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Everton's Genealogical Helper was a magazine printed for over sixty years, containing thousands of books, pamphlets, microfilms, atlases, maps, photos, manuscripts and more. Some of the items can't be found elsewhere. The series is loaded with tips, sources, and interesting information for genealogists. Some volumes contain an index, but some do not. The contents of each issue are summarized on the issue's title page. [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4) [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 5] [Issue 6] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 5] [Issue 4] [Issue 6] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 5] [Issue 6] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 5] [Issue 6] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 5] [Issue 6] [Issue 1] [Issue 2] [Issue 3] [Issue 4] [Issue 5] [Issue 6] 1977 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1978 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1979 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1980 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1981 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1982 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1983 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1984 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1985 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1986 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1987 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1988 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1989 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1990 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1991 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1992 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1993 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1994 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1995 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1996 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1997 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1998 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 1999 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2000 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2001 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2002 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2003 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2004 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2005 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2006 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2007 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2008 Jan-Feb [Link] Mar-Apr [Link] May-June [Link] July-Aug [Link] Sept-Oct [Link] Nov-Dec [Link] 2009 Jan-Feb [Link] #resources #tips #bibliographies

This photo was an oddball among the hundreds of antique slides I recently scanned and I thought it was worth preserving and sharing. It was taken in June of 1958 at Bear Mountain State park in Rockland County, New York. It is a sign telling the life story of Walt Whitman and marking the location of the statue erected in his memory in 1940. The statue depicts the poet as if he were strolling through the park. Unfortunately, a photo of the statue itself was not found in this collection, but you can see a modern day image of it here. According to the Historical Marker Database, this memorial is located at 41° 19.014′ N, 73° 59.277′ W. It is located on the path from the Bear Mountain Inn to Fort Clinton. This sign still stands today, although it has been modified. Pieces of this original sign are framed behind glass (or plexiglass). The sign reads: WALT WHITMAN Walt Whitman, one of America's greatest poets was born at West Hills Long Island in 1819. At an early age he left the public schools of Brooklyn and dismissed all formal education to learn the printer's trade. He later became a teacher and from 1846 to 1848 was editor of the Brooklyn Eagle. At the outbreak of the Civil War he volunteered as a nurse in the Union Army after which he accepted a government clerkship in Washington D.C. but still spent practically all of his spare time in hospitals aiding the wounded. Whitman was attacked by paralysis in 1873, retired to Camden, New Jersey where he died in 1892. Whitman is famous for his poems of democracy and America. His first and best known work "Leaves of Grass" of which the "Song of the Open Road" is part, was published in 1855 and was received for the most part with abuse, later becoming one of the best known American poetical works. In 1940 this statue was presented to the Palisades Interstate Park Commission by William Averell Harriman in behalf of his brother and sisters as a memorial to their mother Mary Williamson Harriman on the thirtieth anniversary of her gift to the state of ten thousand acres of land and one million dollars to establish the Bear Mountain – Harriman section of the Palisades Interstate Park. This statue of Walt Whitman was designed by Jo Davidson to portray the feeling of one of Whitman's verses in the "Song of the Open Road". It was exhibited at the New York World's Fair before being placed here. Below are the lines cut in the rock to your right from the "Song of the Open Road". The Song of the Open Road Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune, Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing, Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms, Strong and content I travel the open road. Camerado, I give you my hand! I give you my love more precious than money, I give you myself before preaching or law; Will you give me yourself? Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live? Walt Whitman #waltwhitman #landmark #newyork

I once saw a sign hanging in a store manager's office. It said something to the effect of this: "If you don't have the time to do it right the first time, how do you expect to find the time to do it twice?" These are words to live by and ones I recently told myself after wasting a whole day scanning slides that I ended up having to re-scan. It all started a few weeks ago when my father gave me an old box of photo slides he had picked up at a yard sale. He always keeps an eye out for historical items for me, knowing I'm a history junkie and this was a great find. When I went to visit him, we looked through a few, holding the slides up to a light and straining to identify the subjects because most of them weren't labeled. I was excited to see all the old cars from the fifties in the few slides I sampled. We both wanted to see what the rest of the slides, so I ordered a digital slide scanner from Amazon, and when it arrived a couple days later, I set all my other projects aside and started scanning. The first day, I scanned about 800 slides. Then I took the memory card out of the scanner and popped it in my computer and it was then that I realized I did a few things wrong, which I'll try to help you avoid if you're planning on taking on the task of scanning your old family slides. So, let that be the first tip: 1) Always scan a few slides as a test and view the files before scanning them all How I wish I had done this! I could have saved myself a lot of time and confusion, but like I said, I scanned 800 slides that all ended up having to be re-scanned and I certainly didn't have time for that, but we do learn from our mistakes, so this error taught me a lot. Choose a few slides to use in your "trial scans" and scan each one right side up, upside down, and rotated 180-degrees. Then open the images on your computer to observe the various outcomes. This collection of slides consisted of a couple dozen little boxes, each containing about 20 slides, plus four trays filled with assorted slides. I started scanning them one by one and the scanner assigns a number to each scan, the same way your phone or camera creates a filename for each photo stored. The number is displayed on the screen of the scanner, so I scanned each of the slides and then affixed a small removable label to the border of each slide, writing the scanner's image number on it. That number would correspond with the filename when I uploaded the images and this way I could easily find the slide later, if necessary. (The filenames are actually IMG00001, IMG00002, etc., but I simply wrote "1", "2", etc. on the labels). So my second tip is this: 2) Label the slides with the number from the filename to make them easy to organize and find later Remember, slides aren't as easy to view as photographs, so you can't just pick one out of a stack easily. If you find you need to re-scan a slide later, you want to be able to find it easily without having to look at every single slide again, so these little labels are very helpful. Of course, you could just write on the slide but I wasn't comfortable defacing items that haven't been modified in the last 50-60 years so I used these labels, which are can easily be removed without damaging the slide. Before we go on, let's backtrack a bit. As usual, with genealogy we have to step out of our modern world, and consider the circumstances back in a time when things were quite a bit different. This will help maximize the value of our findings. These slides were produced around 1960, and back then, slides and projectors were used to view photos. Yes, they had cabinet cards back in late 1800's, so they did have the ability to print photos, but in the late 1950's and early 1960's society was going ultra-modern. Keeping up with the Joneses was the name of the game and people loved to invite their friends over to share photos of their vacations, parties, and other events they photographed. Instead of posting pics on social media, they would load the slides into the projector, which would project the image onto a screen or the wall. They would advance through the slides telling their stories. It was the original slideshow presentation. When the slideshow was over, sometimes the slides didn't all end up back in the right boxes and slides got all mixed up, which leads us to my next tip: 3) Organize the slides before you start scanning Viewing individual slides is like viewing one piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The rest of the set, though, the other pictures taken on the same roll of film, would give you a better understanding of the events and memories that were so carefully preserved by whoever took the pictures. Maybe only one photo in the entire roll of film indicates where the photos were taken. That one photo might help you identify several other unlabeled and otherwise unidentifiable photos if they are mixed up. When I started, I assumed the boxes contained sets, but I was wrong. Almost all the boxes were filled with an assortment of photos from different years and places, yet the majority of the photos were unlabeled with no indication of where or when the photo was taken. Even if nothing is written on the slides, there are other ways to match them the sets. The good thing about photo slides, is that Kodak (or whatever company processed the film), usually imprinted the month and year onto each slide. Use a magnifying glass if you have trouble reading an imprinted date, because these dates are your only chance to identify a lot of unlabeled photos. Keep in mind, cameras didn't have timestamps back then, so the date imprinted on the slide was when the film was developed. The photos could have been taken in that month or they could have been taken months or even years before the imprinted date. At any point after the film was used up, people took it to the drug store or mailed it in to be developed. Sometimes people wanted their film processed fast, but sometimes they waited months before getting film developed. Either way, seeing one's photographs was a much slower process than it is today and was quite costly, too. It reminds me of how much easier it is today, when we can view, retake, delete, crop, touch-up, and send photos right from our phones. In the old days before the advent of digital photography, people didn't even know if they captured the moment until they got the film developed. I remember anxiously awaiting the day my photos would be ready, rushing to pick them up and pay for them, only to find the lighting was bad, someone blinked, or worse, I missed the shot altogether. In addition to printing the month and year on each slide, the developer usually numbered each frame, too, which is a BIG help in grouping the photos. Remember, rolls of film come in various sizes. Typical rolls have enough space for 12, 24, or 36 pictures (exposures). When the film is developed, the first photograph taken would be frame #1 and in most cases, you would find a "1" near the imprinted date on the slide's cardboard sleeve. You probably won't find any higher than 36 in any given set. Incomplete sets with missing frames are not uncommon. They could have been wasted photos that were discarded, which was fairly common, or maybe some were good photos that were given away to loved ones. Who knows? On the other hand, you might find multiple slides that have the same year, same month, and same number. Although it can be a little confusing, there are still ways to distinguish between the sets properly, which is my next tip: 4) Use markings to differentiate between slides with the same date and frame number On these slides dated "May 1962", there are two marked as frame #2 and two marked as frame #3. That means the photographer developed more than one roll of film that month, which wasn't uncommon. If you come across this, you will have to look for other clues in order to separate the two sets. In this example, I noticed that in one set, the date was lightly imprinted and barely visible, while on the other set the date was deeply imprinted. In some sets, the numbers were printed in red, and in other sets they were printed in black. In some sets the date is printed with ink and in others it was imprinted into the slide. If there are no distinguishable differences in the slides, you'll have to rely on the content. Maybe one set has mostly beach scenes, while the other has jungle scenes. Just get them all in sets using the clues you have. 5) Clean your slides before scanning (This is critical!) A few years ago, a cousin sent me a memory stick loaded with old family photos, for which I am eternally grateful. I was thrilled and cherish the photos dearly, but many of them had black specks and what looked like hairs on the images. He's a clean-cut, intelligent man, so I was baffled as to why the pictures were so dirty, assuming he scanned the old photos on a standard flatbed scanner. I spent a lot of time editing his photos to remove the marks from each one. It wasn't until I scanned 800 slides and opened them on my computer, that I realized what the problem was. When I zoomed in, I saw the same specks and the tiny hair-like fibers that are not easily visible to the naked eye. Mind you, my scanner was brand new, fresh out of the box and the slides looked shiny and clean at a glance, but once the light is behind them and the image is magnified, each tiny speck of dust becomes a major flaw in the photo. This is why I had to re-scan all 800 of these photos and it took longer the second time because I did it the right way so I wouldn't have to do it for a third time. I'm sure kits are available for cleaning slides but I had a pack of removable adhesive tabs, which are perfect for removing the tiny particles of dust without scratching or harming the slides. With these I dabbed the dust from the front and back of each slide twice before scanning them and what a difference it made! See for yourself. Click the image on the left to enlarge it if you can't already see the specks of debris in the sky. Then, compare it to the clean sky in the second scan (at right): This is a critical step, especially if you're planning on printing any of the photos. Or maybe you don't want whoever sees "dirty" photos to wonder just how dirty your scanner was, not realizing they're just tiny specks of dust and fibers from God knows how long ago stuck to the old slide. 6) Scan the slides upside down if the lighting is bad Notice, also, the difference in brightness. Maybe it's just my device that does this, but I found that scanning the slide upside down or right side up makes a difference in the brightness and contrast of the photo. Notice the difference in the images below. in the image on the left, the slide was scanned right side up. When it was scanned, it had a backlight effect, virtually erasing the buildings in the background, so I turned the slide upside down (not flipped it, but rotated it 180-degrees) and re-scanned. As you can see, in the photo on the right, the difference is astonishing. The foreground came out darker but at least the buildings in the background are visible. Of course, I had to rotate the image on my computer, but each one has to be edited and cropped anyway, so it wasn't really much extra work. Even if you're not planning on editing or cropping them, you can always right-click on a photo file and click "Rotate left" or "Rotate right" to rotate it without even opening the file. 7) Scan the FRONT of the slide - not the back When editing your scanned photos, recognizing and flipping backwards images isn't as easy as rotating an upside down image, so this tip is an important time-saving one, too. Scanning the wrong side of the slide will result in words and numbers that are backwards, cars driving on the wrong side of the road, and scenery that is in selfie mode. If you're going through the trouble of scanning slides, you probably want the photos to be accurate, so this simple step in the scanning process avoids a lot of confusion and saves a lot of time. The front of the slides are very smooth and glossy, while the backside is dull and somewhat textured. Notice the difference between the front and back in these next photos. The front of the slide is shown at left and the back of the slide is shown at right. With my scanner, slides need to be inserted with the glossy side up. If you have a different scanner, the test run (Tip #1) will help confirm which way you need to insert your slides. 8) Keep the scanner itself clean My scanner came with a little tool for cleaning the display area inside the unit. It is important to wipe it frequently because if dust or hairs are on the display area, they will appear on each photo you scan. I went as far as putting tape over the openings for inserting slides when I'm not scanning to prevent dust or dog or cat hairs from getting inside of the unit. Also, be careful not to scratch the interior display because the same scratches will appear in all your scans. 9) Find the right photo editing software Use an app such as Microsoft Photos (free from Microsoft) to crop, straighten, or adjust your photos. Yes, other apps do these things but Microsoft Photos has a feature called "Spot fix", which allows you to blot out any dots or blemishes that may appear in the photos even after you've cleaned the slides. It's great for touching up your photos or even repairing photos with minor damage. You can download Microsoft Photos from Microsoft for free. Then, in order to open and edit a photo in Microsoft Photos, right click on the image file and click "Open with" and then click "Choose another app". In the window that opens (example shown here), check off the box that says "Always use this app to open jpg files". Then select the "Photos" app and click "OK". Then, you can just double-click on the file and it will open in the Photos app automatically. To change the default app back to another program or app, follow those steps again and choose the app of your choice instead of Photos. 10) Create an index of all the slides to help identify sets I used an Excel Spreadsheet to create an index of all my slides. That way, I can use the sort feature to sort by year, month #, and film #, which has been a tremendous help in identifying many of the slides I would have never been able to identify without using this method. I have already shared some from this set in my most recent blogs, but I have lots more to share, so stay tuned if you're interested in seeing some great slides from the late fifties and sixties! If you are familiar with Excel, feel free to use my template, below. Otherwise, you can print the worksheet and write out the index by hand. If you are printing out the worksheets, I would recommend using one page per each 1-2 sets of photos, since you will have to sort them manually. Note: There are columns for the month and year but also for "Month #" to help with sorting the items in ascending order. If I'm not explaining that clearly enough, I think you'll see what I mean when it comes time to put the list to work for you. So those are my ten tips for scanning your old family slides. If you have more tips, tell us in the comments below! I don't have all the answers, but I wanted to share what I've learned in hopes it helps you. Subscribe for more and stay tuned for more helpful genealogy tips and be sure to visit my Genealogy Dashboard for thousands of free resources by resource type, by Country, by State, by County or by Town.

