Ethel Florence Wilhelmina Hill's Autograph Book - Signatures

Ethel's Mamma - Annie Connor Hill - gave her daughter an autograph book on her seventh birthday, 14 September 1886. The book, signed by Ethel's mother, was also signed by her father, William McPherson Hill, and her sister (my great grandmother), Mabel Georgiana Manderson Hill - age four at the time. I treasure my great grandparents' thoughtful autographs. What about the sixty other signatures? 

Who autographed Ethel's book?

The friends and classmates who autographed Ethel's book were in Revere and Somerville, Massachusetts. Did your relative or ancestor sign? Let me know in the comments. I will send a high-resolution image of their autograph. 

Mamma - Annie Connor Hill, Somerville, MA – 14 Sept 1886

"Ethel F.W. Hill

With Mamma's love on her 7th birth-day."

Mr. M. Connor, Boston, MA – 6 Apr 1891

Mamma - Annie Connor Hill – 8 Feb 1891

"Sow an act and you reap a habit,

Sow a habit and you reap a character,

Sow a character and you reap a destiny."

Papa - William McPherson Hill – 14 Sept. 1886

“I live for those that love me,

For those that know me true,

For the heaven that smiles above me,

And waits my coming too.

For the cause that needs assistance,

For the wrongs that need resistance,

For the future in the distance,

For the good that I can do.”

Edna Van Vorst, Revere, MA – 15 Jan. 1891

“Your true friend”

Mamie Weaver – 1 Jan 1889

“Roses red, violets blue, 

Sugar sweet, and so are you.”

Marion Kimball, Revere, MA – 14 Nov 1889

“Your friend, for-get-me-not [corners]”

Herbert M. Hale, Somerville, MA – 8 Oct 1887

May 30 [bottom right corner]

Notes: Herbert Miller Hale was born 3 May 1882 at Boston to Ezra Hale and Margaret.

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9604866:2495

Herbert Miller Hale, birth, 3 May 1882, image of registration. 

Alice I. Connell, Revere, MA – 15 Nov 1889

“Your Friend,”

Grace E. Whitaker, Northboro, MA – 19 Jul 1887

(Mar 13th)[lower left corner]

Notes: Grace Elsie Whitaker of Northboro was born 13 March 1879 at Northborough to Nat Whitaker and Elsie H. Hawes. Her birth record: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/287676:5062

Grace Elsie Whitaker, birth, 13 March 1879, image of registration.

 

Florence L. Eaton, Winthrop Ave., Revere, MA – 15 Jan 1891

“Your true friend, for-get-me-not [four corners]

Arthur L. Hale, Somerville, MA – 8 Oct 1887

Jan 13 [lower right corner]

Notes: Arthur Laroy Hale was born 13 January 1874 at Amesbury, MA, to Ezra Hale and Margaret Miller. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7403751:5062

Arthur Laroy Hale, birth, 13 January 1874, image of registration. 

Alice G. Dixon, Revere, MA – 19 Nov 1889

“Some write for love,

Some write for fain [sic],

But I write simply

To sign my name.

Your Friend.”

Alice G. Hale, Somerville, MA – 8 Oct 1887

June 13 [lower right corner]

Notes: Alice Gertrude Hale was born 13 June 1885 to Ezra Hale and Martha. https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1175844:5062 

 

Alice Hale, birth, 13 June 1885, image of registration. 

Lillian Haskell, Revere, MA – 14 Jan 1890

“To Ethel, Trust many, love few, 

And always paddle your own canoe.”

Lillie Dow, Revere, MA – 10 Dec 1888

“Live truly, and thy life shall be

A great and noble creed.

Your friend”

Michael Burke, Crescent Beach – 14 Jan 1891

“Your friend.”

Nattie B. Wisdom, Somerville, MA – 27 May 1887

“Your loving friend.”

Marion Eaton, Revere, MA – 14 Nov 1889

“Your friend.”

Clara Amazeen, Revere, MA – 14 Nov 1889

“Your loving friend. For-get-me-not [4 corners]”

M.E. Ronan, Revere, MA – 28 May 1890

“Your friend and schoolmate. For-get-me-not.” 

Notes: This may be the autograph of Margaret E. Ronan, born 12 Mar 1876 at Roxbury to Jeremiah F. Ronan and Margaret E. Doherty, who died of tuberculosis on 12 Nov 1895 at Revere. 

