A Day in the Life!

Genealogy tip for the day: A Day in the Life!

Have you had an idea or task on your mind for so long that now you can’t remember if you just remember it or actually did it??? Such is the case with today’s Tip.

I have thought about passing on the idea of writing on “A Day in the Life…” of so-and-so. I did some back checking and can’t seem to find where I have written about this, but I thought I had. So if this sounds familiar to you, forgive me for being repetitious. I try not to repeat ideas, unless it’s been a long time since the last publishing of that Tip or I have an update on the topic.

If you want to write about your ancestor and can’t really find out much about them directly, you can still extrapolate more than you think. Here are some suggestions:

Choose an ancestor and pick an age or year in his or her life.

1. Where did the family live? Can you find newspapers that tell what was going on in that locality during that specific time? What’s the history of the town? Were they a founding family? What role did they play in the local community?

2. What historical events were going on at this particular time? What was the politics then? Was there a major disaster that affected them? Were they part of the push west?

3. If your ancestor was 17, how old was Mom and Dad? Were the grandparents still alive? Did they live nearby? What about extended family? What aunts, uncles, and cousins did he have and where did they live?

4. Was this person working or in school? Censuses sometimes tell you this.

If he was still in school, can you find a plat map that shows where the school was located? Often the rural schools were every few miles as children most of the time would walk to and from, or ride by horse. Because of this children didn’t always start at age 5. Kindergarten didn’t exist until into the 1900’s. Did it cost for them to go to grade school? Or was it tax supported?

If he was helping on the farm and it was the late 1800’s, then you can somewhat guess he tilled the fields by hand with horses or oxen; they had to have the blacksmith shod the feet. They would hoe by hand, use natural fertilizer; harvesting was done with horse and wagon depending on the produce. If all you know is that his family farmed, had 600 acres, and the time period you can draw from that what life was like for them.

You may not get all these questions answered, and you may think of others. But this will give you a direction to go and help get your wheels turning. Also this helps you see that researching history books which aren't directly genealogical resources are still valuable in understanding “a day in the life” of your ancestor.

“History is who we are; Genealogy is who I am” sg

Like what you read? Let us know.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you a Lord of the Rings lover? We are having a LOTR marathon starting TODAY, March 22!! Don't miss it!

Summer Reading Program will be starting soon. Watch for announcements on that and registration information. This is for ages Adults through young children! Come Join Us - and explore new worlds. There will be programming for Adults as well as the Children.

You can find our website at rogerspubliclibrary.org 

And our other blog at RPL's Movies and Music

Edmund Burke

Today in History

March 22

1622		Indians attack a group of colonists in the James River area of Virginia, killing 350 residents.
1630		The first legislation prohibiting gambling is enacted in Boston.
1664		Charles II gives large tracks of land from west of the Connecticut River to the east of Delaware Bay in North America to his brother James, the Duke of York.
1719		Frederick William abolishes serfdom on crown property in Prussia.
1765		The Stamp Act is passed, the first direct British tax on the American colonists.
1775		British statesman Edmund Burke makes a speech in the House of Commons, urging the government to adopt a policy of reconciliation with America.
1790		Thomas Jefferson becomes the first U.S. Secretary of State.
1794		Congress passes laws prohibiting slave trade with foreign countries although slavery remains legal in the United States.
1834		Horace Greeley publishes New Yorker, a weekly literary and news magazine and forerunner of Harold Ross' more successful The New Yorker.
1901		Japan proclaims that it is determined to keep Russia from encroaching on Korea.
1904		The first color photograph is published in the London Daily Illustrated Mirror.
1907		Russians troops complete the evacuation of Manchuria in the face of advancing Japanese forces.
1915		A German Zepplin makes a night raid on Paris railway stations.
1919		The first international airline service is inaugurated on a weekly schedule between Paris and Brussels.
1933		President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill legalizing the sale and possession of beer and wine.
1935		Persia is renamed Iran.
1946		First U.S. built rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere reaches a 50-mile height.
1948		The United States announces a land reform plan for Korea.
1954		The London gold market reopens for the first time since 1939.
1968		President Lyndon Johnson names General William Westmoreland as Army Chief of Staff.
1972		The U.S. Senate passes the Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment fails to achieve ratification.
1974		The Viet Cong propose a new truce with the United States and South Vietnam, which includes general elections.
1990		A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, finds Captain Hazelwood not guilty in the Valdez oil spill.
Born on March 22
1599		Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Flemish artist, the namesake of the beard style.
1797		Wilhelm I, German emperor (1871-88)
1846		Randolph Caldecott, illustrator.
1907		James Gavin, U.S. Army general of the 82nd Airborne Division in WWII.
1908		Louis L'Amour, American Western novelist.
1923		Marcel Marceau, French mime.
1930		Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist (A Little Night Music, Passion).
1948		Andrew Lloyd Webber, British composer (The Phantom of the Opera, Cats)

