Surname Saturday: The Birth and Baptism of Hans Loe, Part 1

It's only three letters, but if I had a quarter for every time I've had to spell my last name, spell it again, and still ask to have the "w" removed, I could fund a dozen instant research trips to Europe, just like I was starring in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are. (Seriously, what fills me with envy every single episode is the celebrity finding out what town they're from in some far-off country and the next day they jet over to check it out.)

It took me far longer than I thought it would, so I'll break this saga up so you all don't die of boredom reading along. In the fall of 2007, I started a serious search for my father's father's father's line. Family lore provided only this:

1. My great-grandfather, Hans Loe, came to Chicago from a town called Drammen in Norway at some unknown date.
2. His last name used to be Christianson, but it got somehow changed along the way.
3. He was a tailor in Chicago, but used to be a lumberjack in Norway. (Seriously?)
4. His wife's name was Annie.
5. He and his wife had all boys, including my grandfather, Edward.

I found the family in the various censuses and got the names of my great-uncles and eventually learned that my uncle was the only surviving descendant of six sons. My parents had a photograph of Hans and Anna's headstone, but couldn't

Hans C. Loe, 1854-1907

remember which Chicago cemetery they were buried in. Before FamilySearch put the Cook County death certificates online, it used to take $15 and about 4 months to get a death certificate. I did the happy dance at the mailbox (the neighbors are used to it by now) when it finally showed up. Death from tuberculosis at the age of 52 saddened me – Hans died two years younger than I was when I started looking for him. 

While I was waiting, I found a death notice for Hans in the Proquest Obituaries database (thank you, Southern California Genealogical Society Library). 

That summer, we made it back to Chicago and to Mount Olive Cemetery and found their headstone, complete with birth and death dates. 

Archives News - National Archives February 2011 Classes

In February, the National Archives has scheduled the following genealogy-related programs highlighting records from its holdings. All programs are free and open to the public.

 

Researching African-American and Under Documented Populations, Boston, MA, February 1

Using Federal Records to Locate Caribbean Immigrant Ancestors, Washington, DC, February 1

Introduction to Genealogy, Washington, DC, February 2

Beginning Your Genealogy Research at NARA, Pittsfield, MA, February 4

Using Federal Census Records, Pittsfield, MA, February 10

Emancipation Records of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, February 16

Genealogy for Kids (Gr. 3-8 and chaperones), Boston, MA, February 23

Finding Your Immigrant Ancestors at NARA, Pittsfield, MA, February 24

Beyond the Basics: Immigration Records, Washington, DC, February 26

"Help! I'm Stuck", Washington, DC, February 26

Archives News – Jacqueline Kennedy's pink hat is a missing piece of history

The Kennedys in Dallas. (Art Rickerby / Time & Life Pictures / Getty Images / November 22, 1963)

 

I'm always interested in behind-the-scenes accounts of archives. The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article up about a collection at the National Archives that is not open to the public: Jacqueline Kennedy's clothes from 22 November 1963. It seems the famous pillbox hat is missing, perhaps in the custody of her former maid. The writer has done a nice job on the details, particularly about securing a retroactive deed of gift for this heart-breaking material.

Tuesday's Tip: Today's Document Mobile App from U.S. National Archives

Are you a fan of the Today's Document feature on the National Archives Web site? Now there's an app for that. The National Archives has launched its first mobile application to deliver Today's Document on your iPhone or Android smartphone. 

The National Archives has released both text and tutorial for Today's Document: "This new mobile app is an interactive gallery that allows you to explore the holdings of the US National Archives through a collection of 365 fascinating documents and photographs from throughout history.  Learn what significant event happened on your birthday, search the documents by keyword, or browse the collection at your leisure."

View the tutorial on the new app's features (or visit http://tiny.cc/NARAapp):

 

And here are the links to download the free app:

Today's Document Mobile App at the iTunes Store for iPhone and iPad

Today's Document Mobile App at the Android Marketplace

Digitizing Records: Behind the Scenes

In my session at the Arizona Family History Expo on using manuscript collections, we were talking about the relatively low rates of digitization of manuscript collections. 

Like most issues in libraries, the reason mostly comes down to costs. There are huge amounts of material waiting and funding is down. Some of the costs are predictable and some not as evident:

1. There are up-front costs for the infrastructure for digitizing: buying the software, scanners, servers, and back-up systems.

2. There are training costs for librarians and archivists to learn how to create and manage digital objects and collections.

3. There are costs for the staff time to scan the items (or send them out to be scanned) and to catalog the digital files, compiling the metadata needed to make the files searchable.