Index for birth/baptismal record: https://search.ancestry.com/collections/61585/records/131300284 

Revere death record on Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4352206:2101

 

Margaret E. Ronan, death, 12 November 1895, image of registration.

Bessie L. Wisdom, Somerville, MA – [undated]

“Your loving friend.”

Minnie Patch, Revere, MA – 15 Nov 1889

“Your friend.”

Wendell S. Colcord, Revere, MA – 14 Sep 1889

Harry Powers – 15 Jan 1890

“Your Friend.”

Wm Calvert, Boston, MA – 23 Sep 1888

“May your lot in life be tranquil

   May you never have a foe

Ne’er may grief your bosom rankle

  May you never sorrow know.

Yours sincerely.”

Mattie A. Dixon – 19 Nov 1889

“To Daisy, 

May your pleasure ever spread

Like butter on hot ginger bread.

Your Friend.”

Grace Doworth [sp?], Revere, MA – 9 Oct 1887

“Your friend.”

Fannie A. Baker, Revere, MA – 30 Jan 1890

Georgie N. Fuller, Revere, MA – 11 Dec 1888

Sarah E. Woodbury, Revere, MA – 15 Nov 1889

“Life is a short day, but

It is a working day.

Your friend.”

Lucy A. Hall, Cambridgeport [neighborhood in Cambridge]; Revere, MA – 24 Sep 1888

Edith Milliken, Revere, MA 

“Let not our friendship be like the rose, to sever

But like the ever-green, may it last forever.”

Ethel Patch, Revere, MA – 14 Nov 1889

“Your loving friend.”

Florence Richards, Revere, MA

“Do to others as you would.

That they should do to you.

Your Friend.”

Lillian M. Sancrie, Crescent Beach, Revere, MA – 10 Feb 1889

“When you are old and cannot see,

  Put on your specs and think of me.

Your playmate.”

Grace F. Willard, Revere, MA – 20 Jan 1890

“Your loving friend. For-get-me-not.”

Carrie B. Morse, Charlestown, MA – Revere, 15 Aug 1889

Florence E. Haskell, Revere, MA – 14 Jan 1891

Sadie Perry – 15 Nov 1888

“A good name is better

than great riches.

Your friend.”

Mabel Hill, age 4 years, Revere, MA

“Your Sister.”

Mabel Conquest, Revere, MA – 24 Jul 1889

Maud Melanson, Revere, MA – 6 Nov 1890

“Your Friend.”

Ida L. Venables – 14 Nov 1889

“Around me shall hover 

in sadness or glee

Till life’s dream is over

Sweet memories of thee.

Your Friend.”

Grace A. Marble, Revere, MA – 30 Jan 1890

“What is in a name?

Your friend.”

Guy H. Gibbs, Boston, MA – 22 Sep 1888

Mary L. Holland, Revere, MA – 6 Feb 1890

“Very truly your friend.”

F.M. Roberts, Crescent Beach [Revere], MA – 3 Mar 1893

“Ever be happy

And mind your Grandpapy.”

Pauline Fontain – 6 Nov 1890

“Remember the Miss.

That scribbled this.

Your true friend.”

Wm Hepburn – 16th Jul 1889

“Whilst voices found around thee blend

And wishes thee joys that know no end

An earnest greeting, I would send

And breathe a loving prayer

Oh, thornless may life’s roses be

And bright thy patch of Summer Sea,

May every hope most dear to thee

Be granted to thy share. 

Howard Smith – 14 Jan 1891

“If you wish to laugh,

Glance at my autograph.”

Frank McDonald, Revere, MA

“Some like one, and some like two,

I like one, and that is you.”

Albert P. Gillies, Revere, MA – 14 Jun 1890

Winifred Tutein, Revere, MA – 26 May 1890

“Your friend. For-get-me-not.”

Ethel Gordon, Revere, MA – 26 May 1890

“Your friend.”

Maggie Rhodes, Revere, MA – 26 May 1890

“Your friend.”

Molly Segee [sp?], Revere, MA

Helen Shay, Crescent Beach, Revere, MA – 29 Jan 1890

“May all your path be strewn with roses

And none of your children have pug noses.

Your schoolmate.”

C.S. Wing (De Voe), Revere, MA 

“When you get married and drinking tea

Think of that saying remember me.”

Theresa Myer

“When you are married, and your baby is cross

Come over to my my house and I will give you some apple sauce.

Your Friend.”

