Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spelling. Show all posts

Monday, March 24, 2014

On the Road Again

Genealogy tip for the day: “On the Road Again”







Remember that old song, “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson? That’s a good ole’ country song and probably now the phrases are going through your head!!

Rare are the families or people that never travel beyond 20 miles from home, today. Although, I have run across a few. From the beginnings of time, people move or maybe I should say roam or migrate. How else did peoples get from A to B, or to C, D, and E … etc. down through the centuries?

People move all the time. When it comes to researching your family this is one factor that can make it hard to pin them down. The censuses can help to a point. But folks move between censuses, sometimes often. Case in point is my own family. We lived in one town for the 2000 census and another town, and state come the 2010. But in between we lived in a third location.

Then sometimes folks get missed all together, because of moving.  They’ve already left one place by the time the census taker comes around. And the census taker has come and gone before your family reached its new destination.

So how do you track them down??? What are some ways you can find where they lived without using the census? Have you had this problem?

Here are some clues:

Where were the children born?

Where did other life events take place, such as marriage, education, someone’s death, maybe divorce?

What were the job trends during that time?

Where did other family members live? Or work?

Are there city directories, or agricultural directories? (The latter are sometimes called rural or farm directories.)

What was happening in our history at the moment? Was it the Industrial Revolution? People moved to where there was work, flooding into cities at times, especially from 1800 to the early 1900’s.

People who lived on farms didn’t move much and when they did it was a big undertaking to sell all their animals and land and move to another location. On the other hand renters moved a lot as did city dwellers. The censuses can help to some degree to tell you if they owned real estate or rented. Unfortunately this is not available for every census, so this clue is provided for a very narrow window of time.

Try googling for libraries where you are researching, then contact them to see what they may have on the local area.

Try your own local library for the same kind of information, as well.

Try the random act of kindness website and see if you can find someone who lives in the area of your research, to do some leg work for you.

Try locating genealogical or historical societies in the area of interest. It could be you may find someone you could hire to do some leg work for you.

And maybe all of this discussion has stirred up an idea of your own. Give any and all of them a try. This may be highly productive for you on one ancestor and not so much for another. A lot of it depends on the records you can find.

Sometimes it just takes sitting down with a paper and pencil and brainstorming your mind for ideas – that “thinking outside of the box” exercise. You might be surprised what you come up with.


“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? Today’s movie is:
RETURN OF THE KING

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




Wendell Holmes



March 24
1208

King John of England opposes Innocent III on his nomination for archbishop of Canterbury.
1603

Queen Elizabeth I dies which will bring into power James VI of Scotland.
1663

Charles II of England awards lands known as Carolina in North America to eight members of the nobility who assisted in his restoration.
1664

In London, Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island.
1720

The banking houses of Paris close in the wake of financial crisis.
1721

In Germany, the supremely talented Johann Sebastian Bach publishes the Six Brandenburg Concertos.
1765

Britain passes the Quartering Act, requiring the colonies to house 10,000 British troops in public and private buildings.
1862

Abolitionist Wendell Phillips speaks to a crowd about emancipation in Cincinnati, Ohio and is pelted by eggs.
1900

Mayor Van Wyck of New York breaks ground for the New York subway tunnel that will link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1904

Vice Admiral Togo sinks seven Russian ships as the Japanese strengthen their blockade of Port Arthur.
1927

Chinese Communists seize Nanking and break with Chiang Kai-shek over the Nationalist goals.
1938

The United States asks that all powers help refugees fleeing from the Nazis.
1944

The Gestapo rounds up innocent Italians in Rome and shoot them to death in reprisal for a bomb attack that killed 33 German policemen.
1947

Congress proposes limiting the presidency to two terms.
1951

General Douglas MacArthur threatens the Chinese with an extension of the Korean War if the proposed truce is not accepted.
1954

Great Britain opens trade talks with Hungary.
1955

Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opens at the Morosco Theatre in New York City.
1958

Elvis Presley trades in his guitar for a rifle and Army fatigues.
1965

The Freedom Marchers, citizens for civil rights, reach Montgomery, Alabama.
1967

Viet Cong ambush a truck convoy in South Vietnam damaging 82 of the 121 trucks.
1972

Great Britain imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland.
1985

Thousands demonstrate in Madrid against the NATO presence in Spain.
1989

The Exxon Valdez oil tanker spills 240,000 barrels of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
1999

