Lichtmann, sons of Helen's brother, Frank (Fere).

The 75th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted

The 75th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted, and is filled with entries on Justice and Independence.

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: How I spent my summer vacation... a favorite summer memory from your youth. Tell us what summers were like when you were a wee tad pole. Did you vacation with family? Go to a youth camp? Hang out at the local park? Watch fireworks? Catch fireflies? Share those lazy, hazy, crazy, days of summers past with us! Deadline for submissions is July 14, 2009. [more info]

Deuteronomy 16:20

The theme for the 75th Carnival of Genealogy is Justice and Independence.

This is timely for those of both American and Canadian roots as Canadian Independence Day is July 1st, and US Independence Day is July 4th.

We were asked for this issue of the carnival to:

1) Tell a story of an ancestor(s) who fought for freedom.
2) Tell a story about how Independence Day was celebrated by your ancestors.
3) Post the lyrics of a song that exemplifies how Justice and Independence have worked in the lives of your ancestors and/or family.

I considered where my focus should be. It can be argued my Confederate ancestor, Ebenezer Denyer, was fighting for his concept of justice, though I disagree with it, and I don't truly know his motives.

A case can be made for my United Empire Loyalist ancestors fighting for their sense of justice as well, even though it differed from the sense of justice held by the revolutionaries, the ultimate victors of the war, and the reason for which we celebrate US Independence Day.

I thought about interviewing my parents on their activities during the civil rights movement, or about my paternal grandfather, Melvin Newmark's activities with the St. Louis chapter of B'nai B'rith, which advocates for human rights internationally. This is definitely something I wish to do at some point, but now wasn't the time.

I've learned through my research that my second great grandfather, Selig Feinstein, was active in the Chesed Shel Emeth Society, a Chevra Kadisha, or 'holy society.' It concentrated on providing free burials to all, treating rich and poor equally, so that indigent families need feel no shame at such a critical time. ¹ (Not freedom or independence, but definitely justice.)

For the 59th CoG I argued apathy is foreign to my genes. I was raised on the music of Peter, Paul & Mary, and The Kingston Trio. I was raised on the words of Deuteronomy, Chapter 16, Verse 20:

(Justice, justice, shall you pursue.)
After much thought, I've decided to go with the third option. The choice of an appropriate song that exemplifies how I was raised to view the importance of pursuing justice for all. If I Had a Hammer. Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays, one of the best known recordings is by Peter, Paul and Mary. Below is a video of the trio singing it in 1963.

74th Carnival of Genealogy has posted

The 74th Carnival of Genealogy has been posted over at Creative Gene. I count 32 entries in this Swimsuit Issue -- with I believe enough photographs to fill three Calendars!

For the 75th edition...

The COG topic for July 1 is “Justice and Independence ”. Since our beginnings as a nation, the United States of America has seen changes with every year, every decade, and every century. Each generation adds growth to our lives, our communities, and our nation. One thing that has never changed, however, is our desire for Justice for those who wrong us and Independence from those who try to oppress us. This month’s COG asks you to relate to these concepts of Justice and Independence in one or all of three ways: 1). Tell a story of an ancestor(s) who fought for freedom. 2). Tell a story about how Independence Day was celebrated by your ancestors. Did any of their celebratory traditions get passed down for your own family to continue? Or 3). Post the lyrics of a song that exemplifies how Justice and Independence have worked in the lives of your ancestors and/or family. Include photos! This edition of the COG will be hosted by Colleen at OMcHodoy. Deadline for submissions is July 1. More info on submission.

14th Edition of Smile for the Camera has Posted

footnoteMaven has posted the 14th edition of Smile for the Camera at Shades of the Departed.

The theme was Wedding Belles. She noted that in my entry, my great grandfather's shoes were extremely well shined. I hadn't noticed, but I suspect as a professional tailor, he paid great attention to his appearance daily, and his normal care would have naturally increased on his wedding day.

The word prompt for the 15th Edition will be:

"They WORKED hard for the family." The professions of our ancestors are almost as interesting as the people themselves. Some of our ancestors worked very hard; they took in laundry, worked the land, raised many children, or went to school and became professionals. Photographs of them working are called occupational photographs and are rather hard to find. If you do have a photograph in your collection or family photographs, bring them to the Carnival. If not, post a photograph of one of your relatives or ancestors and tell us what they did for a living.

