For the Rest of Us, It's an Honor Just to Be Non-Related

Jeremy Irons is the latest celebrity to have his family history probed on the BBC program Who Do You Think You Are? Upon learning that one of his ancestors came from County Cork in Ireland, Irons confirmed what I had long suspected: all actors aspire to be genealogists.

And as luck would have it, the Beeb found that David McCreight, an old Irons who owned a linen mill, once lived 20 miles from the actor’s abode in Ballydehob. Said Irons: “It was a strange feeling of validation, not dissimilar to winning an Oscar. And with my great-great-great-great-grandfather working 20 miles down the road — that was quite extraord—”

At which point his microphone was turned off and the BBC Orchestra began to play the theme to Jackass 2.

Controversial Census Bill Becomes Law

A Genealogue News Flash [What's That?]

Congress granted President Bush this week broad authority to interpret the census-taking guidelines of the United States government. The President welcomed the bill's passage, saying that without this new authority he wouldn't be able to fulfill his Constitutional duties.

"I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution," he told those gathered in the Rose Garden on Friday for the bill signing. "The Constitution says we have to take a census every ten years, and ... well, if people don't want to be counted that gets me wondering what they're trying to hide."

Hiding from the census taker in 2010 will be nearly impossible, given the sweeping changes to Census Bureau policies soon to be implemented. Citizens who fail to return their census forms by mail will be visited by a representative of the Bureau—now part of the Department of Justice. Enumerators will be authorized to detain non-respondents for up to seven days, during which time they will be educated on the history and importance of the census, and encouraged to complete their forms. Enumerators will be forbidden from inflicting physical harm on the detainees, with "physical harm" defined in the new regulations as "anything that might leave a bruise."

Traditional census-taking techniques will be supplemented with techniques borrowed from the National Security Agency. As a consequence, many Americans of Middle Eastern descent will discover that their census forms have already been filled out. They will be required only to sign the form, submit their fingerprints, and name three friends they suspect of having extremist tendencies.

Civil libertarians are outraged that Congress has ceded such broad powers to the Executive Branch. Opponents of the bill blame Democrats for not mounting a filibuster, but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid insists that the criticism is unfair.

"If not for the efforts of Senate Democrats," he contends, "this bill would have been much, much worse. Thanks to us, a person who fills out his questionnaire with the wrong colored ink will be waterboarded for only 24 hours instead of 48."

A Throne Fit For a Quasi Queen

Korea's monarchy was pretty well snuffed out in 1910, but that hasn't stopped members of the formerly royal family from crowning an 88-year-old cousin their new queen.

Around 50 descendants of King Euichin, a brother of the last king Sunjong, declared Princess Lee Hae-Won the new "Empress" of the monarchy in what they called a crowning ceremony. Attired in flowing robes of gold, Lee Hae-Won received a jewel-encrusted crown and ascended to the "Dragon Throne" during the ceremony at a downtown hotel. The throne was a stage piece borrowed from a TV station. [Link]

It's Time to See Roots TV

Roots Television has launched as promised, with some blogs, vlogs, and a nice collection of free video clips. I'm impressed so far—but then, I'm impressed by anything bright and colorful that costs me nothing.

All Your Banks Are Belong to Us

The property of the Sutu family in Romania was confiscated when the Communists took power in 1945. Now Sutu descendants are asking for its return, including "several churches, the headquarters of National Bank, Savings Bank, several ministries, colleges and embassies and properties measuring a quarter of Romania."

The properties reclaimed were identified based on the book about the Sutu family, presenting their family tree and the assets belonging to all the descendants. Those who ask for properties have searched in the archives and found documents about a fraction of them. They are still trying to find the truth about the rest of them.

As many of the buildings are headquarters for state institutions, they cannot be given back to their former owners. However, two of the Sutu descendants, Carmen Pastin and Istrati Sutu, have announced they will accept damages for the buildings. [Link]

(An explanation of the title for those who don't speak geek is here.)

