At right, the postcard sent by Aunt Nellie Wood Kirby from Chicago. Pretty flowers and a green countryside. Nellie was a sister of Wally's father.
Below, the postcard sent from Toledo, Ohio by Aunt Adelaide "Ada" Slatter Baker. Ada was a sister of Wally's mother. This postcard features a rooster standing atop a decorated Easter egg.
The families sent colorful penny postcards to the children for every occasion, from birthdays to Easter to Christmas.
I would probably not have found this book without full-text search, because the McClure section is buried deep inside the book, and the title doesn't even hint at any connection with my husband's McClure family tree.
The careful researchers who compiled this genealogy are Rachel Adams Cloud Pond (a DAR Regent) and Chaplain Clifton Ray Pond (a member of SAR). They checked Census records, land records, family Bibles, and lots of other sources, specifically noting what they found and where (and what they didn't find). The authors also included family stories with comments about what could be confirmed.
For ease of understanding the various branches of this sprawling family tree, the authors separated the book into sections by surname. They thoughtfully included a detailed bibliography and multiple indexes for each surname section (one for the direct line, and one for in-law names, an interesting way to index).
Above, one of several pages with info about the John McClure family. I knew that John McClure (1780-1834) had two wives, and Ann McFall was the first. This page transcribes and organizes birth, marriage, and death notes from the family Bible of John's second wife, Martha McClanahan McClure (1792-1876). I pasted the citation directly on the downloaded pages so I can retrace my steps in the future.
Several sources (such as this one) indicate John McClure and his first wife, Ann McFall (1780-1812) were married on April 8, 1801. I put my eyeballs on the handwritten notation from the time and confirmed the year as 1801. Happy 225th anniversary to these ancestors!
However, the Bible of John's second wife, Martha, lists that marriage as taking place on April 12, 1800. She began writing in this Bible during the 1860s, so I suspect she wasn't certain of the actual date of her husband's first marriage that many decades in the past.
Family history from family Bibles are good clues, not necessarily facts. Still, sometimes Bible info is all I have for little babies who sadly died within a few days or weeks of birth, at a time/place when no registration took place. I'm chipping away at the McClure brick wall, one name at a time, and thankful for full-text search!
Lessons learned:
Encouraged by the outstanding results of MyHeritage's Scribe AI when tested by other genealogy bloggers, I began trying this new feature on several different types of images.
Scribe AI scored 100% in accuracy when transcribing a handwritten note with a distinctive style of cursive, circa 1943. It also scored 100% in accuracy when transcribing the envelope and postmark of that same handwritten note. Surprisingly, Scribe AI had nothing to say about the stamp, which was very visible and would have added to the context and dating, but that's just a nit because the transcription was perfect.
Above, a more difficult challenge: I asked for a transcription and analysis of my great-grandfather's gravestone, which features a good deal of Hebrew writing. I was quite impressed by much of the analysis but still I could see that eyeballs are very much needed as a double-check on accuracy. Here's what Scribe AI said about each element, followed by my personal analysis.
Iconography & symbolism
Scribe AI says: The top center features a circular medallion depicting a building with arched windows, likely representing a 'Beis Medrash' (House of Study) or a synagogue, which signifies the deceased's scholarly contributions and religious devotion. This is directly linked to the text identifying him as an author. Flanking the medallion are ivy leaves, a common funerary symbol representing immortality, eternal life, and undying affection. The bilingual nature of the stone reflects the cultural synthesis of the early 20th-century Jewish immigrant experience in America.
My personal analysis: I believe the stylized M is basically my great-grandpa's initial for his surname, Mahler, not a representation of a synagogue or my ancestor's supposed scholarly contributions. The rest of the AI analysis is fine.
Monument details
Scribe AI says: An upright, rounded-top headstone crafted from coarse-grained grey and pink granite. The stone is in good condition with minor weathering and some chipping along the edges. A modern circular inventory sticker with the letters 'PC' is affixed to the upper right face. The marker features a bilingual inscription in Hebrew and English, with a central decorative medallion and floral motifs.
My personal analysis: This is accurate but could be improved by explaining what the PC sticker means--perpetual care by the cemetery, a paid service.
Location context
Scribe AI says: Jewish cemetery, likely in the New York City metropolitan area (e.g., Mount Zion or Mount Carmel), based on the granite style, the specific scholarly work mentioned, and the bilingual English/Hebrew format typical of that region and era.
My personal analysis: I'm astonished at the accuracy of location, because the cemetery is in fact Mount Zion in Maspeth, New York--indeed the NY metro area. I didn't tell Scribe AI anything about the cemetery or even the gravestone location; it figured this one out all on its own.
Research suggestions
Scribe AI says: The inscription identifies Meyer Elias Mahler as the author of the book 'Kanaf Renanim' (כנף רננים), a scholarly work on Hebrew cantillation published in 1907. This is a vital clue for researchers; he can be found in rabbinical bibliographies and New York City death records. His father is named as David Akiva. The epitaph mentions a 'beloved husband' and 'dear father,' confirming he was survived by a wife and children. Given the publication of his book in New York, search for census records in Manhattan or Brooklyn around 1900-1910.
My personal analysis: No, the inscription does NOT identify Meyer as the author, only that he is in the lineage of the author--as indicated by the accurate transcription of the Hebrew inscription, below.
