Genealogy from Quilts

 Genealogy tip for today: Genealogy from Quilts

 

 

When it comes to odd sources for genealogy this one is probably the best: Quilts. I am sure it is probably one of the least expected. And of course, not everyone will have or find one.

This is one of those unexpected treasures, but at the same time are not primary documents. I’m not sure that information from one of these would hold up as proof for a DAR lineage. But at the same time, you might find information on one of these that you wouldn’t find any where else. For example, in the case of a court house fire, you might be able to track down a date for a wedding, but other information may have been lost. Who knows? That may be something you’d find on a quilt.

It’s too bad one isn’t required every time a young lady gets married. Quilts were often made and were a staple in days gone by, but they did not necessarily have family information written on them. 

Here are some links that I thought were fascinating and decided to share them with you. Each tells a slightly different story – but each capture history in a quilt that will now last for generations. I have worked on our family tree for so long now, that I subconsciously am alert to anything that comes along that may be genealogy related. But who would have thought you would find family data on a quilt! ENJOY!

Old Quilt provides a glimpse of history

Quilts a non traditional source of genealogy

Legacy quilt

Genealogy enthusiast finds family line on ancestry quilt

Grandma makes genealogy quilts

Information comes from unexpected places!

 

 

Today in History

454   In Italy, Aetius, the supreme army commander, is murdered in Ravenna by Valentinian III, the emperor of the West.

1327 Edward II of England is murdered by order of his wife.

1520 Suleiman (the Magnificent), son of Selim, becomes Ottoman sultan in Constantinople.

1589 The Duke of Mayenne of France is defeated by Henry IV at the Battle of Arques.

1673 James Needham returns to Virginia after exploring the land to the west, which would become Tennessee.

1745 A Scottish Jacobite army commanded by Lord George Murray routs the Royalist army of General Sir John Cope at Prestonpans.

1863 Union troops defeated at Chickamauga seek refuge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is then besieged by Confederate troops.

1904 Exiled Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph dies of a "broken heart".

1915 Stonehenge is sold by auction for 6,600 pounds sterling ($11,500) to a Mr. Chubb, who buys it as a present for his wife. He presents it to the British nation three years later.

1929 Fighting between China and the Soviet Union breaks out along the Manchurian border.

1936 The German army holds its largest maneuvers since 1914.

1937 The women's airspeed record is set at 292 mph by American pilot Jacqueline Cochran.

1937 J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Hobbit is published.

1941 The German Army cuts off the Crimean Peninsula from the rest of the Soviet Union.

1942  British forces attack the Japanese in Burma.

1944 U.S. troops of the 7th Army, invading Southern France, cross the Meuse River.

1978 Two Soviet cosmonauts set a space endurance record after 96 days in space.

1981 Belize granted full independence from the United Kingdom.

1989 General Colin Powell is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

1991 Armenia granted independence from USSR. 

1993 The Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 begins when Russian President Boris Yeltsin suspends parliament and invalidates the existing constitution.

1999 Earthquake in Taiwan kills more than 2,400, injures over 11,305, and causes $300 billion New Taiwan dollars ($10 billion in US dollars).

2003 Galileo space mission ends as the probe is sent into Jupiter's atmosphere where it is crushed.

 

Birthdays today

 

1756 John Loudon McAdam, engineer who invented and gave his name to macadamized roads.

1866 Charles Jean Henri Nicolle, bacteriologist, discovered that typhus fever is transmitted by body louse.

1866 H.G. Wells, science fiction writer whose works include The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds.

1895 Juan de la Cierva, aeronautical engineer who invented the autogyro.

1902 Allen Lake, founded Penguin Books in 1935.

1912 Chuck Jones, animator and director of Warner Brothers cartoons.

1947 Stephen King, author best known for supernatural and horror tales (The Stand, Salem's Lot, Joyland).

1947 Marsha Norman, playwright (Getting Out, 'Night Mother).

1950 Bill Murray, actor; won Emmy for his work on Saturday Night Live TV series; movies include Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation.

1951 Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov, rebel leader widely credited for the Chechen victory in First Chechen War (1994-96); President of Chechnya (1997-99).

1957 Mark Levin, attorney, author; host of syndicated radio program The Mark Levin Show.

1968 Faith Hill, Grammy Award-winning country pop singer ("Breathe").

1968 Ricki Lake, actress (China Beach TV series), producer, host of The Ricki Lake Show TV talk show for which she won  a Daytime Emmy.

1987 Ashley and Courtney Paris, twins who played in the Women's National Basketball Association, Ashley for the Los Angeles Sparks, Courtney for the Atlanta Dream.

 

 

 

 

 

Word for the Day

chagal

PRONUNCIATION:

(CHAH-guhl)

 

MEANING:

noun: A bag, usually made of canvas or leather, used for carrying water.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

From Hindi chhagal, from Sanskrit chhagala (of a goat). Earliest documented use: 1909.

 

USAGE:

"The man was drinking thirstily from a chagal of water."
Tony Clunn; Quest for the Lost Roman Legions; Savas Beatie; 2005.

 

Quote for the Day

What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books. -Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis (1856-1939)

 

Today’s Recipe

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce – Authentic Italian Style

 

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (85% or 90%)
1 medium carrot, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (28 oz) cans crushed Roma tomatoes (I recommend Contadina)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 - 1 cup chicken or beef broth, to thin sauce if desired freshly, finely grated Romano and Parmesan cheese or Mizithra cheese for serving

Directions

• In a large non-stick sauce pot, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble ground beef into pot (approximately 1 inch pieces). Brown beef, stirring occasionally (I was always taught to stir constantly but this makes your beef gray, let it brown on bottom and only stir occasionally) and breaking up beef as you stir, until cooked through. Drain ground beef, reserving 1 Tbsp fat in pot. Place browned beef in a food processor and pulse until finely ground, about 10 - 15 seconds, set aside.
• Saute carrot and onion in reserved fat over medium high heat until golden, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during the last minute of sauteing. Remove from heat (this will reduce splattering) and stir in 2 cans crushed Roma tomatoes, remaining 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage, bay leaves, salt, pepper and browned beef. Return pot to low heat and simmer uncovered, 5 - 8 hours (yes minimum of 5 hours), stirring occasionally.
• Add broth to sauce to thin sauce if desired (at about 4 hours sauce will be pretty thick so if you want it any thinner just add broth to desired consistency. Also, once it reaches the thickness you want you can cover it with a lid to reduce further condensation). Remove bay leaves and serve sauce warm over pasta garnished with grated cheeses and additional chopped fresh parsley or basil if desired.
• Recipe Source: Cooking Classy 

ENJOY!

 

Now You Know!