Saturday Serendipity (November 21, 2015)

After another brief hiatus for a trip to the Adirondacks, Saturday Serendipity returns this week with a few recommended reads for this last weekend before the Thanksgiving rush.

1.  This week The Weekly Genealogist by NEHGS offered a link to a NYT article titled "America, the Not So Promised Land" about some realities and myths concerning migration to the United States. You can read the article here.

2. UpFront With NGS blog posted this morning the program for the 2016 Family History Conference to be held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL from May 4 - 7. You can read more about the Conference and get links to the program here.

3. I have often wondered about the enumerators identified on the early U.S. Census reports we have all used at one time or another. How were they chosen? What did their commissions and work actually involve? How much were they paid? And so on and so forth. Well, this week Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings blog provided the transcription of an article from the May 24, 1900 San Diego Weekly Union that provides some interesting information and answers. You can read Randy's transcription here.

4. One of the unwritten "rules" about public on-line genealogy trees is the avoidance of showing living family members without their permission. I think this is an excellent rule and I try to follow it with respect to both my family trees and posts on this blog. But the always thoughtful James Tanner raises an interesting alternate view in his post at Genealogy's Star blog, "Live People and Online Family Trees -- What is the Reality Here?" Read his thought provoking piece here.

5.  Our favorite legal genealogist, Judy Russell, came across an old New York statute that surprised even her.  It dealt with divorce and the right to remarry in New York up until 1967. Previous to 1967 a divorce could only be granted on the basis of adultery by a spouse. But it was the repercussion of being found guilty of adultery that so surprised Judy.  Read why here at The Legal Genealogist blog. 


6.  And finally, I have to recommend "Old New England Pie Crust: Tough Recipes for Tough People" by Peter Muise at his New England Folklore blog. Peter's Thanksgiving menu reads almost exactly like the one I grew up with and still must have for it to feel like a real Thanksgiving. The holy trinity of Thanksgiving pies was, is, and always will be apple, mince meat, and pumpkin/squash. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing (not the highfalutin "dressing"), cranberry sauce, butternut squash, and small onions rounded out our holiday fare. Peter gives us a nice tutorial on early pie crust recipes and challenges in New England.  Read Peter's amusing and informative post here.
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Copyright 2015, John D. Tew

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