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Ancestry Daily News
9/28/2007 - Archive
Ancestry Weekly Journal, 01 October 2007
Ancestry Weekly Journal
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"If you don’t know your history, then you don’t know anything. You
are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree."
~ Michael Crichton
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| Blank Pages and Striped Towels
by D.G. Fulford
The most valuable advice I've ever received wasn't from my mother. It
was from a drawing teacher.
I was in a life-drawing class, paralyzed, pencil in hand, facing my
opponent--the only thing that stood between me and my intention.
Almost taunting me, it was the fearsome blank page. Here's the
advice, uttered by this teacher, a man I remember nothing about
except these words he aimed out into the room that struck a bull's
eye with me.
"What's the worst thing that could happen?" he said as he walked
around the studio. The floor was hard and you could hear his
footsteps. "What's the worst thing that could happen? Here's the
worst thing that can happen: You'll waste a piece of paper."
That was the most freeing remark I ever heard. It said, "Begin, and
if you don't like it, then begin again."
Sitting in front of our computers, we don't have to worry about
wasting that paper, but that silent blank screen still can stop us.
We want to add stories to our names, dates, and places and don't know
where to start.
The marvelous news is that we are our own resource. Family stories are
our points of reference in every situation. They are involuntary
responses, like sneezing. We see a hat worn by a man in an old movie
and our minds jump to our grandfathers in their favorite chairs with
the afternoon newspaper in their laps. We roll our carts by the
butcher case at the grocery store and a passing glance at cubes of
stew beef transports us to our mother's kitchen, reaching for her
blue-speckled roasting pan, the one with the lid.
Our bones are library shelves, orderly and complete. The books we
want--our family history--can be found on them. Our stories are in
our necks and kneecaps. Do you remember the first time you tied a tie
and who taught you to do so? The first time you rode a two-wheel bike
and fell down in the gravel? Even muscles have memories. Your hands
would recognize, in an instant, the feel of a banister that was
familiar to you long ago. Our stories are on our cheeks, in our trips
to the beach before sunburn was a sin.
I saw a man and woman out shopping. I heard her say she was "letting
him" pick out the towels this time. Be that as it may, she discussed
her preferences, as he was picking out navy blues from the table and
putting them back down for beiges.
"I like these," she said, standing at another table. "I like these,
but I'd never buy a striped towel. I'll never have stripes. They
remind me of when I was growing up and we had striped washcloths in
the downstairs lavatory. They were so thin and flimsy. I guess we
couldn't afford new ones. But I hated those washcloths and I told
myself I'd never have striped ones again."
Her trip to the towel table ended up taking her to a much more
interesting place. If she were to go home and write that thought
down--her remembrance of striped washcloths past--she would have
begun her family history. Effortlessly. Naturally. Painlessly.
Without even realizing she had.
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| One thought begets another. The striped washcloths might lead her to
the realization that maybe her family didn't have enough money to
make replacement washcloths a priority. She could carry the thought
further. Who lived in the house with her, what did their rooms look
like, what did they all eat for supper?
Family history isn't hard. We do it everyday without thinking about
it. Our minds travel in that direction. Our minds are always going
home.
D.G. Fulford is the best-selling author of the classic To Our
Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for Generations to
Come, which she wrote with her brother, Bob Greene; Designated
Daughter: The Bonus Years with Mom, written with her mother, Phyllis
Greene; and the journal Things I'd Love You To Know: A Journal for
Mothers and Daughters which will be published in April by Voice, an
imprint of Hyperion. She is also cofounder of TheRememberingSite.org which helps people tell their life
story.
> Print or comment on this article |
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| Fractured Family
by Maureen Taylor
Fifty years ago a series of volcanic eruptions in the Azores, a group
of Atlantic Ocean islands, caused a mass migration of people to Rhode
Island. You can read about the changes in the lives of these
immigrants in a recent story in a local newspaper, East Bay.
In the case of these immigrants, natural disaster prodded them to
leave home. The story reminded me of all the different ways in which
our families become fractured and how these events affect our family
history.
Immigration
People from all over the world began streaming into the land we call
the United States almost since the first explorer set foot on its
shores. Some individuals came alone and others in family groups in a
process that continues today. Often these folks left relatives behind
in their homeland. Proof exists in family collections of letters and
photos offering reassurance that loved ones arrived safely in their
new land. Yet, unless communication was easy and frequent (and even
when it was), new generations of Americans lost touch with their
family back home. It happens.
Finding those "missing" relatives requires persistence, patience, and
proof. Start by looking for tangible information (e.g., passports,
naturalizations, diaries, correspondence, and photographs). Ask
relatives about oral traditions relating to your immigrant ancestor's
arrival. Then search the Immigration Collection on Ancestry and the passenger
lists on EllisIsland.org. Read the
educational information on both sites to see if your ancestors fit
the time period covered by these digital databases. If not, you might
want to look at the Immigration & Naturalization category on
Cyndislist.com for tips and
resources.