Man Mistakenly Marries Mother-in-Law

From The Adams Sentinel of Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 15, 1839 (citing the Perry Forester):

In one of the adjoining counties the following singular marriage took place: A collier was engaged in burning coals near the residence of a middle aged woman and her daughter, and generally spent his leisure hours at their house. At length marriage was spoken of, the arrangements were made, and the day fixed; but as the relations were opposed to the match, and the ceremony having to be performed in the dark, the poor collier did not know until morning that he had been married to the mother instead of the daughter. He was dissatisfied at first, but appears now contented, saying, "that it is perhaps better for him, as the mother must know more than the daughter."

As this was written in 1839, before sex was invented, I'm sure he meant "must know more about darning socks."

Spend Eternity at Six Flags

Six Flags Over Georgia is auctioning off the chance to have your own headstone displayed during Fright Fest "for all of eternity." Proceeds will go to Toys For Tots.

This headstone will be produced at the end of the auction with the inscription of your choice to be approved by Six Flags Over Georgia. The winner will also receive a miniature replica of the headstone to keep forever. Once the headstone is complete, the winner will receive four tickets to the park on October 21 for their "burial." Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of Six Flags Over Georgia history! [Link]

If you want to see what you'll look like memorialized, check out this site.

For Me, Every Day Is Ancestor Appreciation Day

I've only just discovered that yesterday, September 27, was Ancestor Appreciation Day. Fortunately, only three of my ancestors are still sufficiently alive to feel appreciated, and none of the three expected a card.

Which is not to say that I don't appreciate those defunct ancestors who made me the man I am today, including the French-Canadian housewife who started her second family before ending her first marriage, and the deacon's son booted from his father's church for tippling. Without them, I might have become a happily married churchgoer instead of a miserably single agnostic. So much for evidence of innate superiority.

I Am Master of My Domain

After months of waiting, I've finally succeeded in claiming the "genealogue.com" domain. It became available a week or so ago, and I've been waiting patiently for the speculators who snatch up expired domains as soon as they drop to figure out that it is worthless.

I might someday place content at the new address, but for now typing in "www.genealogue.com" will redirect you to this blog's main page, "genealogue.blogspot.com." Feel free to link to either address or to both or, if you have a website but no soul, to neither.

An Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Mistake

The AP reported a few days ago that Paul Vance—the man credited with writing the 1960 novelty hit "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"—had died. This came as a surprise to the real Paul Vance, who lives in Coral Springs, Florida, and still collects royalties on the song.

"Do you know what it's like to have grandchildren calling you and say, 'Grandpa, you're still alive?'" he said. "This is not a game."

Rose Leroux, the widow of the man who died, said she was surprised by the disclosure, and "kind of devastated." She said she had no reason to doubt that her husband - who apparently had some sort of music career when he was younger - was the writer of the famous tune. [Link]

Hat tip to Dave at OakvilleBlackWalnut for this one.

Should We Learn to Love Lawn Jockeys?

The lawn jockeys I see these days are generally of fair complexion, but the statues had a darker past. Before tonight, I wasn't aware of an effort to rehabilitate these supposed symbols of servility.

Museum curator Charles L. Blockson, the great-grandson of a slave who escaped to Canada on the Underground Railroad, has been trying for two decades to rewrite the history of the lawn jockey on the basis of two stories so good they're just begging to be refuted.

[I]n 1983, while retracing his ancestor's journey on the underground railroad, Blockson made a startling discovery: A lawn jockey had shepherded slaves to freedom.

In a 1984 National Geographic cover story on the underground railroad, Blockson told how the wife of U.S. District Judge Benjamin Piatt had tied a flag to a lawn jockey as a signal to fleeing slaves that it was safe to stop there.

Blockson also came across the Revolutionary War legend of Jocko. The story goes that a 9-year-old New Jersey farm boy named Jocko sneaked out of his house to find his father, a freed slave who had enlisted with George Washington's army.

The boy wound up in an encampment on Christmas Eve, before Washington's crossing of the Delaware. Waiting for his father's return, the boy volunteered to care for the general's horse during a blizzard. The next morning, Washington discovered that the boy had frozen to death, his hands still clinging to the horse's reins. [Link]

Washington was so moved by Jocko's sacrifice that he commissioned a tacky lawn ornament handsome statue of the faithful, frozen groomsman for his estate at Mount Vernon.

