Because They Were Different...

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, they they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  —The Declaration of Independence

There is a lot of talk lately about distrust and, oh well, downright negative feelings toward Muslims in America.  This has stemmed mainly from the horrific deeds that some militant factions have committed against innocent people.  While this is a great excuse (I did not say reason, I said excuse) to condemn an entire religious people, it is not the only reason for the hatred, and is not confined to just them.  You see, hate is an equal opportunity disease.

First, let’s look at the definition of disease.  According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary disease is “an illness that affects a person, animal or plant: a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally”.  It goes on to say, “a problem that a person, group, organization or society has and cannot stop”.

Hatred, mistrust and discrimination against peoples, ideas, religions, governments, etc.  has been with us since the dawn of time.  It comes from fear - pure and simple fear.  We are so comfortable with who and what we are (white, Christian, Southern, white-collar, blue-collar, Republican, Democrat, insert label here) that we can’t understand how another person can be anything else.  Many of us are so close-minded that we can’t appreciate the differences that make up this wonderful melting-pot we call The United States.

We are all familiar with the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s.  We

know the terrible price we paid for discriminating against an entire race of people simply because of their skin color.  We’re familiar with names like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X.  We’ve all seen the news footage of the marches and the protests that occurred, and are still occurring.  We have more recently seen the ongoing struggle with white officers and black individuals.  We’ve sat there and shook our heads at the senseless deaths and riots based on mistrust and hatred between the races.  Communities burned, lives destroyed, families shattered - because there were differences.

While this is the most well-known, hatred in this country goes way back.  My ancestors are from Ireland.  In the mid to late 1800’s,

when an influx of Irish came to these shores to escape the Potato Famines of 1845 and 1879, they were looked at as loud drunkards.  There were so many immigrants in such a short period that people were afraid.  Many employers, especially in port areas like New York,  posted signs in their windows, “HELP WANTED - NO IRISH NEED APPLY.”  Dreams of a better life, of opportunities to better themselves were dashed - because they were different.

Italian immigrants faced the same profiling and discrimination when they came to America in search of a better life.  As their numbers grew (there were approximately 4,000 Italians living in

American in 1850; by 1880 the numbers skyrocketed to 44,000 and by 1900 it was over 480,000), they faced fear, prejudice and rejection from business leaders and even their fellow immigrants.  This discrimination wasn’t because of things they did, or said - but because they were different.

Japanese Americans, many of them American citizens born in the U.S., were interred in relocation camps during WW II as a measure of national security.  Because they were of Japanese descent, it was feared they would be sympathetic to the Japanese cause and perhaps spy on us.  Businesses and livelihoods that had been grown and established through hard work and sacrifice were destroyed or left to die.  Families were devastated - because they were different.

Native Americans - you know the ones who were here when the Europeans decided to set down roots - have been forced into small communities on tribal lands.  Their cultures, traditions and ways of life have all been obliterated.  What was once a sign of fierce pride is now a recipe for poverty, unemployment and resignation.  If you think about it, unless you can claim 100% Native American blood coursing through your veins, you are in this country because someone was an immigrant.  When  your family set foot on American soil, they were the different ones.

Discrimination is not only based on race and religion.  Think back

to the not so distant past at the plight of women in America.  While women help to form this nation alongside of men, they did not have the right to vote for their representatives or issues that affected them until 1920.  They didn’t fit into the stereotype of white male property owners, so they didn’t matter.  Even today, there is still a fight for equal pay for equal employment.  The discrimination continues - because they were different.

Jump ahead 80-90 years and the ongoing struggle that the LGBT community is having getting equal rights.  They don’t fit into the ‘normal’ patterns of relationships or family.  Because of this, they have not been granted equal rights under the law.  Why - because they’re different.

Now, I am not foolish enough to think that reading my blog is going to change your mind about how you feel about people who are different than yourself.  If you are the kind of person who appreciates and embraces diversity among people - BRAVO - I wouldn’t want to change you.  If you are fearful and mistrusting of ‘those people’ - whoever those people are for you - those are feelings that you have to deal with.  America has long been a melting pot of different nationalities, religions, and government theologies.  That is not going to change.  You are not going to wake up tomorrow and find the only people left in this country are people just like you.  I only ask that you try to become more tolerant and more trusting. 

I often say that I wish - for just one day - that all people on this big blue egg we call Earth, would wake up without their sight.  They would not be able to judge others by the color of their skin, or the make of their clothing, or the way they do or don’t worship a higher power.  Everyone would have to actually talk to each other and get to know each other on an individual basis before they could make conclusions about what kind of person they are.  While the eyes are the windows to the soul, our perceptions of what we see through them often cloud the soul because we tend focus on differences and not on how we are alike.

Can’t we all just get along????

