Shades Magazine May Issue

contents

Features

Columns

Penelope Dreadful

A Dreadful Scheme

pg. 6

In2Genealogy

pg. 26

Appealing Subjects

pg. 40

The Year Was . . .

pg. 54

Discovering A Wildcatter

The Many Migrant Mothers

The Year Was 1919

Saving Face

A Rare Book Is Not A Manuscript

The Future of Memories

Grandpa’s Letters

Cover: Mother & Children Cabinet Card

pg. 62 pg.. 66

Let’s Use Our Family Photographs

pg. 12

Smile For The Camera

pg. 65

Project Ideas

The Ties That Bind

In Every Issue

From My Keyboard

pg. 3

The Exchange

pg. 4

Letter from the editor Your comments

The Last Picture Show

The graphic image on the back of a carte-de-visite or cabinet card

Download The Magazine

Back Cover

from my keyboard fOOTNOTEMAVEN

Family Photographs This month, Shades explores the use of family photographs, post cards, and manuscripts. There are so many creative uses for those old family photographs besides writing your family history.

With the May issue Shades presents the Appealing Subjects of The Many Migrant Mothers, authored

by Craig Manson. Sheri Fenley leads us through 1919. Caroline Pointer’s finds a story in a Texas post card, Denise Olson saves our emails, and Rebecca Fenning teaches us the lingo. And as always, Penelope is Dreadful!

I would like to personally thank everyone for their patience while I have been ill. I’m working very had to bring Shades up to speed. We hope to return to schedule with the June issue.

Join us as we explore mothers and projects from the month of May.

f M

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contributors PENELOPE DREADFUL

VICKIE EVERHART

GEORGE GEDER

Penelope Dreadful is the alter ego of Denise Levenick. Denise authors the blog, The Family Curator and gives us something “Dreadful” every month.

Vicki is the author of Creative Moments. She also authors the blog BeNotForgot. Vickie is on hiatus.

George is the author of The Healing Brush Column. He also authors the George Geder blog.

George is on hiatus.

DENISE OLSON

SHERI FENLEY

CAROLINE POINTER

Denise is the author of The Future of Memories Column. She also writes the blog Family Matters and experiments with her iPad

Sheri writes The Year Was . . .

Column. She also authors the blog The Educated Genealogist and has a wicked sense of humor.

Caroline is the new In2Genealogy Columnist. She is also the author of the Family Stories blog. Oh, and she’s a poet.

REBECCA FENNING

CRAIG MANSON

Rebecca authors the Saving Face column. She also writes the blog A Sense of Face and is one of the most interesting people on the planet.

Craig authors the Appealing Subjects column. He also writes the blog Geneablogie and knows everything.

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THE EXCHANGE

LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH THE EXCHANGE Via Twitter From:

About The April Issue:

The Smithsonian Institution's Civil War Studies

George Geder said... fM,

Wonderful! RT @smv1827: Shades of the Departed - beautiful online journal by @footnotemaven. Help w/ dating photos: http://bit.ly/biVvOc

This issue was the GREATEST! (I may be biased, lol).

I raved about it to everyone!

@footnoteMaven: You are most welcome.

Really, it's beautifully done.

Sheri said...

Southwest Arkie said...

It will be hard to top this issue. You have knocked this one clear out of the ball park!

The "Date with a Civil War Photograph" article just answered some questions for me! Thank you so much for this wonderful publication. Glad you are feeling better!

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PENELOPE DREADFUL

a dreadful scheme THEY’RE ALL TOPSY-TURVY

BY PENELOPE DREADFUL

The three children were an unusual sight on the town sidewalk this warm spring Saturday morning. It wasn’t often that 12‐year old John willingly wore a starched collar and ribbon tie, but here he was pushing baby Charlie in the carriage and urging Sarabeth to hurry along.

“Come on, Sarabeth,” he urged. “You will make us late with your dawdling.”

“Don’t care,” insisted the little blonde sprite, “Don’t want my old picture snapped anyway.”

Charlie gurgled and smiled, but John’s deep sigh showed his frustration with his young sister.

“Oh, it will be fun, Sarabeth. You will get to sit on a pretty velvet chair and maybe Mr. Anderson will have his dog in the studio.”

Sarabeth was an ardent animal lover, but John was running out of enticements. Already Sarabeth’s stubbornness had cost him a silver dime to get her to wear her best frock, and another nickel to guarantee her silence in their escapade. Thank goodness little Charlie wasn’t old enough to talk!

It was still early morning, but the studio door opened wide and the children were greeted by a tall smiling young man as they approached the storefront.

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“Gooood Morning, John,” his voice boomed, much deeper than expected from his youth.

“And, hello Miss Sarabeth, and little Charlie. I’m glad you managed to slip away so early.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” relied John, ducking his head. Sarabeth shot him a surprised look and loudly disagreed.

“Was too something,” she said. “Old John made us get up before anyone else and get dressed all quiet. Mother is visiting Grandmother, and Father will leave for the ofPice thinking we are still asleep. Ha, won’t old Janey be surprised when she sees we are gone!”

“Oh dear,” answered the young man. “We may have created a problem with our little scheme, John.”

“No, Mr. Anderson. It will be just Pine. I told Janey what we were doing and she knows all about it. She said she was doing her marketing early too, so she is probably at the store already.”

Anderson still looked worried, but glancing down the street he glimpsed a familiar blue dress observing the three children talking to him. The family’s maid must have followed the trio to his shop. Anderson offered a wave behind young John’s back and ushered the children into the studio.

“Let’s get right to it then,” Anderson said. “John, you are such an able apprentice that I am certain you can assemble your sister and brother for the portrait.”

John blushed with pride as he lifted the baby from the carriage and carried him over to a velvet settee. He added a thick cushion to lift the little boy and a smaller one for his young sister.

Anderson busied himself at the camera, preparing the plate and checking the little group.

Only Sarabeth stood quietly, arms folded tightly across her little lace‐covered chest. She watched the preparations with great interest and obvious skepticism. Finally, as her brother

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motioned for her to take her place on the couch, Sarabeth erupted. “No. Don’t want to,” she said Pirmly, hugging herself tighter and tossing her golden curls.

“Look, Sarabeth,” her brother pleaded, “we’ve been through this before. Just because old Grandmother Stevenson won’t have her photograph made doesn’t make it a bad thing. She’s cranky and just doesn’t want people to see how old she is.”

“Still don’t want to.”

“Please!” Her brother was begging now. “Mother will be ever so pleased. Won’t you do it for her?”

For a second, it looked like the little girl would agree, but then she clenched her teeth and shook her head once more.

No newcomer to reluctant clients, the photographer silently observed the two siblings. He was impressed with young John’s kindness and patience, and pleased that he was able to help the boy with his plan.

“That is just Pine, Sarabeth,” offered Anderson with a wink to John who was giving him a painful look of dismay. “Let’s just snap the two brothers, shall we.”

John’s face showed his confusion; Sarabeth’s stubborn foolishness was going to ruin everything. If only she would cooperate.

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Mr. Anderson crossed the room and artfully posed the two boys. Then, stepping back to his tripod, Anderson popped his head briePly beneath the camera’s drape. Emerging to face the little girl, he offered a suggestion, “Say, Sarabeth, would you like to be the photographer here?”

