The first episode of NBC's Who Do You Think You Are has aired. Lots of Genea-bloggers are writing their posts, comparing it to PBS's Faces of America, which just completed.
Here's a quick comparison I've come up with:
Who Do You Think You Are: Genealogy Television
Faces of America: Family History Television
What's the difference?
A genealogist searches for vital records, trying to trace back the family tree as far as they can. A family historian is looking for the stories about who those ancestors were. How they lived their lives. An individual can be one, the other, or different parts of both. I think most of us who are obsessed with this pursuit are a little bit of both, but we may weigh the two differently.
I believe Henry Louis Gates Jr., the host (and one of the executive producers) of Faces of America, was attempting to tell the 'family history' of an entire nation by researching the ancestry of a handful of notable individuals. Since this was the purpose, the show didn't focus on the actual research. And the stories were organized, not by individual, but by time period. Each episode took us further back in time for all the subjects. This was confusing to some, because they were expecting a genealogy show, and that isn't what they saw. In the end, the series wasn't about the individuals, and how their ancestry defines them. It was about America, and how our shared ancestry defines us.
Who Do You Think You Are (WDYTYA) is focusing on each celebrity's pursuit of their own genealogy. Along the way, stories of their ancestors are told. However, the focus is on the records that trace the roots from one generation to the next. We see the celebrity travel from one location to the next, talking with local professional genealogists and historians, reacting to the records that are uncovered.
The first episode of WDYTYA was especially interesting to me, as my family background has similarities to Sarah Jessica Parker's. Her father is of Eastern European Jewish descent, and in the show she traces part of her mother's ancestry back to Salem, Massachusetts.
My paternal (and half of my maternal) ancestry is of Eastern European Jewish descent, but I can also trace my maternal ancestry back to Thomas and Katherine Stoughton, and thus to Salem. A first cousin many generations removed is William Stoughton, Chief Magistrate over the witch trials.
I will chime in and agree with something others are saying - and for which I see a very easy fix if the American edition of WDYTYA progresses to a second season. The length of time it takes to do this research isn't being portrayed accurately. Obviously, before Sarah Jessica Parker showed up at libraries or museums to talk with professional genealogists and historians, she contacted them in advance and gave them time to do some research before she arrived. But the viewer has no idea the number of days that have elapsed between each part of the journey. No additional scenes have to be added to the filming -- all we need is a date stamp displayed on the screen.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Women's History Month: Give Their Face A Place
The word prompt for the 21st Edition of Smile For The Camera is "Give Their Face A Place." March is Women's History month and you are asked to picture women back into history. The unknown, known and unsung women who are often the foundation of our family history. Give their face a place.(click to enlarge)
From left to right:
Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch - 1900-1951 (my mother's mother)
Margaret (Denyer) Van Every - 1868-1923 (my mother's mother's mother)
Helen (Lichtman) Deutsch - 1881-1958 (my mother's father's mother)
Bertha (Cruvant) Newmark - 1886-1978 (my father's father's mother)
Minnie (Mojsabovski) Cruvant - 1863-1924 (my father's father's mother's mother)
Rose (Cantkert) Newmark - 1865-1943 (my father's father's father's mother)
Annie (Blatt) Feinstein - 1889-1965 (my father's mother's mother)
Sissie (Feinstein) Newmark - 1914-2002 (my father's mother)These are the eight female ancestors for whom I currently have photographs.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Wordless Wednesday - Sissie Feinstein - Early 1920s?
(I don't have a date for this photo of my grandmother, Belle "Sissie" Feinstein, but as she was born in 1914, I'm guessing the first half of the 1920s. Maybe a bit younger than this photo.)Monday, March 1, 2010
Amanuensis Monday: My grandmother's sister offers some advice
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, 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. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.
Below is a transcription of a letter my maternal grandmother received from her sister, Minnie, in January of 1942, shortly after my grandfather made the decision to join the service. Apparently, my grandmother hadn't been consulted, and she wasn't happy. Minnie also shares a lot of family news.
I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, 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. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.
Below is a transcription of a letter my maternal grandmother received from her sister, Minnie, in January of 1942, shortly after my grandfather made the decision to join the service. Apparently, my grandmother hadn't been consulted, and she wasn't happy. Minnie also shares a lot of family news.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Multiple Anniversaries
Geneabloggers, in their weekly list of events, notes that we are celebrating our third blogiversary today. This surprised me at first, but I quickly realized how that determination was made.
I began blogging in May of 2002, and while it has gone through several name changes over those 8 years, that blog still exists. Its current focus is my ongoing attempts at writing and publishing poetry and fiction.
On April 16, 2007 I began actively blogging about genealogy, and soon after discovered the geneablogging community. Approximately August 12, 2007 I created this space for my genealogy-related posts. In the process I moved a few posts from prior to April 16th I felt belonged. I've long been interested in my family history, but I hadn't yet been bitten by the research bug.
February 28, 2007 was the 100th birthday of my grandfather, Martin Deutsch (1907-1991).
I began blogging in May of 2002, and while it has gone through several name changes over those 8 years, that blog still exists. Its current focus is my ongoing attempts at writing and publishing poetry and fiction.
