Historical color and context — places, customs, institutions, and everyday life — that helps bring an ancestor’s world into focus
I’ve run into fraternal organizations recently while working on early twentieth century genealogies. They were called lodges, societies, orders, leagues, legions. Fraternal groups were popular in the late 1800s into the early twentieth century. They offered a social group, some were politically active. Fraternal organizations were so prevalent in the …
The 1881 U.K. Census lists a man as chimney sweep and grinder. From having seen Mary Poppins and having my home’s chimney cleaned, I had a pretty clear image of a man with large brooms cleaning the soot out of chimneys. I was less clear about what a grinder’s occupation …
May 1st sounds like it was a nightmare in New York City! I’m glad my ancestors lived in lightly populated county areas. The one thing genealogists should remember about this Moving Day craziness it that it effects the evidence genealogists use to search family histories, namely city directories. For instance, …
Repairing shoes is a great inflation beating tactic. It’s what our parents and grandparents did and it satisfies the Gen Z urge to see one less pair in a landfill. My local repair shop is like a step back into time. It’s 1932 all over again! All photographs by Vanessa …
It was time for a fieldtrip to the Eric Sloane Museum in Kent, Connecticut. It contains a fascinating collection of antique American hand tools (and some that worked under oxen, horse and even dog power). It’s fun to see tools that are often mentioned in 18th and 19th century wills. …
