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Allen County
Library in Fort Wayne to close for a little while
The Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Library will close
for relocation on Saturday, December 14, 2002 at PM. The department will
remain closed through the month of January 2003. This will allow time to
move all their materials to their interim location. The current building
will be going through renovation and expansion.
Research material will be available up until Saturday, December 14 at
P.M. At that time the department will be closed so they can move all
their materials to the interim location. When the library opens at that
location, they will have all their books, microforms and periodicals ready
for research.
The interim location of the Allen County Public Library will be at 200
East Berry St., Fort Wayne, Indiana. Locally, it is called Renaissance
Square. It is five blocks to the east from the current library. There
will be limited free parking available; there is also a pay parking garage
across the street and more than 150 metered spaces in close proximity.
One of the most exciting things about the interim location is that the
genealogy collection will be a browsing collection. All materials will be
out and available for the researcher to retrieve them. Materials will not
have to be paged; the shelves will be opened. The projected time frame
for being in the interim location is 2-3 years.
Visiting the library web site
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us or phone the department at 260-421-1225 is
the best way to get current relocation information. For further
information, please phone the department or email Curt Witcher, Manager,
Historical Genealogy Department-ACPL at
cwitcher@acpl.lib.in.us or
Susan Kaufman Tavenner, Librarian, Historical Genealogy Department at
skaufman@acpl.lib.in.us.
The Legend The Legend of the Candy Cane
A Christian in England, legend says, invented the candy cane, in the 7th
Century. At that time the government would not let people celebrate
Christmas, so a candy maker made a cane shaped like a shepherd's crook to
be a secret symbol of Jesus.
The three small stripes represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; the
large red stripe is for the life of Jesus that He gave for us. The candy
is a double gift; a sweet treat and a symbol of Christmas.
Thanks to The Stovall Journal, 6377 Limewood Ave., Memphis, TN 38134.
Among the first "Germans" captured at Normandy were several Koreans.
They had been forced to fight for the Japanese Army until they were
captured by Germans and forced to fight for the German Army until the US
Army captured them.
The Graf Spee never sank. The scuttling attempt failed, and the British
bought the ship as scrap. On board was Germany's newest radar system.
A malfunctioning toilet sank the German Submarine U-120.
The Russians destroyed over 500 German aircraft by ramming them in midair
(they sometimes cleared mine fields by marching over them). "It takes a
brave man not to be a hero in the Red Army." Joseph Stalin.
German ME-624 bombers were capable of bombing New York City, but they
thought it wasn't worth the effort.
The MISS ME was an unarmed Piper Cub. While spotting for US artillery,
her pilot saw a similar German plane doing the same thing. He dove on the
German plane. He and his copilot fired their pistols, damaging the German
plane enough that it had to make a forced landing. The Piper Cub's crew
landed and took the Germans prisoner. It is not clear were they put the
prisoners since the MISS ME only had two seats.
The first German serviceman killed in the war was killed by the Japanese
(China, 1937); the first American serviceman killed by the Russians
(Finland, 1940); the highest-ranking American killed was Lt. Gen. Lesley
McNair, killed by the US Army Corps.
The youngest US serviceman was 12-year-old Calvin Graham, USN. He was
wounded in combat and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his
age. (An Act of Congress later restored his benefits.)
At the time of Pearl Harbor, the top US Navy command was called CINCUS
(pronounced "sink-us"); the shoulder patch of the US Army's 45th Infantry
Division was a Swastika, and Hitler's private train was named "Amerika."
All three were soon changed for public relations reasons.
Thanks to The Stovall Journal, 6377 Limewood Ave., Memphis, TN 38134.
Rules for our ancestors or How to Confuse Your Descendants
1. Thou shalt name your male children: James, John, Joseph, Josiah, Abel,
Richard, Thomas, William.
2. Thou shalt name your female children: Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Maria,
Sarah, Ida, Virginia, May.
3. Thou shalt leave NO trace of your female children.
4. Thou shalt, after naming your children from the above list, call them
by strange nicknames such as: Ike, Eli, Polly, Dolly, Sukey, making them
difficult to trace.
