Passing It On

Five We Like: Another week of family history goodies

There’s a lot of good family history information available on the Internet. Here are five places we’ve enjoyed visiting recently:

Found Cameras and Orphan Pictures. This site tries to reunite people with their lost cameras by using the photos that are found with them. It apparently has had some success, too. Check out the “Success Stories” section.

Food tells a family story. As this Philadelphia Inquirer story points out, there may be some family history lurking in your kitchen.

The Brothers’ War. The Civil War left deep scars on this country, especially those families who were pulled in opposite directions by their loyalties. David Christy, columnist at the Enid News and Eagle, offers up some little-known tidbits from that tragic conflict. For example, did you know that four of President Abraham Lincoln’s brothers-in-law wore Confederate uniforms?

A bucket list for family history. It’s a fact of life that we will probably never live to see the end of our ongoing family history projects. With a little planning and organization, though, you can ensure that your efforts don’t go to waste.

Earthcam. Whether you’re searching for a web cam of your childhood home town, that of an ancestor or just want to check someplace out, this is the site for you. It has links to thousands of web cameras around the globe offering everything from a real-time view to time lapse photography.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Flickr photo courtesy of dedrawolff.

Jessie’s journal: April 22-28, 1959

Here is another posting from my grandmother Jessie Lehmer’s 1959 journal. Jessie kept her journal for at least 29 years. You can find the first post in this series here.

Jessie (age 57) is still recovering from a hospital stay for a sore back and has yet to return to her job at Kilpatrick’s Department store in Omaha. Her husband Harry (age 60, who she refers to as Daddy), a boilermaker’s helper at Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, was busy building an enclosed front porch for their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Also mentioned this week is Harry and Jessie’s daughter, Agnes Grosvenor (37), who lives across the street with her husband, Jack Grosvenor (40) and their three children – Judy (17), Linda (16) and Jackie (3).

April 22, 1959 (Wednesday)
    “It froze ice last nite. The birds were trying to drink, they were going around the edge of pan so I went out to give them water & feed. A sheet of ice, thick enough I could lift out of pan without breaking. Agnes went uptown. I went along, tried to find material for some kitchen curtains. Bought a pair of hose, had a coupon for 25 cents, got some groceries. I just can’t walk, I was in so much pain. I scrubbed & waxed kitchen floor. Old back growling. I can stand straighter, but so sore. Oh yes, I got a check from Mutual. Only paid on last one. I took out $5 a day for room, old policy doesn’t pay when there is compensation. Oh well, that is right. I don’t want it any other way.”

April 23, 1959 (Thursday)
    “54 degrees at 9 a.m., supposed to be in the seventies. Oh, what a miserable nite. I was in so much misery, just couldn’t lay any way, never slept good. I am so sore and stiff this a.m., must be from my scrubbing and waxing. I got awfully blue. Shouldn’t be, such a beautiful morning. … Daddy is lame in his back. He tries to kid me. I can tell.”

April 25, 1959 (Saturday)
    “Daddy slept good. I was so nervous & fidgety. Daddy was snoring, making a funny noise, so I got up, took a sleeping pill. I slept good, so dopey when I got up. Of course, that is natural. … What a day. After Daddy finished his porch floor he dug up a peach tree, planted it for Agnes. We had cake & coffee, drove to Omaha, bought 2 juniper trees for front of porch at Ryan’s nursery, $3.98 each. Drove out to 73rd & Miami for part for mower. We went around in circles trying to find him. At last we did, cost us 90 cents.”

April 26, 1959 (Sunday)
    “Went to church. Didn’t feel like it, went anyway. So hard to sit so long. We had a lunch. Daddy sprayed his plum tree (full bloom) and other trees, sorted out his lumber pile, got his mower going. Didn’t want to start. He mowed our little patch of grass. We have been reading. Could go to bed, too early. I want to sleep when I do retire.”

April 27, 1959 (Monday)
    “Soaking my stovetop. I went over to get some Easy Off from Agnes to use on my stove. Came home, put it on, rubbed clothes out of water. Reading my bible, no mail, lunch time. I cleaned part of stove. Raining. Had to go to the drug store for needle & calcium capsules. Daddy had a hard time giving me my [liver] shot, couldn’t get the needle to go in. About 4 tries.”

