Tag Archives: writing

My Path to Certification – Issue No. 7

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Another month gone…not much writing done, but some serious research accomplished. Hopefully over the next month (and holidays), I will find a stretch of time to do some serious writing.

California State Capital, Sacramento, 2017

I’ve been chasing information for my proof argument instead of my KDP this month. Additionally, I am looking for a good document to transcribe for Part 4: Document Work (Applicant-Supplied Document). Two years ago at Jamboree, when the BCG had a table in the vendor hall with portfolios, I was able to talk to several certified genealogists at length. One of my takeaways was that most portfolios do not feature cases from the western United States. My family waited until the 20th century to migrate to California, providing me with little reason to learn much of California’s rich history and how to access the documents. However, I live and work in California. While volunteering at the library the past few years, I have helped many patrons with California-rich family histories. California has an estimated population of almost 40 million people, ranking her as the most populous state in the nation. Currently, only 15 certified genealogists live in California. There are fewer than 250 certified genealogists around the world, the vast majority from the United States. Hopefully, in the next few years, the number of certified genealogists in California will increase. While I would like to count myself in this group, I know several outstanding genealogists in California who are also working toward this goal as well.

For my document work, I want to highlight someone local, plus learn a little more about the people who founded my city/county. I live in a suburb of Sacramento. We have several small and old cemeteries, the resting places of some well-known historical figures. Elitha (Donner) McCoon Wilder was one of the surviving children of the tragic Donner Party. Our school district named an elementary school for her. Alexander H. Willard is believed to be last surviving member of Lewis and Clark’s expedition when he died in 1865. He, too, ended up in my town, buried next to another elementary school and the roller skating rink. Many of our early citizens (of European ancestry) came west during the gold rush and stayed on as farmers and ranchers.

William McGraw, c1870

One of the tasks I “completed” this month was tracing the ownership of several parcels of land for my proof argument. I used a combination of original land grants, county land deeds, and a county plat book to determine when my ancestor acquired and sold a particular 40 acre plot of land. Understanding the United States government’s system of townships and ranges and how land was divided and distributed during the 19th century is essential for genealogists. For example [Note: this is not the problem I am using for my proof argument], my ancestor William McGraw married a woman named Martha Higgins. I have no direct evidence of her parents’ identities. However, William purchased a parcel a land adjoining a parcel owned by Jonathan Higgins around the time of his marriage to Martha. The location of the land and the Higgins surname provide indirect evidence of a connection between William, Martha and Jonathan. This evidence would prompt me to research Jonathan Higgins further and determine if there is a connection between him and Martha. Without knowing the physical proximity of these people to one another, I might miss a valuable clue to their relationships and identities. Being a visual person, I also like to look at maps (and draw my own) to see how close people lived to one another.

Another project I have been working on this month is obtaining permission from living persons. Any information that I include about living people in any of the part of my portfolio, I must obtain permission from them. For example, I potentially wish to include some of my DNA research in one of the papers. I must obtain permission from everyone whose DNA I reference. Additionally, one element of the portfolio is a client report. Permission from the client must also be granted before inclusion in the portfolio.

Happy Holidays and happy hunting!

©2017 copyright owned by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/11/20/my-path-to-certification-issue-no-7/

My Path to Certification – Issue No. 5

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Last week I was immersed in my pre-service teaching days and getting to know my new students. My school district is converting to a new online records-keeping system so the next year will be a learning experience for everyone. I spent little time working on genealogy, although I did sneak away for a few hours last Wednesday to the Family History Center.

Mostly I continued to scan the civil court records for my ancestor’s county. So much good stuff! I found one record for a man exposing himself in public. Oh my! And another for a woman accused of adultery. Apparently she had been living in sin with the gentleman for quite a while. The court’s punishment was to spend one minute in jail. However, the best part of the afternoon was finding the divorce record for a many times great aunt.

Judgement from the adultery case of Nancy King

Indiana appears to have been quite lenient in granting divorces in the 19th century. Most every quarter session of the civil court has two or three divorce cases in my county of interest. I figured my aunt had to have been divorced because I found two marriage records and the first husband appeared to be alive after the second marriage. The complete court records spell out very neatly why she wanted a divorce. Her husband had deserted her. Five years previously he had been wanted for larceny. It seems he fled the county and hadn’t been seen since.

Since my last post, I received a sampling of documents from the Indiana State Historical Society. I found a manuscript in their collection online through ArchiveGrid. I can’t recommend ArchiveGrid highly enough at the moment. Managed by WorldCat, ArchiveGrid is an online catalog of manuscript collections around the world. Unpublished manuscripts are an untapped resource for genealogical and historical information. They are also the least likely to be digitized, and can only be accessed by going to a repository. Or in my case, contacting the repository and/or hiring a researcher.

The document in question was an 1830s account book from a local merchant. I had no idea if any of my ancestors favored this merchant—there was more than one store in town. But I had to find out! I sent the historical society a preliminary surname list while the research form and my check followed in the mail. My ancestor appears over thirty times in the register. Below is one of my ancestor’s entries, likely purchases by, or for, his wife.

Account book entry for my ancestor

Jackonet is a lightweight cotton fabric. During the 1830s, Greek and Roman motifs/style influenced fashion.

The Rubrics

Another essential part of the portfolio process is understanding the rubrics. As a teacher, I rely on rubrics whenever I correct writing assignments or score non-multiple choice test questions. My biggest complaint during the Boston University Research Certificate program was the lack of rubrics. (I graduated many years ago so I do not know if this aspect has changed. I just know what it was like when I participated.)

I do not like to be graded in a vacuum. How do I know if I am achieving the goal of an assignment? Students perform better when they know their expectations. The same is true with the BCG portfolio. The portfolio rubrics are available to download on the BCG website. Two books are referenced in the rubrics: Genealogy Standards: 50th-anniversay edition and Val Greenwood’s The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. These books should have a place in every serious genealogist’s library.

Other Genealogy Related Activities

  • I submitted six lecture proposals for the 2018 SCGS Jamboree. Hopefully, at least one will be chosen!
  • Yesterday was the monthly meeting of my DNA study group and my volunteer hours at the local library. I consider volunteering or mentoring others as a valuable component of my long-term education plan. One of my clients had a branch of her family who immigrated from Canada in the 1920s. There were many great record groups that I explored with her. I do not have anyone in my family who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century, so I have no reason to look at those records. Helping others is a great way to learn about records you might not access regularly.

©2017 copyright owned by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/08/20/my-path-to-certification-issue-no-5/

My Path to Certification – Issue No. 4

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Today is August 1st. I promised to submit my application to the BCG on August 1st. Well, I completed the application last Friday and put it in the mail. Hopefully, it arrived in Washington, D.C., about today. I can’t take it back at this point so I should consider myself officially on the clock. I feel a mixture of emotions from excitement to panic. I wonder if I can possibly pull this off in the next year. We shall see!