5. Thou shalt NOT use any middle names on any legal documents or census
reports, and only where necessary you may use only initials on legal
documents.
6. Thou shalt learn to sign all documents illegibly so that your surname
can be spelled or misspelled, in various ways: Hicks, Hix, Hixe, Hucks,
Kicks.
7. Thou shalt, after no more than 3 generations, make sure that all family
records are lost, misplaced, burned in a courthouse fire, or buried so
that NO future trace of them can be found.
8. Thou shalt propagate misleading legends, rumors, and vague innuendos
regarding your place of origination.
A. You may have come from: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales or Iran.
B. You may have American Indian Ancestry of the ?? tribe.
C. You may have descended from one of three brothers that came from____.
9. Thou shalt leave NO cemetery record, or headstones with legible names.
10. Thou shalt leave NO family Bible with records of birth, marriages, or
death.
11. Thou shalt ALWAYS flip thy name around. If born James Albert, thou
must make all the rest of thy records in the names of Albert, AJ, JA, AL,
Bert, Bart or Alfred.
12. Thou must also flip thy parent's names when making references to them,
although "Unknown" or a blank line is an acceptable alternative.
13. Thou shalt name at least 5 generations of males, and dozens of their
cousins with identical names in order to totally confuse researchers.
Thanks to The Prospector, PO BOX 1929, Las Vegas, NV 89125-1929.
Here is quick tip
Perhaps this is obvious to others, but it wasn't (initially) to me. If
you are looking for a name, and quotation marks to limit the number of
hits you get on the Web (i.e., "John Smith"), you should also reverse the
order and try the search the other way (i.e., "Smith, John").
If your ancestor is on a list somewhere that is alphabetized by the last
name, the second search may find him, but the first won't. I found my
great-grandfather on a list of documents held at the Museum of the
Confederacy, and without doing the search with the names reversed I would
not have found that reference.
Thanks to Kate Johnson and to The Prospector, PO BOX 1929, Las Vegas, NV
89125-1929.
Linnie Elizabeth Horn Boyd departed this life in her 86th year on
Thursday, August 8, 2002, after a prolonged illness. Born April 30, 1916,
in Bakersfield, Missouri, she was the daughter of Francis Marion Horn and
Eller Mae Nicks.
In her teens she was elected the Grand Worthy Advisor for the Oklahoma
Grand Assembly of the International Order of the Rainbow Girls. She was a
graduate of Oklahoma State University, Class of 1938. She was also a life
member of Kappa Alpha Theta.
During WWII she was a statistician for Mid-Continent Oil and Gas
Association at the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
Her husband of 58 years The Reverend William D. Boyd, two sons, one
daughter, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren survive her.
Anne Boyd of Australia died 1 June 2002 at home after valiantly
battling breast cancer for 16 months. Her beloved husband Michael J. Boyd
of Australia, Historian for House of Boyd Society, son Andrew Boyd, and
daughter Leighanne Boyd survive her.
Doris Mae Dunn, born April 7, 1931 in Glen Burnie, Maryland, died
Tuesday the 28th of May 2002 in Laughlin, Nevada; Doris had been diagnosed
with Pancreatic Cancer just weeks before her death.
Doris graduated from nursing school in 1953 and began her long career as a
registered nurse. In 1961 she joined the US Air Force to learn, travel
and serve. She retired a Lt. Colonel in 1981.
During her time in the Air Force she applied for flight school upon
completing flight school in 1964 she went to Japan to fly air evacuation
missions to Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
In 1965 Doris was sent to Viet Nam to evacuate wounded. She actually set
up the air evacuation system and was the only female Air Force nurse
there. She never lost a single patient.
She then went to the Philippines to work with pygmies. She taught them
health and midwifery.
Doris assisted her sister, Terri Boyd, in hosting the Boyd tent at events
for many years. They also vended at the games in several states at their
booth "Celtic Tinkers."
Three sisters and one brother survive her.
Ruth Armstrong was living what appeared to be a healthy life, full
of activities, when she suffered a massive heart attack in May of this
year. She died a few days later on May 17, 2002. Her ashes are buried in
the family plot. The members of the Clan MacDougall Society of North
America will miss her.