While going through hundreds of slides of photos from the 1950s and 1960s, I was amazed at the beauty that appeared on my slide scanner's screen when I put these slides labeled "Estes Park" in. I couldn't wait to upload and share these! In the short slideshow video below, you can witness what I'm sure is just a tiny sampling of the magnificence of this place. Estes Park is a Statutory Town (similar to a village), in Larimer County, Colorado, just a few miles east of Rocky Mountain National Park. It was named after Joel Estes, a native of Missouri, who founded the community in 1859 and moved his family there in 1863. Estes Park sits at an elevation of 7,522 feet above sea level. The Big Thompson River runs through it and although I'm not sure which mountain is which, there are several surrounding the town. To the east is Mount Olympus, to the southeast is Kruger Rock, to the south is Prospect Mountain, to the southwest is Eagle Cliff Mountain, to the west is Deer Mountain, to the northwest is Castle Mountain and McGregor Mountain, and to the north is The Needles, Triangle Mountain, and Crosier Mountain...just to name a few. You can also tour the area virtually on Google Maps Street View: Have you been to Estes Park? Can you identify any of the locations in the photos? Do you notice any changes to the landscape? Share your observations in the comments below! Click here for thousands of free history and genealogy resources Click here for free history and genealogy resources for Colorado #colorado #photos #vintage #scenery #larimercounty

Mount Washington is one of the places on my bucket list, so I was thrilled to see some rare old photos of it in the 60-year old slides I've been scanning for the past couple weeks. The photo, above, is labeled "View from Mount Washington (East)". Mount Washington, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, holds the distinction of being the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River with it's peak standing at 6,288 feet above sea level. Mount Washington's peak is located within Sargent's Purchase, land granted to Jacob Sargent and others in 1832. On the west side of the mountain is Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, a tract of land about 18.5 square miles in area that was purchased for $500 by Samuel W. Thompson of Conway and George P. Meserve of Jackson, New Hampshire, in 1855. It is within this unincorporated town that The Mount Washington Cog Railway was completed in 1869, after three years of construction. The Cog is a rack-and-pinion railway that ascends the western slope of Mount Washington. It is he second steepest operational rack-and-pinion railway in the world. As you can see in the "Ticket Office" photo, below, the price to ride the Cog in 1961 was $4.95 for adults and $3.00 for children. Today, the price to go halfway to the peak, to Waumbek Station, is $41 for adults and $29 for children, with children under age 4 riding free if they sit on an adult's lap. The rest of the photos in this Mount Washington collection can be seen here in this short video: Among this collection of photos was this one of The Mount Washington Hotel, located in Bretton Woods. It was built in 1902 after two years of construction by Italian artisans and is the last of New Hampshire's grand hotels, built in the Renaissance Revival style. The framed photo and others from this collection are available for purchase securely at FineArtAmerica by clicking here. It can also be printed on coffee mugs, t-shirts, bed duvets, shower curtains, face masks, phone covers, pillows and more. Click here for thousands of New Hampshire and other free genealogy resources! Sources & Additional Reading: Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, New Hampshire [Wikipedia] Sargent's Purchase [Wikipedia] Mount Washington Cog Railway [Wikipedia] Mount Washington [Wikipedia]

The past couple weeks, I've been scanning some old photo slides from the 1960s. It's been a lot fun having a peek into the past, at sites I've never seen or even heard of - like the one shown below at left. The slides were dated "July 1961". At first I wasn't even sure what I was looking at and thought it was nothing significant. Then, I scanned the next slide from the set and saw the sign (shown at right), which peaked my interest (no pun intended). The sign reads as follows: OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAINS "THE GREAT STONE FACE" Long the trade mark of New Hampshire Immortalized by Hawthorne's story "The Great Stone Face" Countless visitors have been inspired by the sight of his rugged countenance. The profile was formed by glacial action thousands of years ago, and first seen by white men in 1805. The book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, called "The Great Stone Face", can be read for free on Archive.org by clicking here. You may also find a copy for purchase on Amazon (affiliate link). After seeing the sign, I zoomed in to get a closer look at the original photo and was intrigued. After doing a little research, I learned that it was located on Cannon Mountain (in the White Mountains range) in Franconia, New Hampshire. The giant granite face measured 40 feet in height and 25 feet in width. Daniel Webster, the famous lawyer and statesman who was born in New Hampshire in 1782, wrote the following of the Man of the Mountains: I was shocked to learn that many of us have probably carried a picture of this natural wonder in our pocket. "When?", you say? Well, it is featured on the backside of the New Hampshire quarter in the "50 State Quarters" series , minted between 1999 and 2008. Unfortunately, the profile collapsed and crumbled in May of 2003, leaving Cannon Mountain faceless. Years of freezing and thawing had caused deep cracks, which weakened and ultimately destroyed this natural wonder. Now, all that remains of this cultural icon are what we see in photography and on commemorative items such as the state quarter. It is also featured on the state's license plates. As a bonus, another stunning photo from the set of slides was "Profile Lake", located at the foot of Cannon Mountain, named after the profile of the "Old Man of the Mountains". A modern day photo on Google Maps gives us a 360-degree view of the site which unlike The Profile itself, has changed very little. What changes do you notice? Prints from this collection of photos can be purchased on FineArtAmerica If you had ancestors who lived in New Hampshire, you can find loads of resources for the state, county, and towns here. For thousands of free resources for all states, click here. #newhampshire #naturalwonders #scenery #photography #whitemountains #oldmanofthemountain Share this story and subscribe for more!