After taking the plunge and finally submitting the application, I worked on some other aspects of my plan. I don’t really have a plan, per se, past knowing that I have a year to submit my portfolio. I know some people who schedule what element they will work on each month. I do want to do a major portion of work on my KDP first so that I can put it aside and come back to it later. I feel such a large piece of writing needs to sit so I can go back and make improvements with a clearer vision. I can only do that if I walk away at some point. Right now I’m try to figure out how to continue researching but transition from research to writing. One strategy I am trying is—to just sit with a pad of paper and pencil and write with a purpose. For example, chose one section of the KDP to write about. No fact-checking or writing footnotes. Just write. I can go back later and correct the specifics and add the footnotes.

I received a great recommendation for a book this week—On Writing Well by William Zinsser. The 30th anniversary edition includes a chapter on writing family history (which I haven’t read yet). I believe the book is helping my brain make this transition from researching to putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard). Writing is such an important part of the portfolio (or the job of being a genealogist). Learning to write well should be an integral part of any genealogist’s education plan. I have read my share of absolutely boring family histories. I do not want to be one of those family history writers who strings a bunch of facts with footnotes together to make a narrative. I want to breathe life into my ancestors! Finding a balance between sound technical genealogical writing and entertaining family narrative is my goal. A couple take-a-ways from the book so far:

  • Use action verbs and consistent verb tenses – These are both lessons I learned during my time at BU and ProGen, and I cannot stress them enough. I hear them repeated at genealogy seminars and conventions continually. It’s great to read a non-genealogy related person give the same advice.
  • Writing is hard work. It requires practice just like any other craft. Find a writer whose style you admire. Read the journals—NEHGS, NGS, TAG, etc.—to find a fellow genealogist whose style you like.
  • Use a dictionary and thesaurus – I have a beat-up copy of Roget’s Thesaurus that I have used since my college days. I still use it!
  • De-clutter your words – If you can get the point across with fewer words, do it!

In the last week, besides my trip to the Family History Library to copy microfilm, I spent part of my weekend downloading journal articles (and not genealogy ones!) In order to add historical context and knowledge to my narrative, I must learn about the social, historical, and economic factors that may have influenced my ancestors lives. Sites like JSTOR and Internet Archive provide access to historical texts. I downloaded articles on the early history of my county as well as contemporary books that were written for people interested in migrating to the region where my ancestors lived. With these, for example, I gained insight on diseases that may have affected my ancestors or construction projects (railroads, canals) that impacted their lives.

Genealogical Standard 57: Background information—“Assembled research results provide sufficient background information for readers to understand…what [an item] means in context of…place and time…[which] may include concepts from economics, ethnic studies, genetics, geography, government, history, law, religion, sociology, and other fields.”

I finished my sweater this weekend. Now, I’m working on completing another “almost-done” project—a sweater I started for my son last fall. He has grown a couple inches since then so hopefully he will get some use out of it!

My teacher hat goes back on this week. School starts next week so I must parcel out my time and prioritize my various projects more efficiently. Until next time!

©2017 copyright owned Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/08/01/my-path-to-certification-issue-no-4/

My Path to Certification – Issue No. 3

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Since bringing home so many land deeds last week, I began the task of transcribing them. Out of seventy plus deeds, nine are completed. While doing this is important for the sake of my research (for my comprehension), transcribing the deeds serves a secondary purpose as well. For the Board of Certified Genealogists’ portfolio, items 3 and 4 (Document Work) consist of transcribing and abstracting a document, as well as constructing a research question, analysis, and formulating a research plan. There are no limitations on what type of document one chooses to transcribe and abstract, but two of the most common types of documents are wills and land deeds. The first time one transcribes a document should not be for the portfolio. Practice is required!

I consider myself a fairly competent transcriber, especially after deciphering my grandparents’ handwriting over the course of the WWII project. But transcribing wills and deeds requires an additional set of skills. Because these are legal documents, having a familiarity with legal terms is a must. Learning to recognize unfamiliar terms in a clerk’s chicken scratch can be difficult. Even though I have only transcribed nine deeds so far, I am very familiar with the terms “hereditaments” and “appurtenances” at this point. After a while the boilerplate language becomes predictable and easier to transcribe. Again, this is where I stress practice!

The Genealogy Standards address transcriptions in a couple of places. Standard 32: Transcribing, Abstracting, and Quoting Principles goes into great detail as to what is expected in a transcription, including “…when quoting and transcribing, genealogists render wording, spelling, numbering, abbreviations, superscripts, and similar features exactly as they appear in the original.” Doing this can be difficult with auto correct in a word processing program. Most of us cringe at misspelled words, phonetic challenges, and inconsistent spellings. However, when doing a transcription, it is vitally important to keep everything the same. I am reminded of the song from the second act of Hamilton when Angelica frets over the placement of a comma in one of Alexander’s letters because it changes the meaning of the phrase. This is why we must retain accuracy in transcriptions. For example, an incorrectly placed comma may create two children in a will when there is only one. (John, William vs. John William)

The book Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills has a chapter on transcribing and abstracting documents. Chapter 16 provides a variety of examples and forms, including wills, land deeds, and estate inventories. I highly recommend this chapter for anyone attempting transcriptions or abstracts. In fact, the book lays open on the floor by my desk as I work on my transcriptions.

Until next week! Sadly my summer vacation is almost over as I must return to the classroom very, very soon. August 1st—my self-imposed date for mailing in my preliminary application form to the Board for Certification of Genealogists is rapidly approaching as well!

Things I do in my spare time…I knit. I am almost done with a sweater for this fall. I should have it completed by next week.

My newest, soon-to-be finished, sweater, 2017

©2017 Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/07/25/my-path-to-certification-issue-no-3/

The Descendants of Jacob Troxell

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In 1998, when I was still in my twenties, I self published a family history of my ancestor Jacob Troxell. The manuscript was not fancy by any means. I wrote and typed the document on a simple word processing typewriter as we did not own a computer. I copied the pages on the xerox machine at work, then took them to Kinko’s to spiral bind them together. I wrote dozens of letters to various family members, in the beginning, to gather information for the book, and then later, to sell copies of my precious manuscript. Even then I was thinking ahead when I donated a copy to the Allen County Public Library in Indiana. Today, the book can be found by searching WorldCat.

troxell-book-worldcat-entry

WorldCat Entry for the Troxell book

mayflower-silver-books

Some Mayflower silver books from my own collection

Back then, I was a relatively new genealogist, but I knew the importance of numbering systems and including my sources. The book was not footnoted, however, but modeled on the style of the Mayflower silver books. Each descendant was assigned a number, followed by their full name with an accounting of their lineage back to the original ancestor or immigrant. Biographical information and a list of known children came next. At the end of each entry, a list of references was included. The Mayflower books have evolved since then, with later volumes in the series using inline references instead of footnotes.