Louis L'Amour

Word for the Day

edacity

PRONUNCIATION:

(i-DAS-i-tee)

MEANING:

noun: Greediness; good appetite.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin edere (to eat). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ed- (to eat, to bite) that has given other words such as edible, comestible, obese, etch, fret, and postprandial. Earliest documented use: 1626.

USAGE:

"Allender is still undaunted, but hungry, not with the reckless experience appetite of a kid, but rather with the edacity of an older gourmand who wants as much of what he loves as possible."
Alan Tennant; The Guadalupe Mountains of Texas; U of Texas Press; 1980.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy. -Spanish proverb

Today’s Recipe

March - Breakfast Foods

Eggs Italiano

Eggs Italiano
A poached egg on an English muffin is typical breakfast fare, but adding this full-flavored, chunky vegetable medley between the egg and muffin transforms the simple dish into an elegant brunch.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound zucchini (about 2 medium), diced
12 ounces plum tomatoes (3-4), diced
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 large eggs
4 whole-wheat English muffins, split and toasted
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
1.  Fill a large, straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven with 2 inches of water; bring to a boil. Add white vinegar.

2.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in zucchini and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon basil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

3.  Meanwhile, reduce the boiling water to a gentle simmer; the water should be steaming and small bubbles should come up from the bottom of the pan. Crack each egg into a small bowl and slip them one at a time into the simmering water, taking care not to break the yolks. Cook for 4 minutes for soft set, 5 minutes for medium set and 8 minutes for hard set. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a clean kitchen towel to drain.

4.  To serve, top each muffin half with some of the vegetable mixture, an egg, a sprinkling of cheese and the remaining basil.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
339 calories
14 g fat (4 g sat, 0 g mono)
425 mg cholesterol
33 g carbohydrate
22 g protein
5 g fiber
674 mg sodium
557 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: selenium (46% Daily Value), vitamin C (45% DV), vitamin A (25% DV), potassium (16% DV), iron (15% DV)

Mar 4^th Corned Beef Hash

Mar 5^th Sunday Morning Muffins

Mar 6^th Breakfast Pizza

Mar 9^th Buttermilk biscuits and Mushroom gravy

Mar 10^th Baked Fruit – 3 ways

Mar 11^th French Toast Sticks – Kid Friendly

Mar 12^th Mini Quiche

Mar 13^th Red Velvet Waffles, with cream cheese gravy – (I didn’t say they would be healthy!)

Mar 14^th Triple Berry Smoothie – not just for breakfast any more.

Mar 17^th Homemade oatmeal, 9 ways

Healthy recipes:

Mar 18^th Arugula and Chicken sausage Bread Pudding brunch

Mar 19^th Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

Mar 20^th Cranberry Muesli

Mar 22^nd Eggs Italiano

ENJOY!

Now You Know!

SHORTIE TIP – Non-Genealogical Resources

Genealogy tip for the day: SHORTIE TIP – Non-Genealogical Resources

Yesterday I told you about the West Point Atlas of America Wars that you can use when researching your ancestors’ military history. Today I want to tell you about another book that may help you in your research about your relative.

Railroading was the height of technology in its day! Have you noticed how we use terms we are familiar with to describe new things we do not understand? In the day of equine transportation this new thing was called the Iron Horse!  As a result the railroading industry took off like a ‘shot in the dark’!

The book that I came across is the “Railroad Maps of North America: the first Hundred Years” put out by the Library of Congress. It is full of map replicas, dates, and write up about the railroad being illustrated and photographs.