Lillian E. Wright, Revere, MA – 5 Nov 1890

“May friendship and truth,

Be with you in youth,

And catnip and sage

Cheer up your old age.

Your schoolmate.”

Aidna W. Gay, Revere, MA – 30 Jan 1890

“May your voyage through life

Be as happy and free

As the sparkling waves

Of the dark blue sea.

Your friend.”

Daisy Munro, Revere, MA – 28 May 1890

“Your Friend. For-get-me-not.”

Andrew Josselyn, Revere, MA

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Poland: Target Wisła River

Poland has been on my genealogy wish list for years. 

In My Genealogy Sabbatical Year, I wished for two months in Poland and Germany. I feel lucky that I was able to spend two weeks there.

Lake Radyszyn

Target: Vistula River (Wisła in Polish)

I hoped to stay near the Wisła River. My ancestors lived in various small towns along the river between Włocławek and Płock. I wanted to feel what it felt like to be there. The Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park, a beautiful post-glacial area, absorbed many of the towns. The land and its' beauty remains. 

Ancestral Locations on Vistula River

Research Location #1: Płock or Włocławek?

Since my last posting about finding genealogical records in Poland, I have found evidence of ancestors in several more towns. Most of these ancestral towns, are part of Powiat Włocławski in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. These towns belonged to the Nowa Wieś Lutheran parish. Nowa Wieś is just south of the border of Powiat Włocławsk in Powiat Płocki in the Masovian Voivodeship.  When it was active the Nowa Wieś Lutheran parish encompassed 36 towns and villages. Our first research stop will be the Płock archive. 

Research Tip: Carefully examine ancestral locations over time to determine which government or religious body created the records when your ancestor lived. 

A River View

We found a fantastic hotel right on the river in Płock; Hotel Tumski. It is less than a block from the archives. Our guide, Zbigniew, picked us up at the Warsaw airport and brought us straight there. PolishOrigins had planned research for the first day, but I knew we would all need a break. Plus, our cousin, Erwin, would be coming from Potsdam, Germany, in the evening to meet and join us in our ancestral quest. We did not want to leave him out of the fun.

Research on!
Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen
Reconnecting Relatives®, LLC
Let's Remember together! Visit my business page to learn how to hire me in 3 easy steps to help you find and reconnect with your ancestors and family. 

Resources: 
My Genealogy Sabbatical Year
Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park
Using Google Maps to Find Genealogical Records
Płock Archives
Płock Evangelical Lutheran and Catholic Indexing Project
Polish Archival Resources for Nowa Wieś
Search Polish Archives

Poland: Hiring a Genealogy Tour Guide

As you know my parents invited me on their trip to Germany. They added a side trip to Poland where I could research in the Polish archives. My Mom wanted to stand on the land where our ancestors lived. I felt prepared for a research trip to Poland. I knew our family surnames and previous residences. I had exhausted all online, FamilySearch and U.S. record groups. I also knew the record groups to review at the archives and which records I was hoping to find. For example, my great grandparents birth records from 1891 and 1895.

Here is the catch. I do not speak Polish. I can usually recognize names/surnames in Polish handwriting in genealogical records, but speaking, writing or even sounding out Polish is beyond my capability. What does a good genealogist do when she does not have a needed skill to complete a project (and I didn't have enough time/years to learn Polish)? Just like you, we hire someone. 

Over the last year, I have become familiar with the website and company, PolishOrigins. Their online strength is their active forum. I posted a marriage record there and it was translated by one of their kind volunteers. Then an unknown cousin from Connecticut contacted me because the record was for our shared 4x great grandparents. Boom. Just like that. A new cousin (connection) is born. :)

Zbigniew at the Płock archives.

PolishOrigins is a registered tour operator. They travel to Poland and nearby countries that have been part of Poland. My new cousin, who had been using PolishOrigins for longer than I have, encouraged me to hire them to guide us on our research trip to Poland. I did and we were all happy to have Zbigniew, their chief genealogy guide to assist us on our journey into the past. 

PolishOrigins was extremely flexible with our planning. September is their busiest season, but Zbigniew fit us 

between a big trip to Belarus and his next client. While with us, he gave us his full attention and energy to our family. It was super hectic as we had only two full days to accomplish so much, but he kept us on task and going forward. Sometimes he even let us have a coffee break. Zbigniew is a typical genealogist. Finding the records and the places and the people are more important than sleeping or eating. Although, sometimes I like to eat. And sleep. But he and my parents (Remember those rocket to Mars travelers?) kept telling me that I would have time on the train to sleep and eat. And I did. 