Inscription translation
Scribe AI says: Here lies An important man from a distinguished lineage Author of the book 'Kanaf Renanim' R' Meir Eliyahu son of R' David Akiva Born in the year 5616 [1855/56] Passed away 3 Shevat 5670 [January 13, 1910] May his soul be bound in the bond of life
IN MEMORY OF MY BELOVED HUSBAND AND OUR DEAR FATHER MEYER ELIAS MAHLER DIED JAN. 13, 1910 AGED 52 YEARS May he rest in peace
My personal analysis: the translation is accurate, according to the translations I've had done in the past. Meyer is shown as being "from a distinguished lineage" of the author of the book. He did not write the book, as the research suggestions note.
Highly encouraging, eyeballs always needed
I'm very encouraged by the mainly accurate info! Will be testing Scribe AI more in the coming weeks. I owe it to my relatives and my ancestors to follow the warning that MyHeritage shows at bottom of all these results: These insights were generated by AI and may contain errors. Be sure to review them for accuracy.
This year, my husband and I returned to this wonderful frame shop to order a custom shadow box for his own US Army memorabilia. The framing experts listened carefully and respectfully as my hubby described the significance of each item and then together, we grouped items and adjusted the layout to tell the story of hubby's time in the military.
At top, the "final" arrangement of his shoulder patches, buttons, badges, dog tag, and other items. In the center is a 5x7 black and white photo taken when Sgt. Wood was overseas in the US Army decades ago.
The wooden frame will be black and the background behind the items will be ecru linen. The glass will be museum-quality, and each item will be attached to the linen backing with adhesive or sewing that is safe and removable. A brass plaque attached to the front of the frame will show my husband's full name.
We will put into the archival envelope an explanation of what each item means, plus a timeline of my hubby's military service, and his discharge papers and a few other photos from his time in the Army. This professional shadow box will be a focal point for saving the artifacts and facts of my husband's military service, to be passed down to future generations.
Full disclosure: One of my hubby's items was too damaged to include, so we found an identical item on eBay and bought it specifically for this shadow box. Why not?
Smith
Hubby's 5th great-grandparents, the Smiths, were born in Ireland, according to US Census of their children (question about country of parent's birth). William Smith (1724?-1786) and his wife Jean (1724?-1805) may have been from Limerick, as suggested by probate documents from a family member.
Their children were born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Son Brice Smith got "Ohio Fever" and moved from Pennsylvania to Fairfield County, Ohio before 1820. The Brice name was passed down in the family tree to Smith's grandson and great-great grandson.
Larimer and Gallagher
Robert Larimer (1719?-1803) was born in the North of Ireland, according to the genealogy booklet Our Larimer Family. Sailing to North America to seek his fortune, he was shipwrecked and brought to Pennsylvania. He was forced to work for years to repay his rescuer, but eventually left his master.
Robert married Irish-born Mary Gallagher (or O'Gallagher) (1721?-1803) in Pennsylvania. Mary and Robert also got Ohio Fever and brought their family to Fairfield County, Ohio. They were hubby's 5th great-grandparents.
Shehen or Shehan
Hubby's 2d great grandparents were born somewhere in Ireland, according to the 1841 UK Census. John Shehen or Shehan (1801?-1875) and wife Mary (1801?-1874) left Ireland and moved to London by 1834, where the first of their children was born. John was a laborer and Mary was a laundress. Sadly, both seem to have died in a poorhouse.
McClure
The McClure line really originated in Scotland but relocated to County Donegal at some point before ancestor Halbert McClure's time. Halbert (1684?-1754) married Agnes in County Donegal. Agnes and Halbert were hubby's 5th great-grandparents.
They sailed to Philadelphia together with other family members sometime in the 1740s. Not as indentured servants, but with money to pay passage and buy land in the colonies. The McClures all walked as a group to Virginia, where they kept buying land as their sons married. Their grandson caught Ohio Fever and his descendants moved further west to Indiana.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Unsure of whether the print shop could manipulate a pdf of nearly 700 MB, I included pdfs of Parts 1, 2, and 3 plus the big file when I brought my flash drive to the printer.
They strongly advised against printing one giant book with spiral binding. Instead, they recommended I pick a suitable place to break the book into two parts, and create two separate pdf files. The shop would then create two spiral-bound volumes (Part 1 and Part 2), each with a clear cover and a sturdy backing.
A good place to split the big pdf file, I decided, would be after the end of World War II. Now Part 1 contains minutes and reports from 1933 to 1945, and Part 2 runs from 1946 to 1964. This meant redoing the title page for Part 1 to indicate it was 1 of 2.
Also I created a new title page for Part 2, as shown at top. For an illustration, I chose a photograph of the Ellis Island Memorial Wall inscription for my maternal grandparents. Grandma Hermina was a charter member of the Farkas Family Tree and her husband, Grandpa Theodore, was one of the early officers. This is a way to honor them as big movers and shakers within the family tree association. Grandpa Theodore carefully checked over the finances and insisted on receipts for expenditures!
The result: two digitally-printed, spiral bound books, Parts 1 and 2, a total of 300 sheets/600 pages, with a clear cover and a heavy back cover. One for me, one for Sis. Easy to browse, very legible pages, and easy to pass down to next generation.
Lessons learned
