It'll Never Work

My husband stopped by my office on his way to work this morning.

You remember my husband, the man who added the word blodging to our vocabulary.

"Your thought for the day," he said as he gave me that look.

"Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

"Wait," I called as he slammed the backdoor, "how's a blogger to do that?"

Sigh! Do you think he reads the Genealogue?

I'll Huff and I'll Puff

I have a new neighbor in my neighborhood. This one didn't build a fence; he built a glass house. This is my pile of bricks, I built it, I love living here. I could not ask for better neighbors. Always there when you need them, always willing to help build community. I try to do the same.

Before being introduced, the new neighbor started throwing rocks at all the houses in the neighborhood. "All your houses are constructed without foundations," he yelled at us as he threw rocks. "None of you have credentials for building the type of house you live in." More rocks.

Then he put a sign in his yard warning others to "Keep Out" of my house and those of my neighbors. Entering our homes would result in dire consequences he warned.

I went to the glass house to convince him he was wrong; that I was sure he hadn't meant so broad a condemnation. I brought one of our building blocks. I couldn't find his front door. No mail box either; no name under the doorbell. Who is our new neighbor?

I looked around, I searched the building permits. I left a note telling all my neighbors what I had uncovered about the glass house.

I left another note with a small blue bird, should the man in the glass house happen by; that note contained a prime example of a house with a great foundation in our neighborhood built by a neighbor with plenty of credentials. "That's one," he yelled from behind the glass. "There are 100 more bad ones for every good one."

"I meant to do this," he smiled. "Better building may even result."

Then he found the note to my neighbors. Very saddened he was. I had signed my note - fM. I did leave a map to my house, a doorbell and more foundational examples. But I just signed my initials. He found my -fM so much more disrespectful than making us search for his name.

My note said he was trying to garner attention for his glass house. Again, he was saddened, my remarks were so personal. "Isn't that what we all want?" he asked. "Attention?"

"NO!" I reply. That's the antithesis of why our community builds. Very saddened am I!


-fM

What If . . . Santa Could

Dillon, Heather, Wyatt

My daughter called. Wyatt, he of the Who's The Man On That Coin fame, had written a letter. A letter to Santa. A letter to Santa in March.

"Wow," I said. "He really is giving Santa a lot of time. It must be something big, what is it? A car?"

"No," my daughter answered. "Here, why don't I let Wyatt tell you." She handed the phone to Wyatt, and I heard him asking in the background, "Which Grandma is it?" "My Mom," she replied. It's always good to have your Grandmas straight, especially when you're going to talk about Santa I thought.

"Hi Grandma."

"Hey, Wyatt, I hear you wrote a letter to Santa." I cheerfully responded. "What did you ask for?"

"Do you want me to read the letter?" he asked.

"I'd love it, Wyatt."

He dropped the phone and ran to get his letter.

He got back on the phone and immediately started reading. "Merry Christmas, Wyatt to Santa. Can you bring my Dad's Dad back?"

I paused for a moment while he waited for my response. Needless to say I wasn't expecting this and I didn't want my emotions to show in my voice. Wyatt's Dad, my son-in-law, lost his father to MS when he was twelve years old. They were very close. They had done everything together; hunting, fishing, camping, all the "boy stuff." My son-in-law talks of his father often and still visits his grave.

"Wyatt, that's a lovely wish. Why did you ask for that?"

"It would make my Dad very happy," he answered so matter of factly.

Yes, yes it would. Things are so clear and simple when you're six while being at the same time so extremely complex.

"Grandma would like to write about your letter on her blog, if it's O.K. with you," I told Wyatt.

"Can you put it in the newspapers," he wanted to know.

"No, just on my blog. Will that do?"

"With the Alien Baby," he sounded a bit more excited. "Yes, with the Alien Baby," I confirmed. Thank heaven someone in my family reads me.

"Yep, Grandma," he yelled as he dropped the phone and ran off; Grandma time now boring him.

Oh WyMan, what a pure heart and an old soul. What if . . . Santa could! Why, I'd even write him.

What If . . . COG69

69th Edition of The COG

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is:


"What If . . ."


This is your chance to rewrite history!

- ¤ -

Have you ever imagined your ancestor playing a major roll in history?

- ¤ -

Perhaps you've envisioned them singlehandedly winning the
American Revolution, going over Niagara Falls
in a barrel, or inventing the flutaphone.