Blue eyes wide, Sarabeth replied with a Pirm nod.

She quickly climbed atop a stool set in front of the tripod and placed her head inside the drape.

“O‐o‐o‐o‐h” she cried, “They’re all topsy‐turvy.”

“That’s right,” Anderson reassured, “but they are inside the frame, and that is what matters. Here, Sarabeth, click the shutter.”

With the photo snapped and her head back in the studio light, Sarabeth wasted no time getting to the point.

“Well, Mr. Anderson,” insisted the little girl. “What are you waiting for? We need a new plate for a photograph of me AND my brothers. It’s a special present for Mother, you know.”

Anderson and John exchanged a smile over the little girl’s head, and John made room for Sarabeth on the settee as the photographer moved to obey her commands.

Copyright 2010 Denise May Levenick

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Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, 1886-1989 and undated Duke University

Let’s Use Our Family Photos ^

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Our ancestors wore beautiful photo jewelry and painted miniatures to commemorate their family history. Let’s put our old family photographs to good use by incorporating them into great gifts!

By footnoteMaven

CALENDARS DESKTOP A family member asked me to create a

listed all the family birthdays. This

calendar that didn't hang on the wall.

page can be turned around to face out

She wanted a desktop calendar.

from the back of the frame. I then created a cover.

So I looked around for inspiration and a method that would be plausible for a one time printing. I found a desktop calendar in a gift shop by a Seattle artist I liked. She created a calendar of her artwork that was printed on a 5 X 7 card and placed in an acrylic frame that sat on the desk. One card for each month.

I loved the idea! First I created a 5 X 7 template in Photoshop (any similar program would work ‐ there is some trial and error but the results are

Once you've created the template you

worth the work). I used the twelve

can experiment with different type

months of 2010, but as each month is

styles and colors. One style for all

a separate page you could include

twelve months, or twelve different

from now until the end of 2011 along

styles. The choice is yours and you are

with 2010. I also added a page that

only limited by your own creativity.

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As each month is 5 X 7, I am able to

HOW ‐ TO

print them at home on my inkjet

Photoshop or Photoshop Elements Files

printer using 5 X 7 photo paper. If I

15 ‐ 5X7 ‐ Transparent ‐ 300 DPI 1 ‐ Cover 1 ‐ Page Birthday List 1 ‐ 12 Months One Page 12 ‐ Individual Months

want to do more than one set and would like to save my printer ink, I can go to Costco's Photo Department for $0.39 each. They are a photograph

You may also Pill the entire area with a

after all.

photograph if you wish and place the calendar on top of the photograph.

I bought the acrylic frame pictured at Aaron Brothers (there are numerous

A solid background is used in the

online retailers that sell the same

demonstration months. It would be Layer 2

frame). The frame normally sells for

and turned off if the photograph was to Pill

$1.99.

the page.

I also purchased a clear glass block 5 X 7 picture frame to see how it would work with the calendar. The glass block is very elegant. If you're giving the calendar as a gift, the glass block is a very nice presentation. The glass block sells for $14.99, however, it's the 1 Cent Sale at Aaron Brothers, so I bought the glass block and got the acrylic frame for 1 cent. The total calendar cost about $20 (using the glass block), about $7 (using the acrylic frame); and you have a unique and personalized gift.

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CALENDARS CD CASE In a recent trip to Barnes and Noble I

break), turn the bottom of the case

found some interesting calendars.

face side down (the part that holds the

They were CD case calendars. The case

CD is facing down). Turn the cover of

opened making its own easel stand

the case around and attach it to the

and could sit on a desk or shelf.

bottom of the case. You now have an easel like that pictured above. (I found the slim line CD cases worked equally well. I like the cases where the bottom is a color or black.)

Pre‐made calendar templates abound on the internet. Both the simple and free; and the fancy that cost. Cottage Arts has several CD case templates that you can purchase. The prices range

Clear Empty CD Case

from $3.99 to $8.99 and can be

Making one of my own didn't look too

downloaded.

difPicult so I did some research and tinkered. Cases speciPically for this

You have several printing options. Using

purpose (calendar) can be found for

your home printer you can print two

sale online. Here is one site where the

months on an 8 x 10 photo paper

cases are sold.

specifically

manufactured

for

your

printer. You can also take your 12 You can also use an empty jewel case,

templates (2 to a page) to Kinkos, Costco

the same kind you purchase at your

or Wall-Mart.

ofPice supply or computer store.

For presentation, consider designing a

Gently remove the door of the jewel

cover for the project.

case (careful because the little spines

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I created my own template in Photoshop.

Here is the finished calendar in the CD Calendar Case.

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BOOKMARK When you’ve written your family history and give the book as a gift, include a piece of your family history as a bookmark.

This shows the front of the bookmark which includes the photograph of my ancestor, her name, and her birth and death date.

On the reverse I've included the name, the relationship, and an historical quote about Mary.

A mini family history factoid. On others I've used the person's favorite saying. My father - "There'll Be No Hell For Dogs."

I designed my own template in Photoshop, but it can also be done in Microsoft Word using columns. My bookmarks measure 8.5 X 2 for use on 8.5 X 11 stock. I print them at Kinkos or a place similar. I am experimenting with different card stocks and laminating the bookmark. A hole can be punched in the top of the bookmark and a tassel added. Four bookmarks can be printed to the page and I have used four different ancestors.

PHOTO MAGNETS

Another template was created in Photoshop measuring 2.25 in. X 3.25 in. The selected photograph was placed in the template and a section of the bottom of the photograph Pilled with color for the addition of type. Sayings were added to each of the magnets. You could use some of those family sayings or amusing sayings that Pit the photograph. You could also attach the name with birth and death date of the person in the photograph. Rather than attaching the photographs to a magnet why not purchase a magnet frame. This allows you to give several photos along with the frame that can be easily exchanged depending on the recipient's mood.

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PROMOTION Let’s discuss using photographs for promotion ~ promotion of our virtual presence, our family research, an event, a reunion, a lecture, or anything else that needs a dose of creativity.

The place to go for creativity with photographs is Moo. Moo is a London based printing company and home of the Moo Mini. Within the last year Moo has established a printing facility in Rhode Island.

Of its business Moo writes: “There's virtual communication like email, instant message or video. People belong to virtual communities like social networks, image sharing or interest groups. And in these communities they use virtual identities to share virtual content: writing, photography, design, music, video... Sometimes, we think life is just a little too virtual.”

I agree! When I teach a class on blogging I like to hand the participants something really creative that represents my virtual presence. Something tangible. When I go to a research library I'd like to leave the Librarian with something she will instantly remember. When I discuss my book with a publisher I want them to see my vision. You get the picture!

And if you’re a little short on inspiration, Moo has an answer for that as well, The Moo Ideas Book. [Link]

Ideas

Let's look at how the Mini could be used to promote. Here are a few of the images that represent Shades and that I've used as Moo Minis.

Now turn the Mini over. Moo allows six lines of printing and a choice of fonts and colors to be placed on the back.

Below is the written information for Shades.

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I am also using the Mini for my family history research. Below are my grandparents with a childhood photo of my father in the center.

On the back I wrote my email address and listed the surnames I'm researching. A Chicago based children's photographer, Dawn Mikulich, has created four Photoshop templates for Moo Minis. My family, above, uses one of the templates. They can be found here on Dawn's blog, "fresh!"