More information on submission guidelines

I believe I do have some occupational photographs, and I am already looking forward to putting a post together.

Carnival of Genealogy - Swimsuit Edition - Miami - 1947

The theme for the 74th Carnival of Genealogy is once again: The Swimsuit Edition

In 1947 my great grandparents Barney Newmark, Bertha Cruvant Newmark, Herman Feinstein and Annie Blatt Feinstein vacationed in Miami with children and grandchildren. The two couples were friends before their children, my grandparents, Mel Newmark and Belle Feinstein were married.

Miami in the 1940s wasn't known for tolerance, and my great grandparents, particularly the Feinsteins, would have had difficulty with some hotels and restaurants from their names alone. But family lore says their difficulties grew as their vacation lengthened, due to a genetic trait of my great grandfather Herman Feinstein. I think these photographs are illustrative.



The Feinstein family originated in Poland, and Herman Feinstein's skin color was indistinguishable from his wife's and in-laws during most of the year. I don't believe he got this dark in normal St. Louis summers either.

Barney Newmark and Bertha Cruvant - August 27, 1911

The theme for the 14th edition of the Smile for the Camera Carnival is: Wedding Belles.

Historically, couples married in the month of June to honor Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Others did it to time conception so births wouldn't interfere with harvest work. And brides in the 15th century chose to marry in June because it coincided with their "annual bath" - that's right - ensuring a relatively sweet-smelling honeymoon. Show us a photograph of a wedding, a wedding party, a bride, a groom, the reception, or even the honeymoon.

I'd like to share two photos from the wedding of my paternal Great Grandparents Barney Newmark and Bertha Cruvant - on August 27, 1911



I haven't yet obtained the marriage certificate, but the date of the wedding is written on the back of the photo, and their son Mandell wrote August 27th down as their anniversary in his war diary. I haven't found their marriage in either St. Louis City or St. Louis County records; It is likely they were married in East St. Louis, Illinois, where the Cruvants were living at the time.

The date is significant in that it means that Bertha's 'gift' to Barney on their first wedding anniversary was my grandfather, Melvin Newmark, who was born on August 27, 1912.

73rd Carnival of Genealogy is posted

The 73rd Carnival of Genealogy: The Good Earth has been posted, and it marks the completion of three years of the Carnival of Genealogy.

The theme for the 74th carnival:

Back by popular demand, the topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Swimsuit Edition! Why should Sports Illustrated have all the fun? This is your chance to show off the bathing beauties in your family. Pull out the old photos of Grandma Moses in her seaside bloomers, Auntie Mae in her pin-up girl suit from the 1940s or 50s, cousin Paula in her psychedelic bikini from the 1970s, or even yourself in your Speedo! Let's have some fun here! Memorial Weekend is behind us and that means the start of the summer sun, sand, and lakeside season so let's get in the mood with summer fun photos. What? You don't have any swimsuit photos you dare to share? No problem! Tell us your best family beach stories instead!
[More Info]

Here's the photo of me I scanned for this theme last year. At that point in time, as I said in the post, I didn't have swimsuit photos of anyone who couldn't get even with me for posting them. That changed shortly thereafter in a search through my grandparents' albums, but I had a feeling this theme would come around again, so I've waited. I think I should be able to put the post together this weekend.

Family Roots in The Good Earth

image by footnoteMaven

The topic for the 73rd Carnival of Genealogy is "The Good Earth". We are asked to write about our ancestral ties to the land.

I don't have to go back many generations on my mother's side to find farmers. Both my maternal grandmother and grandfather were born on farms - one in Texas, the other in Transylvania. My grandmother's father, Melvin Van Every, had most of his success raising colonies of bees, though he also raised sheep, and had crops. My grandmother's maternal grandfather, Ebenezer Denyer, was a 'regimental teamster' in the Confederate army, pulling a team of oxen. His father, William Denyer, was a "farmer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, later he burned lime from oyster shells, in Philadelphia, was in ice business, rafted lumber down the Schuylkill river, boated on the Schuylkill canal, ran a saw and grist mill in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and engaged in whip-sawing at New Albany, Indiana." [Source: Fretz Family History, AJ Fretz, 1890]

In Transylvania, my grandfather's father, Samuel Deutsch, grew apples, plums, tomatoes, and potatoes - or at least that is the recollection of my grandfather's older brother. Definitely plums, as that was turned into a plum brandy called slivowitz, which they then sold to a local brewery.

