It's an opportunity you may not want to miss.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Follow Friday: Footnote's Newspaper Archive
I am focusing on free resources for my Follow Friday series, and Footnote isn't free. However, for the month of May, they are providing free access to their newspaper archive.
It's an opportunity you may not want to miss.
It's an opportunity you may not want to miss.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Book Review: Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg
When Steve finds out his mother had a sister, his shock as a son, as well as his training as a reporter, compels him to research the mystery. He is determined not only to figure out the Who, What, When, Where and How – but also the Why. When he begins the research sixty years have passed since his aunt was institutionalized. She is deceased, and so are both of his parents. And he realizes he is racing against time to find the right people to ask the right questions.
Along the way he uncovers more family secrets. They propel his research to Detroit, Michigan, and through the history and bureaucracy of Michigan’s institutions for individuals with mental retardation and mental illness. They lead him from Radziwillow, Russia, where a cousin escaped the Holocaust, to the Philippines, where his father served during World War II, to Ellis Island. They take him through the letters his parents wrote to each other, and through his own childhood memories. The reader follows, often horrified, saddened, or intrigued by what is revealed.
Who knew? Who didn’t? Both questions needed to be answered for a complete portrait. The artist’s challenge was mine as well: To get the composition right. I had to master the negative space as well as the positive; to paint what was absent as well as what was present. (page 65)This is Luxenberg’s first book, but that is misleading. He is not unskilled with the written word, as he has been a senior editor at the Washington Post for over two decades. The emotional conflict between the duties of a reporter and those of a son play out in the pages.
Much of the book will be familiar to a genealogist. We’re accustomed to uncovering these mysteries, though we may not be as skilled in some of the investigational techniques. I was impressed with what I learned from the book. (See below.)
I don't read many memoirs, but Luxenberg immediately was able to grab my attention, and hold it until the end. The elements of mystery and genealogy research are undoubtedly the glue which kept me hooked, however I suspect regular readers of memoirs will find the emotional impact of the revelations satisfying. My only frustrations during reading were the ones I shared with Luxenberg, over the bureaucratic red tape, and the fading human recollections.
Some readers may feel the descriptions aren't sufficient, and wish more of the documents referenced were presented in the book for us to look at. There is a fix for this, though. Luxenberg has created a website where he has uploaded many of these documents, as well as some additional ones not mentioned in the book. I recommend not visiting the website until after you’ve finished reading, as there are some potential spoilers. In both what is presented there, and perhaps more importantly to some readers, what is absent.
Finally, there are a few appendices worth mentioning. First, he includes some extensive chapter notes. There is also a list of "Family Members and Recurring Figures." This cast of characters will prove useful to many readers, and if you're a reader who tends to skip over the table of contents, you're not likely to see it until after you're finished.
A Few Research Tips I Learned
1) Don’t Lead the Witness
I didn’t really learn this from Luxenberg, it’s more like I was reminded. I come from a family of lawyers, so the phrase was familiar. But it is important to remember when interviewing people, whether they are on a witness stand, or sitting across from you at the dinner table. People’s memories are a funny thing, and if you ask them, “Do you remember X?” they may suddenly think they are able to.
2) New Resources
Luxenberg used a few resources that were new to me.
A) Morning Reports
Many US World War II personnel records were destroyed in a 1973 fire, but these weren’t.
MORNING REPORTS are created each morning, as the name implies. They are an "exception based" system, only containing information on those individuals who are not "Present and Accounted for". Among the reasons for being listed on a morning report are: Promotion or demotion; Being killed, wounded or missing in action; Being assigned to a unit, or leaving a unit; Going to a hospital for treatment, or to another activity for training [quote from National Archives page linked to above]Morning Reports are available from 1912-1974 for the US Army, and 1947-1966 for the Air Force.
B) 1940-2000 census records – Age Search Service
It’s a well-repeated maxim that the US census is closed to the public until 72 years have passed. This maxim, while generally true, hides an important exception. You can ask the census bureau for a transcription of your own census details. And after you are deceased, so can (1) a blood relative in the immediate family (parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent), (2) the surviving wife or husband, (3) the administrator or executor of the estate, or (4) a beneficiary by will or insurance.
This can be expensive. It’s $65 for a “census transcript” which will list the person’s name, relationship to household head, age at the time of the census, state of birth, and citizenship if the person was foreign born. An additional $10 for a “Full Schedule” containing the complete one-line entry for a single person. Offhand, I can't think of any personal mysteries that this will help me solve. However, despite the cost and the restrictions, this could prove useful to some.
Disclaimers:
1) The publisher provided me with a review copy. This is standard practice for professional reviewers, but since I am not one, I feel I should disclose this.
2) Since I do have an Amazon Associates account, and used it for the below "Buy From Amazon" links, anyone who follows those links and makes a purchase from Amazon will be helping me earn a small referral fee. This doesn't add to your cost in any way. And if you wish to purchase it from Barnes and Noble, Borders, or a local independent bookseller, the choice is yours.
| Hardback | Paperback |
| The paperback is being released May 11, 2010, but can be pre-ordered. |
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Amanuensis Monday: Funeral Card of Samuel Van Every (1820-1888)
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.
Recently a contact I made with a cousin in Texas resulted in the discovery of the funeral card of Samuel Van Every, my second great grandfather:
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.