Until later,
Happy Hunting!!!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

When I was growing up in southern Indiana, Easter, like every other holiday, was the perfect excuse for getting the family together.  After church, my brother and his family, my sister and her family would all congregate at our house for dinner and family time.  Mom would have prepared a feast (I always said that she made enough food to feed the fifth army).  There would be baked ham (she would bake it in a brown paper bag with pineapple and brown sugar), green beans, mashed potatoes, corn and her famous wilted lettuce salad.  Add to that piping hot rolls – the kind that would melt butter at their very touch – and for dessert there would be cakes, pies and red Jello.  There was always red Jello – that was mom’s favorite kind to make.

The kids would have an Easter egg hunt – outside if the weather was nice and indoor – heaven forbid – if the weather was cold or rainy.  I said heaven forbid because we are talking about 9 little angels (including me) searching here and there for hard boiled eggs that were all the colors of the rainbow.  Not only were there eggs hidden around the yard (or house), but the bunny would leave eggs in everyone’s Easter baskets as well as a large bowl or basket of those hard boiled beauties adorning the coffee table.  Our family single-handedly kept chicken farmers in business for months. (Needless to say, we ate a lot of eggs in salads and for snacks for the next few weeks.)  After the festivities, all the kids would sit together with their baskets and eat as much chocolate as they could before their parents put a stop to our gluttony.

Of course, everyone was in their Sunday best, complete with hats and gloves for the girls and - say it isn’t so – ties and jackets for the boys.  I remember feeling so pretty, so much like a princess in my Easter dress.  (To this day, I am more comfortable in skirts and dresses than jeans and slacks.  I still like feeling like a princess.)

It seems like when I was growing up, it was a lot easier to get together for special occasions, like holidays and birthdays.  We all lived pretty close together, I think my sister lived the farthest away at 17 miles.  It was nothing to be watching TV or reading and have the door open and family walk in.  I’m lucky in that way.  Today, families and friends are spread all over the country – or the world.  Physically getting together for dinner or just an evening of coffee and Scrabble is unheard of.  I live in Ohio with my husband and son – my daughters and grand-daughter live in Texas.  My brother and sister live in Indiana.  My sister from another mister lives in Oregon and my brothers from another mother live in Indiana and New Orleans.  

I regret that my kids will never know what it is like to be

surrounded by family.  To experience aunts, uncles and cousins that know our home has an open door policy.  To have the memories that I do – spending time with those annoying family members that you would give anything to have back again, because you know that this time you would cherish those minutes and hours.  To hear the stories of their childhood and laugh and cry and know you are part of something very, very special.

So my wish to you is that you and your family have a joyous and special Easter.  If you can be around family, cherish it.  If you can’t, reach out and connect – whether it be by phone, or email, or social media.  Make your own memories and pass those down to the young ones in your life.

As Always,

     Happy Hunting!!

 

When News was Fun to Read...

Gone are the days when newspapers were truly enjoyable to read.  Not because of what was reported, but how it was reported.  Face it, today’s news articles are short and succinct, and birth and marriage announcements easily fit within a Tweet.  It seems that we are so rushed and so in need of instant gratification, anything longer than a headline gets passed over.  So I propose that we step into my time machine and travel back to Boone County, Kentucky in the late 1800’s to see how news used to be written.  (I almost feel like Ebenezer Scrooge with the Ghost of Christmas Past…)

The September 30, 1880 Boone County Recorder had a notice in the Local News section about my Great-Aunt’s nuptials. (This is an exact transcription, so any grammar and punctuation errors are not my doing :)  )

• “Monday morning before the breakfast bells had been silenced two gentlemen and a lady arrived in town and stopped at the Sandford House.  In a short time the county clerks office was sought and the necessary authority obtained for the marriage of Mr. Walter E. Sanders and Miss S. Josie Reed, of Big Bone.  The services of Elder H. J. Foster were obtained and the above named parties were united in matrimony in the parlor at the Sandford House, in the presence of several town people.”

(In my personal opinion, that is more fun to read than ‘Marriage license issued for Walter Sanders and S. Josie Reed, Big Bone.’)

Just a few years earlier, the June 21, 1877 issue of the Boone County Recorder announced the marriage of Josie’s sister, Susan.  Let’s see how they handled that announcement…

• “The matrimonial market, this summer, has been rather off till Wednesday, the 13^th inst., when it eased up and Ben Crisler obtained license to lead Miss Laura Aylor to the hymenial altar.  The market then shut down and remained closed till Tuesday morning, when one Enoch Barlow was granted the necessary documents to render valid his becoming a benedict by uniting in marriage with Miss Rhoda Aylor.  Barlow had hardly vacated the Clerk’s sanctum when in came one Philip Cayton, shoving at the Clerk a written instrument recommending a dose of marriage license authorizing him (Cayton) to commit matrimony with Miss Susan Reed.  The boys all seemed in high spirits, and appeared to care nothing about the mercury’s trying to kick the nineties of the thermometer.”

