Your Ancestor's Employer May Give a Glimpse of Her Life

Siegel-Cooper Employees, Long Branch, NJ

Many of us crave details about our ancestors so we can visualize what their lives may have been like. We want more than a bunch of dates and locations. What life struggles did they face? Why did they decide to move to another state or country? And even more trivial questions like: What did they do on Sundays?

If you know where your ancestor worked, a search for information about that employer may give you a glimpse of your ancestor's life. For example, if one of your female relatives worked for the Siegel-Cooper department store in New York, there's a publication in both Google Books and the HathiTrust Digital Library that provides details on how she may have spent a week during the summer.

Here are a few excerpts from Souvenir Program of The Siegel-Cooper Co. Employees' Association:

"The Siegel-Cooper Company's Employes' [sic] Association (duly incorporated under the laws of New York State on November 10, 1896) was formed entirely for the benefit of the employes of The Big Store. Raising a moderate revenue by the means of a monthly assessment, graded in amount according to the amount of each employe's salary, the Association pays a sick benefit to sick or disabled members, provides the free services of an able physician, makes occasional donations to sick or destitute members, and pays a death benefit of $50 or $100."

"Convinced that rest and recreation are essential for the health and happiness of its members, the Officers and Directors of The Siegel-Cooper Company Employes' Association decided to establish a summer home at Long Branch, where every eligible female employe was to be entitled to one week's vacation, free of every expense, including transportation."

"A private beach was obtained for surf-bathing, with life guards in attendance, and boats were chartered for excursions on the beautiful Shrewsbury River. The supply of daily newspapers, magazines and light literature was ample. Accommodations were provided at neighboring cottages for relatives and friends of employes, and every detail was planned with all the care and acumen that successful business men could bring to bear when their hearts as well as their heads were in the project."

Where did your ancestors work? Learning more about their employers may give you some information about your relatives, even if it's just a short period of their lives.

Related Post:  Who Was Your Ancestor's Employer?

Thanksgiving Ad, 1920

This vintage advertisement is from The Saturday Evening Post dated November 13, 1920. You can find images like this by searching the Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr.

[CLICK TO VIEW LARGER]

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

View Labor Union Labels from 1903

This full-color advertisement appeared in a 1903 souvenir booklet published by the Utica Trades Assembly in New York to mark its 21st anniversary. Here's one paragraph from the group's introduction:

"To the wage-earners, or rather wealth producers, who have not yet joined hands with us, we extend a hearty invitation to become a part of the great army of Organized Labor. In union there is strength. Better conditions can only come through concerted action. Organized Labor points out the way to shorter hours, better wages, time for intellectual and physical improvement. Hence our path leads to the goal of enlightened, progressive citizenship."

The most interesting section of the publication provides images of many labels proudly placed by labor unions on their products or in their businesses. There are four pages of them, but here are just a few (click to view larger):

To see the dozens of other union labels, click on the link at the beginning of this post and go to page 60. Happy Labor Day!

Related Post:  Labor Day Souvenir Program, 1894

Pittsburgh and the World War, 1914-1918

The souvenir publication, Pittsburgh and the World War 1914-1918, can be viewed in the HathiTrust Digital Library and contains many photographs of Pittsburgh soldiers. Here are a couple of paragraphs from the booklet:

"From the high up places of Pittsburgh's loftiest skyscrapers a ton or more of confetti, small bits of paper and streamers of paper floated and fluttered to the streets below. A snowstorm of the white and red and blue fragments filled the air. The streets began to fill with merrymakers as the news was flashed about the city and its environs by newspapers, by word of mouth, by telephone and all other means of communication. Like wildfire the word spread that the armistice had been signed and the Huns had, in effect, laid down down their arms in ignominious recognition that to struggle further world be useless.

Parades formed as offices, stores, shops and mills were abandoned. Bells clanged loudly and to the din, which almost drowned the shouts of the populace were added the sound of many bands playing, the measured tolling of the bell on old City Hall, pounded in turns by men with a sledgehammer; the shrieking of sirens and mill whistles, the deep screeching of steamboat whistles and the booming and cracking of guns and other weapons in the air."

My great-uncle, George Stenglein, is one Pittsburgh soldier who didn't return, didn't see the parade, and didn't hear the cheers. As I looked at some of the photos in this book, I wondered if my grandmother and her parents cried when they heard others celebrating, since their hearts had to be breaking that George  wasn't coming home.