Recently a contact I made with a cousin in Texas resulted in the discovery of the funeral card of Samuel Van Every, my second great grandfather:
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Weekly Genealogy Picks
Weekly Genealogy Picks -- April 25 to May 1
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Several bloggers have been spending the week at the National Genealogical Society Conference in Salt Lake City. One of the announcements to come out of that conference is that Ancestry.com is developing a Mac version of their FamilyTreeMaker software. (hat/tip: AnceStories).
Diane Haddad at The Genealogy Insider provided pictures of the NGS group viewing of the final episode of Who Do You Think You Are. She also provides a summary of the episode, and a list of a few statistics they learned about what went into the making of the show
Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings discussed a presentation he attended on The Future of Genealogy Collaboration.
The April issue of Shades of the Departed Magazine has been released.
Denise Barrett Olson at The Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal discusses how to build a cemetery photo archive.
English geneticist, Paul Nurse's recent discovery teaches us where genealogy research should always begin - oneself. For most of us, our birth certificate will confirm what our parents told us. But at age 61, his did not. (Read more at The MyHeritage Blog)
Dan Curtis has 25 No Cost or Low Cost Marketing Ideas for your Personal History Business.
Thomas MacEntee at High-Definition Genealogy has developed a Genealogy Source Citation Quick Reference Card. Which may be of much help for those confused by source citatons. I know I tend to use the MLA method, as that is what I learned in school. But other methods are illustrated.
Monday, May 10th, is Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress. May 9-15 is Preservation Week.
Schelly Talalay Dardashti, at Tracing the Tribe, discussed a new resource to me, Scirus. "the most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. With over 370 million scientific items indexed at last count, it allows researchers to search for not only journal content but also scientists' homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information." For genealogists, if you have relatives in the science fields, you may find this particularly useful. Though the database does cover more than just science, as I found references to relatives who are lawyers and some in artistic fields. [search it yourself].
If your research takes you to New York, you will want to look at Steven Lasky's list of Searchable Cemetery Databases in the New York Metro Area at the Museum of Family History.
Roy Tennant at the Library Journal noticed that it had been awhile since the Wayback Machine archive had been updated. The Wayback Machine is an amazing resource for seeing what webpages used to look like, but he couldn't find archives more recent than August 2008 for websites such as Microsoft and Amazon. He received a comment from someone at Wayback that confirmed they are behind in updating, but they have the data, and they are working on a new version that will be released in 'the summer.'
Luckie Daniels at Our Georgia Roots had to write some posts this week, she would rather not have written. Apparently she has been harassed online by another genealogy blogger who refused to listen to the word 'stop.' She had a follow-up post on Community Advocacy. Thomas MacEntee suggested a Geneabloggers Code of Conduct, which has received a lot of commentary pro and con.
Matt Quinn at Poemblaze has a humorous poem entitled Genetic Counseling about a somewhat lazy, but at least honest, genealogist.
Animal Rights group, PETA, purchased ad space on some cremation urns.
The ACLU is supporting a congressional bill to eliminate gene patents.
Other Weekly/Monthly Lists
Jo Lee Archer Arnspiger at Those Who Went Before
Terri Buster at Southwest Arkie
Joan Hill at Roots'n'Leaves
Sherry Stocking Kline at Family Tree Writer
Kim at Ancestors of Mine from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Beyond
John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch
Heather Wikinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy
If you participated, but don't appear on this list, let me know.
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Several bloggers have been spending the week at the National Genealogical Society Conference in Salt Lake City. One of the announcements to come out of that conference is that Ancestry.com is developing a Mac version of their FamilyTreeMaker software. (hat/tip: AnceStories).
Diane Haddad at The Genealogy Insider provided pictures of the NGS group viewing of the final episode of Who Do You Think You Are. She also provides a summary of the episode, and a list of a few statistics they learned about what went into the making of the show
Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings discussed a presentation he attended on The Future of Genealogy Collaboration.
The April issue of Shades of the Departed Magazine has been released.
Denise Barrett Olson at The Graveyard Rabbit Online Journal discusses how to build a cemetery photo archive.
English geneticist, Paul Nurse's recent discovery teaches us where genealogy research should always begin - oneself. For most of us, our birth certificate will confirm what our parents told us. But at age 61, his did not. (Read more at The MyHeritage Blog)
Dan Curtis has 25 No Cost or Low Cost Marketing Ideas for your Personal History Business.
Thomas MacEntee at High-Definition Genealogy has developed a Genealogy Source Citation Quick Reference Card. Which may be of much help for those confused by source citatons. I know I tend to use the MLA method, as that is what I learned in school. But other methods are illustrated.
Monday, May 10th, is Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress. May 9-15 is Preservation Week.
Schelly Talalay Dardashti, at Tracing the Tribe, discussed a new resource to me, Scirus. "the most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. With over 370 million scientific items indexed at last count, it allows researchers to search for not only journal content but also scientists' homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information." For genealogists, if you have relatives in the science fields, you may find this particularly useful. Though the database does cover more than just science, as I found references to relatives who are lawyers and some in artistic fields. [search it yourself].
If your research takes you to New York, you will want to look at Steven Lasky's list of Searchable Cemetery Databases in the New York Metro Area at the Museum of Family History.
Roy Tennant at the Library Journal noticed that it had been awhile since the Wayback Machine archive had been updated. The Wayback Machine is an amazing resource for seeing what webpages used to look like, but he couldn't find archives more recent than August 2008 for websites such as Microsoft and Amazon. He received a comment from someone at Wayback that confirmed they are behind in updating, but they have the data, and they are working on a new version that will be released in 'the summer.'