I highly recommend Zbigniew and PolishOrigins. My husband and I already plan to go back in two years for the IAJGS 2018 Jewish genealogy conference in Warsaw. Did I tell you that all we did in Warsaw was get off a plane and then onto a train after three days? I don't even like to think about everything I missed. I start to get anxiety. Anyway, Zbigniew insists that we must go first to Kraków before the conference because there is an amazing Jewish festival there every summer. It makes me happy to hear that Jewish life is flourishing in places where it had been obliterated. It is clear that Zbigniew loves Kraków and Poland and his job. 

I wonder if I could learn to speak Polish in two years...

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

PolishOrigins

Płock Archives

Festival of Jewish Culture - Kraków

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Jewish Genealogy Conference - Warsaw

It Begins in Poland: Traveling at the Speed of ... My Parents

Buckle your seatbelts! We are traveling at the speed of my parents. Oh, did you think that speed might be slow? Not with my parents. They may physically move at a slower pace than me, but they travel with the purpose and intensity of a rocket trip to Mars. 

We spent two weeks in Poland and Germany with a small day trip to Austria. During that time, we visited eight cities and numerous villages; researched our family in archives in Płock and Włocławek (Poland); spent time with six new (to me) cousins (ages 8 months to 95 years); crawled through overgrown cemeteries and the locations of long gone villages; and even did some sightseeing. 

My parents invited me on their nostalgic trip to Germany, where they began their lives together more than fifty years ago, while my Dad was serving in the U.S. army. True, they wanted some help along the way, but they enticed me with family research in Poland and new cousins. New cousins and dead ancestors. What could be better? 

Research on!
Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen
Reconnecting Relatives, LLC
Let's Remember!

Bubba-isms from the Heart - World War II

23 April 1944 9:00 P.M.

"Someday we will own our own cottage at the seashore. Then the 

whole family can spend many days at the seashore instead of only

once in a while. We will spend every possible minute of the summer

days there. Won't that be fun?"

                   - Edward H. Smith S/2C to his wife, Ruth

Into a Briar Bush - Genealogy Records Page by Page

"If a girl jumps into a briar bush, it is hard to tell which bush scratches the hardest."[1]

This birth certificate took my breath away. There were several illegitimate births each year in Stonington, Connecticut, but for this one, either the doctor or the clerk felt the need to pass moral judgement on the mother of this baby boy. 

Genealogy Records Page by Page

I found the record for baby boy Morrison born in 1863 by looking through the Stonington vital records on microfilm, image by image. When you are searching for a family (online, on microfilm or in person), take the time to proceed page by page. There are several benefits to this process;

• become familiar with names of fellow residents; important when building your FAN club
• find items missed during indexing or indexed incorrectly
• microfilm: you may discover film descriptions are inaccurate and find something you didn't expect to find
• births: find babies recorded without first names
• marriages: learn the names of officiants of other marriages and by extension discover religious institutions
• deaths: learn about most common causes and epidemics
• discover interesting stories and add to your knowledge of the time and place

Yes. It takes more time to look at every page or image. I spent eight hours going through this microfilm reel! That's three days spent at the Family History Center in Exeter, New Hampshire. However, not only did I find several family records, I found baby Morrison's birth certificate. 

Baby Morrison's certificate tells us about the morals of the day and society's view on illegitimate births, promiscuity and racial prejudice. Was this remark made by the white doctor because of the mother's color? We could answer this question by making a survey of all of the illegitimate births in Stonington and noting the doctors' names and their remarks.[2] 

I hope you will consider going page by page the next time you are hunting for an ancestor's record. Let me know what you find. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

________________________________________________
[1] Stonington, Connecticut, Records of births, marriages, deaths 1847- 1869, Certificate of Birth, 39, Morrison, April 12th, 1863; FHL microfilm 1309873, Item 4.
[2] 1850 U.S. census, Stonington, New London County, Connecticut, population schedule, p. 270 (stamped), dwelling 208, family 381, Geo. E. Palmer; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 June 2015); citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 48.

Got Jewish Ancestors?

Head over to the Reconnecting Relatives Jewish genealogy blog for help finding your Jewish ancestors. Every Tuesday there will be a new post with tips and resources. 