Female Writers in Pittsburgh, 1897

A search in the Digital Public Library of America led me to Book of the Writers, published by the Writers Club of Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) in 1897. Among the men, you can find nine women profiled in the book, including Mrs. Ida L. Easton:

Ida L. Easton

     "Of much more than local literary note is Mrs. Ida L. Easton, or to use her social name, Mrs. Andrew Easton. Although she is comparatively a new comer into the world of the newspaper scribe, to the readers of the Pittsburg Dispatch, the Florida Times-Union, the Saturday Review, and a number of other publications her name is a familiar one and her pen is as versatile as it is tireless.

     In wide spread charities, moral reform movements, philanthropic ventures she has always been a leader. With a true heart in close touch with the joys and sorrows of humanity, she possesses a courage that never recognizes failure and many an abuse has been brought to light and ended by her daring struggle in behalf of justice and kindness.
  
     To a large number of friends among the younger newspaper workers she is a genial, sympathizing mentor, and not infrequently terms herself the grandmother in the Womans' Press Club, of which organization she is treasurer. Mrs. Easton is an active member of the Writer's Club."

The other female writers included in Book of the Writers are Mrs. Dallas Albert, Jeannette Barbour, Roberta Bradshaw, Janey M. Coard, Marie D. Coyle, Sarah H. Killikelly, Dorothy Richardson, and Miss A.R. Stratton.

Note:  Ida Lois Reed Easton died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 61 on August 24, 1916. Her newspaper obituary indicated that she married Dr. Andrew Easton in 1871 and left two children, Dr. John S. Easton of Pittsburgh and Mrs. C.L. Martin of Philadelphia.

A History Teacher Through the Years

University of Washington,
1912

This month, more than 100 years ago, a future history teacher was born. Thanks to the yearbook collection on Ancestry.com, I can see images of her through the years...and even her signature!

Grace Marguerite Wiester, my husband's 1st cousin two times removed, was born in Saltsburg, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 1892. With her parents, Harry Lewis Wiester, Sr. and Fannie Belle Kirkendall, Grace moved to Washington state by the time she was 8 years old. The family was first in Spokane and then moved to their permanent town of Wenatchee in Chelan County. Grace's younger brother, Harry Jr., was born in Wenatchee but died when he was only 2 years old.

University of Washington,
1915

From various articles on Newspapers.com, I learned a little bit about Grace's teenage years. In 1907, she performed at a piano recital at the Wenatchee Theatre. That same year, she was a pall bearer at a friend's funeral. In 1908, she picnicked at Lilly Lake (located 9 miles south of Wenatchee) with friends and a cousin from Spokane.

When she was 17, she traveled to Seattle with friends. And in 1910, she entered the freshman class of the University of Washington, which would put her on the path of becoming a high school history teacher.

Wenatchee High School,
1930

In the 1920 census, she wasn't employed yet. But two years later, she was listed in a 1922 yearbook as a teacher at Wenatchee High School (with her surname spelled incorrectly as "Weister"). The school's 1921 yearbook isn't online, so it's possible that she may have started at the school a year earlier. In any event, it appears that she stayed at that high school for her entire career.

Wenatchee High School,
1957

The 1940 census specifies that she was a history teacher. In 1957, she was still teaching at Wenatchee High School, which means that she was educating students there for at least 35 years!

Grace Marguerite Wiester died at the age of 83 on December 12, 1975, and was buried in Wenatchee's Home of Peace Mausoleum next to her parents and younger brother. Although she didn't have any of her own children, Grace touched the lives of many, many children who grew up in Wenatchee, Washington.

The Chiropodist Couple

I've mentioned before that the HathiTrust Digital Library has some interesting publications. For example, if you have a chiropodist from Illinois in your family tree, you might be interested in Registered Chiropodists in Good Standing January 1, 1919. It has eleven pages of individuals--many women--who practiced chiropody in Illinois. As the publication explained:

     "The law to regulate the practice of chiropody took effect July 1, 1917. It provides that on and after October 1, 1917, no person shall practice chiropody unless duly licensed so to do by the Department of Registration and Education.
     'Chiropody' is defined as the local, medical, mechanical or surgical treatment of the ailments of the human foot, except the correction of deformities or injuries through the use of the knife, such as amputation of the foot, or toes, or the treatment of injuries of the human foot, or the use of anaesthetics other than local, or the use of drugs or medicines other than local antiseptics."

