May 2021 be a much better year for all!
Thursday, December 31, 2020
New Years Greetings from the Past
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Capturing Family History in the Making
As the official family historian, I'm usually the person taking the photo but also make sure I appear in at least some of the photos. I curate the photos and copy the very best into a separate digital folder to use in two bite-sized projects during December.
Yearly Book Shows "Our Life in Photos"
To capture family history in the making, I create a yearly photo book showing the adventures my hubby and I have had in the previous 12 months. It's a bite-sized, affordable project that will keep these family memories bright. Above, a few of these annual books showing "our life in photos."
I begin the book in November, placing photos from my "best of" folder, along with informative, light-hearted captions, into preset layouts provided by the photo book company. At the end of December, as soon as I have the last holiday photos and captions in place, I click to order (with a coupon, naturally). These books are wonderful for browsing now and I hope they will be enjoyed later by future generations. My 2020 book is in the mail right now!
Annual Calendar Combines Family and Ancestor Photos
Another bite-sized, affordable project is creating a family photo calendar for the coming year (see center of photo above). All year long, relatives send me photos that I file in a special "calendar folder" to save until November or December, when I begin placing them into the coming year's calendar.
Again, I choose from preset layouts provided by the company. Much of the time, I place a large group photo on the top page of the month and scatter individual photos on selected dates for that month. I choose a good (or amusing) photo of each relative for his or her birthday, and a photo for each couple's wedding anniversary. Often the photos are quite recent, but I also like to change things up by including baby pictures of an adult.
The calendar helps family members remember birthdays and anniversaries...and be aware of the dates of special ancestors who are gone but not forgotten. So for instance, my mother's photo is placed on the date of her birthday, along with her name.
In the last few years, a niece has had the fun of putting the family calendar together. She brings a fresh creative approach and it's a pleasure to see what she does with the calendar as she mixes faces from today with photos from yesterday.
Now the new year is almost here, and I'm feeling happy that this much-loved calendar tradition is continuing into the next generation. Twelve months of recent family history mixed with some blasts from the distant past!
Sunday, December 27, 2020
Genealogy Progress in the Pandemic Year of 2020
With only days to go until 2020 is in the history books, I'm looking back at the progress I made with my genealogy projects during this year of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm putting ever more emphasis on sharing what I know with relatives and preparing my trees, photos, and materials so they are in good shape to pass to the next generation years from now.
In particular, I've been creating a variety of bite-sized projects while continuing to work on longer-term projects. Getting a small project finished in a short time gives me a sense of accomplishment and keeps my genealogy fun and engaging. If you can turn any of your research into a small project to share with family, I encourage you to try this in 2021!
During 2020 my progress included:
Complete though not planned: My original 2020 plan didn't include focusing on hubby's Civil War ancestors. But when younger relatives expressed interest, I dug into the research and wrote about 15 ancestors who fought for the Union and 3 who fought for the Confederacy. Thinking like a reader, I included an illustration with every ancestor bio, and complied an index in case someone wants to look up a specific person (maiden names included).
Complete though not planned: A fun bite-sized project: I created a family history coloring book for each side of the family. It didn't take much time and it was a delightful, quick way to share ancestor photos and basic genealogical information, in a format that encourages children to color faces and backgrounds. I also sent adult recipients the coloring book electronically so they can reprint whenever they wish.
Nearly complete: My long-awaited "Daisy and Dorothy" booklet about Mom (Daisy Schwartz Burk, 1919-1981) and her twin sister (Dorothy Schwartz, 1919-2001) is almost finished. The goal is to give the next generation "insider" insights and tell family stories that bring the twins alive as people. My research revealed details that I either didn't know or didn't remember, a real plus to completing this booklet.
Ongoing sharing: I accelerated my plan for posting photos, memories, and life stories of ancestors on multiple genealogy sites as cousin bait and to keep these names and faces alive for future generations by sharing. When I post a photo these days, I include names, dates, and sources directly on the images (as shown above from my small but growing WikiTree tree). I've also been using various tools to tease out faces and details from old images. And I've been lucky enough to have cousins who share family photos and letters that illuminate the surprisingly intertwined lives of our common ancestors! My resolution is to continue in 2021.
Improving research and sources: Some ancestors in my trees had limited sources attached from my original, basic research. Now I'm researching more widely, adding more sources, and including captioned images, where available, boosting my trees' credibility. Rotating newspaper databases instead of sticking with just one has helped me uncover new clues, as well. I'm very grateful to the parking lot angels who have been so helpful in obtaining digitized images visible at FHCs only. My resolution is to keep this going in 2021.
Curating my genealogy collection: Practicing what I preach, I'm continuing to curate my collection by sorting and distributing selected items to extended family or outside the family. A cousin was delighted to have a 1911 postcard written by his grandfather to my grandmother. I also donated 1950s theater programs and 1940s war-related ephemera to a university, among other items. I resolve to do more curation during 2021.
Preparing for the 1950 US Census release: The actual release isn't until April of 2022, but I've been carefully studying the enumeration instruction manual and the blank forms. When the Census is finally released, I want to be ready to find my ancestors in the unindexed, untranscribed records (starting with my parents, who were recorded together in one household for the first time). Plus the Census has some fascinating quirks and insights into mid-century life in postwar America.