As my skills have developed and evolved in the last 18 years, it has become more important to me to revise my first manuscript. I waffle between embarrassment and pride in my early accomplishment. The state of Indiana celebrated its bicentennial during the year 2016. As a result, there was a push to release state historical documents into the public view. Last June, while I was at SCGS’s Jamboree, Ancestry released several Indiana related databases, including but not limited to, death, marriage, and birth records. Overall, this has been a huge boon to my research as three of my four grandparents were natives of Indiana. Many of my maternal grandfather’s ancestors were among the earliest settlers of the state, particularly in the county of Fayette. Jacob Troxell was one of these early pioneers, arriving in the mid 1820s. His family belonged to the wave of settlers who moved west from Pennsylvania into the Miami Valley of Ohio during the first decade of the nineteenth century. As a young child (or teenager), Jacob Troxell settled outside of Dayton, Ohio. As the United States expanded into Indiana, prosperous Daytonians began purchasing land in Indiana. Abraham Troxell, Jacob’s father, bought land in Waterloo Township in 1826 and Jacob relocated his young family to Fayette county. A few years later, Abraham deeded the Fayette county land to Jacob.

jacob-troxell-outline

n The revised outline of Jacob’s descendants

So where do I start? As my friends and family will attest, I have been bombarding them with updates on this enterprise. Over my Thanksgiving break, I pulled out my copy of the Troxell manuscript. I began to construct a new framework (or outline) for Jacob and his next three generations of descendants, based on the original manuscript and all the subsequent research I have added to my database in the last two decades. My outline was simple, recording only Jacob and his descendants, spouses, and children, with only birth, marriage, and death dates. Overall, I prefer the NGS Quarterly system of numbing. (For more information on genealogy numbering systems, check out Numbering Your Genealogy by Curran, Crane, and Wray.) In this draft, I stopped to write very few footnotes as I wanted to focus on constructing the outline. Those footnotes that I did write were generally for infants who died young. There would be little for me to add later on. At this point, the outline has become my research plan.

jacob-troxell-obit-master-list

Obituary spreadsheet

In the next phase, I transferred all the names of the direct descendants to an excel spreadsheet. In four generations, Jacob’s progeny increased to 206 known individuals, including those of his four step-children. Currently, I am collecting obituaries with the goal to locate as many newspaper articles, obituaries, and death notices of these descendants as possible, with about 50% tracked down already. This week I expanded the spreadsheet to include spouses. I have been delighted to discover many of Indiana’s county libraries have improved online research request forms as well as online obituary indexes. St. Joseph county, Allen county, and Plymouth county have been extremely useful to me during the last month. I was also pleased to discover that newspapers[dot]com added two Muncie newspapers to their premium membership in the last week. Having a spreadsheet to record what records I do and do not have has been extremely helpful. I feel my research is much more focused, plus I love crossing things off when I obtain a record! One additional research bonus…I have found it very helpful to organize my research based on the assigned number a descendant was given, both in my paper and digital files.

Stay tuned for periodic updates on this endeavor in the coming months! What plans do you have to record your family history?

“Who Lives? Who Dies? Who Tells Your Story?

                                                                                Time…”

©2017 Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/01/11/the-descendants-of-jacob-troxell/

2016 – A Year in Review

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genealogy-lady-at-the-library

Working at the library

A week ago, I honestly didn’t think I was going to write a year in review blog. Yesterday, I pulled up the post I wrote for 2015 and decided it would probably be a good idea after all. Looking back gave me some much needed reflection. What are my goals for 2016? I feel somewhat scattered as there are several projects that I want to undertake, but I am unfocused and a little unmotivated at present. I work best when I write stuff down in lists, but I seldom take the time to do so unless I have an imminent deadline and prioritizing is essential.

I had four main goals for 2015, and I accomplished 50-75% of them. The two 100% successful goals were publishing the second volume of World War II letters, Lots of Love, Daddy, and working on my skills as a genealogy lecturer. The book was finished in late September. At over 400 pages, it is almost twice as long as the first volume Dear Mother, Love Daddy. The project was a lot of work and I am going to step away from the letters for a little while. The second goal, to improve my skills as a genealogy lecturer, is also going well. I have spoken to three northern California genealogy societies this year as well as continued to give free lecturers at my local library. For 2017, I have already accepted speaking engagements for two northern California societies, for the main branch of the Sacramento library’s genealogy department, and for SCGS’s Jamboree (a national genealogy conference in Southern California).

Lots of Love, Daddy cover

The Second Volume of Letters

Goal number three was to publish an article in a national or state level periodical. Technically, I published an article in the Utah Genealogical Association’s magazine Crossroads in late 2015, but I wasn’t aware of it until 2016. Additionally, I wrote a guest blog (online) for the NextGen genealogy network. However, neither of these truly fulfill my intention of writing for a national or state level periodical. My goal was to write a family history or lineage so I give this goal a 50/50 completion rating.

Goal number four was to lay the groundwork for my BCG portfolio, anticipating that I would go on the clock sometime in 2017. I did do some work towards this. Finally seeing completed portfolio’s at the BCG table at Jamboree made some of the elements, like the KDP, finally click for me. I had to throw out the family I was going to use as I didn’t need to “prove” any of the relationships. I pretty much had direct evidence for everything. I have a new family chosen that fits the parameters of the KDP, but I haven’t had the time to focus on any research since last summer. Ultimately though, at this point, I am not ready to jump in and go on the clock so I don’t feel like I accomplished this goal.