Of course, all the web references to the Underground Railroad story trace back to Blockson and no further. And a spokesman for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati has said that "there is no truth to the idea that lawn jockeys were used as part of the Underground Railroad." And the folks at Mount Vernon call the Jocko story "apocryphal." But I will withhold judgment until I've read Blockson's 1984 NG article, "Escape From Slavery: The Underground Railroad." Only then will I decide that I don't believe him.

[Photo source: Lawn Jockey Love (license)]

Now That's Frickin' Evil

I thought the theory that Scotland was colonized by Egyptians was plausible, but here's an even better explanation of how the Scots displaced the Picts.

His arch-enemies sat around him enjoying a sumptuous banquet. After a suitable period of toying with his prey, the host cackled evilly, pulled a lever and sent his guests plunging to their deaths in a concealed pit below.

It may sound like something out of an Austin Powers film, but this is actually a medieval explanation for the mysterious "disappearance" of the Picts, with the Dr Evil character played by no less than Kenneth MacAlpin, reputedly the first King of Scots. With their nobility wiped out, the story went, it was easy for MacAlpin to take over and enforce Scottish ways on the rest of the Picts. [Link]

A Defense of Genealogical Obsession

Someone has written to Salon.com with the complaint that "My parents are obsessed with genealogy."

They are baby boomers and have been tracing their lineage for several years now. They are obsessed with their new hobby. This is strange because they are not the type to have obsessive interests. Every time I see them, they tell me about Great Great Uncle Jonas who died of smallpox or Great Great Grandma Enid who campaigned for the mayoral candidate of New York. At our last get-together, my mom talked so much I wondered if she was manic (although she has never had a mood disorder). I have never, at any point in my life, seen her this enthusiastic, even about anything that had to do with her children.

Advice columnist Cary Tennis responds with some armchair analysis that reveals a shaky grasp of both psychology and genealogy.

My basic take on genealogical research is that it would be wonderful if the purpose of it were to broaden our sense of common humanity, not to find evidence of some innate superiority. For such are the ideological roots of racism -- a belief in innate values that come invisibly in the blood.

Better to look for evidence of our connection, rather than our difference. [Link]

I'm not sure what "evidence of some innate superiority" would look like, but I'm quite sure I've never run across it in my research. And even an ignorant Klansman would know that "innate values"—were they to "come invisibly"—would come in the genes, not in the blood.

Sure, genealogical research may be twisted to evil purposes, but only by evil people—not by overly enthused baby boomers looking to spend their kids' inheritance. Mr. Tennis's dim view of genealogy crumbles to dust when exposed to this truth: the avid genealogist can be equally interested in other people's ancestors. That's why we answer queries from strangers and transcribe reams of records for others to use. It's about the thrill of the hunt and the joy of discovery, not the self-indulgent ego-stroking that Mr. Tennis describes.

Anyone who starts his research with the aim of finding noble antecedents soon discovers that the paupers outnumber the princes, and that the princes were mighty prolific. We all descend from kings, and all kings descend from stableboys. We're all cousins, and cousins are never too far removed. You don't have to advise us, Mr. Tennis, to "look for evidence of our connection." We can't help but find it everywhere we look.

Some Dunham Numerology

Today is the 110th wedding anniversary of my great-grandparents, Elton L. and Mabel C. (Morgan) Dunham (shown at right cutting the cake at an anniversary party/family reunion held at their old homestead).

In one of those strange coincidences that make genealogists quiver with delight, today is also my father's (their grandson's) birthday. September 26 was also the date Mabel's brother Floyd married in 1908, and the date her daughter Gladys died in 1994.

Elton and Mabel had intended to marry on September 9, 1896, but were forced to postpone when the bride's grandmother selected that day to expire. September 9 was Elton's birthday. And the birthday of his grandson (my father's cousin), Everett Cole.

And also the birthday of my mother.

No Cool Freebies for Frosh

Stephen Curry, a freshman at Longwood University, found out this summer he would be living in Curry Hall in the fall. It was only after his mother called the housing office that they learned of the family connection.

