Rainy Day Genealogy Readings

Finding Release: Taming Information Overload

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:23:00 +0000

After a particularly stressful 2011, I've taken the cue that I need to divest myself of the many things in my life that are weighing me down, whether tangible (ala' my midsection) or less so (my messy desktop).

So I've been paying particular attention to things that stress me out. Particularly when they are intertwined with things that I happen to enjoy. And in doing so I recently figured out that something I enjoy--reading genealogy blogs-- and the way in which I enjoy them--via Google Reader--was really giving me steam.

You see, besides the genealogy blogs, I was subscribed to innumerable cooking, parenting, investing, financial, crafting, lifestyle, real estate, writing and couponing blogs. As you can imagine, my Google Reader was overflowing with information, articles, tips, resources, blah blah blah that I, for some reason, felt beholden to subscribe to, lest I fall short of the perfect person with the beautiful life that reading all of these blog posts would surely turn me into.

I love a good read, but every morning when I first sat at my computer, my Google Reader seemed to be screaming at me:

1000+ Unread!!!!!!

Now, I take my responsibilities seriously, so I would conscientiously page through the posts, one by one, looking for intellectual or practical enlightenment, until my eyes glazed over, and I had spent my few hours of babysitter-sponsored free time consuming the content of others, and not producing a damn thing--poor form for a freelance writer. Not to mention that I was more ornery, slovenly in posture and outraged at my lack of productivity after the fact than I was before.

So I did what anyone in their right mind would do.

I shut off the spigot.

That's right. I had over 200+ subscriptions to various blogs, amassed throughout the past four years.

And I unsubscribed from them all.

And just for one moment, I could hear the beautiful sounds of silence.

But, of course, I need to be in the loop. I can't miss out on hot and heavy genealogical discussions like who posts the most interesting fevered rantings on citations, or whether or not my backyard chickens are practicing genealogy as a hobby or simply as amateur professionals.

So I began to recreate my subscription list, based upon two things:

1. The blogs I recall reading, and recall enjoying. That was about ten.
2. The blogs from which I had recently starred posts. This added about ten more.

Everything else, I either can't remember ever reading, or they never did me any good, so good riddance!

In the two weeks since I staunched the flow, I find that I look forward to my morning Google Reader list, instead of fearing it like I used to.

Good posts from authors I like on topics that I enjoy aren't swamped into oblivion by posts from hundreds of otherblogs in which I don't have any real interest. And after about fifteen minutes of reading, I am greeted by a beautiful sight, that lets me tackle the rest of my day with a cheery heart and a non-stressed brain:

Genealogy Resolutions- The 2012 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000

The title to this blog post may be a little disingenuous, seeing as how I don't put much stock into resolutions. Case in point, last year I was supposed to run in my first official 5k, and while I gave it my best shot, I'm still fatter and more out of shape than I was at this time last year! Why? Life. Life intervenes, and the best of intentions (and resolutions) get pushed to the side.

This year, my personal resolutions (which I have no moral imperative to keep, by the way) include running my 5k. This is the third year running (no pun...) that it's appeared on my list. And while the pursuit of it keeps me on the treadmill (and yes, I CAN run 3 miles, although it takes me about 45 minutes), who knows if I'll make it. One year I had a baby. A 5k was asking too much. Last year, I broke my toe, which slowed me down, as you may imagine.

At any rate, here I am. This year, I'm angling to do the 5k all over again. And much like the 5k, there are some genealogical resolutions hanging around my head like sticky cobwebs. I'll try in 2012 to get this stuff done, but who knows what'll happen... break my thumbs and havenospacesinanyofmyblogposts, probably.

So here we go:

1. Finally fix all of the fudged citations from my 2010 migration from PAF to FTM. It's only been two years, and I only have a few thousand people in my database. You'd think this would be simpler.

2. Publish another article in a genealogical journal. Last one was in 2008, which was back when my son took two two-hour naps a day, and I had lots of time to sit around. Now I have a preschooler and a toddler and cheerios in my slippers. Prospect for getting this one done? Depends upon whether or not the babysitter quits on me!

3. Create to-do lists for each direct ancestor, then follow up on those to-do lists. I love lists, but sometimes I love making them more than I do completing the tasks on them. We'll have to see if I can move past the prepping stage, and get into a rolling boil on this.

4. Attend at least one genealogy seminar, meeting, webinar or conference. Last year I managed to volunteer for Ancestry Day in SF, which was great. And I know that I'll be registering to go to NGS in Vegas in 2013 (yay!)... so I think the will is there, it's all about scrounging up the way.

5. Reorganize my paper research files. Right now everything is split between folders and files. I'm realizing from the number of times that I shut the file drawer in disgust or stomp away from the bookcase that having both wastes my time, because I never know in which area my files are. Right now I'm leaning toward folders, because I like the portability.

6. Organize my digital files. They're on the computer, in surname folders. But they're not tagged, they're not named in any one convention, and I don't have any easy way of knowing what photos I have. I hate re-discovering things that I already have on my hard drive!

