Sounds strange to say “twentieth century ancestors,” doesn’t it? There are those who would scoff at the notion of research within the last century being true genealogy. And fortunately, many of our twentieth century ancestors are still very much with us! In fact, many of you reading this are technically twentieth century ancestors yourselves.

But still, a lot can happen in a hundred years; whole generations can enter the stage and exit within that time frame. So how do you go about finding those most recent of ancestors–or even, some living kin?

In general, contemporary research is easier than distant, simply because the more contemporary the times, the more plentiful the paper trail. That is, unless you factor in privacy concerns and increasing restrictions on access to records.

I wrestle with these restrictions on a daily basis due to my work on the U.S. Army’s Repatriation project. Since I need to locate living family members of men who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, I am immersed in a world of twentieth century ancestors–and other assorted relatives. So based on my experience, here are a few suggestions: Continue reading →

Have you ever wondered on what day of the week your great-grandmother was born? Or have you wondered whether someone famous was born on the same date as your father? An excellent perpetual calendar resource on the Web can be found at the Calendarhome.com 10,000 year calendar website (http://www.calendarhome.com/tyc/). Here you can select a century, a year, and a month, and click to display a calendar. Then, click on the day of the month if you want to learn the moon phase, historical events on that date, the names of famous people born on that date, and much more information.

1841 Census Facts
As the 1841 census for England has just been added to Ancestry.com, I thought I would send a few tips.
1. The 1841 census gives the first snapshot of everyone living in England.
2. It gives names and a rough address and indication of who was living in a household.
3. It does not give relationship or birthplace only indicating if someone was born in the county.
4. Ages for adults were rounded down to nearest five years. If you find two fifteen-year-olds living with a couple of toddlers they were not necessarily that precocious.
5. Male names were often abbreviated (e.g., Thos = Thomas, George = Geo, Jno = John, Wm = William).
6. Addresses were given as parish and county which can be confusing. For example, St. Phillip and St. Jacob Somerset was actually the centre of Bristol. The church is now known as Pip and Jay so even a local might be confused.
7. Surname spellings have changed a lot. It is worth considering regional accents. We found a family of Hares who became Ayres in London.

Best wishes,
Anne Continue reading →

The year was 1914 and the Ford Model T was the automobile of choice for most Americans and due to Henry Ford’s revolutionary production lines, the company was turning out a complete car every ninety-three minutes. Workers were paid a minimum of $5.00 a day, which was double what most other manufacturers were paying, and Henry Ford reduced shifts from nine hours to eight to allow for three shifts.

On May 9, President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation that made the second Sunday in May a national holiday–Mother’s Day. The proclamation called upon government officials to “display the United States flag on all government buildings and the people of the United States to display the flag at their homes, or other suitable places on the second Sunday in May, as a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country . . .” The ad for Gude Bros. Co., florists which appeared in the May 10, 1914 edition of “The Washington Post” (Washington, D.C.) suggests that readers should wear “White Flowers For Mothers’ Memory” and “Bright Flowers For Mothers Living.” (Click on the image to enlarge the ad.)

The headlines were more somber in late June. On June 28, the eyes of the world turned to Europe upon the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. One month later, World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.

President Wilson issued a declaration that the U.S. would remain neutral in the conflict, but government actions and esponse tended to favor the Allied forces of Britain, France, and Russia over the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary. (See the Library of Congress Learning pages for more information.)

The War had an influence on music and popular tunes included It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary and Keep the Home Fires Burning. For lighter fare, movie-goers could see Charlie Chaplin as he introduced his famous “Little Tramp” character to audiences for the first time in Kid Auto Races at Venice.  And everyone’s favorite ape-man came to life as Edgar Rice Burroughs published Tarzan of the Apes.

Another highlight of the year came when, 422 years after Columbus sought passage to the east by sailing west, a new route between the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean was established when the Panama Canal opened, shortening voyages between San Francisco and New York by around 7,800 miles.

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about unsung genealogical heroes, the few who have done so much for so many.  Several months have passed, so I thought it was time to recognize the contributions of a few more heroes.  I’d like to start with a long time favorite of mine, Dick Eastman.

Dick Eastman
Way back in the Dark Ages of the internet–that is, the mid-1990s–there weren’t too many genealogists online yet.  I had Compuserve at the time and remember being thrilled to spot fellow genealogists out there on a Compuserve forum in cyberspace!  Among those others was a fellow named Dick Eastman. Continue reading →

The photograph shows my Grandmother, Lockie Buskell Rhodes, in the center with my father, John Elston, standing on the left and her younger son William on the right.   The picture was taken in 1906 in New York City where they had relocated a few years earlier from Kentucky.     My Grandmother’s elaborate fur muff (five animals) must have been the ultimate fashion statement at that point in history!
 
Thank you,
 
Barbara Rhodes Belkin
 

Can you help identify any of these men?

This is a group shot taken on the Exhibitor. Can you put it in the corner and see if anyone out there will help identify these men? Thank you!

Dee Boehme

Click on the photograph to enlarge it.

Thank you for all the interesting book reviews. I have a couple of recommendations to add. When I was a child growing up in Texas my family still talked about the great hurricane that destroyed Galveston in 1900. Much to my delight Eric Larson wrote Isaac’s Storm in 1999, and for anyone doing genealogy in the Texas region it is a must read!

Also, for anyone interested in the history of women’s rights, Not For Ourselves Alone, by Geoffrey Ward and Ken Burns is a very enjoyable book.

Lastly, the book Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams, by Lynne Withey, gives unique insight into the marriage of John and Abigail Adams and the history of early America.

Norma Reynolds
Spokane WA