Category Archives: genealogy

Clubwomen and the environment

Posted on August 16, 2019 by

In 1910, the official proceedings of the convention of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs reported: We read in the papers that every time one of the great Sunday journals of New York City is issued, thirteen acres of timberland are … Continue reading →

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Clubs and women’s moral superiority

Posted on August 1, 2019 by

When the New York City Press Club gave a reception welcoming Charles Dickens to the U.S. in 1868, journalist Jane Cunningham Croly applied for a ticket. The all-male club treated her request as a joke. The invitation they eventually extended … Continue reading →

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I hope my great-grandmother isn’t mad at me

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

Dear Great-grandmother Mary, I hope you’re not upset. You might actually be flattered that I used you as the model for Flora Bergholtz, one of the protagonists in my historical novel, Women of To-day. In 1911, Flora joins a women’s … Continue reading →

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Election Day romance

Posted on October 26, 2016 by

Before the commercialization of Christmas took hold, before the Easter bunny was born, and before Thanksgiving became a pig-out, Election Day was America’s big, festive holiday. Amid the Election Day celebration of 1899, my great-grandparents’ courtship began. The history of … Continue reading →

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What’s a pandy? Who’s the tucker?

Posted on September 7, 2016 by

Wed. May 25th [1892]   ….After tea we took a walk to the coal pit from which place we could see the Pandy & Alltiago farm. We got a glass of fresh milk at the Alltiago farm….Continuing our walk we went … Continue reading →

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Off to Wales with my great-grandmother’s diary

Posted on July 25, 2016 by

My mother gave me my first diary when I was 13. It had a yellow cardboard cover and a tiny lock and key. I welcomed the chance to put down my secrets, especially to spill out the doubts and longings … Continue reading →

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Playing games with the ancestors

Posted on May 6, 2016 by

Flinch, a game played with a custom-made deck of cards, was invented in 1901 by A.J. Patterson. He grew up on a farm in Michigan and graduated from high school at the age of sixteen. After working at jobs in … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments