Journeys in Genealogy

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A New Online Genealogy Resource!

The challenge for Week 2 of the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy is to continue to explore genealogical resources in local libraries. I am very lucky to live in Massachusetts where there are so many genealogy resources within an short drive. The only problem (if you would call it that) is deciding where to go. So, my intention early this morning was to just pick one, see what their website and the online catalog had that might be interesting, pay them a visit today, and write this blog to share the information with you. The short story is that my day did not go quite as planned.

The public library I selected is one which I have visited several times. It is the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, MA. It is housed in the remarkable and historic home of Reverend John Lothrop, one of the original settlers of Barnstable. The oldest part of the home, which is a single room now, was built in 1644. It is worth the visit just from a historic point of view. It is also bright, open, and comfortable inside. Unfortunately I will have to visit it another day.

You see, I went to their website early this morning (http://www.sturgislibrary.org) and just now had to force myself away. Why? Because the wonderful people at the Sturgis Library have put the first 100 years (1830-1930) of weekly issues of the “Barnstable Patriot” newspaper online and freely available! What fun!

Even if you don’t have ancestors from Cape Cod, this newspaper published birth, marriage and death announcements for Massachusetts and from other areas, particularly if there was a Cape connection. It was the primary local newspaper for the Cape, so it also published national and international news. The front page of the 10 Sep 1834 issue has a complete retelling of the attack by the English ship, Nimrod, on Wareham during the Revolutionary War. In the 5 Apr 1859 issue they published a complete “List of Vessels Belonging in the District of Barnstable, January 1, 1859,” which is broken down by town, then by type of vessel, and provides the full name of the “Master.” The 21 Jul 1863 issue contains an item titled, “The Conscription – Barnstable County,” which is a complete list of the names, by town, of the men named in the draft for the Civil War. Sadly but expected, later issues publish lists of wounded, dead and missing. The shipping news is expanded to include local fishermen and merchants, with the whaling news reported separately. There is even a day-by-day summary of the proceedings of the Grand Jury from the day they were selected and convened, through each case they heard and what their decision was. There are the storms, the shipwrecks, the blackfish beachings, and other local occurences, all set against the backdrop of events on a national and international level. I could go on and on, but I won’t take up any more of your time. You can go look for yourself, so go ahead and enjoy! I’d love to hear about interesting stories you might find! And all from the comfort of your home!

January 14, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Genealogy Resources in Wareham, Massachusetts

This is Week #1 of the 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge. The mission this week (and I chose to accept it) was to visit the local library and discover the genealogy resources available there. In my case, the local library is the Wareham Free Library. It is a bright, warm and welcoming place that I have enjoyed visiting many times. In fact, here in Wareham, all the genealogy and local history resources are kept at the library in the “Stone Research Room.” I have been fortunate enough to use it for researching my own Wareham ancestors. The hours that this room was open were always very limited and the lovely lady, Linda Byrnes, who managed it, was often unavailable even during those scheduled hours (one afternoon per week). In addition, the economic woes of the town had forced drastic cuts in the library budget for 2009 which resulted in reduced staffing and hours which led to a loss of state certification of the library last year. The certification was regained in 2009 but may be lost again in 2010 if a special waiver is not passed by the state legislature. There is a great deal of controversy and many yet-to-be-answered questions about the financial doings within the library under previous administrations, and legal wranglings going on between the town and the library trustees. All in all, it’s a mess. The last time I visited the library (last summer – gasp!), Linda was at the front desk and only opening the Stone Research Room for one hour per week. When this blogging challenge came up, I knew I would have to make an appointment with Linda and the easiest way to do that was through the library’s website. This is what I found . . .

 THE STONE RESEARCH ROOM IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO BUDGET CUTS!