April 28, 1959 (Tuesday)
    “Almost 8:30, we just came in. Daddy took siding off front of house on porch. We burned it, he went after gas. He is awful tired. After lunch I washed six windows on porch. A job, believe me. I ironed sheets, folded down rest of clothes, dampened, ironing pieces. I am tired. Still feel better, a grand day. So happy I feel like working.”

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon. 

How social media can help you save your history

For geezers like me, it’s pretty amazing how the modern world has been transformed by the personal computer and the Internet. Considering that my first solo voyage into cyberspace came less than 15 years ago, it’s mind-boggling how it has radically changed the way I do even the most mundane things, like paying bills, finding recipes or doing research.

Among the more promising changes, I think, is the way people communicate with each other, especially through social media. While communicating via e-mail was a radical change from pen-and-paper “snail mail,” social media such as Facebook and Twitter have turned things up a notch.

While many people of my generation shun these media on the basis that “Facebook friends” are not akin to “true friends,” I take a more tolerant view. Of my 340 or so Facebook friends, I have met well more than 80 or 90 percent of them in person. I would describe most of these as “acquaintances,” with a relative few being “friends” by the traditional view.

But I enjoy hearing about the lives of all of them (well, most of them) and a few of my “Facebook friends” have become “real friends.”

Despite how you view Facebook and other social media, don’t overlook their potential for fleshing out your own personal history. It’s easy to reconnect with old friends and classmates these days. Why not ask them about some shared experiences from “back in the day?” If you’re really brave, why not ask them what they remember about you? These outside perspectives can give depth to your own recollections and life experiences.

What are you doing for Mom? Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away. Why not give her something really special this year? Check out this post for some tips on how to create a personal legacy letter for that special woman in your life.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Flickr photo courtesy of Oversocialized.

Five We Like: Another week of family history goodies

There’s a lot of good family history information available on the Internet. Here are five places we’ve enjoyed visiting recently:

Welcome to My New Blog. Yes, It’s mine. In Life In the Slow Lane, I write about our experiences as my wife and I prepare for the inevitable downsizing that comes with advancing age. Drop on by and subscribe so you don’t miss future posts.

Janet’s Guides to Salt Lake City. In advance of next week’s National Genealogical Conference in Salt Lake City, The Chart Chick (aka Janet Hovorka), has written a series of posts about what to do and see in the city. It’s good information for anyone planning to visit Salt Lake City.

Comforting Words - When You Don't Know What To Say. Robbie Kaplan’s thoughtful posts are helpful to anyone who has “faced a situation that’s left us speechless.”

True Tales of Family History Fakery. Things are not always as they seem, as Diane Haddad of Family Tree Magazine reminds us.

Support the Preserving the American Historical Record Act. There’s a bill moving through Congress that has major financial implications for the expanded archiving of public records. This site gives a brief overview and has links to sites that offer much more detailed information on the bill and its implications.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Flickr photo courtesy of Photos8.com.

Jessie’s journal: April 15-21, 1959

Here is another posting from my grandmother Jessie Lehmer’s 1959 journal. Jessie kept her journal for at least 29 years. You can find the first post in this series here.

Jessie (age 57) is still recovering from a hospital stay for a sore back and has yet to return to her job at Kilpatrick’s Department store in Omaha. Her husband Harry (age 60, who she refers to as Daddy), a boilermaker’s helper at Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, was busy building an enclosed front porch for their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Other people mentioned this week include Harry and Jessie’s daughter, Agnes Grosvenor (37), who lives across the street with her husband, Jack Grosvenor (40) and their three children – Judy (17), Linda (16) and Jackie (3). Also mentioned are Miss Harriman (a supervisor at Kilpatrick’s) and Dr. Lowry and Dr. Martini (two of Jessie’s doctors).

April 15, 1959 (Wednesday)
    “8:15 p.m. We just got home from Hinky Dinky. I wanted to walk, have felt better today. Hope I continue to do so. I seen Dr. Martini in the store. He never got my call, was surprised. Wants me to see Dr. Lowry about my arthritis. I am not. Daddy put down a few floor boards after supper. I know he is awful tired. … Still no mail from insurance companies. Wish they would settle up. Almost one month now.”