On April 16, 2007 I began actively blogging about genealogy, and soon after discovered the geneablogging community. Approximately August 12, 2007 I created this space for my genealogy-related posts. In the process I moved a few posts from prior to April 16th I felt belonged. I've long been interested in my family history, but I hadn't yet been bitten by the research bug.
February 28, 2007 was the 100th birthday of my grandfather, Martin Deutsch (1907-1991).
SNGF: What if I won?
Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings for his weekly Saturday Night Genealogy Fun asked: What Would You Do if you Won?
He's referring to Ancestry.com's Contest (lasting until April 30th, and you can submit one entry daily.)
*****
Where would I go with the $20,000? I would likely take a European Vacation with potential stops in London, England; Everinghe, Holland; Losice, Poland; Warka, Poland; Cekiske, Lithuania; Kruvandai, Lithuania; Marghita, Romania; and Varalmas, Romania. I'm not sure how much research I will do at each stop; that may depend upon what I am told in the expert consultation. The trip may focus on seeing the homelands of my ancestors.
Winning the grand prize would cause a lot of stress, because before I could speak with all those experts, there would be a lot of preparation. No expert's going to break down a wall for me in 8 hours. I suspect these aren't 8 hours searching archives, these are eight hours sitting in an office looking at my research, offering suggestions on where I should look for answers. (And maybe revisions on my plans to spend that $20,000.)
So before I face these experts, my research needs to be in a slightly better state of organization. Hopefully Ancestry will give me some time to prepare.
He's referring to Ancestry.com's Contest (lasting until April 30th, and you can submit one entry daily.)
Grand Prize includes:[For anyone confused: I am 99.99% certain that the "Annual World Deluxe Subscription" is for 1 year. I base this conclusion on the Approximate Retail Value mentioned in the Official Rules.]PLUS! Twenty First Prize winners get a World Deluxe Subscription from Ancestry.com®.
- $20,000 in travel money
- Eight hour consultation with an expert genealogist
- Five experts in fields relevant to your personal family history to help you learn even more [1 hour consultations each]
- Annual World Deluxe Subscription for you and five family members
*****
Where would I go with the $20,000? I would likely take a European Vacation with potential stops in London, England; Everinghe, Holland; Losice, Poland; Warka, Poland; Cekiske, Lithuania; Kruvandai, Lithuania; Marghita, Romania; and Varalmas, Romania. I'm not sure how much research I will do at each stop; that may depend upon what I am told in the expert consultation. The trip may focus on seeing the homelands of my ancestors.
Winning the grand prize would cause a lot of stress, because before I could speak with all those experts, there would be a lot of preparation. No expert's going to break down a wall for me in 8 hours. I suspect these aren't 8 hours searching archives, these are eight hours sitting in an office looking at my research, offering suggestions on where I should look for answers. (And maybe revisions on my plans to spend that $20,000.)
So before I face these experts, my research needs to be in a slightly better state of organization. Hopefully Ancestry will give me some time to prepare.
Weekly Genealogy Picks
Weekly Genealogy Picks -- February 21 to February 27
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
- FootnoteMaven, Genoom, and Elyse's Genes all consider the traits of a Genealogist or Family Historian.
- Luckie Daniels at Our Georgia Roots, while looking at the list of search terms that have led people to her site, wonders who was searching for information on her father. I too have seen searches that led me to wonder why that person didn't contact me.
- Michael John Neill makes the observation at Genealogy Tip of the Day that you need a source for every statement of fact.
- Megan Smolenyak2 is closing RootsTelevision on March 10th, saying she has been filling a void since 2006, but genealogy is going mainstream with Faces of America and Who Do You Think You Are hitting US soil. She doesn't mention what will happen to the archives; hopefully they will be maintained.
- Check out the closing ceremonies of the Geneablogger Games -- see what medals all the teams won!
- I don't normally mention a blog post here that I have already mentioned during the week. But take a look at the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs at Family Tree Magazine. We didn't win, but we were nominated in the highly competitive "All-Around" category. I look at the four winners in that category, and I can come up with no arguments. If they do this again, I hope I get nominated in the "Personal and Family" category. I stand a chance there.
- In his Best of the Genea-Blogs Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings highlights his selections for the best reads of the week.
- Apple at Apple's Tree returns from vacation with her Weekly Rewind
- Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak's Genealogical Round Up at RootsTelevision RootsWorld. While it bears a similar name, it is separate from the site she is closing, so it is unclear what will be happening with her blog.
- Geneabloggers has a weekly list of New Genealogy Blogs and Upcoming Genealogy Blogging Events
- City of St. Louis Mayor Slay is recommending reconciliation from The Great Divorce of 1876 - reuniting City and County. I fear this would confuse future generations of genealogists even more. But I don't believe he's thinking about that; and perhaps he shouldn't.
- The historic steamboat, The Becky Thatcher, which was moored on the riverfront in the 1960s and 1970s, sinks outside Pittsburgh.
- Little Brownie Bakers has recalled several batches of Lemon Chalet Cremes. I know the St. Louis area Girl Scouts use Little Brownie Bakers, as I just received a box of Thin Mints this weekend. Not all batches of this cookie are being recalled - Little Brownie Bakers says they will be contacting the councils that are impacted. They also say the cookies won't hurt you - they just taste horrible. (Those of us who don't like lemon cookies could have told you that. But I think this goes beyond personal taste preferences.)
