Family History Month

I knew that October was Hispanic Heritage month but what I didn't know was that in 2001 Congress passed a resolution making October 'Family History Month'. Going into the month I kept thinking it was a great month to get myself back on track. I love my Hispanic heritage and family history in general so what better time than October to pull myself together. Well the month is almost over and as you can tell I am still not really 'With It'.

I did do a bit of looking around for ideas of fun ways to celebrate both Hispanic Heritage and Family History. I found some good links at Family Tree Magazine. I also found some fun activities being held at public libraries and genealogy societies. Yet each time I sat down to write a post sharing these finds and remind everyone of the fun way to collect family history which I wrote last year, my mind went blank. So not only did the post never get written but my motivation to get out and take part in the many activities never appeared. 

So when My Mother-in-Law called and asked if I would fly out and spend a week with her and my Father-in-Law this month I was overjoyed. I will be leaving VA this afternoon on a plane headed for Arizona. I am looking forward to visiting with my late husbands' parents and hopefully they will share some of their families early history with me so I can record it to pass on to my children and grandchildren. 

What heritage based activities have you participated in this month if any?

The Lost Generations of Cowboys and Indians

I have always enjoyed going to second hand stores, auctions and yard sales. You never know what unexpected treasure you may find. Happily my son in law and grandchildren also share my sense of adventure in this aspect. So the other day we took a trip to one of the many thrift stores in the area. After checking out the antique furniture, and possible collector items we took the kids to their favorite section, TOYS.
Of course we always have to pick up some toy even if it is little and nothing really exceptional. On this trip however I spotted a large clear bag full of small plastic figures. Showing it to my daughter and her husband we decided it was the perfect thing to buy. When we showed my grandchildren they were not so impressed and when we said 'but look it is a full set of Cowboys and Indians!' the lack of comprehension on their faces had us trying to explain exactly what these foreign toys were.
I really hadn't thought about it, but began to wonder just how many children today even know how much fun it can be to play Cowboys and Indians. For generations every child boy or girl at some time played Cowboys and Indians even before the plastic figures.  So I began to wonder is this a part of American heritage that is disappearing? 

Petey, Bubba and Sissy playing with the Cowboys and Indians

For three days Bubba and Sissy played with what Bubba calls his Mini's for hours on end. They took turns with one taking the Cowboys while the other had the Indians and then switching. Then they played with all of the figures getting along peacefully building forts and riding the range. It has definitely given them a new adventure and one that they really enjoy.  We decided to look online to see about getting them some more pieces. I was amazed to find that a lot of the sets are more for collectors and very expensive although there are some reasonably priced ones on amazon.com

It makes me wonder what childhood games of previous generations have been lost in time. Do you know of any?

Mysterious Past a short story

A little over a month ago Jeannette at Mysteries in Daily Life posted a photo of this fun house and talked about what kind of story might be written around this house. With her permission I have taken on the challenge. While I had originally thought to write something along the lines of a Grimes Fairy Tail, while staring at the photo a story began to form that was unlike anything I have ever written before. I got so wrapped up in the story that I do believe I have enough material to write much more. I hope you enjoy this short story.

Mysterious Past

by Nita Davis

photo copyright Jeannette StG @ http://castlestgermain.blogspot.com

The sun was just setting over the horizon as Elsie turned on the old lamp with the fluted milk glass shade which sat on the small table near her favorite over stuffed chair. It would be another quiet evening. Just her and her faithful companion Maxwell. At fifteen Maxwell was nearly as frail as Elsie. They had long since given up their search for excitement and were now content to sit quietly of an evening reminiscing over tea. Elsie leafing through her old photographs, making notations and writing down stories of adventures long past, while Maxwell snoozed and dreamt of younger days.

Elsie always knew when he was dreaming of some long off chase, as he would begin to pant and his legs to move as if he were running. She would smile and gently caress his greying fur. Sometimes she wondered why she stayed here and continued to pour over these photos writing down a lifetime of stories. Not just her lifetime but stories her parents and grandparents had told her as a child. Sure she was nearing her centennial but her children didn't seem to understand the importance of heritage. They had grown and moved away, had children and grandchildren of their own and all but forgotten her.