April 16, 1959 (Thursday)
    “8 p.m. We just got home from Omaha. I took a form over to the store to be filled out for Mutual Insurance Co. Cogley Clinic didn’t send it to the store. Travelers won’t pay since the store is liable. I didn’t want to wait any longer, thot this would be the quickest. I asked Miss Harriman if they took care of wages, she said they just adjust it, according to what, I don’t know. Went over to Metropolitan, bought some calcium and vitamin D, going to try them – both of us. I baked a coconut cream pie for supper. That is about the extent of my work, outside of cleaning bedroom.”

April 17, 1959 (Friday)
    “I had a call from New Amsterdam Insurance Co. An adjuster is coming to see me tomorrow or Monday morning. Wish it would be tomorrow. I know they try to trick you.”

April 18, 1959 (Saturday)
    “Wanted to get a juniper for front of porch, Mays didn’t have but one – $4.95, catalog says $2 each. That is a fake. We went out to Chase Nursery open house. Theirs were the same price. We thot that too high.”

April 20, 1959 (Monday)
    “The insurance adjuster came this morning, asked questions. What I was doing, how it happened, what time of day, how it felt, etc.  All I did was tell the truth. I didn’t sign anything, wasn’t asked to. He explained the difference between Iowa & Nebraska laws, but said they will take care of my bills, also 2/3 of weekly pay. Will get a check up to know, one a week thereafter. Agnes took me to the doctor. Was glad, so cold I don’t feel like walking. Dr. Martini said come back next week, gave me more pills. If it don’t get better, will x-ray.”

April 21, 1959 (Tuesday)
    “Cogley Clinic called me this a.m., said I would have to make another appointment as Dr. Martini’s wife died last nite (suddenly).”

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Story of 1830’s Dutch runaway has contemporary lesson

Sharon Foltz grew up hearing the story of Jan Napjus. Her dad loved telling the story of Jan, a young Dutch boy who was so unhappy after his mother died that he hit the road where his encounter with a “ghost” led him to find a new home and family.

Jan was Foltz’s great-great grandfather and his story dates back nearly two centuries, to Holland in the 1830s. Foltz, a personal historian and writer from Indianola, Iowa, committed last year to bring Jan’s story to print for present and future generations to enjoy. That includes her three grandchildren, with the eldest (at age 7) “just getting old enough to understand.”

The result is a 24-page book, Jan Napjus and the Ghost, written in what Foltz calls “a minimalist style” and lavishly illustrated by Susan Convery Foltz, whose watercolors are visually pleasing and authentic to the time period.

At the heart of the story is Jan, the young runaway whose adventure sparks opportunities for contemporary parent-child conversations about possible solutions to Jan’s problems.

“Jan made some choices which should be questioned and discussed by the adult reader and the child,” says Foltz. “Was it wrong for Jan to run away? What else could he have done to escape an unhappy home? In rural Holland in the1830's there wasn't much Jan could do, but talking it over gives us a chance to see how our little contemporary listener would do in a similar situation.  Jan fibbed about being a ghost-chaser to get a job and have at least one meal.  Was that wrong?  Each family will feel differently about how far one can go to save a life.”

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Five We Like: Another week of family history goodies

There’s a lot of good family history information available on the Internet. Here are five places we’ve enjoyed visiting recently:

The importance of personal history. Family history is not static, it is constantly evolving. One constant , however, is the passing of the torch from one generation to another. As Catherine Guarnieri of The Register Citizen in Litchfield County, Conn., asks: Are you prepared for that transfer?

Those Were the Days… Glenn Wallace writes on the Your Legacy Smile blog of the windfall of family history he found beneath the stairs in his own basement.

Our Name was Changed at Ellis Island. You may have heard how officials at Ellis Island routinely changed the names of immigrants with hard to spell or hard to understand names. As Kimberly Powell at About.com points out, that’s just one of several hard-to-kill (and untrue) genealogical myths.

