Any Sailors in the Family?

Daguerreotype of a young sailor
from the Library of Congress collection

I've been reading a book called When America First Met China by Eric Jay Dolin. You can imagine that the trade between the United States and China originated via merchants and shipping (and most of it probably continues this way today). This book has introduced me to many of the varied activities that sailors and merchant marines participated in.

When you think about the sailors in your family were they naval (military) sailors or commercial venture sailors?

The commercial venture sailors could have been involved in many different activities. They could have been on the merchant trade ships sailing to various parts of the world, selling their product and purchasing items to bring back home.  Sometimes they would make intermediary stops to purchase items, such as sandalwood, which was of more interest to certain markets (such as China) than American goods. Of course, merchants were also tied up in the triangular trade of slavery.

Or they could have been on the ships that sought out raw materials or products to sell to near and distant markets. The sailors could have been involved in sea otter hunting in the northwest, seal hunting in the Pacific or whaling.

I'm quite astounded at the variety of activities a ship and its crew could be involved in, not to mention the dangers and diplomacy required on their missions.

Early African Americans were also among the ranks of sailors. On ships they often found more equality and career opportunities than they found at home on land.

Perhaps your ancestors were pirates.  While we have romanticized the historical nature of piracy, this was a very real and active community for a number of centuries. Or perhaps your ancestor was a privateer, a euphemistic word for a state-sponsored pirate.

I can't also help but wonder that not so many of us have sailors in our family trees. The sailors weren't settled, traveling great distances on long journeys. Their career and lifestyle did not lend itself to starting a family.  And the dangers of their jobs cut short many of their lives before they had the chance to retire to land and settle down.

Perhaps that 3rd great uncle without "issue" in your family tree that you didn't bother researching might just turn out to be a sailor or a pirate!

Have any of you researched sailor ancestors? If so, what did you learn about them? Do you know where they sailed or what their role was onboard? I am so curious to learn more!

To Webinar or Not to Webinar

Would you like to see more webinars or less?

Recently I received a pamphlet in the mail from a local hospital. They were offering a parenting class on dealing with teenagers. "Hmmm," I thought, "I could really use that information."  The talk was at 7pm at the hospital which was a 30 minute drive away.  The timing for this Mom of one teen and two pre-teens was right in the middle of homework and wind down for bedtime. I decided to pass.

This really got me thinking, however. I really wanted the information they had to offer but I didn't like the parameters they set for me to obtain it. Is there a better way?

This made me wish that everyone was providing webinars as a service.  Could you imagine what a loyal patron I could be if they would provide webinars through my computer?  I would love to have the information they are offering with terms that were convenient to me.  I would love it if I could tune in through my computer and learn how to be a better parent.

I can hear lots of you saying already that isolating people is not the answer. We need social interaction. I agree but not in all situations.  Here's the divide:

Community-based

I believe that groups that strengthen their membership through relationship-building and continued interaction of its members over time should be limiting the use of webinars. If these groups share information more often over the internet they will erode their base and the members will no longer find benefit in the organization. Local and county genealogical societies are examples of this.

Conquering Geography

When a group grows from face to face interaction but is spread across a far flung geographic area, intermittent use of webinars can help bond the group together and help some members stay in touch when they otherwise wouldn't be able to because of travel.  Larger regional and national genealogical societies like the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) are good examples.

Information Please!

When you have a situation where strictly education or information is the goal, then there is little need for the members to interact.  Information needs to be shared and the relationship being built is really between the provider and the viewer. In a case like this I would say that webinars are absolutely the way to go. Legacy Family Tree and other commercial entities are just perfect for this.

Broadening it across all facets of life

I would love the information that the hospital has to offer. I do not, however, feel the need to bond with any of the other people who also need that information. So in this case I would much prefer a webinar. Make it convenient for me to get the information and start building a relationship between me and the organization providing the information.

I wish more organizations and businesses would starting thinking this way.  Do you want to build a relationship with me or do you need to drag me out in the cold, dark of night to see something live with a bunch of people I will never see again? I promise you, as a busy Mom and career woman I will likely opt to stay home.

What do the rest of you think? More webinars across all topics (not just genealogy), less webinars or selective webinars?

And the Winner of Contest #2 is......

Everyone did a terrific job of finding the information from the US Obituary Collection! It was a little tricky considering there was no name listed!

I hope everyone also got a chance to learn more about the variety of death records that are available for genealogical research on Ancestry.com.