Luckie Daniels at Our Georgia Roots had to write some posts this week, she would rather not have written. Apparently she has been harassed online by another genealogy blogger who refused to listen to the word 'stop.' She had a follow-up post on Community Advocacy. Thomas MacEntee suggested a Geneabloggers Code of Conduct, which has received a lot of commentary pro and con.
Matt Quinn at Poemblaze has a humorous poem entitled Genetic Counseling about a somewhat lazy, but at least honest, genealogist.
Animal Rights group, PETA, purchased ad space on some cremation urns.
The ACLU is supporting a congressional bill to eliminate gene patents.
Other Weekly/Monthly Lists
- Genealogy News Corral - from Diane Haddad at GenealogyInsider
- Follow Friday - from Greta Koehl at Greta's Genealogy Bog
- New Genealogy Blogs and Upcoming Genealogy Blogging Events - from Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers
- May Calendar of Events -from Miriam Robbins Midkiff at AnceStories
Jo Lee Archer Arnspiger at Those Who Went Before
Terri Buster at Southwest Arkie
Joan Hill at Roots'n'Leaves
Sherry Stocking Kline at Family Tree Writer
Kim at Ancestors of Mine from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Beyond
John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch
Heather Wikinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy
If you participated, but don't appear on this list, let me know.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
May Day, May Day!
Holidays on May 1st
May Day which has its traditional origins in the Celtic holiday of Beltane and the Germanic holiday of Walpurgis Night.
International Worker's Day [aka Labo(u)r Day] which has its origins in Chicago's Haymarket Affair. [Chicago Historical Society's Haymarket Affair Digital Collection]
Loyalty Day - a holiday created in America in the 1950s to 'counter-balance' International Worker's Day.
MayDay - "an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters." (hat/tip to Ancestories, as I was unfamiliar with this initiative.)
Note: the distress call "Mayday!" actually derives from the French word m'aider - meaning "come help me."
May Day which has its traditional origins in the Celtic holiday of Beltane and the Germanic holiday of Walpurgis Night.
International Worker's Day [aka Labo(u)r Day] which has its origins in Chicago's Haymarket Affair. [Chicago Historical Society's Haymarket Affair Digital Collection]
Loyalty Day - a holiday created in America in the 1950s to 'counter-balance' International Worker's Day.
MayDay - "an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters." (hat/tip to Ancestories, as I was unfamiliar with this initiative.)
Note: the distress call "Mayday!" actually derives from the French word m'aider - meaning "come help me."
Friday, April 30, 2010
A post of political advocacy
Outside of a Small Circle of Friends - Phil Ochs - 1964
Inspiration for song: On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside of her apartment, over a period of at least 30 minutes, with the attacker leaving and returning to the scene a few times. Originally an estimated 38 people saw parts of the attack; that estimate over the past forty six years has been reduced, but at least a dozen people saw, and did nothing.
Introduction to Psychology courses use the Kitty Genovese story, and several studies that followed to discuss The Bystander Effect. The idea that you are less likely to react to a situation like this if (1) you believe there are others who might help (2) there are other bystanders doing nothing -- convincing you that the situation isn't serious.
Luckie Daniels at Our Georgia Roots mentions a case Last Sunday of a homeless man in Queens. Stabbed, and lay dying in a pool of blood for over an hour. At least 25 people walked by.
Luckie is most certainly correct. Because psychologists understand why we act the way we do, doesn't give us permission to continue acting that way. We have to fight the urge to let others respond, and trust our own instincts on what we see happening around us.
Note: If you are reading this somewhere where the videos above have been trimmed, you can view them here.
Inspiration for song: On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside of her apartment, over a period of at least 30 minutes, with the attacker leaving and returning to the scene a few times. Originally an estimated 38 people saw parts of the attack; that estimate over the past forty six years has been reduced, but at least a dozen people saw, and did nothing.
Introduction to Psychology courses use the Kitty Genovese story, and several studies that followed to discuss The Bystander Effect. The idea that you are less likely to react to a situation like this if (1) you believe there are others who might help (2) there are other bystanders doing nothing -- convincing you that the situation isn't serious.
Luckie Daniels at Our Georgia Roots mentions a case Last Sunday of a homeless man in Queens. Stabbed, and lay dying in a pool of blood for over an hour. At least 25 people walked by.
Luckie is most certainly correct. Because psychologists understand why we act the way we do, doesn't give us permission to continue acting that way. We have to fight the urge to let others respond, and trust our own instincts on what we see happening around us.
Note: If you are reading this somewhere where the videos above have been trimmed, you can view them here.
Follow Friday: Calendar Converter
There isn't only one place online to go for this, however, Calendarhome is my calendar converter of choice. Genealogists are most likely to come across the need for one if they are converting between the Gregorian and Julian calendars, or between the Gregorian and a specialized calendar, such as the Hebrew, Islamic, or Bahá'í
(click on image to enlarge)
I like this converter as it is compact. You enter one date, and all the other dates change with it. It also allows you to enter the time of day, which is important for converting between calendars where the day starts at different times.
For example, the image above shows that April 30, 2010 at 8 pm is equivalent to Iyyar 17 5770 on the Hebrew calendar. However, if I entered 4 pm, it would say Iyyar 16, since the Hebrew calendar advances at sunset.
(click on image to enlarge)I like this converter as it is compact. You enter one date, and all the other dates change with it. It also allows you to enter the time of day, which is important for converting between calendars where the day starts at different times.
