I really don't watch much television. If I'm honest, I spend much more time on the computer researching. But there are some television shows that I just can't do without. My current favorite, aside from a myriad of "ghost" shows, is the program History Detectives, which airs on PBS. The show follows five different historical "detectives," each with their own specialities, as they track down the history of interesting found objects. Many of the stories start with an individual contacting the television show and requesting that the history detectives track the past of a family heirloom or a great find from the flea market or antique store. The cast then traces the history of the item and weaves it's story in to the history of the time.
I find the show fascinating and often like to think of the items I own that may have an interesting history. Of course, I don't really own anything old and interesting. But my grandmother does. Such as the blanket chest that supposedly traveled from Virginia to Missouri on a covered wagon. We don't own anything that was of national historical importance, but each item is significant to the family and I would love to track down their stories.
I also think, what an awesome job to have! Surrounded by historical research every day may sound tiresome, but to me it sounds wonderful. Maybe someday! History Detectives airs Mondays at 9 p.m./8 p.m. (c). The show is currently between seasons, but you can check out back episodes on the History Detectives website.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Iowa: Good for farming, cold winters and....a great census
I often offer to do genealogy research for my friends when I need a break from my own family research. What I most enjoy about these forays into other families is the discovery of great resources I have yet to come across with my own family lines. A perfect example is the 1925 Iowa census.
My friend Marie was born and raised in Iowa and her family has been there for at least 100 years. In researching one of her family lines I came across the Iowa state census for 1925. I figured this census was like any other state census record: a nice document to have, if only to track your family between federal censuses, but only the barest of facts. For this particular document the family was split between two pages, so I naturally had to turn the digital page to retrieve the rest of the family's members. I was surprised when that page turn showed not the rest of the family, but rather the nativity of the first few people in the family! It included the father and mother of each individual, to include places of birth and mother's maiden name. Further investigation revealed that the document also provides an individual's military record, occupation and church affiliation.
I was dumbfounded to have stumbled upon this extra information and a little jealous that I had no family from Iowa! The bigger picture is that I have learned to always "turn the page" as you never know what you may find.
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| The Iowa state capital. Photo by Chuck Felix |
I was dumbfounded to have stumbled upon this extra information and a little jealous that I had no family from Iowa! The bigger picture is that I have learned to always "turn the page" as you never know what you may find.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
City histories offer hidden resources
During a recent trip to Kansas City for the holidays I was able to squeeze in a brief visit to the Midwest Genealogy Center, a part of the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) system. I could only make a brief stop, so I opted to just browse through some of thier local resources for the county in Missouri that many of my family members are from: Ray county. As I had made several visits to the library before, I had already reviewed most of the resources. But this time I noticed a book that I had not looked through before: Hardin, Missouri : a centennial history, 1870-1970, compiled by Mrs. Cecil Hogan. Hardin, Missouri is a small town just east of Richmond, the county seat. My family did not live in Hardin, but just north of the town. However, I knew that a great-uncle and great-aunt had owned a grocery store there so I decided to see if my family might be discussed in the book, however remote that chance might be.
I was desperate to get digital copies of the photographs I had come across. I found that the book was available at the Ray County Library, but it was located in the reference section and I could not check it out. My next thought was utilizing Interlibrary Loan. I contacted my local library, the Central Arkansas Library system and put in a request to loan the book from the Midwest Genealogy Center. Unfortunately, my request was denied because the book was non-circulating.
Not to be deterred, I decided to try to find a copy of the book to buy. I headed to ebay and quickly found a copy for sell. I was surprised to find a copy, as I know print runs of these types of publications are never very large and people tend to hold on to them. A couple of weeks later I received my own copy of the book.
The important lesson to learn from all of my hunting and pecking is that even the most seemingly remote resource can pay off in big ways. I have learned that in genealogy research there are times to ensure that you are on point and focused and then there are times to take a moment and try the unexpected. You never know what you will find.
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| Florence and Claude McGuire with their children Margaret and Virginia. The photo was found in the Hardin, Missouri : a centennial history, 1870-1970, compiled by Mrs. Cecil Hogan. |
The book turned out to be a compilation of not only the town's one-hundred-year history, but also included forty some odd pages of resident photos. Low and behold there were at least twenty photos of my family that I had never seen before, including some photos of a line that I had not seen photographed. Due to my visit being a "drive-by," I was not prepared to photograph, scan or even copy the photographs. I took a couple of shots of the book's information with my cell phone to look it up later.
