Saturday Serendipity (September 6, 2014)

1.         UpFront With NGS has an interesting post with links to a Newsweek article and another article discussing how analysis of family photos might unlock clues about non-diagnosed health issues. You can see the post and links here.  

2.         Nancy Messier of My Ancestors and Me blog has a clever and creative post about data she would love to have concerning one of the people in her family tree.  You can read Nancy's wish list and the way she communicates it here. And be sure to see the creative image Nancy developed to illustrate her post theme.  Q: How did she do that?? [A: read the comments to her post.] ;-)

3.         Barbara Poole has what I have come to think of as a photo journal blog centered on New England -- and Massachusetts in particular.  As I have mentioned more than once before, if one lives far away from New England, but has deep genealogy roots in the six most northeast states, you need to check in regularly at Life From the Roots blog.  Barbara has an eye for photographs that tell a story and illustrate the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words."  For example, have a look at her most recent photo essay on Lowell, Massachusetts here. 

4.         And speaking of what I might call photo journal genealogy, how many of us wish we had a pictorial history of our family spanning four decades and involving thousands of photographs?  Horace Poolaw, a member of the Kiowa tribe, developed a photo collection from the 1920s through the 1950s to show his family and community.  His work now forms the basis for an exhibition at the National Museum of the American Indian.  You can read and see more here at The Vault.  

5.         Did you have any ancestors or relatives who were students at Harvard in or around 1741?  If so, you will find another post at The Vault of interest and useful for fleshing out the life and experiences of your ancestor/relative.  Read the post found here to see a list of officially sanctioned rules imposed on Freshmen at Harvard during the period around 1741.  The listed "rules" would be considered a form of hazing today, yet they were read out at official school functions and were considered requirements if not laws for student behavior and privileges.

6.         A post by Midge Frazel at Granite In My Blood blog last Sunday brought back some nice memories and passed on a useful bit of tool information.  You can read how Midge recalls the little, thick, glass bottles that were used to deliver cream back in the day -- and you can see a photo of the bottle and the tool she tells us about here. This trip down memory lane brought back images for me of daily milk that was delivered for students when I was in grammar school in Concord, NH at the now demolished Kimball School.  Each day heavy wire racks were brought to the school by local dairies.  The racks contained about 20 thick glass bottles each holding 1/2 pint of whole milk.  Each bottle cost mere pennies.  Like the errand of clapping blackboard erases outside to clean them for the teacher, a student from each class had the job of carrying the racks of milk into the classroom for a milk break.  Just as Midge recalled, the tops of our milk bottles were sealed with a waxed cardboard disk that had a little pull tab.  These disks had the dairy name, but they also had information on them as both a learning tool and a collectible. We students collected and traded the tops to get the state capital series and the Presidents of the United States series.  In this way we learned all the state capitals and all the Presidents.  I understand that these milk bottle top disks and/or the tops from a passionfruit, orange and guava drink (POG) were the inspiration for the 1990s fad game called Pogs!

7.         A post titled "The Airplane Experiment, or, Reading Rhode Island Roots"  by Diane MacLean Boumenot of One Rhode Island Family blog was mentioned recently in a past Saturday Serendipity. The most recent issue of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society's newsletter, RIGS Reporter (August 25, 2104, Vol. XVII, Issue 1), republished Diane's post in full.  Congratulations to Diane! 

The same newsletter brought the news that the next NERGC (New England Regional Genealogical Conference will be held April 15 - 19, 2015 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. There are 22 genealogical societies making up NERG and RIGS is one of the founding members.  The Conference usually attracts over 800 participants.  Mark your calendars if you have New England roots.  The Conference registration form will be released this fall.  More details will be available at the NERGC website www.nergc.org .
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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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Friday Fotos (September 5, 2014) -- Helen Raeder Cooke Roberts

Helen Raeder [Cooke] Roberts

My maternal grandmother, Ruth Eaton [Cooke] Carpenter, had two older sisters, one younger sister, and one brother born before her and another born after her.  Both of her brothers died before they even reached three years of age.  Her younger sister died at age seven. The elder of my grandmother's two older sisters was her sister, Helen Raeder Cooke. 

Helen was my grand aunt and she was born February 21, 1892 in N. Attleborough, Massachusetts.  She died October 4, 1987 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Helen was a nurse and was instrumental in my mother deciding to become an R.N. too.  Helen was married to Dr. Frederick A. Roberts (1863 - 1935) a well-known and loved family physician who practiced in Pittsfield for many decades.

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Photograph from the personal collection of the author.

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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"Making Haste From Babylon" by Nick Bunker -- Delving Deep Into the Pilgrim Story (September 4, 2014)

It has been almost half a year since I used this space to recommend an article or book that I believe could be of particular interest to those of us involved in genealogy and who are also interested in history.

