FamilySearch Full-Text Search: Mary Slatter Wood's Will

Following the theme of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, I decided to plug in some names from my husband's family tree and try the FamilySearch Full-Text Search functionality. I've done only a few searches previously and this was my opportunity to experiment a bit more.

AI transcript, highlighting, and summary helped

At first, I searched for my hubby's maternal ancestors from the mid-1800s, and found lots of mortgage and deed listings in legal ledgers. These men and women borrowed money and obtained mortgages for various Ohio properties they bought and sold over decades. Above, hubby's great-grandparents E.G. Steiner and Elizabeth J. Steiner had land dealings in Hancock County, Ohio. 

The AI transcript and the highlighting (shown above) plus the document summary helped me get the gist of these documents quickly. Some of these ancestors, including E.G., had to be legally pressured to pay off loans, but I wasn't particularly excited by any of the content.

Check pages before and after

Then I entered the name of my husband's grandfather, James Edgar Wood (1871-1939), knowing that as a builder, he would also have properties in the deeds and mortgages books. Yup. But he was also the executor of his first wife's will and appears in the probate records, none of which I had ever seen.

Mary Slatter Wood (1869-1925), sadly died of heart problems at the age of 55. Her will, dated four months before her death, leaves everything to her husband. It's a simple and straightforward document with no frills. I was a little surprised to learn that she made no specific bequests to her four sons. Maybe she didn't know she could do that kind of thing, or perhaps she was already feeling so weak that she and her husband James wanted to get the will completed in a hurry. Or maybe her husband insisted on full control because only one of their four children was of legal age when the will was signed.

Because James's name was not necessarily on every page, I clicked several pages forward and backward to examine every part of the complete probate file. Nobody contested the will, of course, and it sped through probate quickly. 

What they jointly owned

I had no idea Mary actually had a share of any property. But, as the probate excerpt at left shows, she had a share of the family's money in bank and stock, worth no more than $40. She also was co-owner of the family's home and the home next door--both of which were constructed by her husband James. 

For probate purposes, he valued the two houses and properties at no more than $25,000. In today's dollars, a century after Mary's death, the combined value is about $460,000, a considerable sum that was inaccessible because it was tied up in real estate.

Mary Wood's death was a turning point for the family. Her son Edgar, away at college at the time of her death, came home for the funeral but never lived under his father James's roof again. James had refused to give Edgar the money saved for education and in fact, wanted his son to forget about college and find work to support the household. Edgar defied his Dad and enrolled in college, paying the way by playing piano at college functions. He was just one college course away from graduation but never was able to pass a French exam, so he left without a diploma.

Thanks to Randy for the nudge to dig into full-text search a little deeper!

Why I Prefer Color Images of Vital Records

 
My great uncle Fred Farkas (1903-1980) was born on this day in 1903, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in a New York City neighborhood crowded with immigrants. He was the 10th of 11 children. Don't read the color image above quite yet! Here's the story.

Fred's birth cert from 1903

Fred's birth certificate originally showed his name as Fred Forkus, because that's how the surname seemed to be pronounced by his parents. His father was shown as Morris Forkus, his mother as Leanie Forkus. 

When I was able to view the certificate image on Family Search--only available at a FamSearch library, not from home--the black-and-white scan (directly above) was readable. However, the original handwritten info was less distinct and the later corrections didn't pop as clearly. 

Then I looked up the cert on the New York City Municipal Archives' Historical Vital Records database. You can see the image here and also in the image at top.

Full color really dramatizes the changes made on January 27, 1942, to correct all of the names. (This full color birth cert is also available on MyHeritage, in its wonderful collection titled "New York City Births, 1866-1909.") 

The color version makes all info on the cert much more readable than the b/w version, which I really appreciate. Not all vital records are available in color, but when they are, I make an effort to check them out.

Why correct the birth cert in 1942?