7. Get in more research time. This is one of those nebulous ones, but I'm trying to make 2012 more about working on the things that I love. Last year's rebirth into the working world (via my freelance writing) was great, but it sapped all of my research time. More balance is what I need, and I can rationalize it all away by saying that I'm building fodder for my forthcoming genealogy journal article... whatever that may end up being.

I'll check in on April 1st to see if I'm totally fooling myself with my resolutions this year. Probably, but hey.... maybe I'll have been extra busy working up a sweat on the treadmill!

Tribune Tuesdays: Liberal Reward

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:08:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 12 February 1912

LOST AND FOUND

LOST in the vicinity of 16th and Clay st., Saturday afternoon, gold nugget bracelet; name Marjorie engraved on nuggets. Return to owner, Miss Marjorie Rambeau, Box Office Ye Liberty Theater; liberal reward.

Tribune Tuesdays: Lincoln Was an Aviator

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:44:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 12 February 1912

Two Out of Forty Knew of Lincoln

Out of 40 drunks arrested in the past 24 hours whose release on recognizance was authorized by Judges Mortimer Smith and George Samuels this morning only two were able to tell who Abraham Lincoln was and for what he was famous.

Captain J. F. Lynch received the authorization from the two judges to release the prisoners arrested for drunkenness on their own recognizance. Captain Lynch decided to put his inebriates through a short examination before releasing them.

"Whose birthday is this?" was the first question. It was met with blank surprise.

"Who is Abraham Lincoln?" Lynch demanded of each of the long line as they stood ready for release.

"He was a great general and father of this country," responded a Swede.

"I don't know," answered an ordinary American when cross examined. Several ventured guesses, and one man suggested that the great Liberator was an aviator.

Tribune Tuesdays: Autoist Takes Victim

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:31:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 02 November 1912

Autoist Takes Victim Home and Disappears

H. B. Jackson, a stationary engineer for the California Best Wall Company, living at 2496 Peralta avenue, was run down by an automobile while riding his bicycle on Fruitvale avenue near Tallant street last evening. Jackson sustained a fracture of two ribs. The chauffeur removed him to his home and then disappeared. The police have not ascertained the name of the driver of the machine. Dr. Munroe attended the injured man.

Tribune Tuesdays: Badly Beaten by Victim

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:17:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 01 November 1912 (evening)

Bandit is Badly Beaten by Victim
The Blood of Fighter Flows through Veins of Louis Goubert

The great grandfather of Louis Goubert of 230 Seventh street fought with the great Napoleon at Waterloo and some of the fighting blood of his ancestor has been inherited by young Goubert. As a consequence a robber who attempted to hold up the fighting Frenchman fared ill, and in addition to being badly bruised in an encounter, was captured and consigned to a cell in the city prison.

Goubert is an employee of Chanquet Bros. wine and liquor merchants of 734 Broadway. While on his way home from the store about 1 o'clock this morning, he was accosted at Seventh and Webster streets by a stranger, who struck Goubert with his fist and then started to reach for his purse.

Goubert was not slow to respond to the attack and came back with a right swing which cut a gash in his opponent's cheek. While struggling Goubert shouted for reinforcements.

Patrolmen Green and Gardiner were in the neighborhood arresting a drunk, and brought up a posse which started in pursuit of the robber. The man was followed to the Bethel lodging house, 823 Harrison street, where he was arrested and identified by the cut in his cheek by Goubert.

The prisoner gave his name as Albert Kersting of Alameda, but refused to discuss the holdup. Kersting was placed in detinue, and is being questioned by Inspectors T. J. Flynn and Dennis Holland.

Beautiful Books: Brecknock

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:18:00 +0000

A gorgeous title page from 1809:

Tribune Tuesdays: Girls in Male Attire

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:10:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 01 November 1912 (Evening edition)

4 Girls in Male Attire Arrested
Sixteen year-old Maiden Says She Had Long Wanted to Be Boy.

"Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a boy, and this was my first chance," explained pretty Blanche Sizzelove, aged 16 years, when she appeared in Judge George Samuels' court room this morning following her arrest with three other girls for masquerading in boys' clothes on the street as a Hallowe'en prank last night. The other girls arrested by Patrolman William Tusher while sporting coats, shirts, and trousers were Celeste Dufin, 567 Sixth street, aged 16; Frances Sheen, 602 Sixth street, aged 18 years, and Helen Flentt, 564 Sixth street, aged 18.

The girls were arrested last night and were later released on $5 bail each, furnished by their fathers. When they appeared before Judge Samuels this morning Prosecuting Attorney W. J. Hennessey questioned them and received demure replies from all but Blanche Sizelove [sic], who declared that not only on Hallowe'en by every other day of the 365 she wished to wear male attire.

No complaints had been filed. On the motion of Hennessey the cases were dismissed and the bail returned.

Due to the strict orders issued by Chief of Police Walter J. Petersen for the observance of the curfew law, few acts of vandalism were reported to the police last night, and Oakland passed one of the quietest Hallowe'en celebrations in its history.