Bold Spirit. Helga Estby walked across the North American continent in the 1890s to win a $10,000 wager. On the way, two of her children died and, after finishing the trek, she was denied her reward. As a result, she was reviled by her family, to the point that they burned her writings about the trip after she died. Fortunately, Linda Lawrence Hunt has re-created Helga’s story in the book, Bold Spirit.

Follow Storytelling Weekend Tweets. Did you know that the Storytelling Weekend conference is going on through Saturday? Thanks to Kathy Hansen of A Storied Career you can follow tweets from the conference by clicking on this link, even if you don’t use Twitter.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Flickr photo courtesy of mikebaird.

Jessie’s journal: April 8-14, 1959

Here is another posting from my grandmother Jessie Lehmer’s 1959 journal. Jessie kept her journal for at least 29 years. You can find the first post in this series here.

Jessie (age 57) is still recovering from a hospital stay for a sore back and has yet to return to her job at Kilpatrick’s Department store in Omaha. Her husband Harry (age 60, who she refers to as Daddy), a boilermaker’s helper at Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha, was busy building an enclosed front porch for their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Other people mentioned this week include Harry and Jessie’s daughter, Agnes Grosvenor (37), who lives across the street with her husband, Jack Grosvenor (40) and their three children – Judy (17), Linda (16) and Jackie (3).  Judy has a young son, Jeff Soderstrom (7 months old). Also mentioned are Harry and Jessie’s oldest son, Walter (referred to as Jack, age 38) and his wife Elsie (36), Mrs. Harriman and Miss Swanson (supervisors at Kilpatrick’s), Dr. Martini (one of Jessie’s doctors) and Boh Tomes, a co-worker of Jessie’s at Kilpatrick’s.

April 8, 1959 (Wednesday)
    “Agnes called, wanted me to ride out to Arnolds Studio with them. Judy is going to have Jeffie’s picture taken. I can’t as I am going over to the store. Sorta dread it. I am going to meet Boh, have lunch with her. … 3:30 p.m. Have been home for a while. Mrs. Harriman said I could come in Monday. First she said they wanted a release. I did like Dr. Martini said – one week trial, see how it goes. She was real nice. I met Boh, we had lunch at Bishop’s then went up to see all the gang. Everyone remarked how good I look. Maybe I should stay home, keep on looking that way. Got my pay envelope, one day’s pay. $5.56, so I have lost out 7 weeks pay $193.97. Called hospital. Insurance company hasn’t settled yet.”

April 9, 1959 (Thursday)
    “These new pills I take don’t have any effect on me either way. Don’t know what to do. If I take old ones, I get weak, no misery. I only have enough new ones for one week, can’t take old ones when I work or I will be weak so here it goes, on & on. Guess I will start old ones while I am home, try once more.”

April 10, 1959 (Friday)
    “One o’clock, no mail. We just got home. I wanted to go to Super Valu, got coffee, 59 cents with coupon, got a few groceries there, also Safeway, a few. I messed up my back, across hips down left leg. Can hardly stand on it. So painful, so disgusted. I managed to get the house dusted & swept. No scrubbing. Daddy doesn’t seem to be so tired, even looks better. We turned our mattress, have our bed to make, then I think I will hit the hay. Boh called. I hated to tell her how I feel. Doesn’t look as if I will go in on Monday.”

April 11, 1959 (Saturday)
    “I feel terrible. Slept good until 2:15, had to get up, couldn’t go to sleep. Was daylight when I fell asleep. My hips hurt so bad. Can’t get out of bed hardly, or out of Daddy’s chair. So painful to walk. We got up late. Daddy just went uptown. I had big things planned for today so here I am, down again. … This day was a complete flop for me. Daddy doesn’t act like he feels good. Had a letter from Phyllis & Don.”

April 12, 1959 (Sunday)
    “I will have to give up the idea of going to work tomorrow. I am so miserable, back hurts so bad. I have had heat lamp on it, also heating pad. Still hurts. I can hardly stand up for any length of time. Managed to get dinner, could hardly stay up long enough to eat. … Old bed is hard with these boards.”

