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Jerald E. Blair was
a war hero whose final days were spent fighting pulmonary disease and
living on his Army pension in a modest rental house in West Sacramento.
Mr. Blair served in three wars and won the nation's third-highest award
for gallantry, died Thursday of complications from the disease. He was 75.
Mr. Blair resided in West
Sacramento for the past two decades. He had retired from the Army several
years earlier as a sergeant first class. One of his last tours of duty was
in Vietnam, where he was a member of the Green Berets, as the Army's
Special Forces troops are known. But it was during the Korean War that he
distinguished himself in combat on March 24-26, 1953, and earned the
Silver Star for gallantry. Mr. Blair was wounded during the Korean War,
and later spent a year in a full body cast after his parachute failed to
fully open during training near Fort Lewis, Washington. "He had a plate in
his head, never could hear right. His health wasn't that good," said his
second wife, Claudette.
Mr. Blair was a
full-blooded Sioux "who never claimed all the benefits he was entitled
to," his wife said. "He was so proud. He went through a lot and paid a lot
for it." He received the Silver Star for his "Unswerving devotion to duty"
after his platoon leader was wounded and evacuated during fighting near
Chorwon, Korea. At the time he was serving with Company A, 32nd Infantry
Regiment. Mr. Blair immediately "took command of his unit and led it
through the trenches for a counterattack on enemy-held position,"
according to the citation accompanying his Silver Star award.
"When his platoon came
under withering enemy fire (he) unhesitatingly exposed himself in order to
better direct his men in their...attack," the Citation reads.... Mr. Blair
was born in Spokane, Washington on May 29, 1926. He never knew the names
of his parents, who put him up for adoption a few months later, his wife
said. "All he knew was they were both Sioux," she said. He was adopted by
Sallie and Nello Blair, and was reared in Poplar, Montana, where he
graduated from high school.
Survivors include his wife,
the former Claudette Horton, of West Sacramento; sons, Nello Blair of
Spokane, Washington and Norman Blair of Simi Valley; and two
grandchildren.
Delawares published by Bridgestone Books
A new book on the Delaware People has been published. A 24 page, full
color hardback book entitled The Delaware People has been printed and has
just been released for distribution. This book is another in a series of
30 books published by Bridgestone Books about American Indian people. Each
book features a particular Indian tribe.
The book is written by
author Allison Lassieur for school age children who are learning for the
first time about the American Indian. This book will answer most questions
a child would have about the historical clothing, foods, homes and
language of the Delaware Tribe. It is presented in a simple topical way
and the pictures even tell the story. A child could read it himself or a
teacher could read it out loud to her class.
Photographs of members of
the Delaware Tribe of Indians are featured in the book. The Delaware
People provides a suggested projects a child could do and directions on
how to acquire information for those who want to further study the
Delaware people.
The Delaware People is
carried in the Delaware Tribe of Indians' Gift Shop. It regularly sells
for $13 but is on sale for $10. To order the book by credit card call
1-800-700-9870, or send amount plus $1.50 for shipping and handling on
$0-$10, or $11+ 20% of purchase to Delaware Indian Gift Shop, 220 N.W.
Virginia Ave., Bartlesville, OK 74003. This book review is by Annette
Ketchum. Thank you to the Delaware Indian News.
State of Georgia funds archaeological dig at Ebenezer site in Georgia
State of Georgia will provide $20,000 grant for archaeological dig at
Ebenezer. At the request of Representative Ann Purcell, Governor Roy
Barnes has approved a $20,000 grant from the Governor's Discretionary Fund
for an archaeological dig at New Ebenezer. Plans for a dig accelerated
when Jerusalem Church announced construction plans for an expansion of
their facilities. Disturbing the soil with construction equipment can
destroy priceless artifacts. Furthermore, once a building has been
constructed on the site, historical remains and artifacts under the
surface of the ground become permanently inaccessible. The cost of a total
comprehensive dig on the site where construction is to take place would be
$89,000. The governor's grant will allow for some serious archaeology,
including the determination of whether there are human burials on the
planned construction site.
There is a strong
possibility of human burials being found. Many historical documents make
reference to a cemetery in the churchyard of the wooden church building in
use before the present brick church building was finished in 1770. This
cemetery, whose exact location has been lost and whose wooden grave
markers have deteriorated and disappeared with time, predates the present
cemetery at New Ebenzer. If human burials are unearthed as a result of
construction, Georgia law requires an immediate cessation of work and
notification of the proper authorities. Thus, there is a need to determine
if human burials are present on the site and have the matter resolved
prior to the start of construction.
The archaeological dig will
be conducted by Dan and Rita Elliot of the LAMAR Institute. The Elliotts
have been doing archaeological work at Ebenzer for the last fourteen
years. They regard Ebenezer as the best lost city for archaeology in the
Eastern United States. A 1987 shovel test by the Elliotts of the planned
construction are revealed "a large amount of colonial period artifacts and
strongly indicates that important archaeological deposits are located
there."