It must have been hot when Susan and Philip married because on the same page this was found, “It is estimated the sentence, “It is a warm day, was spoken on Monday, something like 79,612,191,013,843 1/8 times.”"

I have to admit I love reading the old newspapers.  The writers weren’t in a hurry to report the happenings, especially in small towns like Big Bone, Kentucky, and the readers weren’t in a hurry to read about their friends and neighbors.  Articles were filled with adjectives and adverbs and came alive to the readers.  You read about the things that mattered, for example “Cleve Hankins has purchased a fine buggy.”, and “Miss Annie and Charlie Baker, of Indiana, have been visiting relatives at this place for the past few days”.

Old newspapers are helpful for genealogists in uncovering information about your ancestors.  All I ask, is that you take the time to read the news that your ancestor read…read about events that mattered to them, the people who mattered to them…instead of just gleaning the information and moving on.  Stop for a minute and enjoy the ‘poetry’ that  was newspaper reporting a century ago, when the world was a lot smaller and a lot simpler.  Step back into their time and soak up their history, not just their data.

As always,

          Happy Hunting!

Will We Ever Be Totally Done???

I received an email from a friend who is also researching her family tree.  She proudly proclaimed…”I am done!  I have finished with all of my research!”  And even though I congratulated her whole-heartedly, I can’t image ever being done researching my family.    In fact, I can’t image ANYONE being done researching their family unless they decide to call it quits and box up their information.

Why, you ask?  Excellent question!  If you think about it, for every one person you find to add to your tree, there are two more waiting to be found.  Take you, for an example.  You have two parents.  Your two parents each have two parents, your grandparents.  Your four grandparents each have two parents, your great grandparents.  So on and so on.  Each generation doubles the number of ancestors from the previous generation.  Olive Tree Genealogy (www.olivetreegenealogy.com) did an excellent article on “How Many Ancestors Do We Have????”  In the article, Lorine McGinnis Schulze states, 

“If we double the number of ancestors in each generation, 2 parents, 4 grandparents, and so on, we can see that by the time we are back 10 generations, we have the potential for 1024 ancestors.”

SELF

                           2 PARENTS

                        4 GRANDPARENTS

                     8 GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

                  16 GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

               32 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

            64 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

         128 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

      256 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENT

   512 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

1024 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS

 (http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/misc/ancestors.shtml)

Now, keep in mind that 1024 is the number of direct line ancestors.  We aren’t including the aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.  That figure is simply mind-boggling and the thought of ‘being done’ with family research is unimaginable.

So, if we have so many direct line ancestors, why are they so hard to find???  There are many reasons of course, beginning with records being hard or impossible to locate.  But also consider this…it was not unheard of in olden times to marry your cousin.  I know, I know – today there is a stigma to marrying within the family – there are even laws against it.  But it still happens in some of the more rural parts of the U.S. and certainly happened in days gone past worldwide.  Villages were small, travel was difficult (either by foot or by horse or cart).  People didn’t journey a whole lot from town to town, so the eligible bachelors in your local burg, be they kin or not, were pretty much what the girls had to choose from.

This can make finding your ancestors a little confusing, when you realize the daughter of Uncle William is actually married to the son of his brother Fred, who happens to be your 4xgreat grandfather.   In other words, don’t automatically consider that you have made a mistake if you find something similar.  Realize there was a lot of intermarrying within families.  It was a tool for survival for both the family line – keeping it alive – and the town or village they lived in.  A small town will surely die if there is not new blood to farm, or work in the factories or in the shops.  

So how widespread was this?  Going back to the article from Olive Tree Genealogy,  

• “One very interesting probability model created by a demographer for genealogists, is that a child born in 1947 in England tracing back to 1492 would have 60,000 ancestors. Going back further to 1215, this child would find that 80% of the entire population of England at that time would be on his/her family tree!”

The moral of this blog is two-fold:  to realize that you should never consider your tree as complete, and that as long as you wish to, you should keep plugging along – finding those who helped make you who you are – even if they fit in several slots in your family tree.  Also, be prepared for surprises along the way.  Times have changed and so have the ways things are looked at.  As for your inevitable brick walls...records are being release every day for research.  If you looked for someone in your line years, or even months ago and didn't find them, be sure to check again.  You never know when they'll pop up.

If you are never going to finish with your research, what is the purpose of even starting?  It's kind of like 'The Song That Never Ends'.  I research for the thrill of the hunt.  I get giddy when I find a new fact about my kin and kith.  To see where they lived (and yes my files are full of maps and photos of places throughout the world), what they did as a living, who their neighbors were, who witnessed their baptisms or their marriages is exciting.  These are the people whose blood is running through my veins, who helped me be the strong, bull-headed, stubborn person I am today (much to everyone else's dismay).  Everyone has their own reason for researching their tree, you need to decide if you have a reason strong enough to begin this perpetual journey into history (and herstory).

Hmmm… 808 family members down (not all direct lineage), how many more to go??? Only the future will tell.