Honoring Our Ancestors
Flat Stanley Does His Roots
by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak

When you saw Flat Stanley in the title of this article, you had one of two reactions. Either you wondered what on earth I was talking about, or you smiled in recognition. If this is familiar territory for you, you're probably an aunt, uncle or grandparent--and a card-carrying member of the cult of Flat Stanley. Cult is a strong word, I suppose, but I Googled "Flat Stanley" a few minutes ago and came up with 196,000 hits. Clearly, many of us have been initiated.

Who is He?
You can learn everything you might want by going to the Official Flat Stanley Project, but I'll provide the basics here. Jeff Brown first dreamed him up in response to a tucking-in episode with his sons over thirty years ago, and turned him into the hero of his own book shortly thereafter. Flat Stanley is a fellow who was flattened by a falling bulletin board and discovered the advantages of flatness, such as the ability to visit friends all around the world by traveling in envelopes.

Teachers realized that having their students send Flat Stanleys to friends and relatives was a terrific way to encourage them to write, learn about geography, and so forth. So every year, countless Flat Stanleys are released through the mails to experience adventures and return home to share them. By now, he's a seasoned world traveler, having been to even Afghanistan and Antarctica multiple times. He's met world leaders and Clint Eastwood took him to the Oscars. Check out the picture gallery on the official site or view the more than 13,000 images available under Google Images to see just how just how much this fellow gets around!

My Turn with Flat Stanely
Being the aunt of a bunch of great kids, I guess it was inevitable that my turn with Flat Stanley would come. Sure enough, my nephew Austin sent me one from Tampa, Florida. Being a genealogist, I naturally decided that it was high time for Flat Stanley--or Flat Austin Stanley (F.A.S.), as I dubbed him--to take a peek into his past. Fortunately, he arrived at a time when I found myself in Washington, D.C., Williamsburg, Virginia, and San Francisco, California in rapid succession, so F.A.S. came along for the bi-coastal jaunt. I'm including the text of his tale below, but it probably makes a lot more sense with accompanying photos, which can be viewed here.

F.A.S.'S Roots Quest
Here's the letter I sent back to my nephew and his classmates (incidentally, Mei-Mei is a nickname my family uses for Megan):

Dear Friends in Tampa,

Boy, have I been having fun! It's been a busy few weeks for me. First, I traveled to Virginia to find those two books Aunt Mei-Mei wrote. They have lots of short stories, so I enjoyed reading them. They're all about discovering your ancestors, so I decided to learn about mine. Mei-Mei told me that the National Archives in Washington, D.C. has lots of records, so that seemed like a good place to start.

We went there and started looking at the census records. The microfilm reader was a little tricky to use, but I got the hang of it as you can see here. After we finished at the Archives, we walked around Washington a bit and saw some strange sights. Here I am with a painted horse and with a statue from Asia. Finally, I went back to Mei-Mei's and entered all the information I found at the Archives in some software. Then I printed out my family tree.

I discovered that one of my first ancestors to come to America was Rolfe Pancake. He lived in Colonial Williamsburg, so I decided to go visit and walk the streets he had walked. Since I wanted to fit in, I made myself a tri-cornered hat like the ones they used to wear.

My Nana, Seton Squished, sometimes uses the name of Shields, so when I saw Shields Tavern, I had to get my picture taken. Then I met a judge with a hat like mine and asked if I could take his photo. He agreed, but he wasn't very happy about it, so he sent me to the stockade. I didn't mind, though, because some of my new friends came and talked with me while I "did my time." Then we went and hung out where they lived.

At the National Archives, I also learned that another one of my ancestors went to California during the Gold Rush in 1849. I asked Mei-Mei if we could go to California, and she thought it would be fun to go to San Francisco, so she agreed.

In San Francisco, I did all the things tourists like to do. I rode the cable cars and went to China Town, and then to the Embarcadero (Pier 39), and finally to the old Alcatraz prison. I even met one of the former inmates wearing his striped prison uniform. But what I liked best of all was the chocolate! I even found some with my name on it!

When we got back to Virginia, Mei-Mei asked me to stay a little longer, but I told her that I missed my friends in Tampa, so I had better go. So she agreed to pack me up and mail me back. I wonder where I'll go next!?!
Your friend,
Flat Austin Stanley

Are Your Expecting a Visit?
If you haven't received a Flat Stanley yet, chances are, there's one in your future. And if you're fortunate enough to receive one of these fellows, why not have him take a trip back through time? The youngsters will learn a little about history and just maybe you'll spark the genealogical interest of someone in the ensuing generations. By the way, the judge in Williamsburg really was cranky. (Apparently, he's had a little more of Flat Stanley than most!) But that turned out to be a good thing. Austin and his classmates apparently roared at the sight of Flat Stanley in the stockade!