The Georgia Salzburger
Society would like to obtain additional funds, bringing the total to the
$89,000 needed for a total comprehensive dig of the planned construction
site. Otherwise, the opportunity to recover more Salzburger history and
artifacts will be lost forever. If you can contribute or if you know a
source of funds, please contact GSS President Vince Exley as soon as
possible. Contact Vince as follows: phone 770-926-3334, email:
<oxcart1212@aol.com> or write to him at 4910 Rocky Valley Drive, Marietta,
GA 30066-1147.
Do you have illegitimate ancestors?
Sooner or later, most genealogists stumble across an illegitimate
ancestor. Old parish registers often reveal this information, but there
were various ways of expressing illegitimacy, some of them in Latin. In
Latin, "ignotus" means unknown. So records sometimes say, "nomine ignoto"
meaning the fathers name was unknown.
"Filius Populi" means son
of the people. This reference in English records often covers cases where
the father was known to be a local man, but might be one of two men. It
also can mean that the father was anybody's guess.
"Filius nullius" means son of none. This terminology was used in cases
where the father was a stranger (in that parish) or the mother couldn't or
wouldn't say who he was.
There are other tiny clues
to be found in parish records, so it's important to copy the references
exactly. For example, if you find a record that reads something like
"Johannes filius Mariae Jones et reputat (ur) de Johanni Smith, it
translates to John. Son of Mary Jones and by repute of John Smith. What
that means is that the father either admitted paternity or that paternity
had been proved. But if the records read "Johannes filius Mariae Jones et
imnputat de Johanni Smith," it means the mother claimed the father was
John Smith, but he wouldn't admit it or else the case hadn't been settled.
Other terms you may run into are "ut fertur" meaning as it is said (or
believed it if you like), and "dictus" or "p(rea) dictus, meaning the
said, aforesaid (man). "Voctus" means called or known as.
A common way of showing
illegitimate paternity in English records was to give a child his father's
full name and his mother's surname. The idea was that if the couple
married later, the mother's surname would be dropped. Knowing about the
use of double surnames for illegitimate children is very useful to
genealogists, but in genealogy, there are always exceptions. In London,
Lancashire, Yorkshire and among nonconformists, the use of a complimentary
second surname from the mother's family, the pastor or a rich uncle, came
into vogue in the early 1800s and again in the later Victorian period.
If you discover a reference
to John Jones Smith, and it occurs anywhere but in a recognized gentry
family before about 1840 in England, it should alert you to the
possibility of illegitimacy, but remember the exceptions. In the late 19th
century the English sometimes used hyphenated surnames such as
Armstrong-Jones, but for reasons of ancestral snobbery, not illegitimacy,
so when researching English records, remember this popularity of double
surnames in particular localities and time periods for other reasons that
the marital status of a child's parents before assuming an ancestor was
illegitimate.
Thanks to The Illuminator
Newsletter of the Zion Genealogical Society of Zion, Illinois.
Can DNA identify Christopher Columbus?
Spaniards hope to use DNA testing to solve the mystery over Columbus' two
gravesites. A pair of Spanish high school teachers want to harness new
technology to settle an old argument: who's buried in Christopher
Columbus' tomb? Make that tombs. Authorities in Seville, Spain and Santo
Domingo in the Dominican Republic both claim to be watching over the
remains of the explorer, known in Spanish as Cristobal Colon.
For more than 100 years,
historians have debated which side is right. The only sure way to find
out, says history teacher Marcial Castro, is dig up both sets of bones,
glean some strands of DNA and compare them to DNA from Hernado Colon,
Columbus' son through an extramarital affair. Hernando Colon's remains are
the only available, authenticated ones of a close relative of Columbus,
Castro says. They're buried at the cathedral in Seville; along with the
bones that Spain says are his father's.
In the Dominican Republic,
a huge, cross-shaped monument called the Faro a Colon, or Columbus
Lighthouse, also purports to hold the remains of Christopher Columbus.
Castro, 38, teaches in a public high school in Seville province, studies
genealogy on the side and has published several papers on historical
figures. This is by far his grandest investigation yet. The Andalusian
regional government has acted as intermediary and formally asked church
officials in Seville to open Columbus's tomb.
"My heart is jumping our of
my chest," said Castro, who is working with colleague Sergio Algarrada, a
biology teacher at Ostippo High School in Estepa town. They've enlisted
help from Jose Antonio Lorente, director of the Laboratory of Genetic
Identification of the University of Granada, to examine DNA from the
various sets of remains. Lorente usually works on criminal cases but has
also helped identify people killed under military regimes in Latin
America. His lab works regularly with the FBI. But it is not clear if the
Catholic church in Spain will go along, or if authorities in Santo Domingo
will allow the bones in the Columbus Lighthouse to be disturbed by the
probing fingers of science. Luis Yaport, deputy director of the monument,
said the final decision would be up to Dominican President Hipolito Mejia
and church officials. "If it really can be proven that these are Columbus'
remains, or that they are not, wonderful!" Yaport said from Santo Domingo.
Another unknown is whether
enough intact DNA could be recovered to carry out genetic tests. The
double helix that provides the blueprint of human life degrades over time,
and it's been 500 years. "Columbus's DNA will be in bad shape," Lorente
predicted. Still, Castro said the Spanish academic community is also
excited about his proposal, for which he has requested funding from
National Geographic, and no one seems worried by the prospect of Spain
learning it's got the wrong person buried in Seville.