For example, the image above shows that April 30, 2010 at 8 pm is equivalent to Iyyar 17 5770 on the Hebrew calendar. However, if I entered 4 pm, it would say Iyyar 16, since the Hebrew calendar advances at sunset.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
PSA: Sleep Disorders
This post is unrelated to genealogy. However, below are two photographs.
The one on the left is a Polaroid of me taken by a college roommate in the late autumn - winter of 1987-1988. Cold enough for me to be wearing a sweater. It's not a particularly flattering picture for several reasons. Alcohol wasn't involved. I don't recall the exact time of day, but I suspect it was afternoon after classes. I like the ironic relevance of the poster, even though it was his, not mine.
The photo on the right was taken in 2002 at a friend's house. I need a new pair of Guatemalan pants; that pair is no longer wearable.
Anyway, if you find yourself with excessive daytime sleepiness, you should have yourself tested. Don't wait twenty years. Sleep disorders are fairly common, and treatable.
The one on the left is a Polaroid of me taken by a college roommate in the late autumn - winter of 1987-1988. Cold enough for me to be wearing a sweater. It's not a particularly flattering picture for several reasons. Alcohol wasn't involved. I don't recall the exact time of day, but I suspect it was afternoon after classes. I like the ironic relevance of the poster, even though it was his, not mine.
The photo on the right was taken in 2002 at a friend's house. I need a new pair of Guatemalan pants; that pair is no longer wearable.
Anyway, if you find yourself with excessive daytime sleepiness, you should have yourself tested. Don't wait twenty years. Sleep disorders are fairly common, and treatable.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Uncle Sam's Second Wife
Back in July of 2008 I discovered the FBI file of my great uncle, Samuel Van Every. (He also, occasionally, went by the name Stanford Van Every.)
The FBI file began with this wonderful letter:
The FBI file revealed, when the FBI agent arrived in Fabens, TX, Samuel's mother (my great grandmother) showed him the Family Bible where Samuel's birth date was entered. Whether or not he had pro-German sympathies is a question that will likely never be uncovered.
A search of Jacksonville, Florida city directories turned up nothing. Through RAOGK I had someone search the Duval County marriage records from 1914-1919, and they found no Van Every. And there the mystery sat.
***
James Tanner at Genealogy's Star mentioned that the records at FamilySearch nearly doubled today. So I went there to browse around.
One of the new databases I noticed was Florida's marriage records (1837-1974). I immediately entered the Van Every surname, wondering if my RAOGK angel had missed something somehow.
Groom's Name: Stanford O. Van Every
Groom's Birth Date: 1889
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age: 28
Bride's Name: Amy C. Johnston
Bride's Birth Date: 1898
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age: 19
Marriage Date: 20 Mar 1917
Marriage Place: Duval, Florida
Groom's Father's Name:
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race:
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I09962-4
System Origin: Florida-EASy
Source Film Number: 963541
Reference Number: p 168
Collection: Florida Marriages, 1837-1974
***
Unfortunately there isn't an image associated with the record. There are a few different Amy Johnstons in the 1910 census this could be. I will need to get the microfilm roll and see if there is any information on the record that didn't get transferred to the database.
This appears to confirm most of the woman's story. She was the one who was lied to about my uncle's age; not the government. Samuel had married someone previously -- Esther Dahlin, who in 1917 was still raising their son, Everett, in Austin, Texas. Were Samuel and Esther officially divorced? And did Samuel get engaged to and possibly marry someone else in California? I don't know. He's single and living in Oakland in 1920.
Note: This is recent enough, I probably wouldn't be blogging about this if I knew he had any surviving siblings or descendants who might be embarrassed by his escapades. Of course, as the number of women grow, so do the odds.
The FBI file began with this wonderful letter:
War DepartmentBigamy, draft evasion, and pro-German sympathies. I was most interested in the first accusation, and I was angered by the old custom of signatures. I knew my great uncle's initials, I wanted to know the name of this woman!
Information Bureau
Washington, DC
Gentlemen: I was married to S.O Van Every, March 20, 1917 in Jacksonville Fla., my husband gave his age then as 28 but on June 5th of last year he very suddenly grew to be 32 he did not register for the draft ... Mr. Van Every deserted me last December in Little Rock Ark. when he went to Oroville Calif. and Martinez, Calif. and became engaged to another ... Mr. Van Every I learn has been married before he married me but had not a divorce.
I would like to know where I stand...He is a native of Texas, his parents live in Fabens, Texas ... Before the war he was pro-German.
Very Truly
Mrs. SO Van Every
The FBI file revealed, when the FBI agent arrived in Fabens, TX, Samuel's mother (my great grandmother) showed him the Family Bible where Samuel's birth date was entered. Whether or not he had pro-German sympathies is a question that will likely never be uncovered.
A search of Jacksonville, Florida city directories turned up nothing. Through RAOGK I had someone search the Duval County marriage records from 1914-1919, and they found no Van Every. And there the mystery sat.
***
James Tanner at Genealogy's Star mentioned that the records at FamilySearch nearly doubled today. So I went there to browse around.
One of the new databases I noticed was Florida's marriage records (1837-1974). I immediately entered the Van Every surname, wondering if my RAOGK angel had missed something somehow.