The Name Game helps make sense of Jewish forenames and surnames. Learn the answer to the question: Do Yudil, Judil, Yehuda and Jacob all refer to the same man? In the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, surnames were a free for all. Like the name Smith? It's yours for the taking. Learn the answer to the question: Why did a family named Shochet become Shoer? 

Do you have a question you would like to see answered on the Reconnecting Relatives Jewish genealogy blog? Comment below or on the blog or email Jennifer. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Most Popular Post on the Scrappy Genealogist

The most commented post on The Scrappy Genealogist is the one in which I write about traveling back to the place I first lived, Butzbach, Germany. My Dad was stationed there from 1965 through 1968. We lived on Texas Road in the American military housing complex, Roman Way. My memories of our time there are hazy, but when we visited, I felt a deep connection to the place where I spent my first years. Memories can be intellectual, but mine of Butzbach are physical and emotional. 

Ten years ago, on 30 April 2003, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that its operations at Schloss Kaserne and Roman Way in Butzbach would end in 2007.[1] Periodically I reread the comments from people who also lived and/or served there.  They are united in their fond memories and they miss this special place and time. I totally get it. And so feeling a bit melancholy today for a place and time now gone, I offer you these links:

Photos by Stimpyrama: This site's photographer takes beautiful photos of Lost Places. His photos of Roman Way are edited to create a gritty, emotional effect. 

YouTube user 3AD Roadking 1970 created three videos in 2007 of Roman Way:
Roman Way Village Housing Part 1
Roman Way Village Housing Part II
Roman Way Village Housing Part III

and one of Schloss Kaserne. 

Frankfurt American High School has two interior photos taken in Butzbach, one of pool tables and the other of a snack bar. 

Flickr user Setjet posted pictures taken in 2003 of Roman Way and surrounding US Army areas. 

Schloss Kaserne

This blog Forgotten Memories has more pictures of the neighborhood. 

This is a series of pictures of Schloss Kaserne. 

We visited Schloss Kaserne during our visit. My Dad worked in this building during his service in the 1960s. I know that some of the buildings were torn down, but this one was still there. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

[1] www.defense.gov U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release No. 290-03 April 30, 2003 http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=3797 accessed 4 April 2013

Using Google Maps to Find Genealogical Records

When researching a place for genealogical records, first locate it on modern maps. I use Google Maps.[1] My Ginter Günther family comes from a rural area on the Vistula River in Poland near the cities, Włocławek and Płock. 

The towns mentioned in family records include Leslau (today Włocławek), Mursk (near Ładne), Wistka Szlachecka, Dobiegniewo and Nowa Wieś. Today these towns are located within the Gostynińsko-Włocławski Park Krajobrazowy or the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park, which was established in 1979.

The Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park is located in two voivodships (provinces); Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavian-Pomeranian) and Mazowieckie (Masovian).

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Masovian Voivodeship

The park is also located in three powiaty (counties); Włocławski on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian side and Gostyniński and Płocki on the Masovian side. 

Włocławski

Gostyniński

Google Maps will not show the proper boundaries for Powiat Płocki, only for the city of Płock. The park is located in two gminy (districts) of Płocki; Gmina Łąck, Gmina Nowy Duninów. 

Gmina Łąck

Gmina Nowy Duninów

To summarize the following are locations where I might find genealogical records related to my Ginter Günther family;

Włocławek (a city/county, was Leslau, not part of Gmina Włocławek), 

         Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Gmina Włocławek (rural), Powiat Włocławski,    

         Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Mursk (near Ładne), Gmina Włocławski, Powiat Włocławski,          

         Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Wistka Szlachecka, Gmina Włocławski, Powiat Włocławski,              

         Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Dobiegniewo, Gmina Włocławski, Powiat Włocławski,   

         Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Nowa Wieś, Gmina Nowy Duninów, Powiat Płocki, 

         Masovian Voivodeship 

Additionally, church records related to Nowa Wieś are associated with Gostyniń.

Gostyniń, Gmina Gostyniński, Powiat Gostyniński,

          Masovian Voivodeship

The only district of the Gostynin-Włocławek Landscape Park not known to be a place of record for my ancestors is Gmina Łąck, part of Plock county. Because of its close location, however, I would not rule it out in a survey for records. 

Next time on The Scrappy Genealogist: Where to look first for records. 

Research on!

Jennifer Shoer aka Scrappy Gen

Reconnecting Relatives, LLC

Let's Remember!

Google, GoogleMaps (https://www.google.com/maps/ : accessed 26 May 2015).