Columbus died in the
Spanish city of Valladolid on May 20, 1506. He had asked to be buried in
the Americas, but no church of sufficient stature existed there so he was
interred in a monastery in Valladolid. Three years later, his remains were
moved to a Carthusian monastery on the island of La Cartuja in Seville. In
1537, Maria de Rojas y Toledo, widow of Columbus's son Diego, was allowed
to send the bones of her husband and his father to the cathedral in Santo
Domingo for burial. There they lay until 1795, when Spain ceded the island
of Hispaniola to France and decided Columbus' remains should not fall into
the hands of foreigners. So set of remains that the Spaniards thought were
Columbus' were dug up from behind the main altar in the newly built
cathedral and shipped to a cathedral in Havana, where they remained until
the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898 and Spain brought them to
Seville. It did so amid controversy.
In 1877, workers digging
inside the Santo Domingo cathedral unearthed a leaden box containing 13
large bone fragments and 28 small ones. It was inscribed "Illustrious and
distinguished male, don Cristobal Colon." The Dominicans said these were
the real remains of Columbus and that the Spaniards must have taken the
wrong body in 1795. The remains the Dominicans found are the ones kept in
the lighthouse. Lorente, who has found a genetic match of 500 plus years
old bones from a Spanish nobleman and his mother, is optimistic he can
obtain enough DNA to solve the Columbus quest.
"It is a major challenge,
but in any case it is not the first time we have done this," he said.
Thanks to Newsletter published by the Arizona Genealogical Advisory Board,
Inc., PO Box 5641, Mesa, AZ 85211-5641,
www.azgab.org.
The Family Tree helps a Georgia man find his own family tree!
This story started about four years ago. We have a recycling area for
magazines, newspapers and glass. I look through the newspapers from out of
town/state and one day I found a newspaper with the name of The Family
Tree. It looked like something different. While looking through it I found
out that the Coleman family was part of Clan Buchanan.
They sent me a form on
which I could record my parents, their parents and so on. Not having much
to go on, I sent a copy each to my brothers. One lives in Ohio and the
other lives in Atlanta, Georgia. This started the ball rolling.
After many hours on the
Internet, visiting with relatives in Kentucky, visiting cemeteries,
talking with folks on the telephone and many, many hours putting together
a history of the Virginia Coleman and the Kentucky Coleman families, I now
know that our 8th great-grand father was born in England in 1622. I have a
copy of each grandfather by name and his children. There are 10
generations of this Coleman family. I have many pictures of old relatives.
I soon hope to add these to the other information I have sent to the
Moultrie Library, in Moultrie, Georgia.
Thanks to The Family Tree
for making this trip through my history. Any family member can reach me
at: Carl Coleman, 308 Sparta Street, Warner Robins, GA 31088.
Here's a puzzle for you
Susan wants to know: What do you call the person for whom you are named?
For example, if you are named for your grandmother, your are HER
"namesake." Your Grandmother is YOUR "_(what)_"? What is the term that is
the counterpart to "namesake"? If you have the answer, email Helen Smith
at Hsmithlv@prodigy.net.
Thanks to The Prospector,
Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society, PO Box 1929, and Las Vegas
89125-1929.
Where did the term black market come from?
In medieval England there were nomadic mercenaries who wandered the
countryside and would sell their services to the highest bidder. These
were hardened fighters who lived solitary lives in the wilderness. They
did not have the luxury of servants to polish their armor and it would
oxidize to a blackish hue and they came to be known as black knights.
At local town festivals
they would have exhibition jousting matches in which the winner of the
fight would win the loser's weapons and armor. The local gentry, softened
by the good life, would lose to these black knights. The nomadic knights
didn't have much use for an extra set of armor and would sell it back to
them immediately after the fight. The losing nobility would be forced to
buy back their armor and after market came to be known as the "Black
Market."
Thanks to The Prospector,
Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society, PO Box 1929, Las Vegas, NV
89125-1929.
Global Positioning is a good way to keep track of obscure cemeteries
To make the locations of obscure and lost cemeteries easier to find you
can use a Global Positioning System (GPS). It can help pinpoint the
location within feet using Latitude and Longitude. It is useful in finding
graves positions in rural areas where many are abandoned, overgrown or
there are just a few. The GPS devices can usually be purchased for under a
hundred dollars and may even be found in pawnshops.
Editor's question: Wonder
if you could drive your GPS equipped car to the cemetery and use that?
The Internet can help you with German genealogy!
A good site for beginners in German Genealogy studies with connections to
resources for German research, book stores and a helpful section on German
history, culture and language is
http://home.att.net/~wee-monster.
Thanks to The Prospector,
Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society, PO Box 1929, Las Vegas, NV
89125-1929.
A tip for keeping photocopies organized
To keep photocopies from books properly grouped (just in case they get
shuffled), I pencil in a code at the library and when I get home, I use
transparent Avery labels and a tiny font and type all the relevant
information on enough labels to place a label on each page from one
source. Quick and easy!
Thanks to Billie Hamilton
and The Prospector, Clark County Nevada Genealogical Society, PO Box 1929,
Las Vegas, NV 89125-1929.