In order to select the winner I followed this procedure. Every correct entry was assigned a number, starting with the number 1, based on when the entry was received. I then went to Random.org and generated a random number.  The correct entry associated with the number won the prize of a 3-month WORLD Ancestry.com for themselves and a friend of their choice.

And the winner is.....

Fran Bumann

Congratulations, Fran, on your win! (I will contact you via email) And thanks to everyone for participating in the contest.

Let's Do It Again - New Contest

I had so much fun doing the Ancestry.com membership giveaway contest last week.  While I was very excited for the winner, Diane Meyer, I was disappointed for all the folks who lost out.

So let's do it one more time.  We will do the same type of contest where the winner will win two Ancestry.com WORLD subscriptions - one for yourself and one for a friend. The more friends you have enter the contest, the greater your chance of winning!

Here's what you need to do to win:

1) Go to www.ancestry.com/death

2) Click on the "Find out more" link as you see in the image above.

3) Click through the sample images until you find the United State Obituary Collection example. There is no name associated with this example but the first line at the top say "Age at death: 94." (Don't forget to enjoy and view all the other death records along the way!)

4) Then email me TWO pieces of information: the death date (month and year are fine as the day is partially hidden) and the obituary date. You must include BOTH pieces of information.  Send your emails to rambles@FieldstoneHistoricResearch.com before Friday, October 26, 2012 at 12 noon EST. Be sure to include your first and last name.

5) Then email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+ or however you prefer to share the link to this post (http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com/2012/10/lets-do-it-again-new-contest.html) to increase your chance to win. Remember, this is for 2 subscriptions - one for you and one for a friend. So be sure to let your friends know to increase your chances of winning.

The winner will be selected randomly from entries received.

GOOD LUCK!

And the Winnier Is....

12 noon EST marked the end of the Marian's Roots and Rambles Ancestry.com WORLD membership giveaway contest.

Everyone did a terrific job of locating Elvis Presley's social security number! I hope everyone also got a chance to learn more about the variety of death records that are available for genealogical research on Ancestry.com.

In order to select the winner I followed this procedure. Every correct entry was assigned a number, starting with the number 1, based on when the entry was received. I then went to Random.org and generated a random number.  The correct entry associated with the number won the prize of a 3-month WORLD Ancestry.com for themselves and a friend of their choice.

And the winner is.....

Diane Meyer

Congratulations, Diane, on your win! (I will contact you via email) And thanks to everyone for participating in the contest.

Book Mentioned During Webinar

Yesterday I presented a webinar called "10 Brick Wall Tips for Intermediate Researchers" for Legacy Family Tree Webinars. During the webinar I mentioned a book that I felt everyone should read (at least American Researchers).

I realized too late that the photo and the author name where not visible enough on the screen.

The name of the book is The Family Tree Problem Solver by Marsha Hoffman Rising.  I feel it's one of the critical books you must read to leanr how to help solve brick walls.

Sorry for not making it easier to read during the webinar.

The webinar is available for viewing for free until October 29, 2012.

You can also purchase the CD or purchase the brick wall bundle of four webinar CDs  You can use the coupon code: brick2 through Monday, October 22, 2012 to save 10%.

Thanks to everyone who tuned in yesterday. I hoped you enjoyed the presentation!

And don't forget to submit an entry to win a free Ancestry.com World membership!

The Shoe Repair Shop

This morning while at the bus stop getting the kids off to school my neighbor and I started talking about shoe repair shops.  I don't remember how it started but she said, "Have you ever noticed how it's hard to find a shoe repair shop these days?" And indeed it is! I couldn't tell you where one is without doing an internet search.

Funny enough, the tv show The Mentalist recently featured the main character going into a shoe repair shop for the annual fix of his one pair of shoes. He took his shoes off and then waited. He ended up having to get a loaner pair of sneakers for the rest of the show.

I remember growing up in Connecticut and having a shoe repair shop in my town. The proprietor was an Italian immigrant and he operated from a little hole in the wall shop. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the shop anymore. Though I do remember my mother going there on many occasions to get her heels repaired. Nowadays people would be more likely to throw their shoes away rather than get them fixed.

It got me thinking - this is an example of the intersection of the present and history within our own lifetime. Something that starts out as a normal, active part of our daily lives quietly recedes in the past to be forgotten. We don't even notice it slipping away. Until one day, if we're lucky, we realize that thing is gone from our lives.

Hopefully, at that moment we realize history in the making and strive to capture it by gathering photos or stories or ephemera before all connection is lost. 