- Chris Dunham's Genealogue is the first place I read about the passing of Yitta Schwartz, and her leaving behind 2000 living descendants.
- Reform Judaism, with respect to Valentine's Day, asks the question "What is the need to submit to a holiday named for a saint if there is a Jewish holiday that fills a similar purpose?" and gives us five months advance warning about Tu b'Av.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Game - Day 15 - Final
More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games
Daily Stats: DayFifteen / Final
It's only 10 am, but I don't suspect I will tally up any more progress in either of the categories in which I chose to compete.
Category: Organize Your Research
Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.
New Scanned: 23 documents (26 pages)
Total Scanned: 184 documents (337 pages)
New Data Entries: 4
Total Data Entries: 40
Medal: Double Platinum (Task completed 10 times)
In the 2008 Summer Games I scanned 84 documents (126 pages) with 20 data entries. I doubled my output in both parts of this task. Being familiar with the Wheat and the Chessboard, I know I have my work cut out for me in future competitions.
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
Medal: Diamond (4 tasks)
Daily Stats: DayFifteen / Final
Category: Organize Your Research
Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.
New Scanned: 23 documents (26 pages)
Total Scanned: 184 documents (337 pages)
New Data Entries: 4
Total Data Entries: 40
Medal: Double Platinum (Task completed 10 times)
In the 2008 Summer Games I scanned 84 documents (126 pages) with 20 data entries. I doubled my output in both parts of this task. Being familiar with the Wheat and the Chessboard, I know I have my work cut out for me in future competitions.
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
- Task A: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location.
- Task B: Create a timeline related to one of your lines of research, a specific ancestor or location.
- Task C: Create a memorial page for an ancestor using either Footnote’s Create A Page feature or their Facebook application I Remember.
- Task D: Visit tutorial and learning pages of popular websites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch’s excellent articles repository.
- Task E: Create a surname visualization using Wordle, Word It Out or a similar application. Post the graphic to your blog.
Medal: Diamond (4 tasks)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Victor Hugo (Feb 26, 1802 - May 22, 1885)
The French author, Victor Hugo, was born 208 years ago on February 26, 1802. He is not an ancestor, nor to my knowledge anywhere on my family tree. However, I have been a fan of his works since 1988 when I saw Les Miserables on Broadway. Gavroche.org is the first domain name I ever registered, back in 2000, where I created the research site, Victor Hugo Central.
Quotes from Victor Hugo pertaining to genealogy:
"Personally I do not attach any importance to genealogical questions. The man is what he is; his value is what he has done. Beyond this, all that is added to or taken from him is nothing. Hence my absolute contempt for genealogies." -- Letter to Albert Caise, 20 March 1867.
If I could choose my forebears, I would rather have a hard-working cobbler for an ancestor than a lazy king. -- ibid.
Cemeteries take what is given them. -- chapter title, Les Miserables.
"Within your ruined churches grows the grass,
And they are full of adders. Many great
by ancestry, but workers none."
-- Ruy Blas, Act III, Sc II
Quotes from Victor Hugo pertaining to genealogy:
"Personally I do not attach any importance to genealogical questions. The man is what he is; his value is what he has done. Beyond this, all that is added to or taken from him is nothing. Hence my absolute contempt for genealogies." -- Letter to Albert Caise, 20 March 1867.
If I could choose my forebears, I would rather have a hard-working cobbler for an ancestor than a lazy king. -- ibid.
Cemeteries take what is given them. -- chapter title, Les Miserables.
"Within your ruined churches grows the grass,
And they are full of adders. Many great
by ancestry, but workers none."
-- Ruy Blas, Act III, Sc II
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A Tale of Two Grandmas
Below are two timelines, interwoven. These are the lives of my two grandmothers, mostly defined by the births, marriages, and deaths of themselves, and their close family. Though other important events in their lives are included. As is my habit, I have obscured some of the information on living relatives. [The timeline for Myrtle Van Every is an update of one I created back in March of 2008.]
While timelines in general are useful to visualize the order of events in someone's life, I thought interweaving these in this fashion might help visualize some parallels and differences.
While there are generic forms for creating timelines, I avoided them, because most of the forms I saw only allowed one line to enter the 'event' and as you will see below, I have a tendency to write more than that.
1918 - Myrtle's probable graduation from high school. Personnel records indicate she had a high school degree, and two years of post-secondary education.
1919 - Letters from Myrtle's parents indicate she married and divorced a man named "Jack." Last name yet to be determined.
12 Aug 1919 - Myrtle begins working as a clerk at the QuarterMasterCorps in El Paso TX.
1920 – According to the US Census, Myrtle may be residing at Fort Bliss, in El Paso TX, at the QuarterMasterCorps. (Surname on census is illegible.)