I was desperate to get digital copies of the photographs I had come across. I found that the book was available at the Ray County Library, but it was located in the reference section and I could not check it out. My next thought was utilizing Interlibrary Loan. I contacted my local library, the Central Arkansas Library system and put in a request to loan the book from the Midwest Genealogy Center. Unfortunately, my request was denied because the book was non-circulating.
Not to be deterred, I decided to try to find a copy of the book to buy. I headed to ebay and quickly found a copy for sell. I was surprised to find a copy, as I know print runs of these types of publications are never very large and people tend to hold on to them. A couple of weeks later I received my own copy of the book.
The important lesson to learn from all of my hunting and pecking is that even the most seemingly remote resource can pay off in big ways. I have learned that in genealogy research there are times to ensure that you are on point and focused and then there are times to take a moment and try the unexpected. You never know what you will find.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Breaking down a genealogy brick wall: Worldcat.org
For a genealogist patience is a virtue. I will be the first to admit that I am a card-carrying member of the “instant gratification” generation. For me, and those of my ilk, information is at the tips of our fingers through the wonders of the Internet. Whether I am looking for the closest Chinese restaurant, or whether snakes snore, all I need is a computer (or my phone) and a wireless connection.
This need for an instant answer does not bode well for my genealogy research…or my nerves. I try to remain patient when conducting my research, but I must admit that it is pretty difficult. This was especially true when researching my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Philip Kuhn.
I am lucky enough to have received some information on Philip through my family. I knew that Philip had been a musician for the 120th Ohio Regiment during the Civil War and I did what research I could on the Internet to find out more about him and his wife, Bertha. But not being able to travel to their home states of Ohio and Kansas, I finally came to a wall. I thought that Philip and Bertha Kuhn were just another example of family history disappeared. I stopped researching the pair and moved on to other branches of my tree.
I’m not sure what made me Google “Philip Reymer Kuhn” a few months later, but I was not disappointed. My search came up with an interesting hit: “Letters, 1863-1865 by Philip Kuhn.” Awestruck, I quickly followed the link and landed on a citation on WorldCat, a website that lists the holdings of libraries across the country. The citation was for an archive of information that included letters from Philip to Bertha during the war and a photocopy of his discharge, among other things. I could not believe my luck! On the WorldCat system you are able to find the libraries that maintain the holding you are interested in, but in my case, no library was listed.
The citation listed a myriad of interesting information, except for the crucial detail of location. Thus began my obsession with “Letters.” Knowing of the letters existence I was now like a donkey with a dangling carrot. But I was unfamiliar with the WorldCat system and had no idea how to track down the archive.
I started by considering that a library or historical society close to where Philip and Bertha had lived would have been gifted the archive. I knew that they had lived in Ohio during the war, but soon after moved to Missouri and Kansas, finally settling in Baldwin City, Kansas. I sent an email to the Baldwin City Library and the Douglas County, Kansas, Historical Society thinking that Philip and Bertha would have kept the letters until they passed. Perhaps the Society or library would know of such an archive.
I received a quick response from the history resources volunteer of the Baldwin City Library: they did not have the letters. The library was able to send me Philip’s obituary which mentioned that his children attended Baker University. Could this connection with the university mean that my documents were in their library?
Well, the answer is no. And the University of Kansas is also located in Douglas County and has a large collection of Kansas documents but there was no record of the archive there either. There was no knowledge on any community genealogy message boards and no further information on WorldCat, despite having tried numerous times hoping that just maybe more information would be posted.
I am nothing if not tenacious, but even I was beginning to feel that my brick wall may very well be one I could not scale. It was about this time that my father sent me a newspaper article from the Kansas City Star about the genealogy library in Independence, Missouri. A part of the Mid-Continent Public Library System of the Kansas City metropolitan area, the Midwest Genealogy Center has a large collection of documents, books and resources from both the Midwest and beyond. Even though all my darts had missed the target, why not one more try?
So I sent yet another email to yet another source quite frankly not holding out much hope. Within a few hours I received a response that they did not have the archive in their holdings. Of course, story of my life. But when they looked in WorldCat they were able to determine that the archive was in the Special Collections Department of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Success! After months of searching, I had found the war time correspondence of my Civil War-era grandfather. Sadly, I realized that if I had only gone to my local library I could have probably learned of the archives whereabouts much sooner, but then the moment of finding them would not have been as sweet.
