Sharing - My Project List

Yesterday, I posted about the importance of sharing versus "hoarding" the results of our research. In the interest of full disclosure here's a list of my completed, in-progress, and future family history projects:

"Who We Are and How We Got This Way - Volume 1: Alan Samuel" (my dad)

"Who We Are and How We Got This Way - Volume 2: Doris Lichtenthal" (my mom)

 Volumes 1 and 2 have been in draft form since at least 2014. Hopefully, I can return to them once I complete my current project.

"Who We Are and How We Got This Way - Volume 3: The Sixth Family"
This volume will share the story of me and my siblings.

"Reparations" 

Still in "the hopper" is the story of my grandfather, Paul Lichtenthal, who was imprisoned in Dachau and Buchenwald. I successfully obtained some reparations for my mother, the culmination of a lifetime effort by Paul and his father, Sigmund Lichtenthal.

"You Can't Fall Off the Floor - and Other Musings"
Not necessarily a typical family history, this book idea is inspired by something my Dad once told me.

"Our Archipelago - newly edited edition" 
In 2016, my sister-in-law and I published a new edition of our father-in-law's family history book, originally written in 1976.

"Letters Home"
In 2015, I published a volume of letters written by my mother. I found them in a shoebox after her passing in 2011. The letters, written home to her mother, chronicle the two years she spent as a young wife and new mom in Japan, 1955-1956.

"Mom, Minis, and Me"
Almost ready to print!! A short history of the miniatures hobby shared by my mom and myself.

"Sweet Grandmother or Slick Swindler?"
This story has consumed me for at least two years. A chance finding of a newspaper article while working on "Our Archipelago" led me on a fascinating journey into the life of my husband's great-grandmother. Known to the family as "a sweet, gentle, almost frail woman", she apparently spent years running con games throughout Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri during the late 1890s and early 1900s. The book is in its final edit and I can't wait to share the finished product!

You're WHAT Kind of Hoarder?

I teach in an Adult Education program. In my morning class today, we were talking about the importance of being life-long learners. I told my students I was a hoarder of information. "You're WHAT?", they asked. "What does that mean?"

I went on to explain that I really enjoy learning for learning's sake. Especially related to my genealogy hobby. I attend webinars. I read lots of blogs and subscribe to numerous digests.  I attend workshops and the occasional conference. I belong to a genealogy society. Of course, I'm on Facebook as well. And - I save everything!!!! Here's a snippet of what my "Genealogy Resources" folder looks like:

The folders at the top contain material related to some of the online courses I have taken as well as the "Finding Your Roots" course I developed years ago for a high school "mini-course" I taught. There are PDFs related to materials from webinars I have viewed. There a few spreadsheets; the most important are helpful tips and lists of resources I have used in the past. That's just the stuff that fit in the screenshot! I won't bore you with the minutia of everything I have "hoarded" in this folder.

I have learned SO MUCH from all the instruction I have received from "famous" genealogists (you might recognize a few names in my screenshot) and generous "geneabloggers." (genealogy bloggers) Pretty much, up till recently, I have "hoarded" my knowledge, applying what I have learned to my own research.

It's time to start sharing. I have many projects "in the hopper." Knowing all these things about my family history does my family no good if I don't share it.

Recently, I have begun helping a friend research her family. Sharing some of the strategies I have learned has re-energized me. Showing her "best practices" reminds me of the importance of citing my sources and making "reasonably exhaustive searches." In short, helping others makes me a better genealogist.

What family stories are you hoarding? What knowledge and skills can you impart? Sharing helps make our genealogy community a better place!

TBT (Throwback Thursday) - Family History Month

This is one of my favorite pictures. I am proudly standing on the lawn of what was then called Southern Connecticut State College. No idea who took the photo, probably my best friend, Doreen.

It was some point in 1973 during my freshman year. I was 18. It's tough to tell, but those are indeed platform shoes! Not just your everyday platforms though. These were green, yellow and red patent leather. I was a college girl, so I toned down the outfit I usually wore with those shoes. Swap out the yellow socks for a pair with green, red and yellow stripes. Then switch the skirt for a pair of hot pants made (by me) from one yard of emerald green polyester. Sure wish I had a picture of that outfit!