Marjorie Jean McLeod, R.N., passed away Monday, May 20, 2002, in
Toronto, Canada. Marjorie was a retired Nursing Administrator in the "K"
Wing of Sunnybrook Hospital.
She held memberships in many societies and was a founding member of the
Clan MacDougall Society, Ontario Chapter since 1982 and was the editor of
the Chapter newsletter.
Marjorie was a founding member and Director of Clan MacDougall Society,
Inc. She and here sister Margaret received the "Somerled Award" in 1998
of Outstanding Service to the Clan MacDougall Society.
David W. McDowell passed away on July 29, 2002, at the age of 64
after a brief battle with cancer.
David attended Princeton University as well as Park College in Kansas
City, Missouri, earning a BA in Physics. He worked briefly for McDonnell
Aircraft before becoming one of the first 600 Peace Corps volunteers in
1961.
David McDowell's zest for life was contagious. He dearly loved his
family, friends, classical music, travel and the game of golf. He became
interested in researching his Scottish ancestry and paying an active role
in MacDougall Clan gatherings at Scottish Games across the country. He
also enjoyed composing music and poetry. He wrote two plays and recently
completed an autobiographical book on his Peace Corps experience.
His wife, Diane Kenny McDowell, his three daughters, a grandson and his
brother, survives David.
Why do we see and hear bagpipes at funerals so often?
The connection of bagpipes at police funerals dates back to the American
colonies and our ties to British Isles and Ireland.
Revolutionary war soldiers were British subjects, and brought over their
traditions. One of those traditions was using bagpipes to lead the troops
into battle.
Eric Rigler, a professional piper, and former pipe major of the Los
Angeles Police Department Pipe Band, continued, "British police and fire
departments were derived from the army and America adopted the same
bagpipe tradition."
"The use of bagpipes in police functions is more pervasive on the East
Coast, where there is a strong ethnic influence of English, Irish and
Scottish descendants in law enforcement."
At police department events, whether celebration of holiday and academy
graduation, or sorrowful commemorations.
Genealogy lessons at
www.GRAonline.com.
Now, GRA and Family History Radio have teamed up to ring you an entire
genealogy curriculum. You can learn how to do genealogy in the
convenience of your own home.to do genealogy in the convenience of your
own home.to do genealogy in the convenience of your own home.
Be reunited on TV!
Ancestry.com is working with the national television media to reunite long
lost friends and family members (using Ancestry.com data of course!), and
we want to know who YOU would love to be reunited with.
Tell us your story. It can be anyone from your recent past. A family
member, best friend, lost love, schoolteacher, or military buddy!
Now you can be "Cornwall Connected"
Radio Cornwall launched "Cornwall Connected" on Sunday 29th September at
3-6pm. "With 6 million people around the globe claiming Cornish ancestry,
it's right that they should be able to have this direct link with the
Homeland," said Chris Blout, the host of the program.
Listen to it at 10 AM Sunday or to 1 hour at a time of the archived
programs at your leisure. Go to
www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/uncovered/stories/cornwall_connected.
Thanks to The Cornish Crier, 5 Hampton Court, Neptune, NJ 07753-5672.
Furnam Bonnell ("F.B") McFee passed away on August 23, 2002. He
was one of the original members of the Macfie Clan Society of America.
Joel Nathan Chase MacAfee passed away on August 31, 2002, at the
age of 30 in Houston, Texas. As a member of Clan Macfie Society of
America, he and his sister performed at the "Dancing MacAfees."
Betty (McDuffee) Eakins passed away on September 20, 2002 at the
age of 77 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She was a descendant of John and
Cornelia (Decker) McDuffee line who immigrated to VanEtten, New York are
to New Jersey in the 1820s.
Want to know more about the signers of The Declaration of Independence?
For biographies of each of the signers of The Declaration of Independence,
check out these web sites: Colonial Hall - A look at America's Founders:
http://www.colonialhall.com/index.asp, Singers of The Declaration of
Independence at:
http://sites.netscape.net/victaylor01/SignersDofIsketch.htm, and The
Political Graveyard at:
http://polygon.intranet.org/tpg/.
