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Taken from "The Genealogue" for 31 Jan 2009:
David Griner is Twittering his great-aunt's diary.
Late last year, my family found a line-a-day diary maintained by my great-aunt from 1937 to 1941. She was in her early teens, living on a small farm in rural Illinois with her two brothers, one of which was my grandfather. It's a fascinating account of life in a bygone era, a time when my family's only connections to the world were schoolhouse chatter and a neighbor's radio.
Looking at the terse journal, my sister quipped, "This is the Twitter of the 1930s." We glanced at each other and almost immediately began planning the Twitter account that would become Twitter.com/Genny_Spencer.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Md. Man Nearly Tosses 140-Year Old Lincoln Signature
The following was taken from the Fox Network's "Fox 5" web site in Washington, DC:
KEEDYSVILLE, Md. - How many times have you cleaned out your home and thrown things away before looking at them?
One Frederick County man nearly threw out a 140-year-old signature of Abraham Lincoln that he didn't know he had. It was just pure luck, though, that his piece of history didn't become history.
Charles Collins was cleaning out his mother's basement when he came across what looked like a rolled-up tube.
"I said knowing my mom and dad, you never know what could be inside this thing, so I decided I was going to check it out," Collins told FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald.
Charles was holding a piece of family history.
"So I unrolled it and it's my great-great grandfather's civil war discharge," he said.
But it was not just any discharge. On closer inspection, Charles realized it was signed by Abraham Lincoln himself.
"And I pulled it down even further and I saw Lincoln's signature on the bottom, and I'm like, oh my gosh!" he described. "I'm holding a 140-year-old document in my dirty sweaty hands!"
The discharge was issued to Charles' great-great grandfather, Private James Nolan, who served in the union army.
"His unit of the Ohio cavalry, from the readings I have seen, escorted Grant to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox," Charles said.
Of course, to Charles the document is priceless, but everything does have a price. The last time a document like this was up for auction in 2003, it went for $4,000. The experts here say now this document could go for up to four times that amount.
After being rolled up for 140 years, Charles took the discharge to the Museum Store in Frederick to have it restored. Owner Vicki Corman says it was dangerously close to falling apart.
"Where it had been folded in the past, those areas were starting to tear, so we had to mend the tears on the folds," said Corman.
Now preserved, Charles says this hand-signed Lincoln document is a link to his ancestor that he can now share with future generations.
"It's something that I can pass along to my children," said Charles
KEEDYSVILLE, Md. - How many times have you cleaned out your home and thrown things away before looking at them?
One Frederick County man nearly threw out a 140-year-old signature of Abraham Lincoln that he didn't know he had. It was just pure luck, though, that his piece of history didn't become history.
Charles Collins was cleaning out his mother's basement when he came across what looked like a rolled-up tube.
"I said knowing my mom and dad, you never know what could be inside this thing, so I decided I was going to check it out," Collins told FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald.
Charles was holding a piece of family history.
"So I unrolled it and it's my great-great grandfather's civil war discharge," he said.
But it was not just any discharge. On closer inspection, Charles realized it was signed by Abraham Lincoln himself.
"And I pulled it down even further and I saw Lincoln's signature on the bottom, and I'm like, oh my gosh!" he described. "I'm holding a 140-year-old document in my dirty sweaty hands!"
The discharge was issued to Charles' great-great grandfather, Private James Nolan, who served in the union army.
"His unit of the Ohio cavalry, from the readings I have seen, escorted Grant to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox," Charles said.
Of course, to Charles the document is priceless, but everything does have a price. The last time a document like this was up for auction in 2003, it went for $4,000. The experts here say now this document could go for up to four times that amount.
After being rolled up for 140 years, Charles took the discharge to the Museum Store in Frederick to have it restored. Owner Vicki Corman says it was dangerously close to falling apart.
"Where it had been folded in the past, those areas were starting to tear, so we had to mend the tears on the folds," said Corman.
Now preserved, Charles says this hand-signed Lincoln document is a link to his ancestor that he can now share with future generations.
"It's something that I can pass along to my children," said Charles
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Ellis Island Documentary Airs on PBS in February
The following is taken from Genealogy Insider for 29 Jan 2009 and is posted by Diane Haddad:
Forgotten Ellis Island, a documentary based on film producer Lorie Conway’s book of the same name about the immigrant hospital at America’s busiest port of arrival, is set to air on many PBS stations Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. (It'll air Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. in some places.)
See the Forgotten Ellis Island Web site and check local TV listings for updates. (The online schedule for our PBS affiliate let me set up an automatic e-mail reminder.)