The house wasn't big and her son made sure it was kept up, but even a small home can be lonely without the laughter and chatter of youth. Why didn't she just sell the house and move into a retirement home? At least in a retirement home she would have others around to share stories and laugh with. But oh, there were so many memories. It was more than a house it was a home, her home, and had been for nearly 73 years now. She had raised her family within these walls. She would never forget the day her dear Samuel  showed her the scroll work he had cut for the eaves of their newly purchased home. He had promised her a fairy tail and what better way to start than with a fairy tail cottage for a home.

They had planted the first tree in the front yard when their first child was born. Samuel had wanted it to shade the porch from the hot afternoon sun, as Elsie liked to sit on the porch and rock little Thomas. Later two more trees were planted in the back yard, one for each of the children that followed Thomas into this happy family. It wasn't long before they noticed the shadows cast from that first tree turned the white trim to a delicate teal. Elsie loved the soft inviting feel it gave their home, they even considered painting all the trim teal but decided it wouldn't be the same. The water pump out front had long sense stopped working and the gate holding Elsie's much loved Welcome sign hung at an awkward angle but the home hadn't lost it's inviting appeal. So why didn't the kids ever come to visit?

Elsie reflected on how drastically life had changed since she was young. She could remember sitting on her Great Grandmother's lap on the front porch of their huge family home in Oklahoma. She would spend hours just listing to the stories of how her great great grandparents had boarded a ship during the second big year of the Irish Potato Famine in 1848 with no more than the clothes on their backs to start a new life in America. Stories of the hardships in their home country were followed by stories of the hardships faced on their arrival in New York. She wondered if Móraí (MO ree) ever thought of her life as a fairy tail, for that is surely what it had sounded like to Elsie. Samuel had been Elsie's knight in her fairy tail and now she dreamed of having the final chapter Móraí had lived. She really must write those stories down. The old coo coo clock on the mental chimed ten times. Maxwell stretched his long body and raised his head. It was already an hour past their normal bedtime. 'Awe, where had the evening gone?' thought Elsie as she put down her pen. She would have to wait till tomorrow to start writing the stories Móraí had told her. 

It was already mid morning and Elsie still hadn't had a chance to return to her task of recording the family history. The morning had gone by quickly with chores. Maxwell had been more energetic than usual and had wanted to walk just a bit further than normal on their morning walk. Now he was curled up with his favorite blanket taking his mid-morning nap. Settling in to her comfortable chair with a tall cool glass of ice tea, she opens her book to where she left off last night. Ah, that's right she had just started to write about Móraí's mother and father. She closes her eyes for a moment and focuses on the memory of Móraí's voice as she tells the story. Opening her eyes she picks up her pencil and begins to write.

'After two years of struggling to survive in the squalid conditions of New York and the death of their two sons one due to the Cholera epidemic of 1849 and the other due to malnutrition my great great grandfather William O'Flynn goes to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad helping to build the tracks. After two years of saving they finally have enough money to move out of New York with their infant daughter and settle in Philadelphia in 1852. A year later my great grandmother Christine O'Flynn is born. Life was better in Philadelphia but still difficult. Daideó (Daddo) as he was called by his children was gone most of the time working on the railroad. Then on July 17, 1856 tragedy struck and Daideó was killed while on his way home from Gwynedd  his train collided with a train carrying a large group of children on a special outing. Móraí called it the Great Train Wreck of 1856.'

She begins to write about Móraí's sister when she hears Maxwell whimper. "Poor Maxwell how long have you been awake and wanting to go out?" Going into the kitchen she lets Maxwell out the back door. Maxwell can hear Elsie as she says 'I can't believe it is already past noon. I really must get to the market so I can fix lunch.' By now he knows the routine and heads to his favorite patch of shade with a semi fresh bone to gnaw upon. He will wait there while Elsie makes her trip to the store. Elsie pulls the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator and heads to the front door. With a quick stop at the hall table she puts on her hat, picks up her purse and the note she has all ready for just such occasions. In a moment she is walking through the front gate after having deposited the lemonade on the porch table and locking the front door and securing the note.