Beautiful Books: A Dainty Authoress

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:21:00 +0000

It may just be me, but I love the author photos of the women who created a number of our most genealogically-valuable books. What strikes me most is that the male authors tend toward very stoic portraits of them in waistcoat with chain, while the women seem to opt for being shown with their weapon of choice: their pen.

From: Biographical History of Cloud County, Kansas (1903).

The Full Story

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:39:00 +0000

I love newspapers, because they give us so much information, but sometimes what we learn is so tantalizing, I can't help but wish I could get the full story. Like this Want Ad from the 02 November 1912 issue of The Oakland Tribune:

REFINED young lady (blond) is desirous of meeting dark complected gentleman between 30 and 35, temperate habits, medium height, comfortable income; object matrimony; no triflers. Box 87??, Tribune.

Of course, who knows what her "object" really was, but I can't help but imagine a petite young woman dropping off this want ad at the Tribune offices. I wonder if she ever found what she was looking for? Judging by what I remember from dating, probably a whole lot of "triflers!"

Tribune Tuesdays: Into a Tub of Water

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:53:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 01 November 1912

Jaw Dislocated; Goes to Hospital; Loses Prize

While bobbing into a tub of water for an apple at a Hallowe'en party last night, John Coyne of 1414 West street opened his mouth so wide that he dislocated his lower jaw. The police ambulance was summoned and Coyne was taken to the Receiving hospital, where the dislocation was reduced by Dr. W. H. Irwin and Steward Emlay. He then returned to the festival but in the meantime the prize had been carried off by a competitor. Coyne is an electrical worker and 31 years old.

Defining Research, Part Two: The Internet vs. Research Skill

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:24:00 +0000

"Mother, what are these strange things?"

In my last post on the topic of defining research, I ~~ranted about~~ discussed what I consider to pass only falsely as real genealogical research. But, shy of ~~getting irate about~~ calmly considering how such people influence the overall tenor of the genealogical community, the thread of importance involved in assessing the calibre of their research seems to end there. Much more interesting, to me, is how, when interacting with other genealogists, our personal definitions of research (and even our own estimations of our abilities) can get in the way of the potential for productive discussion.

By way of an example, I was lucky enough to volunteer for the daylong Ancestry Day in San Francisco this past weekend, a one-day genealogy "mini-conference" that was hosted by the California Genealogical Society, of which I am a member. I was able to work through the day as one of a battalion of genealogical consults, sitting with researchers and spending a strict 15-minutes helping these clients review issues or dead-ends they had reached in their research. It was an amazing experience, and a great chance to connect with some people who were incredibly enthusiastic and excited about their research adventures.

But something struck me about these consults, and made me realize how definition of terms can be incredibly important... namely, how one defines "research." In essence, it gets to the issue, I think, of how records and resources available on the internet have fundamentally defined the concept of research for most genealogists.

Here's what I mean: in the course of speaking with a number of my consults, I was struck time and time again by them saying that they had "done the research," that they "couldn't find a trace" of their ancestors, and that these ancestors had, as far as their research was concerned, disappeared.

It took me a few consults to get the hang of the tight time, so after a few I began to ask, "When you say research, what do you mean?" or "You say you researched, which records did you check?"

In most cases, the answer was "Well, I looked on Ancestry."

Now, despite the fact that many of these consults self-identified as intermediate level researchers, the truth was that many were actually still in the beginning stages of their research experience. Many had never written for a vital record, hadn't visited the NARA website, and some were unaware that the Catholic church kept extensive records that would be of help to genealogical researchers. So, in many ways, I don't fault these researchers for not looking beyond the internet to solve their research problems. What I found myself saying, again and again, was:

"You're going to have to move your research offline."

My advice to many researchers included how to write to various offices, how to order records from NARA, and how to go about ordering microfilm to be reviewed at a local FHC. Not terribly complicated stuff, but a revelation for many of my consult clients.

Now, when it comes to defining "research," if I had not asked explicitly in what places, in what resources, and in what record groups these individuals had looked, we may have run in circles for quite a long time. Why? Well, when speaking to a researcher who considers themselves intermediate I would assume that they have already done things like contact county offices regarding death records, or searched for probate documents, or even taken the time to determine the religion of the people they are researching. I would never assume that they had searched on Ancestry and then, finding nothing more, determined that they had run into a brick wall.

But this, I think, is a consequence of the emergence of records on the internet. Digitization facilitates research immensely, and I am one of its largest and strongest advocates. I like to go to sleep at night dreaming that every record I may need will be online some day. But, of course, they aren't, and so genealogy remains an endeavor that is aided by technology, but still depends upon some very dusty, blurry or even archaic means of discovery.

However, the quick successes that internet-centric genealogy affords also, I think, gives a false sense of research success to individuals, who, instead of plotting out specific approaches to solving research problems just type a name into a database interface and hope for the best. The former approach is focused and targeted, while the other is simply casting a wide net and hoping to find something of import. Both yield results, but only one builds skill and increases knowledge. Only one, in my opinion, is research. Many who may believe that they are intermediate researchers, but the truth is that many have only accumulated names and cherry-picked online records--leaving them with substantial trees but very little real research skill.