Yes, really!!??!! Surprised and disappointed as I am, now is not the time to panic, I tell myself. Now is the time to rationally evaluate the impact of this closure. Now is the time to investigate the reasons, the permanency, and the options. And so I began to do so. The Wareham Library is part of the SAILS Library Network which includes all the libraries in southeastern Massachusetts. All of the holdings for all of these libraries are searchable online by the public, so I began looking at Wareham’s genealogy collection (mostly noncirculating) and comparing it to others, particularly that of the New Bedford Free Public Library which has a huge genealogy and local history collection (which is separately endowed and open almost every day thanks to Paul Cyr). Wareham’s collection of genealogy-related books numbers 512. After several comparison searches, it appears that the majority of books available in Wareham are also available at one or more other libraries in the area, even if they are not as convenient. I even compared these lists to the holdings at NEHGS. While most are covered, there are a couple of Wareham history books that NEHGS does not hold, but that I know are still being sold by the Wareham Historical Society (which I am also a member of). So what materials are available in Wareham that are not available elsewhere? What is the real impact of closing the primary, possibly the only genealogical resource in town?

From my own experience, the first thing that I think of is the microfilm of the local newspaper. That is kept in this Research Room. Secondly, I think of the vital records, the maps and house histories that are local to Wareham. Thirdly, what I didn’t find in my searches is probably the most important  – the family papers and photographs that I know have been given to the library for safe-keeping. I have seen small portions of these. Every time I have been in this room, there were always some tables with piles of these documents sitting on them waiting to be catalogued and stored. I know that is what they were because I was told not to touch them when, like a moth to a flame, they seemed to beg me to look through them. Yet, in my online catalog searches, no manuscripts, photograph collections, or other similar results came up for Wareham. Curiosity reigns, my questions are ready, and it’s time to visit the library to talk to Linda! And I’m hoping that “closed” doesn’t really mean closed – that if I ask nicely and since they know me, that they just might let a professional researcher into the room, or at least bring out what I want to look at. Hoping!!!

At the library yesterday, I spoke with a very nice librarian, Kathy Murphy, who has worked here for 23 years. She provided the following information:

•  Linda Byrnes quietly retired last September and that is why the room is closed now.
• Anyone with questions about historic buildings are being referred to the Wareham Historical Commission.
• Anyone who needs a vital records lookup can email a request to the reference librarian, Patty Neil, and she will do what she can on an as-time-allows basis.
• Linda did finish cataloging the family papers and photographs but the decision was made to not enter them into the catalog (we can’t ask to see them if we don’t know they are there!).
• No, they can’t let anyone into the room.

All of this left me with just one question . . . What needs to happen to get the research room re-opened? The response was that someone qualified needs to be hired. Given the economic and political issues here in Wareham, and the lack of any publicity about this problem or any job postings, it doesn’t appear to me that this will NOT happen soon. There is hope, however. I was given a volunteer application form to complete, and told that I can specify what area I want to help out in. Here in Massachusetts, anyone who want to be a volunteer in a library has to be “CORI’d” (pass a criminal background check), which, also due to budget cuts, will take a few months. So, I would guess that by the time I am “CORI’d,” I will also have completed the Certificate in Genealogical Research at BU (starts next week and runs for 14 weeks). If all goes well, and I am deemed qualified, it could be me that you find keeping the Stone Research Room open for at least one or two afternoons per week (at least until paying work comes along)! I will keep you posted on what happens here in Wareham.

January 8, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  3 Comments

MIA Blogger Found Alive and Well!

Happy New Year to all! With every new year comes a new chance to accomplish our goals, new or old. My resolution is to get back to blogging. I’ve been in a bit of a funk, to use an old term which seems to describe that state of being not quite depressed but not happy either. You see, I was laid off at the end of October from a job I had been doing for 11 years. In fact, for the last three and a half years I had been working 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and taking my vacation time in half-days (can you really call that vacation time?). In many ways, being laid off was a reason to finally have some time off. Yeah!!! Two months later, I still wake up between 4 and 5 am every morning with “what time is it?” being the first thought in my head. The second thought, before I’ve even answered the first, is, “how long until 6 am?” which was the time I needed to be online and working by. Old habits die hard, don’t they!?! And I don’t mind being up early. While I love to work late at night and into the wee hours of the morning when the world outside is quiet and peaceful, the part of me that gets things done prefers the mornings and is discouraged if everything isn’t done by noon. By the time I was coming out of the funk, it was Christmas. This year, unlike others, I had the free time to indulge in a big project for the family. 100+ hours later, and it is done! But it’s still being held in “super secret” status as delivery to all has yet to be accomplished (picture me in a trench coat with sunglasses looking furtively in all directions from the corner of a building!). Once that’s done, then I can talk about it here. Meanwhile, I thank you for your patience and faith that this blog will continue. I wish everyone health, happiness and all good things in the coming year!