"At the end of the conversation, just out of curiosity, I asked who the dorm was named for," she said, "and was very surprised to hear it was for Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, my husband, Bowie's, great-grandfather."

Curry's roommate, Matt Holmes of Mechanicsville, said it was fun to find out his dorm was named after somebody related to his roommate.

"I hoped at first we'd get some cool freebies out of it," he said. "That hasn't really happened, but it's still kind of neat to talk about." [Link]

Spelunking for Ancestors

Genealogist Rudyard Edick recently visited the Fort Herkimer Church in Mohawk, N. Y., to photograph the grave of his ancestor Michael Ittig (Edick). He had to get special permission from church commissioner Donald Fenner.

Fenner showed Edick a trap door leading to the graves, with Edick slithering through a cramped space to an area underneath the church pulpit. Edick's background in spelunking no doubt helped a bit.

“I had done some caving in the past, so I decided to try it. It was a very tight space underneath. I had to crawl a considerable way to get to the graves,” said Edick.

Edick was surprised to find the footstone and headstone bearing the initials “M.I.” in excellent condition, further astonished that the distance between the two stones was exactly 56 inches - or roughly Edick's height. [Link]

Stowaway Ejected in Mid-Flight

Genealogy Blog passes along this story of a baby born somewhere over the Atlantic, together with a link that explains what her birth certificate might say.

A baby girl has been delivered by a British Airways crew and two medical students after her mother went into labour five hours into a flight.

Baby Nadine was born six weeks prematurely before flight BA 215, from London to Boston, could land at the nearest airport in Halifax, Canada.

Mr Dobe said he had noticed the woman looking "uncomfortable" during the pre-flight emergency procedures demonstration.

"She was clearly pregnant and I could see she was a bit uncomfortable. But I thought she was just scared of flying," he said. [Link, via Genealogy Blog]

In an Old Timers League of His Own

Genealogist David Lambert gets the credit for finding Silas Simmons—a player from the golden age of Negro League baseball who turns 111 next month.

That Simmons is still living was unknown to baseball researchers until this summer, when a genealogist near the nursing home where he lives in St. Petersburg alerted a Negro leagues expert.

A member of the Center for Negro League Baseball Research confirmed a baseball historian’s dream: that Simmons was indeed a man who had pitched and played the outfield in the equivalent of the black major leagues on and off from about 1912 through at least 1929, and that he had played against such stars as Pop Lloyd, Judy Johnson and Biz Mackey.

Wayne Stivers, who spearheaded the fact-finding committee that led to 17 people associated with the Negro leagues being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, said: “We were aware there was a Si Simmons and that he played. But we didn’t know he was still alive. We figured, 110, no — this man is not alive. My reaction was, ‘We need to talk with him immediately.’” [Link]

Proof the 1960 Census Wasn't Rigged

From the Oakland Tribune of Mar. 17, 1960:

QUIZ WHIZ NADLER FLUNKS JOB TEST

St. LOUIS, March 17—(UPI)—Teddy Nadler, who won $264,000 on television quiz shows, today lost a chance for a $13-a-day job as a census taker when he flunked the qualification test.

Jack W. Traverse Jr., regional field director for the census bureau, said Nadler "did well on the first 30 questions but did not make the grade on the final 16."

The first part of the test consisted of multiple-choice questions on the definitions of words. The second part was a map comprehension section. The applicants were asked to do such things as indicating which of several buildings was nearest to a certain highway.

Traverse said Nadler apparently "got mixed up on east and west."

Nadler, once an obscure $70-a-week civilian clerk for the army, rose to fame and fortune on the $64,000 Challenge.

Challenge folded in 1958 during the quiz show scandals, but Nadler never was tainted by charges of "rigging."

Time Magazine was a bit more skeptical of Nadler's quiz-show success.

Nothing Like a Good Historical Movie

Steve Landwehr of The Salem News panned The Covenant this weekend on historical grounds alone.

The movie refers to the ancient families as original founders of the "Ipswich Colony," whatever that is. Like the rest of the North Shore, Ipswich was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. And because Ipswich was settled in 1633, those old warlocks would have been in their 80s or 90s in 1692, an age they'd be unlikely to attain given the downside of their powers.