The Pittsburg Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania),
February 10, 1918

One woman who was born in Illinois became a chiropodist and then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she practiced with her husband. They advertised themselves as "Pittsburg's Progressive Chiropodists." Emma Augusta Schrader was born in Illinois about 1875 and eventually moved to Manhattan, New York, where she married Walter Teskey in 1903. The 1910 census shows that Walter was a chiropodist but not Emma. But by 1918, they both were practicing chiropody in Pittsburgh, and raising two boys.

Do you have a chiropodist in your family tree?

The "Odd" History of Pittsburgh

Many of my readers have a Pittsburgh connection, so I wanted to make sure you're aware of an interesting Facebook page called The Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating History of Pittsburgh. Its founder was featured in last week's issue of the Pittsburgh City Paper:

"A skeleton key to the Schenley Hotel. Blueprints for a new jail from the 1920s. A token from the 1877 Pittsburgh Exposition. Souvenirs from the Duquesne Garden and the Schenley Park Casino. An original 1795 map of Pittsburgh. These are just a few of the nearly 100 historical artifacts owned by John Schalcosky, a 33-year-old Ross Township resident who runs the Facebook group The Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating History of Pittsburgh.

There was a time when discussions of Pittsburgh’s history were reserved for historical societies. Now, they’re the stuff of online forums and Facebook pages: To date, Schalcosky’s group has more than 50,000 followers."

I've been following him on Facebook for a while now, and you should too! Check out the entire article: "Pittsburgh history lives on, online."

Jamieson Sisters, Pittsburgh Photographers

Jamieson Sisters Portrait, from
Complete Self-Instructing Library
of Practical Photography, 1909

Jamieson Sisters was a photography studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which opened around 1900. It was operated by two sisters, Katherine and Henrietta Jamieson. The photo to the right is an example of their work.

Katherine was older (born in 1862) and, by 1912, was President of the Woman's Federation of the Photographers' Association of America. The September 1912 issue of Snap Shots stated that the "Federation under the presidency of Miss Katherine Jamieson is taking a prominent place in the affairs of the National Association and doing much to improve the standing of women photographers."

Henrietta (born in 1867) married George Robinsteen in February 1903 and continued to work in the studio. Four years later, her husband died on a train of heart disease at the age of 49.

In 1921, Katherine decided to move to Los Angeles. Abel's Photographic Weekly announced that "Miss Katherine Jamieson, of Pittsburgh, Pa., will shortly open a studio in Los Angeles, Calif., the present Jamieson Studio to continue under the management of Miss Jamieson's sister, Henrietta Jamieson Robinsteen."

Six years later, Henrietta decided to retire and move to Alhambra, California, presumably to be closer to her sister.

In 1931, Henrietta Jamieson Robinsteen died in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 64. The Pittsburgh Press reported that the funeral was held in Pittsburgh. A year later, Katherine Jamieson died in Alhambra. Both sisters are buried in Pittsburgh's Homewood Cemetery.

An Artist in the Family Tree

Seal of Viterbo University,
designed by Hildegarde "Imogene" Thiele

I recently reconnected with a 2nd cousin once removed, who shared some information that rekindled my interest in doing more research on her branch of the family tree. Her grandmother died at the age of 34 due to a brain tumor, leaving behind a husband and 3 young children.

My cousin's grandfather raised his children, and then remarried about 25 years later. I remember the couple's visits well; they were wonderful people. But I didn't know that this second wife had an art background.

Hildegarde Thiele Stern was a nun for decades before leaving that life behind and eventually marrying. A newspaper search helped me learn that she was known as Sr. Imogene, and then my cousin's information, a look at census records, and a simple Google search helped me create a timeline of her life:

1917 - Hildegarde Emma Thiele was born on January 13, 1917, in Mount Carmel, Carroll County, Iowa. Her parents were Frank & Anna Schulte Thiele.

1920 - Hildegarde and her family resided in Kniest Township, Carroll, Iowa. Her father was a farmer.