January 7, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Happy Days!

September 16, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Let Us Never See This Tombstone, Part 1

The dreadful image that keeps popping up in my head today is a tombstone inscribed, “R.I.P. Public Libraries.” After several attempts to exorcise it from my brain, it seems the only solution is to acknowledge it, to recognize that this is where current events may lead if things don’t change, and to talk it through (or in this case write about it). The questions that immediately occur to me are:

• What were the original purpose and conditions under which libraries were established?
• How important are libraries to us today, and why?
• Assuming they are important, what should and can be done to preserve them?

Today I want to look at the first question. As a genealogist, I have frequently run across references to local library societies that were formed by townspeople early in our history. The purpose was primarily to share books amongst themselves. Perhaps the most well known of these is the Library Company of Philadelphia, formed in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin and others, which was established ”for the purpose of settling arguments.” Members purchased a share in the company and could borrow books, so while it was public, it was not free. When the town of Exeter, Massachusetts changed its name to Franklin in honor of  Benjamin Franklin, and asked that he provide them with a church bell, Mr. Franklin chose instead to send books. To quote from their website,

“When the volumes arrived, a great controversy arose over who should be allowed to use them. On November 20th, 1790, those attending Franklin’s town meeting voted to lend the books to all Franklin inhabitants free of charge. This vote established the Franklin collection as the first public library in the United States. The original Franklin collection is still housed in a book case in the library’s Reading Gallery.”

In 1981 (for better of for worse is yet to be seen) the Franklin Public Library became a department of the Town of Franklin. In visiting their website,  it may be assumed that they are also experiencing similar budget issues, based on the fact that they announced new hours as of 3 July 2009 including being closed on Fridays and Sundays (and Holidays, but libraries have always closed for those).

In 1803  the first free (i.e. open to non-residents as well as residents) public library was formed in Salisbury, Connecticut. By the early 1900’s, thousands of public libraries had been created through a variety of means. Andrew Carnegie, through his foundation, established about 1,700 of them between 1900 and 1917 by donating the money to construct the buildings, and ”insisting that local communities first guarantee tax support of each library built,” (per Bill, Katz. Dahl’s History Of The Book, No. 2. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1995, p. 238). While I am not an attorney, it strikes me that this may be a key condition we need to remember. If any attorneys do happen to read this, your insight on this point would be appreciated.

For more information, and because there’s no need for me to duplicate it here, please see the Wikipedia pages on Public Libraries. There is also a good summary of the budgetary problems facing our public libraries. This is not a new problem, as you will see. It has been brewing since 2004, and perhaps even earlier than that. I am not a librarian. I am simply a person who has had a life-long love affair with books (as anyone who knows me will attest to – vehemently – my books runneth over! :-)), is a genealogist who is well aware of the value of the historical information available in our public libraries, and is a firm believer in the need for information and knowledge to be freely available to all in order for us to realize our individual and societal potential. You might be interested in a newspaper article I came across today from 100 years ago. It was published in the “Trenton Evening Times,” Trenton, NJ, Monday, February 22, 1909, pg. 2 under the column entitled “How the City Government Is Run; XV. The Public Library – Trenton’s Popular Institution. . .” and written by Harry D. Conover. The opening paragraph is all that I will include here. It is interesting how it still applies.

” ‘The Three Graces of the modern world are the School, the Newspaper, and the Public Library,’ declared the late Joseph L. Naar, one of the Free Public Library Commissioners some years ago in writing about Trenton’s Public Library. Mr. Naar went on to say that the three were all interwoven in purpose and action and all helpful and necessary to each other in the fulfillment of their individual purpose of enlightening the world.”