Ein Zungenbrecher, a tongue twister for you
Try repeating this sentence five times fast: Es klapperten die
Klapperschlangen bis die Klappern schlapper klangen. (The rattlesnakes
rattled until their rattles sounded listless.) Help! My tongue is twisted
into a knot!
Zwei Aberglauben, two German superstitions
In 1994, 38 percent of Germans believed that when you hear a cuckoo, it's
good luck to shake your purse (to prevent it from ever being empty) and
that it's bad luck to see a spider in the morning. It's bad luck to your
editor to see a spider anytime! Eeeeeek!
Thanks to Munchner Merkur,
14/15/ May 1994 via Sacramento German Genealogy Society, PO Box 660061,
Sacramento, CA 95866-0061.
Eine Ironie, and irony
"Important papers will often demonstrate their importance by moving from
where you left them to where you can't find them." Richard L. Hooverson
Thanks to Sacramento German
Genealogy Society, PO Box 660061, Sacramento, CA 95866-0061.
Did you know that Halloween was a Celtic celebration of ancestors &
spirits?
Many people may not realize that the earliest observation of Halloween was
a Celtic celebration of appreciation of their ancestors. Samhuinn, which
extended for 31 October to 2 November, was a time Celtic Druids set aside
to free themselves from the constraints of their highly structured
society. The people would show their lack of inhibition by wearing strange
clothing and playing pranks, while children would knock on neighbors'
doors asking for treats. These activities, however, were not central to
the celebration.
What was most important to
the Druids was the belief that on these days contact could be made with
departed spirits and guidance or inspiration is received. Therefore, the
dead were not feared, but celebrated as loving guardians and guides.
Ultimately, the days of Samhuinn were renamed by early Christians to be
Hallowe'en (31 October), All Hallows (All Saints Day) [1 November], and
All Souls Day (2 November).
Thanks to Encarta,
Microsoft Systems via Stovall Journal, 6377 Limewood Avenue, Memphis, TN
38134.
2003 Clan MacFarlane Society Scholarship offered
Any secondary school student within a year of graduation, or a graduate of
a secondary school who has worked for up to a year after graduation, who
plans to attend a four-year college or university, is eligible to apply
for the 2003 Clan MacFarlane Society Scholarship.
In case of international
students whose school systems are unlike that of the United States,
"secondary school" may be interpreted as any school which is normally
completed at approximately 16-20 years of age, and "college or university"
may be interpreted as the next level of education after such a school.
Candidates will be judged without regard to race, creed, color, national
origin or political affiliation. Applications must be in English and
documentation in a language other than English must be accompanied (not
substituted) by a translation. Grants will be in U.S. dollars only.
Deadlines for application
transcripts and letter of recommendation must be in the hands of the Chair
of the Scholarship Committee no later than March 15, 2003. The award will
be announced between May 1 and May 31, 2003. Questions about eligibility,
or any phase of the application process, should be addressed to the Chair
of the Scholarship Committee at
Scholarship@macfarlane.org.
Mr. Joseph U. N. Debuque, 85, of Beed Ave., CMA Member #306, died
Saturday April 20, 2002, at his home after a lengthy illness. He was the
husband of the late Inez M. (Nodding) Dubuque, with whom he spent 62 years
of marriage. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, he was the son of the late
Ulrick and Edith (Legasse) Dubuque. He was a graduate of Lynn Classic High
School, class of 1935. He was employed at the Daily Evening Item as a
printer and a proofreader, retiring in 1979. He was an active member of
the Lynn Historical Society and the New England Genealogical Society. He
was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Franco American Genealogical
Society, St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Jean's Church and St. Jean's
Church Choir. He was also the former secretary and treasurer of the
Typographical Union. Mr. Dubuque leaves two sons, three daughters, eleven
grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Rats and more rats!
There were so many rats in Frankfurt in the late 1400s that a man was
stationed at the city gate and collected a pfennig for each rat brought in
by cart or wagon. The rat's tail would be cut off and the body thrown into
the river. The tails were kept as a means to keep count. Frankfurt Jews
were taxed 5000 rat-tails each year.
Thanks to German Interest
Group Newsletter, May 2000 via Bureau county Genealogical Society, 629
South Main Street, Princeton, IL 61356-2012.
Seeking information on any family member of GUSTEDA WREN, born
1899, McClellanville, SC to father SIDNEY WREN. Contact Paula M. Jones,
111 W. Indian Bluff Dr., LaGrange, GA 30240, 706-884-4563,
danj@mindspring.com
"Oyez, oyez, oyez," says the town crier!
What is the meaning of the word "Oyez" which is pronounced either "o-yay,"
or "o-yez," or "o-yes" depending on where you were raised? Officially, it
is used there times in succession by the Marshal of the Court to introduce
the opening of a court of Law. Until the 18th century, speaking English in
a British court of law was not required; one could use Law French, a form
of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when the Anglo-Norman
became the language of the official class in England.
"Oyez" descends from the
Anglo-Norman "oyez," the plural imperative of "oyer," 'to hear'; thus
"oyez" means 'hear ye' and was used as a call for silence and attention.