Groom's Name: Stanford O. Van Every
Groom's Birth Date: 1889
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age: 28
Bride's Name: Amy C. Johnston
Bride's Birth Date: 1898
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age: 19
Marriage Date: 20 Mar 1917
Marriage Place: Duval, Florida
Groom's Father's Name:
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race:
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I09962-4
System Origin: Florida-EASy
Source Film Number: 963541
Reference Number: p 168
Collection: Florida Marriages, 1837-1974
***
Unfortunately there isn't an image associated with the record. There are a few different Amy Johnstons in the 1910 census this could be. I will need to get the microfilm roll and see if there is any information on the record that didn't get transferred to the database.
This appears to confirm most of the woman's story. She was the one who was lied to about my uncle's age; not the government. Samuel had married someone previously -- Esther Dahlin, who in 1917 was still raising their son, Everett, in Austin, Texas. Were Samuel and Esther officially divorced? And did Samuel get engaged to and possibly marry someone else in California? I don't know. He's single and living in Oakland in 1920.
Note: This is recent enough, I probably wouldn't be blogging about this if I knew he had any surviving siblings or descendants who might be embarrassed by his escapades. Of course, as the number of women grow, so do the odds.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Amanuensis Monday: The Later Years of Herman and Annie Feinstein
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.
This week I conclude a transcription of a family history tape recorded on December 29, 1987 between my grandmother, "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark, and a professional oral historian. After spending about five minutes discussing her grandchildren, the interviewer asks my grandmother to talk some more about her parents. The transcript is below. The notation [ ... ] indicates passages have been removed for this post.
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.
This week I conclude a transcription of a family history tape recorded on December 29, 1987 between my grandmother, "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark, and a professional oral historian. After spending about five minutes discussing her grandchildren, the interviewer asks my grandmother to talk some more about her parents. The transcript is below. The notation [ ... ] indicates passages have been removed for this post.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Weekly Genealogy Picks
Weekly Genealogy Picks -- April 18 to April 24
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Heather Erickson at the Ancestry Blog has a summary of Friday night's Who Do You Think You Are episode with Susan Sarandon. I was pleased to see Sarandon actively involve a member of her family in the research. She was the first celebrity to do so.
Diane Haddad at Genealogy Insider looks at Ancestry.com's new search engine filters.
NARAtions announced that the National Archives now has a list of records digitized by their partners, Ancestry and Footnote. (The list.)
Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings had a phone conversation with David E Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch. He transcribed parts of the conversation.
Lisa Scottoline at the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about how Obits make a reader feel grateful. (hat/tip: What's Past is Prologue)
Last Friday, Alan Mutter at Reflections of a Newsosaur discussed price-gouging at newspapers on death notices. (hat/tip: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter)
Ruth Himan at Genealogy is Ruthless Without Me discusses family foundations as a means to preserve cemeteries.
Dan Curtis discusses what a personal historian should do if the interview unlocks a traumatic story.
Perhaps you heard that two books from the New York Public Library are seriously overdue - having been checked out by George Washington. Martin Hollick at The Slovak Yankee has some thoughts on where the books might be.
Gerard Lagana at MacGasm discusses how a new iPhone app might make a genealogist's travel life more simple -- iTravel. (Note: He doesn't discuss genealogy in particular. Any traveler.)
Chris Dunham at The Genealogue wonders if genealogists of the future - conducting tests on their mitochondrial DNA - might have an issue. If the mtDNA doesn't belong to the mother...
All birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico prior to July 1, 2010 have been ruled invalid. Puerto Ricans who just want a copy of their new certificate for their records are being urged to wait a bit to 'avoid the rush.' (Apparently Puerto Rican certificates were popular among identity thieves.)
Barbara Poole at Life from the Roots wrote for Patriot's Day about growing up in Lexington, MA.
Amy Coffin at We Tree shows off her new genealogy purchase. It's a bit out of my price range at the moment. There are some items you don't need two of. But I could be looking for something similar in a few years.
Other Weekly Lists
The number of participants continues to grow!
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Heather Erickson at the Ancestry Blog has a summary of Friday night's Who Do You Think You Are episode with Susan Sarandon. I was pleased to see Sarandon actively involve a member of her family in the research. She was the first celebrity to do so.
Diane Haddad at Genealogy Insider looks at Ancestry.com's new search engine filters.
NARAtions announced that the National Archives now has a list of records digitized by their partners, Ancestry and Footnote. (The list.)
Randy Seaver at GeneaMusings had a phone conversation with David E Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer at FamilySearch. He transcribed parts of the conversation.
Lisa Scottoline at the Philadelphia Inquirer writes about how Obits make a reader feel grateful. (hat/tip: What's Past is Prologue)
Last Friday, Alan Mutter at Reflections of a Newsosaur discussed price-gouging at newspapers on death notices. (hat/tip: Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter)
Ruth Himan at Genealogy is Ruthless Without Me discusses family foundations as a means to preserve cemeteries.
Dan Curtis discusses what a personal historian should do if the interview unlocks a traumatic story.
Perhaps you heard that two books from the New York Public Library are seriously overdue - having been checked out by George Washington. Martin Hollick at The Slovak Yankee has some thoughts on where the books might be.
Gerard Lagana at MacGasm discusses how a new iPhone app might make a genealogist's travel life more simple -- iTravel. (Note: He doesn't discuss genealogy in particular. Any traveler.)
Chris Dunham at The Genealogue wonders if genealogists of the future - conducting tests on their mitochondrial DNA - might have an issue. If the mtDNA doesn't belong to the mother...
All birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico prior to July 1, 2010 have been ruled invalid. Puerto Ricans who just want a copy of their new certificate for their records are being urged to wait a bit to 'avoid the rush.' (Apparently Puerto Rican certificates were popular among identity thieves.)
Barbara Poole at Life from the Roots wrote for Patriot's Day about growing up in Lexington, MA.
Amy Coffin at We Tree shows off her new genealogy purchase. It's a bit out of my price range at the moment. There are some items you don't need two of. But I could be looking for something similar in a few years.
Other Weekly Lists
- Best of the Genea-blogs - from Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings.
- Genealogy News Corral - from Diane Haddad at GenealogyInsider.
- Follow Friday - from Greta at Greta's Genealogy Bog
- Genealogical Round Up - from Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak at Megan's RootsWorld
- New Genealogy Blogs and Upcoming Genealogy Blogging Events - from Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers
The number of participants continues to grow!
- Jo Lee Archer Arnspiger at Those Who Went Before
- Terri Buster at Southwest Arkie
- Joan Hill at Roots'n'Leaves
- Kim at Ancestors of mine from Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Beyond
- John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch
- Dean Richardson at Genlighten
- Heather Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy
- Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings
- Ruth Stephens at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy
Friday, April 23, 2010
Google Transliteration
Back in December Google released Google Transliteration, making it easy to convert Roman alphabet languages to 17 other language character sets. I commented that Hebrew wasn't one of the 17, and I theorized it might somewhat appropriately be the 18th. (18 having mystical significance).
Today Google announced the addition of five more character sets, and Hebrew is one of them. We'll just say that it was the 18th.
Here's my surname in Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek characters
נומרק
يومارك
Νεωμαρκ
It's not perfect. When I type in my great grandmother's surname, "Cruvant," and ask for Hebrew characters, I am given
סרוואנט
Which would actually be equivalent to Sruvant, but there's no way for me to expect a computer to know I meant a hard-C. When I enter 'Kruvant', I get the Hebrew spelling I've seen on gravestones and elsewhere:
קרובנט
Today Google announced the addition of five more character sets, and Hebrew is one of them. We'll just say that it was the 18th.
Here's my surname in Hebrew, Arabic, and Greek characters
נומרק
يومارك
Νεωμαρκ
It's not perfect. When I type in my great grandmother's surname, "Cruvant," and ask for Hebrew characters, I am given
סרוואנט
Which would actually be equivalent to Sruvant, but there's no way for me to expect a computer to know I meant a hard-C. When I enter 'Kruvant', I get the Hebrew spelling I've seen on gravestones and elsewhere:
קרובנט
Follow Friday: Jackson County (KC) Missouri Marriages
This week the resource I'd like to highlight is Jackson County Missouri's Marriage Database. Jackson is the second largest county in the state, and home to Kansas City and Independence.
You can retrieve the marriage record as a PDF or Tiff document.
Everything is up-to-date in Kansas City.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. But it's accurate. The records cover the years 1826 to current date. There are a few entries listed for April 20th, though only a few of the documents are available to download yet for the records after April 15th.
Still, for these records that are less than a week old, you have the following information available free online:
And if you are willing to wait a week or so, you should be able to download the marriage license and application. There is a box on the application for social security number, but naturally, it has been whitened out. It appears to be the only information that has been censored.
I wish every county did this.
I'm sure there are some who would rather the information on their marriage license wasn't publicly accessible. And these individuals shouldn't file for a marriage license in Jackson County, Missouri.
There's also an Official Public Record database that goes back to 1963.
There are lots of different types of records here, including Birth Certificates and Death Certificates. However, there are only 41 matches for Death Certificates in the year 1963, and only 30 matches so far in 2010. There are a total of 48 birth certificates in the database, with January 1963 being the earliest, and September 2009 being the most recent. Still, if your research takes you to the area, it may be worth checking out.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. But it's accurate. The records cover the years 1826 to current date. There are a few entries listed for April 20th, though only a few of the documents are available to download yet for the records after April 15th.
Still, for these records that are less than a week old, you have the following information available free online:
I wish every county did this.
I'm sure there are some who would rather the information on their marriage license wasn't publicly accessible. And these individuals shouldn't file for a marriage license in Jackson County, Missouri.
There's also an Official Public Record database that goes back to 1963.
There are lots of different types of records here, including Birth Certificates and Death Certificates. However, there are only 41 matches for Death Certificates in the year 1963, and only 30 matches so far in 2010. There are a total of 48 birth certificates in the database, with January 1963 being the earliest, and September 2009 being the most recent. Still, if your research takes you to the area, it may be worth checking out.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
February 1928: Lindbergh Again Flies the Air Mail
Below is one of the more interesting historical postcards I have found. Not because of the postcard, obviously. It was a blank slate on both sides.
Before Charles Lindbergh flew his trans-atlantic non-stop solo flight, he was an airmail carrier, and flew the St. Louis - Chicago route. He did this for a year, and then left to build the Spirit of St. Louis aircraft. After his famous flight the US Post Office convinced him to fly the airmail one more time as a promotional event. He made flights on February 20 and 21, 1928. Each piece of mail received the horseshoe stamp seen below, which reads "Lindbergh Again Flies the Air Mail." There was so much mail, multiple airplanes had to be used, which meant Lindbergh couldn't fly them all. The Post Office Department assured everyone that Lindbergh at least took each plane for a trip around the airfield, so each piece of mail got flown by him, at least for a short distance.
