New Year Advertisement, 1916

This advertisement appeared in the January 1916 issue of St. Nicholas Magazine, which I found by searching the Internet Archive images via Flickr:

Happy New Year!

A Brother's Visit to Kansas

These Cowden brothers were farmers born in Pennsylvania. One stayed there his entire life, but the other moved to Kansas. This photograph taken in a Kansas studio shows that the brothers were lucky enough to see each other at least one time after that move.

On the back of this photo, the two brothers are identified as James Nelson Cowden and John Cowden. Both men were born in Mt. Pleasant, Washington County, Pennsylvania. John, who was my husband's 2nd great-grandfather, was older by 8 years. James was living in Kansas by 1895.

This wonderful photograph commemorates a visit to Kansas by the older brother. It may have been the last time they saw each other, since John died in 1909.

James Nelson Cowden (left) and John Cowden (right);
Photographer: Miller of Arkansas City, Kansas

Portrait on a 1910 Christmas Postcard

Have you seen a portrait postcard like this? It's absolutely lovely, and I couldn't let it go when I saw it in an antique shop.

The recipient of the postcard, Mrs. Libbie T. Reeves, was a postmaster in Ohio for more than three decades. The sender is a little harder to identify. The postmark is 1910 from Downington, Ohio, in Meigs County. There were three women with the name Aura who were living in that county in 1910. The most likely match is Aura Mae Wilcox Wood. She was the closest to Libbie's age, and her husband Frank was a mail carrier.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy every moment with your family and friends!

Lighting the Christmas Candle, 1920

From the December 1920 issue of Farmer's Magazine, a Canadian publication, which can be found in the Internet Archive:

Lighting the Christmas Candle

A Tradition That Is Growing in the Present Day

An old tradition has it that "a lighted candle set in the window on Christmas Eve will guide the Babe of Bethlehem to your home, that he may bring you happiness." In some countries it has long been the custom so to mark the coming of Christmas, and John H. Stedman, of Rochester, N.Y., has originated a movement to spread it in this country, so says a brief article in the Literary Digest. In a pamphlet urging all to light the "Christ-candle" on Christmas Eve he says:

"The Irish will tell you that the Christ-candle was always lighted in their homes in the Emerald Isle as it has been for years and years in Norway and Sweden. Boston has had it for a decade. In Rochester 1916 was our third celebration--the first year a few houses shone--the second over a thousand--the third nearly every one; and it has spread to town, village, and country over a forty-mile radius. Many far-away homes, Wisconsin, Maine, California, Florida, kindled their candles from ours, and when you have lighted yours you will appreciate why."

Millionaire's Will: Must Have Felt Like Christmas

In 1869, Russell Boggs was one of two partners who opened the Boggs & Buhl department store in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, now the North Side of Pittsburgh. Boggs and his wife both died in 1922, and they had no children. So his employees and more than a dozen charities were some of the recipients of his fortune. They must have felt that it was a little like Christmas (in July)!

The Washington Times (Washington, DC), July 23, 1922

Note: Allegheny County probate records for 1922 aren't online yet, so I couldn't verify the accuracy of this newspaper article.

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!

Christmas Shopping in 1913

With Christmas approaching, you're probably finishing your shopping for items to give to family and friends. I came across this great image from 1913 while searching the Internet Archive book images on Flickr. It makes me extra grateful for online shopping!

From Christian Herald, December 24, 1913
(CLICK TO VIEW LARGER)

Historical images on Flickr help to give us a view of our ancestors' lives, including the towns and cities where they lived and their holiday traditions.

The Value of Google's Newspaper Archive

Washington Reporter (Washington, PA),
April 26, 1845

The Google newspaper archive is no longer adding newspapers, but it's still a very valuable resource. For example, it has historical publications that are useful to my genealogy research such as the Washington Reporter (Washington, Pennsylvania), which goes back to 1845. GenealogyBank has the same newspaper, but I don't have a subscription to that site. I took a look at Chronicling America, Newspapers.com, and NewspaperArchive, and I didn't see this title in their lists of newspapers offered. So if there's a particular newspaper that could help with your research, don't forget to check out Google's list.

Searching the Google newspaper archive may not be as easy or effective as the subscription newspaper sites, but Google is free and may be the only way to access some publications or issues online. I found some great tidbits about ancestors who lived in the Mt. Washington section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by browsing issues of The Mt. Washington News in the Google newspaper archive. It's a publication that the subscription sites don't have, so I was thrilled to have access to it for free.

So once you've determined which newspaper(s) may help with your genealogy research, don't forget to check Google's newspaper list to see if the publication is there. I still use this resource often!