Of course, it's been said time and time again that even as companies like Ancestry increase the efficiency and abilities of us all to complete our research, it does, in some way, retard the generation of true research ability by truncating the experience that leads to improved research skills. In a way, we become dependent upon the easy availability of online records, and I wonder, if in the long run, this hurts us as researchers--even as much as it helps us as genealogists.

What I do know is that those who are starting genealogy now are at even more of a disadvantage in this regard than someone like me, who has been researching for just ten years. When I began, much was online, but the offerings have become staggeringly robust in the past decade, to the point that many of the records I sent off for and files that I ordered when I was first beginning (as well as books I consulted and resources at offices I visited) are now available online. New researchers can save time and money over what I had to expend, but they do, I think, lose something in the process--mainly an understanding of what research truly is, and how, in reality, it takes offline experience to gain the sorts of skills that can help solve some of genealogy's most difficult problems.

Beautiful Books: Nebraska's Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Not sure what this is all about, but it did catch my eye:

Could be there because the book was sponsored in a way by the Nebraska Farmer Company.

From: A Condensed History of Nebraska (1903).

Tribune Tuesdays: Music Teacher, Armed with Spike

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:48:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 21 October 1912

WOMAN DEFENDS DIVORCED HUBBY
Music Teacher, Armed with Spike, Party to Peace Disturbance

For the purpose of defense purely the matrimonial alliance of Mrs. Eva Lincoln, a music teacher, and H. C. Rodgers, her divorced husband, was resumed yesterday when the police went to the latter's home to arrest him for disturbing the peace of Mrs. Charles Conlin, a neighbor. Mrs. Conlin telephoned to the police that Rodgers had played a hose through her parlor window.

Corporal James Flynn and Patrolman Nick Williams went to Rodgers' home at 2724 West street to make the arrest, and Mrs. Lincoln thereupon alleged to have gone to the defense of her former husband with a a wagon spoke, aiming her blows at the complaining witness.

Rodgers started to run and was tripped down the front stairs by Flynn. The divorced couple were taken to the city jail in the patrol wagon. This morning the neighborhood wrangle was adjusted to the police court of Judge George Samuels when the husband pleaded guilty and his wife pleaded innocent. The former will be sentenced October 23 and the wife will be tried on the same day.

Tribune Tuesdays Follow-Up: Death Stopped Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:31:00 +0000

I posted earlier this week a Tribune Tuesday story about Alice Atwood, whose fiancee died just three days before their scheduled wedding in 1904. A few people mentioned in comments and emails how sad and haunting the story was, and most wondered what the rest of Alice's life was like.

Well, I did too, so I set off to find out!

Now, what follows here is a mash-up of what I've been able to find online, so I haven't gone and ordered any records or consulted anything in person, however, I think I've been pretty successful in finding out about Alice's life.

Armed with the knowledge that Alice Atwood was living in Oakland in 1904, and was the daughter of E. N. Atwood, I started out checking Alameda county voter registrations to see if I could establish her father's first name. I was able to locate an Edward C. Atwood, but nothing more. Searches of directories turned up blank.

I had my first big clue when I went back to the noblest source of all (NEWSPAPERS!) and found this item in the Oakland Tribune, 30 June 1907:

Atwood-Walthal
The marriage of Miss Alice Atwood and John Madison Walthal was quietly solemnized last Tuesday at Trinity Episcopal Church. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. John Bakewell. There were no attendants and only the immediate relatives of the couple attended the wedding.
The bride has won many friends by her gracious personality and attractive manner. She is popular in society about the bay.
Walthal is a graduate of the State University and is prominent in politics, holding the office of District Attorney in Modesto.
After a honeymoon trip Mr. and Mrs. Walthal will make their home in Modesto.

Now, nothing here corroborated that this was the same Alice Atwood, but I found it peculiar that two likely young people would celebrate a wedding in so restrained a fashion--particularly when the society pages were overflowing with details about the elaborate (and costly... and large) weddings that seemed to typify the time. If this were the same Alice Atwood, it seemed to me, the muted nature of the 1907 wedding would have happened out of a sense of respect and sorrow over the death of her first intended.

With this information, I looked up Alice and her husband in the 1910 US Federal Census. I found a listing in Modesto for a "Mathew L. Walthall" and his wife, Alice A. Walthall, who was born in Maine. Although the name for the groom was off, this seemed likely to be the right household. In 1920, in Modesto, Stanislaus, California, I found this:

Walthall, John M., 48, California, Attorney
Walthall, Alice A., 35, Maine
Walthall, Sidney, 8, California
Atwood, Elizabeth, SIL, 32, Maine

It seemed clear I had identified the Alice and John who were married in Oakland, and I now had a name of one of Alice's siblings: Elizabeth. Taking this under advisement, I jumped back in time to see if I could identify Alice in the 1900 census, and get a fairer idea if this was the correct woman.