Although it would have been much heard in medieval Britain, it is first
recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a
work composed around 1425. Since this phase worked so well in a court of
law, the town criers used it to draw the attention of the mostly
illiterate public to matters of importance. The criers or bellmen were
usually people of some standing in the community, as they had to be
literate enough to read and write proclamations. The crier would read a
proclamation, usually at the entrance of the local pub or inn, then nail
it to the door post - from which comes the expression "posting a notice,"
as well as naming newspapers as the post.
Women were often employed
in spreading the news of items that had been lost, the arrival of fresh
food at the market or some piece of local intelligence. One such person
was Beetty Dick of Dalkeith in Midlothian (1693-1773). Beetty used a large
wooden trencher that she hit with a spoon. The din was just about enough
to stir the graveyard. The sound would rattle out at different places in
the town, causing crowds to assemble to hear the latest announcement, for
which Beetty charged a sum of one penny. Every night she was employed to
bawl out "tripe, piping hot, ready for supper the nicht at 8 o'clock at
Jeanie McMillan's, head of North Wynd. Gang hame, bairns, and tell your
folks about it."
Thanks to the Palmetto &
Thistle, Scots-American Society of Brevard, PO Box 3325, Melbourne, FL
32902-3325,
http://www.spindata.com/sasb.
Have you wondered what they stand for?
Starting with the 1900 census, under Naturalization status appears one of
the following abbreviations for persons of foreign birth. (Unless the
enumerator forget to fill in that column) Naturalized (NA); papers filed
(PA); alien (AL); or no record (NR).
Thanks to The Genie's View,
LaSalle County Genealogy Guild, 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa, IL 61350.
Hints on etiquette from a bygone time
These rules are taken from a little book written in 1834 as a serious
guide to good manner. It amusingly illustrates the customs of a bygone
period. "Although these remarks will not be sufficient in themselves to
make you a gentleman, yet they will not be sufficient in themselves to
make you a gentleman, yet they will enable you to avoid any glaring
impropriety, and do much to render you easy and confident in society."
Dinners: Well-bred people
arrive as near the appointed dinner hour as they can. It is vulgar
assumption of importance purposely to arrive half an hour behind times;
besides the folly of allowing eight or ten hungry people such a tempting
opportunity of discussing your foibles.
Ladies should never dine with their gloves on - unless their hands are not
fit to be seen.
You cannot use your knife, fork or teeth too quietly.
Do not practice the filthy habit of gargling water from your finger bowl,
albeit the usage prevails among a few.
Bread should never be cut less than an inch and a half thick. There is
nothing more plebeian than thin bread at dinner.
It is considered vulgar to take soup twice.
Do not pick your teeth much at table.
Introductions: Never
"introduce" people to each other without previous understanding that it
will be agreeable to both.
Do not insist upon pulling off your gloves on a hot day when you shake
hands with a lady. If it be off, why, all very well; but it is better to
run the risk of being considered ungallant to present a clammy ungloved
hand.
Visiting: Never leave your
hat in the hall when you pay a visit to a lady; it makes you look too much
at home. Take it with you into the drawing room.
Smoking: If you are so
unfortunate to have contracted the low habit of smoking be careful to
practice it under strict restrictions; at least, as long as you are
desirous of being considered fit for civilized society. The first mark of
a gentleman is a sensitive regard for the feelings of others; therefore
smoke where it is least likely to prove personally offensive by making
your clothes smell; then wash your mouth and brush your teeth.
Dancing: If you are
entirely a stranger, it is to the "master of ceremonies" you must apply
for a partner and point out (quietly) any young lady with whom you should
like to dance. Do not, on any account go to a strange lady and request her
to dance, as she will unhesitatingly "decline the honor," and think you
impertinent fellow for your presumption.
Thanks to The Republican
Times - Ottawa 9/10/73 via The Genie's View, LaSalle County Genealogy
Guild, 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa, IL 61350.
To Delinquent subscribers
I thought you'd like to hear what OTHER editors have had to say about
folks who do not support their publications. These make my "Please send a
Postage Hero contribution" please sound pretty tame!
Anathemas of the Craft on
the Man who would not pay the Printer: May he be shod with lighting, and
compelled to wander over a desert of gunpowder. N.O. Picayune.
May he have sore eyes and a chestnut burr for an eye stone. Baltimore
Clipper.
May he wither under the voluminous curse of Dr. Slop. Evening Post
May his sorrows double daily and his life lengthen in the same ratio that
his sorrows are multiplied. Frankfort Yeoman.
May every day of his life be more despotic than the Dey of Algiers. N.Y.
News.
May he repose his weary limbs at night on a bed full of fleas and inhale
the odor of ten thousand bed bugs. Cincinnati News.
May he, upon pulling on a tight boot, find a live hornet in the bottom!
May he be rode on a rail, after getting his boot off, with the sharp edge
up, with a bushel bag of sand tied to each leg, by a torch light
procession, and hissed by all the boys in 10 miles round. Brownlow's Whig.
May he be compelled to walk, during the day, with bare feet, over prickly
pears; and sleep at night in a muskeete chaparral, without a blanket or
lariat to keep the rattlesnakes off. Houston Beacon.
May he have a scolding wife and smoking chimney, and may his days be many.
Western Texas.
We wish he may have to ride on the back of a rough-trotting mule, one
thousand miles over a bad road and have a porcupine saddle. Fair Dealer.