This postcard was sent to my maternal grandmother, Myrtle Van Every. She was working in the St. Louis Post Office at the time, in the Money Order section. I'm not sure who sent it to her. All I have are the initials LLB. But the postcard was sent from St. Louis to St. Louis through Chicago "with an extra cent" for it to make the return trip on the train.
The horseshoe stamp isn't a rarity. Estimates at the time indicate there were 200,000 pieces of mail that received the stamp. There are about a dozen pieces of mail currently on ebay, selling for about $10/apiece. There's no question in my mind this postcard is worth more to me and my family than to anyone else.
Sources:
1) "Lindbergh Flies His Old Mail Route," New York Times, Feb 21, 1928, pg 13. (Proquest Historical Newspapers)
2) Wikipedia
3) Charles Lindbergh Discussion Center
Before Charles Lindbergh flew his trans-atlantic non-stop solo flight, he was an airmail carrier, and flew the St. Louis - Chicago route. He did this for a year, and then left to build the Spirit of St. Louis aircraft. After his famous flight the US Post Office convinced him to fly the airmail one more time as a promotional event. He made flights on February 20 and 21, 1928. Each piece of mail received the horseshoe stamp seen below, which reads "Lindbergh Again Flies the Air Mail." There was so much mail, multiple airplanes had to be used, which meant Lindbergh couldn't fly them all. The Post Office Department assured everyone that Lindbergh at least took each plane for a trip around the airfield, so each piece of mail got flown by him, at least for a short distance.
Sources:
1) "Lindbergh Flies His Old Mail Route," New York Times, Feb 21, 1928, pg 13. (Proquest Historical Newspapers)
2) Wikipedia
3) Charles Lindbergh Discussion Center
Monday, April 19, 2010
Two Poems for Today - April 19
The Midnight Ride of William Dawes - by Helen F Moore (1896)
I am a wandering, bitter shade,
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise,
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause,
I answer only, “My name was Dawes.”
‘Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot,
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear –
My name was Dawes and his Revere.
When the lights from the old North Church flashed out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode, with never a break or a pause;
But what was the use, when my name was Dawes!
History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes and I Revere,
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
He was Revere and I was Dawes.
***
Excerpt from Campo dei Fiori, by Czeslaw Milosz (1943)
I thought of the Campo dei Fiori
In Warsaw by the sky-carousel
One clear spring evening
To the strains of a carnival tune.
The bright melody drowned
The salvos from the ghetto wall,
And couples were flying
High in the cloudless sky.
(full poem)
April 19th is filled with historical events. Many Americans think of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. But this is also the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.
Note: According to this source William Dawes, who rode with Revere, was related to Henry L Dawes, for whom The Dawes Act was named.
I am a wandering, bitter shade,
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise,
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause,
I answer only, “My name was Dawes.”
‘Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot,
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear –
My name was Dawes and his Revere.
When the lights from the old North Church flashed out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode, with never a break or a pause;
But what was the use, when my name was Dawes!
History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes and I Revere,
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
He was Revere and I was Dawes.
***
Excerpt from Campo dei Fiori, by Czeslaw Milosz (1943)
I thought of the Campo dei Fiori
In Warsaw by the sky-carousel
One clear spring evening
To the strains of a carnival tune.
The bright melody drowned
The salvos from the ghetto wall,
And couples were flying
High in the cloudless sky.
(full poem)
April 19th is filled with historical events. Many Americans think of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. But this is also the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.
Note: According to this source William Dawes, who rode with Revere, was related to Henry L Dawes, for whom The Dawes Act was named.
Amanuensis Monday: A Third Child, Another Move, and a Career
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.
This week I continue a transcription of a family history tape recorded in 1987 between my grandmother, "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark, and a professional oral historian. This section begins with my grandmother talking about what happened after my grandfather came home from World War 2.
She begins to talk about her children and grandchildren, and so I have edited or left out a few of those sections, as I have decided not to blog about living relatives.
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.
This week I continue a transcription of a family history tape recorded in 1987 between my grandmother, "Sissie" (Feinstein) Newmark, and a professional oral historian. This section begins with my grandmother talking about what happened after my grandfather came home from World War 2.
She begins to talk about her children and grandchildren, and so I have edited or left out a few of those sections, as I have decided not to blog about living relatives.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Weekly Genealogy Picks
Weekly Genealogy Picks -- April 11 to April 17
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Tom Fiske at GenealogyBlog discusses relatives who encouraged him not to dig up the past. Of course, many genealogists are like kids, and as the musical The Fantasticks tells us, if you want a kid to do something, "Just say no." As Tom says: "Digging up the past is fun, as long as no one is hurt by it."
Ruth Stephens at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy wanted to know what to do with all her pictures. She has over 5gb, and wanted to be able to access them easily online.
Randy at Genea-Musings shares the Boy Scout requirements for getting a Genealogy merit badge.
Matteo Giunti at Leghorn Merchant Networks explains in detail the survey and analysis of the Old English Cemetery in Livorno, Italy. [Italian version]
Dean at Genlighten discusses ways to interest teenagers in genealogy.
Diane Haddad at The Genealogy Insider provides some suggestions for breaking down genealogy brick walls.
Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist provides some resources to have fun with images.
Schelly Talalay Dardashti at Tracing the Tribe discusses 160 years of The Illustrated London News (1842-2003) going online, hosted by Gale Cengage. Initially it will only be available to libraries and archives. I know locally the St. Louis County Library already provides access to several Gale Group archives, so I hope this is added.