What I accomplished in 2016…

  • Published Lots of Love, Daddy 
  • Attended SCGS’s Jamboree
  • Submitted speaking proposals to SCGS’s Jamboree and was accepted to speak in 2017
  • Gave first paid lecture to the Roots Cellar Sacramento Genealogy Society, followed by lectures to the Solano County Genealogical Society and the Placer County Genealogical Society
  • Gave three additional lectures at the Franklin Branch of the Sacramento library
  • Continued to volunteer once a month at the library, dispensing genealogy advice and assistance
  • Finished transcribing and posting over 1,300 letters written during WWII (the end of a 3½ year project!)
  • Began organizing, transcribing, and posting the 1960s letters from the Yegerlehner family archive
  • Scanned hundreds of Yegerlehner family slides, including some photographs from Roscoe’s & Gladys’ 1964 world tour
  • Recruited two maternal family members to DNA test. Sadly, I had several people turn me down on both sides of the family. 😦
  • Inspired by the three sibling DNA chromosome mapping technique that has been very popular this year, I began chromosome mapping the DNA of two sibling pairs (my brother & myself, as well as my two children)
  • Wrote four brief family lineages which are posted on this blog under the “lineages” tab (this makes some nice cousin bait!) and I wrote some of my research down!
  • Completed my application for the Mayflower Society based on the lineage of my ancestor Myles Standish and was approved
  • Began migrating some of the WWII letters and some family documents to archival safe Hollinger boxes and folders
  • Attended the Sacramento African American Family History Seminar with keynote speaker Kenyatta Berry
  • Organized the Kerschner/Scofield collection of letters with the intent to start transcribing them in 2017
  • Continued to post daily on the blog (4th year in a row) with over 2,078 posts since November 2012
  • Wrote the new framework for an update of my 1998 book The Descendants of Jacob Troxell 1787-1885 of Fayette County, Indiana
  • Laid some basic framework for my BCG portfolio, viewed several portfolios at Jamboree, and rethought my KDP and other elements…
troxell-book

First page from the original Troxell book

Goals for 2017 – Speaking and Writing

  • Write a new addition of Jacob Troxell of Fayette County, fully sourced and using a reasonable exhaustive search. The new volume will be similar in scope to the silver Mayflower books. All descendants from generations 1-3 will be fully discussed, and the fourth generation will be named. Eventually I plan to write a second volume starting with the fourth generation. There is only one living person from the fourth generation (that I am aware of) and he is in his nineties.
  • Continue to transcribe and organize my incredibly huge family archive. I feel very blessed by this collection but I am continually overwhelmed by all the information I have to process and preserve.
  • Broaden the scope of my speaking opportunities as well as develop more presentations

Odds and Ends…other stuff I might like to do

  • Submit additional Mayflower lineage(s)
  • Write a finding aid and complete inventory for the WWII letters
  • Work on the third volume of WWII letters
  • Scan more slides
  • Map more DNA chromosomes and find more maternal relatives to test
  • Have fun and make more amazing genealogy related discoveries!

 

©2017 Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/01/07/2016-a-year-in-review/

Lots of Love, Daddy

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Lots of Love, Daddy cover

The second volume of World War II letters is finally available for purchase on Amazon. Titled Lots of Love, Daddy, this book covers the letters written by Roscoe and Gladys during the fall of 1942. Roscoe was a recent arrival in New Caledonia while Gladys recovered from the birth of David in Kentland, Indiana.

Autographed copies of the books can be purchased through the contact form on the website. Payment may be made through PayPal. Stay tuned for more details on this service.

©2016 Deborah Sweeney

Lots of Love, Daddy Update

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Lots of Love, Daddy coverI have been spending the bulk of my summer vacation working on getting the next World War II letters book ready for publication. I return to work at the end of the week and the book is almost done. One of the most labor intensive parts of writing a non-fiction book is creating the index. The letters mention hundreds, if not thousands of individuals. Lots of Love, Daddy which covers the fall of 1942 includes over 300 people, including three presidents, several radio and screen personalities, military personnel and, of course, many citizens of Kentland, Indiana.

As an early teaser (and potential lure for future readers), I am posting the full index of the book. Perhaps you will find someone you know in the index!

Index (of Lots of Love, Daddy)

The following is an index of the people mentioned in the letters. Roscoe and Gladys, as well as their three sons, John, Mark and David, have not been included in this index as they are mentioned in virtually every letter.

Ade, Charles H., Dr.
180, 184, 195, 200, 212, 213, 233

Ade, Mary E. (Keller), Dr.
213

Allgood
141, 145, 282

Allgood, Lorene L. (Morphew)
25, 60

Ash, Dorotha M. (Williams)
25, 50, 64, 86, 92, 122, 219, 265

Ash, Herman H., Dr.
22, 28, 32, 50, 64, 86, 92, 166, 196, 211, 232, 234

Baer, Walter B.
70

Bair
326

Baker, Kenny
375

Barce, J. Edward
13, 28, 184, 278, 317, 360

Barr
387

Barrymore, Lionel
358

Bartlett, Helen (Cox)
25, 363

Bartlett, Ward K.
46, 58, 145, 168, 172, 230, 236, 252, 313, 321, 331

Baze, Shirley A. (Neary)
194

Beard, Paul H., Dr.
114

Beaver
316

Beaver, Helen Elizabeth “Betty” (Neher)
101

Beekman, Evelyn (Muir)
242

Beekman, Sharon
242

Benny, Jack
278

Boone, Jean
25, 162, 312, 355

Boone, Otto E. “Boonie”
25, 36, 70, 131, 132, 134, 162, 164, 171, 220, 223, 236, 251, 259, 284, 286, 290, 311, 312, 321, 333, 346, 355, 362

Bower, Raymond
251, 360

Brands, Fred A.
160, 263

Brands, Maude (Westvay)
160

Britton, Edward L.
116, 121, 270–71

Britton, Louise (Strader)
102

Britton, Thomas S.
270

Bruck, Paul J.
116, 121

Burge, Lucile (Schlinsog)
194

Bushnell, Dr.
245, 284

Byrne, John C. “Jack”
102, 113, 192, 264, 290, 297, 301, 346, 380

Calvert, Raymond R., Dr.
32

Carroll, Babe
41

Cast, Alvin C.
41, 79

Cast, William H.
79

Coan, Earl
25

Coan, Emma J. (Miller)
25

Coffel, Dorothy J. (Teague)
103

Coffel, Melvin H., Dr.
103

Cole, Ira, Dr.
6, 8, 9, 15, 19, 29, 32, 50, 54, 86, 90, 95, 98, 102, 112, 116, 117, 120, 154, 167, 172, 184, 190, 200, 233, 234, 241, 245, 246, 251, 258, 259, 264, 271, 281, 301, 302, 309, 310, 336, 346, 355, 372, 379, 380

Cole, Mabel M. (Biser)
234, 336

Cummings, R. Ray
162

Cunningham, Frank E.
157, 282

Cunningham, Winifred F. (Booty)
157, 282

Curtis, Delmar E.
190

Curtis, Rosamund E. (Dyer)
190

Davis, William E.
138–39

Dennis, Donna
302

Diedam, Dorothy “Dora”
386

Disney, Walt
362

Dixon, Ira
88–89, 104, 110, 119, 123, 128, 134, 148, 171, 265

Donahue, Carl J.
177, 250, 321

Durbin, Deanna
334

Dye, George
12, 69, 79, 373

Dye, Letha L.
140

Dye, Linda
373

Dye, Velda (Good)
12, 69, 373

Dyer
190

Dyer, May K. (Prue)
190

Easley, Charles J.
162, 239, 243

Easterly, Aileen
60

Eddy, Nelson
366

Evans, Nannie
343, 374

Fellman/Feldman
22

Fletcher, Emma (Cox)
172, 355

Fletcher, James B.
20, 172, 355

Fletcher, Joseph B.
303

Flickinger, Daniel W.
209, 226

Foster, Emily H. “Emma” (Lawhead)
3, 11, 25, 33, 34, 37, 41, 55, 57, 74, 78, 90, 91, 95, 109, 113, 121, 125, 130, 140, 144, 154, 158, 163, 167, 168, 170, 171, 172, 177, 184, 255, 262, 291, 328, 329, 343, 351, 358, 382