And for those of you who thought Wordle was all play, think again. (See Let Me Get A Wordle In Edgewise on footnoteMaven.) It makes a fantastic representation of what you're all about ‐ blog, website, family reunion, lecture, occupation, etc. Use it on a Moo Mini.

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Minis come in packages of 100. The best feature of the Moo Mini is that you can use up to 100 full color photos or designs on your mini calling‐cards. So, I can use 100 of the images from my collection (or fewer and have multiples) plus my Wordle.

The Mini is an odd size (28mm X 70mm), but I think that's one of the reasons people will remember you. Moo also sells a low cost ($4.99) Mini Card Holder for your cards.

The cost for the 100 images is $19.99 plus approximately $6.99 for shipping.

If you don't like the Mini's size, Moo now makes a regular business card size. Choose up to 50 different images to display on your Business Cards. (Same cost and shipping as the Mini.)

Visit Moo! They have some tremendous ideas and many more products. The possibilities are endless.

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WRITING SET Here MOO will be used to create a boxed writing set.

A MOO greeting card was designed using a family photograph to simulate a cabinet card.

You open the card and write the message inside. (You could also use Victorian frames around a family photograph.) To accomplish this download the template from the MOO format guide. Here is an example of the card created to look like a cabinet card using a family photograph:

To accompany the card and add to the writing set an address label was created using the MOO sticker template. Here is the address label with the family photograph in the background.

Now there is a greeting card and an address label.

What better addition to the writing set than a postage stamp with an image of one of the family photographs used to create the greeting card. Go to Stamps.com where they have a program called PhotoStamps for Mac. PhotoStamps is a FREE download that makes it incredibly easy to turn digital images into PhotoStamps, right from your Mac! PC users can create photo stamps directly on the Stamps.com site.

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Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, 1886-1989 and undated Duke University

IN2GENEALOGY

discovering a wildcatter!

ALL THIS FROM A SIMPLE POSTCARD

BY CAROLINE POINTER

No, this isn't a how‐to article on wild game hunting. I'm referring to the oil industry's speculators – the ones who drill for oil in areas that are not known to produce oil in the hopes their gamble pays off and they strike it rich. It's a risky business that's alive and well even today. So, what does this have to do with genealogy? I think sometimes genealogy feels like wildcatting. Don't we look for our ancestors anywhere and everywhere we can in the hopes of Pinding just a shred of their very existence? Even if we have no clue whether or not we're going to Pind them. Sometimes even if we're looking in a location that we know they were not located. Sometimes we get lucky and we strike it rich. We Pind them in that one place we really didn't think we'd Pind them, or Pind someone we weren't expecting to Pind.

It's happened to me in my research more than once. I take a clue and start “drilling” for answers. How do I do this? Well, I thought that I'd take a postcard that I'd never read before from my collection of used ephemera (i.e., written on and sent) and try to Pind some information on the people that either sent the postcard or received the postcard. I chose one that sounded kind of interesting because it talked about the sender's occupation a bit.

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Let me just stop and give you a brief description of my collection. When mining for postcards, I usually look for older ones, usually early 20th century, from Texas and any country outside of the United States, especially Mexico. Now I do make exceptions if it's unusually pretty or from a particular town in the United States that my ancestors are from.

Basically I love postcards, and it takes me a while to get out of an antique store.

Now getting back to the postcard I picked to study. This postcard isn't very pretty. While it has the Alamo pictured on the front, it's not in that great of condition. Also, it was postmarked 1926 – not as old as I'd like it to be. However, I'm pretty sure the price tag that read $1 probably persuaded me to buy it. After all I Pigured I could Pix it up in Photoshop and use it in my blog. My purchasing it had absolutely nothing to do with who sent it, who received it, or what was written on it. In fact, if I remember correctly I think it kind of annoyed me there was so much writing on it in purple ink (probably once black) and that it was so small.

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DRILLING FOR CLUES Let's take a closer look at the back of the postcard where the writing is located. The Pirst thing I did was list what I thought were identifying clues. Here they are: ● Postmarked 26 Mar 1926, Aransas Pass, Texas ● Canceled 2 cent stamp of George Washington ● Addressed to Mr. L. B. Lamaster, Liberal Kansas, Bx 432 ● A bunch of hard‐to‐read “annoying” handwriting in purple ink that was probably once black. ● Signed John Sigmund, Pres.

The next thing I did was try to decipher Mr. Sigmund's handwriting.

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Here's my attempt: Aransas Pass Tex 3/26/26 Dear Friend: Driller is in a hard sand last night and will take care today. Passing up nothing.

First good sand he struck around 2725. Last 10 days been wet and delayed drilling. Muddy around the well and had to convert our water line into a fuel oil line. Bought 1000 ft. of a stem and large pump in Houston. (?) interested big Gas Co. at Houston to Invest as soon as their Geologist reads report. Smith Brooks made test on No.7 & his report very high. He will invest also. We are offering 50% Interest near well. Take one to help Zinish. Maybe your last chance.

With Best Wishes John Sigmund, Pres.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE CLUES I don't know about you, but I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to Pigure out that our Mr. John Sigmund, Pres. was involved in the oil business in some capacity in Aransas Pass, Texas. Additionally, I wondered how big and what kind of a company it was that the president of the company was describing the drilling operation and soliciting investments on the back of a postcard. Of course, he addressed him as “Dear Friend” so maybe he knew him well.

However, even if I received a postcard from a close relative that indicated that they'd like me to invest some of my hard‐earned money into a speculative venture, I don't know if I'd be sold.

On the other hand, we're talking about drilling oil wells, muddy ones at that according to Mr. John Sigmund, Pres, so maybe he was too busy “roughnecking” it with the day‐to‐day operations to do anything more formal. Who knows?

I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS ● Who exactly was Mr. John Sigmund, Pres? Where did he come from? Who was his family? Did he ever strike it rich? ● Who was Mr. L.B. Lamaster from Liberal, Kansas? Where was he from? Did he invest in Mr. Sigmund's oil venture?

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● Oh, and who was Smith Brooks, the man who thought highly of the the report on “No. 7” and had said he would invest in it?

It Makes Sense To Start With the Census 1930 Since the postcard was written and postmarked in 1926 in Aransas Pass, Texas I decided to look in the 1930 census on Ancestry.com for a John Sigmund with an occupation having something to do with the oil industry. [Heritage Quest could have been used as well and is free]. He wasn't there, but I did Pind one in Dallas, Texas and his occupation was listed as “promoter” of “oil wells.” For convenience, here is the household information in table format:

1920 I went on back to 1920 and was able to Pind him quite easily in Aransas Pass, San Patricio County, Texas. However, his wife's information is completely different. Her name is Elizabeth – not too strange because his wife listed in 1930 is Lillian E., but the rest of her information is completely different, which leads me to believe this is a different wife. Also, there are two children living in this household. Following is the information:

1910 According to the census information, this John Sigmund was born in Pennsylvania and his wife and children were born in Illinois, I concluded they might not have been living in Texas

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in 1910. So, I broadened my search for this family to include other states. I found them in Naperville, DuPage Co, Illinois. John's occupation at the time is listed as “commercial merchant” on “own account”. Here's a summation of the household's information:

1900 Following is the household's information for this family for the 1900 census in Jefferson Township, Cook Co, Illinois. John's occupation is listed as “commission,” which I have no idea what that means, but I assume it has something to do with business in some capacity.