[This page is full of old photographs. Please give it a minute to fully load.] As I continue sorting and sharing a box of old slides that were given to me, here you'll find photos of various buildings on the University of Wyoming's campus as they were in 1965. The University of Wyoming is located in Laramie, Albany County, Wyoming. It is a public research university consisting of seven colleges. It all started in 1886, when the cornerstone of the "Old Main" was laid. It was made from local rough-cut sandstone, which would be used in nearly all the other buildings shown below. Since these slides were unlabeled, in order to confirm they were part of the campus, I used Google maps and their Street View feature to locate the buildings, so I shared that below each photo below. Many of the buildings have changed very little, except the trees are taller, the cars are classics, and there are more buildings. Copies of these photos are available here, for those who are interested. Photo #1 - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #2 - Ross Hall Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window) Photo #3 - Wyoming Union Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #4 - Wyoming Union Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window) Photo #5 - Student Housing under construction Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #6 - William Robertson Coe Library Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #7 - Knight Hall Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window) Photo #8 - Half Acre Gym. The inscription across the top of the building says, "Man is of soul and body, formed for deeds of high resolve". Modern day view courtesy of Google Maps Street View: (Click here to open in a new window): Photo # 9 - Rochelle Athletics Center Modern day via courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #10 - Fraternity Row Modern day via courtesy of Google Maps Street View (Click here to open in a new window): Photo #11 - The Education Building Photo #12 - War Memorial Stadium Finally, here's are two photos I was unable to identify. If you know where these buildings are, or what they are called, please comment below and fill us in! Stay tuned for more collections from these old slides! Click here for resources for Wyoming history and genealogy resources! Click here for thousands of free history and genealogy resources! #wyoming #photography #photographs #vintage #colleges #universities #uwyo

Take a trip back in time with a tour of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, from a 1962 perspective. These rare old photo slides were stored away for more than half a century before I got ahold of them, cleaned off the dust, scanned them with my handy dandy slide and negative scanner, and turned them into this 2.5 minute video for your enjoyment! #virginia #slides #colonialwilliamsburg #colonyofvirginia #colonists

In the past I've shared videos and blogs about my family's trips to New York City and in them you can see photos from the ferry we took to Ellis Island and Liberty Island, so it was nice to find these old photo slides containing very similar views from these photos taken more than half a century earlier, back in 1963. Enjoy this one minute video of these rare old photo slides! If you're researching family from New York City, be sure to check out my index of resources for New York and also for Kings County, Queens County and New York County - or any other county! #newyork #newyorkcity #vintage #photos #skyline #cityscape

[This page may be slow to load. It contains everything you need to access these records quick, easy and free, so please be patient] The Colony of Virginia was founded by the Virginia Company, a private venture, under a royal charter in 1606. The colony was settled the following year, in 1607, and the governor was royally appointed. The House of Burgesses, on the other hand, were the representatives elected to the legislative body to represent the people of the colony. There were 22 burgesses in the Virginia General Assembly. After the American Revolution and Virginia's independence from Great Britain, the name was changed to House of Delegates or what we call today the lower house of the General Assembly. In an effort to entice colonists to emigrate to Virginia, "The Great Charter", was written by the leaders of the Virginia Company in 1619. Anyone willing, who could pay their own way to Virginia, would be granted 50 acres of land. Maybe some of your ancestors came to America under those terms. Since most of my family mostly emigrated to the northeast, I was surprised to learn that at least three of my ancestors on my Daniels branch were born in Virginia, which goes to show you just never know! Maybe they were even part of the Lost Colony at Roanoke! We'll have to keep digging, but for now, here's another resource which will prove useful for researching Virginian colonists. Here it is... Thirteen volumes of the Journals of the House of Burgesses here at your fingertips - free! These books are loaded with 157 years of colonial records, from 1619 to 1776, available free on Archive.org and indexed here to make them easy to find. There are a few ways to use this resource: Browse by Year If you know what years your ancestor(s) lived in Virginia, start with the corresponding volume. The volumes are divided by time period as follows. Clicking the volume number will take you to the corresponding volume where you can search or find the pages you need. Manually search the General Index Use the General Index, provided in the volume embedded here to find a surname or subject in the Genearl index. I wouldn't recommend using their search feature. Instead, scroll through the pages the old-fashioned way (kind of) to find the name you are researching. If you find potential matches, take a snippet or make a note which years and page numbers you need and then easily find and access the volume by clicking the volume number above or using the buttons below. Browse the Tables of Contents For your convenience, the "Contents" of all 13 volumes is shown below. Click any image to enlarge the text. Use the blue buttons to access the volumes: Note: The General Index, embedded above, is from Volume 1. This volume contains two indexes - a General Index, as well as its own separate index. All the indexes are covered in the general index, so to save time, I recommend checking that first. If you find anything relevant, let us know in the comments below! #virginia #colonial #colony #williamsburg #houseofburgesses #resources #history #colonists

Among hundreds of vintage photos I am sorting through and sharing in the upcoming weeks, I found this picturesque scene. Two photos taken in 1965 feature the "Captree Boat Basin", on Jones Beach Island: On Google Maps, we can see that after 56 years, Captree Boat Basin still bears the same name. It is located on Jones Beach Island, near Captree Island. The bridge seen in the photo appears to be the Robert Moses Causeway, crossing the Great South Bay going back to Long Island. Captree State Park offers two large fishing piers, making it a hotspot for fisherman and picnickers. Captree Boat Basin offers the largest public fishing fleet on Long Island for those looking to do a little saltwater fishing. Sightseeing excursions are also available. You can visit their website at captreeboatbasin.com for details. (Note: MyGenealogyAddiction.com is in no way affiliated with Captree.) Stay tuned for more! See more New York history and genealogy resources here. #newyork #history #photos #vintage #captree

In the book I recently acquired, "Christopher Jarrett of New Plymouth", by Winona Strachan, shared in a previous post, I came across a curious term I had seen before, but never took the time to research - "the dividing of assets". I decided it was time to find out what it meant. Following is the excerpt: As you may know, or recall from my previous blogs regarding the Mayflower passengers who landed at Plymouth Colony in 1620, there were two groups of passengers on the ship - the Leyden Congregation (true "pilgrims") and associates of the Merchant Adventurers (true capitalists). With lots of work to be done in the new colony and the potential for profit, the investors financed the passage and supplied provisions for the colonists under the agreement that they would be repaid and profit from future commodities the colony would produce, such as corn, tobacco and furs. In 1626, several of the Plymouth men and five London investors bought out the Merchant Adventurers interest in the colony. The following record of "garden plots" written in William Bradford's handwriting was published in Records of the Colony of New Plymouth Vol. 1, (Deeds), page 2: Fifty-three householders joined the "company" as shareholders. The livestock and cattle became community property and it was agreed the colony's assets would be divided after seven years, giving everyone the incentive to work hard to care for and breed the livestock. In 1623, each household in the Plymouth Colony was granted one acre of land per person. The lots were drawn like a lottery. Isaac Allerton received the largest parcel - seven acres for the seven people in his family. Then in 1627 the "Division of Cattle" took place. Twelve groups would each receive a cow and two female goats. Each of these groups consisted of 13 people. The full list of groups is published in Records of the Colony of New Plymouth Vol. 1, (shown below) on pages 9-13. Almost anything you would want to know about the Division of Assets in the Plymouth Colony can be found in this volume. Other volumes of Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England can be found here, in my previous blog. Click here to see the Interactive Mayflower Passenger List. #plymouthcolony #plymouth #mayflower #newengland #divisionofassets

Mary (Brown) Leonard was my 4th great-grandmother. Family tradition says she was Native American, from either the Mohawk, the Seneca, or the Cayuga Indian tribes of Central New York. Mary was born on November 12, 1838, and she married Charles Russell Leonard when she was about 16 years old, probably in 1853. Charles would have been about 22 years old. Their first child, Joseph Russell Leonard, was born April 6, 1854, in Cayuga County, New York. Charles and Mary would have at least eleven children born between 1854 and 1880. A photo of a family record Mary embroidered by hand was so graciously shared on Dryer Family Photos. In this treasured family heirloom, each person in the family was listed, along with their birth dates. At the top of the list, we see C. R. Leonard (Charles Russell Leonard), followed by herself (M.L.) and their eleven children, listed below. Children of Charles & Mary Leonard, all listed in the family record were: Joseph Russell Leonard b. April 6, 1854 in Cayuga County, New York ("Joseph" on 1855 census age 2 or 3 months; on 1865 census, age 11; on 1870 census, age 16) Susan L. Leonard b. June 5, 1856 in Cayuga County, New York ("Susan" on 1865 census, age 8) Charles L. Leonard b. Aug. 10, 1858 in Genoa, New York ("Charles" on 1865 census, age 6) Sarah G. Leonard b. Nov. 30, 1860 in Tompkins County, New York ("Sarah G" on 1865 census, age 4; "Jane" on 1870 census, age 8) Frances Jennie Leonard b. July 12, 1863* in Tompkins County, New York ("Frances" on 1865 census, age 1 year 11 months; "Frankie" on 1870 census, age 7, "Frances" on 1875 census, age 13) William H. Leonard b. July 24, 1866 in Tompkins County, New York (not in parents home in 1870 or on any census) Lewis F. Leonard b. Oct. 4, 1869 in Tompkins County, New York ("Lewis" on 1870 census, age 1) Maude M. Leonard b. Sept. 7, 1871 in Tompkins County, New York (not in parents home in 1875 or on any census) Lydia Leonard b. June 13, 1873 in Cayuga County, New York ("Lydia" on 1875 census, age 2; on 1880 census, age 7) Arthur Leonard b. May 23, 1877 in Cayuga County, New York ("Arthur" on 1880 census, age 3) Irving Eugene Leonard b. April 18, 1880 in Cayuga County, New York ("Irvin" on 1880 census, age 2 months) See the family's census records here. Also found on Dryer Family Photos is a typed genealogy, which provides the following information: [Click here to learn more about Mary "Polly" (Brown) Leonard] [Click here to learn more about my branch of the Leonard family] #marypollybrown #charlesrussellleonard #leonard #brown #familyrecord #heirlooms