Just days before when Lisa had turned eighteen her father had given her a polished oak box. As he handed her the box he told her 'This belonged to your mother. I could never bring myself to look inside, She said it belonged to her mother so I thought you may want whatever it holds.' In a daze Lisa stared at the box. Her mother had died when she was very young, so young in fact that she could not even remember her. Her grandparents were just as much a mystery as they had died in an automobile accident just after her parents had married. Her father had told her what little he knew of them but it really wasn't much. Their last name was Garcia and her Grandfather was a migrant worker. He thought her Grandmother had siblings but he had no idea who they were or what their last name was.

Taking the box to her room Lisa sat on her bed and slowly opened the box. There really wasn't much in the box; a small Saint Christopher pendant on a very delicate gold chain, 2 thin gold bands, A few old newspaper clippings, some old photographs and a stack of letters held together by string. One newspaper clipping was an obituary for a Mr. Murray born 2-21-1871 died 7-10-1963. Who was he? He must be related, why else would my grandmother keep this, Lisa thought to herself. She scanned the names of the survivors, Garcia wasn't among them. The other newspaper clipping was an article about a strawberry festival held in Garden Grove California, dated May 30, 1962. Next Lisa picked up the three photographs. There was one with a cute little house with fancy white scroll work all along the eaves and a white picket fence. She looked on the back but there was no writing. The next photo was of two girls and a boy on a carousel. Turning the photo over she was excited to see it had writing on the back.  It wasn't much just 1950 and the names Tommy, Mary and Margret. The last photo was of a nice looking couple probably in their late 20's early 30's and also dated 1950.

Rushing from the room Lisa showed her dad. "Look, these photos must be my Grandmothers parents and siblings. There is a newspaper obituary also and a stack of letters. I bet I will be able to figure out what her last name was!" Sure enough when she turned the letters over she saw the name on the return address, it was Elsie Richards. Looking at the obituary she noticed that Elsie Richards was listed as Mr. Murray's daughter. Reading down further it said that Mr. Murray was also survived by 20 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. "Elsie Richards must be related to my grandmother in some way. I can't believe I have so many relatives. Dad, how am I ever going to find them now?" Glancing down at the envelope her father replied, " well dear I would start with that address, maybe one of her children or grandchildren live there now." "Of course! I should have thought of that. I don't have to work Thursday so I will leave around 10 o'clock, it isn't too far to Capistrano just a little over two hours." Lisa let out in a gush of excitement. "Alright just be careful" her father had said as she quickly kissed his cheek and ran off to her room to read the letters. "Thank you Dad for the best present ever" he heard her call as she closed her door.

On Thursday Lisa's excitement was bubbling over as she pulled up in front of the house. It looked just like the photo, well maybe not exactly. The trees were a bit taller and even though it is March there are holiday lights lit up on the porch. Oh and the gate is painted teal, how odd. But it matches the teal shadow cast on the trim by the shade of the tree. She still can't believe this was the home where her grandmother grew up. She had spent the last few days reading and rereading the letters from Elsie to her daughter Margret. It was still hard for her to believe she knew her grandmother's name finally after all these years. As she neared the porch she prayed that one of her relatives still lived here and that they were home. But the windows were dark, although the screen door looked as if someone had recently left and forgot to close the door. But it really didn't look like anyone was home. Then she noticed there was a note on the front door. She read the rather shaky but still elegant script of the note

Lisa's heart skipped a beat as she realized her Great Grandmother was still alive and living in this very house, even more exciting she would be home any minute. On shaky legs Lisa turned to her right and sure enough on a small table covered with a crisp white lace table cloth was a pitcher of ice cold lemonade right next to a cane back rocker it's soft white cushion covered  cheerfully with tiny embroidered red strawberries. Pouring herself a glass she eased herself into the rocker and took a deep breath. Soon she would be talking to her Great Grandmother Elsie learning all she could about her mother's family.

Author note: Please let me know what you think. Should I continue the story?