The only two reasons I can think of for Fred wanting to accurately document his birth in 1942 are: (1) to register for Social Security, and (2) to register with the local draft board during World War II. 

Either way, since Fred's parents had already passed away, who else would have taken the time and trouble to contact New York's Commissioner of Health to have this birth cert corrected? Must have been Fred.

I turned to Fred's WWII draft card, which is dated February 12, 1942, as shown here. He may very well have needed to provide actual, accurate proof of his age, which he could do with the corrected birth certificate that reflected his real surname. 

Remembering Great Uncle Fred with affection on the 122d anniversary of his Big Apple birth.

Planning a Shadow Box for Twin Jewelry

My Mom (Daisy Schwartz Burk, 1919-1981) was a twin. Her sister (my Auntie Dorothy H. Schwartz, 1919-2001) was just a few minutes older. Growing up, they were inseparable. Their proud momma (my grandma Minnie) sewed identical outfits for her girls, including the lacy dropped-waist dresses shown in the photo at top.

To continue sharing family history for the sake of future generations, Sis and I visited a superb custom frame store and we worked with their experts to plan an archival shadow box featuring jewelry worn by Mom and Auntie. At top is a mockup of the arrangement, with a swatch of the ecru linen backing. The jewelry will be meticulously and invisibly hand-stitched to the linen, and the photo will be inset for a dimensional look. 

In the center of the arrangement is a 1920s photo of Daisy and Dorothy, dressed for a special occasion. They're wearing matching pearl necklaces with matching bracelets. Yes, real pearls. One necklace and one bracelet will be mounted on either side of the photo.

Below the photo are two gold bracelets, one worn by each twin when they were preteens. My Mom had these appraised and learned they are real gold but not very valuable--although they are full of sentimental value.

Finally, artistically coiled on the left will be an identification bracelet that was engraved to "Daisy" from her sister "Dorothy, London, 1943." Auntie Dorothy, then a WAC serving overseas in WWII, sent this personalized bracelet to her dear twin Daisy back in the Bronx. 

Mom kept the bracelet all her life and now it will have a place of honor in this shadowbox. Sis and I decided to have the "Dorothy, London, 1943" inscription facing out because I will write a story about the bracelet to be included in the archival envelope on the back of the frame.

This is a high-end approach to sharing, an investment of several hundred dollars that I firmly believe is worthwhile for special items from my family's history. The end result is an attractive heirloom that will be properly preserved and treasured for decades to come. The story of these items will be stored in an envelope on the back of the shadow box.

A less costly option, if you choose, is a ready-made shadowbox frame, available in various shapes, sizes, and colors in many retail stores. That would be a great start if you want to experiment with displaying your family's smaller items.

Twice As Nice: Identical and Fraternal Twins

As a twin and the daughter of a twin, I'm really interested in twins! Above, Sis and me when we were tiny tykes with a little bit of hair. We don't know who's who in this photo, but I'm older by a matter of minutes. 👍 

Twin birth rates

Sis and I recently did a deep dive into twin research. We learned that in the United States, twin births account for 30.7 of every 1,000 births (as of 2023, the latest statistics available). That means just over 3 percent of US births are twins, while a whopping 97% of US births are singletons. 

Yet identical twins stand out even more: only about 4 out of every 1,000 births are identical twins. In other words, identicals represent less than half of one percent of all births, worldwide. 

Identical twins are always same sex, because they are the result of one egg that spontaneously splits. In contrast, fraternal twins can be same sex or opposite sex, because they develop from two separate eggs. Here's more about the difference between identical and fraternal twins. 

Key fact: fraternal twins tend to run in families, but identicals don't. By the way, the highest rate of twin births in the world is in southwest Nigeria, where 45 of every 1,000 births are twins--primarily fraternal twins. 

One or two placentas?

Mom and Dad always insisted that Sis and I were fraternal twins, because there were apparently two placentas. These days, the common wisdom that identicals always share one placenta has been disproved: sometimes identical twins each have their own placenta!