The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also called Stony Brook University (SBU), is a public research university located in Stony Brook, Suffolk County, New York. It is the largest public university in the state and the flagship campus of the SUNY (State University of New York) system. Stony Brook's story began in Oyster Bay, New York in 1957, when it was called the State University College on Long Island. In 1960 the State decided to form a new public university on Long Island. upon a recommendation by the Heald Report, and Ward Melville donated over 400 acres of land at Stony Brook to the State for that purpose. Two years later, in 1962, the State University College on Long Island was relocated to Stony Brook and its name was changed to State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1963, the State took another recommendation from the Heald Report, for the creation of a Health Science Center and campus hospital to train and prepare medical professionals. Since then, Stony Brook has expanded to 1,454 acres of land with 213 buildings. These are are few of the originals, from photos taken in July of 1965: I was only able to locate one of the buildings on the campus. The first picture in the slideshow above is what is now the Sports Complex building shown here on Google Maps: Stay tuned as I share more of this collection of 1960s photos! Click here for more New York history and tons of genealogy resources! #newyork #suny #colleges #universities #stonybrook #longisland #suffolkcounty #photos

While going through an old box of slides and photo transparencies from the sixties, I found some dated July 1965, and after popping one in to my slide scanner, I was thrilled to see it was Shea Stadium. While these photos were before my time, I have been to Shea Stadium twice in the 1990s to see the New York Mets play, but it didn't look like this! The story of Shea Stadium is an interesting one. To sum it up, we need to go back to 1957, when New York had two National League baseball teams - the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. They also had the New York Yankees, but the Yankees are in the American League, East division. The New York Giants had played ball at the Polo Grounds since 1891, and The Brooklyn Dodgers played at both Washington Park and Eastern Park before using Ebbets Field, which they used for about 43 years. Both teams were in need of new stadiums. The owner of the Dodgers, Walter O'Malley, wanted to build a new stadium in Brooklyn at his own expense, but New York officials wanted the city to build the stadium and lease it out. Furthermore, the city insisted the new stadium be built at Flushing Meadow Park, so O'Malley packed up and moved to Southern California. The New York Giants baseball team also moved to California. so, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Giants became the San Francisco Giants, and New York was left without representation in the National League from 1958 to 1962. Finally, in 1962 a new National League team was formed. They were called the New York Mets and their colors were a combination of the two departed teams - blue from the Dodgers and orange from the Giants. The Mets played at the Polo Grounds, while the new stadium was being planned and conflicts over everything from financing to electrical work caused many challenges and setbacks. The stadium finally opened on April 17, 1964, when the Mets faced the Pittsburgh Pirates with a crowd of a little over 50,000 people in attendance. Sadly, the Mets lost 4-3. They played 82 games at Shea in 1964. Shea Stadium was located on Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing, Queens, New York. The first game played there was five days before the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, which was held near the stadium, so the stadium was decorated with blue and orange panels coordinating with the fair's futuristic theme. The panels remained until 1980. Shea Stadium hosted the World Series in 1969, 1973, 1986, and 2000. The Mets shared the field with the New York Jets (football team) from 1964 until 1983, converting it for use as a baseball field in the Spring and a football field in the Fall. In 1983 the Jets moved to New Jersey to share Giants Stadium with the New York Giants (football). The Mets continued to play at Shea Stadium until 2008, when it was demolished to make space for additional parking for their new home at Citi Field, which was completed in 2009. Their last game at Shea Stadium was against the Florida Marlins on September 28, 2008. The Mets lost 2-4. The photographs in the slides that got me all into this story were stamped by Kodak, "JUL 65", so I went to find out which game they were taken at. Even if we don't recognize the red and white uniforms, we can see in the scoreboard photo that the Mets were playing the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets were losing 3-0 at the bottom of the second inning. I found a site that helped me find the roster for 1965, so I checked all the games they played against the Cardinals that year finding they played 18 games, of which they only won 5 that year. I was then able to check each game's "play by play" and found that on Sunday, July 4, 1965, the Mets played the Cardinals and at the bottom of the second inning, the score was 3-0. The final score was 6-2, with the Mets losing again. It was game #81 of the 1965 season but it was their 38th home game that year, so in these photos we see their 120th game played at Shea Stadium. The Mets' record for the season was 27-53 (W-L) when the game was over. Overall, they won 50 games that season and lost 112. These photos were sitting in storage for the past 60 years and I just thought they should be shared in memory of Shea Stadium and it's part in the changing of New York baseball, a major part of New York's culture. I hope you enjoy them! For those interested in copies of some of these rare old photos and more, check out my gallery on FineArtAmerica. Click here for more New York history and lots of genealogical resources! References: Shea Stadium [Wikipedia] Scores and Standings Sunday, July 04, 1965 [Baseball-Reference.com] Mets 1964 Schedule [Baseball-Reference.com] Mets 1965 Schedule [Baseball-Reference.com] Scores and Standings Sunday, September 28, 2008 [Baseball-Reference.com] #history #baseball #newyork #mets #photography

My 9th great-grandfather, Samuel Stowell, was born in 1625 in England. Chudleigh Parish Registers indicate that his father died on December 7, 1628, when Samuel was just three years old. Young Samuel arrived in America some time before 1635, for it was in that year that he went to Hingham, Massachusetts, with Peter Hobart and about 25-30 people who Hobart had brought from England and some he recruited at Charlestown to accompany him.[1] Hobart was a Puritan minister, undoubtedly traveling by boat to Hingham, a distance of about eleven miles. In Hingham, Samuel Stowell worked as a toolmaker and was granted land there in 1656.[2] The Stowell House, Hingham, Mass. - “One of the oldest houses in America, on Fort Hill Street, at the foot of the hill on which stood the old fort prior to King Philip's War. The streets were then mere grassy lanes without sidewalks. The houses were of logs with thatched roofs and oiled paper for windows. Here Samuel Stowell lived. On the same spot, over 250 years ago, the above house was built. It is still standing and has been occupied by at least five generations of the descendants of Samuel Stowell.” - Stowell Genealogy[3]. In an attempt to find out if the house was still standing today, I found information seeming to match the above description. A house built in 1685 by Capt. Thomas Lincoln, once occupied by Stowells[4], was moved from its longtime home at 99 Fort Hill Street in 2013 and was relocated to its new home 1.5 miles away. It now sits behind the Old Ordinary Museum on Lincoln Street as part of the museum's campus and is called the "Old Fort". Google Maps is an awesome tool for potentially seeing the places our ancestors lived without leaving home, so I went looking for images of the home before it was moved in 2013. While click-walking down the street in an attempt to spot the house in the photo, I noticed a home at 106 Fort Hill Street, which looks more like the one in the plate shown above from Stowell Genealogy than the one on the flat bed being hauled in the news photo. Below, the street view image in October 2012 is shown. An image for 2009 is also available, but the house is barely visible, being hidden behind trees. Therefore, it appears the property was cleaned up and the home was remodeled sometime between 2009 and 2012. A date is shown on the corner of the house - "1693". The home appears at the bottom of the hill and looks identical to the Stowell House, which was said to have been built in 1685 by Capt. Thomas Lincoln. Perhaps he built several houses using this basic plan. Samuel Lincoln, original proprietor of Hingham, was the ancestor of Abraham Lincoln.[5] If you're planning a trip to Hingham, you can visit the museum and fort. Check out the Hingham Historical Society's website for more information. If you are interested in the preservation of Hingham's history, consider donating to the society. A donation link is provided on their page. In the meantime, this video published by the HHS provides an excellent view of the structure believed to have been the long time home of the Stowell family of Hingham, about half way through the video. Please share your thoughts and comments below! UPDATE: The original home belonging to Samuel Stowell reportedly burned in 1933. Still, the home behind Old Ordinary appears to have also belonged to a Stowell, according to the news article in the Boston Globe, referenced herein. Thank you to Sarah Jane Stowell for sharing this link and update with us! Sources: [1] Annual Meeting, Stowell Family, p. 6, by the Stowell Family Association, 1925. [Link] [2] An address delivered before the citizens of the town of Hingham, by Solomon Lincoln, 1835. [Link]. [3] "Stowell Genealogy, A Record of the Descendants of Samuel Stowell of Hingham, Mass.", by William Henry Harrison Stowell, 1922. [4] "17th-century house moved to new home", by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe, July 14, 2013. [Link] [5] "Abraham Lincoln and Religion", by Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection [Link] Click here for Hingham, Massachusetts, genealogy and history resources Click here to learn more about this branch of my family. #stowell #harvey #samuelstowell #hingham #historiclandmark #massachusetts