What's interesting about this one is that John and Elizabeth have a niece living with them, which may prove to help further identify John, Elizabeth and/or their siblings. Because this niece's mother is listed as being from England and Elizabeth's parents were born in England, it's quite possible that the niece is the daughter of an older sister of Elizabeth's that was born in England.

1880 In looking for a family for John Sigmund in 1880, I searched for a John Sigmund born around 1873 in Pennsylvania, and was very fortunate to Pind one living in Chicago, Cook Co, Illinois with his family. The head of the household is a Louis Sigmund and his occupation is listed as a “cheese manufacturer.” Am I positively absolutely sure this is him? No, but I

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wasn't able to Pind any others that were born in about 1873 in Pennsylvania with a father born in Württemberg, Germany and a mother born in Posen, Germany. Additionally, since John's wife was born in Illinois and the their family lives in Illinois for a while before moving to Texas, John probably had to have been living in Illinois to meet and marry Elizabeth. Probably. Here is the information I found on this household:

Now this is my kind of family. They may have moved a lot, but they managed to have their children in different states along the way, leaving a breadcrumb trail. At this point, I did not take Louis' family any further back in the census. I was more interested in Pinding some corroborating evidence that this was the John Sigmund I was looking for who wrote on that postcard in Aransas Pass, Texas.

IN LIFE AND DEATH Since John Sigmund was in Dallas, Texas in 1930 working in the oil industry, I wondered if he remained there until his death. Texas Death CertiPicates are located online for free for the years 1890‐1976 on FamilySearch.org's Record Search Pilot. A quick search of this database yielded a death certiPicate for a John Sigmund who passed away 10 Feb 1951 and whose wife was a Lillian E. Sigmund (the same name of his wife listed in the 1930 census).

His other pertinent information matched up: birthplace Philadelphia, PA; born 20 Jun 1873; and his father's name was Louis Sigmund who was born in Germany. His occupation is listed as “agent retired” in “Real Est. & Oil.” This death certiPicate pretty much linked together the census information with a John Sigmund who had lived in Texas and worked in

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the oil industry. It also linked him to his father, Louis Sigmund, the cheese manufacturer I had found in the 1880 census.

I next looked for his second wife's death certiPicate in the same Texas Death CertiPicate collection. I found one for a Lillian Elizabeth (Thorne) Sigmund who passed away 21 Sep 1967 in Dallas, Texas. This Lillian E. was born 14 Feb 1885 in Texas, which corroborates the information found on the 1930 census. Additionally, her parent's names are listed, but not their places of birth. The cemetery where she was buried, the name of the funeral home, and her address where she'd been living at her death are listed here as well. Excellent clues for further research on her.

As for who I believe is John Sigmund's Pirst wife, Elizabeth Ann (Bissell) Sigmund, I found a death certiPicate for her as well. According to it, Elizabeth was born 12 Aug 1877 in Chicago, Illinois, which matches the birth year listed on the census that I found Elizabeth living with John and their children. Like Lillian's death certiPicate, Elizabeth Ann's death certiPicate lists her parent's names, but not their places of birth. Her address at the time of death, the funeral home used, and the cemetery where she is buried is listed as well. Again, all excellent clues to Pinding more about her and her family.

MY THOUGHTS ON THESE TWO WIVES Though I wasn't able to Pind marriage records or a divorce record online for John and these two women, the details indicate that quite possibly John married Elizabeth Ann Bissell in Illinois about 1896, had 3 children (two that survived to adulthood), and if they divorced, they divorced between 1920 and 1930. Then he married Lillian Elizabeth Thorne between the divorce and the 1930 census where he's listed as being her husband. A more thorough search would probably yield a more dePinitive answer.

ON A ROLL I felt like I was on a roll with my preliminary search, and I wanted to know more about John

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Sigmund and his life in Texas. So I decided to dig a little deeper online. Did he ever Pind his “Black Gold”? Was he successful with “No. 7” and what is a “No. 7” exactly? Who were the other two men mentioned on the postcard?

A TIME OF WAR In looking at the timeline of John's life, I realized it might behoove me to look for a World War I draft registration card for him as well as his son Charles. I found both on Ancestry.com. They were both living in Aransas Pass, Texas, and John's son, Charles Louis Sigmund (age 18) was working for him. Not only did this reveal Charles' middle name, but it yielded a complete birth date for Charles, 26 Mar 1900 and conPirmed the birth date listed for John on his death certiPicate, 20 Jun 1873. This also listed John's wife's name as being Elizabeth Ann Sigmund, which corroborated the middle name on her death certiPicate.

SEE Y’ALL IN THE FUNNY PAPERS I don't know if John Sigmund ever made the funny papers, but he dePinitely made the newspapers. Ever since oil was found at Spindletop in 1901, anything having to do with the oil industry has always been newsworthy in Texas. Therefore, I thought it might be benePicial to look in Ancestry.com's “Historical Newspaper Collection” for John Sigmund in Aransas Pass, Texas or Dallas, Texas. Let me just say, having done it, I'm glad I did. I found numerous articles for Mr. John Sigmund, and he was indeed drilling for oil in Aransas Pass, Texas in 1926. He ended up having a total of 10 wells dug on his land, which is where I learned what “No.7” meant. It's the number of the oil well. So, when he wrote about it, he was talking about his 7th oil well that he was digging in Aransas Pass, Texas. Additionally, each step of his digging process for each well is chronicled in the oil section of both of the San Antonio, Texas newspapers throughout the 1920's. Amazing. This Pind also yielded the name of his company, “Aransas Live Oak Ridge Oil Company.” According to several articles, he had stockholders in Louisville, Kentucky and Chicago, Illinois. The ones in Chicago quite possibly had been contacts he had already made when living there and working as a commercial merchant.

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The newspaper Pinds also yielded some social information for he and his wife such as when they went to the Kentucky Derby in 1924, while visiting stockholders of his company. I was also able to Pind a short write‐up in the Abilene Reporter News of his death in 1951 that indicated his oil interests were not only in Aransas Pass, Texas, but in Corpus Christi and the Panhandle as well.

SOMEONE PLANTED A TREE I next looked at Ancestry.com's family trees that members had created in hopes of Pinding a match. I found one that looked to be created by one of Charles' descendants, and another looked to be created by a descendant of one of John's siblings. Neither one seems to have much information about John, much less his two wives, beyond his name and birth date. It did reveal Charles' wife's name, Minnie, and that they were both buried in Tampa, Florida.

With this additional information on Charles, I quickly found him in the 1930 census living in Hillsborough Co, Florida with his wife Minnie.