Migration
Genealogies of New England families are full of simple references to
those that "went West." Those two words leave a blank in the family
record. Got someone in your pedigree that disappeared into the
American frontier? Study the time period in which these adventurous
folks left to discover whether they sought wealth in an America Gold
Rush, followed a religious leader, built a canal, or drove stakes for
a railroad. Examine all the records they created in their lifetime
and search for clues to their whereabouts. The census record
collection on Ancestry.com is a good way to search nationally for
individuals living far from their original hometown. Use the advanced
search features to specify a place of birth and a year to narrow down
hits.
Illness and Disease
The evidence of illness and disease is apparent in cemeteries and in
clusters of deaths in family records. Do you know if your family lost
anyone in the flu pandemic of 1918 or the Yellow Fever epidemic of
1793?
Estimates show that 50 million to 100 million people died from the
1918 flu and thousands died from the Yellow Fever epidemic in
Philadelphia in the late eighteenth century. Smallpox, diphtheria,
and cholera were common in many areas of the country, and in the
twentieth century these were joined by newer diseases like polio.
When a whole branch of your family disappears from genealogical
notes, search for a reason. Read the newspapers available on Ancestry
to see what was happening in the area when they dropped from view,
and look at local histories and death records for health clues. My
great-grandfather died in his early forties due to pneumonia. He
contracted it working outside transporting goods in the middle of a
blizzard. His death certificate provided a cause of death and the
newspapers provided the reason for his demise.
War--Political and Familial
My dad and one of his brothers (now deceased) had a long-standing
feud. The reasons for the disagreement have never been divulged. This
familial gulf separated my cousins from the rest of the family. To
reconnect I scoured old address books and searched Switchboard.com. While one of my cousin's home telephone
number and address changed, her husband had retained their old phone
number for work. Bingo!
Having tracked down these "forgotten" folks, I found that they're
interested in learning more about their heritage. Now we're trying to
repair the gap and restore a sense of family. I know I'm not alone.
I've met a lot of people who've experienced similar schisms in their
families. The tools to reunite the past and present are at your
fingertips online and in the hands of relatives.
The American Revolution and all the wars in the history of this
country divide families and change the course of their destiny.
Brothers fought brothers during the Civil War and world wars
transported our loved ones to other lands. While my mom's family
returned home after World War II, my father's siblings scattered
around the country. His sisters married servicemen and one of his
brothers moved to California. I'm proof positive that these national
events create unintentional rifts in families. Searching the military
collection on Ancestry is an easy first step towards finding the
service men and women amongst your ancestors.
What Else?
This is a short list of major occurrences that change the course of
family history. What events divided your family? Share your own
experiences and how you overcame them in your research in the
Comments section on the blog.
Maureen Taylor is the "The Photo Detective." She writes about family
history and photography on her blog at PhotoDetective.com.
> Print or comment on this article |
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| Start Preserving Your Memories To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for
Generations to Come,
by
Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford
In To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for
Generations to Come, bestselling author and nationally syndicated
columnist Bob Greene and his sister, journalist D. G. Fulford, have
created an attractive and engaging guidebook that makes recording a
personal history as uncomplicated and easy as writing a letter. A
brief introduction sets the tone of fond remembrance, followed by
chapters of questions designed to elicit answers that will form the
patchwork of a fascinating personal history.
and
To Our Children's Children:
Journal of Family Memories,
by
Bob Greene and D.G. Fulford
Also available is a companion workbook, "To Our Children's Children:
Journal of Family Memories"--a handy and beautiful journal posing 365
questions (one for each day of the year), with ample space for
families to write their own answers.
The perfect way to get started recording your family memories, both
of these books are on sale in the Ancestry Store this week at 15%
off.
To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for
Generations to Come (On Sale for $14.95)
To Our Children's Children: Journal of Family Memories
(On Sale for $15.95)
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Tips from the Pros:
Disappearing Ancestors in Census Records
from Michael John Neill
You have found your ancestor in the 1820 and 1830 censuses, but he
cannot be located in the 1840 census. What can you do? There are
several approaches, but one idea is to locate his 1820 and 1830
neighbors in the 1840 census and see if your ancestor is nearby with
his name woefully misspelled or written in a barely legible fashion.
It is possible that your ancestor moved out of state; locating those
1820 and 1830 neighbors in that "new" location may allow you to find
your ancestor living there among them.
Of course, it is always possible that your ancestor is dead in 1840
and not enumerated at all. And there is always the chance that if he
is living with one of his grown children in 1840 that the grown child
is listed as the head of the household. In this case, the ancestor is
there, but just one of the "tic" marks for an older family member.
> Print or comment on this article |
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| Your Quick Tips
Journaling Timeline
I read a suggestion from Lauren which said, "I am also writing in a
‘blank book' journal about all sorts of things I remember from my
growing up years."