Linking up with these fun blog hops:
 

Creating a Visual Family History

By Nita Davis

Importance of Photographs
Thanks to the digital age creating a detailed visual history for future generations is easier than ever. Throughout the years mankind has strove to create a visual connection to their ancestors. First through rock carvings, then paintings and eventually through the invention of photographs. More recently the invention of digital photography has made it even easier. Paintings and photographs provide us with a legacy that not only establishes the physical characteristics shared by our ancestors but gives us a more accurate portrayal of their lives, often recording in detail family traditions and special events. Through modern technology your photographic history if stored properly can become a vivid visual legacy preserved and enjoyed by future generations hundreds of years from now, maybe even a thousand years.

Before we go into the steps of building your visual legacy there are some important guidelines you should be aware of for the printing, handling and storing of photographic prints, that if followed will ensure your photos last as long as possible. Archival quality photo papers and inks are designed to last from 75 to 100 years when properly stored.

Photo Handling and Storage
Photographs like most anything else do deteriorate over time, and there are certain things that can speed up that deterioration. The first very important thing to know is that when I talk about the care and handling of photographs I am talking about those that have been printed at a professional photo lab because photographs printed on an ink-jet printer even if using photo paper fade much faster than those processed at a professional photo lab. Typically ink-jet photographs will begin to fade even if cared for properly within ten years.

The biggest culprits to cause the deterioration of photographs are temperature, humidity and sunlight. This is especially so when photos are stored in an area such as a basement or attic where heat and humidity is followed by cold dry weather in a continuous cycle. These conditions can actually cause your photos not only to fade but to crack and the image to separate from the paper it was printed on. Dirt, dust, oil and chemical fumes can also damage and shorten the lifespan of your photographs. For these reasons it is always important when storing photos to avoid places where they would be exposed to direct sunlight, high humidity or drastic fluctuations in humidity and temperature. It is also important that when handling photos and negatives they be handled along the edges, preferably wearing white cotton gloves, to avoid exposure to the natural oils in your skin. 

If you have an old photo that is stored in an album or has been written on, it is a good idea to photocopy it and make a back up print.  Years ago the ill effects of some common storage methods were unknown. Other methods that have been used in the past and some products that are still being sold commercially to store photos are detrimental to the longevity of your photos, such as the use of glues, rubber cement or tape to mount photos on pages. Storing photos in magnetic photo albums or inexpensive vinyl photo albums while affordable and convenient will eventually damage the photos. It is now known that exposing photographs to materials containing sulfur dioxide, fresh paint fumes, plywood, cardboard and the fumes from cleaning supplies can adversely effect the photographs. Another common cause of damage to photographs is writing on them with a regular pen or marker. Over time the acids in regular inks and papers can eat away at your photo or cause a stain to spread over the image.

You will avoid many deterioration problems if you use only photo approved acid-free pens or markers or a soft lead pencil to write on the back of your photographs. In addition any papers used for storing or displaying photos should be lignin free, acid free un-buffered paper. As for framing photos some experts recommend opting for metal frames and avoiding wood frames as they can give off harmful chemicals that will speed up deterioration. Another thing to keep in mind is that over time a photo that has been framed without the use of a window matt can stick to the glass in the frame thus damaging the photo. Archival approved products such as papers, pens, glues, tapes and plastics can be purchased at your local photo or craft store.  I plan on going into this more in another article that will talk about archiving your valued photographs. Now that we have gone over the importance of photographs and how to avoid deterioration problems it is time to focus on creating our visual family legacy.

Building a Legacy
Building your visual family history can sound daunting but the rewards of creating a visual legacy for your family will make it worth your time. Gathering old photos and the information to go with those photos may take time but each one will add to the richness of your legacy, so don't get discouraged. This will be a work in progress that will take time and continue to grow as long as you continue to gather photos and information. Before you get started you will need to decide just how far back you wish your history to go. Do you want the history to go as far back as you can possibly go, or to start with the current living generations of your family, it is entirely up to you.