I had three uncles that worked for the railroads in New York State. This would be an excellent source to go to for illustrating the railroad lines they worked for.

Always keep an eye out for something you may come across, sometimes unexpectedly. They will enhance and flesh out your families beyond the bones of just dates and places. You may be surprised what you can apply to your research, so educating yourself on any topic is always a good thing.

“History is who we are; Genealogy is 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 beneficial in anyway.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Are you a Lord of the Rings lover? We are having a LOTR marathon starting March 22!! Don't miss it!

Summer Reading Program will be starting soon. Watch for announcements on that and registration information. This is for ages Adults through young children! Come Join Us - and explore new worlds.

You can find our website at rogerspubliclibrary.org 

And our other blog at RPL's Movies and Music

William III of Orange

Today in History

Today in History
March 19

1687		The French explorer La Salle is murdered in by his own men while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
1702		On the death of William III of Orange, Anne Stuart, sister of Mary, succeeds to the throne of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1822		Boston is incorporated as a city.
1879		Jim Currie opens fire on the actors Maurice Barrymore and Ben Porter near Marshall, Texas. His shots wound Barrymore and kill Porter.
1903		The U.S. Senate ratifies the Cuban treaty, gaining naval bases in Guantanamo and Bahia Honda.
1916		The First Aero Squadron takes off from Columbus, NM to join Gen. John J. Pershing and his Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in Mexico.
1917		The Adamson Act, eight hour day for railroad workers, is ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
1918		Congress authorizes Daylight Savings Time.
1920		The U.S. Senate rejects the Versailles Treaty for the second time.
1924		U.S. troops are rushed to Tegucigalpa as rebel forces take the Honduran capital.
1931		The state of Nevada legalizes gambling.
1935		The British fire on 20,000 Muslims in India, killing 23.
1936		The Soviet Union signs a pact of assistance with Mongolia against Japan.
1944		The German 352nd Infantry Division deploys along the coast of France.
1945		Adolf Hitler orders a scorched-earth policy for his retreating German armies in the west and east.
1947		Chiang Kai-Shek's government forces take control of Yenan, the former headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party.
1949		The Soviet People's Council signs the constitution of the German Democratic Republic, and declares that the North Atlantic Treaty is merely a war weapon.
1963		In Costa Rica, President John F. Kennedy and six Latin American presidents pledge to fight Communism.
1977		Congo President Marien Ngouabi is killed by a suicide commando.
1981		One technician is killed and two others are injured during a routine test on space shuttle Columbia.
Born on March 19
1589		William Bradford, governor of Plymouth colony for 30 years.
1721		Tobias George Smollett, satirical author and physician (Roderick Random, Humphrey Clinker).
1813		David Livingston, explorer found by Arthur Stanley in Africa.
1821		Sir Richard Burton, English explorer.
1848		Wyatt Earp, U.S. marshal.
1849		Alfred von Tirpitz, Prussian admiral who commanded the German fleet in early World War I.
1860		William Jennings Bryan, orator, statesman, known as "The Great Communicator."
1889		Sarah Gertrude Millina, South African writer (The Dark River, God's Stepchildren).
1891		Earl Warren, governor of California, later 14th Supreme Court Chief Justice.
1904		John J. Sirica, U.S. Federal Judge who ruled on Watergate issues.
1906		Adolf Eichman, Nazi Gestapo officer.
1912		Adolf Galland, German Luftwaffe pilot.
1925		Brent Scrowcroft, Lt. Gen. (USAF), National Security Advisor to President George H.W. Bush.
1933		Phillip Roth, American novelist and short-story writer (Portnoy's Complaint).

Earl Warren

Word for the Day

turgid

PRONUNCIATION:

(TUR-jid)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Swollen; congested.
2. Pompous; high-flown.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin turgere (to swell). Earliest documented use: 1620.