In the 1900 Federal Census for Lake Valley, El Dorado, California, I found the following clincher:

Edward Atwood, 38, Maine
Alice Atwood, 16, Maine
Bessie Atwood, 14, Maine
Lillian Atwood, 13, Maine
George Whitefield, 25, England (Physician)

Remember, of course, that the name of Alice's intended that had passed away in Los Angeles was named Dr. Whitfield [sic], a physician from England. The same, it appears, was enumerated along with the family in 1900, as a visitor! There's Alice, born in Maine abt. 1884, and her sister Elizabeth from the 1920 enumeration, born in Maine about 1886. Why were they in Lake Valley in El Dorado county? My best guess is that, as the census was performed in June, the family and guest were enjoying themselves in Lake Valley--perched on the beautiful southern shore of Lake Tahoe.

Feeling sure that I had found "our Alice," I moved forward to find out more about her life after her marriage to J. M. Walthall. And, by all apparencies, it seems to have been a good one.

Firstly, Mr. Walthall wasn't a shabby looker, as you can see by a portrait of him in the History of the Bench and Bar of California, 1901:

And, according to a passport application Mr. Walthall filed in 1908, he stood at 6'3" tall... the perfect imposing height for a man working as an attorney-at-law.

This same passport application revealed Alice's birthplace and birthdate, including the lines "accompanied by my wife, Alice A. Walthall, born at Portland, Maine, on the 17th of September, 1883..." The couple, it seems, travelled abroad for a bit in 1908, returning to New York City from Liverpool, England on 16 September 1908 aboard the ship Etruria. I couldn't help but wonder: did she visit Dr. Whitefield's home and family while she was there?

The 1921 History of Stanislaus County included the following information on John Madison Walthall and his wife, Alice Norton Atwood:

At Oakland, on June 25, 1907, Mr. Walthall married Miss Alice N. Atwood, a native of Portland, Me., daughter of Edward N. and Emma Atwood. Mrs. Walthall's grandfather was an analytical chemist and discovered a process to make kerosene out of a liquid found in Lake Trinidad ; but about the same time oil was discovered in Pennsylvania, and John D. Rockefeller put the scientist out of business before he had really begun to accomplish his aim. Afterward, Edward N. Atwood was employed by Mr. Rockefeller as an assistant to Henry Rogers in the Philadelphia office of the Standard Oil Company; and when his health broke, he settled in Oakland, where he became general western manager for a large Eastern life insurance company. And in Oakland, in October, 1909, he passed away, esteemed by all men.

Mrs. Walthall went to college, and also attended the Convent of the Holy Names in Oakland, receiving there that finish to an education and culture which have always been recognized as among her real accomplishments. Mr. and Mrs. Walthall have one daughter, Sidney, nine years of age, a bright pupil in Modesto grammar school.

The "E. N. Atwood" who was mentioned in the 1904 article turns out to be Edward N. Atwood, and Miss Alice Atwood turns out to be a rather accomplished and educated lady in her own right.

The Modesto papers on which I did a general search turned up a number of tidbits about the Walthall family, featuring, as they did, prominently on the society pages. They hosted bridge clubs, and summered in their cabin on Pinecrest Lake in the Stanislaus National Forest. Life, it seemed, was pretty good, at least until J. M. Walthall died on October 6th, 1933.

Her daughter, Sidney, didn't turn out to be a slouch, either, if one can judge by her interesting and heartfelt obituary posted on SFGate.

Sidney's obituary mentions that in 1938, "after the Japanese surrounded Peking," she left China with her young son and went " to her mother's home in Alameda, California." The obituary also notes that Alice's middle name was Norton... a few more details that might help track down Alice's final years.

So what happened to Alice after her husband's death?

I lost the thread on Ancestry and other sites, so decided to do a general Google search on "Alice Walthall" +Alameda. What I found was a cemetery survey for Mountain View Cemetery, listing what seems to be a burial for "Alice A. Walthall Peck," born 1883, died 1976. The plot was shared with a Lillian Peck, and Elizabeth Atwood as buried in the plot.

Had Alice remarried?

My first stop to investigate the new information was the California Death Index, where, sure enough, there was listed an Alice W. Peck, born 17 September 1883 in Maine, died 15 January 1976 in Alameda.

It seemed apparent that Alice, after her husband's death in 1933, had remarried.

Diving back into the newspapers, I located a 30 July 1937 Oakland Tribune article about growing tensions in "Peiping" and some of the Bay Area residents who were living in China at the time. Mentioned was Sidney Walthall Lismer, along with a picture and a note that Mrs. Lismer was "a niece of Elizabeth Atwood and Arthur Peck of Alameda."

Did Alice marry an Arthur Peck?

A death notice from the 13th December 1934 issue of The Oakland Tribune provided another interesting twist to the mystery:

PECK- In Alameda, December 12, 1934, Lillian Atwood Peck, loving wife of Arthur Preston Peck, mother of Alison Preston Peck, and Norton Atwood Peck, sister of Mrs. Alice A. Walthall, and Miss Elizabeth Atwood, aunt of Sidney Walthall; a native of Maine, aged 48 years. [Interment Mountain View Cemetery]

So, it appears that it was actually Alice's sister Lillian who married Arthur Peck, and perhaps not Alice at all. So what to do with the information we have and how can we reconcile it?

