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.