Local and Community History Month - 2013

By Diane Forrest

Growing up in school, history was not one of my favorite subjects; in fact I would say it was probably one of my least favorites.  Listening to things people did hundreds of years ago didn't interest me.   The older I got, however, I began to appreciate the stories of how things around me came to be, and things the people before me went through so that I may have a better way of life.

I am fortunate enough to live in a small historic community.  People from all over the world come to my small little town to see the way things used to be, and how far we have come.  The other day in our newspaper, there was a story about the planning of our community's tri-centennial.   It seems like yesterday when we celebrated 275 years of the beginning of our town.   The City was settled by the French in 1716, followed by the British, then the Spanish, who ultimately laid out the city’s structural grid. Each of them left their mark on Natchez, and nearly every inch of architecture in the historic areas of the City, is influenced by the three nationalities.  There is so much history here as there is in most communities.

Some good ways to discover your town's history is to first check out the local Library.  Maybe there are some books written about your town, or if not, you can check the newspaper archives.  Another good way to explore history is to visit local cemeteries.  As a way to raise money for care and upkeep of our local cemetery, the custodian decided to have a fundraiser on Halloween.  He organized several people who dressed up as members of the deceased residents and each acted out the story of their lives.  It was a huge hit, and now each year many others participate in the telling of the stories and several hundreds tour the grounds for a small glimpse of history.

Take some time out this month to see what new things you can find out about your community.  You may be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.

(Images from Google) 

Genealogy Day 2013

By Terry Orr

Learning about your family roots, experiences, challenges, and travels can be fun, rewarding and perhaps most difficult project in your life.  For more than twenty years now, I continue working on my family tree that has grown from a reality small group of family members to over six thousand and still growing with each new find.  Sadly, there are few family artifacts from my efforts, I do treasure those that are available and are kept in safe and secure environment.

In my physical and virtual travels, many records have been destroyed either by accident, through hatred, or lost. The records that were destroyed over difference religious beliefs are probably the ones that disturb me the most.

During these years I have gotten to meet family members for the first time and establish some very wonderful and enjoyable relationships.  When I travel these days, part of the planning process is to visit them and or new ones along the way.

My goal - at some point in time, turn our family tree’s over to a much younger person in the family.

Getting started can be fairly simple, especially if you have lots of information available and relatives who can help get you started. Below are some good links to help you get started on your family tree.

Let us know how things are going. Thanks!

References and Links: 

http://genealogy.about.com/cs/beginnerscorner/ht/family_tree.htm 

http://www.tedpack.org/howstart.html 

http://usgenweb.org/research/starting.shtml 

http://www.genealogy.com/79_fs-start.html 

http://rwguide.rootsweb.ancestry.com/lesson1.htm

(All images from Google) 

Ancestor Appreciation Day

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By Diane Forrest

I was talking to my aunt the other day, and she was getting ready to decorate her home for the fall season.  Back in the old days, we only decorated for Christmas.  Now she decorates all year long.  She puts up aster trees and decorations, then spring time, summer, July 4th, when school starts, Halloween, Thanksgiving and then back to Christmas again. As she was talking about her decorating she claimed that "my ancestors didn’t do all of this."   to which I replied - "Mine did!!"  Once she started decorating her house, she supplied her sister, my mother, with decorations for the different seasons for her home.  Once I moved out on my own, I was also supplied with decorations.  Now that my son has his own home, I expect I will be supplying his wife with decorations for the seasons.   It seems funny that a small little task likes decorating your home is something that could be passed down from generation to generation.

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That reminds me about a story about cooking roast.  This woman's recipe called for cutting off both ends of a roast before cooking.  She never could understand why.  She asked her mother, who gave her the recipe why the ends were cut.  She told her, well that’s the way we have always done it.  She then asked her mother the reason for cutting the roast.  Her mother replied, well I had to, the pot wasn't big enough.

We learn so much from our ancestors, and also about our history.  In fact, genealogy studies are the second most popular hobby, behind gardening.  A friend of mine's father and grandparents came from Italy.  He has seen pictures of the ships that transported them, and also other papers from when they immigrated to this country.  He found most of his information on Ancestry.com.  His father met his mother in America.   She was born in America, but also of Italian descent.   Their marriage combined the history of Italy, as well as the customs of America.  He fondly remembers watching his mother cook the Old Italian recipes and special holiday treats, and even occasionally prepares these dishes for his family.  These have been passed down to his children and they will one day pass them down to their children.

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Learning about our ancestors not only includes decorations and recipes, but you can also learn about health issues as well.  Many of the diseases people have are genetically coded in our DNA.  This includes the color of your hair and eyes, to heart disease or diabetes, or birth defects.