Foster, James L.
3, 13, 28, 41, 46, 53, 86–87, 122, 144, 184, 191, 207, 242, 255, 291, 297, 300, 302, 328, 343, 378, 382

Foster, Thelma (Mayrose)
13, 46, 53, 255, 297, 302, 328, 351, 378

Foulkes
60, 85, 191, 359, 364

Foulkes, Cora T. “Cocoa” (Trautmann)
25, 277, 283, 343, 347, 352

Foulkes, Harold “Red”
283, 343

Funk
159, 191, 213, 284, 380

Funk, Arlene (Nelson)
3, 8, 25, 45, 50, 60, 74, 109, 155, 159, 190, 198, 200, 210, 252, 271, 288, 291, 293, 310, 324, 328, 329, 343, 346, 351, 374, 380, 385

Funk, Bernard
198

Funk, Carl E.
192, 338

Funk, Donald E.
8, 45, 50, 73, 74, 76, 143, 155, 198, 252, 271, 288, 310, 328, 346, 347, 364, 374

Funk, Edward J.
338

Funk, Evelyn
198

Funk, Robert W.
45, 65, 210, 329, 342, 346, 347

Funk, Rosemary (Robinson)
25, 60, 310

Funk, William E.
159, 199, 342, 343, 351, 380, 385

Gardiner, James W., Dr.
239, 295, 300, 339

Garrigus, George
382

Gilman, Page
265

Gilmore, Claude D.
303

Gilmour, Alex L.
264

Gilmour, M. Jean (Spindler)
210

Glenn, John
178

Glenn, M. Louise (Krull)
60, 116, 178, 200, 271, 328, 346

Glick, Orval E., Dr.
282

Good, Beulah (Eaton)
69, 373

Good, Edward
69, 373

Gordon, Gale
265

Hall, Donald W.
177

Harlan, Charles C. “Chuckie”
113, 198

Harlan, Chester C.
113

Harlan, D. Lorene (Nicely)
113, 198

Harris, Paul
225, 229, 313, 348

Harris, Phil
278

Healy, Harry H.
192

Heindel, Daniel M.
213

Heindel, Helen G. (Kline)
213, 222

Hiestand, Pauline (Markley)
45, 335

Hoover, Floyd E.
207

Hufty
60, 316, 335

Hufty, Clarice M. (Bartlett)
8, 9, 25, 37, 53, 120

Hufty, Robert L., Sr.
8, 9, 53, 112, 120, 151, 167, 220, 223, 265, 380, 389

Huth, Frances E.
275

Huth, Ralph L., Dr.
32, 239, 275, 295, 300, 306, 307, 312, 339

Huth, Ralph L., Jr.
275

James, Cora (Hufford)
25, 57, 60, 65, 241

Johnson, Edward
92, 93, 152, 153, 160, 220, 223

Johnson, James E. “Jimmy Ed”
167, 183

Johnson, Lucile
3, 7, 25, 50, 60, 118, 152, 160, 167, 171, 183, 242, 291, 293, 360, 366, 383

Jones, Dale S.
41

Jones, Kenny
41, 121, 207

Juventia, Sister
8, 12, 51

Kenney, T. Arthur “Art”
27, 34, 36, 102, 113, 116, 121, 123

Kildare, James, Dr.
322

Kindall, Mrs.
25

Kindig, Curtis B.
191, 206

Kindig, John E. “Jack”
191, 206

Kline, Forest S.
213, 219

Kline, Gertrude (Tjepkema)
25, 60, 213, 219

Knollin, Helen (Washburn)
292, 330, 335

Knollin, Loyal C.
330

Knowlton, E. Mary (Gibson)
60

Koon, Carl D., Sr.
143

Koon, Carl D., Jr.
143

Koon, Helen M. (Arbuckle)
143

Krug, Paul A.
288

Krull
229, 312, 315, 317

Krull, Dorothy (Jackson)
3, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 24, 25, 29, 37, 60, 98, 120, 121, 125, 167, 173, 180, 225, 284, 291, 292, 311–12, 315, 320, 324, 329, 335, 352, 373

Krull, Elizabeth L. “Betty Lou”
23, 60, 68, 151, 195, 198, 201, 302, 354

Krull, John
177

Krull, Nicholas P. “Nick,” Sr.
11, 25, 110, 151, 177, 180, 272, 302, 311, 325, 335, 340

Krull, Nicholas P. “Buddy,” Jr.
151, 183, 238, 302, 315, 335, 354

Kruman, Margaret (Servies)
50

Lamb, Newell A.
121, 197, 210

Largent, Charles
237

Lentz, Edmund T., Dr.
4, 18, 47, 52–53, 55, 70, 80, 85, 114, 127, 136, 153, 171, 181, 187, 192, 194, 196, 247, 330, 371, 372, 376, 384, 389

Ley, Earl F. “Bud”
108, 222

Ley, Inez L. (Kline)
108, 222, 334

Ley, John Ed
108, 222, 334, 338

Ley, John P.
108, 222, 334, 338

Ley, Nadine
222

Lincoln, Abraham
305

Lontz, William Howard
265, 349, 356

Loughridge, Bun
281

Mace, David A.
40, 46, 101, 113, 256, 329, 338, 339, 378

Mace, Marie (Smith)
40, 46, 101, 256, 329, 338, 339, 378

Marx Brothers
375

Mathews, Alta (Bittles)
277

Mathews, Wilbur C., Dr.
20, 41, 160, 216, 242, 258, 273, 277, 278, 282, 298, 310, 355, 360, 364, 380

McConnell
75

McCray, George W.
270, 356

McQueary, Charles E.
222, 225

Molter, Agnes
24, 115, 157, 197, 216, 231, 256, 283, 297, 334, 378

Molter, Clara
238, 251, 252, 272, 280, 282, 319, 320, 329, 342, 350, 372, 373, 378, 382