1930 - The family, consisting of three sons and five daughters, was living in Gilman Township, Osceola, Iowa. Her father Frank was still a farmer.

1940 - Hildegarde, now known as Sister Imogene was living with her Superior and two other Sisters in Lyndon Station, Juneau County, Wisconsin. At age 23, she was the youngest and worked as a teacher in a parochial school. The census indicates she was at the same place in 1935 as well.

1950s - In 1952, Sister Imogene graduated from Viterbo College in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with a B.A. in art. In 1958, she received a Master's degree in art from The University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The commencement program indicates that she was a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, which is a Roman Catholic order.

1960s - A newspaper article from 1961 mentioned that her work was part of an art exhibit shown at La Crosse Vocational School. It also said she conducted "an art lecture and review of the works" at the event. Sr. Imogene was in the art department of Viterbo University and even today is credited with the design of the school seal: "The original seal, which has twice been slightly modified, was created in the early 1960s by Imogene Thiele, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) and member of the art department."

Her mother's 1969 obituary in the Carroll Daily Times Herald (Carroll, Iowa) indicated that "Hilda" was now living in Pittsburgh.

1970s - By the mid-70s, Hildegarde was married. My mom says that my siblings and I attended the wedding, but I don't remember it. I was 7 or 8 at the time.

2000 - Hildegarde Thiele Stern passed away in 2000 at the age of 83, two months after her husband Albert died.

I think the only other artist in my family is my younger brother who graduated from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Do you have any artists in your family tree?

Seeing Salt Lake City in 1905

You can always find interesting publications in both the Internet Archive and HathiTrust Digital Library. This one, called Seeing Salt Lake City, was published in 1905 by The American Sight-Seeing Car and Coach Company. It is full of photographs of attractions, hotels, businesses (both interior and exterior shots), and residences.

"Salt Lake appeals to everyone with different force. To the reader of history she lies as the first great outpost of western civilization. To the casual tourist she appeals as the home of a people of strange religious belief, a place filled with quaint architecture and tower-tipped temples. To the pleasure seeker there is the charm of her wondrous salty lake--twin sister to that other Dead Sea of the Holy Land--there are the attractions of her fuming springs, her shady drives, the crafty fish which lie in the deep pools of her mountain streams, the ducks which fly over her marshes and the big game which roams among the canyons of her eastern barrier. The man of money sees in her mines and rich tributary country millions yet to come. To the invalid 'The City of the Saints' promises a new lease of life, and, drinking in of its invigorating air, he finds his strength returned and hope renewed."

Check out Seeing Salt Lake City for yourself, and be sure to search for publications related to the cities or towns where your ancestors lived.

Christmas Ad Featuring Family

As I take a little holiday break from blogging, I hope you enjoy this vintage advertisement for a 1921 phonograph that I found via Flickr. If this family had been real, they would have appeared in the 1920 census, and someone out there would be researching them today!

Historic Building's Gamble Connection

Samuel S. Moore House & Store,

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania

(Image from the Library of Congress)

It's always great to find ancestors mentioned in books, and I was particularly lucky to find a mention when I wasn't even looking for it. I usually don't like surprises, but this was one I didn't mind at all!

When I wrote about the 1890 Kirkendall-Garman wedding last month, I decided to learn more about the location of the event since I didn't know anything about Saltsburg, Indiana, Pennsylvania. I found a book from 1989 in the Internet Archive called Two Historic Pennsylvania Canal Towns: Alexandria and Saltsburg.

In the last third of book, there's information on the historic buildings of the area. As I was browsing through it, I came across a section for the Samuel S. Moore House and Store. Though I didn't remember it at the time, Samuel married Margaret Gamble, who was the daughter of John and Fannie Moore Gamble, my husband's 3rd great-grandparents.