Without having seen a photo of the gravesite enumerated in the Mountain View Cemetery, I can imagine that there is a large plot headstone with the name "Peck" engraved on it, then listings of the individuals buried in the plot, which include Lillian's two sisters, the maiden Bessie Atwood and Alice Walthal. Thus, in the course of the gravesite listing, Alice may have been listed as a Peck.

How to explain, though, the question of the California Death Index's entry for an Alice W. Peck, with the same birthdate and place as our Alice? Did Alice coincidentally marry a man by the name of Peck? Or perhaps an in-law of her sisters? Or did she marry her dead sister's husband? Or is this an error in indexing or record creation? Of course, the mystery may be solved by ordering the actual certificate... but since I probably won't be dropping the $14 for it, I guess this mystery will have to stand for now!

Overall, I think this afternoon-long exercise in online resources offers a good glimpse of poor Alice Atwood's life after the tragic death of her young husband-to-be, George Whitefield. Her descendants--through her daughter Sidney and her son Peter--still live in the Bay Area, and who knows... they may even run across this blog entry! Should they turn up, I can only say: what a wonderful family story.

Beautiful Books: A Bright Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:22:00 +0000

Another in the line of donation/collection stickers that would be of interest to genealogists:

I wonder if the scholarship is still in effect?

From: A History of Preston County, West Virginia, Part One (1914)

ed.: Apparently, this scholarship is still in effect, along with a slew of other ancestral-related scholarships!

Tribune Tuesdays: Death Stopped Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:24:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 18 May 1904

DEATH STOPPED WEDDING
Dr. Whitfield Passes Away on the Eve of Wedding

A romance which promised to culminate in the marriage of Miss Alice Atwood of 587 Merrimac street and Dr. Whitfield has terminated sadly with the sudden death of the young groom elect in Los Angeles. A few weeks ago the pretty home on Merrimac street was the scene of busy preparation for the coming wedding and gifts and good wishes poured in upon the young bride-to-be. The marriage was to take place at the home and the relatives and young friends of Miss Atwood were bidden to the ceremony when the telgram came to E. N. Atwood, the father of the young girl, telling the sad news of Dr. Whitfield's death, just three days before the date set for his marriage to Mr. Atwood's daughter.

Early that day Miss Atwood had received a letter from her fiance intimating that he was not feeling as well as usual, but full of hope and promises to be in this city the next day. Following close on the wake of that hopeful message came the sad tidings of death, and the first shock of grief. Mr. Atwood and his daughter left for Los Angeles to attend the funeral.

Dr. Whitfield was a bright and promising young physician whose home was in England, but who had traveled extensively on this continent. During his visit here he met and wooed the American girl, who was to accompany him to his home as his bride.

Dr. Whitfield had been an interested tourist in the southern part of California and at the time of his death was visiting Monrovia, the pretty suburb of Los Angeles. The young physician's mother is in England and the news will come as a heavy grief to her. She was expecting her son with his young bride.

Miss Atwood is now in Los Angeles, and seems overcome with the sad calamity which has befallen her. Plans are in progress, however, for her to accompany her father to the East, and it is hoped that travel and changes of scene will lessen the great grief which has clouded her life.

Update 04 November: You can read about the follow-up research I did on this story in another post.

Defining Research, Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:24:00 +0000

"Oh, it's my ancestry back to Eve!"

Recently, James Tanner over at Genealogy's Star discussed what he meant when he used the word "research." Now, I appreciate these sort of symantics-driven posts, because, as in most arenas of life, it is always important to define your terms before you begin any sort of discussion. And, as genealogy is full of the necessity of discussion (be it on blogs, on mailing lists, or via email), defining the word "research" certainly is key.

Why? I'd like to proffer an example of a recent exchange I had with a researcher who contacted me regarding information I have on an Ancestry tree. In this instance, note carefully the use of the word "research" by the person who wrote to me:

In this case, a woman wrote to me to notify me that some of my dates and locations for a man in my family tree were wrong. I had been researching this man for a little over five years, concentrating in this time on his life in the United States after his immigration. This woman speculated that my information was inaccurate, due to what her "research" had revealed.

Her "research," as it turned out, consisted of a naturalization index card she had found on Ancestry, as well as family information she had found on various family trees online (all of which, I would note, are iterations of my own research into this hitherto un-digitized family).

My information was faulty, she said, because unlike my family tree information which said that this man had arrived in the United States from his birthplace of Milan in 1839, the naturalization index card that she had found on Ancestry showed that he had arrived in 1848 and was from Austria. My dates, she said, seemed "wrong."

Now, in this case, the extent of "research" that had led this woman to seek to clarify/correct my own research was, it seemed, a piece of indexed information that she had found on Ancestry. I was happy to send along a scan of the gentleman's entire naturalization file which I had received from the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court's office. The file showed that the man in question had, indeed, arrived in 1839, although his declaration of intent was filed in 1848--this date was used on the naturalization card as the man's date of arrival in the United States.