4. There are long-term costs to host the files, keep the file formats viable, and create search interfaces for users.

There was an article in the LA Times recently that I thought was very well done, describing the process and the challenges for libraries and archives. You can read it here:

Digital technology lets libraries share their fragile treasures with the world (LA Times, 25 Nov 2010).

Sassy Jane at the Arizona Family History Expo

Opening up this blog entry for comments on my presentations at the Expo today and tomorrow. Say hi! 

It was SRO at the organizing presentation yesterday at the Expo. (Thanks to all the attendees for sticking with me despite the audio issues.)

There were some excellent questions that I will use to revise my e-book on organizing your family history research using archival principles. 

The organizing e-book is $10.50. You can order it by contacting me at: sassy.jane.mail[at]gmail[dot]com. 

And thanks too to the hardy bunch who were at the 8 a.m. Think Like an Archivist session on a Saturday morning instead of sleeping in.

Treasure Chest Thursday: My Entry into the Ancestor Photo Contest

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is having an Ancestor Photo Contest. Between now and March 31, 2011, ISGS is asking members to submit photos of their own ancestors for use on the ISGS website. If your photo is selected, it will be displayed on a rotating-basis in the top banner of the ISGS website along with other member-submitted photos.

Here's my submission:

Chicago Sweatshop, c. 1912

My grandmother (second from right) worked as a seamstress and tailor her entire life in various Chicago sweatshops. She was born in 1896, two months after her father died, and left school after the 6th grade to help support her mother and siblings.

I think this was taken circa 1912, or right about the time of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911 in New York.

I found this photograph (a mounted vintage print) and three other similar images, after her death in 1979. Oh, what I would give to talk to her about this photograph, even for just a few minutes!

Tuesday's Tip: Relatively Curious Internet Genealogy Toolbar

Wow, am I having fun with a new tool I found at the California Family History Expo. It's the Relatively Curious Internet Genealogy Toolbar, available here for download.

Links to Resources in Relatively Curious

As you can see from the screenshot above, Relatively Curious adds a toolbar just below the standard one that you can configure in Firefox. Relatively Curious has done most of the work for you, with preset section for Resources, Free Sites, Paid Sites, In Print, Connect (links to social networking sites), Blogs, Gadgets (Evernote, Tiny URL, etc.), Hi! (IM with your genie pals), and even the weather (that stuff that happens outside while you're inside bathed in a phosphorescent glow from your computer screen). There's also a search window and a highlighter that helps you find search terms on the page.

A couple more screenshots:

Search Term Highlighter

Links to Paid Search Sites

Relatively Curious is the brainchild of Tami Osmer Glatz. You can friend Relatively Curious on Facebook here.

Looking forward to Friday and Saturday, when I'll be presenting at the Arizona Family History Expo. I hope to see you there.

Follow Friday: Treasures from the British Library

Today's Follow Friday is about the new mobile phone app from the British Library called Treasures.

Over 100 rare items from the holdings of the British Library are available in high-definition images, including the original version of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the world’s oldest bible, priceless hand-painted medieval books, Nelson’s battle plan for Trafalgar, sketches by Leonardo, a 1664 plan of New York, "The Tyger" in William Blake’s hand, and many others.

The app is arranged in seven browsing categories: Science, History, Music, Literature, Faith and Religions, Maps and Views, Illuminated Manuscripts. There's something in each of those categories to delight any genealogist.

Treasures is available as an introductory price of UK £1.19 (US $1.99) for iPhone and Android smartphones, and UK £2.39 (US $3.99) for iPad until 24 Jan 2011.

Sassy Jane is Ancestor Approved!

I’m delighted to report that Kathy Reed of Jones Family Matters has selected this blog to receive the Ancestor Approved Award.

The
 Ancestor Approved Award was created in March 2010 by Leslie Ann Ballou of Ancestors Live Here to appreciate and enjoy geneablogs that are “full of tips and tricks as well as funny and heartwarming stories....”
 Recipients list ten things which surprised, humbled, or enlightened them about their ancestors, before passing it on to ten other bloggers. So here goes on my list:

1. I had no idea how recently all of my family lines came to America. All eight of my great-grandparents immigrated to this country in the 1880s from countries in Europe and Scandinavia.

2. By contrast, my husband is descended from very, very early New England stock in Connecticut and Maine and he had no idea about his ancestry.

3. My husband’s great-great-great-great-great-uncle fought on both sides of the American Revolution.

4. Most of my immigrant great-grandparents died of public health diseases like tuberculosis and cholera.

5. When she was widowed at the age of 33, my Swedish great-grandmother took in washing and scrubbed floors to support a newborn and two children under the age of three.