Hingham, Massachusetts, was first settled by a group led by Puritan minister, Peter Hobart. Hobart was among the many Christians who fled religious persecution during The Reformation. Christians were harshly persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England and many sought freedom in the new world. Hobart had arrived in America in 1633, settling in Charlestown. In the first year of their arrival, his father surveyed nearby land which was officially incorporated as the town of Bare Cove in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in September of the same year[1]. The name was soon after changed to Hingham. A small Unitarian church was built in 1635 and Peter Hobart was installed as minister. It was the 12th church built in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1681, a much larger church or "Meeting House" was built and although it only took three days to build, it still stands to this day. It is the oldest church in America still in use since its construction well over 300 years ago. It was more than just a place of worship. The Meeting House offered protection for the settlers as well as a place to conduct official government business. It was the heart of the community who helped build it. The church members/founders cut down trees from the surrounding forests and those with ship-building skills were critical in its construction, which could explain the ship-like components of its design. It was ordered that all settlements be built within half a mile of the meeting house. Among the church's members was Samuel Lincoln, ancestor of Honorable Abraham Lincoln. Parishioners sat on wooden, backless benches until pews were put in in 1755 and there was no heat in the building until about 1822. Images from Early American Churches[2]. Tour the exterior of the church with this interactive Google Maps (Street view): Click here for genealogy resources and more information about Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Several of my maternal ancestors were early settlers of Hingham. David Stowell was born there in 1660, and his wife, Mary (Stedman) Stowell was born there in 1670. Samuel Stowell II was married there in 1649 and died there in 1683. (He is buried in Fort Hill Cemetery). John Farrow and his wife, Frances (Carpenter) Farrow, died there between 1687 and 1689, and their daughter Mary (Farrow) Stowell died there in 1708. She was the wife of Samuel Stowell II. Click here to see my index of ancestors. [1] Shepherd in the Wilderness, Peter Hobart 1604-1679, by Edward Franklin Ripley. [Link] [2] Early American Churches, by Aymar Embury, 1914. [Link] #hingham #massachusetts #oldshipchurch #stowell #farrow #samuelstowell

How much do you know about your cultural roots? I knew virtually nothing about mine before my quest to find my heritage began. My parents told me I was part English, Irish, French, Welsh, German and a little bit of Native American, but my grandparents and great-grandparents were all born in America, so as far as I knew, none of their cultural customs or traditions were passed down to me. I was intrigued by friends who emigrated to America, or whose parents or grandparents came from some exotic faraway land. Now, after years of following my family history backward through time, I know a lot more about my family's coming to America and I realized that the reason we didn't know much about our ancestors origins is because it was too long ago! The last immigrant ancestor in my family was my maternal 2nd great-grandfather, Harry Dickinson, who was a third-generation steel worker. He emigrated with his parents from Sheffield, England, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the 1880s during the steel boom that made Pittsburgh famous. His wife, Annie (Robinson), had immigrated from Manchester, England, with roots from Wales. Prior to that, my paternal 3rd great-grandfather, William McGinnis, had immigrated from Ireland to upstate New York, escaping the Great Irish Famine in the late 1840s, probably by offering himself as an indentured servant to whoever paid his passage. The next immigrant ancestor, going back in my ancestral history, was my paternal 7th great-grandfather, Elias Shevalier, who sailed from Jersey - the island, that is. He was born in Saint Helier, Jersey, in or before 1712 and immigrated to Connecticut as an indentured servant before 1735, after the death of his parents. Those are the four most recent arrivals of my immigrant ancestors and the only traces of them today is quite literally microscopic. It's a shame to think that within a couple hundred years, your descendants could know nothing about you! Living in today's increasingly globalistic society, some people prefer to eradicate the cultural differences between us, while others stereotype, shame and vilify people for the deeds of people who are long gone and probably no relation. Consequently, we grow further and further from our roots and the cultures of our ancestors, who each played a vital role in our existence. While we possess little to no heirlooms, scarcely any documented evidence, almost no portraits or photos, and absolutely no video footage of our ancient ancestors, we do carry copies of portions of each of them in our DNA. Every cell in our body carries traces of those who came before us, as inconceivable as it may seem. Not only do we inherit their dominant physical traits, but some of the habits, preferences, customs, and traditions we learn from our parents may have also been passed down for generations, too. As a "genealogy addict", I love to learn about the things my ancestors experienced and personal aspects of their lives, such as the kinds of foods they ate and the music they enjoyed. Traditional ethnic recipes and favorite old folk songs can help us feel a connection to our heritage and they're not too hard to find. Of course, recorded music wasn't available in homes until the invention of the phonograph in 1877. Just think, for thousands of years, the only music that was heard was played or sang live. Surely minstrels were popular and a home with a musically inclined family member was an extra happy one. Since there are no recordings, however, the only songs that have survived are those that were written down or ones that were popular enough to be passed down from generation to generation as folk songs. Note, also, that the printing press wasn't invented until 1473, so printed sheet music wasn't even available until then. Prior to that, copies of music had to be reproduced by hand. On that note, it's probably safe to assume that many great songs died with people who never copied them down or passed them on. While researching your family history, you might come across a note or a newspaper clipping with details about a song sang at a wedding or party, or perhaps a wedding invitation quoting a line of lyrics or the name of a song. When you do, try to find a copy of the song online and then find a way to preserve the memory of it. Print out the lyrics and/or sheet music and keep them in a scrapbook or frame, share it with family to keep the memory of alive. Also, try a search for folk songs and see what you can find. Maybe a small part of you will find some comfort or enjoyment in a good old kansanlaulu (Finnish folksong), or a volkslied (Dutch folksong), or maybe a népdalt (Hungarian folksong). These are more than songs, these are connections to your people. These connections remind us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We are part of a clan, a family - one with millions of people across the globe, who you probably would never guess are your relatives. It's a reminder to be kind and compassionate to all people regardless of race, creed or color. Tip: Try searches for both "folksong" and "folk song", along with the language, ethnicity, or country. Translate "folksong" to whatever language you're looking for to find authentic songs and more accurate versions. Google Translate will come in handy! My personal favorite is this cân werin (Welsh folk song) called, Dacw 'Nghariad (There is my sweetheart). Of course, I don't know if any of my ancestors knew it, but my DNA thoroughly enjoys it, so maybe! A full playlist of Welsh folksongs can be found here, but first, listen to this song! Share your thoughts and comments below! Dacw 'Nghariad Dacw 'nghariad i lawr yn y berllan, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal O na bawn i yno fy hunan, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal Dacw'r tŷ, a dacw'r 'sgubor; Dacw ddrws y beudy'n agor. Ffaldi radl didl dal, ffaldi radl didl dal, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal. Dacw’r dderwen wych ganghennog, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal Golwg arni sydd dra serchog. Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal Mi arhosaf yn ei chysgod Nes daw 'nghariad i 'ngyfarfod. Ffaldi radl didl dal, ffaldi radl didl dal, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal. Dacw'r delyn, dacw'r tannau; Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal Beth wyf gwell, heb neb i'w chwarae? Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal Dacw'r feinwen hoenus fanwl; Beth wyf well heb gael ei meddwl? Ffaldi radl didl dal, ffaldi radl didl dal, Tw rym di ro rym di radl didl dal English translation: There is my sweetheart down in the orchard, Oh how I wish I were there myself, There is the house and there is the barn; There is the door of the cow house open. There is the gallant, branching oak, A vision, lovingly crowned. I will wait in her shade Until my love comes to meet me. There is the harp, there are her strings; What better am I, without anyone to play her for? There’s the delicate fair one, exquisite and full of life; What nearer am I, without having her attention? #wales #music #reese #griffith #dickinson #welsh #folksong Share this blog with other lovers of folk music!

Over the past few weeks I have been working on better organizing the thousands of genealogy resources I've collected for reference during my years of genealogy research. Most of them are within the United States and you can browse resources by State, County, or Town, but I've also found some useful international resources along the way and organizing them has been somewhat of a challenge due to my admitted lack of knowledge of world geography. It is all very confusing to me, so I took some research to figure it all out. Let's take England for an example, where much of my family originates. England is located on the island of Great Britain, within the United Kingdom (U.K.), off the northwestern coast of the continent of Europe. The islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and more than six thousand smaller islands make up the British Isles, collectively encompassing 121,684 square miles. Besides the United Kingdom, Ireland is the only other sovereign nation in the British Isles. The Republic of Ireland is located on the island of Ireland, divided from Great Britain by the English Channel. Northern Ireland, however, belongs to the United Kingdom and although both Great Britain and Ireland are islands, they are located within the continent of Europe. As you know, Europe is one of the earth's seven continents. It is also considered part of the larger landmass called Eurasia. In this map, the continent of Europe is shown in green. As you can see, the islands of Ireland and Great Britain are shown as part of the continent of Europe, along with Iceland and thousands of other small islands. However, in terms of Continental Europe and its common definition, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland and Scandinavian (Nordic countries) are not considered European countries. It is primarily countries on the mainland that are considered to be part of Continental Europe. As of today, October 18, 2021, the population of Europe is 748,226,898 (Source). Russia's population tops the chart in both size and population, out of all the European countries, followed by Turkey, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, respectively. Following is a list of countries within the continent of Europe, located on the mainland (Continental Europe): * indicates countries that straddle both Europe and Asia. The following countries are Northern European countries, formerly part of Scandinavia, called Nordic Countries: Following are Islands which are considered part of the Continent of Europe, but generally not considered Continental European countries: After shining some light on my dark understanding of the definition of "European", I now understand why many of the early immigrants to America were called Europeans, despite some having British, Irish, Scottish, and other origins we might not typically consider to be part of Europe. Are you from England, Ireland, or Scotland? If so, do you consider yourself to be European? Please share your perspective in the chat! #european #geography #genealogy