There was big news in the Social Networks this week as it was announced by Twitter and the Library of Congress that the LoC would be preserving every Twitter message since its inception and into the future. David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, explains why the National Archives isn't doing it, and the difference between the two agencies. An interview with the Director of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) at the LoC appears in The American Prospect. One of the key bits of information for those using Twitter is that there will be a six month window between every 'tweet' and its being preserved. This provides some time to delete messages before they are preserved for eternity. The LoC appears to be also considering whether it is possible to anonymize the messages, and still retain their usefulness -- suggesting there is more interest in what "the people" are saying than what 'you' are saying.
James Tanner at Genealogy's Star has had several posts this week on Genealogy and Apple computers. Apple for Genealogy, More Apple Genealogy, Apples Big and Small, Why he uses Apple computers.
Google has released functional updates to several of its application this week, including Google Documents, Gmail, and Google Calendar.
Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, on the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Monday, April 19th, is the 235th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Heather Wilkinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy shares her memories of watching the annual re-enactment in 2000.
Other Weekly Lists
The number of participants doubled this week!
from genealogy blogs, newspaper articles and elsewhere
Tom Fiske at GenealogyBlog discusses relatives who encouraged him not to dig up the past. Of course, many genealogists are like kids, and as the musical The Fantasticks tells us, if you want a kid to do something, "Just say no." As Tom says: "Digging up the past is fun, as long as no one is hurt by it."
Ruth Stephens at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy wanted to know what to do with all her pictures. She has over 5gb, and wanted to be able to access them easily online.
Randy at Genea-Musings shares the Boy Scout requirements for getting a Genealogy merit badge.
Matteo Giunti at Leghorn Merchant Networks explains in detail the survey and analysis of the Old English Cemetery in Livorno, Italy. [Italian version]
Dean at Genlighten discusses ways to interest teenagers in genealogy.
Diane Haddad at The Genealogy Insider provides some suggestions for breaking down genealogy brick walls.
Sheri Fenley at The Educated Genealogist provides some resources to have fun with images.
Schelly Talalay Dardashti at Tracing the Tribe discusses 160 years of The Illustrated London News (1842-2003) going online, hosted by Gale Cengage. Initially it will only be available to libraries and archives. I know locally the St. Louis County Library already provides access to several Gale Group archives, so I hope this is added.
There was big news in the Social Networks this week as it was announced by Twitter and the Library of Congress that the LoC would be preserving every Twitter message since its inception and into the future. David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, explains why the National Archives isn't doing it, and the difference between the two agencies. An interview with the Director of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) at the LoC appears in The American Prospect. One of the key bits of information for those using Twitter is that there will be a six month window between every 'tweet' and its being preserved. This provides some time to delete messages before they are preserved for eternity. The LoC appears to be also considering whether it is possible to anonymize the messages, and still retain their usefulness -- suggesting there is more interest in what "the people" are saying than what 'you' are saying.
James Tanner at Genealogy's Star has had several posts this week on Genealogy and Apple computers. Apple for Genealogy, More Apple Genealogy, Apples Big and Small, Why he uses Apple computers.
Google has released functional updates to several of its application this week, including Google Documents, Gmail, and Google Calendar.
Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, on the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Monday, April 19th, is the 235th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Heather Wilkinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy shares her memories of watching the annual re-enactment in 2000.
Other Weekly Lists
- Best of the Genea-blogs - from Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings.
- Genealogy News Corral - from Diane Haddad at GenealogyInsider.
- Follow Friday - from Greta at Greta's Genealogy Bog
- New Genealogy Blogs and Upcoming Genealogy Blogging Events - from Thomas MacEntee at Geneabloggers
The number of participants doubled this week!
- Jo Lee Archer Arnspiger at Those Who Went Before
- Dean at Genlighten
- Joan Hill at Roots'n'Leaves
- John Newmark at TransylvanianDutch
- Heather Wilkinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy
- Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings
- Southwest Arkie
- Ruth Stephens at Bluebonnet Country Genealogy
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Chicago Key Puncher's Finish - a poem
A poem found in my maternal grandmother's collection. The type of office humor that still gets passed around today. The poem is attributed to "Anon," and I have been unable to find references to it online.
Her saving the poem suggests my grandmother was familiar with the operation of a keypunch in the 1920s and 30s when she worked for the Post Office.
Her saving the poem suggests my grandmother was familiar with the operation of a keypunch in the 1920s and 30s when she worked for the Post Office.
(click to enlarge)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Three Years Ago Today
A friend of mine got me interested in researching my genealogy online. My family has actually already been pretty good about this, asking elder members about what they know while they’re still around to tell us. So as many census forms, ship passenger lists, and military records I have found, it hasn’t extended the chart another generation yet. But as my mother told me recently, it’s nice to have the documentation confirming what we thought.It is with these words on April 16th, 2007 that I began actively blogging about genealogy. The referenced friend had seen my March 15th, 2007 post about my great-grandfather Barney Newmark. The friend looked Barney up in an online census and emailed me a link to the page. It's been a heckuva ride since. One that involved me creating this separate space for genealogy. I'm the only genealogy blogger I know who moved from a blog on his own personal domain to Blogspot. It's usually the other way around. When I traveled here, I did move two older posts with me. A 100th birthday tribute to my maternal grandfather, Martin Deutsch, and on October 11, 2002 I "blogged Kaddish" for my paternal grandmother, "Sissie" Feinstein Newmark.
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