Why Do We Do Genealogy? #7

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Computer Classes every Sat. mornings 10-12. "Open House" Whatever you need. Drop in anytime during those two hours.

 

 

 

Please forgive the font - it's going haywire today. 

Genealogy tip for today: Why Do You Do Genealogy #7: The Practical Side: Possessions

We have been looking this week at why it is important to do genealogy. So far we have looked at: 1. Proving blood lines; 2. The Historical Scope; 3. Validating Family Stories; 4. Crossing the Generations; 5. Solve Family Mysteries; 6. Making or Keeping Connections.

Today we are going to look at Property and Heirlooms.

When you were a kid, did you have a great aunt or some older relative that you would go and visit? Were you ever told, ‘don’t touch that – it will break.’? Or, maybe you’re running through the house and Mom scolds you because you might knock something over? Maybe, Dear Auntie is standing on the sideline with a scowl on her face. It may be that she has a precious, priceless vase – pronounced “voz”! And, you better not do something to break it. After all, it belonged to her great-great-grandmother who came to this country from…. Fill in the blank!

Yes we all have some possession, portrait, heirloom or even a track of land that has been passed down the family generations for years. Sometimes a family dispute erupts. Research needs to be made to prove where it came from or who rightly owns an item or artifact. Fortunately not every family fights – there just may be a question of ‘where did this come from.’

If it’s a portrait – it can be a little trickier; especially if it is not identified. I have a very large portrait stored away in my house that is not identified. However I am quite sure that it is one of two sisters. What I need to do, is track down living descendants today and get it into the right hands. This was in my parents’ attic and before that, my grandparents’ attic. How it got there I do not know. The two sisters of which I spoke were two aunts of my grandmother. That may explain how she got it. Some other time maybe we’ll talk about playing detective with photographs.

Another possession that sometimes needs to be traced is property. This in all likelihood should be the easiest to trace. Looking on-line for court records or visiting courthouses can help you to track deeds. This can be an interesting adventure. My grandparents bought a house back in the 40’s because it had been built by wife’s parents. It had gone out of the family then came up for sale again.  Now they are gone and it has once again passed out of the hands of family. Tracing the deeds will show the Trask house passed in and out of family hands. Tracing your deeds can give you quite a story of your family tree. It also pinpoints a geographical location where they lived.

I have never heard of researching in order to reclaim a family cemetery. I also don’t have experience with this, but this may be similar to tracing the deeds of the land, to go back to the people who owned it and buried some of their family on that land. A century or more ago when our county’s land was still being settled this was often the practice. Families sometimes lived in areas where no established cemetery existed. Family cemeteries were all they had. I am sure there are many cows today that graze over the resting places of loved ones in deserted or unknown graves. If you can trace the ownership back to a relative, you may discover burial places you couldn’t find any place else. That even gives me a clue – as I have not found the burial place of my Caleb Trask’s mother. Records say she was buried by her son. Maybe it was on property they owned. I’ll have to check that out.

Lastly we will talk about tracing your family tree for medical conditions, inherited diseases, tendencies and defects. If you don’t know your family’s medical history, it may be good to check it, especially if you are having issues that can’t be explained, or many other related reasons. Our health is precious to us and we often will go to whatever lengths we need to help our situation out, including helping the professionals who care for us. This has been especially true of adoptees. Their medical history is unknown because of the severance from their birth parents. Serious illness sometimes develop that stump the professionals. Sometimes they need to contact a living relative for other medical reasons. Maybe you have even heard of situations where this has been the case.

Tomorrow we will look at various items that don’t conveniently tuck into any of the categories we’ve talked about, and wrap it up. We hope this has been beneficial to you. Drop us a comment and or leave us a question. We would love to hear from you.

“History – it’s who we are; Genealogy – it’s who I am” sg

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.

