Why Do You Do Genealogy #6

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

 

 

Genealogy tip for today:  Why Do You Do Genealogy #6: Connections: Reach Out and Touch

 

Do you remember the song that Diana Ross sang by that name?

 

Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can.

 

Another reason to get involved with genealogy is to find the connection to someone famous, or to preserve the legacy of a famous relative. You want to preserve that connection you have for your children and theirs. A lot of people have heard that they were related to or descendant of Davy Crockett, or the proverbial Indian Princess, or George Washington as we mentioned in the beginning of the series. Maybe it was a famous movie star, or a world famous athlete.

Or, was your grandmother a sister to a famous author? (My grandmother claimed kinship to a Katrina Trask, poetess. I’m still working on that one. But Grandma’s maiden name was Trask and there are many implications that it was so, but as I said – I’m still working on that one. J I haven’t been able to prove it yet, only conjectures.)

 

Maybe you don’t have a famous relative, but it is important to preserve the connections you do have with your relatives. You don’t want to lose track of the family you have. My side of the family came from New York State. Today, cousins are scattered from PA, to FL, ID, AR and the Beltway. Keeping track can only be done if someone takes the time to get involved in reaching out to living relatives and researching documents of those who have already passed on, showing how - and to whom you are connected. Why? Read on.

 

There have been a lot of civilizations that have been lost to the ages because there was no record of them, except maybe cave drawings, or those who could testify to being among those responsible for the wipe out. Anthropologists spend a lot of their time, money, energy and knowledge trying to decide or determine what a given culture was like. They have to fit together what pieces they have and come up with the best close answer. Sometimes, an educated guess is the best they can do in the absence of records or documentations.

 

Researching your family history also helps to preserve the microcosm of your family’s culture, traditions and ethnicity. The whole is only made of its parts and the parts that aren’t made or preserved leave a hole in the story. Recording your own family’s background is the one thing you can do to preserve your portion of the whole story.

 

In this world of globalization it is real easy to lose our identity. But according to Thomas Freidman’s book “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” the more we become globalized, the more people tend to pull back to keep their ethnic identity. We are losing who we are, which lends the more importance of preserving family stories, and community stories and more to prevent that from happening.

 

To keep the bigger picture, we need to preserve each element in it.

 

“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.

 

 

Charlamagne

 

Today in History 771   With the death of his brother Carloman, Charlemagne becomes sole ruler of the Frankish Empire. 1861   The U.S. Senate, voting 36 to 0, expels Senator John C. Brekinridge of Kentucky because of his joining the Confederate Army. 1861   Queen Victoria of Britain forbids the export of gunpowder, firearms and all materials for their production. 1862   Winchester, Va., falls into Union hands, resulting in the capture of 145 Southern soldiers. 1863   Seven solid days of bombardment ends at Charleston, S.C. The Union fires some 1,307 rounds. 1872   The U.S. brigantine Marie Celeste is found adrift and deserted with its cargo intact, in the Atlantic Ocean between the Azores and Portugal. 1900   The French National Assembly, successor to the States-General, rejects Nationalist General Mercier's proposal to plan an invasion of England. 1914   The first Seaplane Unit formed by the German Navy officially comes into existence and begins operations from Zeebrugge, Belgium. 1918   France cancels trade treaties in order to compete in the postwar economic battles. 1941   Operation Taifun (Typhoon), which was launched by the German armies on October 2, 1941, as a prelude to taking Moscow, is halted because of freezing temperatures and lack of serviceable aircraft. 1942   U.S. planes make the first raids on Naples, Italy. 1947   Tennessee William's play A Streetcar Named Desire premieres on Broadway starring Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy. 1950   The University of Tennessee defies court rulings by rejecting five Negro applicants. 1952   The Grumman XS2F-1 makes its first flight. 1959   Peking pardons Pu Yi, ex-emperor of China and of the Japanese puppet-state of Manchukuo. 1981   President Ronald Reagan broadens the power of the CIA by allowing spying in the United States. 1985   Robert McFarland resigns as National Security Advisor. Admiral John Poindexter is named to succeed. 1991   The last American hostages held in Lebanon are released. 1992   US Pres. George H. W. Booth orders 28,000 troops to Somalia during the Somali Civil War.

Wassily Kandinsky

Birthdays today

1584		John Cotton, English-born Puritan clergyman (The Way of the Church of Christ in New England).
1795		Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and essayist (The French Revolution, Sartor Resartus).
1835		Samuel Butler, English writer and painter (Erewhon, The Way of All Flesh).
1861		Lillian Russell, singer and actress.
1865		Edith Cavell, English nurse who tended to friend and foe alike during World War I.
1866		Wassily Kandinsky, Russian-born painter.
1875		Rainer Maria Rilke, German poet.
1892		Francisco Franco, Spanish general and dictator who came to power as a result of the Spanish Civil War.
1924		Frank Press, geophysicist.
1937		Max Baer Jr., actor, screenwriter, director, producer; best know for his role as Jethro on The Beverly Hillbillies TV series
1940		Gary Gilmore, American murderer who demanded his death sentence be carried out; he was the first prisoner executed in the US following the Supreme Court's ruling on the death penalty in Gregg v. Georgia.
1944		Chris Hillman, singer, songwrier, musician; performed with the bands The Byrds, The Hillmen, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Manassas.
1945		A. Scott Berg, Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer (Lindberg, 1998).
1949		Jeff Bridges, actor, producer; won Academy Award for Best Actor as Otis "Bad" Blake in Crazy Heart (2009).

 

 

Word for the Day

ineluctable

PRONUNCIATION:

(in-i-LUHK-tuh-buhl)

 

MEANING:

adjective: Impossible to avoid: inescapable.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin in- (not) + eluctari (to struggle out of), from ex- (out) + luctari (to struggle). Earliest documented use: 1623.

 

USAGE:

"These qualms were squashed out of existence by the ineluctable pressure of necessity."
Kate Christensen; In the Drink; Doubleday; 1999.

Quote for the Day

Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. -Flannery O'Connor, writer (1925-1964)

 

 

 

Today’s Recipe

Holiday Cooking

Buche de Noel

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 egg yolks 1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 6 egg whites 1/4 cup white sugar confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whip cream, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until thick and stiff. Refrigerate.
2.	In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until thick and pale. Blend in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and salt. In large glass bowl, using clean beaters, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until whites form stiff peaks. Immediately fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Dust a clean dishtowel with confectioners' sugar. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and turn the warm cake out onto the towel. Remove and discard parchment paper. Starting at the short edge of the cake, roll the cake up with the towel. Cool for 30 minutes.
4.	Unroll the cake, and spread the filling to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll the cake up with the filling inside. Place seam side down onto a serving plate, and refrigerate until serving. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

ENJOY!

 

Now You Know!