NATO planes, including stealth aircraft, attack Serbian forces in Kosovo.
Born on March 24
1755

Rufus King, framer of the U.S. Constitution.
1834

William Morris, English craftsman, poet and socialist.
1855

Andrew Mellon, U.S. financier and philanthropist.
1874

Harry Houdini, magician, escape artist.
1886

Edward Weston, photographer.
1893

George Sisler, baseball player.
1895

Arthur Murray, American dancer who founded dance schools.
1902

Thomas E. Dewey, New York governor.
1903
1912

Adolf Butenandt, biochemist.
Dorothy Irene Height (see today’s Google Doodle)
1919

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 'beat' poet.
1926

Dario Fo, Italian actor and playwright.
1941

Joseph H. Taylor, Jr., radio astronomer and physicist.

Dorothy Irene Height



Popular wisdom says it's not the cards that you hold, but how you play them that makes the difference. Or as I like to say, it's not the tiles on your rack, it's what words you make with them that counts.
Playing cards have been around for much longer -- they have had a thousand-year lead over Scrabble. Understandably, they also have a head start when it comes to being a part of the language. Many terms from card games have entered the English language. This week we'll deal with five of them.
(Also see a week of terms from poker from the archives.)

euchre


PRONUNCIATION:
(YOO-kuhr)

MEANING:
verb tr.: To cheat, trick, or outwit.
noun: A card game for two to four players usually played with the 32 highest cards in the pack.

ETYMOLOGY:
Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from the Alsatian game of Juckerspiel as the two top trumps are Jucker (jack). The verb sense of the word arises from the fact that the failure to win three tricks is known as being euchred and results in the opponent scoring two points. Earliest documented use: 1846.

USAGE:
"You got euchred. The company lied to you about its status and you foolishly bought its lie."
Colin Barrett; A Harsh Lesson on Due Diligence; Journal of Commerce (New York); May 23, 2013.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. -Jean-Paul Sartre, writer and philosopher (1905-1980)



Today’s Recipe
March - Breakfast Foods





Golden Polenta & Egg with Mustard Sauce
Here's a streamlined version of Eggs Benedict: purchased polenta, boiled eggs and an easy, no-cook homage to hollandaise. It's a great weekend brunch.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1 pound green beans, trimmed
4 eggs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces prepared polenta, sliced into eight 1/2-inch rounds

Preparation
1. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and water in a small bowl.

2. Bring 6 cups of lightly salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add green beans and cook until just tender, 4 minutes. Remove the green beans with a slotted spoon and divide among 4 plates.

3. Return the water to a boil; place eggs, one by one, in the boiling water and set the timer: 5 minutes for a soft-boiled egg, 8 minutes for hard-boiled. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice the eggs in half.

4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add polenta rounds in a single layer and cook, turning once, until crispy and golden, about 4 minutes per side. Place 2 polenta rounds on each plate and keep warm. Add the reserved sauce to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching, until heated through, about 3 minutes.

5. Divide the polenta rounds among the plates, top with egg halves and drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
278 calories
13 g fat (3 g sat, 0 g mono)
219 mg cholesterol
27 g carbohydrate
12 g protein
4 g fiber
528 mg sodium
313 mg potassium

Mar 12th Mini Quiche
Mar 13th Red Velvet Waffles, with cream cheese gravy – (I didn’t say they would be healthy!)
Mar 14th Triple Berry Smoothie – not just for breakfast any more.
Healthy recipes:
Mar 22nd Eggs Italiano
Mar 24th Golden Polenta and Egg, w/ mustard sauce (looks like it would be good for supper, too.)



ENJOY!



Now You Know!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

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



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



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
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 12th Mini Quiche
Mar 13th Red Velvet Waffles, with cream cheese gravy – (I didn’t say they would be healthy!)
Mar 14th Triple Berry Smoothie – not just for breakfast any more.
Healthy recipes:
Mar 22nd Eggs Italiano



ENJOY!

Now You Know!





Thursday, March 20, 2014

SHORTIE TIP – Diacritical Marks

Genealogy tip for the day: SHORTIE TIP – Diacritical Marks



Several countries use the Roman Alphabet, as does English. But some countries have special markings on their letters that we do not. For example, the umlaut is one and the accent mark is another. When searching names through a search engine, you do not need these marks as search engines go by spelling, not pronunciation.