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Today is Ancestor Appreciation Day.  I found a picture of my son dressed up as a Wild West gangster.  I would imagine if he had lived in that era, that is what he would have looked like.  If he keeps that picture until he has grandchildren, I’m sure they would think he was a criminal in his younger days!   I also found a picture of my husband's grandfather, made a few changes such as coloring his hair and adding glasses and the result was nearly the spitting image of his grandfather, as shown in the picture above.  So, today, pull out your photo albums, and see if you can recognize traits in yourself that are noticeable in your family tree.

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Women’s History Month

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By Diane Forrest

At church the other Sunday, my pastor began his sermon with the top 10 reasons why God made Eve.  They are as follows:

Top Ten Reasons Why God Created Eve:

10. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the garden because he would not ask for directions.

9. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.

8. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor's dentist's or haircut appointment by himself.

6. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage on the curb.

5. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

4. As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.

3. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone."

And, finally, the Number 1 reason why God created Eve....

1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that!"

For as long as I have been able to learn, I have been taught that God made woman to be man's partner.  She was made from Adam's rib to walk beside him, not in front or behind.  For thousands of years women have been treated as a servant to men, property of men.  Men have been view as the hunter/gatherer, while women stayed home, prepared the home, cooked the meals and reared the children.   I can only imagine how much courage the first woman had who was able to speak her mind to the men in her area, and how brave the man was who actually listened, and supported her.  I think back to that movie Can of the Cave Bears where there was no language, only grunting.  The women did the cave work, while the men lounged around.

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There have been several women throughout history, and there are still many goals left to achieve.  This month is National Women's History Month.  It all began in 1911, when the first International Woman's day took place.  In 1981, the first Joint Congressional Resolution was introduced proclaiming a "Women's History Week."  In 1987 Congress expanded the focus to a whole month. Soon, other state departments of education began to encourage celebrations of National Women's History Month as a way to promote equality among the sexes in the classroom.

I would also like to add that just because women want to be equal and be viewed as strong intelligent people, we still appreciate being treated with manners, at least this woman does.   My church has recently asked women of the church to say prayers during the service, and this past Sunday, as a lady led the prayer, it was heartwarming to me to see her husband stand as she descended the stairs, and help her to her seat.

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So, this month check out some of the women in history who have made a differnce in our world.  Here are a few to start with:

• Cleopatra;
• Queen Victoria;
• Amelia Earhart, Aviator;
• Alice Paul, Suffragette;
• Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State;
• Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister;
• Wilma Randolph, athlete;
• Sally Ride, astronaut; and
• Madame Curie.

Genealogy Day

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By Akindman

Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members.

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I have dabbled in my genealogy over the past three decades from time to time.  Talking with your family members, grandparents, aunts and uncles are a good place to start and to gather interesting information. Second, third and beyond cousins also provide essential facts as well – and often missing data and pictures.

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The internet has become a wonderful place to find information on your family.  US Colleges and Universities are getting grants to provide accurate information at cemeteries – something long overdue and very helpful. Sharing family tree information, census data, marriage, divorce, death, Social Security, land, and all sorts of other things are available.  And you can meet other folks who are looking for bits and pieces of information that might help both of you.

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Helpful links on genealogy:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bridgett/101a.htm

http://www.genealogy101.com/

http://www.genealogyworldwide.com/genealogy_101.php

http://www.genealogy.com/mainmenu.html

http://www.archives.gov/publications/genealogy-guide.html

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Ancestor Appreciation Day

By Diane Forrest,

Who are you and where did you come from?  The people from your past help to mold the person you have become.  That's why today is Ancestor Appreciation Day.

I have never done a search for my ancestors, but I have done a living history.  I have questioned family members, taken notes and even taped them (this was before videos)  I have learned that one of my relatives was Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President, Hannible Hamlin.  I learned that one of my husband's relatives was Nathan Bedford Forrest.  I have had several relatives who had buildings named after them at a state university.  I have had family members who have been instrumental in starting churches, and have had rooms dedicated to them.  I have learned that many men in my family served our country in every war.  There have been farmers to lawyers, engineers to nurses. Each of these people laid the ground work for who I am.  They inspired me to become educated, religious and active in my community.

I have included a picture of my husband next to his great- great- grandfather, who was also named David.  I colored in the beard and added some glasses and showed my husband how much he looked like his ancestor.  We also get many of our physical traits and genetics from our ancestors.

Today, why don’t you interview your ancestors and get as much information as you can from them.  Write it down, they have some wonderful books on amazon to write down family stories and records.  Pass these stories down to future generations to keep, learn from and enjoy.

To discover more of your family history check out Ancestry.com here: http://www.ancestry.com/home/lo/index?version=a&o_xid=21837&o_lid=21837&o_sch=Search