12 Aug 1927 - Divorce proceedings between Myrtle and Dale begin
26 Sept 1927 - Myrtle returns to work in St. Louis, Missouri
14 Oct 1927 - Divorce decreed.
1933 – Sisse is graduated from Clayton High School
18 Sept 1933 – Myrtle’s brother, Samuel, dies in Kansas City, MO of cirrhosis of the liver, caused by alcohol. Myrtle was the informant on the death certificate. There are indications her sisters may not have been there with her. Family would later tell Myrtle’s daughters that he died in a flu epidemic. If Myrtle was the only one there, it's not clear if she was the only one who knew the truth. [At age 33, both of Myrtle’s parents are deceased, and only two sisters remain alive.]
08 June 1934 - Myrtle's future husband, Martin Deutsch, accepts transfer to the St. Louis Post Office HDQ as Postal Inspector.
01 July 1935 - Myrtle transfers to St. Louis Division Hdq
10 May 1936 - Sissie secretly marries Melvin Lester Newmark; Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois
31 Dec 1936 – Myrtle marries Martin Joel Deutsch in Springfield, IL. They are driving to Chicago to see Martin’s sister, Berta, get married to Herman Freed.
1938 - Myrtle and Martin have a daughter. Sissie and Melvin have a son.
1940 – Myrtle and Martin have a second daughter.
1941 - Myrtle and Martin move to Oakley Drive, in Clayton, St. Louis County, MO
Mar 1942 – Myrtle’s husband Martin, already an Army reserve officer, enters active service, most of it spent in Africa. Not long after, Myrtle retuns to work at the St. Louis Post Office.
29 Apr 1942 - Sissie's brother, "Babe", marries Leonore Miller
15 Oct 1942 - Sissie and Melvin have a second son, Stevan J Newmark
04 Oct 1945 - Myrtle files an affidavit that her birthdate was March 21, 1905. Her sister, Minnie, testifies in support of this statement, declaring she was present at the birth. (1905 was the year Minnie was married, so it is highly doubtful she misremembered Myrtle having been born in that year.) It is unknown why they did this. Maybe Myrtle was searching for a job and felt being five years younger would be beneficial.
1945 – November, Myrtle’s husband Martin returns home from active duty.
1945 - Sissie's husband, Melvin, returns from the war.
1946 – Deutsch Family returns to St. Louis
1947 – Myrtle takes family on vacation to Texas to visit her sisters Minnie and Eva, and their families.
11 Sept 1951 – Myrtle dies of colon cancer at the age of 51.
1952 - Sissie and Melvin have a third son
1955 - Newmark family moves to Payson Drive in Olivette, St. Louis County, Missouri.
08 Nov 1963 - Sissie's father Herman Max Feinstein dies.
09 Dec 1965 - Sissie's mother Anna (Blatt) Feinstein dies.
30 Mar 1968 – Sissie's older brother, Bernard “Benny” Feinstein dies.
22 Jan 1992 - Sissie's husband Melvin Lester Newmark, dies while vacationing in Palm Springs, California
04 Oct 1997 - Sissie's middle son, Stevan J Newmark dies.
06 Dec 1999 – Sissie's younger brother, Seymour “Babe” Feinstein dies.
11 Oct 2002 – Belle "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark dies from emphysema and pneumonia, at the age of 88.
I knew before I began that the two timelines would interweave well in the 1930s and 1940s with the marriages and the War. However, what this did highlight for me was that the date of both marriages appear to have been influenced by the marriage of a sibling.
Myrtle and Martin were married by a Justice of the Peace in transit to celebrate the wedding of Martin's sister. It wasn't a complete spur of the moment decision, as they had announced they were engaged at least a month earlier. I suspect since both her parents were gone, and she had already been married twice, albeit briefly both times, Myrtle had no interest in a family wedding.
While I knew Sissie and Melvin had been impatient to get married, I didn't know why the Feinstein and Newmark families had set the date as they had. If it had been in 1935, I would have guessed it was waiting for Sissie to turn 21, but she turned 22 in August of 1936. While I'm not certain, it appears the Feinsteins may have wanted Sissie's marriage to be after her older brother's. However, Sissie and Melvin were impatient, so they too were married by a Justice of the Peace.
While there are generic forms for creating timelines, I avoided them, because most of the forms I saw only allowed one line to enter the 'event' and as you will see below, I have a tendency to write more than that.
21 Mar 1900 – Myrtle Ethel Van Every is born in Maxwell, Texas, the eighth and final child of Melvin Van Every and Margaret Jane McAlpin Monteroy Denyer. (Three of those eight died as infants, so Myrtle grows up as the youngest of five children.)
21 Nov 1900 - Melvin Van Every appears in front of Dawes Commission testifying about the Denyer family Choctaw roots. He explains he is there in Margaret's stead, as she is home with a sick baby - Myrtle.
11 July 1902 - Hartley/Denyer application is rejected by the Dawes Commission for lack of evidence
08 Nov 1905 – Myrtle’s sister, Minnie Ray, at age 19, marries August Benold.
09 Jan 1909 - Myrtle's sister, Willa Ann, at age 19, marries Lexington Roberts
05 Dec 1912 - Myrtle's sister, Evelyn Syvela, at age 20, marries William Campbell
14 Aug 1914 – Belle "Sissie" Feinstein is born in St. Louis City, Missouri, the second child of Herman Max Feinstein and Anna (Blatt) Feinstein.