Earlier Ancestors
To build a foundation of earlier ancestors for your legacy you may need to ask family members to allow you to scan old photos or give you copies of photos they may have of different family members or special family events. Be sure when you scan the photos to scan them on a photo scanner at a minimum of 300 dpi. Remember to ask your family members about the photos and get any stories they may have concerning the photographs. If you have chosen to go back as far as possible one source for old photos and news clippings is to check with your local Genealogy Society, they may have some that would enrich your own records. When gathering photos try to find some of the family homes, vacation spots, schools, maybe even places they worked. These can all add to the visual history as well as be wonderful sources to jog the memories of family members to enable you to gather stories about places and events that were important to earlier generations. For many reasons there may not be a lot of photos to establish your families early history but don't be dismayed. Between those you are able to collect and oral histories you will most likely be able to build a relatively detailed early history of your family. In next Friday's article "Finding Family Histories the Fun Way" we will discuss how to collect oral histories which when combined with your Visual History create a detailed history for future generations.

Current Generations
While you are collecting past history keep in mind that current events need to be recorded for future generations. Try not to limit this to just special events. Sure you want photos of those special family occasions but your life is more than just a few days of the year. Photograph everyday activities that your family enjoys. For example if your family likes to watch Monday night football, get some pictures of doing just that. Try to capture emotions and unique facial expressions in your photographs. When my youngest daughter became a teenager, I was totally amazed that many of her facial expressions were just like my husbands late sister whom our daughter had never met. I wish now that my mother-in-law had captured some of those expressions in photographs so we could have a visual comparison to show the similarities. Try to get candid shots were the subject doesn't 'POSE' for the photograph. Often when they do pose for a photo to be taken they assume a fake smile or stiff stance and that is not what you want your history to show.

While you are taking pictures also take some of your home inside and out. This will be important especially if you decorate for holidays you will want to show future generations where you lived and what your traditions were. Get pictures of your kids in front of their schools, getting on or off the school bus if they ride one. Pictures of them with their favorite teacher can also be a nice added detail. Don't limit your photos to people only, remember pets and treasured items can also play a big part of showing who and what we are. For example that blue ribbon your son won in the first grade spelling bee or maybe it is your daughters first pair of dance shoes, whatever it may be photograph it. Many times these items and special times that were so important to a family member are forgotten about as time goes by and bit by bit details of our lives fade to just a few special occasions.

You are probably thinking right now that to do as I suggest you will have to have your camera on you 24/7 and will go broke processing and printing film. While I do admit that if you are using a film camera my suggestions would become rather expensive and require you to have your camera at the ready at all times. For this reason I recommend two things; 1. invest in a digital camera. It doesn't have to be fancy with all the bells and whistles just something you can take decent photos with, preferable 3.5 or more mega pixels. 2. If you have or are able get a cell phone with a camera you can use it to catch moments in the spur of the moment when your regular camera may not be handy. Most of the cameras on newer cell phones actually can capture rather good photos.

In addition to the photos you take try to keep a written record for the photos. If you print all the photos this is easily done by writing all the information on the back of the photograph. Remember use only an acid-free pen or marker made for writing on photos or if you do not have one use a soft lead pencil to gently record the information on the back of the photo.  Record not just the names of people but also the dates, times and locations. With digital photos this information can either be added to the file properties or saved in a text file with the image file number to reference the photo. We will cover these more in our upcoming article on digital photo storage and organization.

You may also want to have an additional written record in which you record times and dates of special life events and achievements, and keep track of the family's medical history. This can be done in a notebook or as a document on your computer, or if you prefer you can buy a special book that is designed just for this purpose. We will cover this more in upcoming articles on History Journals and Legacy Albums.

By creating a Visual Legacy to pass on to future generations your great grand-children's knowledge of you will not be limited to name, location and date of birth and death, no they will be able to see those little characteristics that make you different from everyone else. Fun times and special memories will be easily brought to mind, not lost and forgotten with the passing of time. Through the photos and stories you so lovingly gathered future generations of your family will develop a stronger appreciation of and connection to their ancestors. Your printed Visual Legacy can be preserved for up to 100 years when you use archival safe photo products, and thanks to technology creating a digital version can keep your legacy alive for many more. 

Sources:
http://photoheritage.net/preserving.php#0.1_7
http://www.photographymuseum.com/archival.html
http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa121000b.htm