DNA testing is the only scientific way to confirm whether twins are identical or fraternal, which is how Sis and I are absolutely certain that we're identical. Sis says she "always knew" we were identical, but until DNA came along, I trusted my Mom's belief that we were fraternal. I have to admit, Sis was correct all along. 👏

Shadow Box Honoring Dad's WWII Service

Dad (Harold D. Burk, 1909-1978) served in the US Army from March, 1942 to October, 1945. Because he could type, he was assigned as a personnel clerk with the 3163d Signal Service Company, which supported combat troops in Europe by maintaining communication lines. When Dad came home after World War II ended, he put away his military stuff, concentrating on family life and starting a small business.

Preserving items from Dad's military days

Recently, I brought his wartime memorabilia, plus a 5x7 black/white photo of Dad in uniform, to a terrific custom frame shop for mounting in a specially-designed shadow box. I was willing to invest a few hundred dollars to professionally preserve items from Dad's military days and make them look important and worth saving, for the sake of future generations.

My Sis and I are incredibly thrilled with the results! The framers suggested the creative arrangement shown at top. The background is cream linen, with the photo inset by carefully cutting through the backing, to add a dimensional look. 

All items were mounted using archival methods and materials, and the museum glass protects the contents from fading. The wooden frame is a deep, rich black.

We had a nameplate engraved with Dad's name and dates, and it was tacked to the frame for a finishing touch.

Sharing the story

On the back will be a clear archival envelope where I can store other WWII photos of Dad and a written story about his military service. 

Inside the envelope, I'm including a detailed description of the items in the shadow box (clockwise from top right):

• US Army rifle marksmanship badge
• European Theater campaign service ribbon
• Pair of dice (used during Dad's time off)
• Dog tag
• Brass insignia and buttons of US Army and Signal Corps
• Dog tag
• Shoulder patch for his Signal Corps unit

Two years ago, when I created a bite-sized photo book about military ancestors in my family tree, I explained the symbolism of that colorful patch.

The framer is currently fashioning a custom shadow box for my Mom's and my Aunt's childhood jewelry. More about this very soon.

Professional framing is not in everybody's budget, and readymade shadow boxes are readily available in stores like Michael's as well as online. My goal is archival preservation, not just display, so I decided to move up to the more costly  professional solution for Dad's and Mom's special items.

Halfway Through 2025's Genealogical Journey of Sharing

Now midway through my 27th year of genealogy fascination and discoveries, I've been spending time on projects to share family history. This focus sets the direction for much of my research, to fill in gaps and confirm details for ancestors in my family tree and hubby's family tree. 

One way I've been sharing in 2025 is by adding and connecting hundreds of ancestor profiles on the free collaborative tree at WikiTree. I appreciate the ability to categorize ancestors (by birthplace or by burial place or many other categories) and to add a sticker to highlight a specific aspect of an ancestor's life.

At top, part of the WikiTree profile I created for Alice Adelaide Slatter, a little girl from my husband's family tree. She unfortunately died young, as you can see from the special sticker. This is one of the very few stickers I can "code" from memory, because I make a special effort to honor the memory of little ones who were sadly lost too soon. 

Of course I'm continuing to add/flesh out ancestor profiles on Find a Grave, Ancestry, and MyHeritage. No deadlines, no specific goals, just adding and connecting as I follow where the genealogical trail leads me. Plus I'm redoing newspaper research using fresh databases to look for additional social and news items about key ancestors.

Having professional shadowboxes made for Dad's and Mom's memorabilia, a very special way to share, has been a highlight of 2025. I'll post more about these in a few days.

For military veterans, I've got a baker's dozen list of ancestors waiting to commemorate on Fold3 memorial pages, after I receive their US Veterans Administration files. I hope when I finally receive the files that they will be informative. Fingers crossed to complete this by the end of 2025.

