Saturday Serendipity (December 9, 2017)

Below are a few recommended reads for this weekend .  .  . 

1.  This week starts with a historic event (actually a tragedy) that occured 100 years ago this past Wednesday, December 6th. It was mentioned on NPR and in The Weekly Genealogist of NEHGS this week. Readers with a connection to Boston might know that over the years since 1918, the people of Nova Scotia have sent a choice Christmas tree to the people of Boston for use in the annual lighting ceremony on Boston Common. Even if you know the basic reason why Nova Scotia does this, you will want to read a full backstory about the reason. You can learn about an amazing Bostonian by the name of Abraham "Cap" Ratshesky, the first mushroom cloud explosion known on earth (long before Hiroshima), and perhaps about events and humanitarian responses that ancestors or relatives were caught up in in Halifax and/or Boston. If you read nothing else in today's recommendations, read this from Globe Magazine. AND, if after reading the first article, you think you might have ancestors or relatives that were involved in the events described, then by all means go to the website commemorating the 100th anniversary of the tragedy and response to look into the 100 stories about the disaster and the bravery, courage, and humanitarian efforts it spawned. You might just find some reference to folks in your genealogy.               

2.  Have you ever wondered what the difference -- if any -- is between dower and inheritance? Well, so has NEHGS genealogist Alicia Crane Williams. She writes about the difference in Vita Brevis, the    
NEHGS blog and you can access her post here. Be sure to read the comments too.

3.  Given the major news events of the last few weeks about sexual harassment, there is a very interesting piece at The Vault, a history blog of Slate. In yet another example of how "all things old are new again" and how the problem of sexual harassement has been with us for time beyond memory, Rebecca Onion of The Vault unearths a 1978 article by noted anthropologist Margaret Mead calling for taboos on sex in the workplace. Read the post here. I think you will find it very interesting.
        
4.  Diane Boumenot of the blog One Rhode Island Family posted this week about "drilling down in FamilySearch.org." Diane created and provides four very instructional videos to show rather than write about how one can access record images for free on FamilySearch. You really should check these out!  Diane uses examples for Rhode Island research, but her instructions are applicable for any location.           
5.  To paraphrase good old Ralph Waldo (that is Emerson, not Where's Waldo), "Procrastination can be the hobgoblin of the otherwise diligent genealogist." How many times have we read or heard a genealogist say that he/she procrastinates too much and wishes it were otherwise? I end this week's Saturday Serendipity with two posts about procrastination. Don't worry, it starts with a little humor with some big points and ends with a simple formula for working your genealogy research into your daily routine. Along the way you will learn about the kinds of procrastinators and about special characters called "Rational Decision-Maker," "Instant Gratification Monkey," and "The Panic Monster" (complete with simple illustrations). Then there is a short read that will give you the formula. First, go here and see Tim Urban of Wait But Why blog present his TED Talk on procrastination. Then, go to the Organize Your Family History blog of Janine Adams here to read a brief explanation of her formula for harnessing the Instant Gratification Monkey and working your genealogy easily into your daily routine. Probelm solved with a nice mix of the humorous and the practical.  Enjoy! 
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Copyright 2017, John D. Tew

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