If I might, I'd like to make a suggestion about doing this. I am
seventy-five and shortly after getting my first computer about a
dozen years ago, I started chasing down family names, facts, etc. and
was bitten by the genealogy bug. In addition, I found that I craved
more personal information about some of these folks. I decided to try
to get my own "things" in order.
I have a computer journal in addition to a written one. In the
computer journal I wrote down every year starting with 1932 and saved
it on my computer. As I found time or as I thought of things I
started filling in events that happened in certain years. I'd find
photos of me starting school and the house we lived in when we lived
in certain towns (my father was an oil field worker, so we moved a
great deal). I added historical events--Pearl Harbor, D-Day, V-E Day,
V-J Day, and many other things. It got to be so much fun.
When I thought I was through, I sent copies to my children and they
added events that I had omitted. I also add to it as medical events
are occurring these days. It has become so useful for me in
remembering when personal things happened in our family. Now I have a
great timeline that has become a springboard for my own children to
hopefully grow their own timeline from.
Jody
Black Back for Newspaper Copies
It may not be known by most people, but whether copying a newspaper a
newspaper article for research or any other reason, insert a piece of
black paper on the back side of the article before making the copy.
Do not forget to also copy the masthead of the newspaper.
Warren Basore
Sources
I spent eight hours researching at the Family History Library in Salt
Lake City, Utah, for a lady in the town where I live. If she had
added sources in her PAF file as to how she discovered her family
members I could have been more effective in helping her. Although my
efforts were not totally wasted, source information could have saved
me lots of time to work on my own lines.
She has now included sources, which allows us to move forward. I will
place even more emphasis on entering the "sources" in the PAF file as
I teach others. Without the source we have no real way of knowing if
these relatives are truly the blood relatives we are searching for.
There was confusion as to whether her ancestor was Patrick or Peter.
From the film I read it appears Patrick had the three children with
the same wife but was called Peter when his son died. Looking at the
source cleared up the confusion and showed that Patrick was indeed
the true relative and ended the question making it possible to move
to the next query.
R. Angela Vause
If you have a suggestion you would like to share with other researchers, send it to: Juliana@Ancestry.com. Thanks to all of this week's contributors!
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 Weekly Journal please state so clearly in your message.
> Print or comment on this article |
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| The Year Was 1960
The year was 1960 and the U.S. and Russia were in a "space race." An outgrowth of the Cold War, the two
super powers had already sent up satellites, and plans were underway
to send men into space, and eventually to land on the moon.
The first weather satellite, Tiros I, launched on 1 April 1960 and
changed weather forecasting forever. Nine more satellites followed
within months giving meteorologists a view of cloud cover. The
addition of infrared sensors later would allow for the tracking of
temperatures around the globe.
The world had long since embraced the automobile, and in 1960, nearly
57 percent of U.S. households owned an automobile [Excel link], with another 21
percent owning two or more. More
than 63 percent of Americans lived in urban areas, versus nearly 37
percent in rural areas.
Television was also now mainstream with nearly 90 percent of U.S.
households owning a television set (52 million televisions). Fifteen
years prior, it is estimated that there were fewer than 10,000 sets
in the U.S.
Viewers watched new television shows hitting the airwaves such as
The Flintstones, The Andy Griffith
Show, and The Bugs Bunny
Show. While Bugs
had been around for many years, he was first on primetime TV in 1960.
The Civil Rights movement was taking shape and in Greensboro, North
Carolina, four black college students staged a sit-in at a segregated
Woolworth's lunch counter where they were refused service. They were
joined by other black students in the following days and the protest
soon spread to other southern cities. Six months later, that same
Woolworth's restaurant served its first black customer. While not all
of the sit-ins were successful, some other protests had similar
results.
In September of 1960, Hurricane Donna, nicknamed "Deadly Donna"
struck Florida and continued with hurricane strength winds all the
way up the eastern coast of the U.S. to New England. The storm
claimed fifty lives and caused $387 million in damages.
Do you remember 1960? Add your memories to the comments section of
the blog.
> Print or comment on this article |
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| Photo Corner
If you'd like to see your ancestor's photograph in the Ancestry Weekly Journal, send it to Juliana@Ancestry.com.
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Contributed by Clay Taylor,
Magnolia, Arkansas
This is a photo of my great-grandparents, Joseph Walter Bowen, and Mary Francis (Stover) Bowen. Their children
were, from left to right, my grandmother, Ruby Dale Bowen,,
Hazel M. Bowen, and Leonard Edward Bowen. This
picture was taken around 1914 ,Bethel,
McCurtain County, Oklahoma. |
Contributed by Bev Buss
This is a photograph of my grandmother, Gebke (Busboom) Baehr (8
November 1887-18 to February 1977). She was born in Illinois, but
spent most of her life near rural Pickrell, Nebraska, and rural
Adams, Nebraska. This photo was probably taken in the early 1900s.
She married my grandfather, Paul Baehr in 1907. |
> Comment on these photos |
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