All we need to do is substitue the term “Media” for “Newspaper” and this statement could have been written today rather than 100 or more years ago. I am interested in hearing what you think about this, so please comment or pass on a link to others that might be interested. There is research to be done before talking about the importance of our libraries to us, so until tomorrow!

 

 

September 15, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

General Madness and Private Nuisance

You’re probably wondering if, like many others, I’ve abandoned this blog. The answer is a resounding no! My life has just gotten incredibly busy, but in good ways. For today, which is also known as “Madness Monday,” my plans were to begin to introduce my ancestors whose mysteries are still to be solved. But everytime I begin, I realize there is a piece of information that I know I have but can’t seem to locate quickly, and you deserve better than to read something with incomplete information. So, what is driving me crazy right now is my own failed attempts at organization of the years of research I have done.

It’s not that I haven’t tried. I’ve read the books on organizing genealogical data. I have worked for years in the corporate world where I am very organized. Intellectually, I know how to do it. But, for some reason, when it comes to my own genealogy, I behave more like Private Nuisance – taking notes on whatever piece of paper is handy, creating loads of bookmarks in the web browser, saving tons of files on the computer in various file formats from spreadsheets to word processing documents to mind mapping charts, and so on. All in all, I get so absorbed in the quest for information, that I forget about the primary need to organize both the search and the findings. Sound familiar? 

There have been many attempts at developing a system that will work for me. Like a general, I have demanded adherance to that system, until I finally give in with the excuse that it just doesn’t work for me. I suspect that a large part of the reason is that there never seems to be enough time to apply the system to the backlog of information already acquired. And I continue on, seeking the answer for my private mess, promising myself that one of these days, very soon, it will be so organized that I will be able to find anything, anytime, in no time. The critic in me says, “Dream on,” but the optimist in me says, “Yes, I will.” Please tell me I’m not alone in this dilemma!

So, I am hereby publicly resolving to get it organized and keep it organized. It may mean that I need to spend hours typing, scanning, and organizing files and folders on my computer. It might also mean that I have to buy a truckload of file folders (I still believe in hard copy backups – a bit “old school,” I know) and spend a week creating one for each person. And it might mean that the postings here will be a bit less frequent than I originally planned. But it will be done, and these postings will be the better for it. If anyone would like to share their own experience with this particular madness, I would love to hear about it. Your helpful advice is always welcome. Meanwhile, I’m off to dive head-first into a pile of paper and learn my lesson at last!

September 14, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments

1731 Marble Farm in Sutton, MA – For Sale!

If you would like to see a 1700’s New England Farmhouse in its’ original setting, then take a moment to visit the website of the Historic New England organization (previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, or SPNEA). On their What’s New page, they are showing several properties for sale (sign of the times, I guess!) including the historic Marble Farm, est. 1731, in Sutton, MA. If you follow the link to the realtor’s web site, there are 15 photographs of the house and its surroundings, though it is just a small part of the 56 acres they sit on. While the interior fittings are not true to the 1700’s, it has been preserved and maintained by the HNE for the past 40 years in as close to original condition as possible. It’s easy to see the basic architecture, window sizes, etc. of the original buildings. If you have ancestors who were in New England in the 1700’s, you will enjoy this glimpse into how they lived. Once it’s sold to a private party, these photos may not be available again. They have several other properties for sale, including the 1832 whaling-captains’ home known as the Fisher-Bliss House in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard.

September 9, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Horace F. Cook, 1903-1996

This handsome young man is my grandfather, Horace Frederick Cook, b. 12 July 1903, Milton, MA, second child of Henry Weston and Jennie Louise (Martin) Cook. As I’m sure many of you can relate to, it is frustrating that the majority of our family photos were not labeled or dated. I am making an educated guess that this was Horace’s college graduation photo which would mean it was taken in 1927 when he was almost 24 years old. Next time I’m in Boston, I’ll have to visit the library of Northeastern University to see if they published a yearbook for the class of 1927, and if so, then see if his photo is the same! The other possibility is that it was taken when he married. That is a very slim possibility because he married in 1933 at the age of 29 (almost 30), which was during the Depression. The wedding was at the home of his bride with just a best man and a maid of honor, and they did not go on a honeymoon. Money was tight, so it is not very likely that he would have sat for a photograph at that time. He was a true Yankee, bred from several long lines of Yankees. The old adage about Yankees runs true in our family. . . Use it up, fix it up, or make do without!

