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Shaking Your Family Tree

September 16, 1999
	New History Magazine Launched by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, C.G.
Genealogy is much more than names, dates, and pretty pictures on colorful charts. The real family historian seeks to learn about the life and times of one's ancestors, in particular the social history of ordinary people. History Magazine is a brand-new publication featuring articles with a focus on social history that genealogists find so fascinating. It is produced by the same fine team that writes and edits Family Chronicle -- a popular how-to genealogy magazine, published by Moorshead Magazines Ltd. in Toronto. The first issue includes articles about: -- The Transatlantic Cable (communications) -- The Black Death (health-related issues) -- The U.S. Cavalry (military) -- The 1750s (a scrapbook of events happening 250 years ago including the first world war, The Seven Years' War) -- Bread (food) -- The National Road (transportation) -- The Code Napoleon (law) -- News and Miscellany Historical details not easily found in today's periodicals are provided, along with eye-catching colorful illustrations. Under "Land Measures,'' one learns more about a familiar unit -- an acre. An acre of land is supposed to be the area that could be plowed by an ox in a day. A hide of land, about 120 acres, is the amount of land that an ox could plow in a year. A hundred hides was the origin of the subdivision of a county in England called a Hundred, a term still used in certain areas. The ox was used for plowing almost exclusively until 150 years ago when horses became more common. In Robert W. Marlin's article about the Plains Cavalry (circa 1865-1890), we learn that a trooper in the U.S. Cavalry started off at the pay of $13 per month. That was raised to $15 by the time he finished his first hitch and reenlisted. It was extremely difficult to recruit men for this hazardous and sometimes fatal duty. In some ways, the Plains Cavalry was America's version of the French Foreign Legion. The ranks of the enlisted were filled with criminals, adventurers and many ex-Confederate officers then serving as corporals and sergeants. Immigrants, especially those from Ireland and Germany, filled the ranks, with others coming from England, France, and Italy. A regiment consisted of 12 troops, usually labeled from A to M. There was no J troop because in the handwriting of that era it was easy to confuse the letter I with the letter J. Under "The 1750s,'' a list of the most popular first names for girls and boys are given, a year-by-year news highlights for that decade, as well as a table of prices and wages in England during this period. A schoolmaster's annual salary was about 20 pounds. How much did it cost to immigrate to the plantations in America? Five pounds. History Magazine's first issue (October/November) contains 56 pages. It will be published six times a year. Annual subscription is $24 in the United States ($28 in Canada). Call toll-free to subscribe: (888) 326-2476. Its Web site is http://www.historymagazine.com/. (c) 1999, Los Angeles Times Syndicate Myra Vanderpool Gormley and Julie Case are co-editors of Missing Links, a free weekly genealogy e-zine. To subscribe, send your request to: Missing Links Newsletter Return to Myra Vanderpool Gormley Main Page Return to Columns Main Page
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