According to the deed details provided in the book, the building passed from the Moore family to Margaret's two sisters, Fannie and Julia Gamble:

"1877 - Deed April 16, 1877, Volume A-40, Page 460. Samuel S. and Margaret Moore to Emma Thomas 

1883 - Deed April 10, 1883, Volume A-46, Page 72. Emma Thomas to Margaret Moore 

1884 - Deed August 21, 1884, Volume A-47, Page 575. Margaret Moore to Fannie and Julia Gamble 

1893 - Deed March 20, 1893, Volume A-57, Page 588. Fannie Gamble to Julia Gamble"

The book also provides some information about Samuel S. Moore:

"Historical Context: The building at 222 Point St. was constructed by Samuel S. Moore, a 'dealer in confectioneries, fruits and nuts, cooking and parlor stoves,' and a 'manufacturer of tin and sheet iron ware' ... Tax records of the 1870s through the early '80s identify him variously as a tinner, grocer and postmaster. His income during these years ranged from $100 to $150. Moore and his family lived on the second floor, and he operated the business on the first, which included serving as the Saltsburg post office for some years. By 1909 the building was completely vacant, but by 1927 both spaces were utilized as offices ..."

Yes, it's definitely a good feeling to find the names of relatives in books. And even if you don't find an ancestor, learning more about the city or town where they lived may give you a new perspective about their lives.

New to Kansas during the Civil War

Clipping from Wyandotte Gazette
(Kansas City, Kansas), August 29, 1863

After collecting typical information from census records, the Lee family seemed like any other ordinary family. Martha Jane Pollock was my husband's 3rd great-aunt. She married Orville A. Lee, and they had three daughters between the years 1850 and 1857 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. At some point between 1857 and 1865, the Lee family moved from Pennsylvania to Atchison County, Kansas. Over his 40 years in Kansas, Orville worked as a farmer, coal merchant, and owner of a feed store. His daughters were school teachers.

Nothing extraordinary about the Lee family, right? Well, while I'm not yet certain when they arrived in Kansas, it's very possible that they found themselves there during the Civil War. The 1865 state census shows that they were definitely there in the summer of '65, right after the war ended. So they could have just arrived, or they might have been there for several years. If they were there during the Civil War, it had to be scary to live in a strange, new state during such a volatile time.

Prior to the war, the Kansas territory was already a contentious area with respect to the issue of slavery. Violence between pro-slavery settlers and area abolitionists led to the territory being called "Bleeding Kansas." Then, during the war, citizens of Douglas County, Kansas became victims of Confederate guerillas during the Lawrence Massacre. This event, in which more than 150 men and boys were killed, had to have caused fear among their neighbors, including those living in nearby Atchison County. One can only imagine what the Lee family was thinking and feeling if they were new residents there.

This is just a reminder that it's important to find out what was happening in the country, state or town where your ancestor lived. Knowing the historical context of your ancestors' lives may cause you to look at them a little differently.

My Great-Grandmother's Undertaker, Harry Brooks

Former Undertaking Business
2726 E. Carson Street, Pittsburgh
(Image from Google Maps)

When I first started researching my family, one ancestor who fascinated me was my great-grandmother Albertina. She had died in her 30s of influenza during 1918 and left behind three young children. There was also mystery: the state health department didn't have a record of her death certificate; she couldn't be found in any cemeteries, and a lifelong resident of the South Side area of Pittsburgh told me about rumors of bodies being buried in mass graves during the epidemic.

When I finally received Albertina's death certificate (it had been indexed under the wrong letter), I studied it for every possible detail about her life. And I was relieved to see the name and address of an undertaker and the cemetery where she had been buried. He was "H. Brooks" located at "2726 Carson." I became curious to know more about him and, since I didn't know his first name, I searched for his address in Google Books. I found the following excerpt in the 1922 book, History of Pittsburgh and Environs:

   "HARRY BROOKS--The undertaking business now conducted by Harry Brooks at No. 2726 Carson street is one of the oldest in Pittsburgh, South Side. It was established by John Bittner, in 1877, and with the exception of the improvements Mr. Brooks has made, and the change from horses to motors, is about the same as Mr. Bittner left it. Mr. Bittner conducted a livery barn in connection with his undertaking business, and that has been changed to a garage. Another change is in the amount of business done, that having largely increased. Harry Brooks was born in Pittsburgh, on Christmas Day, 1868, son of Harry and Helen (Vose) Brooks, his father deceased since 1894, his mother yet living at the age of seventy-one. Harry (1) Brooks came from England when a boy of thirteen, and was one of the old time glass blowers of Pittsburgh, working in several of the old historic plants. Harry (2) Brooks attended public schools, and when old enough learned glass blowing, but about the year 1882 became an employee of John Bittner, the undertaker and after becoming a proficient assistant became Mr. Bittner's business manager, continuing with him in that capacity for twenty-five years. He then succeeded Mr. Bittner in business and still continues in the same location. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, serving the last named as trustee. In politics he is a Republican.