[Screenwriter J.S.] Cardone appears to have a better grasp of local geography than history. The lead male character is named Caleb Danvers, although there was no Danvers in 1692. Caleb's love interest, Sarah Wenham, also has an unlikely surname, though her first name has an interesting historical tie. Sara Good, who was raised in Wenham, was hanged for being a witch in 1692.

"There's nothing like a good, historical movie," Marilynne Roach said with a chuckle. Roach spent 27 years researching and writing "The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Account of a Community Under Siege." [Link]

Add Ten Candles to the Cake

The family of Theresa Walker Lamebull, matriarch of the Gros Ventre Tribe in Montana, knew she was old. But until last spring, they didn't realize how old.

They turned to Father Joseph Retzel at the St. Paul's Mission in Hays, where Lamebull is a devout, lifelong member. Soon after, the priest came to a family gathering with a copy of the baptismal certificate and some news.

"Grandma Theresa" was not 100. She was 110.

On April 4, 1897, the certificate said, a couple called White Weasel brought their daughter to the St. Paul's Mission to be baptized. They named her Theresa.

She was about 1 year old, it said, putting her birth in 1896.

Lamebull has given other birth dates in the past that put her closer to 100. But Retzel said last week that he is confident the baptismal certificate he found is accurate and is hers. [Link]

Below is her family in the 1900 census of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. I guess Theresa's baptism hadn't kicked in yet, as her name is given as "The Girl."

Who's Robert Ken Woo?

The 300 millionth American will be born sometime in October, after which Robert Ken Woo, Jr., will once again fade into obscurity.

When Woo was born Nov. 20, 1967, at 11:03 a.m. EST in Atlanta's Crawford Long Hospital, Life magazine proclaimed him the 200 millionth American. In the years since, he has worn his footnote in history lightly and well, his flicker of fame fanned anew by the approaching milestone.

"I never took it that seriously," Woo says of his place in the annals of American trivia. "To me it seemed very random."

Back in 1967, the Census Bureau projected that the 200 millionth American would arrive between 10:58 and 11:02 a.m. the Monday before Thanksgiving. Life, then America's iconic photo magazine and today a weekend newspaper supplement, dispatched 23 photographer-reporter teams to hospitals in 22 cities, ready to capture the birth that came closest to the appointed time.

In Miami, a physician pleaded with his patient, "Push harder -- and you'll be in Life magazine." In Boston, a doctor arranged to deliver a baby by Caesarean section precisely at 11. But census officials stopped the clock for three minutes so President Johnson would be at the ceremony when it hit 200,000,000. Sally Woo awoke after delivery to snapping photographers. [Link]

There Are No Stupid Questions ... Except Maybe This One

Whoever submitted this question to Yahoo! Answers last week is either suffering a bout of existential angst, or is in desperate need of genealogical counseling.

They're All Headed in the Same Direction

Critics say that tenants of a new British cemetery, if not of the Muslim persuasion, will be misaligned for the duration of their stay.

Headstones in the new £2.5million High Wood Cemetery in Nottingham will face north-east - as Muslims believe the dead look over their shoulder towards Mecca. This is the way in which all followers of Islam in the UK are buried.

But the move has upset the Church and led to complaints that the policy discriminates against the city's majority Christian population. The traditional direction of burial for Christians is facing east. [Link]

Beware the Obituarist

This modest proposal made the rounds in the winter of 1874:

The LaGrange Reporter desires to call the attention of the press of Georgia to the following matter: Within the last three months two or three well-known men in Georgia have been announced dead, and the newspapers have written eloquent obituaries over them. But these men, with a perversity as provoking as it is inexplicable, still live. Now, when a newspaper in good standing makes the solemn assertion that any man is dead, that man should die. For him to live, is a dangerous infringement on the liberty of the press. We hope the Press Association will petition the Legislature to pass a law that a man announced dead by the press must die. [The Stevens Point (Wis.) Journal of Jan. 17, 1874]

Weighty Proof

From The Bismark Tribune of Mar. 5, 1936:

Hartford, Conn., March 5—(AP)—The tombstone over his father's grave served Thursday as birth certificate to assure an applicant of obtaining an old age pension.