LOST AND FINDAGRAVE.COM I next looked at Findagrave.com to see if possibly any of John's family had been memorialized there. This was dePinitely a good idea. John's second wife, Lillian Elizabeth (Thorne) Sigmund was not only memorialized there but a transcription of her obituary was there as well providing information on her and her Thorne family that corroborated the information I had found on her already. Likewise, John's son, Charles and his wife Minnie were also memorialized on there showing the cemetery where they are both buried in Tampa, Florida. I also found the memorial for John's father Louis Frederick Sigmund and his mother Emilie Ernestine (Sauer) Sigmund as well as a memorial for one of his daughters, Emilie (Sigmund) Schnibben. Louis' memorial gives a brief summary on his life and a complete transcription of his obituary from the Naperville Clarion dated 21 Apr 1909, naming his wife and all of his children. The most wonderful clue in there? That he was “connected with the German Cheese Company.” At this point, I'm really liking cheese.

THINGS ARE BEGINNING YO LOOK A LITTLE CHEESY I decided to dig a little deeper on John's father, Louis Sigmund, on Ancestry.com. Since Louis

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was listed as being born in Württemberg, Germany numerous times, I performed a search in the immigration and naturalization database looking for him on a passenger list. The Pirst record on the list was a U.S. Passport application for a Louis Sigmund that indicated that he was born 10 Sep 1840 in SindelPingen, Württemberg, Germany; that he emigrated to the U.S on the ship Harmonia from Hamburg around 5 May 1869 and arrived in New York; and that he lived for 33 years from 1885 to 1902 in Naperville, Illinois. It also listed his naturalization information as well as his occupation as a “manager of a cheese factory.” I then found the New York Passenger List for the Harmonia that listed a Ludwig Sigmund that arrived in 1869 in New York from Hamburg at the age of 28 years. Because this information matched up with what I'd found already online about Louis, I felt fairly conPident this was the same man. It must have been the cheesy clues.

DID MR. LAMASTER TAKE JOHN UP ON HIS OFFER? The man that John had been writing to on the postcard, L.B. Lamaster, was not hard to Pind either. According to the census, Luther B. Lamaster was born in Missouri. He lived in Texas, Oklahoma, and then Pinally settled in Liberal, Kansas. For the majority of his life, he worked on the railroad as an engineer. How did John know him? I don't know for sure, but it looks like they lived in Texas at the same time for a while. So quite possibly their tracks crossed there.

THE VENTURE CAPITALIST I was also able to locate who I think is Mr. Smith Brooks in the census, but only once. In the 1920 census he was living in Wichita Falls, Texas and was a “roomer”. His listed occupation was “oil prospector” in the “oil Pields,” which makes sense in the context of John's postcard when he mentions that Mr. Brooks had a favorable opinion of the geologist's report of

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“No.&7,” and that Smith Brooks would invest in it. I wasn't able to Pind anything else for him anywhere online. More substantial research is needed both online and ofPline to try to discern who he was, if his investments ever paid off, and what became of him. The key to Pinding him probably lies in a thorough of historical Texas newspapers due to his occupation. That is, if he was ever successful at it.

“It's a Gusher!”

Let's face it. I was extremely lucky in what I was able to Pind concerning Mr. John Sigmund, Pres. I had one main clue – a ragged postcard with a picture of the Alamo on the front and a lot of “annoying” writing on the back. The “annoying” writing that illustrates a man's hopes and desires to strike it rich. A man who believed in what he was doing so much that he risked asking someone he knew to invest in his dreams. A p o s t c a r d t h a t s h o w s a g l i m p s e o f Te x a s a n d American history as well as several family's histories. I took a chance and drilled for more information on these families in hopes of striking it rich, like John. And I found what is often called in Texas, “Texas Tea.” “Black Gold.” Oil. Like John.

Though I did Pind quite a bit online in a half‐day's worth of research, there is no doubt more to be found both online and ofPline about these families, but it does give a good example of why it's so important to take a look at what our ancestors wrote about in their letters, their postcards, and their notes they left behind. Their writings are like the oil that seeps through and puddles on the ground. At Pirst glance, one might think it's ugly and undesirable as did

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early Texas settlers who wanted and needed water to seep through the ground for their crops and cattle until one day someone realized what that thick, sticky black stuff was and what it could be used for. And that recognition changed many families forever causing fortunes to be won and lost many times over.

Therefore, take your ancestor's writings and go “wildcatting.” You might be pleasantly surprised at what you Pind. Like John Sigmund, President of the Aransas Live Oak Ridge Oil Company. I mean, who knew an old postcard of the Alamo would lead to cheese and oil?

Note: The owners of the family trees that pertain to the families in this article will be contacted through Ancestry.com and Findagrave.com in hopes of being able to reunite this family with their ancestor's postcard as well as gifting them with the preliminary research that I completed.

Sources and Credits Sigmund, John (Aransas Pass, Texas) to “Dear Friend” [L.B. Lamaster]. Postcard. 26 Mar 1926. Privately held

by C.M. Pointer, Texas. 2009.

Texas. Dallas County. 1930 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2010.

Texas. San Patricio County. 1920 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com : 2010.

Illinois. DuPage County. 1910 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com : 2010.

Illinois. Cook County. 1900 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com : 2010.

Illinois. Cook County. 1880 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com : 2010.

Texas. Dallas County. Death CertiPicates, 1890‐1976. Digital images. FamilySearch.org, Record Search Pilot. http://familysearch.org/ : 2010.

Texas. Bexar County. Death CertiPicates, 1890‐1976. Digital images. FamilySearch.org, Record Search Pilot. http://familysearch.org/ : 2010.

Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917­1918 [online database]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, Inc., 2005. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917­1918. Washington, D.C. National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microPilm.

Stevenson, B.D., “John Sigmund Well Down 3.850 Feet,” San Antonio Express, 22 Jun 1926, p.3,col.4, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

Stevenson, B.D., “John Sigmund To Drill Mile Deep,” San Antonio Express, 3 Nov 1926, p.22,col.4, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

“Words of Truth,” San Antonio Express, 2 May 1920, p.21,cols.1‐2, digital images, Ancestry.com (http:// ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

“Sigmund To Start Aransas Test Soon,” San Antonio Express, 9 Jun 1924, p.3,col.6, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

“Aransas Pass Oil Seekers ConPident,” San Antonio Express, 28 May 1924, p.11,col.6, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

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“Rancher‐Oilman, 77, Dies at Dallas Home,” Abilene Reporter News, 3 Feb 1951, p.2,col.5, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: 31 Mar 2010), Historical Newspaper Collection.

Ancestry.com. “Williams Family Tree, Public Family Trees” [online database]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, Inc. [http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/11103689/person/87270002?ssrc= : 31 Mar 2010]. This tree's facts are supported by census and WWI draft registration card sources.

Ancestry.com. “Updates – Emigrants from SindelPingen, Wuertemberg, Public Family Trees” [online database]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, Inc. [ : 31 Mar 2010]. This tree's facts are supported with just John Sigmund's U.S. Passport Application.

Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Lillian Elizabeth (Thorne) Sigmund (1885‐1967), Memorial No. 39554509, Records of the Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, Texas. Record copyright Ron Manley.

Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Charles L. Sigmund (1900‐1969), Memorial No. 47917696, Records of the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park, Tampa, Florida. Record copyright Noreta.

Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Minnie C. Sigmund (1904‐1960), Memorial No. 47917698, Records of the Myrtle Hill Memorial Park, Tampa, Florida. Record copyright Noreta.

Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Louis Frederick Sigmund (1840‐1909), Memorial No. 37685998, Records of the Naperville Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois. Record copyright Timothy Ory. Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Emilie Ernstine Sauer Sigmund (1854‐1938), Memorial No. 37686034, Records of the Naperville Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois. Record copyright Timothy Ory. Find A Grave, Inc., Findagrave.com, Database (http://www.Pindagrave.com/ : accessed 31 Mar 2010); Record, Emilie M. Sigmund Schnibben (1877‐1956), Memorial No. 37686587, Records of the Naperville Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois. Record copyright Timothy Ory. Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795­1925 [database on‐line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Passport Applications, 1795­1905; (National Archives MicroZilm Publication M1372, 694 rolls); General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington, D.C. [http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/? htx=View&r=an&dbid=1174&iid=USM1372_599‐0258&fn=Louis&ln=Sigmund&st=r&ssrc=&pid =1510274 : accessed 31 Mar 2010].

Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820­1957 [database on‐line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2006. Original data: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820­1897; (National Archives MicroZilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C. [http://search.ancestry.com/iexec/? htx=View&r=an&dbid=7488&iid=NYM237_311‐0042&fn=Ludwig&ln=Sigmund&st=r&ssrc=&pi d=7166249 : accessed 31 Mar 2010].

Kansas. Seward County. 1930 U.S. Census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com/.

Kansas. Seward County. 1925 state census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com/.

Texas. Dallam County. 1920 U.S. Census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http://www.ancestry.com/.

Kansas. Seward County. 1915 state census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com/.

Missouri. Nodaway County. 1900 U.S. Census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com/.

Texas. Wichita County. 1920 U.S. Census, population schedule, Digital images. Ancestry.com. http:// www.ancestry.com/. ©2010 Caroline Martin Pointer.

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One of the most iconic photographs in human history is of3icially known as "Destitute pea pickers in California.

Mother of seven children. Age thirty­two. Nipomo, California." There are hundreds more like it.

APPEALING SUBJECTS

the many migrant mothers of dorothea lange THERE WASN’T JUST ONE “MIGRANT MOTHER” WITH CAPITAL M’S . . .

CRAIG MANSON

A tribute to some of the strongest women of the 20th century‐‐and the two migrant mothers who made us care.

Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn and Florence Owens Thompson were two young mothers whose lives intersected on California's central coast on one cold day in February, 1936.

They were both migrants; one from the northeast, the other from Oklahoma. They met at a migrant pea‐picking camp near Nipomo, California. The bitter winds of the Depression had swept them away from home, like thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of other migrant mothers all over the country.

Florence Owens, the Oklahoman, had wandered the length of California, through the valley and the coast, with her family looking for work. Dorothea Nutzhorn, the Northeasterner, had been all over the the United States, from north to south and east to west, also looking for work; or perhaps more accurately, looking for people looking for work.

But their encounter on that February gay in California well may have had the most profound consequences for the legions of other migrant mothers in similar camps around

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America. One would become the anonymous face of despair and desperation, whose visage jolted urban America to action on behalf of the rural poor. The other became the celebrated chronicler of American life: the good, the bad and the ugly.

The story was originally told in Migrant Mother's Soul Stolen in the column Appealing Subjects at Shades of the Departed, 22 February 2009 [LINK]. Here's a portion of what we said then: Desperate times had descended upon America and the rest of the world. By 1936, Oklahoma­ born Florence Owens had been in California for more than a decade as she and her husband, Leroy Cleo Owens struggled to keep their family subsisting. They had traveled the length of the great Central Valley, enduring misfortune after misfortune. A sawmill in the town of Shafter burned down while Cleo was employed there. Later, he lost his job at a sawmill in Merced County. Then while doing agricultural work in Butte County, Cleo Owens became ill and died. Florence was expecting her sixth child at the time. She remained in Butte County with the rest of her husband's siblings.

Florence Owens in another pose for her picture in February 1936, She was waiting for her son and her male cmpanion to return from their car repaired. The photographs were taken at a migrant camp near Nipomo, California.

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But when she became pregnant again the year after her husband's death, Florence Owens Zled with her children back to her family's home in Oklahoma. Eventually, circumstances drew her to California again and she left her youngest child with her mother, driving the other six back to Merced County.

Florence and her children became migrants, following work throughout the Valley and along the coast. On the afore­mentioned February day, she was headed to Nipomo on the coast with the children and a man named Jim Hill to a pea­picking camp. Hill, as Florence's grandson would describe it decades later, "had joined the family a year before, and acted as husband and father to Florence and her children." (See Roger Sprague's website, Migrant Grandson).

Mechanical trouble with her Hudson forced Florence to end the journey at a camp on Highway 101. Hill and Florence's son Troy went to Zind parts so they could Zix the car. As Florence waited in a lean­to tent for the pair to return, a woman with a camera approached.

The woman told Florence that her picture would help others. Florence would later recall that the woman also said that it would never be published.

The woman took six photographs of Florence and some of her children and then left without even having asked Florence for her name.

One of six photographs of Florence Owens taken in February 1936

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Notwithstanding whatever may have been said about publication, one of the photographs was published just days later. The photograph provoked an outpouring of sympathy and spurred action by the federal government. Tens of thousands of pounds of food soon arrived at the Nipomo camps. But Florence and her family had already moved on.

The photograph became one of the most iconic photographs ever taken. It was used to portray the desperation of families trapped in poverty during the Great Depression. It was reproduced numerous times and was made into a U.S. postage stamp in 1998.

The photographer who made the Migrant Mother pictures was another, but very different, migrant mother, Dorothea Lange, nee Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn. born in New Jersey, she adopted her mother's maiden name, reportedly after her father abandoned her family. after training with well‐known photographers in New York City, Lange migrated to California, where she married and had children. She also opened a successful photography studio.

Dorothea Lange working in 1936, the year she photographed Florence Owens.

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At the time that she met Florence Owens, Lange worked for the federal agency known as the Resettlement Administration (later called the Farm Services Administration [FSA]).

One of the New Deal's most progressive‐and controversial‐agencies, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) advocated government planning and economic intervention to improve living conditions in rural America. Conservative critics attacked the FSA and its predecessor, the Resettlement Administration (RA) as "socialistic."

To defend and promote the Resettlement Administration director Rexford Tugwell created a publicity department to document rural poverty and government efforts to alleviate it. It included a photographic unit with an odd name‐the "Historical Section" In 1937. the RA and its Historical Section were merged into the newly created FSA. Tugwell chose Roy Stryker, a college economics instructor, to run the Historical Section.

Though not a photographer, Stryker successfully directed an extraordinary group of men and women who today comprise a virtual "Who's Who" of twentieth century documentary photography. Many later forged careers that helped dePine photojournalism at magazines like Life and Look.

The FSA photographic unit was not a "jobs program" like the New Deal's Federal Arts Project. Photographers were hired solely for their skills. Most were in their twenties or thirties. They traveled the nation on assignments that could last for months.

Dorothea Lange was one of these extraordinary peripatetic photographers. The work took her to every corner of the USA. In 1936 in California, her job was to document the phenomenon of migration for economic reasons for a government report being prepared by economist Paul Taylor (who had become Lange's second husband).

The FSA's Historical Section was later merged into the OfPice of War Information, but the organizational change did not affect the quality or quantity of work done by the Historical Section. In total, FSA‐OWI photographers produced hundreds of thousands of images of American life. These include 164,000 black‐and‐white negatives, 107,000 black‐and‐white prints, and over 1600 color transparencies. This effort is said to have been the most

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extensive photographic documentation of a people in history.