I interviewed Conway for the November 2008 Family Tree Magazine, and the Ellis Island hospital is among my favorite topics I’ve covered. Conway shared photos and stories of immigrants treated there, revealing the hospital’s history and how the staff handled patients' varying cultures, languages and illnesses—while trying to balance a mission of humanity with a duty to protect the US population from diseases.
As mentioned in the November 2008 article, patient records are missing except a few documents scattered in other files. The hospital buildings are under the care of Save Ellis Island and awaiting restoration
****Be sure and watch this historic documentary! - cbh
Forgotten Ellis Island, a documentary based on film producer Lorie Conway’s book of the same name about the immigrant hospital at America’s busiest port of arrival, is set to air on many PBS stations Feb. 2 at 10 p.m. (It'll air Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. in some places.)
See the Forgotten Ellis Island Web site and check local TV listings for updates. (The online schedule for our PBS affiliate let me set up an automatic e-mail reminder.)
I interviewed Conway for the November 2008 Family Tree Magazine, and the Ellis Island hospital is among my favorite topics I’ve covered. Conway shared photos and stories of immigrants treated there, revealing the hospital’s history and how the staff handled patients' varying cultures, languages and illnesses—while trying to balance a mission of humanity with a duty to protect the US population from diseases.
As mentioned in the November 2008 article, patient records are missing except a few documents scattered in other files. The hospital buildings are under the care of Save Ellis Island and awaiting restoration
****Be sure and watch this historic documentary! - cbh
Ancestors of American Presidents - 2009 Edition
The following post was taken from DickEastman's EOGN on 28 January 2009:
Gary Boyd Roberts is well-known for his tracing of family trees of politicians, movie stars and other notables. Now he has updated his previous work, Ancestors of American Presidents. The following is from the announcement:
More than thirty years in the making, this authoritative work presents ancestor tables for each president from George Washington to Barack Obama. Building on the comprehensive research conducted for the previous edition, New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Scholar Emeritus Gary Boyd Roberts has exhaustively investigated the most reliable genealogical sources of presidential ancestry.
The book includes:
* Ancestor tables for all presidents
* Royal descents of each president and first lady
* More than 150 charts outlining kinships between presidents
* Charts showing kin and “kin of kin” to Pocahontas, presidential Mayflower lines, and connections to European royal families
* Comprehensive name and place indexes 6 x 9
hardcover, 864 pages, $34.95 ($39.95 after June 1, 2009)
Praise for the first edition:
“This impressive work incorporates all the published scholarship to date on presidential ancestry. . . . Highly recommended.” –The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
“This book should be a staple in the library of every serious genealogist.” – North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal
To order, email sales@nehgs.org, call 617-226-1212, or visit www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.
Gary Boyd Roberts is well-known for his tracing of family trees of politicians, movie stars and other notables. Now he has updated his previous work, Ancestors of American Presidents. The following is from the announcement:
More than thirty years in the making, this authoritative work presents ancestor tables for each president from George Washington to Barack Obama. Building on the comprehensive research conducted for the previous edition, New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Scholar Emeritus Gary Boyd Roberts has exhaustively investigated the most reliable genealogical sources of presidential ancestry.
The book includes:
* Ancestor tables for all presidents
* Royal descents of each president and first lady
* More than 150 charts outlining kinships between presidents
* Charts showing kin and “kin of kin” to Pocahontas, presidential Mayflower lines, and connections to European royal families
* Comprehensive name and place indexes 6 x 9
hardcover, 864 pages, $34.95 ($39.95 after June 1, 2009)
Praise for the first edition:
“This impressive work incorporates all the published scholarship to date on presidential ancestry. . . . Highly recommended.” –The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
“This book should be a staple in the library of every serious genealogist.” – North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal
To order, email sales@nehgs.org, call 617-226-1212, or visit www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Ads From the 1930's
I hope everyone gets as much of a kick out of seeing these ads as I have! We've certainly come a long way! - cbh
Easy Open Schlitz Cans!
Doctor Recommended Camel's
Have a Fag
Eat Lard!
Douche with Lysol
Chesterfield's for Christmas!
The Tape Worm Diet!
Blow Smoke In Her Face!
Prophylactic Protection!
Easy Open Schlitz Cans!
Doctor Recommended Camel's
Have a Fag
Eat Lard!
Douche with Lysol
Chesterfield's for Christmas!
The Tape Worm Diet!
Blow Smoke In Her Face!
Prophylactic Protection!