As a Mayflower descendant, I have an interest in books and articles about the Mayflower story and the history and myths surrounding it.  I have a small collection of books on the subject and a DVD of the History Channel program "Desperate Crossing The Untold Story of The Mayflower."  I try to keep my eye out for any new books about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims' settlement in New England, but I am interested in serious works and particularly in any that seem to bring new information or a new perspective to the tale.  So I am not sure how I missed the 2010 publication of "Making Haste From Babylon" by Nick Bunker.

I have not yet finished the book, but already I am impressed with the detail and depth of the book.  Many will find Mr. Bunker too detail oriented in places, but with patience they will see how he weaves seemingly peripheral events and minutiae into a fuller exposition of the Mayflower saga.  Mr. Bunker departs from the well-known but simplistic explanation of the Pilgrims' voyage as one of religious freedom.  He explains with precision the economic, political, scientific and religious milieu in which the Pilgrims and others existed and weaves together how each of these elements and more led to the Mayflower voyage.  Mr. Bunker's book makes the perfect companion read to Nathaniel Philbrick's book, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War (New York: Viking, 2006).

If you are a Mayflower descendant you will want to read this book to deepen your understanding of what drove your ancestor(s) to risk the North Atlantic and settlement in a world they knew very little about.  If you are simply a history junkie, then you will also want to read this book for the glimpse it provides into the world that preceded and followed the momentous events of 1620.  

Enjoy!

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Scan of the dust jacket from the author's personal copy of Making Haste From Babylon (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010).   

Wordless Wednesday (September 3, 2014) -- Von Hasselbaum

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The above photograph is said to be the father of my paternal grandmother's father.  Anton Hasselbaum, the father of my grandmother (Huldah [Hasselbaum] Tew), was born in Germany and the man depicted above is said to be Von Hasselbaum, his father. The date of the photograph is unknown and was kindly provided by one of my Hasselbaum relatives.

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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Music Across the Generations -- Another Genealogical Tidbit To Consider Saving For Your Posterity (September 2, 2014)

Music seems to be important to every generation and in some cases it comes to define an era. Take the "Roaring Twenties" when Jazz became popular among blacks and whites and clubs in New Orleans, New York and Chicago were packed with people listening to the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and Ella Fitzgerald to name a few.  The 1930s  became known as the "Swing Era" and people swarmed to listen to Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Harry James and others.

Those of us who grew up in the 1960s recall the "British Invasion" and the bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Animals, The Who and on and on.

I was talking to my father recently and he recalled for me how he used to go to Lake Pearl Park in Wrentham, Massachusetts where he saw Glenn Miller among other bands. When he was at the Merchant Marine Academy in Great Neck, NY in the early 1940s he and others would go into New York City whenever they could. He saw Tommy Dorsey there and he saw Harry James playing at the Hotel Astor. He also recalled meeting Louis Armstrong and chatting with him for a few minutes when the two of them stepped between cars on a train going to New York from Providence in order to have a cigarette.  Mr. Armstrong came on in New Haven and they chatted while they caught a quick smoke.

This got me thinking about the live music I have seen over the years and whether some of the names and music I know as defining my youth will survive to be recognized by my ancestors. And so, since I follow the practice of Heather Rojo (Nutfield Genealogy blog) and others by periodically having my blog post published in a hardback book version for preservation purposes, I decided to compile a list of all the live music experiences I have had over the years.  The list appears below and is likely to grow somewhat as I recall some I have forgotten in this first attempt at a comprehensive list.

I wonder how many of these musicians will be known in another 100 years.  How many of us know the following songs?  Beautiful Dreamer; Oh! Susanna; Camptown Races; Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.  These songs were all written before their composer died at the very beginning of 1864.

How about the songs Alexander's Ragtime Band; Play A Simple Melody; Always; All By Myself; and Blue Skies?  All of these songs were written between 1910 and 1926, yet most of us would recognize them if we heard them even if we do not know them immediately by the titles.

So how many Stephen Fosters and Irving Berlins are in the list below?  A few no doubt . . . and perhaps my ancestors can listen to originals or covers of some of their music and think, "My great great grandfather saw him/her/them!"    

So here is my live music list for my posterity . . . 

Andy Williams                                                                         The Doors with Blue Cheer

Van Morrison                                                                           The Pentangle

Melanie                                                                                    John Mayall

Richie Havens                                                                          The Beach Boys +

Chicago                                                                                    Paul McCartney

Simon & Garfunkel with The Everly Brothers                        The Rolling Stones

Yes                                                                                            Jethro Tull

Bonnie Raitt                                                                             The Grateful Dead +

Tom Rush +                                                                              Peter Noon & Herman’s Hermits * +

Keb Mo                                                                                     Donovan

Ravi Shankar                                                                            Dar Williams

Three Dog Night *                                                                   The Association *

The Sub Dudes                                                                         Leon Redbone +

B.B. King                                                                                 Eric Clapton

James Taylor                                                                            Carole King +

k.d. Lang                                                                                  Albert King

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band                                 Norah Jones

The Moody Blues *                                                                 Mary Black

The High Kings                                                                       Bill Kirchen

Alan Jackson                                                                           Arlo Guthrie

Aztec Two Step                                                                       Candye Kane

Carsie Blanton                                                                         Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Dave Bromberg                                                                       Dana & Susan Robinson

Hot Soup                                                                                  John Prine

Sloan Wainwright                                                                    Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart

The Seldom Scene                                                                   Schooner Fare

John McCutcheon                                                                    Chad & Jeremy

Terry Sylvester of The Hollies                                                Billy J. Kramer

Mike Pender’s Searchers                                                         Denny Laine (of Wings)

Tom Paxton                                                                                   

+ indicates "seen live more than once."

