JGSCT Presentation - Sunday Oct. 15 - "Sex, Lies, and Genealogical Tape"

I am really looking forward to Sunday's talk at the JGSCT (Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut.) Ron Arons will be giving his talk "Sex, Lies, and Genealogical Tape. Ron tours the country giving educational and entertaining presentations on Jewish criminals and Jewish genealogy. (I stole that description straight from his website.)

One my favorites was on Mind Mapping - using a graphic organizer to help solve complex problems. Using this tool, I was able to untangle a really complicated scenario. Yup - of course - my current project, my husband's great-grandmother! (Seriously - her life story is addictive!)

To the left of the mind map are the questions I needed to answer.
The right side lists all the aliases Catherine used and the censuses she appeared in

This mind map helped me to compare the information from some of the many newspaper articles I found about Catherine.

On Sunday, Ron will present a case study where the subject lies on pretty much every document on which he was listed. Now I'm not saying Catherine purposely lied, but I would have to say she played fast and loose with the truth. As a result, trying to recreate an accurate chronology of her life has been a tad tricky. 

I'm looking forward to finding out how Ron finally untangled his ancestor's story.

By the way, the JGSCT meeting is free and open to the public. (I probably should have posted this earlier!!) 

For more information on the JGSCT and to get information on the time and location, click here.

Then and Now - Virtual Field Trips!

Today's post is inspired by Marian Burk Wood. Yesterday on her blog, Climbing My Family Tree, Marian suggested taking "virtual field trips. " Using Google Maps, this is pretty easy. Of course, you do need to have an idea of where your ancestor lived. Below are then (1938-ish) and now shots of the apartment house my mother, her parents, and her grandmother lived. The address is 43 Silbergasse in Vienna, Austria. It's pretty cool to have the original photo to compare to. This is especially thrilling to me because I am planning to visit Vienna this coming summer!! The roof lines look a little different and there looks to be some changes to the balconies. The basic footprint seems to be the same though.

"Silbergasse 43". 2017. Silbergasse 43. Accessed October 12 2017. https://www.google.com/maps/

Another website to check out is "What Was There?" This website is tied to Google Maps, so you can locate current places. But, if you're lucky, someone may have also uploaded pictures of the places you're looking for as they appeared throughout the years. I haven't had much success finding specific addresses I'm researching, but I have been able to sense of the history of a certain area through this website.

Have fun on your virtual trips!!

My "Golden Rules of Genealogy"

In January 2015, I decided to participate in the Genealogy Do-Over sponsored by Thomas MacEntee. (Info on the 2017 version here.)

One of the first assignments was to create our own "Golden Rules of Genealogy." Here's my list:

* PICKHOLTZ' RULES: "...to prevent jumping to conclusions, when you don't have full documentation....

even when you are sure you know, don't record it until you have one more piece of evidence." – Israel Pickholtz 

It's been almost 3 years since I created this list, the purpose of which is to help me establish and maintain good practices. I've stuck to most of my "Golden Rules" pretty well. Here's where I'm still struggling:

#1:  I haven't really scheduled specific times to work. That's tricky to do when I pretty much am always working on my projects!

#2: Um- I forgot what I meant by this one!! Maybe I meant to choose one way of naming files and stick with it? Let's go with that - because I am doing it!

#3: Because I try to follow #8, I often revisit documents for verification purposes. After I get clarification on the information, I put the document back where it came from. (most of the time!)

#4: I was so good about this at the beginning! Then it seemed cumbersome. Now I'm suffering for my laziness because I have information scattered about and I have to check and recheck to be sure I have included all my findings in my current project.

#5: I'm doing it. It's annoying. But crucial.

#6: I have only thing on my To-Do list right now: finish the final draft of my current project!!!

#7: Almost blew this one last week. I have been so focused on the details of the story I am writing, I overlooked a crucial piece of information. Only took me two years to realize it!!

#8: This could also be called " How to Paralyze a Genealogist." I haven't been able to find birth and marriage records for the main subject of my current project.  I don't want to present inaccurate information. As a result, I allowed myself to stall the project. Luckily, I got great advice from Lisa Alzo during the Genealogy Writing Intensive I enrolled in. She helped me realize that, while having all the information is, of course, ideal, I might never find the vital records and in that case, the story might never be told! So - I included an explanation of what was missing and resumed writing!!

#9: I don't get tired. Only kidding - no more working into the early morning hours for me. My eyes wear out and my fingers start type things that are completely unintelligible.

#10: Um - that's why I'm posting every day this month!! In the event someone actually asks for my help or for some information, I'm thrilled to share. (Ask my friends and family - it's hard to stop me right,?)

#11: I have gotten soooo much better at this. While it is thrilling to discover the information on your own, sometimes it's just faster (and cost-efficient) to ask for help. Perhaps that will be a future post - helpful resources.

Writing about my current status regarding my "Golden Rules" has re-energized me. I'll do better now. Really.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Family Tree

Teaser: Soon to be Finished Story - "Slick Swindler or Sweet Grandma?"*

Yesterday I mentioned that I was very busy working on a project about my husband's great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen. Here is a teaser, from the first paragraphs of the book:

~   

     “She had an inordinate desire to be prominent in society,” testified Catherine’s soon-to-be ex-husband, William Seeley, “and my limited salary was not sufficient to permit her to assume the role her ambition prompted.”

     After nearly 30 years of marriage, William was done. In March 1889, he filed for a divorce from his wife, the former Catherine Kenney. He loved his daughters, Ida Mae and Katherine Pearl, and while he didn’t want to bring disgrace upon the family, William was beginning to fear for his life.

     He was sitting at their dining room table, in their well-appointed home on Quality Hill, a prestigious neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri when Catherine appeared in the doorway with one arm under the other. “What’s the matter, Ma?”, William asked. “Carrying your arm in a sling?” Catherine said nothing but began purring over him. “What are you hugging me for?”, he asked. At that, Catherine pulled back William’s coat, shoved a pistol under his arm and snapped it. The gun didn’t go off. Catherine ran from the room, uttered a loud scream and locked herself in her bedroom.

     William left the house, found his daughter Ida sitting on the lawn and informed her that her mother had shot at him. 

      Ida was nearly 30. She was certainly of an age to be independent of her parents. But Katherine, nicknamed Kitty, was only 15. What would become of her if William broke up the family?

~

I have been researching Catherine for well over two years. Every time I think I'm finished another surprising piece of the story surfaces. I'm pretty sure I'm ready to call the current rewrite the "final version." I hope so - I have so many other projects to finish!!

* A friend of mine suggested I call the story "Bad Grandma!" Certainly, a more catchy title - but not so sure relatives will appreciate it. 😏 Hopefully, a better title will emerge as I work through the final draft!

Don't Kick Us Out of the SAR! (Sons of the American Revolution)

Yesterday I attended a presentation given by the local DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution.) No - not for my family - the furthest back this 100% Ashkenazi Jew goes in America is 1859 when Aaron Samuel arrived in Hoboken, NJ from England, with his wife and 9 children.

I was there with a friend of mine who really is a full-blown, descendant of an American Patriot. I did, however, have an agenda. In 1951 my husband's uncle, John Winchester Holman, Jr., applied for and obtained membership in the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR.) Now, mind you, I have no particular interest in becoming a card-carrying member of a lineage society. But I do love a challenge. I especially love challenging incorrect material and faulty conclusions.

Carrying On a Family Tradition - Peach and Plum Cake

Almost every year from 1963 through 2011, my mother made our fall favorite: Peach and Plum cakes. There were two versions - one rectangular, with a thin crust. The other, made in a springform pan with a thicker crust. I'm a thicker crust kind of girl.

The images to the left and right are from Mom's cookbook. She added the date every year when she made our cakes. Some years, grandchildren helped her and their names are included with the dates.

The photo above shows a half-eaten thin crust. Those are my hands!! This was probably taken sometime in the 90s.

Mom passed away in 2011, but the tradition continues. This year, my youngest daughter, my niece and my granddaughter ( the fourth generation!)  carried on "Omi's Legacy." Amazing to think these cakes have been baked in that very same kitchen for 54 years!

I thought about cropping myself out of this but
it's THREE GENERATIONS!!!

What "foodie" family traditions are observed in your family? Have you documented the stories behind them?