05 Mar 1915 – Sissie's grandfather, Selig Feinstein, dies of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, a kidney disorder usually caused by a reaction to pain medication.
08 Jan 1916 – Myrtle’s sister, Willa Ann Van Every Roberts dies at age 26, leaving behind a daughter, Agnes, age 5.
21 Nov 1900 - Melvin Van Every appears in front of Dawes Commission testifying about the Denyer family Choctaw roots. He explains he is there in Margaret's stead, as she is home with a sick baby - Myrtle.
11 July 1902 - Hartley/Denyer application is rejected by the Dawes Commission for lack of evidence
08 Nov 1905 – Myrtle’s sister, Minnie Ray, at age 19, marries August Benold.
09 Jan 1909 - Myrtle's sister, Willa Ann, at age 19, marries Lexington Roberts
05 Dec 1912 - Myrtle's sister, Evelyn Syvela, at age 20, marries William Campbell
14 Aug 1914 – Belle "Sissie" Feinstein is born in St. Louis City, Missouri, the second child of Herman Max Feinstein and Anna (Blatt) Feinstein.
05 Mar 1915 – Sissie's grandfather, Selig Feinstein, dies of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, a kidney disorder usually caused by a reaction to pain medication.
08 Jan 1916 – Myrtle’s sister, Willa Ann Van Every Roberts dies at age 26, leaving behind a daughter, Agnes, age 5.
16 Dec 1917 – Sissie's younger brother, Seymour “Babe” Feinstein, is born.
1917 - The Van Every Family moves to Fabens, TX, just south of El Paso. Melvin Van Every, obtains a job as El Paso County Apiary Inspector (two events are likely related)1918 - Myrtle's probable graduation from high school. Personnel records indicate she had a high school degree, and two years of post-secondary education.
1919 - Letters from Myrtle's parents indicate she married and divorced a man named "Jack." Last name yet to be determined.
12 Aug 1919 - Myrtle begins working as a clerk at the QuarterMasterCorps in El Paso TX.
1920 – According to the US Census, Myrtle may be residing at Fort Bliss, in El Paso TX, at the QuarterMasterCorps. (Surname on census is illegible.)
20 Nov 1920 - Myrtle begins working for the US Post Office in St. Louis according to her personnel records. Myrtle’s brother, Samuel, is working towards a degree in Optometry in St. Louis.
02 May 1923 – In Hudspeth, TX, at the age of 55, Myrtle’s mother dies of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, a kidney disorder usually caused by a reaction to pain medication.
1926 – Sometime between 1926 and 1930 Myrtle’s brother, Samuel, moves to Kansas City.
02 May 1923 – In Hudspeth, TX, at the age of 55, Myrtle’s mother dies of Chronic Interstitial Nephritis, a kidney disorder usually caused by a reaction to pain medication.
1926 – Sometime between 1926 and 1930 Myrtle’s brother, Samuel, moves to Kansas City.
13 Apr 1926 – Sissie's grandfather, Morris Blatt, dies.
30 Apr 1927 – Myrtle marries Dale B Ridgely in San Francisco. 12 Aug 1927 - Divorce proceedings between Myrtle and Dale begin
26 Sept 1927 - Myrtle returns to work in St. Louis, Missouri
14 Oct 1927 - Divorce decreed.
1928 - By 1928 the Feinstein family have moved to San Bonita Avenue, in Clayton, St. Louis County, Missouri.
26 May 1929 – Myrtle’s father dies at the age of 66 in Garfield, New Mexico. At some point in the past 6 years he has remarried. Myrtle also changes her surname back to Van Every.
10 Aug 1932 – Sissie's grandmother, Annie (Perlik) Feinstein, dies. 1933 – Sisse is graduated from Clayton High School
18 Sept 1933 – Myrtle’s brother, Samuel, dies in Kansas City, MO of cirrhosis of the liver, caused by alcohol. Myrtle was the informant on the death certificate. There are indications her sisters may not have been there with her. Family would later tell Myrtle’s daughters that he died in a flu epidemic. If Myrtle was the only one there, it's not clear if she was the only one who knew the truth. [At age 33, both of Myrtle’s parents are deceased, and only two sisters remain alive.]
08 June 1934 - Myrtle's future husband, Martin Deutsch, accepts transfer to the St. Louis Post Office HDQ as Postal Inspector.
01 July 1935 - Myrtle transfers to St. Louis Division Hdq
10 May 1936 - Sissie secretly marries Melvin Lester Newmark; Waterloo, Monroe County, Illinois
31 Dec 1936 – Myrtle marries Martin Joel Deutsch in Springfield, IL. They are driving to Chicago to see Martin’s sister, Berta, get married to Herman Freed.
01 Nov 1936 - Sissie's brother, "Benny", marries Belle Hoffman
10 Jan 1937 - Sissie and Melvin are married in front of their families at United Hebrew Temple in St. Louis, the ceremony conducted by Rabbi Samuel Thurman. No one learns about the earlier secret marriage for many years.
14 Feb 1937 – Myrtle resigns from the Post Office. (effective date) 10 Jan 1937 - Sissie and Melvin are married in front of their families at United Hebrew Temple in St. Louis, the ceremony conducted by Rabbi Samuel Thurman. No one learns about the earlier secret marriage for many years.