6. I may have a couple of history degrees, but I certainly am ignorant about geography!

7. In order to survive during the Great Depression, my grandmother and her sister combined households. They owned a classic Chicago duplex and rented out the bottom apartment. Then 10 family members lived in the upstairs two-bedroom, one-bath flat: my great-great aunt, grandparents, father, uncle, and my great-aunt and her husband and three children.

8. All of the ancestors I thought were German turned out to be Prussians.

9. I'm proudest of having figured out where my unusual Norwegian last name comes from.

10. I still have so much work to do!

In the next few days, I’ll be posting my top 10 nominees for the Ancestor Approved Award. And again, thanks to Kathy for this award.

Tuesday's Tip: Dismantle Those Framed Photographs

Did you inherit framed family photographs? When framed photographs are donated to an institution, archivists always disassemble the frames and usually store the photographs unframed.

Archivists do this because framers often used cardboard and scrap wood to back photographs. In some cases, we have seen photographs where the acid in the wood backing has reproduced the knotholes and texture of the wood perfectly right on the photographic print ... and ruined the photograph in the process. 

Does this mean you shouldn't have framed family photographs? Of course not. But do disassemble vintage photographs from their frames to check on the backing being used. You can still the vintage picture frames. Just have your local framer replace the backing with acid-free materials (aka museum mounting).

And it doesn't matter what the frame is made of – the backing should be checked in all instances. You can keep your wooden frames in use if you have the framer redo an acid-free backing.

Another advantage to checking behind those framed photographs is that there may be other treasures tucked away. While visiting my mother last spring, I was taking a small photograph of my grandmother and father out of its frame when two carte-de-visites taken in Sweden tumbled out. Isn't that great?

Let me know what you find behind those family photographs.

Follow Friday: Centennia Historical Atlas

I usually choose only free resources for my Follow Friday posts, but I saw an appealing product (out there a while but new to me) called Centennia Historical Atlas. 

It's an application you can download and install on either Windows or Mac computers, providing animated maps of Europe from the 11th century to the present, a time span that ought to cover most genealogical purposes. The maps are dynamic – you can watch the borders change over time, with a separate text window that provides event details. 

What intrigues me is this video demo of the border changes in Germany from 1850 to the present – a useful tool for those of us trying to find ancestors in Germany, Prussia, Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia, Pomerania, and its various other incarnations.

Specs: Centennia Historical Atlas software runs under  Mac OSX (Intel Macs running Leopard, Snow Leopard) and Power PCs running 10.4.1 or later, as well as Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. The software requires a modest 20 megabytes of hard disk space and 40 megabytes of memory. 

So I'm intrigued by this, but at $79 for a single-user license, I'm not rushing out to buy. (I guess I should have asked Santa for a subscription.) I think it would make a great purchase for genealogical libraries under a multi-user license.

Have you used the Centennia Historical Atlas? I'd love to hear more about this product.

Tuesday's Tip: Using Yellow as Contrast for Faded Handwriting

Today's tip is simple but effective. When we encountered faded or difficult-to-read documents in the archives, it could be a challenge to photocopy or even read the text or handwriting. 


To increase the contrast on a faint or faded document, place it inside a yellow-tinted sheet protector when photocopying. (If the sheet protector you buy is only open on one end, slit the other side so that you won't abrade your documents sliding them in and out of the sheet protector. And never, never store documents in this kind of plastic over the long term.)

The same principle works when you're working at a downward-projecting microfilm reader. I always carry a sheet of yellow legal pad paper with me on trips to the library. Placing it on the image from the reader increases the contrast and not only helps you decipher handwriting, but also doesn't fatigue your eyes as quickly.


I don't know about you, but I got almost no research done in December, so I'm eager to get back into the genealogical swing. Happy searching to all my readers in 2011.

Disunion: Commemorating the Civil War Sesquicentennial

Announcement of the secession.

To commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the New York Times has started a series called Disunion that revisits events on or close to their anniversaries 150 years ago.

The blog's intro reads:
“One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Americans went to war with themselves. Disunion revisits and reconsiders America's most perilous period – using contemporary accounts, diaries, images and historical assessments to follow the Civil War as it unfolded.”

The entries are written by Jamie Malanowski, who has been an editor at Time, Esquire and Spy, and is the author of the novel The Coup.

I didn't have an ancestor in this country before 1882, but my husband's family is filled with soldiers who served and, in some cases, became casualties of the Civil War. One of my New Year's resolutions is to follow Disunion this coming year to gain a better understanding of the war's causes and events.

If you'd like to play catch-up, the blog archives are located here.