Thanks to Fair Dealer -
Ottowa, IL, May 15, 1852 via The Genie's View, LaSalle County Genealogy
Guild, 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa, IL 61350.
Dollars, dollars, dollars?
Have you ever tried to figure out the value of your ancestor's farm, his
Civil War pension, etc? What would it be worth in today's dollar? Here's a
very neat and very easy-to-use website
http://www.westegg.coem/inflation. It does the figuring for you
from 1800 to 2001.
Thanks to The Genealogy
Society of southern Illinois Newsletter, June 2002 via Cobb County
Genealogical Society, Inc., PO Box 1413, Marietta, GA 30061-1413.
Learn in Atlanta in October workshops
A workshop opportunity for genealogist, historians, and librarians, who
want to learn skills and techniques for researching original records at
regional archives, is being held in Atlanta, Georgia. The 13-18 of October
2002 event is not a beginning genealogy workshop. Enrollment is limited to
thirty. The workshop will focus on federal records from the Southeastern
United States and will include study at the National Archives Southeast
Region in East Point, Georgia. Activities will be held in the Atlanta area
at the Hampton Inn Southlake and in a state-of-the-art classroom on the
campus of Clayton College and State University, both in Marrow, Georgia.
Workshop staff includes J.
Mark Lowe, CG, who is the director of Regional In-depth Genealogical
Studies Alliance (RIGS Alliance), the sponsor of the event. Other staff
are RIGS Geiger, CGRS, CGL, and Pamela Boyer Porter, CGRS, CGL, and staff
members from NARA's Southeast Region. For information about the RIGS
Alliance workshop, visit the Web site at
http://www.RIGSAlliance.org, email
info@RIGSAlliance.org, write to
RIGS Alliance Workshop, PO Box 1273, Jasper, GA 30143, fax 706-266-3314.
Hidden treasures in 1840 census!
The names of Revolutionary War pensioners (veterans or their widows) were
recorded on the reverse of each page of the 1840 population schedules. By
order of the federal government, these names were published in a volume
titled: A Census of Pensioners for Revolution or Military Service With
Their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as returned by the Marshals of
the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census.
The Blair and Rives edition of this book was published in 1841. Over a
period of time, volunteer Kathy Leigh has retyped the entries found in the
1841 edition and then reformatted the entries. The result version can be
searched online at
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/census/index.html
Thanks to Federation of
Genealogical Societies Forum, PO Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940.
Researching Wisconsin?
Hundreds of Wisconsin local newspapers, and a few from other states, have
been indexed and placed on the Internet. Titled the Wisconsin Local
History & Biography Articles, the project is directed by the Wisconsin
Historical society. The visitor can search by community, subject, or
surname. When there is a match, the entire original article appears for
viewing. These 50,000 pages, containing nearly 16,000 articles, were
preserved in scrapbooks at WHS in the late 19th centuries. Most articles
were published between 1860 and 1940; a few are for dates before and after
those years.
Search at
http://www.shsw.wisc.edu/wlhba.
Thanks to Federation of
Genealogical Societies Forum, PO Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940.
Cajun research? Here's help.
The 1990 U.S. Census of Population was the first census to include an
ethnic group listing for "Cajun/Acadia." This has special meaning for
Louisiana residents. Ten percent of Louisiana's population listed
themselves as Cajun. This totals about 400,000, while approximately
another 25,000 listed Cajun as their secondary ancestry. Vermilion Parish,
located in central Acadiana, has the highest concentration of Cajun: 50
percent of its total population claim that ancestry. Nationwide, according
to the census, most people if Cajun/Acadian ancestry remain close to the
ancestral home. Of the 700,000 people listing themselves as part of this
ethnic group, 77 percent resided in Louisiana or Texas. A county-by-county
listing of total population and Cajun population can be found at:
http://www.cajunculture.com/other/populati.htm.
Thanks to Federation of
Genealogical Societies Forum, PO Box 200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940.
Jewish help on the Internet
Routes to Roots Foundation (RTRF) has placed on the Internet the complete
Jewish holdings of the State Archives of Belarus, Lithuania, Moldavia,
Poland and Ukraine in a common searchable database. It is the result of
years of effort on the part of Miriam Weiner, RTRF president, who worked
closely with the head archivists of the five countries.
Because of the political
upheavals in the past century, records are scattered for many towns and
cities.
The consolidated inventory brings them all under one umbrella. As an
example, the RTRF database shows that the Jewish records of Volkovysk (now
in Belarus) are in three different countries (Poland, Russia and Belarus)
and five different archives.
By publishing the inventory
on the Internet, the database will be updated regularly as new information
surfaces about other collections or to correct errors. In addition, as the
archives receive additional collections, they have agreed to send the
updated information to RTRF to keep the website current. The Home Page is
at http://www.rtrfoundation.org.
Thanks to Nu? What's New?,
ezine of Avotaynu via Federation of Genealogical Societies Forum, PO Box
200940, Austin, TX 78720-0940.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life,
seek to make your life long and of service to your people... Show respect
to all people, but grovel to none... Tecumseh
What month is it? In Gaelic!