Lange contributed more than 4000 of the images in the FSA‐OWI portfolio. Many of her works are of women and families.

CONTROVERSY Many of Lange's photographs ended up in government reports at the outset, and most of the subjects remain anonymous. But the photograph of Florence Owens Thompson was published in a newspaper, despite Lange's promises to the contrary. And to use a modern media metaphor, it went "viral," in a 1936 sense.

Dubbed "Migrant Mother" at some point, the photograph has generated millions of dollars for various individuals and enterprises. A print with Lange's handwritten notes sold for $244,500 in 1998. (Lange had died in 1965). Lange's personal print sold for $141,500 in 2002. In 2005, the original, along with thirty‐one other vintage Lange photos, sold for $296,000.

The Library of Congress sells prints of Migrant Mother for $28 each. For $85.00, one may purchase a framed print with a plate containing a quotation from the photographer. And a framed display of all six of the Migrant Mother pictures may be had from the Library for $150.00.

Florence Owens Thompson never saw a penny of the money made by her likeness in Migrant Mother. Nor have any of her children or other descendants proPited from the transcendent recognition of the photograph. Indeed, Thompson's identity was unknown to the public for more than forty years after the pictures were taken.

Thompson was fairly bitter about the photograph. She told The Modesto Bee in 1978:

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"I wish she hadn't taken my picture. I can't get a penny out of it. She didn't ask my name. She said she wouldn't sell the pictures. She said she'd send me a copy.

She never did."

Thompson's daughter, Katherine McIntosh, now 79 years old, told CNN in 2008: "The picture came out in the paper to show the people what hard times was.

People was starving in that camp. There was no food," she says. "We were ashamed of it. We didn't want no one to know who we were."

Because the photographs were works for hire by the federal government, Lange received no royalties and the work is not subject to copyright. It is clear, however, that the pictures gave a tremendous lift to Lange's career. She was awarded a Guggenhiem Fellowship in 1941 for excellence in photography. she gave up the fellowship a year later in order to photograph the internment of Japanese‐Americans. But in 1945, she was invited onto the faculty of the California School of Fine Arts by photography department head Ansel Adams.

Young family, penniless, hitchhiking on U.S. Highway 99 in California. The father, twenty‐four, and the mother, seventeen, came from Winston‐Salem, North Carolina.

Early in 1935, their baby was born in the Imperial Valley, California, where they were working as Pield laborers.

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The FSA‐OWI collections are now at the Library of Congress [LINK] and the National Archives. Captions in bold on pictures reproduced here are the original government archival captions.

Oklahoma mother of Zive children, now picking cotton in California, near Fresno.

There can be little doubt that we owe a debt of gratitude to Dorothea Lange and Florence Owens Thompson, and all the migrant mothers photographed for giving us a priceless portrait of American life in the 1930s and 40s.

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A GALLERY OF MIGRANT MOTHERS Photographed by Dorothea Lange

A mother in California who with her husband and her two children will be returned to Oklahoma by the Relief Administration. This family had lost a two‐ year‐old baby during the winter as a result of exposure.

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Tulare County, California. In Farm Security Administration (FSA) camp. Mother from Oklahoma tends baby with dysentery and awaits arrival of FSA camp resident nurse.

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Mother of family camped near a creek bed, panning for gold. "Slept in a bed all my life long till now-sleeping on the ground." Near Redding, California

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Mother and baby of family on the road. Tulelake, Siskiyou County, California.

Farm Security Administration (FSA) migrant camp. Westley, California. This migrant mother lives in a contractor's camp because of contractor's control of jobs. She comes to the Farm Security Administration camp with sick baby and agricultural workers medical association card

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Arkansas mother come to California for a new start, with husband and eleven children. Now a rural rehabilitation client. Tulare County, California

Type to enter text

Sharecropper wife and mother of seven children. Near Chesnee, South Carolina

Photo credits : Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection

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THE YEAR WAS . . .

the year was 1919 "BEER AND MOLASSES”

BY SHERI FENLEY

A two‐story‐tall wave containing 2.3 million gallons of molasses Plooded Boston Massachusetts on January 15, 1919. Twenty one people drowned when a Pive‐story‐tall

Photo – The Boston Daily Globe

cylindrical metal tank, 90 feet in diameter had burst.

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On January 16, 1919, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, dies in his sleep at the age of 60. Roosevelt became president at the age of 42 when President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Theodore Roosevelt is well remembered for his regiment the “Rough Riders” in the Spanish‐American War, his campaign slogan “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, his remarkable achievement becoming the Pirst American to win the Nobel Peace Prize f o r h i s p a r t i n t h e negotiations ending the

New York Times

Russo‐Japanese War.

Library of Congress - Prints

of the Panama Canal and

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The 18th amendment (Volstead Act followed in 1920) to the Constitution is ratiPied on January 16, 1919. This amendment “prohibits the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is

Library of Congress

Smithsonian

hereby prohibited.” Photo – Chicago Tribune

“Barney Google” appears for the Pirst time on June 17, 1919 in U.S. newspapers.

Chicago artist Billy DeBeck created the comic strip about “the cigar‐smoking, sports‐loving, poker‐playing, girl‐chasing ne'er‐do‐well” Barney Google.

Photo from – www.telltalegames.com

A couple of months later, on August 23, 1919, Frank King’s “Gasoline Alley” made its premier in the Chicago Tribune.

“Gasoline Alley” was the Pirst comic strip to depict its characters aging through generations as the decades progressed.

Photo from www.newscritics.com

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June 28 – The Treaty of Versailles is signed in France by the “Council of Four” , formally ending World War I. Photo – Britain’s Prime Minister Lloyd George, Italian Prime Minister Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Georges Clemenceau of France and President Woodrow Wilson. From Wikimedia Commons Photo of Treaty of Peace – Wikimedia Commons

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Albert Einstein's 1905 theory of relativity receives conPirmation May 29, 1919 when the Royal Astronomical Society sees the predicted effect during a solar eclipse. Einstein’s theory is embodied in his famous equation E=mc².

Photo – Library of Congress

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The Black Sox Scandal took place in October 1919 during the World Series game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. Eight players from the White Sox were accused of throwing the game. Despite being acquitted of criminal charges, the players were banned from professional baseball for life. The eight men included the great "Shoeless" Joe Jackson; pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams; inPielders Buck Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, and Charles "Swede" Risberg; and outPielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch.

Photo – The Chicago Historical Society

May 2nd ‐ First US air passenger service starts.

Songs published in 1919: I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate Look for the Silver Lining Photo : Mississippi State University

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February 25th ‐ Oregon is Pirst state to tax gasoline (1 cent per gallon).

Photo – Library of Congress

February 26th ‐ Congress forms Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

Photo – Courtesy of Becky Wiseman

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SAVING FACE

a rare book is not a manuscript LEARNING THE JARGON REBECCA FENNING

Working in a special collections library, I have almost ceased to be surprised when a researcher or a student uses the word “manuscript” to refer to what is very clearly a printed book. Recently, though, I got an email at work from a worker at another library, who was contacting me about an old book because (as the email said) she saw that my title was “Manuscript and Archives Librarian.” Seeing as she worked in a library similar to mine, with departments called “Manuscripts” and “Rare Books” was actually almost depressing, in addition to being quite shocking. And it made me and my coworkers realize that the conference session we joke about presenting, entitled “A Rare Book is not a Manuscript,” might not be such a bad idea after all.

