Tuesday 30 September 2014

Shoebox and... Shoebox ?



This morning over at her Genealogy à la carte facebook group Gail Dever mentioned about an ancestry podcast by Barefoot Genealogist Crista Cowan on using the shoebox in Ancestry.  So I toddled on over there to check it out, cuz you know... my shoebox is a mess! It was very informative and Crista has great delivery, not just dry facts. I did learn that there is no organizing the shoebox, so I will just have to plod through all the records I threw in there and check and chuck!

I always click on the YouTube logo in the bottom right corner of the video to take me to the YouTube site for better viewing. There I see that Ancestry has a channel with lots of other interesting podcasts. So I looked down the side where they always have related videos and.. what the heck?  there was another podcast titled Shoebox from ancestry???  So I click to watch that video and lo and behold it's a whole other kind of Shoebox. 

Crista was talking about Shoebox - Scanner in your pocket.. a free scanner app  from Ancestry.com for apple and android that uses your camera. So you ask, why not just use your camera?  This is the cool part. Using the app you scan (take a photo) of the picture, letter, whatever, and using the built-in app tools you can crop it, tag it, date it, map it, make notes about it - then attach (tag) it to a person on your ancestry tree!!  You just have to log into the app using your ancestry account username and password. When you are done and saved the image there are share buttons so you can send the image to family and friends.



So I have downloaded the app to my iPad and I'm going to play around with it for a bit. Above is a screenshot I took of a postcard I scanned and tagged with my grandfather's name, and yep - it attached to him in my tree. I'd like to thank Gail Dever for inadvertently giving me another genealogy tool to play with!

If any of you have tried it, I would like to know your thoughts and experience with it.

It's FREE - try it!

Download the Shoebox App for apple or android

Shoebox from Ancestry - A Scanner in your Pocket Podcast by Crista Cowan

More of Crista Cowan's genealogy podcasts


Monday 29 September 2014

Tricks of the Trade




My maternal grandmother and my paternal grandfather, who never knew each other at the time, were both in a similar business.  My grandmother was half owner of The Coatwell Paint Company, that made paints and varnishes. My grandfather was a traveling salesman for paint and varnish companies. When my parents were in the antique business they used their parents' expertise and their recipes for how to clean old paint and varnish off furniture. They also made and sold their own furniture polishes.

In my family papers I found 3 recipes for furniture polish, each one a little different, and a recipe for some kind of hair tonic.

   

In my post about Cookbooks I told about my Mom being able to cook anything and not need a recipe... well my Dad is like that in Carpentry. If he can think it, he could make it. Since he did not know his father's family, he didn't realize his love of carpentry came from his ancestors. My daughter is also a carpenter.  I tried my hand at it but, as in cooking, I need a "step by step". When my grandson was born I decided I wanted to make a cradle.  I didn't like the new designs, so I turned to an older book I found in a used book store. I chose this design because the bed part could later come off and be used as a toy box.

 

By the late1800's many industries had manuals that contained instructions, plans, tips, references and sometimes recipes. So if your ancestors had a trade, you can discover more about what that entailed by looking for a manual or reference book.  The earliest one I found was from 1615.


Relevant Links:








The harness makers' illustrated manual. A practical guide book for manufacurers and makers of harness, pads, gig saddles, etc - 1880


The universal assistant and complete mechanic : containing over one million industrial facts, calculation, receipts, processes, trade secrets, rules, business forms, legal items, etc in every occupation, from household to manufactory - 1880







Grocer and Distiller's useful guide - 1932: directory for making and managing al kinds of wines and spirituous liquors ; also for preserving beef, pork and fish ; for making the best pickles and preserves ; and for preserving fruits







A booke of sundry draughtes, principaly serving for glasiers: and not impertinent for plasterers, and gardiners: besides sundry other professions. Whereunto is annexed, The manner how to anniel in glas: and also the true forme of the fornace, and the secretes thereof – 1615




Clay glazes and enamels, with a supplement on crazing, its cause andprevention; the whole forming a treatise on glazing and enameling brick, terra cotta and pottery, including exact recipes and formulas for all the principal colors now in use, and full instructions for their preparation and application – 1896


The photograph and ambrotype manual; a practical treatise on the art of taking positive and negative photographs on paper and glass, commonly known as photography, in all its branches - containing various recipes - USA 1858

The dyer and colour maker's companion: containing upwards of two hundred receipts for making colours on the most approved principles, for all the various styles and fabrics now in existence, together with the scouring process, and plain directions for preparing, washing-off, and finishing the goods – 1860


Modern bath rooms ; with useful information and valuable suggestions about plumbing for home builders or those about to remodel their present dwellings - 1912 

Cowie's Bookbinder's manual - London 1860

Mida's trade-mark register of canned goods - USA 1906






Sunday 28 September 2014

Serendipity Sunday - Commands




I came across this Table of Keyboard Shortcuts at Wikipedia the other day. It is a chart with keyboard commands for Windows, Mac and a couple of other systems.  I use quite a few of them, but there are a couple on the list I had never seen. This site also has some useful links at the bottom of the page for different operating systems.