Here are the Gaelic months of the year, with translations and a phonetic
version;
January -Am Faoilleach um
Feul-yoch
February -An Gearran un G-yarran
March - Am Mart um Marsht
April -An Giblean ung G-yarran
May - An Ceitean ung K-yaetchan
June - An t-Og-mhios un Tawg-viss
July - An t-Luchar un tchoocher
August - An Lunasdal un loonuss-dull
September - An t-Sultain an tool-teen
October - An Damhair un dah-vir
November - An t-Samhainn un taveen
December - An dubhlachd un doo-lochk
Thanks to The Dunrobin
Piper, Clan Sutherland Society of N.A., 156 New Estate Road, Littleton, MA
01460.
Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long
enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Working on MO?
Missouri WWI Records full text on line now! The state of Missouri has but
a database of WWI Service Records online at:
http://www.sos.state.mo.us/archives/ww1/default.asp This database
contains over 145,000 cards of Army and Marine personnel from Missouri
between 1917 and 1919. (There are plans to add the records of over 18,000
Navy personnel).
Thanks to The West Florida
Genealogical Society Newsletter, PO Box 947, Pensacola, FL 32591-0947.
Here's great help from the LDS!
FamilySearch: you can find FamilySearch computers at the Family History
Library of the Church of Latter-day Saints or at one of the branch Family
History Centers. The FamilySearch computer contains several databases of
information: the Social Security Death Index, the Military Index, the
Ancestral File, and the International Genealogical Index. You can use
these resources to search for information about your family members right
on the computer. You can also use the FamilySearch computer to look up
items in the Family History Library Catalog. FamilySearch is also now
available on the Internet through the Web site of the LDS
http://www.familysearch.org.
The Ladson Genealogy Library is moving
With funds appropriated by the state and the approval of the Board of
Regents, the Ladson Genealogy will be moving its collection from the
current site to the former Belk's store on Church St., Vildalia, Georgia.
The new site will undergo renovations before the move. The Ladson
Genealogy Library was formed in the 1970s from a collection of books
donated by the late John E. "Jack" Ladson, Jr. Visit them on the web at
http://www.toombs.public.lib.ga.us/ladson.htm. As always, check before
you plan a research trip to see the current location and times that this
facility will be open especially now that they are moving.
Thanks to CGGS Newsletter,
PO Box 2024, Warner Robins, GA 31099-2024.
Old whisky casks give Scottish salmon its delicious taste
Where does Scottish salmon get its flavor? There are many uses for those
wonderful old Oakwood Whisky containers when the distilleries finish with
them. In the North of Scotland, famous for smoked salmon, the "Smokeries"
purchase them and the casks continue to provide, yet again, another "life"
in Scottish industries. They are reduced to fine shavings that are then
burned beneath the rows of salmon. The rising smoke impregnates the fish,
creating the delicious flavor to grace sumptuous and appetizing means
throughout the world
Thanks to Frances
Hutton-Grant via The Scottish Society of Louisville, Inc. Newsletter, PO
Box 32248, Louisville, KY 40232-2248.
Looking beyond Ellis Island
Most people think Ellis Island has existed since people started arriving
on ships to New York and in some cases assume it was the only port of
entry into the United States. In addition to New York there were a number
of eastern seaboard ports our ancestors used to arrive in the United
States (Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia).
Castle Garden was
officially opened on 1 August 1855. Before this there was no set place
where immigrants were processed. Castle Garden was located in Battery Park
in Manhattan. It was closed on 18 April 1890 and Ellis Island opened 1
January 1892, during the interim 18 months immigrants were processed
through the Barge Office on the southwest tip of Manhattan. The Barge
Office was also used when the wooden buildings on Ellis Island were
destroyed by fire on 14 December 1897 until the buildings on Ellis Island
were reopened on 17 December 1900
Here are a number of sites
on the Internet that deal specifically with the immigration center:
Castle Garden, New York
City, Immigrant Station:
http://www.home.att.net/~germanroots/ellisland/castlegarden.html
Immigrant Processing Centers for New York
http://germanroots.home.att.net/ellisisland/
The Immigrant Experience:
http://members.tripod.com/~L_Alfano/immig.htm
Thanks to Helen Imburgia;
published in Cousin to Cousin, Spring 2002; published by the Upper Shore
Genealogical Society of Maryland via The Green Country Quarterly, Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma Genealogical Society, PO Box 1244, Broken Arrow, OK
74013-1244.
I am looking for my sister WILLIE LUE ALBERT JONES, last known
address, 1626 Amsterdam Ave., Apt. 2 E, New York, NY 10031. Date of birth
12-14-1918, Moultrie, Georgia. She was married to DALLAS JONES (date
unknown - Orlando, Florida) Last known address, 1640 Amsterdam Ave., Apt
2C, New York, NY 10031. My last contact with either one was June 1990.
Barbara Jean Albert Barber, 122 9th Ave. N.W., Moultrie, GA 31768,
telephone 229-985-6108.
Congratulations to the Clan Donald graduates
From Hawaii, Roderick A. Gammon II may now be addressed as Doctor Gammon.
Rod has recently completed the requirements for a Ph.D. in Chinese
Linguistics at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Rod's area of expertise in
computer applications in the translation of languages, specifically in
Mandarin Chinese, although the programs will apply to other languages such
as Japanese, Korean, or Arabic. Rod has been selected by the National
Science Foundation as one of three scientists to spend the summer in
Taiwan. As far as is known, he is the first linguist to have been chosen
for this program.