Wordless Wednesday - My Great-Grandfather's shop - Then and Now

The SPIEGEL building - The original store opened around 1895 in Semarang, Indonesia - Before renovation - 2011
http://smgpras.blogspot.com/2011/04/winkel-maatschapphij-h-spiegel-remaing.html

SPIEGEL building now houses the SPIEGEL Bar and Bistro -after renovation - 2017.
https://gapuradigital.withgoogle.com/workshops/semarang

YouTube Video: Renovations 2015

YouTube Video: SPIEGEL Bar and Bistro Opening

Tombstone Tuesday - Family History Month

The closest thing to a family plot I have found is in Sharon Gardens, the Jewish section of the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. Buried together there are both my paternal grandparents, my aunt, and my great-aunt and uncle.

My paternal grandfather

My paternal grandmother

Constance was my grandmother's sister. Her husband was Emanuel Victor Margand.
The story of their deaths is told in an earlier blog post:(https://whoweareandhowwegotthisway.blogspot.com/2013/10/constance-connie-kesner.html#more)

Jessica Jean Samuel Gray, my Dad's sister and the daughter of Edgar and Hortense is also buried in this plot. She passed away at the age of 78 on March 26, 2014. I really need to return to this cemetery and take a photo of her stone.

Memento Monday

Family history is not just a collection of vital records - the who, what and when. For me, it's more about the why and the how. Those items we have so lovingly saved help round out the stories of our ancestors. There's something about holding your great-grandmother's slippers that cements that family connection.

My mom was the "curator" of our family "museum" and I am privileged to continue that tradition. Luckily, my husband understands the importance of family. Otherwise, he might not be so supportive of the numerous items that reside in our home.

Today's post is about one of the first items my mother, Doris Lichtenthal Falcone held in her own hands after entering this country from Austria in September 1938. Here, in her words, is the story of her emigration. (Years ago, my daughter, Caitlin interviewed her grandmother for a school project. The following is an excerpt from that interview)

I left Austria in 1938 at the age of 6. The Nazis came, took over our apartment and put my father in Concentration Camp.” 

Doris' 1938 Passport photo

“I think it was night time. I remember looking out the window and seeing a big hotel on fire. Wasn't really sure where we were going. Ended up in Holland. At some relatives of people that worked for the Holland-America Line. Think he was a ship captain. Holland was great - so clean so beautiful. Had a really nice time. Next thing I knew we were on a ship. The thing was rolling. I was sick. My mother was fine – she was having orange juice. I told her to tell the captain to stop the ship because I want to get off. Think it was the channel. Stopped at England somewhere.  Then went on to United States. I don’t really remember getting off the boat. Relatives came and took us home. It was 1938. Terrible hurricane. We were in Merrick, Long Island. All I remember is being in the basement and my aunt gave me a candle-holder to hold. It was a terrible hurricane. – still have the candle-holder. Yea- that was our trip. Then we went to New Rochelle because my mother’s brother was the manager of the apartment house. And that’s where we stayed.”

It's Family History Month!!

October is a pretty good month. It starts out with my baby brother's birthday on the 1st, our adorable granddaughter's birthday smack-dab in the middle (shared with my best friend from high school - we've been friends for more than 47 years!!), and ends with one of my favorite holidays. There's also the birthdays of my big brother, one of my hilarious nephews, and my grandmother, who's been gone for 45 years.

It's also bulk pick-up month in our town. Today I decided to tackle one of the upstairs closets to see what I could toss out. I did get rid of a bunch of stuff, but I also found some long-forgotten items. One of them, the painting posted below, got me thinking about this blog which has been pretty neglected of late, I decided I would try to resurrect it, at least for this month which is Family History Month.

I am going to try to post something every day this month, even if it's just a funny cartoon or a period. (I love my nephew- when he traveled a few years back, his mom begged him to stay in touch. He did as requested. He texted her a period. Yup, just the punctuation mark 😁!)

You can help me too. If you have a question about someone/something in our family or just a general genealogy question, let me know. If I don't know the answer, I'll try to find out.

Peggy's Reverse Painting - The Owl