I was also happy to point out to this researcher that the naturalization card was somewhat misleading in suggesting that the man was from Austria; in fact, as per the naturalization file, when he became a US citizen, he swore to revoke any and all allegiance to The Emperor of Austria, who, at the time of the man's naturalization in 1854, ruled over Milan as part of the Austrian empire.

Now, I concede that the naturalization card was somewhat misleading (and a good lesson as to how indexes can lead us to reach improper conclusions in our research). I also applaud her natural tendency to question the information she saw in my tree (I do, I'm sure, have some mistakes in there), but I also question this person's quickness to "correct" without having performed a modicum of true research on her own.

The key word here is "research." To my mind, calling this woman's work "research" is an abuse of the word, if only because what she had done was only half of the process deserving of that word. "Performing a search," "taking an overview of available information," or even "surveying previous research" is, of course, part of the research process. But locating an online family tree and preparing to undermine that research based on research that hasn't even been performed seems overeager at best, a slippery slope toward shoddy research at worst.

I'm happy (sarcastically) to report that the 15-page Genealogy Report regarding this matter that I sent this researcher has now been faithfully transcribed by her into her family tree, without attribution or documentation as to where she obtained the initial research. Of course, seeing as how I emailed her five years worth of research (along with scans) intending to bring her up to speed, and she never took the time to write and thank me for taking time to do so.... well, the move to proudly display my work as her own doesn't surprise me much.

It is, apparently, all part of her diligent "research."

Blogger Headaches: Stat Spam

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:30:00 +0000

If you have a Blogger blog and enjoy checking your site stats, you may be seeing a bunch of links popping up from random sites that don't seem (on the face) likely places that would be linking to a genealogy blog.

I won't humor the idiots foisting fake stats on our blogs by naming them, but if you check your Blogger stats, you're likely to see one or two listed. One I get constantly is a goth site, another is an auto injury attorney's site. All of them, in my opinion, suck.

Anyways, just thought I would give a heads-up to fellow bloggers who may make the mistake of clicking on these false referrers, thereby giving the b*tards the view traffic they so sickly crave.

If you totally don't know what I'm talking about, there's a nice post from a Blogger help guru here. For those who do know what I'm talking about, the post is still an interesting and informative one, when it comes to the web's greasy underbelly.

Beautiful Books: An Enduring Tribute

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:14:00 +0000

One of the most genealogically-interesting (if not also beautiful) donation/collection tags I have seen:

.

Found in: An Outline History of Orange County (1846).

Tribune Tuesdays: Hungry Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:07:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 22 October 1912 HUNGRY DOG ATTACKS FIVE-YEAR-OLD GIRL Attacked by a hungry dog while returning home from a butcher shop this morning, Georgie Santon, a 5-year-old girl living at 2239 Magnolia street, was bitten upon her cheeks several times by the animal. The little girl had been on an errand for her mother. She was taken to the receiving hospital by her parent where the injuries were dressed by steward Platt.

Got a Good Genea-Mystery?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:51:00 +0000

I was perusing the great Writers & Poets website this morning, when I ran across the following call for submissions:

SMALL PRESS seeking submissions for mystery anthology with genealogy theme. Open to interpretation as long as genealogy is main theme. You never know who’s part of your family! 3,000–4,000 words. Deadline: February 29, 2012. Free book upon publication. Send submissions to M. Dellafera, 94 Wheeler Rd., Hollis, NH 03049. Questions: mdellafera@charter.net or lwatskin@gmail.com.

I figured that I'm not the only genealogy-buff who also loves a good mystery, so all burgeoning writers should sharpen their pencils! The call is for short stories (3-4,000 words).

Maybe a short story called "The Mystery of the Citation-less Death Date"? Or perhaps "The Woman Who Gave Birth to Grandmother"? The possibilities are truly endless!

But seriously... if anyone wants to form a writer's support group let me know!

Geneablogger Open Thread: The Genealogy Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Good ol' Thomas posted an Open Thread for this Thursday in regards to the necessity (and meaning) of the genealogy experience, and as for most other things in this world: I have an opinion!

Firstly, the intangible experience of genealogy, I believe, is vital to the process of discovery that drives all of our research forward. How that experience materializes is, undoubtedly, different for everyone. For me, at first blush it's a Sherlock Holmes-ian desire to root out the truth, discover the details, and see everything correctly in its place.

This part of the experience is exhilarating: there's the thrill of the hunt, running (sometimes in circles) around an ancestor, trying like hell to pin them down, to establish them distinctly. I find a record, or a corroborative link and the first words out of my mouth are "Haha! I've got you!" It's a chase, a pursuit, and the high when I come out on top is unspeakable. This is the part of genealogy I am addicted to.

Then there is the experience that lends itself to more thoughtful research. I call it "coloring inside the lines," and it involves getting the details on people's lives. This is a more-painstaking process, but incredibly gratifying, as the life experiences of the numbers and letters in my database turn into the story of real people, real lives, ensconced in history and reactive to the worlds around them. This is the part of the experience that reminds me that as I live today, so all these people lived... and I feel honored to know more about them. Sometimes I realize that I may be the first person to have thought of these people in decades, if not centuries. That feeling ties me to the people I research, and some of them, strangely, almost become my friends.