Sometimes researching family history is like a roller coaster. It is exciting to find out you're related to a famous person and gratifying to find ancestors who were upstanding citizens who contributed to society in some way, but what about when you uncover a family secret or an ancestor or relative who did something shameful? When we venture into the family forest we should make sure we're ready to accept whatever we may find. We should remember our goal is to learn about our family's history and the fact is we can also learn from both their successes and their failures. Actually, it's probably easier to learn from people's failures than it is to learn the secrets of people's success. Yes, shameful deeds put a stain on the family record, but there is a positive side. The fact that these records exist is an important lesson for us all, especially for those with children. Remembering that your deeds will be recorded in newspapers, court records, people's journals, or elsewhere, might help influence people to make better decisions. After a story hits the newspapers, all your peers, neighbors, and family discover what you've done, and your name is tarnished forever. A hundred years from now your great-grandchildren might want to learn about you and search old newspapers and what would you like them to find? That you were abusive, criminal, or even a murderer? Also, knowing the shame or stigma the family suffers should also be strong motivation to resist the temptation to do shameful deeds, too. It makes the decision process simpler: If you'd be ashamed for people to read about it in the newspaper, don't do it! I have been working on adding more documents and sources to the people in my tree and I was searching newspapers at fultonhistory.com when I stumbled upon a story about Levi Sherman, with the headline "Assault With Deadly Weapon - Such is the Charge Against Levi Sherman After Shooting a Woman". I had been researching another branch of my family from the same area, but this story jumped out at me because my 4th great-grandfather was named Levi Sherman and he also lived in the same area. My ancestor, Levi Sherman, was the grandfather of Cora (Sherman) Leonard. Cora married Lewis Leonard, son of Charles Russell Leonard. Cora's father was James Sherman. I remember there was another Levi Sherman with a son named James in nearby Wayne County, mentioned in my previous blog, but this incident was in Cayuga County so it wasn't this other Levi Sherman. I also already found a story about Levi's daughter, Dora Sherman, who pistol-whipped a man in 1874, for not paying the rent he owed her, and she also stabbed a man with a pitchfork in 1878. Based on this pattern of aggression, I was pretty sure there was a connection, so I continued reading and found more articles about the incident, all shown below. The story, in short, is that Levi Sherman lived "in the woods" near Venice, New York. He had a girlfriend, Minnie Cogsdill, a married woman who had apparently separated from her husband. In November of 1907, Minnie left Levi and went to her friend Mrs. Pearl Wallace's home in Venice. Levi showed up and asked to speak with her and they went outside to talk. He asked her to marry him while brandishing his gun and she agreed, fearing he would kill her. She then said she had to go inside to get her cloak and he objected, saying she had plenty of cloaks at home. When she protested, he slapped her in the face. Then, giving up the charade, she told him she would not marry him and went back in to the Wallace home. A few minutes later, Levi appeared at the front door and began shooting at the occupants inside. Mrs. Wallace was the only one shot, receiving only a grazing, and when he ran out of bullets, he was chased away. Police found him later in a cornfield and although his gun was fully reloaded, he did not resist and was taken into custody. He was taken to prison and soon after committed to Willard Asylum in Ovid, New York. He escaped in November of 1908 but was captured after locals spotted him in Moravia. What made me realize this wasn't my ancestor, Levi Sherman, was that mine died in 1898, nine years before this incident. Also, my ancestor would have been near 90 years old if he were alive in 1907 and Minnie was only 31. I looked among Levi's children's names and found no mention of a son named Levi, so who was this "Levi Sherman", hermit of Moravia? For this answer, I looked to the census and on the 1875 New York State Census, I found the following: Here we find Levi N. Lamphere (or Lamphier) living in the home of my 4th great-grandfather, Levi Sherman, who was 63 years old at the time. Mary Lamphere, age 28, was listed as Sherman's housekeeper and it appears her two sons were in the home: Daniel Webster Lamphere, age 6, and Levi N. Lamphere, age 2 years 4 months. So Levi Lamphere (later called Levi N. Sherman) was born in January or February of 1873. Looking back on the 1870 census, we see Mary and Daniel were already in Levi Sherman's home, along with two of Levi's sons, so it is possible that Levi N. Lamphere was actually a son of Levi Sherman. Oddly enough, on the 1880 census, Mary was listed as Levi Sherman's wife. According to that census, he was 48 years her elder. Levi N. Lamphere would have been 7 years old in 1880, but I was unable to find him on that census. The next records I found him on was the 1892 New York State Census, when he was 19 years old, a laborer. His name was written "Levi N. Sherman". Following are the news articles containing the story of the shooting. Click here for Part 2 of the video. So, now we know who Levi Sherman, the eccentric hermit of Moravia was. Whether or not he had any children is unknown, but it appears he was freed by 1914 and it didn't take long for him to find someone willing to marry him. On November 17, 1914, Levi N. Sherman married Manervia Maxson (Manervia Lillie) in Sempronius. (NY Marriage Cert. 25174). Hopefully she wasn't coerced by his gun! #sherman #levisherman #crime #venice #genealogy #history

In the year 1584, two ships sailed across the Atlantic looking for a suitable settlement in which the English could stake their claim of land in North America. The ships, sent by Walter Raleigh, landed off the coast of North Carolina on Roanoke Island, a region rumored to be rich in silver and gold. The land appeared fertile and green and the natives were hospitable, so the ships returned to England and delivered their report. Full of hope, Raleigh requested permission from Queen Elizabeth to start a colony there and name it "Virginia" in her honor, since the unmarried queen was known as the "Virgin Queen". Permission was granted and Raleigh sent about a hundred men to Roanoke to form a colony. The colonists soon found that not only were the rumors of gold and silver false, but the soil was too sandy to farm. When their crops failed, the desperate men raided the fields of the Indians, prompting hostility. Finally, they withdrew and sailed back to England. They had been at Virginia less than a year. Undeterred, Raleigh gathered a second group of colonists in 1587 to make a second attempt. This time he sent women and children along with the men - about 120 people. After the long voyage and delivering the colonists to Roanoke, the ship went back to England for supplies and because of the threat of the Spanish Armada, all worthy ships were required to stay in English ports for a time. When they were finally permitted to leave again, they returned to find the settlement at Roanoke destroyed and the settlers no where to be found. Their fate remains a mystery. Following is a list of the people of the "Lost Colony" at Roanoke (sorted by last name): *Allen, Morris Archard, Arnold Archard, Joyce (woman) Archard, Thomas (child) Arthur, Richard *Bailie, Roger ("Assistant") *Bennet, Marke Berde, William *Berrye, Henry (or Berry) *Berrye, Richard (or Berry) Bishop, Michael Borden, John *Bridger, John Bright, John *Brooke, John (or Brooks) *Brown, Henry *Browne, William Burden, John *Butler, Thomas *Cage, Anthony *Chapman, Alis (or Charman?, a woman) *Chapman, John *Cheven, John Clement, William *Colman, Thomas *Colman, ___ (woman) *Cooper, Christopher ("Assistant") Cotsmur, John *Dare, Ananias ("Assistant") *Dare, Elyoner (woman) *Dare, Virginia (born at Roanoke) Darige, Richard Dorrell, Henry Dutton, William Earnest, John Ellis, Robert (child) Ellis, Thomas English, Edmond Farre, John Fernando, Simon ("Assistant") Florrie, Charles Gibbes, John Glane, Elizabeth (woman) *Gramme, Thomas (or Graham/Graeme) *Harris, Thomas *Harris, Thomas *Harvie, Dyonis ("Assistant") *Harvie, Margery (woman) *Harvie, __ (born at Roanoke) Hemmington, John Hewet, Thomas *Howe, George ("Assistant") *Howe, George (woman) Humfrey, Thomas (child) Hynde, James *Johnson, Henry *Johnson, Nicholas *Jones, Griffen *Jones, Jane (woman) *Jones, John Kemme, Richard *Lasie, James Lawrence, Margaret (woman) *Little, Peter *Little, Robert *Lucas, William Mannering, Jane (woman) Manteo, a "savage" from England *Martyn, George (or Martin) Merrimoth, Emme (woman) Myllet, Michael Mylton, Henry Newton, Humfrey Nicholes, William *Pattenson, Hugh *Payne, Henry (or Paine) *Payne, Rose (woman) Phevens, Thomas *Pierce, Jane (woman) Powel, Edward *Powell, Winnifred (or Wenefred, a woman) Prat, John (woman) Prat, Roger ("Assistant") Rufoote, Henry *Sampson, John ("Assistant") *Sampson, John (child) *Scot, Thomas Shaberdge, Richard Smart, Tomas (child) *Smith, Thomas Sole, William Spendlove, John Starte, John *Stevens, Thomas ("Assistant") Stilman, John Sutton, Martyn Tappan, Audry (woman) Taverner, Richard Tayler, Hugh *Taylor, Clement Tomkins, Richard Topan, Thomas Towaye, a "savage" from England Tydway, John *Viccars, Ambrose (child) *Viccars, Ambrose *Viccars, Elizabeth (woman) Warner, Thomas Warren, Joan (woman) Waters, William *White, Cutbert *White, John ("Governor") Wildye, Richard *Wilkinson, Robert *Willes, William *Wood, Agnes (woman) Wotton, Lewes *Wright, John Wyles, Brian Wyles, John Wythers, William (child) The Governor, John White, and ship captain, Simon Fernando, returned to England. George White, an Assistant to Governor White, was killed by Indians soon after the colonists arrived. Many of the other names were found among the Indians in Robeson County, North Carolina, as late as 1888 and "the traditions of every family bearing the name of one of the lost colonists, point to Roanoke as the country of their ancestors". These names are indicated with an asterisk ("*") in the list above. Sources and further reading: The English voyages of the sixteenth century, by Sir Walter A. Raleigh (1861-1922), 1910. Read it free online [Link] or click here to find a copy on eBay! Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony, by Hamilton McMillan, 1888. Read it free online [Link] or click here to find a copy on eBay! Click here for 20,000+ free genealogy resources! Tour the island on Google Maps here: UPDATE: 9/23/2021 I found this video on YouTube. If you like a good storyteller, this is your guy! #virginia #northcarolina #lostcolony #sirwalterraleigh #colonization #history #roanoke #america #precolonial