- ¤ -

This is your chance to write a bit of fiction about your ancestor
to delight and entertain us!

- ¤ -

This is the April Fools edition after all!

- ¤ -

Tell us those tales of What If. . .

- ¤ - ¤ -


This edition will be hosted by Bill West at West in New England.
(Everyone's favorite bookseller and GeneaBlogger!)

The Deadline For Submissions Is
April 1, 2009

Attention All COG Participants

Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Introductions for your articles will not be provided for you due to the volume of articles submitted. Thank you!

Also, check out Jasia's post "FAQs About The Carnival of Genealogy," for all you need to know about submitting a post. First-timers always welcome and greatly appreciated!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form or select the 63rd Edition COG poster in the upper right hand corner of this page. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

I See Dead People's Books

I See Dead People's Books is a group on LibraryThing that works to enter the libraries of famous dead people as LibraryThing catalogs -- also known as "Legacy Libraries". It is a very diverse group of people from Thomas Jefferson to Tupac Shakur and numbers 49 individual libraries at this time.

Do you read what they read?


Marie Antoinette has 737 books in her library and her own member page. There are no heavy treatises on philosophy or theology, no law books, just piles of novels and plays, with a sprinkling of reference books and history. It seems Marie read for pleasure as do most of us.





Benjamin Franklin has 3,742 books in his library. The following are a few of the tags used: Politics and Government (273), Great Britain (238), Parliament (156), United States (147), History (125), Poetry (113), Church of England (88), Sermons (87), Medicine (82), Electricity (76).




Marilyn Monroe has 261 books in her library. At the time of her death, Monroe's library contained volumes covering a wide range of topics, including religion, literature, cooking, and politics. There were over 400 books, but when they were auctioned by Christie's not all were recorded.




Many more libraries are in progress and you can see the list here. It is interesting to go poking through the books of the rich and famous.

Thomas Jefferson Danilo Kis Tupac Shakur Wolfgang Mozart Isabella Stewart Gardner Sylvia Plath Marie Antoinette Marilyn Monroe Aaron Copland Mary Hartford T. E. Lawrence PA General Assembly	Susan B. Anthony Alfred Deakin Walker Percy John Adams W.H. Auden Ezra Pound Ernest Hemingway Henry Lee Lady Jean Skipwith James & Mary Murray Cuthbert Ogle George S. Patton, Jr. John Worthington
James Smithson F. Scott Fitzgerald John Muir Mather Family (Increase, Cotton, &c.) Samuel Johnson Samuel Roth Joseph Smith Hans Peter Koch Lewis Morris Sarah Willoughby Benjamin Franklin	Charles Lamb Dabney Carr Comte de Fortsas Theodore Dreiser Robert E. Howard Joseph Priestley Elbridge Gerry William Wilberforce Franz Kafka John Askin Jackie Gleason

Uphill Both Ways

They were so poor, so the story goes, they didn't own a horse and had to ride the pig to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm.

Some rendition of this hard times story is told in every family I know. The difference is that when my father-in-law, Lewis, tells it he has the pictures to back it up. Well, at least the picture riding the pig. As you can see, Bainville, Montana was very flat, so he didn't really travel uphill both ways to school. But from the windswept hairdos, I'd say it was a wild ride anyway.

The Twins - Bill and Lewis
and Baby Dell
They were also the only playmates to be had for miles in every direction. Brothers. Best friends. Today, eighty years later, Lewis and Baby Dell are still the best of friends. Lifelong friends. Bill died over forty years ago.

Baby Dell comes to town every morning to collect his mail and stops at Lewis' for coffee and conversation. As hard as it is to believe, they have something to say to each other every morning after all these years. Often in a language all their own and often not requiring that a sentence be finished; they talk, plan, and execute the day's adventures. Heaven help you if you cross them, for it is the two of them against the world and always has been.

I have had the privilege of being a witness to the love these two brothers have for each other. It is a wonderful example for our entire family. Something we all hold in our hearts.

Brothers, smiling for the camera.


Submission for Brothers & Sisters, Smile for the Camera, A Carnival of Images.

11th Edition - Smile For The Camera ~ A Reminder!

Smile For The Camera
10 March 2009

The word prompt for the 11th Edition of Smile For The Camera is brothers & sisters? Were they battling brothers, shy little sisters, or was it brother & sister against the world? Our ancestors often had only their siblings for company. Were they best friends or not? Show us that picture that you found with your family photographs or in your collection that shows your rendition of brothers & sisters. Bring them to the carnival and share. Admission is free with every photograph!