*indicates a later version of the band was seen live 

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Photo of Dewey's History of Rock and Roll from the movie School House Rock.
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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew
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World War I Discharge Document for Everett S. Carpenter -- Military Monday (September 1, 2014)

On January 20, 2013 I published a brief post here at The Prism about the World War I service of my maternal grandfather, Everett Shearman Carpenter (1891 - 1962).  Since that post in January 2013, I have discovered that among some old and unexamined documents gifted to me by my Aunt Roberta, the widow of my mother's brother -- David Otis Carpenter -- is the original World War I discharge paper for my grandfather.  The front and reverse sides of the discharge document are now shown immediately below.

The July 17, 1919 Army discharge paper for Everett S. Carpenter (front)

Reverse side of the the Army discharge paper for Everett S. Carpenter

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Scan from the original discharge paper in the personal collection of the author.

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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Saturday Serendipity (August 30, 2014)

The following are recommended for inclusion on your reading list this weekend: 

1.  What do you know about the origins of the Labor Day holiday?  Given the hard times that have befallen labor unions in recent years and the often expressed distain for unions in some quarters, it might surprise you to learn more about the history of this particular holiday that has come to mark the end of the summer holiday season in the U.S.  Read more about the holiday here this Labor Day weekend.      

2.  If you are reading this, then you probably already have a subscription to Ancestry.com, had at one time, or have been thinking about renewing a subscription or getting one for the first time.  You have probably also heard from numerous others sources about Ancestry's FREE access this Labor Day weekend up until 11:59 PM on September 1st.  So you should tell others about it while there are still a couple of days to do some genealogical exploring for FREE.  Go here and tell others who might be interested in giving it a try.  

3.  A very interesting new research source is now available on line -- the U.S. Marine Corps History Division has made its Casualty Card Database available here.  If know you had an ancestor or relative who served in the Marine Corps (or suspect one did) during World War II through the Vietnam War, you should check out this database.  If an ancestor or relative was killed, wounded, missing in action or deemed a prisoner of war, you might find a casualty card filled with vital information to add to your genealogy.  

4.  While Judy Russell may be our favorite and best known Legal Genealogist, there is a new publication just released by the National Genealogical Society (NGS) titled, "Genealogy and the Law: A Guide to Legal Sources for the Family Historian." The authors are Kay Haviland Freilich and William B, Freilich, Esq.  You can lear  more about the publication here.

5.  I have written before about the infamous hurricane of September 21, 1938 that devastated much of southern New England and affected the lives of many of our ancestors and relatives. But it turns out that the 1938 storm was probably not the worst storm to ravage southern New England.  That distinction apparently belongs to a hurricane 379 years ago that crossed eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts in 1635. It had sustained winds of 135 miles an hour and hit without benefit of anything even close to the warnings we have today or had in the 1930s. Read more about the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 here.     

6.  This month marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.  Much has been and will be written about that war in the genealogy blogosphere. Now the New York Times is soliciting stories of World War I from family historians. If you have a story to tell, go here to see how you can submit it to the NYT.     

7.  "Realtor" or "Genealogist" -- who qualifies to be called either?  James Tanner has a nice post that ruminates on this question.  You can read it at Genealogy's Star blog here.  

8.  Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings blog reviews the new features of the Ancestry.com mobile app here.  

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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Friday Fotos (August 29, 2014) -- Elizabeth Ann [Fennell] Jeffs

Elizabeth Ann [Fennell] Jeffs

Elizabeth Ann [Fennell] Jeffs is my wife Molly's great grandmother.  Elizabeth, the daughter of Robert Fennell and his wife, Mary Jane Wood, was born in Bradford, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada on December 12, 1866.  She married Herbert Beverly Jeffs on September 16, 1891 in Bradford.  

Together Elizabeth and her husband had three children -- all girls: the oldest, Eulalie Lillian Mary Jeffs (1893 - 1964) is Molly's maternal grandmother; Helen Elizabeth Jeffs born in 1894 was the middle daughter; and Kathleen Lorena Jeffs, the youngest, was born in 1897.  You can see a photograph of the three young Jeffs sisters here. 

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Scan of an original photograph in the family collection.

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Copyright 2014, John D. Tew

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