Have you ever given a thought to history in the making? Have you ever realized that you'd better capture something, whether in photos or a recording, before it's gone?

Do you know of any shoe repair shops still open near you? What else has disappeared from your life?

Food for thought on this Thursday morning!


Just a reminder that the contest is still running for another 24 hours to win an Ancestry.com World membership for you and a friend. See details here.

Photo credit: photo by holycowboy and used under the creative commons license.

FREE Ancestry World Subscription for You and a Friend

Earlier today I wrote about Ancestry.com's new Death Record Challenge. It's an opportunity for you to learn how to use death records in genealogical research and to win almost daily prizes from Ancestry.com.

In addition to the Ancestry prizes, I'll be giving away some prizes from the Marian's Roots & Rambles blog.  You and a friend can both win a 3-month Ancestry.com WORLD subscription.

Here's what you need to do to win:

1) Go to www.ancestry.com/death

2) Click on the "Find out more" link as you see in the image above.

3) Click through the sample images until you find the social security death index record for Elvis Presley. (Don't forget to enjoy and view all the other death records along the way!)

4) Then email Elvis' social security number to rambles@FieldstoneHistoricResearch.com before Friday, October 19, 2012 at 12noon EST. Be sure to include your first and last name.

5) Then email, Facebook, Tweet, Google+ or however you prefer to share the link to this post (http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com/2012/10/free-ancestry-world-subscription-for.html) to increase your chance to win. Remember, this is for 2 subscriptions - one for you and one for a friend. So be sure to let your friends know to increase your chances of winning.

The winner will be selected randomly from entries received.

GOOD LUCK!

Bring Out Your Dead

You remember the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

The characters are collecting the dead victims of the plague. They're about to collect another but the body says "I'm not dead!" and "I feel fine!"  I still burst into stitches just thinking of that movie.

Ancestry.com is asking you to bring out your dead as well. But in this case they want you to find death records not dead bodies.  Ancestry.com is featuring its death records during the month of October in the hopes that you'll be able to find more records about your ancestors.  Better yet, by doing what you love, searching for your ancestors, you'll even have the chance to win an iPad.

Head over to Ancestry.com and see what all the fuss is about. Learn something new about death records or check out the prizes they will be giving away nearly every day until October 31.

I'll be going on the journey along with you. I hope I'll find new records for some of my ancestors. And stay tuned because Ancestry.com has given me some 3-month WORLD (yes, I said WORLD!) memberships to give out. You'll be able to win a membership for yourself and a friend. Check back tomorrow for the details on the Roots & Rambles Ancestry giveaway.

The Roots & Rambles contest has started. See details of the contest here.


Disclosure: Ancestry.com is sponsoring Marian's Roots & Rambles for this promotion.

Court Records Old and New

Norfolk County, MA courthouse dome

This morning I was participating in American government. I was doing jury duty service. This event was much more interesting than that last time where I had to wait to be called sitting on the floor of a grim corridor.  This time around I was in a beautiful court room in a comfortable chair.

The court officer went to a great deal of trouble to explain what was going to happen and why.  We were even treated to a video that explained the purpose, importance and history of jury duty.

I learned that the first African Americans in Massachusetts served as jurors in 1860 (no mention, though, that this right was likely taken away from them some years later). I also learned that women did not become jurors until 1950, thirty years after winning the right to vote.

Most of my time on jury duty was spent waiting and reading. I passed the time reading the recently released Witchcraft Prosecution: Chasing the Devil in Connecticut by Richard G. Tomlinson. This book explains the history of witchcraft in Connecticut from 1642 to the early 1700s.

This books falls right on the heals of my reading The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England by Diane Rapaport.

I couldn't help but reflect on the importance of court activities and their future role as historical documents.  The court records from the 1600s provide insight into a time period that seems distant and far removed from today. Reading the witch trial records from the 1600s made me realize just how similar we are in regards to aspects of human nature such as greed, jealously, fear, sexuality and power. When you read between the lines of the witch trials you quickly come to understand that they had more to do with these items that they did with witches.

Like a twist in a bad movie, the court officer said she was going to release us mid-morning only to return to and notify us that they were impaneling the entire jury pool. So off we went to the courtroom.

It was very interesting to hear the judge, meet the lawyers and to see the representatives for the plaintiff and the defendant in this civil case.  The judge explained to us what the trial was about and then asked us a number of questions.