That, pared down and simplified, is my own experience of genealogy.

The software, the books, the libraries, the mailing lists and sites... these are all tools, as I see it, and not the central core of genealogy itself. Our mastery of them speaks not to our abilities but to the ways in which they have helped us manifest the true genealogy experience, therefore the tools rank secondary to the process of discovery and experience of genealogy as each of us experience it.

I see it like this: my husband, who is an electrician, is not made an electrician because of the tools he uses. You could never give his tools to an un-trained individual and expect them to perform the sort of complicated and dangerous work he does on a daily basis. The essence of his being an electrician is the extent of his learning, the depth of his experience, and the now-intuitive way that he understands electricity.

And so it is with genealogists.

This may explain why many who are in touch with their own true experience of genealogy balk so much at others who wield the tools and use the words, but seem to have no heart or skin in the game. Maybe we're not so much angry at them for sullying the world with misinformation, or so much peeved with them for their relentlessly fabricated trees as we are sorry for them that they have, in some way, missed the point. The experience of genealogy, the TRUE experience of genealogy, seems to have passed them by. They have the tools, but not the experience, and so seem woefully unprepared for their own research, and seem oblivious to their own family trees.

So yes, I would say that the experience of genealogy is central. Without that core emotional connection to the research, our ways become somewhat blind. We could travel the world and visit every repository, even piece together a remarkable family tree. But without the emotional component of genealogy, all it is is a process, and not an experience.

That, to me, seems somewhat devoid of meaning, and I regret those stuck on process who don't get to experience the subtle changes of perspective and sense of self that comes with the real genealogy experience. I wouldn't be who I am today without such experience, and to have lost the chance by being blind to it would be a sad fate for me, indeed.

Tribune Tuesdays: Instant Death

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:52:00 +0000

From: The Oakland Tribune, 14 October 1912 INSTANT DEATH UNDER FREIGHT TRAIN WHEELS Instant death followed a fall beneath the wheels of a freight train, when A. Nelson, a brakeman for the Oakland and Antioch Railway, lost his balance and fell between two cars. The body was mangled almost beyond recognition. The accident occurred at 10:30 yesterday morning at the junction of the Snake and Moraga roads, in the Piedmont hills. Mason was 33 years of age and unmarried.

Thoughts on Cleaning and Life (and Genealogy!)

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:14:00 +0000

I had started writing a comment to Greta over at Greta's Genealogy Blog about her response to the ongoing Geneamommy posts down the street and around the bend at The Scrappy Genealogist. (Ah, the genea-neighborhood). It got so long, I decided to shuttle my response over to this blog, so as not to hog all of Greta's screen space.

Firstly, what a great surprise to hear about Geneamommys! When I started this blog nigh four years ago, I had just had my first son, and I wasn't running into too many women who were trying to balance caring for young children with working on genealogy. My blog was going well, when, well, nature struck and I got pregnant with my daughter, who was born in January of 2010!

After a hiatus from blogging in order to accommodate myself to the new chaos of raising a toddler and a preschooler at the same time, I see that all sorts of new gals have joined the brigade, and I'm so excited about it!

But on to what Greta posted, about her dozen ways to get life in order, in order to get to life.

I particularly agree with #7 and #11. For #7 (chucking paper where digital will do), I know that since I got my Kindle two years ago I have purchased only two books in physical form... this from the person who had shipments coming in from Dover books many times per year. I cleared out the bookcases for donations to a prison reading program, keeping only the books I treasured most or knew I would read again. The bookcases are no longer groaning under the weight of a mass of modernist and victorian lit paperbacks, and I can change my mind about what I want to read in the middle of the night without having to get out of bed. How's that for improvement and making life easier?

And for #11 (sweating the small stuff so that it doesn't sweat you)... it's so true. Being in the "intense" phase of parenthood with a 4yo and 1.5 yo, the little things tend to not get done. When I walk around the house and count the chores, I get dismally tired!

To combat the stress, I scaled back my freelance work load for the rest of the year in order to get our house under control again, and it is making a huge difference. Cleaning out the fridge, defrosting the freezer in the garage, hanging up pictures that have been leaning against the wall for the better part of a year... stuff like that. It makes the world seem so much more serene when I feel like I have some semblance of control.

And that sense of serenity is what I need, what with the busy life I have tending to the kids, taking care of the house, cooking for the family, not to mention helping out my 81yo mother, visiting my father who is in assisted living, completing my freelance writing and editing work, completing the last five chapters of my first fiction novel, and shopping around my nonfiction manuscript to agents!

When my son goes into 1st grade next year, I'm hoping to place my daughter in a full-day care a few days a week, so that I can have some time to work on my projects in an uninterrupted fashion. If all goes well, in a few years, I'll have published my first two books, resurrected my now-dormant research and record retrieval services for the Bay Area, and be running my own team of writers offering editorial services to websites and blogs.

Well, a Geneamommy can dream, right?