Immigration records are a treasure for family historians, providing not only evidence of our ethnicity but also personal information we probably couldn't find anywhere else. If you can find the ship manifests or passenger lists, they could yield genealogical treasures. The ship's place of origin could provide evidence of one's ethnicity, a documented connection to ancestral homelands - unless they transferred ports, of course. Some passenger lists included the age and place of birth, too, which is most helpful in distinguishing between people sharing the same name. The timing of their voyage could indicate why they emigrated. For example, my maternal 3rd great-grandfather, John Dickinson, came from Sheffield, England, in the mid to late 1800s to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. What brought him here? Well, he was a "steel forgeman" back in Sheffield and in the 1870s, Pittsburgh boomed with new steel mills, making it one of the foremost steel producing cities in America at the time. (To this day, their NFL football team is called the Pittsburgh Steelers - my favorite). So, it appears the Dickinsons came to America for opportunity. On the other hand, my paternal 3rd great-grandfather, William McGinnis, came from Northern Ireland to America in 1849 or 1850. What was happening in Northern Ireland in 1850? It was about five years into the Great Irish Famine, which killed over a million people and caused over 2 million to flee the country - not just for a chance at a better life but to save their lives. My "Timeline of Events" was created to help see what major events were taking place at any given time. It is a work in process but many major events are listed and may provide some clues as to what was happening during their lives. The other passengers on ship manifests may also provide clues. For example, half of the Mayflower passengers were members of the Leiden Congregation who came from the Netherlands. You may also be able to determine who they traveled with. Perhaps their future husband or wife was on the ship with his or her parents, which would provide more clues for you to follow. Some manifests indicate how much money they were carrying, their occupation, any distinguishing marks on their bodies, their height, weight, and/or eye color. Being from the northeast, when I think of 19th and 20th century immigration to America, I think of Ellis Island, Castle Garden, and the Ports of Philadelphia and Boston. My immigrant ancestors all arrived in the northeast, and most stayed in that area, with the exception of my great-grandfather, Percy Daniels. He was born in Olympia, Washington, but his parents had gone west by land, following the Oregon Trail. As far as I know, none of my ancestors arrived on the west coast, so I had never given much thought to immigration stations in the west. It was a book called "Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West", by Mary Bamford, that brought the Angel Island Immigration Station to my attention. As you can see on the map, the analogy is fitting. Like Ellis Island sits in the New York Harbor, Angel Island sits in the San Francisco Bay. After Mexico ceded California to the United States in 1848, Angel Island was used as a military base, just as Ellis Island was formerly used by the military for decades, first as a fort (Fort Gibson) and later as a battery and naval magazine where ammunitions were stored. Castle Garden, now called Castle Clinton, located in Battery Park, New York City, was America's first immigration station. More than 8 million immigrants reported their arrival at Castle Garden between 1855 and 1890. Ellis Island didn't open until about 1892 and from then until 1954, about 12 million immigrants were processed there. Although immigrant lists were kept, there were no restrictions on immigration to America until 1882. It was then that Congress passed The Chinese Exclusion Act, restricting the immigration of Chinese laborers and they soon realized the need for a designated place on the west coast for immigrants to be processed and inspected upon arrival and Angel Island was chosen as the location. The administration building for processing immigrants at Angel Island was opened in 1910. The immigrants arriving there came primarily from Germany, Russia, India, Africa, Japan, Korea, and China. Because only skilled Chinese immigrants were allowed entry, some who didn't qualify claimed they were sons or daughters of Chinese Americans already in the country, thereby claiming they were automatically citizens. Those immigrants had to be thoroughly interrogated and detained while their claims were investigated. Witnesses had to be called and relationships had to be verified, a process that took anywhere from 3 days to 22 months. Those who were detained wrote poems in Chinese on the wooden walls at Angel Island, expressing their disdain for the process, their treatment, and unsanitary conditions in the detention center. Over a million immigrants were processed at Angel Island between 1910 and 1940 and about 80% were granted entry. Of those, it is estimated that 175,000 were Chinese and 117,000 were Japanese. In August of 1940 the main building and part of the women's quarters were destroyed by fire and the station and detainees were relocated to a facility in San Francisco. Three years later, in 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed. The buildings on Angel Island sat in disrepair for decades until the 1970s, when demolition was considered. A group of advocates, however, fought to preserve the site and it was made into a public park. The poems of the detained Chinese immigrants on display as a reminder of the suffering they endured in hopes of becoming American citizens. For more information about Angel Island, see the Wikipedia article found here. You might also enjoy this short video: Finally, here is the book that first peaked my interest in Angel Island. Read it free, courtesy of Archive.org: #resources #immigration #thewest #california #genealogy

Last week my family and I toured Lower Manhattan, visiting the home of several of our ancestors. Since it was the first time my two youngest kids visited the city, I thought the best way to see it would be from one of the tallest buildings on earth - the One World Observatory. With a little reluctance, despite the recent Iranian conflict, we embraced our faith in God and Country and spent the day in the same district targeted by terrorists on September 11, 2001. Located on West Street, between Vesey Street and Fulton Street, the tower is located directly next to the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center. Construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2013. It was opened to the public on November 3, 2014 and the observatory opened on May 29, 2015. With the spire on top, the building stands 1,776 feet, a deliberate measurement corresponding with the year America gained its independence from Great Britain. Initially it was called the "Freedom Tower", but in 2009, it was officially named "One World Trade Center" or "One WTC". My absolute favorite part was the elevator ride going up. The walls of the elevator display a time-lapse of the cities growth, from its bedrock foundation, to the time of the early Dutch settlers, and into the present day, similar to a time machine! If you're interested in watching my very amateur video of our trip, here it is! Subscribe to my YouTube channel while you're there if you haven't already! #newyorkcity #onewtc #worldtradecenter #manhattan #ancestortrails #nyc

Near Castle Clinton, formerly Castle Garden, in Battery Park, New York City, stands a stirring memorial called "The Immigrants 1973". It is a memorial to the immigrants arriving at Castle Garden prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1890. In this scene we see weary and afflicted immigrants from various places arriving off the boat. At the head of this diverse group, we see an Eastern European Jew, barefoot and crawling with an outstretched hand. Behind him, a young man and his bride look up, likely praying and hoping for a better life for their newborn child. They are the only ones wearing shoes. A muscular man holds his hand over his face, either fighting back tears or seasick from the voyage as he holds on to the young man in front of him. Beside him, a priest, perhaps Russian Orthodox, holds his hand to his heart and carries his suitcase at his side, also looking up in the same direction as the young couple. Behind the priest, an African slave rejoices with broken chains still around his wrists. Finally, a Christian woman on bended knee in prayer, presumably giving thanks for a safe landing. Each life is a story and this scene reflects scenes familiar to many of our ancestors who came to America for a chance at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The sculpture was commissioned by Samuel Rudin (1896-1975) in the early 1970s in honor of his parents, who had immigrated to America in 1883. The work is credited to Frank Luzi (Architect), and Luis Sanguino (Sculptor). It was completed in 1973 and dedicated in 1983. The red granite base of this bronze sculpture measures 8' x 17' 7" and the statue stands over 10' tall. The inscription at the base reads as follows: DEDICATED TO THE PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONS WHO ENTERED AMERICA THROUGH CASTLE GARDEN IN MEMORY OF SAMUEL RUDIN 1896-1975 WHOSE PARENTS ARRIVED IN AMERICA IN 1883 You might also like to have this book for your family history collection: Click here to see more from my visit to Battery Park Click here for my list of places to find immigration records This is part of my new Ancestor Trails series, visiting the places my ancestors lived. Click here to see more like this Subscribe to my blog for free updates! #ancestortrails #newyorkcity #dykeman #tourneur #newyork #nyc #manhattan #monument #batterypark #immigrants #immigration #castlegarden

During our trip to New York City last week, one of the monuments I marked on our tour route was the Netherland Monument in Battery Park (The Battery). My 10th great-grandfather, Johannes Dyckman, worked for the Dutch West India Company. He was born in Holland around 1618 and was "first clerk to the chamber at Amsterdam". In 1651 he was stationed at Fort Orange (modern-day Albany, New York), working as Commies (Commissary) - the clerk and chief officer of Fort Orange. The "Old Dyckman Homestead" on Broadway in Manhattan is the oldest Dutch house on the island to this day. It was owned by Jan Dyckman and possibly originally the property of another 10th great-grandfather, Daniel Tourneur, a French Huguenot who lived in this settlement when it was still called New Amsterdam. Daniel's home is marked on the 1660 map of New Amsterdam. For more blogs about this interesting branch of my family, click here. To learn more about the Dykeman branch (which married into several New York City families including Tourneur, DeVaux, Bosyns, Claessen, and Paresis), click here. "IN TESTIMONY OF ANCIENT AND UNBROKEN FRIENDSHIP THIS FLAGPOLE IS PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK BY THE DUTCH PEOPLE, 1926" The west side of the monument is inscribed: "ON THE 22ND OF APRIL 1625 AMSTERDAM CHAMBER OF THE WEST INDIES COMPANY DECREED THE ESTABLISHMENT AND THE CREATION OF THE ADJOINING FARMS THE PURCHASE OF THE ISLAND OF MANHATTAN WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 1626. THUS WAS LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK." The opposite side contains a map of "Fort Amsterdam and Surroundings". This monument is located on the southwest corner of Battery Place and State Street, at the head of Broadway and across from the National Archives building. It was designed and sculpted by H.A. van den Eijinde (1869-1869) from bronze and granite. The base is 7-feet x 7-feet and it stands 12-feet in height, without the flagpole. Click here to see more monuments of Battery Park. Subscribe to my blog for free updates on my Ancestor Trails and other genealogical finds! Click here for my list of places to trace your Dutch heritage! #newyorkcity #batterypark #netherlands #dutch #holland #newamsterdam #nyc #manhattan #tourneur #dykeman #devaux #genealogy #historic #monument #ancestortrails

