My Honorary Aunt, Planner of America's Best-Known Parade

Leona "Lee" Wallace and feathery friend

Leona "Lee" Wallace (1903-1989) lived quite a life! She was my honorary aunt, the life partner of my favorite aunt, Dorothy Schwartz (1919-2001). As I write a dual family history of my aunt and her twin sister, my beloved Mom, I'm continuing to research their personal and professional lives--and making wonderful finds.

I had no idea of Lee's family background and early career until my newspaper research unexpectedly revealed a surprisingly informative interview published exactly 68 years ago today, on December 1, 1952. 

Lee Wallace, Head of Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Lee became famous during the 1950s for planning the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, known throughout the nation for its giant balloons and A-list bands. A respected master of publicity for Macy's special events, she was at the height of her fame when she sat down with journalist Alice Hughes, who wrote a column titled "A Woman's New York." (The copy I saw ran in the Poughkeepsie Journal in New York, column copyrighted by King Features Syndicate, Inc.--now saved to my Ancestry tree!)

In the 1952 interview, Lee spoke with enthusiasm about the five "mammoth inflated balloon figures" that were the stars of that year's parade, including a 50-foot rocket ship and a 60-foot space man. She said "jets and mystery missiles hurtling through space rivet [children's] eyes and minds to the sky." Although this was five years before Sputnik was launched, my honorary aunt was already focusing young people on the wonders of space!

Lee Wallace, Caring for Brothers and Taking Night Classes

The interviewer devoted two lengthy paragraphs to a synopsis of Lee's life before becoming America's most prominent parade planner.

• Lee raised her two younger brothers on her own, working during the day and attending high school classes at night. In her spare time, she took art lessons.
• During World War II, she worked in labor relations for the Quartermaster Corps, headquartered in Washington, D.C.
• After the war, she applied to Macy's in New York and worked her way up to head of the department store's high-profile special events group--including planning for the biggest event of the year, the Thanksgiving Parade.

Lee and my aunt Dorothy met at Macy's and settled into a happy life together soon afterward. The photo at top shows Lee with the mischievous little parakeet that kept my mother company during the 1970s. 

I'm thinking of honorary aunt Lee with great affection today, and feeling quite grateful for the 1952 publication of an interview that told me so much about my honorary aunt's early life.

"Gratitude" is the theme of week 48 in the #52Ancestors challenge.

This is also my #GenealogyBlogParty entry for #WomensHistoryMonth at the Genealogy Blog Party for March, 2021!

Review of "Genealogy At a Glance: War of 1812 Research"

My husband had two War of 1812 veteran ancestors, Isaac Larimer (1771-1823) and his son, Robert Larimer (1792-1850). 

Despite conducting research in the past, I found fresh leads and documents thanks to the newly-updated War of 1812 Research "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet* - which I'm reviewing today. 

I really like these types of four-page summary booklets. Laminated, colorful, and easy to read, they cover well-known sources (such as the National Archives) and lesser-known sources (such as POW and preservation societies) as resources for finding ancestors. 

In this 1812 booklet, a handy section titled "Finding a War of 1812 Soldier" serves as the jumping-off point, followed by concise explanations and lists of research resources to explore by category. 

Lineage Society Link Leads to a Find

This updated booklet mentions four lineage societies to check for info about ancestors who fought in the War of 1812. Clicking to the top site on the list, the General Society War of 1812, I looked at the membership menu and found a lengthy set of links to state-by-state research data. 

Hubby's ancestors lived in Ohio when they enlisted. Alongside several printed research sources was a link to the Internet Archive's digitized Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812, published by the Adjutant General of Ohio in 1916.

When I searched this digitized roster for "Larimer," two results showed up on the same page. My husband's two Larimer ancestors served in Capt. George Sanderson's Company (from Fairfield County, Ohio), as shown here. 

For quick "at a glance" reference and detailed ideas for how to research 1812 veterans, I highly recommend this updated edition.

*The Genealogical Publishing Company provided me with a free review copy of War of 1812 Research--Updated Edition but the candid opinions in this post are entirely my own.  

UPDATE: On Fold3, I discovered that Pvt Robert Larimer was a drummer with this company! 