1938 - Myrtle and Martin have a daughter. Sissie and Melvin have a son.
1940 – Myrtle and Martin have a second daughter.
1941 - Myrtle and Martin move to Oakley Drive, in Clayton, St. Louis County, MO
Mar 1942 – Myrtle’s husband Martin, already an Army reserve officer, enters active service, most of it spent in Africa. Not long after, Myrtle retuns to work at the St. Louis Post Office.
29 Apr 1942 - Sissie's brother, "Babe", marries Leonore Miller
15 Oct 1942 - Sissie and Melvin have a second son, Stevan J Newmark
1943 - Sissie's husband, Melvin joins up with the American Red Cross, most of it he is stationed in Australia
1945 – Myrtle and daughters move temporarily to West Palm Beach, FL. (House in Clayton not sold)04 Oct 1945 - Myrtle files an affidavit that her birthdate was March 21, 1905. Her sister, Minnie, testifies in support of this statement, declaring she was present at the birth. (1905 was the year Minnie was married, so it is highly doubtful she misremembered Myrtle having been born in that year.) It is unknown why they did this. Maybe Myrtle was searching for a job and felt being five years younger would be beneficial.
1945 – November, Myrtle’s husband Martin returns home from active duty.
1945 - Sissie's husband, Melvin, returns from the war.
1946 – Deutsch Family returns to St. Louis
1947 – Myrtle takes family on vacation to Texas to visit her sisters Minnie and Eva, and their families.
11 Sept 1951 – Myrtle dies of colon cancer at the age of 51.
1952 - Sissie and Melvin have a third son
1955 - Newmark family moves to Payson Drive in Olivette, St. Louis County, Missouri.
08 Nov 1963 - Sissie's father Herman Max Feinstein dies.
09 Dec 1965 - Sissie's mother Anna (Blatt) Feinstein dies.
30 Mar 1968 – Sissie's older brother, Bernard “Benny” Feinstein dies.
22 Jan 1992 - Sissie's husband Melvin Lester Newmark, dies while vacationing in Palm Springs, California
04 Oct 1997 - Sissie's middle son, Stevan J Newmark dies.
06 Dec 1999 – Sissie's younger brother, Seymour “Babe” Feinstein dies.
11 Oct 2002 – Belle "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark dies from emphysema and pneumonia, at the age of 88.
I knew before I began that the two timelines would interweave well in the 1930s and 1940s with the marriages and the War. However, what this did highlight for me was that the date of both marriages appear to have been influenced by the marriage of a sibling.
Myrtle and Martin were married by a Justice of the Peace in transit to celebrate the wedding of Martin's sister. It wasn't a complete spur of the moment decision, as they had announced they were engaged at least a month earlier. I suspect since both her parents were gone, and she had already been married twice, albeit briefly both times, Myrtle had no interest in a family wedding.
While I knew Sissie and Melvin had been impatient to get married, I didn't know why the Feinstein and Newmark families had set the date as they had. If it had been in 1935, I would have guessed it was waiting for Sissie to turn 21, but she turned 22 in August of 1936. While I'm not certain, it appears the Feinsteins may have wanted Sissie's marriage to be after her older brother's. However, Sissie and Melvin were impatient, so they too were married by a Justice of the Peace.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wordless Wednesday: Ten Days Without Mail
Postcard home - sent by my grandfather, Martin J Deutsch, January 29, 1943.
(The whole APO wasn't receiving mail)
(The whole APO wasn't receiving mail)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Days 10 and 11
More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games
Daily Stats: Day Ten and Eleven
Category: Organize Your Research
(no progress...still 19 scanned letters shy of a Double Platinum medal)
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
Tasks A, D and E completed
Task B: Create a timeline related to one of your lines of research, a specific ancestor or location. Get creative using a free application such as TimeToast. Post your timeline on your blog.
I didn't use TimeToast or any other free application; I did it by hand. And I haven't yet put a blog post together. However, I have updated a timeline I put together back in March of 2008 for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every Deutsch, and I have put one together for my paternal grandmother, Belle Feinstein Newmark. The posts will appear later this week.
Four completed tasks - Diamond Medal earned
One task shy of Platinum
Daily Stats: Day Ten and Eleven
Category: Organize Your Research
(no progress...still 19 scanned letters shy of a Double Platinum medal)
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
Tasks A, D and E completed
Task B: Create a timeline related to one of your lines of research, a specific ancestor or location. Get creative using a free application such as TimeToast. Post your timeline on your blog.
I didn't use TimeToast or any other free application; I did it by hand. And I haven't yet put a blog post together. However, I have updated a timeline I put together back in March of 2008 for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every Deutsch, and I have put one together for my paternal grandmother, Belle Feinstein Newmark. The posts will appear later this week.
Four completed tasks - Diamond Medal earned
One task shy of Platinum
Tombstone Tuesday: Max Newmark (1892-1931)
Transcription:Meyer Vulf
son of Samuel Yosef Newmark
Died on the 14th of Shevat 5691 (January 31, 1931, after sunset)
May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life
Max
1892-1931
My second great uncle, Max Newmark, is said to have been born on August 16, 1892, likely in Warka, Poland. (The Newmark family left Poland for England in either 1892 or 1893, so it's possible he was born enroute.)