Monroe, George
15, 29–30, 54, 191, 241, 344, 381

Morris, Mrs.
193

Morton, Mildred M. (Hopkins)
159, 284

Mullen, C. Patrick
69, 113, 121

Mullen, Joseph W.
69, 113, 121

Mutchler, John Earl
25, 46, 50, 68, 83, 199, 242, 328, 329

Mutchler, Romaine
50, 83

Mutchler, Ruth E. (Yegerlehner)
3–4, 24, 25, 46, 50, 58, 60, 68, 73, 74, 76, 83, 87, 101, 123, 128, 131, 132, 134, 145, 177, 213, 215, 232, 242, 280, 284, 287, 291, 297, 300, 302, 305, 326, 328, 329, 333, 336, 343, 358, 359, 365, 387

Myers, Alba O.
34, 121

Myers, Keith W.
121, 172

Myers, Kenneth J.
121, 172

Nesbitt, Sarah E. “Betty” (Cooper)
53

Nesbitt, Thomas D.
53

Oliver, Dorothy J. (Yagerline)
192

Oliver, Jane
192

Oliver, Robert J.
192

Openshaw, James F., Dr.
32

Oppy, James
303

Paul, Otto A.
209, 285, 312, 346, 355

Parr, Dorothy (Widmar)
34, 245

Parr, Harlan
245, 364, 365

Pence, Thaddeus W.
303

Penner, Joe
330

Perkins, Denver R.
116, 283

Perkins, Thelma M. (Duttenhaver)
116

Pfeiffer, Helen (Coan)
380

Plummer, Ethel (Taylor)
121, 125, 126, 232, 255, 260, 285, 320, 324, 329

Plummer, John W.
255

Poe, Edgar Allen
269

Porterfield, Billy M.
165, 275

Porterfield, Catherine E. (McLuckie)
165, 275

Porterfield, Marvin H., Dr., Sr.
4, 161, 165, 208, 221, 273, 275, 276, 282, 300, 306, 327, 330, 331, 339, 341, 353, 356, 361, 366, 371

Porterfield, Marvin H., Jr.
165, 275

Porterfield, Susan V.
275

Portteus
272, 310

Portteus, G. Harold
108, 311

Portteus, James J.
108

Portteus, Mary A. (Brown)
60, 108, 311, 383

Portteus, Ruth
108, 383

Pratt, Ralph F.
380

Prue
190

Puetz, Florence (Bower)
329

Puetz, Jim L.
329

Puetz, Raymond G.
329

Rea, Judith A.
342

Reinhart, Grace (Barsaloux) Kenefick
292

Reinhart, Henry W., Jr.
171, 184, 237, 260, 273, 275, 292, 317

Rentschler, Lewis C., Dr.
15, 278

Reynolds, Irvin
20

Rinard, Charles A.
255, 351

Roberts, Carol
237, 256, 374

Roberts, Earl L., Dr.
121, 320, 352

Roberts, John
237, 256, 374

Roberts, Joseph M., Dr.
4, 46, 59, 97, 112, 133, 183, 192, 221, 230, 231, 237, 244–45, 260, 273, 275, 281, 283, 284, 312, 345, 371, 374

Roberts, Leila M. (Locke)
4, 46, 53, 54, 59, 60, 69, 112, 121, 133, 163, 180, 183, 192, 221, 230, 237, 244–45, 256, 260, 281, 283, 312, 352, 374

Roberts, William
237, 256, 374

Roosevelt, Eleanor
215

Roosevelt, Franklin D.
169, 215

Runyon, Damon
36, 47

Ryan, Marjorie L. (Wilson)
51, 65, 98, 117, 190

Ryan, Richard R.
51, 98

Ryan, Richard S.
51, 98, 117, 190

Sammons, Hume L.
320, 329

Schiele, Jesse (MacDonald)
34, 60, 185, 229

Schiele, Silvester
24, 81, 173, 185, 225, 229, 237, 248, 302, 313, 348

Schlegel
270, 354

Schlegel, Agnes G. (Bond)
354

Schuh, Anthony
115

Schurtter, Dorothy (VanScoyk)
342

Schurtter, Robert
65, 255, 342

Schurtter, Steven J.
342

Servies, Goldie E. (Couger)
163, 167, 170

Servies, Voris B., Rev.
163, 167, 170

Shandy, Clifford O.
24, 121, 140, 340, 387

Shaw, Artie
22–23

Sherman
256

Shirer, William L.
311

Shirk, Chafee W.
108

Shirk, Sara (Terry)
108, 282

Simons, Charles M.
108

Simons, Eleanor O. (Robinson)
336

Simons, Geneva E. (Holley)
108

Simons, John W.
303, 336

Simons, Robert R.
108

Skelton, Red
111, 191, 286

Smith, Frances E. (Liggitt)
180

Smith, Gertrude M.
180, 192, 336, 374

Smith, Jean
180

Sparks, Anna L. (Moffitt)
25

Staton
60, 241, 284, 358, 359, 364

Staton, Irene A. (James)
25, 57, 132, 343

Staton, James L.
65, 178, 241, 358

Staton, Lloyd K. “Link”
87, 112, 120, 178, 191, 230, 242, 343, 358, 381

Steele, Birdie B.
352

Steiner, Henry J.
131

Stevens, Clarence V.
199

Stevens, Dolores L. (Yegerlehner)
109, 329

Swartz, Mrs.
193

Sykes
34, 73, 76, 78, 81, 87, 104, 110, 117, 282, 345

Sykes, D.
46

Sykes, Ethel M.
76, 82–84

Sykes, John T.
82–84

Taylor, Amel
121, 130, 229

Temple, Shirley
331

Thompson, David
65, 358

Thompson, John Doss
358

Thompson, Mary (Davidson)
65, 98, 358, 364

Tilton, George D.
264, 272, 340, 343, 387

Tilton, Lloyd E.
387

Tilton, Mabel (Stewart)
283, 387

Tilton, Robert L.
283

Towers, Eleanor G.
255

Towers, Emory F., Jr.
41, 121

Van Scoyk, Chester L.
157, 325

Virgin, Max E.
79

Voglund, Arthur A. “Art”
207

Voglund, Vivian T. (Murphy)
207

Walker, Alma L. (Ford)
60, 159

Walker, Wayne
302, 352, 360, 373

Walkup
141, 145, 294, 308

Walkup, Bernard W. “Bun”
9, 19, 164, 266, 283

Walkup, Carolyn J.
9

Walkup, Iva J. (Schluttenhofer)
9, 12, 19, 164

Walsh, Mary E. (Robbins)
15, 81, 88, 122, 276, 343

Walsh, Maurice R., Dr.
4, 15, 81, 88, 122, 221, 276, 343

Washburn
60

Washburn, Howard C.
343

Washburn, Mary M. (Caldwell)
25, 335

Washburn, Ursel (McCoy)
343

Washington, George
305

Watson, Ethel K. (Lloyd)
25, 60, 329

Watson, Wayne P.
25, 48, 51, 58, 60, 149, 153, 156, 329, 345

Webster, George L.
108, 170, 219

Weissman, Marvin F., Dr.
245

White, Dorothy L.
41

White, Ruth (Simons)
336

Whiteakker, Hannah C. (Smith)
206

Wilborn, Priscilla
25

Williams, Fred M., Dr.
4, 161, 208, 211, 221, 227, 240, 273, 275, 276, 282, 285, 295, 300, 312, 330, 339, 341, 353, 354, 356, 361, 365, 366, 371