Your submission may include as many or as few words as you feel are necessary to describe your treasured photograph. Those words may be in the form of an expressive comment, a quote, a journal entry, a poem (your own or a favorite), a scrapbook page, or a heartfelt article. The choice is yours!

Deadline for submission is midnight (PT)
10 March 2009
Posted - 15 March 2009

HOW TO SUBMIT:

There are two options:

1. Send an email to the host, footnoteMaven. Include the title and permalink URL of the post you are submitting, your name, and the name of your blog. Put 'Smile For The Camera' clearly in the title of your email!

2. Use the handy submission form provided by Blog Carnival, or select the Bumper Sticker in the upper right hand corner.

See you at the Carnival!

Tea With Me - But Who Am I?

This morning while sitting at my desk and having my morning cup of tea I thought I'd discuss the origin of my name, "footnoteMaven." I have discussed this on several occasions, but it is after all Celebrate Your Name Week.

The name was given to me by one of the participants of the Nearby History Writers' Workshop, my friend Cathy. Each of the members of the writing workshop have the opportunity to have their work read and critiqued by all the other participants. When I critiqued, I was a complete pain; always asking for proof, a source, or a note from the person on the hot seat.

I think one week Cathy must have had enough. As she was discussing her work she commented on the fact that she had included citations for the footnoteMaven, and so the name was born and stuck. Thanks Cathy, the name has been so much fun.

Today, I'd like to not only thank Cathy for the name, but for something that arrived in the mail last week. This beautiful photograph of a woman wearing glasses.

By now everyone knows of my "Blind Passion," women wearing glasses. Over the years I've amassed quite a collection. Now I'm focusing on collecting unique glasses, women holding glasses, the illusive lorgnette, and photographs that illustrate just how these glasses were worn.

This is a photograph of the latter. Most photographs view the sitter head on, never showing how the glasses were anchored. These are pince nez (pinch on the nose) glasses. We know the glasses were often connected to a chain that ended in a hairpin and was pinned to a bun at the back of the head. Many of those glasses have survived, been collected and documented. I have never found a photograph that illustrated how the hairpin was used until a package arrived in the mail. There she was, in all her beauty. The perfect illustration.

Cathy had been out to the antiques stores and had found her, bought her, and mailed her to me. Thank you, Cathy, I love her and you! Cathy calls herself my field agent and there never was a better one.

Cathy, you see, has a passion that takes her to the dark confines of antiques stores; old road maps. Isn't that a fascinating hobby? That's how she came across this photograph. To make this photograph even more important to me is the fact it was taken by a Seattle photographer; Lothrop, Walker Bldg., University & Second Ave., Seattle. Lothrop was photographing Seattleites in the Walker Building from 1911 to 1925.

Cathy is an extremely talented photographer, a great writer, and a wonderful friend. She can be found hanging out with a few of my other real life, geneablogger, Nearby History friends at Nearby Norwegians, a great must read blog.

Now many of you who read the footnoteMaven know my real name, but for those who do not, here's a clue.

When I go to sleep I never count sheep!

A Tribute To Women

68th Edition of The COG

March is National Women's History Month
March 8th is International Women's Day

The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is:


"A Tribute To Women"


Write a tribute to a woman on your family tree, a friend, a neighbor,
or a historical female figure who has done something to impact your life.

- ¤ -

Instead of writing, consider sharing a photo biography of one woman's life.

- ¤ -

Or create a scrapbook page dedicated to a woman you'd like to honor.

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We want to honor those women!

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Let's hear about them!

- ¤ - ¤ -

The Deadline For Submissions Is
March 15, 2009

Attention All COG Participants

Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blogcarnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Introductions for your articles will not be provided for you due to the volume of articles submitted. Thank you!

Also, check out Jasia's post "FAQs About The Carnival of Genealogy," for all you need to know about submitting a post. First-timers always welcome and greatly appreciated!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form or select the 63rd Edition COG poster in the upper right hand corner of this page. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Note: Yes, this is the same poster that was used for last year's tribute to women, but it's so perfect I just couldn't replace it!

March Forth!

Today Is The Second National Grammar Day

If you don't have a good handle on basic grammar, you can't always say what you mean. People might be able to guess your meaning, but not every time.