USAGE:

"It's not surprising that [Norm Macdonald] would take the wind out of the sails of peers who write turgid, self-important autobiographies ... he has earned attention for his deflating Twitter responses to various celebrity tweets."
Eric Volmers; Norm Macdonald Still Working at His First Love of Standup Comedy; Calgary Herald (Canada); Feb 4, 2014.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

It's best to give while your hand is still warm. -Philip Roth, novelist (b. 1933)

Today’s Recipe

March - Breakfast Foods

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients

1 pound dry ziti pasta

1 onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Step-by-step View

Directions

Step-by-step View

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Mar 4^th Corned Beef Hash

Mar 5^th Sunday Morning Muffins

Mar 6^th Breakfast Pizza

Mar 9^th Buttermilk biscuits and Mushroom gravy

Mar 10^th Baked Fruit – 3 ways

Mar 11^th French Toast Sticks – Kid Friendly

Mar 12^th Mini Quiche

Mar 13^th Red Velvet Waffles, with cream cheese gravy – (I didn’t say they would be healthy!)

Mar 14^th Triple Berry Smoothie – not just for breakfast any more.

Mar 17^th Homemade oatmeal, 9 ways

Healthy recipes:

Mar 18^th Arugula and Chicken sausage Bread Pudding brunch

Mar 19^th Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

ENJOY!

Now You Know!

SHORTIE TIP - Occupations, Jobs

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lunch and Learn is coming up Tuesday (tomorrow).  If you are interested in starting your own business and are over 50, come and learn how to get started. Bring your lunch and be here 12:00 – 1:00.

You can find our website at <rogerspubliclibrary.org>. 

You will find help here with your new device if you would like to try our ebooks! Go to Online Learning, and click on ‘How to Guide.’

Genealogy tip for the day: SHORTIE TIP – Context for Jobs

 

Placing your ancestor in their historical context can help you suggest career occupations. If they live in Boston, MA in the 1800’s, maybe they were in shipbuilding. If they lived in the early 1900’s they were not in computer technology, but maybe the car industry. If they lived in the west as it was settled maybe they were fur trappers.

Look for trends in time periods, migration patterns, guilds or later, unions. The Industrial period started in the late 1800’s. Before that businesses were centered on agriculture and anything that supported it. This can help guide you where to look for occupations. The census records can also indicate their occupation, as well as city directories. Some businesses and vocations may have historical archives for that business or industry. You may be able to find pension records for you ancestor there as well.

Pension information can be found in several places: the above mentioned business archive, or state historical societies or maybe even local ones or specific museums. There may be other places, as well. For example, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) “prior-service” records are at the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka, KS.  The ‘prior-service’ records were their pension records prior to it going national with their own, RR social security system.

Sometimes you just 'gotta' dig deeper.

“History is who we are; Genealogy is 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 beneficial in anyway.

Alexander Graham Bell

Today in History

March 10

515 BC		The building of the great Jewish temple in Jerusalem is completed.
241 BC		The Roman fleet sinks 50 Carthaginian ships in the Battle of Aegusa.
49 BC		Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon and invades Italy.
1656		In the colony of Virginia, suffrage is extended to all free men regardless of their religion.
1776		"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine is published.
1785		Thomas Jefferson is appointed minister to France.
1806		The Dutch in Cape Town, South Africa surrender to the British.
1814		Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated by an allied army at the Battle of Laon, France.
1848		The treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo is signed which ends the United States' war with Mexico.
1876		Alexander Graham Bell makes the first telephone call to Thomas Watson saying "Watson, come here. I need you."
1893		New Mexico State University cancels its first graduation ceremony, because the only graduate was robbed and killed the night before.
1902		The Boers of South Africa score their last victory over the British, capturing British General Methuen and 200 men.
1910		Slavery is abolished in China.
1924		The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a New York state law forbidding late-night work for women.
1927		Prussia lifts its Nazi ban. Adolf Hitler is allowed to speak in public.
1933		Nevada becomes the first U.S. state to regulate drugs.
1941		Vichy, France threatens to use its navy unless Britain allows food to reach France.
1943		Adolf Hitler calls Field Marshall Erwin Rommel back from Tunisia in North Africa.
1944		The Irish refuse to oust all Axis envoys and deny the accusation of spying on Allied troops.
1945		American B-29 bombers attack Tokyo, killing 100,000.
1947		The Big Four meet in Moscow to discuss the future of Germany.
1948		Author Zelda Fitzgerald (wife of F. Scott) dies in a fire at Highland Hospital.
1953		North Korean gunners at Wonsan fire on the USS Missouri, the ship responds by firing 998 rounds at the enemy position.
1954		President Dwight Eisenhower calls Senator Joseph McCarthy a peril to the Republican Party.
1966		The North Vietnamese capture a Green Beret camp at Ashau Valley.
1969		James Earl Ray pleads guilty to the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King and is sentenced to 99 years in jail.
1971		The Senate approves a Constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18.
1975		The North Vietnamese Army attacks the South Vietnamese town of Ban Me Thout, the offensive will end with total victory in Vietnam.
1980		Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, lends his support to the militants holding the American hostages in Tehran.
1982		The United States bans Libyan oil imports, because of the continued support of terrorism.
1987		The Vatican condemns surrogate parenting as well as test-tube and artificial insemination.
Born on March 10
1503		Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.
1772		Friedrich Von Schlegel, German romantic poet and critic (Philosophy of History, History of Literature).
1845		Alexander III, Russian czar.
1845		Hallie Quinn Brown, American educator, women's rights leader.
1903		Leon Bismarck "Bix" Beiderbecke, jazz cornetist and composer.
1909		Kathryn McLean (Forbes), author (Mama's Bank Account).
1916		James Herriot, Scottish writer and country veterinarian (All Creatures Great and Small).
1918		Günther Rall, German Luftwaffe ace in World War II.
1940		David Rabe, playwright (Sticks and Bones, Hurlyburly).