Williams, Donnas B. (Loughery)
221, 275, 285, 312, 359, 365

Williams, Frederick B.
275

Wilson, Robert H.
347

Wilson, Bethel
113

Wilson, Donald R. “Bud”
347

Wilson, Doris I. (Cooley)
159, 198, 343

Wilson, H. Elizabeth (Compton)
347

Wilson, Ellsworth E. “Socky”
27, 159, 171, 198, 343, 344

Wilson, Gretchen J. (Dixon)
51

Wilson, Howard E.
51

Wilson, Juanita Suzanne
198

Wilson, Lida M.
11, 24

Wilson, Michael E.
159

Willson, R. Meredith
265

Wimple, Mr.
194

Woodruff, M. Joe
45, 65, 79, 113, 120

Wood, Kenneth
365

Yagerline, Jewell E. (Ratcliff)
192, 386

Yegerlehner, Clarence
64, 129, 132, 134, 232, 306

Yegerlehner, Earl
69, 213

Yegerlehner, Esther M. (Zurcher)
109

Yegerlehner, Floyd
3–4, 25, 46, 54, 59, 68, 69, 74, 79, 95, 98, 108, 123, 144, 151, 158, 161, 184–85, 206, 213, 215, 232, 242, 254, 261, 265, 287, 306, 324, 337, 342, 345, 347, 350, 364

Yegerlehner, John H.
3, 24, 43, 52, 72, 97, 128, 153, 158, 183, 215, 218, 230, 232, 243, 265, 280, 291, 312, 317, 341, 342

Yegerlehner, Lovina (Schiele)
3, 24, 43, 52, 54, 64, 68, 72, 97, 101, 109, 127, 128, 129, 132, 141, 146, 153, 156, 158, 162, 181, 183, 185, 195, 199, 206, 213, 215, 218, 220, 222, 223, 225, 230, 232, 239–40, 243, 255, 259, 265, 269, 279–80, 282, 284, 291, 302, 312, 317, 324, 326, 328, 341, 342, 343, 347, 358

Yegerlehner, Paul
69, 213

Yegerlehner, Ralph
232, 306

Yegerlehner, Samuel A.
213, 232, 306, 338

Yegerlehner, Ruth (Salter)
3–4, 25, 46, 54, 59, 68, 69, 74, 79, 81, 91, 95, 98, 101, 109, 116, 123, 151, 158, 161, 184, 206, 207, 213, 215, 242, 254, 256, 261, 265, 280, 284, 287, 324, 326, 328, 337, 342, 343, 345, 347, 364

Yost, Leo J. “Pete”
116, 121

Zell
163, 171, 272, 311, 342, 359, 364

Zell, Elizabeth A.
111, 154, 230, 255–56

Zell, Martha J.
230

Zell, Norma (Hibbs)
20, 25, 45, 144, 159, 181, 255–56, 272, 329, 351

Zell, Russell L.
54, 65, 108, 120, 177, 181, 185, 206, 213, 230, 256, 266, 309, 351, 364

Zell, Virginia M.
111, 154, 230, 255

Ziemer, Gregor
191

Zumbrum, Mrs.
264

—, Abigail (Dr. Fred M. Williams’ aunt)
295

—, Cracker
214

—, Ella
168

—, Hannah
325

—, Nellie
271, 280

—, Thelma
52

© 2016 copyright owned by Deborah Sweeney

 

Monthly Update – March 2016

2 Replies

It is hard to believe that March is almost over. I have so much I am trying to accomplish right now. I am currently on spring break from school, and I am hoping to get a long list of things done by the end of the week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I get through the top few items on my list.

The WWII Project

Hollinger boxesThe Letters

During last month I have published many letters that were not written by Roscoe and Gladys. These letters were written between June 1944 and August 1945. Over this fourteenth month period, Roscoe, Gladys and the boys were living together in Liberty, Missouri. Roscoe was attached to William Jewell College’s Naval Flight Preparatory School.  His responsibilities included treating the officers and their families, as well as the soldiers attending the flight school. In August 1945, he was given orders to report to a new assignment on the west coast. To put this change of duty into historical perspective, Roscoe traveled to San Francisco days after the bombs were dropped on Japan and their inevitable surrender. Look for the letters between Roscoe and Gladys to resume the first week in April.

I have taken the next step in my preservation process. I have purchased some Hollinger boxes and heavy weight archival folders. Once I knock a few things off the top of my to-do list, I plan on moving the letters out of their plastic sheets and three ring binders. While working on the blog and books, it was definitely easier to store the letters in binders. However, this is not necessarily the best method for conserving them. I will start with the letters already published in Dear Mother, Love Daddy. I already have a basic finding aid prepared for cataloging the letters.

Dear Mother, Love Daddy

Unfortunately, I was not chosen as one of the local authors to participate in the Local Author Festival at the Sacramento library in April. I am definitely disappointed but not discouraged. If you have read the book, please leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon. The more reviews the book gets, the higher ranking it gets (and more likely it is to be highlighted by Amazon’s algorithms).

Lots of Love, Daddy coverLots of Love, Daddy

This month has been a huge push for me to get the manuscript prepared to turn over to my copy editor. I finally finished the index, and am currently working on the glossary of people. Then all that I have left is to write my author’s notes and acknowledgements, a list of illustrations and my biography. My father FINALLY found a envelope with many of the original photographs that I intend to use in this volume. Just in the nick of time! I need to sort through the envelope and re-scan some of these photographs as well as add some new unseen pictures to the book.

This month the preliminary cover for the book was designed! Many, many thanks to Dan Young for doing a stellar job. And so, dear readers, you get the first look!

Genealogy booksSacramento Library

Last weekend I enjoyed meeting with more patrons to assist them with their genealogy puzzles. Although a couple of my appointments were cancelled (we think because people did not realize it was Easter weekend), there were some walk-ins who filled up the empty spots in my schedule. I love exploring other people’s ancestry and seeing what we can find. If you are interested in booking an appointment, contact the Franklin branch.