He would have been 17 years old when the family arrived in the US in 1909. He originally followed his father in the tailoring business, but later opened a grocery store in East St. Louis, Illinois.
He was the victim of an armed robbery at the age of 39, leaving behind a wife and two children. He is buried at B'nai Amoona cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri. Not far from the gravesite of his parents.
He would have been 17 years old when the family arrived in the US in 1909. He originally followed his father in the tailoring business, but later opened a grocery store in East St. Louis, Illinois.
He was the victim of an armed robbery at the age of 39, leaving behind a wife and two children. He is buried at B'nai Amoona cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri. Not far from the gravesite of his parents.
Monday, February 22, 2010
FamilyTree Magazine Announces their list of 40 Best Genealogy Blogs
FamilyTree Magazine has announced their list of the 40 Best Genealogy Blogs divided between 10 categories.
Congratulations to all winners.
Congratulations to all winners.
Amanuensis Monday: Max Newmark - "Bandit Victim"
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, 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. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.
Below is a transcription of a news article that appeared in the St. Louis Globe Democrat on February 1st, 1931. It describes the armed robbery and fatal shooting of my great-great uncle, Max Newmark, at his grocery store.
I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, 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. If you choose to join me in Amanuensis Monday and post your transcriptions, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments.
Below is a transcription of a news article that appeared in the St. Louis Globe Democrat on February 1st, 1931. It describes the armed robbery and fatal shooting of my great-great uncle, Max Newmark, at his grocery store.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Days 8 and 9
More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games
Daily Stats: Day Eight and Nine
Category: Organize Your Research
Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.
Scanned: 28 documents (52 pages)
Total Scanned: 161 documents (311 pages)
Total Data Entries: 36
This task has been completed 9 times, so if I can scan 19 more letters, I'll have earned a "Double Platinum."
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
Task A: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.
I did this on Thursday
Task D: Visit tutorial and learning pages of popular websites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch’s excellent articles repository.
I have visited both. I know I will return to both, but I stayed longer in my initial visit at FamilySearch's site. I like the ability to sort all the documents by title, subject, or geographical location.
Task E: Create a surname visualization using Wordle, Word It Out or a similar application. Post the graphic to your blog.
Wordle is a fun way to visualize the relative quantities of different surnames in one's database. I last did this six months ago. But my database hasn't been stagnant. Here's what it looks like now. (click to enlarge):
By completing three tasks, I have earned a "Gold" in this category. By the end of competition on Saturday I expect to complete at least four, perhaps all five tasks.
Daily Stats: Day Eight and Nine
Category: Organize Your Research
Task E: Create at least 20 data entries in your database, or scan 20 photos, or scan 20 documents.
Scanned: 28 documents (52 pages)
Total Scanned: 161 documents (311 pages)
Total Data Entries: 36
This task has been completed 9 times, so if I can scan 19 more letters, I'll have earned a "Double Platinum."
Category: Expand Your Knowledge
Task A: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.
I did this on Thursday
Task D: Visit tutorial and learning pages of popular websites such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch’s excellent articles repository.
I have visited both. I know I will return to both, but I stayed longer in my initial visit at FamilySearch's site. I like the ability to sort all the documents by title, subject, or geographical location.
Task E: Create a surname visualization using Wordle, Word It Out or a similar application. Post the graphic to your blog.
Wordle is a fun way to visualize the relative quantities of different surnames in one's database. I last did this six months ago. But my database hasn't been stagnant. Here's what it looks like now. (click to enlarge):
By completing three tasks, I have earned a "Gold" in this category. By the end of competition on Saturday I expect to complete at least four, perhaps all five tasks.
Weekly Genealogy Picks
Weekly Genealogy Picks -- February 14 to February 20
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
- Ruth Coker Burks at Last2CU makes a shocking and disturbing discovery on the shore of Lake Hamilton. Her great grandmother's open tomb.
- John at AncestryChronicles reports that a cemetery is being condemned and removed to make way for an expansion at Chicago's OHare.
- The National Archives at NARAtions discusses available slave manifests. Ancestry.com has microfilmed the manifests to and from New Orleans. Manifests for three other Southern ports are available at NARA’s Southeast Regional Archives in Morrow, Georgia.
- To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, Miriam at Ancestories has been republishing a series she wrote in 2008, filled with ideas on how genealogists can give back to the genealogy community.
- John at The Wandering Genealogist explains why he won't be wasting his money on the 1939 Register Service. I agree with him that every non-free genealogy source must go through a cost-benefit analysis. And the analysis is likely to differ for different researchers.
- LegacyNews discusses Gaps of Unusual Size. And how it is important to correct them, or explain them.
- Arlene Eakle explains why there is no such thing as a Genealogy Instant Answer Line.
- In his Best of the Genea-Blogs Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings highlights his selections for the best reads of the week.
- Personal historian, Dan Curtis, writes The Introvert's 12-step Plan for Painless Networking.