   Mr. Brooks married, Dec. 31, 1896, Rose Bittner, and they have three living children: Harry, born 1906; Mildred, born 1908; William, born 1912. Two children, John and Marion, died in childhood, John aged five years, Marion three years. Mr. Brooks has three sisters living; Mrs. Emma Barton, of Toledo, Ohio; Estella, of Pioneer, Ohio; Mrs. Jeannette Swearer, of New York City."

I know that learning about Harry Brooks does nothing to advance my family research, but I still think it's interesting to know more about a man who would have come in contact with many Pittsburghers during his long career. And he would have spoken with my great-grandfather during a very difficult time.

Wanted: "Sober Barber"

Do you have any barbers in your family tree? My 2nd great-uncle, James Francis Simmons, was a barber in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania when he got married in 1903. He eventually owned at least two barber shops in Pittsburgh: one was downtown on Diamond Street in the 1910s and the other was on Grandview Avenue in the Mt. Washington area.

So the following letter to the Editor in a 1922 trade magazine called The Journeyman Barber caught my eye:

"Who ever saw an advertisement for a cigarmaker, tailor, shoe maker, hatter, or of any other trade but barber, prefaced with 'no boozer' need apply? And yet we frequently see advertisements for barbers with this admonition, 'no boozer,' or 'sober barber wanted.'  And how many stop to consider what it really signifies? It gives the impression that the majority of barbers are boozers and unreliable. It is an insult to the barber profession, and no self-respecting barber will accept a position to work for one who will lower himself and his profession by casting such aspersion on the trade. We hear and read a great deal about elevating the barber profession; and a great deal of improvement has been made during the past thirty years toward bringing the barber to a higher and more respectable position in society. But still we have some of those thoughtless, pinheaded, narrow-minded, would-be aristocratic barbers (there are not words in the English vocabulary to sufficiently describe them), that persist in such advertisements, which when read by the public, are given the impression that the average barber is a soak, and unreliable, and that the few sober gentlemen who are in need of help, have to advertise for a 'sober barber' in order to secure such reliable help."

Could this actually have happened? Apparently, yes. When I did a search for "sober barber" on Newspapers.com, the total number of results was over 1600 matches. Here are two examples from Pittsburgh newspapers:

The Pittsburgh Post, December 14, 1902

The Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 6, 1916

You never know what you may learn about your ancestors' occupations from trade publications and newspapers...

Labor Day Souvenir Program, 1894

In honor of Labor Day, here's an ad that appeared in the 1894 publication, Official Program and Souvenir, Labor Day, Grand Rapids, Mich.  Clearly, Mr. Livingston thought his image was important for attracting business to the hotel and, if this was my ancestor, I would be thrilled that he included it!

There are some interesting things to note about this souvenir program:

• There are a lot of ads that include images and not just text, so it's quite enjoyable to browse the pages and see the businesses from that time period;
• A few ads from other states appear, such as Illinois and Ohio, so if your ancestors owned a business, don't forget to search surrounding areas for ads since they may have placed them in nearby cities in other states; and
• Various photos of city and state leaders show how your ancestors may have looked at the time; bushy mustaches seem to have been extremely popular!

Another souvenir program from Michigan, Official Labor Day Souvenir, Owosso, Mich., printed this paragraph about Labor Day, 1895:

"Labor Day ... will probably be more extensively celebrated than ever before. Certainly the element of enjoyment will enter into the celebration in a greater degree than it did a year ago, when so many thousands were out of employment and so many other thousands were suffering from depression of spirits as a result of the failure of the big strike led by the American Railway Union. During the past few months the workingman's sky has been growing steadily brighter. Mills and factories that had shut down for an indefinite period when the financial panic swept over the country have been resuming operations one by one, until now the great majority of them are giving employment to the usual number of men, and wages are gradually getting back to a satisfactory basis. In addition to this there has been legislation in a number of states calculated to benefit organized labor in a greater or less degree; so it may reasonably be inferred that the workingmen are in a frame of mind to enjoy their annual holiday."

Enjoy the holiday!