April 13, 1959 (Monday)
    “Just called Miss Swanson. She was so nice, said she just talked to Boh and for me to take care of myself. They wanted me back when I was able. I went over to see Agnes, all I could do to get over there. Judy came home with me. I am so miserable. Called the doctor, he was busy so I told the nurse I wanted him to know why I didn’t go to work. I can’t work so I just sit around and then can hardly get up. Jack & Elsie were here a while.”

April 14, 1959 (Tuesday)
    “A beautiful morning, but windy. I slept so good. Put a big pillow under my knees so when I laid flat it wouldn’t pull on my hips. I got up about 8:15. Breakfast over, dishes washed. I am trying not to complain. Must make the best of it. The days are so long. I walked around the yard looking at the flowers & trees. Plum tree will soon be in bloom. I sewed some carpet rags, can’t sit too long in a straight chair, more comfortable when I can lean back. After I had lunch, I laid down for 1½ hours. Watched a TV program. Agnes came over for a while. I started supper, sat on porch, sewed some more rags. After supper, Daddy and I walked around the yard again. He doesn’t feel like working. He is so tired.”

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Facing some challenges to a family history project

I made a presentation last week about the values of saving family history to a local group of over 100 O.W.L.S. (Older, Wiser Livelier Seniors). My presentations to these types of groups tend to be upbeat, focusing on overcoming the barriers that often keep us from our personal history goals.

It was an attentive and thoughtful group and a couple of their questions dealt with the more challenging aspects of saving one’s family history.

One question dealt with the entire premise of saving a family history at all. “Why should we do it?” came the question. “Why should anyone care?” I later found out that my answer that learning about our family’s past helps us better understand who we are today was exactly the way the questioner put it in the forward to his own family history book.

The other question I found insightful: How can we motivate relatives to help out, to make a contribution to our family history efforts? Alas, there is no magic answer here. Truth is, most people at one point or another in their lives do take an active interest in learning about their family’s past but that inspiration comes at a time over which we have no control. It’s also true that most people are perfectly willing to have another person shoulder the load. Finding a helpful relative is more a serendipitous gift than anything else.

Furthermore, a study released last week by Warwick University sociologists in the UK shows that researching family history has a decided downside, with one in seven respondents saying their research created or worsened conflicts and rifts among relatives.

One woman, who discovered both her mother and her grandmother were pregnant when they married, was condemned by a cousin for learning the truth.

An article about the study on the Metro.co.uk. web site says that “Others complained about ‘intrusive’ relatives demanding too much information as part of their own family tree enquiries. … [One] 70-year-old woman complained: ‘My husband is into family history research in a big way. ‘It is his constant topic of conversation and it is driving us up the wall’.”

Writing prompt for the day: Have you encountered any surprising responses from family members to your own research?

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Five We Like: Another week of family history goodies

There’s a lot of good family history information available on the Internet. Here are five places we’ve enjoyed visiting recently:

Cast Away: 5 Amazing Stories of Messages in Bottles. Rob Lammle of the Mental Floss blog offers us five stories of connections made via that most random means of communication – messages in bottles tossed about by the whims of ocean currents.

How to Start Writing a Book. Marty Halverson wears many hats in her role as “Travelin’ Oma,” including one tagged as “Writer.” In this post, she de-mystifies the daunting challenge of writing a book.

Family History. Anne Reeves writes of the simple pleasures of a half-century old can of Johnson Paste Wax.

Funeral Cards & Genealogy. “What can be learned from a simple funeral card?” asks Dee Welborn, hostess of this unusual site from her base in Austin, Texas. As family history researchers know, the answer is “plenty.”

Sunday with the Hobbs Family. Storytelling can take many forms. In this beautiful multimedia presentation, Genevieve Russell shows how candid photos, video and audio can be used to create a wonderful mini-time capsule of a fleeting moment in a family’s history. Russell is a documentary photographer, personal historian, multimedia producer and founder of StoryPortrait Media.

Author Larry Lehmer's book about Dick Clark and American Bandstand --  Bandstandland: How Dancing Teenagers Took Over America and Dick Clark Took Over Rock & Roll --is available from Sunbury Press. His book about the last tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens -- is available at Amazon.

Flickr photo courtesy of Dricker94.