Martha Brockenbrough

Do you adore clean, correct sentences? Do ungrammatical advertisements make you cringe? That is why the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar and MSN Encarta have designated March 4 as National Grammar Day.

The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG) and National Grammar Day are the brainchild of Seattleite Martha Brockenbrough. Brockenbrough is a columnist with Microsoft's Encarta and authors the very useful and entertaining SPOGG blog.

Found on the SPOGG Blog this year is Things That Make Us [Sic]... her new book about hilarious bad grammar and how you can avoid making those mistakes yourself.

One of my favorite sections of the SPOGG Blog is the Blogs We Love list. The best of the best Grammar and Language Blogs can be found in this extensive list. Try them all, but don't miss Grammar Monkeys; from the copy desk at the Wichita Eagle, they want to prevent you from slipping on the various banana peels of language.

Loving Family, Loving Language has prepared a few misplaced modifiers for the celebration. My favorite:

6. Sam screamed at the barking dog in his underwear. (It is accompanied by a photographic example.)

This year they've added a Bad Grammar Hall of Fame Playlist, full of songs they love despite their bad grammar. Oh, yes! Lay Lady Lay! Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic! Is your favorite here? I'm listening right now.

Seattleites are very serious about grammar. The good, the bad, and the ugly can all be found displayed at the SPOGG Blog. I am one of the 6,000 members of the Society, even though you'd never know it from the grammar usage in my blog posts -- I am not worthy. We in Seattle are so serious about our grammar we even correct our graffiti and have our own cocktail, the Grammartini. (Recipes are here.)

So, let's party like we know where to place that comma,
colon, semicolon or apostrophe.
Celebrate National Grammar Day -- Break Out Those Red Pens!
Oh, and a Grammartini!

__________

Inspiration and material borrowed heavily from Martha Brockenbrough. Nobody does it better!

Photograph Courtesy -- SPOGG

In The Competent Hands Of Louis Salter

We can no more take credit for
our ancestors' accomplishments,
Than blame for their failures!

~ footnoteMaven ~

Louis Salter kept it together all the time. He kept it together for Andrew Carnegie, Carnegie Hall, the New York Philharmonic, and as you will see in this story, even New York's finest. Louis Salter was my great grandfather and the Superintendent of Carnegie Hall for over thirty years. I should be so lucky as to have it this together.

Louis Salter

Traffic Policeman Pounds enters Carnegie Hall and heads for Louis Salter’s office in the basement. Louis Salter is the manager of Carnegie Hall and it is very important that Pounds speak with him. Standing outside, Pounds witnessed a group of Irishmen gathering on the corner. He is aware that Sir Phillip Gibbs, the British war correspondent, is lecturing in the Hall tonight on “What America Means To The World.” He suspects that the Irishmen are Sinn Fein and are at the Hall to disrupt the lecture.

Pounds tells Salter of the Irish gathering outside the Hall. Salter telephones the Fifty-seventh Street Police Station, explains the situation and asks that reserves be sent to the Hall.

Carnegie Hall

Sir Phillip is about fifteen minutes into his lecture when the audience breaks into groans, hisses, boos, and “squeaks resembling hundreds of caged mice.” The reception is not quite what he had anticipated.

The audience quiets down and Sir Phillip begins again. This time someone in the audience yells, “What about Ireland?” A man springs from his seat in the gallery, tackles the interrupter, throws him to the floor and jumps on him. Sinn Fein supporters, men and women, leap onto the pile in a kicking yelling swearing mass.

At the same time Salter meets the police reserves at the entrance in the front of the house and escorts them to the gallery. The noise can even be heard out front; the fight is well underway.

It doesn’t take the police long to round up about fifteen men and women involved in the altercation. Salter confronts them and asks them to leave; the police escort the Sinn Fein demonstrators from the Hall.

The disturbance squelched, the lecture ends without further interruption. Salter heads to a small room off the Hall to check on the well-being of his guest lecturer who is meeting with well wishers. As Salter enters, Sir Phillip is being besieged by his friends complimenting him on his gameness, Salter is satisfied the night has been a success.

Source:

Newspaper

New York Times, "Sinn Fein Fails To Howl Down Sir Philip Gibbs," February 17, 1921. http://hngraphical.proquest.com/hnweb/hnpl/do/search (accessed August 1, 2007).

Photograph:

"Louis Salter." Cabinet Card. Unknown photographer . Unknown year. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, Preston, Washington. 2008