I'm still drafting bite-sized ancestor bios to post as memories on Family Search. Note that when I include a photo these days, I put on it a caption and attribution ("courtesy of Wood family" for instance) to make the identification and source permanent. Image here shows a small sample of stories and photos I've put on FamilySearch as memories. Each story starts with a brief headline, usually ancestor name and dates.

In addition, I'm testing colors (above) for a surname word cloud for the bite-sized family history booklet I'm writing about a branch of Wood in-laws. Later this booklet will be turned into a photo book, following these ancestors' lives from the start of the 1900s to the late 1960s.

On this genealogy blog, the top five most read posts from Jan-June 2025 were:

• Genealogy bloggers who are also on BlueSky
• New indexes to New York City digitized vital records
• Change, monitor, or hands off the Family Search family tree?
• What will happen to once-treasured silverware and china?
• Learn for free from big genealogy sites' blogs/videos

Independence Day Penny Postal Greeting

 
Before little Wallis W. Wood (1905-1957) was even three years old, his doting aunt was sending him penny postal greeting cards for every occasion. Above, the front of a colorful July 4th postcard sent from Aunt Nellie (Rachel Ellen Wood Kirby) in Chicago to her nephew in Cleveland, Ohio.

Aunt Nellie warned her nephew not to burn his fingers with sparklers celebrating Independence Day. She also asked whether he remembered his Aunt Nellie. After all, he had met her maybe once and he was only a tyke.

Penny postcards were at their height of popularity in America from 1907-1910. The postcard sent to young Wallis is an example of the "divided back" postcard, with room for a greeting and room for an address and stamp.

Aunt Nellie was a faithful correspondent, mailing postcards for birthdays and holidays to Wallis until he was well into his teenaged years. I'm so lucky to have been able to scan them and save the images with our family's digital collection of photos and materials.

Happy Independence Day!

Family Business: Teddy's Dairy Store

My grandfather Theodore "Teddy" Schwartz (1887-1965) first opened a small dairy store in the Bronx about 1917. The initial location was in a residential neighborhood, 985 St. John Avenue in the Bronx, near Southern Boulevard. The building no longer stands. 

NOTE: At this time, the Bronx was greener and more "suburban" than it became 60 years later. As the city's subway system expanded, a lot of families moved uptown to the Bronx from Manhattan for more spacious (and affordable) apartments or homes, close to good schools, nice parks, swimming pools, and other amenities. The commute to midtown or downtown Manhattan would take an hour or less.

By the 1930s, Teddy had progressed to a dairy store in a busier section of the Bronx, at 2294 Morris Avenue, close to Eastchester Avenue. His store was convenient for people to stop in on their way home from work or at any time they needed milk, cheese, eggs, and staple items.

In 1937, Teddy had moved his store to 679 Fox Street in the Bronx, not far from Southern Boulevard. He was alone behind the counter at 9:30 on the winter evening of December 16, 1937, when three armed men charged in. The villains hit Teddy with the butt end of a pistol and stole $50, scramming to rob two other stores on the same evening. Grandpa Teddy must have been shook up, to say the least, as well as unhappy about losing that much hard-earned money during the Great Depression.

In 1942, Teddy's store location again changed. This time he set up shop at 640 East 180th Street, an even busier and better neighborhood for retail traffic. As before, the entrance was at street level in one section of an apartment building.

Grandpa Teddy did well with that busier location and in 1955, he sold the store to his assistant, who viewed it as a "gold mine." Well, it was certainly hard work with long hours, if not an actual gold mine. It had taken the combined efforts of his wife, three children, and other relatives to operate Teddy's dairy stores over the years. 

I learned about these store locations from family documents and Bronx city directories. The story about Teddy being robbed came from the New York Times, which published a small item about the three small businesses all hit by armed robbers on one chilly December evening in 1937. 

Thinking of Grandpa's entrepreneurial efforts, as the #52Ancestors prompt for this week is "family business."