Comments on: An American Century—Sears Catalogs Memories

By: Andy Hatchett

Andy Hatchett — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:49:03 +0000

Cynthia Re: #20

If memory serves, the Wheat pattern was produced by the Jewel Company and was distributed in dish washing powders. I still have three mixing bowls and a large meat platter that belonged to my grandmother.

By: Cynthia Crowder

Cynthia Crowder — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 23:29:50 +0000

Has anyone had problems searching the database? I was looking for a specific pattern of dishes that my mother had. I have tried using dishes and dinnerware but the only thing I found were china. I seem to be only getting the indexes of the catalogs and not images. I am not sure if Sears even sold the wheat pattern I am looking for. What key words should I be using? Thanks.

By: Paul Rawlins

Paul Rawlins — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:13:23 +0000

Jo,

If you go to the searsarchives.com website, they have a list of libraries where you can find the catalogs on microfilm.

Debby,

I don’t know much about Sears homes (though a friend of mine does think she lives in one). According to the searsarchives.com website, their first homes catalog–with 22 models–was released in ’08. I know they had lots of floorplans and that people could alter them somewhat. I think in my friend’s house what was a porch was later closed in to become a kitchen, for example.

Jean,

No idea.

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:49:00 +0000

As a researcher, this breaks my heart, I have long hoped that Sears would provide access to academic researchers through libraries. (I have based most of my work on the free microfilm collections Sears donated to public libraries. Do you know if there is a way for researchers needing these catalogs to access them other than the hefty (for me!!) membership in Ancestry.com?

By: Debby

Debby — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:13:55 +0000

I thought that Sears sold houses earlier than 1908. There were several homes in my town I had heard were Sears houses but browsing through the photos for 1908, none of them looked like the houses I thought were Sears homes.

By: Jean Anzalone

Jean Anzalone — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:27:07 +0000

I wonder if Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) used to be a Sears catalog model? I think I just saw her on pg 10 of the 1962 Fall catalog.

By: Greg Cox

Greg Cox — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:59:02 +0000

Love the Sears catalog, but would be far more intested in Sears mailing list for their catalogs as relates to names and addresses. I doubt that there were privacy laws applicable at the time, at least until the 1960′s; in fact, Sears may have been one of the retailers that sold their subscription lists. Has Ancestry asked Sears for access to their mailing list?

By: Genealogy Clues in Ancestry.com’s Sears Catalog Database

Genealogy Clues in Ancestry.com’s Sears Catalog Database — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 07:00:47 +0000

[...] Ancestry.com blog suggests using the catalog pages to spark stories and reminisce with relatives—another handy way to gather family [...]

By: Andy Hatchett

Andy Hatchett — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:56:47 +0000

Laura Re: # 12

Probably one of three reasons:

1). They have denied Ancestry access to their database

2). They have assigned rights to their database to another organization.

3). Ancestry hasn’t contacted them yet about obtaining access to their database.

It isn’t like Ancestry can just run out to the local database store and buy a dozen or so databases at a time.

By: Laura W. Sullivan

Laura W. Sullivan — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 22:20:51 +0000

I’m amazed at the positive comments. Personally, I’m not happy. I really wish you had spent your time, energy & (our) money on a truly useful data base. I’m still itching for more newspapers. I have found loads of information in the Fitchburg Sentinel – but the other cities I’m looking for aren’t available. Why ?