Edward H. Reeves, director of the Connecticut old age assistance bureau, assured the applicant whose name he withheld, he would not have to bring the stone into the bureau to prove his date of birth was carved thereon. A birth record is a legal requirement.

Help Build a Museum for $8

Promoters of the proposed U.S. National Slavery Museum have put out a clever plea for funds. All they want from you is $8 (though they will grudgingly accept larger, less symbolic amounts).

Why $8, you might ask?

$8 8 is the shape both of shackles (the symbol of slavery) and, if turned on its side, of infinite freedom.

$8 is an amount that allows every American to be a part of this incredible project.

$8 buys recognition for millions of enslaved African Americans who helped build America.

$8 is rewarded with an advance ticket to the Museum’s exclusive opening preview (valued at $25).

$8 will help remove shackles that have divided our nation and replace them with a new symbol for a united America.

If all the genealogists who were inspired by Roots to pursue their own family histories contribute, we should be able to get this thing built by Columbus Day.

Kennedy 'Aire' Wants His Share

A New York man wants a piece of the $50 million estate of John F. Kennedy, Jr.

In papers filed in Manhattan Surrogate's Court, Brian Land, 29, claims to be a rightful "aire" to the multimillion-dollar estate left by the doomed son of the former President.

"I never had any knowledge of me being the aire to such a large estate," Land wrote in court papers.

He identifies himself as the godson of Jackie Kennedy, the nephew of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's aunt and a cousin to Anthony Radziwill, the late keeper of JFK Jr.'s estate.

"We are of blue blood," Land writes. "Our families relationship dates back to the year 1701."

Land's Bronx landlord said he moved out of the Bussing Ave. building two weeks ago, but had talked often about his Kennedy claims.

"I think he is imagining himself as this person," said owner Ram Ramkissoon. [Link]

Kennedy somehow neglected to mention Land in his will or the trust he established in 1983.

The Cataloguer's Computer Cart

Jim Wheeler of Total Project Solutions, Inc., touts his $225 Genealogy Computer Cart as "The Easier Way to Catalogue Cemeteries."

In your quest to document your family tree, do you spend time cataloguing cemeteries? If so, I make a cart that allows you to easily wheel around your laptop or notepads over the uneven and rough terrain often found in cemeteries.

There is also a shelf to hold a lawnmower battery and inverter to provide extended computer work time and a shelf for bug spray, cell phone, water bottle, pencils, etc. [Link]

This is so much nicer than the wheelbarrow I currently use.

Forest Has Roots

When he learned he would be playing Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in a movie, actor Forest Whitaker decided to first find out how closely they were related.

He explains, "I went and got DNA tested for my African ancestry because I wanted to see where I was from.

"I found out I was from Nigeria on my dad's side and Ghana on my mom's side. So then I went back there when I went to Africa.

"I didn't expect that I would go to East Africa first, but in a way I was going back to the source, back to the origin of man." [Link]

Someone Really Was His Own Grandpa

Genealogy Blog produced evidence in 2004 that the lyrics for Dwight B. Latham and Moe Jaffe's song "I Am My Own Grandpa" (a.k.a. "I'm My Own Grandpaw") were derived from a Mark Twain anecdote. Twain, in turn, seems to have borrowed his anecdote from an item first published in American newspapers in March of 1822, and copied from the London Literary Gazette. (The copy below is from the Republican Chronicle of Ithaca, N. Y., Apr. 24, 1822.) As it turns out, the novelty song was based on a true story.

A proof that a man may be his own Grandfather.—There was a widow and her daughter-in-law, and a man and his son. The widow married the son, and the daughter the old man; the widow was, therefore, mother to her husband's father, consequently grandmother to her own husband. They had a son, to whom she was great-grandmother; now, as the son of a great-grandmother must be either a grandfather or great-uncle, this boy was therefore his own grandfather. N. B. This was actually the case with a boy at a school in Norwich.—