From Granada Hills,
California: Megan McMillan, younger daughter of Mac and Linda Clark
McMillan and granddaughter of Lou and Skip Clark has graduated as
Valedictorian from John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills. She was
the president of the Utopians Senior Honor Society, a member of the
California Scholarship Federation and a member of "Best Buddies," a
student organization mentoring developmentally challenged students in the
school. She was a four-year Varsity Soccer player and a three-year Varsity
Track and Field participant in the Shotput. Megan will be attending
California State University, Northridge, majoring in Linguistics.
From San Diego, California,
Tim Gladson, younger son of Carol and Robert Gladson has graduated as
Valedictorian from Bible Missionary Fellowship High School. Tim graduated
first in his class, have maintained a straight A average. This summer Tim
and his brother traveled to Scotland and in the fall will attend Rosemont
College.
From Pasadena, California,
Maura Schmitz, daughter of Commissioner Diane Carey-Schmitz and Marion
Schmitz has graduated from middle school at Ramona Convent Secondary
School in Alhambra, California. She received the Presidential Award for
Academic Achievement, membership in the Philomathion Honor Society, and a
Service Award for tutoring students at a neighborhood elementary school.
Maura will attend high school at Ramona in the fall. Congratulations to
all the graduates.
Donald MacDonell of Glengarry honored posthumously in Scotland
A heroic clan chief whose World War II exploits inspired a famous book and
film about the "wooden horse" escape drama is to have a permanent memorial
to his incredible life. Donald MacDonell was a Battle of Britain Spitfire
ace who later gathered intelligence in Russia during the Cold War. But few
knew that the 22nd clan chief of the MacDonells of Glengarry was one of
the "wooden horse" heroes.
After being shot down
MacDonell was sent to Stalag Luft III POW camp where he became adjutant in
charge of Allied prisoners and helped organize escape attempts. The most
famous involved using a wooden gym vaulting horse to dig a tunnel under
the noses of the German guards. Day after day the horse was carried into
the exercise yard, with the tunnel diggers hidden inside, and placed over
the entrance to the escape route. To get rid of the soil without the
German "ferrets" noticing the prisoners carried it in bags suspended
inside their trousers. The soil was then scattered on the compound when
they walked.
When the film The Wooden
Horse from the Eric Williams novel of the same name was released in 1950,
it became an instant hit, and remains a "stiff upper lip" classic. As a
Squadron Leader aged only 25, MacDonell was one of Winston Churchill's
"Few." He led No. 64 Squadron from Kenley in Surrey, and was credited with
eight confirmed "kills" with a further three possible, a feat which won
him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
MacDonell's luck ran out in
March 1941 when he was raked by Messerchmit fighter over France. He had to
ditch in the sea where he was picked up a German E boat. MacDonell
inherited the clan chiefdom while a POW. After the war he held
high-ranking appointments in the War Office and was chief flying
instructor at RAF Cranwell. But his life of daring do wasn't over, and
after promotion to Air Commodore he was sent to Moscow as air attach‚ to
the British embassy. He was officially a diplomat, but one of his duties
was to discover as much as possible about Soviet air defenses.
The war hero died aged 85
three years ago at his home in Fortrose, Easter Ross. A specially
commissioned memorial was unveiled of Clan Donald heartland at Armadale in
Skye on June 10 when clansmen from all over the world gather in hounour of
their late chief. Among those present was Lord Godfrey Macdonald, High
Chief of Clan Donald, and his wife, Claire, Sir Iain Macdonald, Captain of
Clan Ranald, and Ranald MacDonell, Chief of Glengarry and his wife, Lady
Carolyn.
The memorial consists of a
rock taken from clan land at Glengarry, surmounted by a bronze raven
created by noted sculptor Gerald Laing depicting the Glengarry crest,
Crcag an Fhithich, The Raven's Rock. The unveiling was performed by
MacDonnell's widow, Lois, his sons Ranald, 60, the 23rd clan chief, James
MacDonell of Scotus, and daughter Penny MacDonell.
Mrs. MacDonell said: "The
unveiling will be a wonderful moment for the family and the clan. He was a
wonderful and incredible man. My husband said that The Wooden Horse film
was very true to life and indeed some of the actors were in the camp at
the same time as him."
Thanks to Cuimhnich, Clan
Donald - USA, South Pacific Region, 1685 Casitas Avenue, Pasadena, CA
91103.
Donald T. MacClellan, Jr., past president of Clan MacLellan, passed
away unexpectedly August 6, 2002 in Gainesville, FL at the age of 69.
Prior to becoming president, he served Clan MacLellan in several
capacities. Donald earned his bachelors degree in chemical engineering
from the University of Florida and his Master's degree in Theology from
Lexington (KY) Theological Seminary. He was a veteran of the Korean
conflict. After retiring as a chemical engineer from Columbia Gas Company
in Lexington, KY, he returned to Putnam County, Florida, the home of four
generations of his family. Our condolences to his widow, Bess, his son,
Marshall Edward MacClellan, his daughters Deborah Kay Powell and Brenda G.
Jones, and his siblings and grandchildren. |