September 9, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Tombstone Tuesday

This may seem like all I’m going to post are tombstones, but that is far from the truth. There are several reasons that I am posting one today . . . it is a relatively new one that many family members may not have seen yet . . . after two long posts, I thought a short one would be enjoyed . . . I actually had two days off in a row from the paying job, so promised myself I wouldn’t spend them sitting in front of computers, which I didn’t, but now feel like I’m starting over here. So to get my own momentum going again, please allow me to share the grave marker the children of Horace and Marion Cook had made for them. They are buried in Everett, MA at Woodlawn Cemetery. It is a beautifully maintained place where many other ancestors are buried. This marker commemorates their love of sailing, which I plan to post more about soon. It’s another wonderful story, but first I have to chose the best photos!

September 8, 2009   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Headstones Can Be Misleading

This is the headstone of my great-grandparents, Henry W.  and Jennie L. (Martin) Cook. They are buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in the Mattapan section of Boston, MA, very close to their home at 10 Babson Street. Although I never got to meet them, they have taught me an important lesson. As unlikely as it may seem, the fact is that the information on headstones can not always be trusted to be accurate. Yes, the dates of death are very reliable. It is the birth dates that can cause a great deal of confusion and frustration. In this case, both birth dates are wrong, and it’s not the fault of the stone-cutters!  When I was able to see the official death certificates for both Henry and Jennie, I realized that these dates were derived from their ages as reported by their children. As I learn about the evaluation of evidence, it struck me that while a great deal of the information about the actual death can be regarded as reliable, first-hand information, the additional information provided by family members, such as age, parents, and birthplace of the deceased are not as reliable. In fact, they can be frustratingly incorrect. In this case, Henry W. Cook was actually born in 1850 (per the Vital Records of Falmouth, MA), and Jennie was born in 1874 (per the Vital Records of Providence, RI). And this is not the only instance I’ve found since.

This is a minor frustration, and while I am reminded of it whenever I look at this photo, it is quickly overridden by the pride I feel for them. Their marriage was Henry’s second. His first wife and their only child died while they were living on Naushon Island. He and Jennie married in Wareham, MA in 1900, and they lived the remainder of their lives in Boston. The site of their home at 10 Babson Street, just off Blue Hill Ave. is now the site of the new Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library. I know they would be proud. They believed that education was the key to their childrens’ future, and Henry lived just long enough to see his second child, my grandfather, Horace F. Cook, graduate from Northeastern with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Following Henry’s death, there were still young children to be raised and supported. Jennie did so by working as a seamstress. She must have often worked long into the night, because my mother tells of how her father, Jennie’s son, would never allow her to sew after dark – it must have reminded him of his mother’s need to do so.

 

This photo is of Henry W. and Jennie L. (Martin) Cook (sitting on the right-hand side of the stairs), their first three children, (top – my grandfather) Horace F. Cook, (middle) Jonathan Cook, and (bottom – leaning on his father’s knee) Henry W. Cook, Jr. The couple seated on the left-hand side of the stairs (most likely) Jennie’s mother, Eliza J. L. (Wickson) Martin and her husband, Arthur Martin. Jennie’s father and Eliza’s first husband (and my grandfather’s namesake) was Horace F. Martin. He died in Providence, RI in 1882 when Jennie was just 6 years old. The short version for now is that Eliza then married Horace’s brother, Arthur Martin. They lived and raised the children in Wareham, MA. This story is just beginning to get interesting and will be continued another day.

September 4, 2009   Posted in: Cemeteries, Cook, MA, Martin, Mattapan, Wickson  5 Comments

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