These marks are to help you know how to pronounce a word, usually a vowel differently than the standard, straight forward ones. But search engines don’t care how you say the name. They can’t hear you anyway! ;-) So don’t worry about trying to put them in. Just type in the letters of a word without marks and hit search.


“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 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








Patty Hearst



Today in History
March 20
1413

Henry IV of England is succeed by his son Henry V.
1739

In India, Nadir Shah of Persia occupies Delhi and takes possession of the Peacock throne.
1760

The Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings.
1792

In Paris, the Legislative Assembly approves the use of the guillotine.
1815

Napoleon Bonaparte enters Paris and begins his 100-day rule.
1841

Edgar Allen Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, considered the first detective story, is published.
1852

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.
1906

Army officers in Russia mutiny at Sevastopol.
1915

The French call off the Champagne offensive on the Western Front.
1918

The Bolsheviks of the Soviet Union ask for American aid to rebuild their army.
1922

President Warren G. Harding orders U.S. troops back from the Rhineland.
1932

The German dirigible, Graf Zepplin, makes the first flight to South America on regular schedule.
1939

President Franklin D. Roosevelt names William O. Douglas to the Supreme Court.
1940

The British Royal Air Force conducts an all-night air raid on the Nazi airbase at Sylt, Germany.
1943

The Allies attack Field Marshall Erwin Rommel's forces on the Mareth Line in North Africa.
1965

President Lyndon B. Johnson orders 4,000 troops to protect the Selma-Montgomery civil rights marchers.
1969

Senator Edward Kennedy calls on the United States to close all bases in Taiwan.
1976

Patty Hearst is convicted of armed robbery.
1982

U.S. scientists return from Antarctica with the first land mammal fossils found there.
1987

The United State approves AZT, a drug that is proven to slow the progress of AIDS.
Born on March 20
43BC

Ovid, Roman poet.
1811

Napoleon II, son of Napoleon Bonaparte, Duke of Reichstadt.
1828

Henrik Isben, Norwegian dramatist (Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabler).
1904

B.F. Skinner, American psychologist.
1917

Dame Vera Lynn , British singer.
1922

Raymond Walter Goulding, Radio comedian of Bob and Ray fame.
1925

John Ehrlichman, White House advisor to President Nixon.
1928

Fred Rogers, television performer (Mr. Roger's Neighborhood).
1957

Shelton 'Spike' Lee, film director (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X).


Mr. Rogers


Word for the Day
sciolism

PRONUNCIATION:
(SY-uh-liz-uhm)

MEANING:
noun: Pretentious display of superficial knowledge.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Late Latin sciolus (smatterer), diminutive of Latin scius (knowing), from scire (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root skei- (to cut or split), which also gave us schism, ski, shin, science, conscience, nice, scienter, nescient, exscind, and adscititious. Earliest documented use: 1810.

USAGE:
"This consists of some of the dullest sciolism in the history of prose, a standardized academic jargon and rhetoric, the dutiful rehearsal of received theory, and the deliberate misrepresentation of anything challenging or rejecting academic postmodernism."
Michael Donaghy; The Shape of the Dance; Picador; 2009.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurological ladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk of different forms of intelligence, each with its strengths and weaknesses. This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December's tsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after the ebbing surf, and all the 'dumb' animals made for the hills. -B.R. Myers, author (b. 1963)

Today’s Recipe
March - Breakfast Foods



Cranberry Muesli
There may be as many versions of muesli as there are breakfast cereals, but this one’s modeled after the original Swiss wake-you-up - a combination of overnight-soaked grains, nuts, dried fruit and yogurt. Make it the night before and you’ll have breakfast ready when you are.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened or fruit-juice-sweetened cranberry juice
6 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking or steel-cut)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablespoon unsalted sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon wheat germ
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1.  Combine yogurt, juice, oats, cranberries, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, honey, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
209 calories
4 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono)
4 mg cholesterol
37 g carbohydrate
8 g protein
3 g fiber
190 mg sodium
266 mg potassium

Nutrition Bonus: calcium (15% Daily Value)

March Breakfast Foods
Mar 12th Mini Quiche
Mar 13th Red Velvet Waffles, with cream cheese gravy – (I didn’t say they would be healthy!)
Mar 14th Triple Berry Smoothie – not just for breakfast any more.
Healthy recipes:



ENJOY!


Now You Know!