I have to admit that I was glad that the jury was filled before they called my name. Though I greatly appreciated the insight into how Americans courtrooms work, especially considering that I was studying 17th century court records simultaneously. I really made me consider how our actions of today would be the historical records of tomorrow.

Being in a courthouse was a really wonderful backdrop for reading early American court records. While the book is interesting enough on its own, it sure made it a lot more fun.

Headless Horsemen and Spooky Tales, Oh My!

Author and storyteller Jonathan Kruk
photo by Todd Atteberry

Last October I revealed to you my secret indulgence in ghost stories. When the foliage turns to bright autumn hues and a little chill snaps in the air then I know it's time to start reading the scary tales again.

I have another passion just as strong as ghost stories. Funny enough I never really discuss this with anyone.  My other passions is for folktales. I have been reading folktales every since I was a child. I have been captivated by local tales, regional ones and even those from across the world.

One of the best things about my new radio show, Fieldstone Common, is that I get to explore my personal interests to my heart's desire.

Today on the show I am even more excited because I will be talking with Jonathan Kruk, author of Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley. In this episode I will get to enjoy my love of New York and Northeastern history as well as folktales. While folktales aren't necessarily true stories they evoke the nostalgia of by-gone eras and help us to step into the past more easily.

Jonathan will be talking about one of the most well-known and beloved American tales - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.  He'll also be telling us about lesser known tales from the same region. If we're lucky he may even tell a tale while on the air!

So start celebrating fall and join me today at 1:00pm EST to hear about Ichabod Crane, the headless horseman, imps at Tappan Zee, the ghost of Major Andre and much, much more.  The show is broadcast live over the internet.  For those who can't listen live, it will be available afterward as a podcast.

Oh, and you may even win one of the two signed copies of Jonathan's book that I'll be giving on the show.  Hope to see you there!

Fieldstone Common with Jonathan Kruk
1:00pm EST
Thursday, October 11, 2012

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fieldstonecommon/2012/10/11/the-legends-and-lore-of-sleepy-hollow-with-jonathan-kruk

Memory Triggers

I don't usually dwell on the past. Not my own personal past anyway. My occupation, of course, finds me dwelling on other people's pasts all the time. So I found myself in an interesting position yesterday being confronted by my own history.

Everywhere I turned I ran into memory triggers. This has never happened to me before or I've never been willing to open that door.

The middle of the day found me exploring some historic New England cemeteries with a friend. The memory card on my camera filled up so I stopped taking photos. There weren't that many very old gravestones so I stopped looking at the carvings and started reading the names.

I saw names like Shufelt and Mowry. Names that took me right back to high school. They were names of former classmates that hadn't crossed my mind in years.

High school seems like another lifetime to me. I hadn't thought about these people much less seen them in over 25 years. To have a trigger take me back to a detailed vision of my past was unexpected.

Later in the day while I was driving around I heard the song Eternal Flame by the Bangles. I have a powerful memory of that song from when I was a university study abroad student in London. I had been walking down my street when a young man came toward me singing that song at the top of his lungs. He was so full of joy and life and uninhibited by my presence.

That song yesterday triggered an intense memory trip back to my days in London. I have often had brief thoughts about that year but never the movie-like replay I experienced yesterday. I found myself mentally walking through my old flat and the pub across the street. I remembered the people who I met in London and friends from the pub. I thought about my old roommates and wondered what they were doing now all these years later.

Like I said, I'm not much given to reflecting on my own past. I prefer to look forward and keep building the future. I found myself in a strange position giving in to memories.

Have you ever experienced memory triggers that take you back to a moment in time? Does it give you a fleeting memory or a full blown movie of your past? Do you enjoy the memory triggers or do you typically shut them out like I do?


Photo credit: photo by Sweet Cheeks Willie and used under the creative commons license.

The Demise of Books?

I heard a news story on National Public Radio (NPR) this morning that said that the South Koreans were at the forefront of using digital textbooks. Their goal was to be completely digital by 2015.

The United States Secretary of Education also wants to go digital. He said, "Over the next few years, textbooks should be obsolete."

What ramifications does this mean for the publishing industry if the next generations of children grow up without holding printed books in their hands? Will the publishing industry have to go completely digital?

And what does this mean in general for "readers?"  Will children continue to be taught to read for the joy of reading? What implications will there be for children who grow up solely on digital devices.

Change is coming! I'm going take the positive side and hope that this will be a good thing for society. However, I'm sure there will be some fallout, some ramifications.

What do you think? How will this change our world?