Up On The Roof....

               

     Summer had ended for the residents of Troy, N.Y.; but for one young man in the early hours before dawn on Tuesday, September 19, 1961. This man who seven years earlier had left the wilds of Burlington, VT. behind him to begin a new life in the bosom of sibling family on Stowe Avenue in Troy. Young Eli Napoleon Burnum, my Uncle Zeke, was visiting the Copa Lounge on 412 River Street, but not in your usual way, nor at the appropiate hour. A neighbor had called the police when they heard a disturbance on the roof of the Copa Lounge at 3 A. M.. 

     I don't know why or what possessed him to climb on the roof that particular night, it was most certainly out of character for the uncle that I knew from family gatherings. I stumbled across these two newspaper clippings quite by accident while doing some family research at the local Family History Center. Some would say that this item adds a bit of spice to the otherwise boring and mundane part of family history that is contained in the gathering of facts and dates. It must have been a very slow night for the Troy Police Dept., because all total there were ten policemen including the Captain, the Assistant Chief, the Sargent, a Detective, 2 plain - clothesmen, plus 2 more patrolmen; then several other officers showed up on the scene! Did it really take that many men to help my uncle down off the roof? I have decided to file this under "Sources of Amusement". Case Closed!!

                                                            

Reliable Sources???

I recently received this original newspaper clipping of the death of my dad, which was in June 1979. A very close cousin sent it to me after discovering it in one of her father's Bibles. Her dad and mom had also died recently, and their kids were sorting through some personal items. I am blessed to have a cousin who fully appreciates my quest for my family history! As a genealogist, I have read this new item many times; each time going through it with a different purpose in mind. The first time was a quick read simply to read through it from a family perspective, being that I am his first-born child. The next few times reading through it, this time much more carefully, and as a genealogist, was to glean every single bit of information contained in it.

Not surprisingly, I found the usual typos and spelling mistakes. When considering the inclusion of data from any item or document, we must first determine the original sources of that item. For example: this clipping has a few sources. 1. The person who provided the information, 2. The writer/newspaper employee who interviewed that same person in number 1., 3. The writer/newspaper employee who wrote the article., and lastly, 4. The newspaper editor.
When you consider all of the above people who are involved in or had a hand in gathering this information, then presenting it in this format, before automatically accepting all or even part of it, you must examine it with a questioning eye.
The first item I found as an information error, was his residency status. Looking in the last 2 sentences, in the 2nd paragraph, it states, "Mr. Guerin resided in Troy for the last three years, and in Watervliet for about 26 years. While in Watervliet, he was a communicant of Sacred Heart of Mary Church." Most people would read this and accept all that it says. Only very close, immediate family members, and other insiders, like very close friends will recognize the flawed information from those 2 statements. First of all, we left Watervliet shortly after I turned 7 years old to go live out in the country. We moved to a house with a fair amount of land located on Dunnsbach Road in West Crescent, N.Y.. We lived there for several years before moving down the same road to a bigger house with 20 acres of land. Secondly, my dad was never a "communicant" of Sacred Heart of Mary, or any other church. Both of my parents only went to church if there was a wedding, baptism, confirmation, or death. They were not regular church goers, nor did they drag any of us kids to go. We had one maternal aunt, (the mom of my cousin who sent me this clipping), who strongly believed in the Catholic Church. She was the one who came every Saturday morning to pick up me and my brother to go to Catechism. 
So, in closing, a word to the wise. The next time you come across, or receive any item of genealogical value, "Always consider the source!"

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

     Or is it??? When asked the proverbial question, "What does Christmas mean to you?", what are the first thoughts that come to your mind? Do you still have the courage of heart to wish strangers you see on the street each day a "Merry Christmas" without worrying about being "Politically Correct"?  

In today's modern fast-paced age of technology, the internet, television commercials filled with all the cool electronic gadgets and toys that you and your kids can ever dream of; how much plastic will it take to make those dreams come true, and fill up the space under your tree? What has happened to the past two generations? What have we become, and what will the "Spirit of Christmas" mean to our future generations?
     Yes, the holiday times are upon us all, and though the World Economy of 2012 is so sadly mirrored to that of the Last Great Depression,  

parents will entrench themselves in such a mass of unspeakable debt, just to attempt to satisfy the distorted, materialistic view on what the holidays are all about. Digital seasonal music will be blasting from every stereo and computer, homes will be flickering with bright LED lights that cover every square inch, yards will be filled with every type of blow-up animated object that can be found on the store shelves, parties will be planned, families will gather together, menus will be organized and tons of food will be prepared and served, shopping will be done, and presents will be wrapped and beautifully adorned with bows and colorful ribbons. On Christmas morning, children everywhere will tear through all those packages faster than a heat-seeking missile flying through space in search of its' prey.  

     Those of you who are old enough to take a trip down your very own personal memory lane, and dust off those old family albums filled with the photographic evidence of a lifetime of holidays, and Christmases spent, should take some time again this holiday season to re-visit your past in those albums. 