From the time the Dutch settlers arrived in New Amsterdam (now Manhattan, New York City), they knew the southern tip of the island was a strategic location for guarding the harbor and protecting the settlers on the island. A substantial fort called Fort Amsterdam was built there by 1626, shown in the illustration below from one of my favorite books, "The Legend of New Amsterdam". My father's ancestor, Daniel Tourneur, lived nearby in 1660. Fort Amsterdam remained until after the American Revolution but was demolished in 1790. For nearly two decades, there was no fort there, but with tensions rising again between the U.S. and Britain, a new fort was built in 1808, just before the War of 1812. The new structure was built slightly west of where the original fort stood, on an artificial island called West Battery. A bridge connected the fort to Manhattan, as shown in the painting by Samuel Waugh, below. The name of the fort was changed to Castle Clinton in 1815, in honor of Mayor DeWitt Clinton, who later became Governor of New York. Then, in 1822, the U.S. Army ceded the fort to the city who used it as a venue for public entertainment such as concerts and plays. On August 1, 1855, Castle Clinton was designated as New York's official Emigrant Landing Depot, the country's first immigrant processing center. Prior to that, most ships arriving in New York City landed at the docks on South Street. With more standardized procedures in place, it is estimated that 8-12 million immigrants were processed here between 1855 and 1890, maintained by the State of New York. In the 1860s, landfill was used to replace the water between Castle Garden and Manhattan, thereby extending the island of Manhattan and forming what we know of today as Battery Park or "The Battery". Strolling or riding along the paths of Battery Park, admiring the dozen or more massive granite monuments scattered throughout the park, you'd never suspect it was built upon 19th century garbage any more than you'd suspect there are cars driving underground beneath your feet, through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The Pier A Harbor House was built in the mid-1880s as headquarters for the NYC Board of Dock Commissioners, later known as the Department of Docks. It was also home of the Harbor Police. In 1890, the U.S. Government assumed control of immigration processing and desiring a more isolated place to do so, Ellis Island was built and opened by 1892. The records from Castle Clinton were moved to Ellis Island and operations commenced, but to every genealogists dismay, a fire broke out on Ellis Island on June 15, 1897, destroying at least 42 years of immigration records containing valuable information about our ancestors. Castle Clinton was slightly modified to host the New York City Aquarium in 1896, quickly becoming a popular attraction, drawing thousands of visitors to the city for the next 45 years. In 1941, the aquarium was closed for the construction of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and more than once, demolition was considered. In 1946, legislation was passed making the castle a U.S. historic monument, and still, just a year later, it came close to being demolished for the sixth time, but because of the public outcry of those who opposed the demolition, the New York State Assembly rejected the request. Finally, in July of 1950, the city ceded Castle Clinton to the federal government. It was renovated in 1956 and again in the 1970s. The original masonry of the fort is still in tact. These are photos I took last week. Today the castle is managed by the National Park Service and has been restored relatively close to its original appearance, minus the water surrounding it. To this day, visitors from around the world enter the castle to experience a taste of what millions of immigrants experienced. It is used as a departure point for visitors taking cruises to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis island, the place where life in America began for millions. Click here to see my photos from the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Click here to see more from my trip to Battery Park. Click here for my list of places to find immigration records. This is a part of my Ancestor Trails, visiting the homes of my ancestors. Subscribe to my blog for free updates! You can learn more about Castle Garden/Castle Clinton in this book: #castleclinton #batterypark #ancestortrails #newyorkcity #nyc #historic #newyork #manhattan

Almost 12 million immigrants to America were processed at Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954 and although all my ancestors came before 1892, several did travel overseas through this port and many lived in the area. See photos and video clips from my family's recent trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in this video, below. We departed from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and took the ferry to Ellis Island. After spending a couple hours there, we took another ferry to Liberty Island. We didn't go to Lady Liberty's crown, but we went up to the pedestal (near her feet). From there, the ferry took us back to Liberty State Park. The sky was heavily overcast and a light misty rain fell most of the day, but we still had a great time and got some good photos. Enjoy! Later we toured lower Manhattan including Battery Park, Castle Clinton, and South Street Seaport, where my great-grandfather, Percy Daniels lived around 1900. He was a merchant mariner and the American Merchant Mariner's Memorial is located very close to where he roomed in between voyages. We also saw many immigrant monuments and memorials, like the Walloon Settler's Monument, the Netherland Monument, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the American Merchant Mariner's Memorial, "The Immigrants 1973" memorial, and the East Coast Memorial. We also visited the One World Observatory, the tallest building in the western hemisphere, which was amazing experience giving us a peek at what New York City looked like before it was plastered with concrete and steel as if we were traveling through time. If you haven't been there, don't miss that video! Click here for free genealogy tips and resources to help research your family's history! #StatueofLiberty #NewYorkCity #NewYork #immigration #immigrants #ellisisland #newyork #libertyisland #ancestortrails

If you're heading to the Statue of Liberty from Manhattan, you'll need to head to The Battery. The Battery, also known as "Battery Park", was used as a defensive stronghold in the late 1600s. Artillery batteries were placed here at the southern tip of Manhattan to protect the settlement on the island. The location was also used as a landing point for immigrants (Castle Garden) arriving at New York until Ellis Island was designated as the place for processing immigrant arrivals around 1890. Surely many of our immigrant ancestors' first steps in America were taken in Battery Park. Today Battery Park is a 25-acre public park on the southern tip of Manhattan, between Pier A and the South Ferry Terminal. It features several monuments commemorating the people of New York's past. My family and I toured the park last week and because I can't stand the cold, I mapped out which monuments and memorials I wanted to see on my brisk January walk-through beforehand. First, we saw the (1) Seaglass Carousel (shown above), which was closed. Then we saw the (2) Statue of Liberty Viewpoint (shown above). Since we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island last year, it was interesting to see it from this perspective. Next, we came to the (3) East Coast Memorial, a tribute to the soldiers who died in the Atlantic during World War II. Continuing north from there, we came across the dramatic sculpture depicting suffering immigrants, called (4) "The Immigrants 1973". Next on the trail we saw (5) Castle Clinton. Continuing on, we stopped at the (6) Korean War Veterans Memorial. From there, we saw the (7) American Merchant Mariner's Memorial (shown above). Continuing north, toward Battery Place, we found the (8) Walloon Settler's Monument, and finally, on our way back to the parking garage, we stopped at the (9) Netherland Monument. Check out my other blogs to see my photos of these memorials, South Street Seaport, and pictures from the top of the One World Observatory! Note: The grey roads shown on the above map are actually underground tunnels. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel and the Battery Park Underpass run below Battery Park. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel goes under the ground and water, connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan, while the Battery Park Underpass connects West Street to FDR Drive. New York is such an amazing city, packed full of interesting things to see and do. If you're planning a visit, be sure to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to see and experience as much of it as you can. On this trip, we focused on Lower Manhattan, where my great-grandfather, Percy Daniels, lived as early as 1907. Next time we will venture up to the Upper West Side and Central Park to see the lands his wife's ancestors once owned there since the 16th and 17th century. This is part of my new Ancestor Trails series, visiting the places my ancestors lived. Subscribe for free updates to be notified about my new blogs! #ancestortrails #newyorkcity #dykeman #tourneur #newyork #nyc #manhattan #monument #batterypark #landmarks #historic

On the north end of Battery Park, opposite the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel entrance, stands a granite monument nearly 10-feet tall, commemorating the Walloon Settlers who joined the Dutch settlement in New Amsterdam, now Manhattan, in 1624. My 9th great-grandfather, Frederick De Vaux, immigrated from Wallonia to New Amsterdam (Manhattan) in 1675. (Click here to learn more about this branch of my family). Gilded inscription: PRESENTED TO THE CITY OF NEW YORK BY THE CONSEIL PROVINCIAL DU HAINAUT IN MEMORY OF THE WALLOON SETTLERS WHO CAME OVER TO AMERICA IN THE "NIEW NEDERLAND" UNDER THE INSPIRATION OF JESSE DE FOREST OF AVESNES THEN COUNTY OF HAINAUT ONE OF THE PROVINCES --- 1624 - 1924 The Walloons were natives of the County of Hainaut, Belgium. Like many others, they fled to Holland to avoid religious persecution. Feeling unwelcomed there, they requested permission to settle in Virginia in 1621, while it was under British control, but their request was denied. Next they petitioned the Dutch West India Company for permission to settle in Dutch-controlled New Amsterdam, a request that was granted. They left Holland in March of 1624 and landed in New York on May 20, 1624. This memorial was a gift from the Conseil Provincial du Hainaut and was dedicated on May 20, 1924 exactly 300 years after their arrival. That same year, the New York state Senate officially recognized the Walloons and their place in New York and American history. Three commemorative stamps (#614, 615, and 616) were issued by the Federal Government and the Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Silver Half-Dollar was also minted in memory of the Walloons. Check to see if these are available for sale! This trip was part of my Ancestor Trails, visiting the places my ancestors lived. Click here to see more memorials from Battery Park and be sure to subscribe to my blog for free updates and new additions! #nyc #batterypark #ancestortrails #walloons #immigration #anniversary #monument #memorial #dykeman #FrederickDeVaus #Wallonia #Belgium #NewYorkCity

Yesterday, my family and I finally visited South Street Seaport at the southern tip of Manhattan, New York City! I had been there years ago, but that was before I knew that my great-grandfather, Percy H. Daniels, sailed to and from there frequently and lived across the street when he was in port. Percy used the address "27 South Street, New York" on several records I've found between 1907 and 1920. The building is no longer there, however, the historic South Street Seaport is! This is the view of the East River, along the banks of which the docks were built, from One World Trade Center Observation Tower. The skyscrapers are obstructing our view of the piers, but they are to the right of the Brooklyn Bridge in this photo: Click here to see more of my Ancestor Trails Subscribe to my blog to follow my genealogy trails! (Free) Click here for my free Genealogy Dashboard with thousands of free resources! #newyorkcity #ancestortrails #percydaniels #southstreetseaport #sailor #genealogy #heritage