James Herriot

Word for the Day

Toronto Blessing

PRONUNCIATION:

(tuh-RON-toh BLES-ing)

MEANING:

noun: A form of religious rapture marked by outbreaks of mass fainting, laughter, shaking, weeping, fainting, speaking in tongues, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Toronto, Canada, where the phenomenon was experienced in a church in Jan 1994.

USAGE:

"[The movie Pan's Labyrinth] was received in awestruck rapture by the world's press, and left me feeling a little like a Roman Catholic prelate at a pentecostal ceremony, smiling with thin politeness while all around congregants were getting a Toronto Blessing full in the face."
Peter Bradshaw; Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Guardian (London, UK); Aug 15, 2008.

"We'd have the Toronto Blessing 24/7, hooting away at our own puffed-up selves, and our imagined separation from others -- and laughing in the final realization that we're all in this together."
Geoff Olson; The Great Whatever; Vancouver Sun (Canada); Apr 14, 2001.

Quote for the day

Political freedom cannot exist in any land where religion controls the state, and religious freedom cannot exist in any land where the state controls religion. -Samuel James Ervin Jr., lawyer, judge, and senator (1896-1985)

Today’s Recipe

March - Breakfast Foods
Baked Fruit – 3 ways

Baked Peach Parfait, makes 4 servings.
-Needed: 2 peaches, 1/2 cup oats, 1/8 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup maple syrup or honey, a few pinches of cinnamon, and a handful of chopped pecans.
In a small bowl, combine the oats, oil, sweetener, cinnamon and pecans. Stir, making sure every oat is coated in oil and sweetener. Slice peaches in half and remove pits. Fill with oat filling and bake at 400 F for 15-18 minutes, until softened and the skin begins to pull away from the fruit. Garnish with whipped cream.
Baked Grapefruit, makes 4 servings. This is great for breakfast or a light dessert!
-Needed: 2 grapefruits and a conservative handful of brown sugar.
Slice grapefruits in half and remove as many seeds as you can. Begin to segment the grapefruit—this will allow the sugar to soak in even more. Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 400 F for 16-18 minutes.
Baked Apples (or "Opposite Apple Pie" if you're feeling clever, and I AM), makes 4 servings.
-Needed: 2 apples (I like Granny Smith), 1/4 cup brown sugar, a few pinches of cinnamon and 1/2 sheet of puff pastry.
Core apples and slice in half. Coat the inside with brown sugar. Slice up the puff pastry into thin strips and create a lattice design over the apples. Sprinkle with a little more sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 400 F for 16-18 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown, and apple has softened. Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Mar 4^th Corned Beef Hash

Mar 5^th Sunday Morning Muffins

Mar 6^th Breakfast Pizza

Mar 8^th Buttermilk biscuits and Mushroom gravy

Mar 10^th Baked Fruit – 3 ways

ENJOY!

Now You Know!