NBC To Begin Airing "WHO DO YOU THIN YOU ARE?"
The following is taken from DIck Eastman's EOGN 27 Jan 2009:
"
I have written many times about "Who Do You Think You Are?," a very popular British television that has since been exported to other countries. Each country produces their own shows, featuring local television personalities and stories. Now NBC will bring the television program to American viewers, starting April 20. The program will air on Mondays at 8 p.m.
"Who Do You Think You Are?" will feature American celebrities, including Lisa Kudrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Susan Sarandon, as they unearth their family trees. Kudrow's company, Is or Isn't Entertainment, will produce the programs, along with the U.K.'s Wall to Wall Productions.
The series will examine a star's family tree and uncover stories about love, secrets and triumphs in his or her family's past, while also weaving the family story into the larger narrative of American history.
"This show personalizes history and turns it into a gripping narrative," Kudrow says. "The most striking thing about the show is the realization of how connected we all are."
****
You can bet I'll be watching! - cbh
"
I have written many times about "Who Do You Think You Are?," a very popular British television that has since been exported to other countries. Each country produces their own shows, featuring local television personalities and stories. Now NBC will bring the television program to American viewers, starting April 20. The program will air on Mondays at 8 p.m.
"Who Do You Think You Are?" will feature American celebrities, including Lisa Kudrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Susan Sarandon, as they unearth their family trees. Kudrow's company, Is or Isn't Entertainment, will produce the programs, along with the U.K.'s Wall to Wall Productions.
The series will examine a star's family tree and uncover stories about love, secrets and triumphs in his or her family's past, while also weaving the family story into the larger narrative of American history.
"This show personalizes history and turns it into a gripping narrative," Kudrow says. "The most striking thing about the show is the realization of how connected we all are."
****
You can bet I'll be watching! - cbh
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Free Money From Your Ancestors?
The following is taken from the January 24, 2009 edition of "Your Future, Your Past":
Knowing your genealogy can actually be worth substantial money to you, and life-changing knowledge can be beyond priceless, truly of incalculable value.
For instance, having the knowledge I just discovered could have given a life-changing advantage of monumental value to one of your ancestors, to you, and to your descendants.
In fact, if one of your ancestors had discovered this key knowledge when they really needed it, you and your descendants would have been born into an entirely different and almost certainly much better socio-economic environment.
And you or one of your descendants may be standing at that very crossroads right now.
The amazing Google Book Search was the source of one key piece of knowledge that led me to the pleasing discovery that the Family Forest® contains an additional treasure trove of priceless knowledge that I was unaware of.
This particular gem of knowledge was found in a book that has been in the Harvard College Library for over a century. This book is number 299 of a 300 edition printing of a 1905 genealogy book about the Kingsbury family. A sticker in the front of the book says:
“From the Bright Legacy. Descendants of Henry Bright, jr., who died at Watertown, Mass., in 1686, are entitled to hold scholarship in Harvard College, established in 1880 under the will of Jonathan Brown Bright of Waltham, Mass., with one half the income of this Legacy. Such descendants failing, other persons are eligible to the scholarships. The will requires that this announcement shall be made in every book added to the Library under its provisions.”
So a couple of quick mouse-clicks in the Family Forest® New World Edition
revealed that Henry Bright, Jr. had descendants with the surnames of Abbott, Adams, Ahrens, Alexander, Atkins, Baker, Baldwin, Barnes, Bentley, Bicknell, Bigelow, Bond, Booth, Bowman, Bright, Bryant, Brown, Burkholder, Carder, Carter, Chamberlin, Cheesman, Clark, Coffin, Cooledge, Coolidge, Crane, Cunningham, Cummings, Dalton, Dean, Deane, Dvojacki, Dewey, Dexter, Folsom, Fowle, Frary, Fuller, Gates, Gibson, Gilman, Goddard, Goodloe, Gould, Greenleaf, Greenwood, Grosvenor, Hanna, Harpole, Hastings, Higgins, Homans, Howell, Jackson, Kiblinger, Langan, Learned, Leavitt, Lipphart, Little, Livermore, Martin, Merriam, Miles, Miller, Mills, Morgan, Munroe, Niebell, Owsley, Paddock, Page, Passarella, Pearce, Perkins, Pleasants, Pratt, Pulsifer, Quincy, Ray, Raymond, Rentschler, Rice, Rodger, Rowland, Sargent, Shattuck, Shreve, Smallwood, Smith, Skillen, Stearns, Stetson, Stocker, Stone, Storer, Stratton, Strecker, Sweeney, Tatnall, Taylor, Temple, Tileston, Tufts, Walker, Waller, Washburn, Webber, Webster, Welch, Wheeler, White, Whiting, Wier, Wigglesworth, Woods, Woodward, and others.