Thankful for Teachers

From Flickr: Boston Public School, 1892

As my son returns to school today to begin 6th grade, I am thankful for those who dedicate their lives to educating our children. It's a tough job but so important!

I don't remember seeing any teachers in my family tree, but my husband has some relatives who spent time in front of students. This isn't a complete list, but here are eight:

• Elizabeth Lee (1852-1938) - one of three sisters who taught in Atchison County, Kansas
• Ella Lee (1857-1929) - another sister who taught in Atchison County, Kansas
• Mary Lee (1850- ) - the 1870 shows her as a teacher living in Mount Pleasant, Atchison, Kansas; I haven't been able to locate her after that year
• Luella Lewis Wiegel (1873-1957) - music teacher who lived in Elizabeth, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
• Nellie Lewis Laing (1869-1949) - teacher who lived in Elizabeth, Allegheny, Pennsylvania 
• Henry Stewart (1831-1908) - he was a Pennsylvania farmer, store clerk, salesman, and shipping clerk, but the 1860 census shows that he also was a teacher
• Mary Vance Rudy (1893-1967) - the 1930 census shows her as a "public school teacher"; newspaper articles identify her as an instructor in the Third Ward school of Canonsburg, Washington, Pennsylvania
• Gladys Vance Paul (1908-1998) - the 1930 census shows her as a "country school teacher"; a newspaper article indicates that she taught in the North Strabane school district in Washington County, Pennsylvania

Men and women who wanted to become teachers typically enrolled in a "normal school." You can find publications online from some of these schools that include lists of students and alumni. Here are just a few that I found in the HathiTrust Digital Library, and many of these have additional years as well:

• The Alumni Register, Iowa State Normal School (Cedar Falls, Iowa), 1909
• Annual Catalogue of the Indiana State Normal School (Terre Haute, Indiana), 1889-90
• Annual Catalogue of the Northwestern State Normal School (Edinboro, Pennsylvania), 1899-1900
• Annual Catalogue of the State Normal School at Duluth, Minnesota, 1904-05
• Annual Catalogue of the West Chester State Normal School of the First District (West Chester, Pennsylvania), 1887
• Circular and Announcement of the Courses of Instruction, Southwestern State Normal School (California, Pennsylvania), 1910-11

Be thankful for the teachers in your family tree! While these publications may not give you new facts about them, they provide a list of courses your teacher ancestors would have taken, giving you a peek at what their lives might have been like during the years they attended a normal school.

Akron Advertisement, 1887

This advertisement appears in the 1887 publication, Recipes by Ladies of St. Paul's P.E. Church, Akron, Ohio. While most of the ads are for Akron businesses, there also are several for the Cleveland area. You can view this booklet both in the HathiTrust Digital Library and The Internet Archive.

Some of my Huber relatives moved to Akron in the early 1900s, so I wonder if this store still existed then and if they ever saw it. Most of the ads in this recipe book used text only, so this one with artwork definitely stands out.

Take time to browse publications from the areas where your ancestors lived. If they owned a business, you may find one of their old ads, but it's also a great way to learn more about the city or town where they lived and raised their families.

An Ancestral Trait?

I rarely drink alcohol but, while on vacation last week, I ordered a drink with dinner. My 11-year-old son didn't like it. Not one bit. On the way out of the restaurant, he proceeded to tell me that he's never going to drink and that the police officer who spoke to his class about drugs and alcohol never drinks either.

While I will certainly remind him of this conversation when he approaches his high school and college years, it made me think that my son's current view of alcohol is a trait he shares with a paternal Stewart ancestor. Hamilton Stewart, his 4th great-grandfather, was a proponent of temperance. A son's obituary credits Hamilton with forming "the first temperance society west of the mountains" in 1829. A book from 1894, The First One Hundred Years of McKeesport, may be more accurate when it says:

"The original temperance society was organized under his [Rev. Alex. McCandless] direction ... in 1829 and was said to be the only organization of the kind in Western Pennsylvania at that time. The first signers to the pledge were Wm. Penney, John Gray and Hamilton Stewart, and, be it said to their credit, they never broke it."

I'm sure Hamilton would have been proud of my son's negative views of alcohol.

Whether a trait is the result of genetics or the environment someone grows up in, it's interesting to find similarities among relatives. As you've researched your family tree, have you found ancestors with similar interests or talents although they were from different generations?