Which Way Did He Go? #2

THIS SATURDAY: "Geek the Library" November 23rd, at the Library - Bring us your tech "?'s"

We will be closed Nov 28 and 29 for Thanksgiving Holidays.

 

 

 

Looney Tunes Abominable Snowman

 

 

Genealogy tip for today: Which way did he go, pt.2:

 

We’ve been talking about ways to track down families when they seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. 

Transportation: What was the mode of transportation of the day? Did your ancestor live in the day where horse and wagon, or a boat where the only means of getting from point A to point B? This limited how much they could take and how far they could go.

But look at the Pilgrims, you say. Yes they moved a long way, but virtually took nothing with them. Also, in some ways it was easier to move by sea than by land. For the most part it was difficult and cumbersome to make a major move of any kind. People did not make such major changes 4-500 years ago. As transportation improved, so did the ability to move to new lands.

Covered wagons definitely aided in the expansion into the west. If you ancestor lived during that time period, study the trails that were established for those wagons. Folks always traveled in groups for safety on a number of levels. Then when a family got to where they wanted to be, they would break off from the wagon train and set up homesteading.

If the move was during pioneer days creating records or documents were difficult if not non-existent. Even births may have been recorded months after the event if the county seat was a couple of days away by horseback. Marriages were sometimes informally performed then when the circuit riding preacher came around he would make it official.

Did they move during the height of railroading days, the 1800’s? Trains can’t just take off and go anywhere across the ground. They could only go where the rail had been laid, thus creating specific rails or trails if you will. Look around the areas where the train went. Little towns were always springing up along the railroad route. It could be they moved to one of these places.

It becomes much more difficult to track people by transportation lines when the cars came along. This created more individualization and independence and of course, roads of this kind sprung up everywhere. Cars could even go blazing their own trail if they had to. We do not see near the limitation of locations once cars came along as we did with previous means of movement. 

But there are other ways to tracking folks down as well. What was the role of the economy, history or natural events? That’s our topic on Wed.

 

If any of these posts are helpful drop us a line in the comments section below. We just want to know if the information we provide to you is helpful in anyway.

 

birthdays today, genealogy tips, quote of the day, recipes, today in history, word of the day, moving, migration

Cape Cod

 

Today in History
1620		The Pilgrims sight Cape Cod.
1828		In Vienna, Composer Franz Schubert dies of syphilis at age 31.
1861		Julia Ward Howe writes "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" while visiting Union troops near Washington.
1863		Lincoln delivers the "Gettysburg Address" at the dedication of the National Cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg.
1885		Bulgarians, led by Stefan Stambolov, repulse a larger Serbian invasion force at Slivinitza.
1873		James Reed and two accomplices rob the Watt Grayson family of $30,000 in the Choctaw Nation.
1897		The Great "City Fire" in London.
1905		100 people drown in the English Channel as the steamer Hilda sinks.
1911		New York receives first Marconi wireless transmission from Italy.
1915		The Allies ask China to join the entente against the Central Powers.
1923		The Oklahoma State Senate ousts Governor Walton for anti-Ku Klux Klan measures.
1926		Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Politburo in the Soviet Union.
1942		Soviet forces take the offensive at Stalingrad.
1949		Prince Ranier III is crowned 30th Monarch of Monaco.
1952		Scandinavian Airlines opens a commercial route from Canada to Europe.
1969		Apollo 12 touches down on the moon.
1973		New York stock market takes sharpest drop in 19 years.
1976		Patty Hearst is released from prison on $1.5 million bail.
1981		U.S. Steel agrees to pay $6.3 million for Marathon Oil.
1985		US President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, meet for the first time.
1985		In the largest civil verdict in US history, Pennzoil wins $10.53 billion judgement against Texaco.
1990		Pop duo Milli Vanilli are stripped of their Grammy Award after it is learned they did not sing on their award-winning Girl You Know Its True album.
1996		Canada's Lt. Gen. Maurice Baril arrives in Africa to lead a multinational force policing Zaire.
1998		US House of Representatives begins impeachment hearings against President Bill Clinton.
2010		New Zealand suffers its worst mining disaster since 1914 when the first of four explosions occurs at the Pike River Mine; 29 people are killed.

Charles I

 

Birthdays today

1600		Charles I, King of England and Ireland.
1797		Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and women's rights advocate.
1831		James Garfield, 20th president of the United States.
1899		Allen Tate, Southern novelist, poet and critic.
1915		Billy Strayhorn, composer, arranger and pianist who wrote "Take the A Train."
1917		Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India from 1967 to 1977 and 1978 to 1984 who was assassinated by her own guards.
1921		Roy Campanella, Hall of Fame baseball star.
1942		Sharon Olds, poet (The Dead and The Living, The Gold Cell).

 

Word for the Day

primrose path

PRONUNCIATION:

(PRIM-rohz PATH)

 

MEANING:

noun:
1. An easy life, especially devoted to sensual pleasure.
2. A path of least resistance, especially one that ends in disaster.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin prima rosa (first rose). Earliest documented use: 1604.

 

NOTES:

It's not clear why primrose was picked for naming this metaphorical path. Perhaps Shakespeare chose the word for alliteration -- the word is first attested in his Hamlet where Ophelia says to her brother Laertes:
"Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whilst, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede." [Heeds not his own counsel.]

 

USAGE:

"Meanwhile, Katich clung on; the primrose path is not for him. The road is strewn with rocks."
Peter Roebuck; Victory in Sight, But Punter's Job Far From Over; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Oct 5, 2010.

Quote for the Day

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? -Abraham Lincoln, 16th US president (1809-1865)

 

Today’s Recipe

Holiday Cooking

Pumpkin Waffles and Apple Cider Syrup

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 cups milk 4 eggs, separated

1/4 cup butter, melted   APPLE CIDER SYRUP 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup apple cider 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1.	Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
2.	Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, and egg yolks. Whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form.
3.	Stir the flour mixture and 1/4 cup melted butter to the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine. Use a whisk or rubber spatula to fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, stirring gently until incorporated. Fold in the remaining egg whites. Cook waffles according to manufacturer's instructions.
4.	To make the syrup, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in the apple cider and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil; boil until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Serve warm.

ENJOY! 

Now You Know!