Now, in the everyday world beyond the walls of the library, rare books and manuscripts don’t really come up that often. And so, while it’s always a little surprising to have young researchers and students confuse the two, I always understand it’s simply a matter of underexposure. However, knowing the difference and knowing the correct terminology can go far in making even the most beginning‐level researcher look a little more professional and a little more serious about their work. Rare book vs. manuscript is only an example of this, but one that I encounter more than any other special collections misconception.

There are probably a bunch of reasons why rare book and manuscript get confused as terms. Firstly, maybe manuscript sounds like it should refer to something older and

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antiquated, which is maybe why people at

type written (or typescript) letter or even a

my library like to use it when referring to

typed draft of a novel counts as a

17th century printed books.

I can

manuscript, simply because it is not a

understand that. And maybe, rare book

published, printed item like a completed

doesn’t sound technical enough or special

book is. By dePinition, a manuscript is a

enough, but believe me – it is. It isn’t just a

unique item (though things like typed

random conjunction of a noun and a

carbon copies stretches this notion a tad),

descriptor – it really refers to something

unlike a book, which is printed on a

very speciPic (namely, a published book

machine in runs of multiple copies. That’s

that is old and/or valuable because of its

why one of my coworkers is so annoyed

age, scarcity or associations). Manuscript, I

when the phrase “rare manuscript” pops

agree, does sound a little more jargony, and I think that maybe novice researchers (we get a lot of dissertation writers, young in their Pields, who are trying to impress) think that throwing it around makes them sound cooler. But really, it doesn’t.

out of someone’s mouth.

T h e w o r d m a n u s c r i p t , from the Latin manu scriptus, m e a n i n g “ w r i t t e n b y hand.”

Saying that is redundant, because a manuscript is automatically rare by virtue of its uniqueness.

Whether or not rare books a n d m a n u s c r i p t s a r e something you work with or something you think about,

I mean, think about the word

hopefully this essay is a

manuscript. From the Latin manu scriptus,

reminder about the importance of learning

meaning “written by hand,” the “script” in

the jargon for the professional Pields and

there is a pretty good reminder that what

speciPic materials you may come across in

we’re talking about here is something that

work and in life. It doesn’t take a lot of

is written, by hand, in script. Now, in this

work or research – just a dictionary –

day and age, when not everything is

because, let’s be honest, no one ever wants

actually written by hand, in script, the

to be the person using words incorrectly,

word manuscript actually does mean more

no matter the context.

than handwritten material. For example, a

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The Ties That Bind presents a brilliant family history video at Smile

For The Camera

The word prompt for the 21st Edition of Smile For The Camera was "Give Their Face A Place." The unknown, known and unsung w o m e n w h o a r e o f t e n t h e foundation of our family history.

G ive t h e ir fa c e a p l a ce. The interpretation is yours. Admission is Enjoy this short slide show on "The

free with every photograph!

Ties That Bind" or by going to Vimeo.

It's always a difPicult task to choose just one woman to honor during

About herself, Terri Kallio says, "I've always

"Women's History Month". Instead of

had a passion for family history and the mystery that s u r r o u n d s searching for the

tossing a coin this year, I decided to d o s o m e t h i n g d i f f e r e n t . M y submission is a slide show I created honoring my female ancestors.

elusive ancestor and how their life was impacted by the history of the time they lived. I recall as a young girl listening to my mother and her

These are my ancestors, they would be the mothers who would nurture the generations that followed them. I give them my praise, my respect and

sisters laughing and reminiscing about life growing up on a farm in rural Nebraska.

Those stories sparked something inside me, making me want to know more about the life and times of my ancestors and to record

my adoration.

Hope you enjoy it!

Terri J. Kallio Author ‐ The Ties That Bind

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them before they were lost forever.

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THE FUTURE OF MEMORIES

grandapa’s letters WHAT IF THEY WERE EMAIL

BY DENISE BARRETT OLSON

I have a collection of letters my grandfather wrote my grandmother before they were married. These letters span a 5‐year period between 1908 and 1913 and chronicle not only their courtship but also what life was like in rural north Georgia during that time. I never knew my grandfather – he died in 1922 – so these letters are truly a precious treasure.

At the beginning of the Iraq war, we were fortunate to be included in a mailing list from one of my husband’s Army friends who was then serving in Iraq. On a semi‐regular basis he sent reports about his experiences in and around Baghdad. Through him we toured Babylon, investigated a chemical lab, mourned lost comrades and celebrated small victories. These, too, are precious treasures and it’s important to insure they have a future as precious treasures for generations to come.

Email isn’t as elegant as an old letter, but the content still has great value. And, each email automatically includes the name of the sender and the recipient (or recipients) as well as a date stamp ‐ even more precious information.

I have created folders in my email client to save these special email messages. When I receive a "keeper", I move it into a special folder within my mail client. I also backup my email regularly as part of my system‐wide backup plan. That protects my data from catastrophic disaster but doesn’t necessarily make them available for future generations.

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Here are some ways you can make sure your email messages of today will provide memories for tomorrow.

The concern with email is that as email clients and webmail platforms keep up with new technology, today’s message data will no longer be readable in future applications or systems. The best way to insure a message has a future is to save it in plain text format.

Look for your application’s command to save a message and choose the plain text format option. This is your best protection for the future. (See Fig. 1)

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Fig. 1

But, what about messages created with stationery or full of photos? One option is to export that message to PDF (portable document format). Mac users have that capability built into

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the operating system. Windows users can install PDF creation software like the free PDF Creator [Link] application. It installs as a printer so all you do is print your email with the PDF Creator “printer” to create your archived message. It will have the same look the original message has on your screen.

Messages with attachments present challenges of their own. In addition to photos, a message could contain video or audio Piles, word processing or PDF documents, slideshows and even spreadsheets. You’ll want to develop a system to save the message with its attachments ‐ possibly in a folder for each message.

My grandmother treasured her letters enough to keep them protected and with her for 50 years. She took the time to keep them tucked safely away in a clean, dry environment as she moved from place to place. If your messages are as precious to you as hers were, you’ll have no problem making time to insure your treasured email is protected now and into the

Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, 1886-1989 and undated Duke University

future. Your grandchild will be delighted you did ‐ I guarantee!

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Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, 1886-1989 and undated Duke University

Shades & Brides In The Month Of June ď

Past Issues

November

January

February

December March

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW

The Imprint Or Logo - Georg’s Crystal Palace Photographic Studio, 189 N. Clark St. COR Huron. Chicago. The studio was referred to as a fauxPaxtonian shop run by Victor and Adolph Georg, Hungarian brothers. The brothers appear to have only been in business for eight years.

This is one of my favorite imprints to collect, architectural, those that depict the photographer’s studio. See inset for detail.

George, Victor, & Co. Georg’s Crystal Palace Photographic Studio.

1886-87 - 189 N. Clark 1888 - 189 N. Clark (George) 1889-93 - 189 N. Clark 1894 Not Listed