Today in History 1484   Pope Innocent VIII issues a bill deploring the spread of witchcraft and heresy in Germany. 1776   Phi Beta Kappa is organized as the first American college Greek letter-fraternity, at William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Va. 1791   Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dies in Vienna. 1861   In the U.S. Congress, petitions and bills calling for the abolition of slavery are introduced. 1862   Union General Ulysses S. Grant's cavalry receives a setback in an engagement on the Mississippi Central Railroad at Coffeeville, Mississippi. 1864   Confederate General John Bell Hood sends Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry and a division of infantry toward Murfreesboro, Tenn. 1904   The Japanese destroy a Russian fleet at Port Arthur in Korea. 1909   George Taylor makes the first manned glider flight in Australia in a glider that he designed himself. 1912   Italy, Austria and Germany renew the Triple Alliance for six years. 1916   David Lloyd George replaces Herbert Asquith as the British prime minister. 1921   The British empire reaches an accord with the Irish revolutionary group the Sinn Fein; Ireland is to become a free state. 1933   The 21st Amendment ends Prohibition in the United States, which had begun 13 years earlier. 1934   Italian and Ethiopian troops clash at the Ualual on disputed the Somali-Ethiopian border. 1936   The New Constitution in the Soviet Union promises universal suffrage, but the Communist Party remains the only legal political party. 1937   The Lindberghs arrive in New York on a holiday visit after a two-year voluntary exile. 1945   Four TBM Avenger bombers disappear approximately 100 miles off the coast of Florida. 1950   Pyongyang in Korea falls to the invading Chinese army. 1953   Italy and Yugoslavia agree to pull troops out of the disputed Trieste border. 1955   A bus boycott begins under the leadership of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Montgomery, Alabama. 1966   Comedian and political activist Dick Gregory heads for Hanoi, North Vietnam, despite federal warnings against it. 1978   The Soviet Union signs a 20-year friendship pact with Afghanistan. 1983   Military Junta dissolves in Argentina. 2006   Commodore Frank Bainimarama overthrows the government in Fiji. 2007   A gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle kills 8 people at Westroads Mall, Omaha, Neb., before taking his own life.

Birthdays today

1782		Martin Van Buren, 8th president in the United States–and the first born in the United States.
1839		George Armstrong Custer, Union cavalry leader who met his fate at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
1890		Fritz Lang, film director (Metropolis, M).
1901		Walt Disney, animator and creator of an entertainment empire.
1931		James Cleveland, considered the "King of Gospel."
1932		Richard Wayne Penniman [Little Richard], singer, musician; important influence on rock 'n' roll.
1934		Joan Didion, essayist and novelist (Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Play it as it Lays).
1935		Calvin Trillin, journalist and writer.
1947		Jim Plunkett, pro football quarterback.
1963		Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, first to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping.
1969		Morgan J. Freeman, film director; his Hurricane Streets (1997) was the first narrative film to win three awards at the Sundance Film Festival; produced MTV reality shows (16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom).

 

 

Word for the Day

malinger

PRONUNCIATION:

(muh-LING-guhr)

 

MEANING:

verb intr.: To feign illness in order to avoid work.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

From French malingre (sickly). Earliest documented use: 1820.

 

USAGE:

"Generally, staff did not malinger. Staff earned every penny they were paid by working seriously at their jobs. They appeared to enjoy their work and looked forward to being at work."
Azubike Uzoka; Growing Up, Growing Old; iUniverse; 2011.

Quote for the Day

A library is thought in cold storage. -Herbert Samuel, politician and diplomat (1870-1963)

 

 

Today’s Recipe

Holiday Cooking

 Christmas Kringle Cookies

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm milk 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast 1 cup heavy cream 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 cup butter

1 (8 ounce) can almond paste 1/2 cup crushed sliced almonds 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon almond extract   1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg white, beaten 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

1.	In a small bowl, stir together the milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let stand for 10 minutes to dissolve. Stir in cream.
2.	In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or pinching with your fingers until it is a course mealy texture. Stir in the yeast mixture until well blended. Pat into a ball, flatten slightly, then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
3.	To make the filling, mix the almond paste, almonds, sugar, cinnamon and almond extract using an electric mixer until evenly blended. It may be crumbly.
4.	Roll the chilled dough out into a 2 inch wide and 24 inch long rectangle. Spread the filling to within 2 inches of the sides and roll up into a tube. Cover your work surface with sugar, and roll the tube of dough in the sugar to coat thoroughly. Roll and stretch the dough out to form a long rope about 40 inches long. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and shape into a pretzel shape.
5.	Brush the top of the pretzel with egg white and sprinkle with almonds. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes.
6.	Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the kringle in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into slices to serve. ENJOY!  Now You Know!