Upcoming Events Where Megan Will Be Speaking

• State Farm Insurance
  (October 25, 2005, Parsippany, NJ)
• Monmouth County Genealogical Society
  (November 13, 2005, NJ)
• Haddon Heights Historical Society
  (January 17, 2006, Haddon Heights, NJ)
• Brooklyn Public Library
  (January 21, 2006, Brooklyn, NY)
• Charlotte County Genealogical Society
  (March 11, 2006, Port Charlotte, FL)
• Camden County Historical Society
  (March 22, 2006, New Jersey)
• Genealogy Federation of Long Island
  (April 8, 2006, Stony Brook, NY)
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia
  (April 10, 2006, Elkins Park, PA)
• Virginia Genealogical Society
  (April 22, 2006, Location TBD)

Click here for details and links to upcoming events.

Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.

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Ancestry Quick Tip
Antiquing Pays Off!
Louise Hawley

George's column on finding things in interesting places reminds me of our visit to South Dakota several years ago to trace the family of my husband's great uncle. We arrived at the courthouse just as it was closing for lunch break, so we wandered around town and into an antique shop. The proprietor had old newspapers for sale, but none from the era we were researching. In talking with him, he said he did have an old map of the area that he'd sell us if we were interested. Were we ever!

The map showed the early lots AND their owners. We located those owned by the uncle, an adjacent lot owned by the uncle's wife and another lot owned jointly by the uncle and his brother, my husband's grandfather. We took the map into the courthouse when it reopened. The young clerks there were not only excited to see the map (no one had ever brought in such a helpful item before), they were able to locate deeds, even birth certificates for the family.

Moral of the story: Use your down time productively, even doing a little antiquing. And talk to people. Had we not told the shop owner about our search, he never would have suggested the map which turned out to be some of the best money spent on that trip.

Thanks to Louise for today's Quick Tip! If you have a tip you would like to share with researchers, you can send it to:ADNeditor@ancestry.com.

Quick Tips may be reprinted, with credit to the submitter, in other Ancestry publications, so if you do not want your tip included in a publication other than the "Ancestry Daily News" and "Ancestry Weekly Digest," please state so clearly in your message.

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Clipping of the Day
An Appeal for the Removal of the Confederate Dead at Gettysburg
Petersburg Daily Index (Petersburg, Virginia), 13 October 1869, page 1:

By correspondence and other means it has been brought to the special attention of the Hollywood Memorial Association of Richmond that over three thousand Confederate soldiers are buried on and near the battle field of Gettysburg.

David Wills, Esq., President of the National Cemetery company says in a letter to General Fitzhugh Lee: "There has never been any action by the Board of Managers of the Soldiers' National Cemetery Company here in reference to the disposition of the remains of the Southern dead lying on this battle field. Neither is there any action contemplated. The charter of the Association provides only for the interment of the remains of those who fell in defense of the Union.

"There should be something done with the remains of the Southern Soldiers. There are about 600 marked graves, and these are fast becoming obliterated. Their names might be preserved, and the remains gathered together into a cemetery or burying ground, if any one would take the matter in hand."

Their trusted chief, General R.E. Lee, whom they followed, and fighting under whose leadership they fell, approves the plan of removing their bodies to our own soil.

The Hollywood Memorial Association have the disposition to undertake this work, but do not possess the ability unless generously aided by friends throughout the South. They offer ample grounds in their cemetery, and also the aid of their association to prosecute the work, should it be found practicable to remove the bodies to Richmond.

To accomplish this purpose means must be raised by the earnest efforts of the survivors of the Confederate army, the mothers and sisters, the fathers, and brothers, and friends of the slain. Every Southern State has representatives at Gettysburg. Will not the active men and women, in every city, and town, and county, at once volunteer to collect and send contributions?

In this way we may gather those
"Who bore the flag of our nation's trust
And fell in the cause, though lost, still just
Gather the corpses strewn
O'er many a battle plain,
From many a grat that lies so lone,
Without a name and without a stone,
Gather the Southern slain."

Mrs. Geo. W. Randolph,
Mrs. R.E. Lee,
Mrs. J.L.M. Curry.

Communications and remittances may be sent to Mrs. G.W. Randolph, Richmond, Va.

Southern papers are respectfully requested to copy this appeal at once, and urge its claims upon the generous public.

Since the dates didn't match up well, I did some further searching in the newspaper collection and found mention of their return in June of 1872 in The Petersburg Index, 20 June 1872.

Subscribers with access to the Historical Newspapers Collection can view this clipping.

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Fast Fact
View Free Sample Images of Historical Newspapers

Newspapers have always provided valuable information for people either when the newspapers are current or from the past. Historical newspapers help historians and genealogists relate to the world our ancestors lived in, providing a broader understanding of their everyday lives.

The Historical Newspapers Collection on Ancestry.com includes articles that document our families' history, and provide insight into events such as the sinking of the Titanic, the assassination of Lincoln, and the Treaty of Versailles. Click here to view a sample of our Historical Newspapers Collection and learn about how people lived around the United States from 1851 to 1923.
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Thought for Today
Bernice Johnson Reagon

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are.