     Turn off the electronics, lock your children in the house, collect their cell phones and put them away for a couple of hours. Make your kids sit down with you as you flip through the album pages, and share your memories in great detail. I challenge you all this year, and each year going forward to actually re-create some of the old fashioned holiday practices and family traditions with the young ones. This will serve a two-fold purpose. It will teach them the importance of keeping traditions alive alongside creating new ones for the future. 

A Most Remarkable Woman- Aunt Bev

On Thursday, October 11, 2012,  the final chapter in the life of Beverly T. Martin was written. She passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 surrounded by her loving family at Wesley Nursing Home in Saratoga Springs, N. Y. I am dedicating this post to pay my everlasting respect to a very remarkable woman, who in my eyes will always be deserving of much love and adoration. Though her beginnings in this world were most humble indeed, Bev lived her life with gusto, never shied away from a challenge, and always found the positive side of even the worst negative situation.
To strangers, she was just your average country hard working family oriented woman, raising a family with good old fashioned values, and enjoying what life had to offer. When she wasn't busy with her home and family, she babysat many other children, donated her time for years as a den mother for the local Boy Scout Troop, was a fixture at the local church, and even found time for a weekly card game with friends. The need for family connection was so deeply instilled in myself and all my cousins thanks to the annual re-union parties that Aunt Bev organized and held. It is my fervent hope that the future generations of our maternal line will continue this time honored tradition so as to instill the same need in their children and their grandchildren and so forth.
When I first began my odyssey to discover and document my family history, the first person I turned to for information on my maternal line was Aunt Bev. She proved to be a deep well of valuable information providing names, dates, places, events, etc. If it were not for her amazing memory, and continued appreciation for my efforts to delve into answers behind family photos, and many documents that were uncovered during my research, I would have never been able to fulfill a promise made to her, which was her very own personal family history book. I was thrilled when my cousin Susan shared a picture with me on Facebook of her mom looking at her new book. Now, it is safely guarded at the home of the eldest child, Teena. I will always miss the phone calls, where I would either ask Bev a question, or update her on a new piece of family information I uncovered. I will also miss sending her cards, sometimes enclosing a fresh printed copy of an ancestral photo to share with Bev. She is at rest now. Her life's work is complete. She was a woman of many accomplishments. She made a difference in this world, and left her mark on each and everyone of us. 

St. Ann's Parish Church

From this view, the image above appears to be just your typical small town family place of worship. But, once inside, that viewpoint drastically changes. I had the pleasure of visiting St. Ann's Parish Church on 10 July 2008, while on a mission to not only stand in the same locations as some of my paternal ancestors, but to try to capture images, and a sense of connectedness. St. Ann's is located on Rte. 11, the main road that runs through the very small town of Mooers Forks, Clinton County, New York. I requested and was given complete autonomy to take not only exterior, but also many interior shots. The church was empty on that day, so I was alone with my camera and my thoughts. Even now as I gaze upon this picture, I remember, almost hearing the voices and sounds of family and community coming together in good times and bad for many generations. 
In fact, many of the families that attended St. Ann's, can be found buried in the cemetery bearing the same name, also located in Mooers Forks. Though simple in stature, and construction, the old wooden doors open up to a beautiful, but humble interior. There are elegantly framed Stations of the Cross lining the walls, and the back wall has a glassed-in case that displays engraved plaques of many longtime family parish members. As I walked quietly around the inside, I felt honored to be descended from a place and time where family and traditions and beliefs were respected.

The French In Me

While exploring my french heritage, I have naturally discovered some of the original french documents that tell the story of the lives of the many french ancestors; both maternal and paternal, that I am tracking. Though it is both wonderful that these documents still exist in archives, and have been discovered and digitized; it presents new hurdles. The first of course, is to be able to become a handwriting expert in order to perfectly read them. Once that is accomplished, then I need to get them properly translated, so that I can do a thorough interpretation of the document. So, being just your average family historian, and a bit lacking in the proper funds to hire all these professionals, I embark on my own personal mission to re-visit learning the french language. Thanks to a wonderful woman who is actually a "genealogical cousin", I have begun that process by using the gift of "The Rosetta Stone". The above image is actually two sides of the book containing the birth registrations from St. Philippe Church located in La Prairie, Quebec, Canada. It spans the years of 1823-1830. The page on the right side lists the birth record for my paternal 2nd Great Grandfather, Bernard Menard, in the 3rd entry down on the page.

A Universal Online Family Tree????

With all the technology there is available today to publish and maintain online family trees, I beg to ask the question, "Why not a family tree at 1 universal genealogy website, that accepts the attachments of documents, files, and sources from ALL search locations??" Am I being too naive to expect that ability at this point in time? Everybody wants our $$$, and to have our family trees posted at their websites. They all claim to have the most, best, access to a multitude of records. However; they ALL fall short on both aspects for the family historian who truly wants to dig deeper to the core of their roots.
I have even tried to ask this question in an email to another amateur genealogist who is also a daily blogger; no response. After searching several major genealogy sites, I discovered that none of them have a mailing list or message board to even address this issue. I believe there has to be an answer out there somewhere! I will continue to seek for the solution! I also invite all comments, and tips to point me in the right direction, if you know, or know someone who has the answer.