This need for an instant answer does not bode well for my genealogy research…or my nerves. I try to remain patient when conducting my research, but I must admit that it is pretty difficult. This was especially true when researching my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Philip Kuhn.
I am lucky enough to have received some information on Philip through my family. I knew that Philip had been a musician for the 120th Ohio Regiment during the Civil War and I did what research I could on the Internet to find out more about him and his wife, Bertha. But not being able to travel to their home states of Ohio and Kansas, I finally came to a wall. I thought that Philip and Bertha Kuhn were just another example of family history disappeared. I stopped researching the pair and moved on to other branches of my tree.
I’m not sure what made me Google “Philip Reymer Kuhn” a few months later, but I was not disappointed. My search came up with an interesting hit: “Letters, 1863-1865 by Philip Kuhn.” Awestruck, I quickly followed the link and landed on a citation on WorldCat, a website that lists the holdings of libraries across the country. The citation was for an archive of information that included letters from Philip to Bertha during the war and a photocopy of his discharge, among other things. I could not believe my luck! On the WorldCat system you are able to find the libraries that maintain the holding you are interested in, but in my case, no library was listed.
The citation listed a myriad of interesting information, except for the crucial detail of location. Thus began my obsession with “Letters.” Knowing of the letters existence I was now like a donkey with a dangling carrot. But I was unfamiliar with the WorldCat system and had no idea how to track down the archive.
I started by considering that a library or historical society close to where Philip and Bertha had lived would have been gifted the archive. I knew that they had lived in Ohio during the war, but soon after moved to Missouri and Kansas, finally settling in Baldwin City, Kansas. I sent an email to the Baldwin City Library and the Douglas County, Kansas, Historical Society thinking that Philip and Bertha would have kept the letters until they passed. Perhaps the Society or library would know of such an archive.
I received a quick response from the history resources volunteer of the Baldwin City Library: they did not have the letters. The library was able to send me Philip’s obituary which mentioned that his children attended Baker University. Could this connection with the university mean that my documents were in their library?
Well, the answer is no. And the University of Kansas is also located in Douglas County and has a large collection of Kansas documents but there was no record of the archive there either. There was no knowledge on any community genealogy message boards and no further information on WorldCat, despite having tried numerous times hoping that just maybe more information would be posted.
I am nothing if not tenacious, but even I was beginning to feel that my brick wall may very well be one I could not scale. It was about this time that my father sent me a newspaper article from the Kansas City Star about the genealogy library in Independence, Missouri. A part of the Mid-Continent Public Library System of the Kansas City metropolitan area, the Midwest Genealogy Center has a large collection of documents, books and resources from both the Midwest and beyond. Even though all my darts had missed the target, why not one more try?
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| A portion of a civil war-era letter from Philip Kuhn to his wife, Bertha. |
I immediately found the contact information for the McCormick Library of Special Collections and sent a request, along with the citation from WorldCat. Within two weeks a copy of the archive arrived. Only a genealogist would understand the anticipation and excitement I felt when the packet was delivered.
Savoring my success, I scoured through the documents which included several letters from Philip to Bertha, a letter from Bertha to Philip and a copy of his discharge from service, among other things. As genealogists we have many statistics on our ancestors: birth, marriage and death dates, cities and counties of residence, children’s names. But it is a truly rare instance to be able to fill the spaces with their actual thoughts, dreams and desires.
The archive was a wealth of information. Not only were the documents a first hand account of the events of the 1860s, but also a wealth of leads to which I could find out more about Philip and Bertha Kuhn. I learned that Philip was a prisoner of war held by the Confederate Army in Camp Ford, Texas. I learned that Bertha was home alone with two young children for four years while Philip fought a war. Being a military member and spouse, as well as a mother, I felt a connection with Bertha that I had not before.
I did not come across this genealogical gem instantly, but I believe that my tendency to quick gratification fueled my desire and pushed me to continue researching, even if the road seemed a trifle crooked. I will take away several lessons from my adventures with Philip and Bertha, but the most important is that patience and creativity are keys to success in family research. Although it is not in my nature, I see now more than ever that the successful genealogist is the epitome of patience, and it sometimes takes a great success to make that patience worth while.