- Good Morning Silicon Valley has an interesting theory on how the privacy issues of Google Buzz slipped past initial testing in Google, Buzz, and the Silicon Tower.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games - Day 7
More information on the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games
Daily Stats: Day Seven
Category: Organize Your Research
Scanned: 65 documents (121 pages)
Total: 133 documents (259 pages)
Recovering from a cold, I stayed home from work today, and got some scanning done. Still scanning letters my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent my grandmother during the war. I'm up to the month of June, 1943.
This completes Task E of this category over six times, qualifying me for the 'Platinum' level, at least as I chose to interpret the rules. I suspect I will do some more scanning during the second week, as I have a desire to complete the box of letters, but I will also focus some time on earning a second Platinum in my other category.
The below menu was enclosed in one of the letters. I believe my grandfather censored his location.
For anyone wondering -- Most of these letters will go un-transcribed, at least for now. Though often fun to read, there isn't much genealogical information contained within them. Though by scanning them, I will still be able to share the letters with multiple family members.
Daily Stats: Day Seven
Category: Organize Your Research
Scanned: 65 documents (121 pages)
Total: 133 documents (259 pages)
Recovering from a cold, I stayed home from work today, and got some scanning done. Still scanning letters my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, sent my grandmother during the war. I'm up to the month of June, 1943.
This completes Task E of this category over six times, qualifying me for the 'Platinum' level, at least as I chose to interpret the rules. I suspect I will do some more scanning during the second week, as I have a desire to complete the box of letters, but I will also focus some time on earning a second Platinum in my other category.
The below menu was enclosed in one of the letters. I believe my grandfather censored his location.
For anyone wondering -- Most of these letters will go un-transcribed, at least for now. Though often fun to read, there isn't much genealogical information contained within them. Though by scanning them, I will still be able to share the letters with multiple family members.
Poetry: Excerpt from The Hungry Year - William Kirby
The below poem appears in The Records of the Van Every Family, by Mary Blackadar Piersol, 1947. She divided the genealogy into two sections, with the second section following the United Empire Loyalists who fled to Canada, and their descendants. The poem was chosen as an introduction to the second half.
AUTUMN
The Hunger Year
The war was over. Seven red years of blood
Had scourged the land from mountain top to sea.
(So long it took to rend the mighty frame
Of England's empire in the western world).
Rebellion won at last, and they who loved
The cause which had been lost, and kept the faith
To England's crown, and scorned an alien name,
Passed into exile, leaving all behind,
Except their honour and the conscious pride
Of duty done to country and to king.
***
Not drooping like poor fugitives they came
In exodus to our Canadian wilds,
But full of heart and hope, with heads erect
And fearless eyes victorious in defeat.
With thousand toils they forced their devious way
Through the great wilderness of silent woods,
That gloomed o'er lake and stream, till higher rose
The Northern Star above the broad domain
Of half a continent, still theirs to hold,
Defend and keep for ever as their own,
Their own and England's till the end of time.
-- William Kirby (1817-1906)
While the above is how it appears in The Records of the Van Every Family, it is an excerpt from The Hungry Year, which can be read in full at Canadiana or The Internet Archive.
AUTUMN
The Hunger Year
The war was over. Seven red years of blood
Had scourged the land from mountain top to sea.
(So long it took to rend the mighty frame
Of England's empire in the western world).
Rebellion won at last, and they who loved
The cause which had been lost, and kept the faith
To England's crown, and scorned an alien name,
Passed into exile, leaving all behind,
Except their honour and the conscious pride
Of duty done to country and to king.
***
Not drooping like poor fugitives they came
In exodus to our Canadian wilds,
But full of heart and hope, with heads erect
And fearless eyes victorious in defeat.
With thousand toils they forced their devious way
Through the great wilderness of silent woods,
That gloomed o'er lake and stream, till higher rose
The Northern Star above the broad domain
Of half a continent, still theirs to hold,
Defend and keep for ever as their own,
Their own and England's till the end of time.
-- William Kirby (1817-1906)
While the above is how it appears in The Records of the Van Every Family, it is an excerpt from The Hungry Year, which can be read in full at Canadiana or The Internet Archive.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Google Maps of my Ancestors
Category 4 of the Winter 2010 Geneabloggers Games is "Expand Your Knowledge"
Task A is: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.
Below is a map of St. Louis addresses for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch. She moved to St. Louis in 1920, and except for a brief period in 1945 when she moved to West Palm Beach, FL, she was in St. Louis for the rest of her life. Before her marriage, she moved around a lot. [Click on the '-' button to 'Zoom out' and see all the addresses, or click on "View...in a larger map".]
View St. Louis Residences of Myrtle Van Every Deutsch in a larger map
This entry serves as my status update, as it is the only thing I've done today for the competition.
Task A is: Use Google Maps to map out an ancestral location. Create a map that you can then embed into a blog post.
Below is a map of St. Louis addresses for my maternal grandmother, Myrtle (Van Every) Deutsch. She moved to St. Louis in 1920, and except for a brief period in 1945 when she moved to West Palm Beach, FL, she was in St. Louis for the rest of her life. Before her marriage, she moved around a lot. [Click on the '-' button to 'Zoom out' and see all the addresses, or click on "View...in a larger map".]
View St. Louis Residences of Myrtle Van Every Deutsch in a larger map
This entry serves as my status update, as it is the only thing I've done today for the competition.
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