What is a Genealogist?
A genealaogist is...A full-time detective. A thorough historian. An
inveterate snoop. A confirmed diplomat. A keen observer. A hardened
skeptic. An apt biographer. A qualified linguist. A part-time lawyer.
A studious sociologist. An accurate reporter. A hieroglyphic expert.
And a complete nut!
Thanks to The Longmont Heritage Newsletter.
A Native American Legend...
If you have a secret wish, find a butterfly and whisper your wish. When
you let the butterfly go, it will carry your wish to the Great Spirit.
Thanks to The Tazwell County Genealogical and Historical Society
Newsletter, PO Box 312, Pekin, IL 61555-0312.
An ancestor in the Cavalry ancestors?
The U.S. Horse Cavalry Association offers biographical sketches of all
cavalrymen from the Revolutionary War through WWII, when the cavalry was
disbanded.
Write to them at PO Box 6254, Ft. Bliss, TX 79906 or try the Internet.
Thanks to The Larimer County Genealogical Society Newsletter.
Real estate tax bill can help find ancestors
Real estate tax bills can provide clues to other important records. Such
a tax list point to deeds and property sales, census records, voter
registration lists, city directories, telephone directories, newspaper
records, school and employment records, and other materials.
In addition, don't overlook tax exemption records, such as a homestead
exemption. Such exemptions usually take the form of an excluded or
exempted fixed amount of property value when the assessed value is
calculated. As a result, the real estate tax amount is decreased. The
importance of a homestead application, however, is that it provides the
names, addresses and specific dates of residence of the owners.
Thanks to George Morgan, Ancestry.com.
Not just obituaries
When her Dad died, Kate Reeves of Mountain Center, California, was upset
that the newspaper in the next town did not carry his obituary. Then she
realized that, in fact, there was a long front-page article about him and
his various accomplishments and elective positions.
If you are checking newspapers, don't just look at the obituary page,
particularly if the person being sought was well known in the local area.
The death may be classified under "news."
Thanks to George Morgan, Ancestry.com.
P. William Filby died November 2, 2002 in Savage, Maryland. He was
born in Cambridge, England in 1911 and came to America shortly after his
marriage to Vera Ruth Weakliem in 1957
Mr. Filby is well-known in the genealogical community for his major
publication: American and British Genealogy and Heraldry, editions
published in 1970, 1976, and 1986; and Passenger and Immigration Lists
Index, this 3 volume set coauthored with Mary K. Meyer was published in
1981 and followed by annual supplements thereafter.
Though he passed from us, he will long be remembered through his wonderful
contributions to genealogical research.
What city lies on two continents?
An interesting article in National Geographic points out some very
revealing facts about the lower Bosporus. The city on its banks that
began as Byzantium became Constantinople during Roman times and today is
known as Istanbul.
The northwestern part of the city is in Europe and the southwestern part
lies in Turkey-Asia. So, the answer to our question of, "What city lies
on two continents?"...it's Istanbul!
Thanks to The Immigrant Genealogy Society Newsletter, PO Box 7369,
Burbank, CA 91510-7369.
Naming order of children English and Welsh, 1700-1879
First daughter- named after the mother's mother (maternal grandmother).
Second daughter- named after the father's mother. Third daughter- named
after the mother. Fourth daughter- named after the mother's oldest
sister. First son - named after the father's father. Second son - named
after the mother's father. Third son - named after the father. Fourth
son - named after the father's eldest brother.
Exceptions apply if there was a duplication of given name. In that case
the practice was to skip to the next name on the list.
Thanks to Ke Ku'auhau, PO Box 235039, Honolulu, HI 96823-3500.
"I would like to
believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows
seed every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is
adding to future life. It is the tree's way of being. Strongly rooted
perhaps, but spilling out its treasure on the wind."
Mary Sarton 1912-1995
One's age should
be tranquil, as childhood should be playful.
Hard work at either extremity of life seems out of place.
At midday the sun may burn, and men labor under it;
But the morning and evening should be alike calm and cheerful.
Thomas Arnold, educator 1795-1842 |