One of these is the surname of a friend who was struggling last fall to find funds to give his daughter a good college education. A couple of them are names of members of my church congregation, one is one of Kristine’s ancestors, four are some of my ancestral surnames, and some are names and/or ancestral surnames of people we see regularly in the news.
How many people who are entitled to basically free money from their ancestors are completely unaware of it? How many people with unusual surnames such as Ahrens, Dvojacki, or Passarella, or common surnames such as Baker, Clark, or Smith, would know that they had ancestors with the surname of Bright, and that this knowledge can entitle members of their family to a life-changing advantage?
Which of course leads me back to the Family Forest®. If key knowledge can be priceless, what is a digital edutainment resource that leads you to that knowledge worth?
Knowing your genealogy can actually be worth substantial money to you, and life-changing knowledge can be beyond priceless, truly of incalculable value.
For instance, having the knowledge I just discovered could have given a life-changing advantage of monumental value to one of your ancestors, to you, and to your descendants.
In fact, if one of your ancestors had discovered this key knowledge when they really needed it, you and your descendants would have been born into an entirely different and almost certainly much better socio-economic environment.
And you or one of your descendants may be standing at that very crossroads right now.
The amazing Google Book Search was the source of one key piece of knowledge that led me to the pleasing discovery that the Family Forest® contains an additional treasure trove of priceless knowledge that I was unaware of.
This particular gem of knowledge was found in a book that has been in the Harvard College Library for over a century. This book is number 299 of a 300 edition printing of a 1905 genealogy book about the Kingsbury family. A sticker in the front of the book says:
“From the Bright Legacy. Descendants of Henry Bright, jr., who died at Watertown, Mass., in 1686, are entitled to hold scholarship in Harvard College, established in 1880 under the will of Jonathan Brown Bright of Waltham, Mass., with one half the income of this Legacy. Such descendants failing, other persons are eligible to the scholarships. The will requires that this announcement shall be made in every book added to the Library under its provisions.”
So a couple of quick mouse-clicks in the Family Forest® New World Edition
revealed that Henry Bright, Jr. had descendants with the surnames of Abbott, Adams, Ahrens, Alexander, Atkins, Baker, Baldwin, Barnes, Bentley, Bicknell, Bigelow, Bond, Booth, Bowman, Bright, Bryant, Brown, Burkholder, Carder, Carter, Chamberlin, Cheesman, Clark, Coffin, Cooledge, Coolidge, Crane, Cunningham, Cummings, Dalton, Dean, Deane, Dvojacki, Dewey, Dexter, Folsom, Fowle, Frary, Fuller, Gates, Gibson, Gilman, Goddard, Goodloe, Gould, Greenleaf, Greenwood, Grosvenor, Hanna, Harpole, Hastings, Higgins, Homans, Howell, Jackson, Kiblinger, Langan, Learned, Leavitt, Lipphart, Little, Livermore, Martin, Merriam, Miles, Miller, Mills, Morgan, Munroe, Niebell, Owsley, Paddock, Page, Passarella, Pearce, Perkins, Pleasants, Pratt, Pulsifer, Quincy, Ray, Raymond, Rentschler, Rice, Rodger, Rowland, Sargent, Shattuck, Shreve, Smallwood, Smith, Skillen, Stearns, Stetson, Stocker, Stone, Storer, Stratton, Strecker, Sweeney, Tatnall, Taylor, Temple, Tileston, Tufts, Walker, Waller, Washburn, Webber, Webster, Welch, Wheeler, White, Whiting, Wier, Wigglesworth, Woods, Woodward, and others.
One of these is the surname of a friend who was struggling last fall to find funds to give his daughter a good college education. A couple of them are names of members of my church congregation, one is one of Kristine’s ancestors, four are some of my ancestral surnames, and some are names and/or ancestral surnames of people we see regularly in the news.
How many people who are entitled to basically free money from their ancestors are completely unaware of it? How many people with unusual surnames such as Ahrens, Dvojacki, or Passarella, or common surnames such as Baker, Clark, or Smith, would know that they had ancestors with the surname of Bright, and that this knowledge can entitle members of their family to a life-changing advantage?
Which of course leads me back to the Family Forest®. If key knowledge can be priceless, what is a digital edutainment resource that leads you to that knowledge worth?
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