A Secret Gift, by Ted Gup: a book review
A Secret Gift, written by Ted Gup, is based on his investigation of a secret gift of charity made by his grandfather, Sam Stone, during the Depression. In 1933 Sam Stone ran an advertisement in the local Canton newspaper offering a small donation to needy families. The families only need write to his pseudonym, Mr. B. Virdot (a clever reference to his three daughters: Barbara, Virginia and Dorothry) and explain their situation. The entire project was anonymous as Stone felt that even though they were down on their luck, people still had pride.
The book is filled with insights into the everyday lives of Canton residents. From the destitute to the wealthy, the "Hard Times" touched everyone. Gup uses his investigative reporter skills to track down the descendants of each of the families that received the $5 gift. Along with their stories, Gup weaves through the book his search to clear up his grandfather's mysterious past.
While the division of chapters is often choppy, Gup does an effective job of weaving the stories of those Sam Stone helped with the story of discovering Stone's past. I chose to read the book because the story seemed like a great "good feeling" read, especially during the holiday season. I was not disappointed. Of course, not all of the families had stories that ended on a positive note, but the idea that someone put others before oneself brought a bright spot to my season. I wish that Gup had mentioned more of the steps he took to find the recipients of his grandfather's gifts and their descendants, but I suppose that would have narrowed down the audience too much. Overall, I would recommend this book to any fan of genealogy or history.
The book is filled with insights into the everyday lives of Canton residents. From the destitute to the wealthy, the "Hard Times" touched everyone. Gup uses his investigative reporter skills to track down the descendants of each of the families that received the $5 gift. Along with their stories, Gup weaves through the book his search to clear up his grandfather's mysterious past.
While the division of chapters is often choppy, Gup does an effective job of weaving the stories of those Sam Stone helped with the story of discovering Stone's past. I chose to read the book because the story seemed like a great "good feeling" read, especially during the holiday season. I was not disappointed. Of course, not all of the families had stories that ended on a positive note, but the idea that someone put others before oneself brought a bright spot to my season. I wish that Gup had mentioned more of the steps he took to find the recipients of his grandfather's gifts and their descendants, but I suppose that would have narrowed down the audience too much. Overall, I would recommend this book to any fan of genealogy or history.
Monday, January 3, 2011
John Wilkes Booth's DNA
I read an article today in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, reprinted from the Philadelphia Inquirer and written by Edward Colimore, titled: "For Booth kin, the proof is in the DNA." The article reports that the descendants of John Wilkes Booth's brother, Edwin, are trying to once and for all settle a debate about whether John Wilkes Booth was really killed in a tobacco barn in Port Royal, Virginia in 1865, or that he survived and went on to lead a long life in relative obscurity. Their plan is to resume Edwin Booth's remains and compare them to suspected DNA samples of John Wilkes Booth's remains. By comparing the samples the family hopes to put to rest the question of what really happened to John Wilkes Booth.
This is an interesting case for the use of DNA and genealogical research. If the samples do not significantly match then everything that Lincoln scholars, history books and television shows have always taken as fact will suddenly be wrong. The important lesson for genealogists to take from this story is that you can not always accept everything as fact. I have seen many researchers "cut and paste" genealogical information they find in various places without the least bit of research to prove its proof. Now, the John Wilkes Booth case is an extreme example of this, and how would scholars have really known otherwise? I just think it is a great opportunity to remind ourselves to check and double check our facts.
Here's hoping that the Booth family will find the answers they seek and the dilemma can be put to rest.
This is an interesting case for the use of DNA and genealogical research. If the samples do not significantly match then everything that Lincoln scholars, history books and television shows have always taken as fact will suddenly be wrong. The important lesson for genealogists to take from this story is that you can not always accept everything as fact. I have seen many researchers "cut and paste" genealogical information they find in various places without the least bit of research to prove its proof. Now, the John Wilkes Booth case is an extreme example of this, and how would scholars have really known otherwise? I just think it is a great opportunity to remind ourselves to check and double check our facts.
Here's hoping that the Booth family will find the answers they seek and the dilemma can be put to rest.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Baldwin City, Kansas home
I recently received a packet of old photos from a cousin, which included a photo of a house. Written on the photo is Baldwin, Kansas, and on the back someone wrote Baldwin home. Is this familar to anyone? I would love to know if this house is still standing. I believe that the Kuhn family lived in this home, in the early 1900s, but I am not sure.
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