New presentations! It's been great fun doing virtual presentations to audiences near and far since the spring. I've been updating and reformatting every program with colorful backgrounds and easy-to-read fonts suitable for digital devices of all sizes. Two brand-new talks scheduled for 2021 are:
- "Bring Family History Alive in Bite-Sized Projects" - this program will debut at the New England Regional Genealogy Conference in April.
- "Get Ready for the 1950 Census Release!" - this talk has been scheduled for the second half of 2021, before the 1950 Census is released.
This is my #52Ancestors "resolution" post for week 52. TY to Amy Johnson Crow for another year of interesting genealogy blog prompts! Another resolution is to continue with these prompts in 2021.
To my dear readers, may your 2021 be healthy, hopeful, peaceful, and filled with genealogy breakthroughs. The new year should bring safe opportunities to be with family and friends in person!
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Postcards from Christmases Past
In the early 1900s, for Christmas and every holiday, my husband's father and brothers received postal greetings from aunts, uncles, and cousins near and far. Colorful illustrations on the front, handwritten notes on the back. Here are a few of the prettiest postcards from Christmases past.
That's how the WOOD family stayed in touch even though they were separated by hundreds of miles...in Cleveland, Ohio...in Toledo, Ohio...in Chicago, Illinois...and beyond.
These postcards are treasured examples of how our ancestors remained close at a time when there was no phone, no texting, no video calls, just the good ole postal service bringing greetings from one home to another.
From our family to yours, wishing you a healthy and hopeful Christmas!
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Viewing Earle Larimer Freeland's Cigar Store
Earle was born in Goshen, Indiana, on December 22d, 143 years ago today, the older son of Emma O. Larimer Freeland (1848-1923) and James Freeland (1838-1920). After his parents moved the family to New York City early in the 20th century, Earle had a varied work career. I learned about his life by following him in the US and NY Census records and in city directories.
From Electrician to Merchant
After working as an electrician for a few years (according to Census data), Earle was listed as a variety store owner in the New York city directories of 1917 and 1918, operating at the St. Nicholas Avenue address.
In the 1920 Census, he was listed as a retail merchant in a stationery store. In the 1922 New York City directory, he and his brother James were listed as Freeland Brothers, cigars, at 1247 St. Nicholas Avenue. Same in the 1925 NY Census (and in 1925 NY directory). In the 1928 New York directory, the store was listed as selling cigars and cigarettes. In the 1930 Census, he was shown as the owner of a stationery store.
Note: The birth date on this death record conflicts with what Earle said on his WWI and WWII draft registration cards, and his own Social Security application. Earle said he was born on December 22, 1877, and I believe his first-hand account instead of his brother's memory!
Looking at Earle's Store
To see what hubby's cousin's store looked like, I used the 1940 tax photos freely searchable on the NY Department of Records and Information Services site.
It was an easy process to find the block and lot number for 1247 St. Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan. This building was at the corner of Broadway, a thriving area with lots of foot traffic and of course residents who might buy from the ground-floor stores.
Once I plugged in those details, I came to a page with two views of the building built in 1906 and still standing today. At top, a good look at the 38-unit apartment building with a row of stores on the street level. Earle's store was likely not the main store at the corner. My guess is he had one of the smaller stores to the right of the corner. Remembering Earle and his store on the anniversary of his birth.
Friday, December 18, 2020
The Thrill of Discovery, the Work of Writing
Isn't it exciting to discover something new about family history? I still remember cranking the old microfilm reader in a library and gasping audibly when I suddenly found my ancestor's record!
Writing a Dorothy and Daisy Booklet
These days I've been clicking to do research as I work toward completing a family history booklet about my Mom and her twin sister (see cover of booklet at right).
Mom and Dorothy lived in the Bronx, NY with their parents and brother until World War II began. Then their lives diverged during and after the war, with different career paths and different family situations.
Already, I've arranged 15 photos interspersed among 20 pages about the twins. I really want descendants to know more about these strong women in our family tree.
Fun and Work
Yet even during a pandemic year, when I have more time to focus on genealogy, I find that writing feels like work, whereas searching out new discoveries feels like fun.
Just today, I made a small discovery: Dorothy's book about her WAC unit is listed in book about military women in World War II. I have the history she wrote, but it was just plain fun to find my aunt's postwar project acknowledged in this way!
Sharing Discoveries Keeps Ancestors Alive
Future generations won't know very much more than the bare facts about the twins unless I stick to the hard work of writing about their lives and incorporating the fun discoveries I've made as well as memories of those who knew them so well.
So I'm continuing to write one sentence at a time, and insert family photos one at a time, until I complete the joint story of Dorothy and Daisy. The finish line is in sight!
Thursday, December 17, 2020
A Winter Wedding for Hugh Benjamin McClure and Olivette van Roe
On this day 118 years ago, my husband's great uncle Hugh Benjamin McClure (1882-1960) married Olivette Van Roe (1885-1905). The groom was 20, the bride was 17.
Winter Wedding Weather in Wabash
What was the weather like on that wedding day in 1902?
I found a bit of info on weather.gov (see image at top from my result here).
Also I used newspaper sources to research the weather on that wedding day.
The free Hoosier State Chronicles site has an issue of the Indianapolis Journal from that date--and on page 2, the weather forecast indicates below-average temperatures for that month and for that year.
I sure hope Hugh Benjamin and Olievette bundled up warmly for their winter wedding!
Understanding the weather and other elements in their lives helps me envision their activities at a time and place so far removed from my own.
This is my #52Ancestors post for week 51, with a prompt of "winter."
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