I'm not sure how far back I have to go on my father's side to find farmers. The small towns in Lithuania and Poland from which they came may have been rural, but still, the generation that immigrated were craftsmen, mostly tailors and shoemakers, and it's likely they learned the trade from their fathers.

My childhood was unequivocally suburban. I spent several summers at a camp in Michigan which had a barn, and a donkey named Jack (obviously named for the enjoyment of the campers.) My parents have friends with a farm in rural Missouri which I visited a few times -- which mainly meant getting to ride a horse, and go on a hayride. I also spent a few years at a college in rural Grinnell, Iowa. I enjoy open land, and could easily envision myself living on a farm, but not working it.

Carnival of Genealogy has been posted

The 72nd Carnival of Genealogy, has been posted over at CreativeGene, with 19 submissions Honoring Mothers.

The topic for the 73rd edition will be "The Good Earth"

Were your ancestors sharecroppers or land barons? Perhaps an ancestor was a logger or a miner. Do you have stories of homesteading? Is there a master gardener in your tree? If your ancestors lived in the city did they keep a square foot garden or escape the city to a favorite park? Tell us about your family's ties to the land!

More information at CreativeGene.

I have lots of stories I can share on this topic, and my challenge will be in the choosing.

72nd Carnival of Genealogy: Mothers

The topic for the 72nd Carnival of Genealogy is in honor of Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner.
This is the perfect time to honor a Mother.

Home from a filling Mother's Day Brunch at a local dining establishment, here's a portrait of my mother drawn 35 years ago...

The artist was a mere 5 years old, though his artistic skills haven't improved much.

I am thankful for many things from my mother. One small thing for which I am thankful is she had the foresight to type dates on my early creative attempts. Of course, this decreases the artistic value, as I am sure the world is grateful that Da Vinci's mother didn't type the date on the Mona Lisa. But I am no Da Vinci, so I am thankful for the date.

Mandell Newmark (1923-1945)

The theme for the 70th Carnival of Genealogy is Uncle, Uncle!

There are several uncles I could write about, but with the deadline for this carnival being April 15th, that made one uncle most appropriate.

My paternal grandfather’s brother, Mandell Newmark, was born Jan 31, 1923. He was almost certainly named after his great-grandfather Mandell Mojsabovski. He enlisted in the army on Feb 22, 1943, and served as a Sgt. Technician Fifth Grade, in the 163rd infantry. He was killed in action on April 15, 1945. Less than a month prior to VE day. I posted a couple more photographs of him a month ago, and last December.

Belle Feinstein Newmark - A Photo Collage

The month of March being National Women's History Month, and March 8th having been International Women's Day, the topic for this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: A Tribute to Women. Write a tribute to a woman on your family tree, a friend, a neighbor, or a historical female figure who has done something to impact your life. Or instead of writing, consider sharing a photo biography of one woman's life. Or create a scrapbook page dedicated to a woman you'd like to honor.

Belle "Sissie" Feinstein Newmark (1914-2002)

At the top of the collage we see Belle with her older brother, Benny, her younger brother, Seymour, and her parents Herman and Annie. Benny gave both of his siblings nicknames that stuck with them for the rest of their life - Sissie and Babe. In the bottom row we see photos from her high school graduation, Sissie and her husband, Mel, and on the far left, a photo with her grandson, John (me), taken in 1995. Obviously, on the far right, is a newspaper clipping announcing her engagement. However, unbeknownst to either set of parents, she and her fiancee were unable to wait until January 10th, and were actually married on May 10th the previous year, in a small town in Illinois, where their names wouldn't appear in the local paper. There were two marriages, with two marriage certificates, 8 months apart.

Excerpts from a eulogy I read in 2002:
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I think I know the very first book I borrowed from her and Grandpa's library. I don't remember when it was, but I saw it a couple months ago, and borrowed it again to re-read. The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N.

Thursday nights might be the most difficult for me. For years Thursday night has meant dinner with Grandma, and watching Seinfeld, Friends and Will and Grace. Were these her favorite television shows because her grandkids watched them with her, or did her grandchildren watch them with her because they were her favorite television shows? Maybe a little bit of both.

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I Love you Grandma, and always will.

Last year's entry for the Carnival of Genealogy honoring Women's History Month