Thanksgiving Greetings from 1912

My husband's uncle received this colorful Thanksgiving postcard in November of 1912. 

The sender, a first cousin, wrote on the back:

"Are you going to have a turkey for Thanksgiving? If you do, I hope he will be like the one on this card. Love from Cousin Dorothy."

Wishing you and everyone you love a safe, healthy and hopeful Thanksgiving -- and many more!

Now I'm My Great Aunt's Keeper

 

I've been updating the Find a Grave memorial pages for ancestors in my direct line and their siblings/spouses. Above is the photo I posted on my great aunt's memorial a few years ago. This week, I decided to ask to be manager of this and other memorial pages so I can edit without waiting for the current manager to approve my suggestions. I already managed my great uncle's memorial, but had not yet asked to be my great aunt's keeper.

Ask for the Transfer

As shown above, when I asked for my great aunt's memorial to be transferred to me, I received an automated response. It turns out that Find a Grave was the current manager of the memorial created for Anna Gelbman Schwartz (1886-1940). I can be the memorial's manager if I agree to (1) respond respectfully to edit requests and (2) transfer the memorial to another relative if asked. 

Most memorials aren't managed by Find a Grave, and usually I have to wait for a response. Some managers ask me how I'm related to the person being memorialized, which is why my standard request begins by saying..."Please be kind enough to transfer the ownership of memorial #___ to me, because [___insert name___] is my [insert relationship here]." 

In this case, however, Find a Grave immediately and automatically implemented the transfer when I clicked to accept the terms of the agreement.

Great Aunt Anna Was Much Loved

Born in Bridgeport, CT, my great aunt Anna married at the age of 23 to my great uncle Samuel (Simon) Schwartz (1883-1954). The photo in the memorial shown above was taken in 1909, the year of their marriage. Anna and Sam and their two sons moved from Bridgeport to New York City, where she was a beloved part of the Schwartz family from the very start. She was a warm, loving presence, I've been told by an older relative who knew her well.

Unfortunately, Anna was struck down by cancer at the age of 54. She was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, NJ, where I've visited her grave alongside that of her husband, Sam.

Now that I'm my great aunt's keeper, I posted a brief bio, added specific day/month/year birth and death dates, and linked her to her parents as well as her husband. I'm about to link the couple's two sons and draft brief bios for them, too.

Do You Want to Become a Keeper?

Are you the manager of your ancestors' memorials? Are they already on Find a Grave? If you don't already manage the memorials of key ancestors, you can easily request a transfer under the "suggest edits" menu. You might not want to manage every ancestor under the sun, but do consider managing those in your direct line.

If your key ancestors are not currently listed on Find a Grave, please consider adding them and posting a few details about their lives. This is great cousin bait, by the way, especially if you post a portrait of an ancestor to catch the viewer's eye.

By becoming the keeper of ancestral memorials, you can individualize each one and honor their memory in your own way. I'm proud to be my great aunt's keeper!

Not All of the 1890 US Census Burned!

Nearly a century ago, a devastating fire at the U.S. Department of Commerce Building burned up nearly all of the 1890 U.S. Census records. Read all about the fire here.

Sadly, many damaged records sat around for years after the 1921 fire, while the government dithered over what to do. 

Some Records Survived

As shown at top, some fragments of the population schedules are actually still available to be searched. For a complete list of which localities can be searched, take a look at the U.S. Census Bureau's page here.

Better news: Many of the Veteran's schedules (which enumerated Civil War vets) survived the fire. Read more here. 

Veterans Enumerated!

Happily for me, my husband's Civil War ancestors who were still alive in 1890 were enumerated on the special Veteran's schedules that survived. 

This page from 1890 shows Benjamin Franklin Steiner (1840-1924)'s service in the 10th Ohio Cavalry during the Civil War. 

Lots of detail, including exact dates of service and his current town of residence at the time of the enumeration. This was one of the sources I consulted when I wrote a brief biography of Steiner for a booklet on my husband's Civil War ancestors. 

So now, nearly 100 years after the fire that burned up most of the 1890 Census, I can still research Civil War veterans in hubby's family tree.

- I just added this post to the November Genealogy Blog Party, which focuses on veterans and military ancestors. Lots of good blog posts to read there.