My next lecture is scheduled for May 7th. I will be talking about some of my favorite free genealogy sites that are available on the Internet. One of those sites is Chronicling America on the Library of Congress’ website. This is a wonderful site for finding free digitized newspapers as well as an awesome finding aid for locating newspapers in repositories around the country.

Certification

I haven’t necessarily done much towards certification this month. However, I did discover that the Holmes County Library has digitized some of the local newspapers, including the Holmes County Farmer. Within minutes of discovering this resource, I located the obituary of an ancestor I am hoping to highlight in my KDP (Kinship-Determination Project). The KDP is usually one of the more extensive requirements of the certification portfolio. The requirement is to “submit a narrative genealogy, narrative lineage, or narrative pedigree that documents and explains linkages among three ancestral generations.”

I have also been thinking a lot about what sources I have and what sources I need to locate. One of my next tasks is to list and analyze the sources I have already accumulated so I can see where some of my gaps might be.  Writing up a research plan for locating the missing documents is also on part of this step.

Alfred M. Dicks and Achilles Dicks affidavit

Alfred M. Dicks affidavit (Image courtesy of FamilySearch.org)

I have been thinking about what a “reasonably exhaustive search” may be for this project, and the other elements of the portfolio. This last month I have made some amazing discoveries in my own research. I have unearthed two documents related to my ancestor Alfred M. Dicks. The main reason I have found these documents now (after 20 years!) is that the collections have recently become available online. Neither document was in an indexed database. I had to search for hours in order to find them. I wonder what other documents I could find, if only, I could make it to the courthouse or local library myself. I have been unable to find a reliable researcher willing to take on this research for me, nor would my bank account be able to support the hourly fees. This rural county has a population of less than 20,000 people. My own small city has more than 7 times that amount. So when is a “reasonably exhaustive search” complete? I don’t have a good answer to this question. I worry that I won’t have done enough when it is time to submit my portfolio. The converse is, if you don’t stop at some point to write down what you have found, no one will know what you have discovered, and it may be lost again.

Jamboree

It is a little over two months before Jamboree. I was really hoping to see one of the sample BCG portfolios last year in the exhibition hall. There wasn’t even BCG booth! Because I am so much closer to wanting to start the certification process, I emailed the BCG this week. I received confirmation that the sample portfolios will be there. Have you checked out a BCG portfolio at a genealogy conference? I can’t wait to see one (to see whether my work is at that level or not).

Until next month! Happy hunting!

© 2016 Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/03/30/monthly-update-march-2016/

Letters to My Children – Star Wars

5 Replies

Letters to My ChildrenThis is an occasional series in which I recollect my own memories and attempt to share them with my children (or whomever will listen!). For more information about the purpose and scope of this series, read my introductory post.

November 2015

Dear Sea Turtle and Penguin,

It is a cloudy and wet Saturday. In many ways, the rain is a boon that we are all enjoying as it has been dry for months. California is experiencing a drought of epic proportions. Autumn has finally begun in Northern California. The temperature is dropping and we have turned our clocks back for the winter. When you are older, you may remember the years of the drought. But this weekend, as we are stuck inside, between laundry, grocery shopping, and other chores, we watched two of the original Star Wars movies: Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back. We are just over a month away from the release of the newest chapter in the franchise – The Force Awakens. But today, as we engaged in our typical banter over unrealistic plot points, we discussed which characters were puppets (Yoda), inhabited by dwarves (Jawas/R2D2), or giants (Chewbacca). I lectured over the CGI effects which were added into the digitally re-mastered versions from the 1990s. Sea Turtle, you are much like me in my love of fantasy books and films/shows, but you have never bought into the Star Wars hype. I feel that I have failed in passing on my nerdy ways to you in this respect. Penguin, I love that you are enjoying the Star Wars universe. Your Uncle J was almost your age when the first Star Wars movie came out in 1977 so it is wonderful to watch your joyful energy as you take in the stories.

Today, in 2015, the Stars Wars universe is almost 40 years old. It is already a firmly established part of popular culture. But I remember a world where Star Wars did not exist, even for a brief time. Up until then, science fiction shows like Star Trek and Doctor Who had limited special effects. We laugh at how pathetic those special effects seem today. Star Wars was a whole new ball game in 1977. People lined up around the corner of movie theatres to see the next showing. They also went back, again and again.

The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980. Of the three original Star Wars films, I think this one is my favorite. There was a lot of anticipation in the three years between the first two movies, but even more so between the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The last film was released in 1983. In the 1990s, George Lucas digitally re-mastered the three films, adding CGI effects that had not been possible only a decade or two previously. Your dad and I went to see these “new” old films together, as well as, the three new movies that comprised the prequel trilogy: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. I shall refrain from giving my opinion on these three movies.

David with Deborah, circa 1978, Mt. Wachusett

David with Deborah, circa 1978, Mt. Wachusett

Star Wars became part of popular culture and it hasn’t really ever gone away. Uncle J and I had the soundtrack to the movie which we played over and over again. Our favorite piece was the background music for the cantina in Mos Eisley. We loved to listen to it on the record player. We owned Star Wars themed t-shirts, toys, sheets, legos and so on. Even today we have Star Wars items around the house from Han Solo (frozen in carbonite) ice cube trays to the Darth Vader mask and light saber toys. And, of course, we have all the movies in our DVD library. For Christmas this year, I am fairly certain there will be at least one Star Wars themed present.

Memory is a funny thing. When the first Star Wars movie came out in 1977, many of the big fast food chains sold drinking glasses. They had colorful decals on the outside with cartoons or other popular characters. In July 1977, a few weeks after Star Wars was released, McDonald’s was investigated by the FDA for having too much lead in the decals on their glasses. Uncle J and I owned several of these glasses and they were thrown away as a precaution. We loved those glasses and like typical children we were devastated. In my mind, those glasses were Star Wars themed. However, after examining several old newspapers, it does not seem possible that the glasses were Star Wars after all. Burger King won the bidding for the Star Wars franchise and began selling glasses in 1980.

McDonald's glasses

The Berkshire Eagle, 9 July 1977, p. 1, col. 1-2. Image courtesy of Newspapers.com

I am looking forward to seeing the new movie in a few weeks. The anticipation for this movie is incredible, especially after seeing many of the trailers over the last few months. The original stars (Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford) will have parts in the new movie and that brings back quite the feeling of nostalgia of a time long, long ago…

I hope you enjoy the new movie,
Love,
Mom

Genealogy Tip:

When interviewing a family member, bear in mind that memories are fallible. Record what they remember, but do some research. Can their memories be backed up with contemporary sources? Until I tried to find evidence about the glasses that were thrown away in 1977, I firmly believed that they were Star Wars themed. Now, I’m not so sure….

©2015 Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2015/11/11/letters-to-my-children-star-wars/