Since I use them all the time, I didn't think that other people might not know about them until someone asked me how to do something! These computer tricks may save you time and possible all your work!

Here are some simple keyboard commands for computer or laptop that I use most often and that will come in handy.  These are for Windows... If you have a Mac use Cmd instead of Ctrl (download the file and use the find and replace command to change Ctrl to Cmd)


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx0z9dlzDrDwX29uSVVFOWhESHM/edit?usp=sharing

Click on above image to get downloadable pdf with all these commands and more
 
 
First one you may already know - to copy a word, sentence or whole article and paste into word, for example - highlight with your mouse what you want to copy then use these commands:

Ctrl + C (the copy command) AND Ctrl + V (the paste command)   
  
Oops!  You just realize you hit a key or bumped something and all that you just wrote disappeared!!  Don't touch anything else, just hit the Undo arrow.  Aacck!! No Undo arrow?? Don't panic!
Ctrl + Z (that is the Undo command)
You can UNDO on your iPad or iPhone by holding it with 2 hands and shaking it like an old etch-a-sketch. You will get a confirmation screen.

You want to print an article or an email and there is no print button?
Ctrl + P (the print command)

When you want to copy just a page from a book that is perhaps in an iFrame and it won't copy or print - use the print screen command.  It copies only whatever you see on the screen, so you may have to adjust with zoom in and out. Then you go to your Paint program (or if you have a program like Photoshop) and Paste or New from Clipboard. Here you can crop it. Then you can Save As an image. The button is usually on the top row.
prt sc (the print screen command)
You can do a Print Screen on most tablets or phones by pressing the Power button and the Home button at the same time. (you will see the screen go blank for a second). It is saved in your photos.
If you want to find one word (or a name perhaps) on a page - (I use this often looking for my ancestors' name on a long page of passengers or census lists):
Ctrl + F (the find command)

If you want to find a word throughout a document and change them for another word:
Ctrl+ H (the find and replace command)

If your computer screen freezes, you can get the Task Manager by using this command. You can also use this task manager if your computer is running slow, by closing programs that you are not using and that are running in the background. (They will come on when you next use them.)
Ctrl + alt + delete (in the Processes tab select the window that is frozen and End Task)

You can use the Home button and the End button to go to the beginning or end of a line. Use Ctrl + home or Ctrl + end to go to the beginning or end of a page.
To go back or forward a word in a line, use Ctrl + left or right arrows.

Use Pgup or Pgdn to scroll up and down a page or document.

Use F5 to Refresh your browser.


The downloadable file lists all these commands, plus alt commands for French accents  and a couple of symbols.



NOTE:  Search on FaceBook -
You thought of something or a surname somebody posted about in a FaceBook group that you want to find again? Or you want to find a post you made? At the top of the Group page, beside the menu, is a magnifying glass with Search this group box. Type in the topic, word, or name and hit enter.  For instance you can type in Nolin and you will get all posts I made (or commented on) to that group. :-D

 

Monday 22 September 2014

The Beaver - HBC





In October 1920 the Hudson's Bay Company put out it's first issue of their magazine aptly titled "The Beaver". It began as a project for the Company's 250th anniversary and was at first read by mostly employees of HBC. As a feature for the February 1921 issue, the magazine held a baby photo contest - babies of fathers that worked for Hudson's Bay Company.  They mention there was only a limited time to enter, otherwise they would have received more photos. If you have an ancestor born in western Canada about end of 1920 whose father worked for HBC, perhaps their picture is among this "Bevy of Babies"!



Most issues had news from their different posts or stores, including the happenings of their employees. Also photos of people and places. When in 1923 they started adding stories about life in Canada's north, it began to appeal to a wider audience.  

My husband has a copy of the Winter 1975 issue because this issue tells the story about his fur trader ancestor Jean Baptiste Nolin, and how his daughters Angelique and Marguerite started the first girls school in western Canada at St Boniface.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx0z9dlzDrDwN0ZiUkRURXloWUk/edit?usp=sharing
 
 Clicking on above image opens a pdf of this article
 
 
In 1924 it went from a monthly to a quarterly magazine. In 1994 the Hudson's Bay Company donated its archive collection to the province of Manitoba and Canada's National History Society was born. The society took over publication of the magazine and while still titled The Beaver it included "Canada's History Magazine". In 2010 the name changed to "Canada's History".
 
 


Relevant Links:

February 1921 Issue of The Beaver

Other Early Issues of The Beaver (several issues from Vol 1)


Fashionably Early...


 

When I was a teenager I loved looking at all the fashions in the Eaton's Catalogue and daydreaming of what I would buy.  As a young adult my favourite was the yearly Neiman Marcus "Christmas Book" for the well-to-do. It has outrageous his and hers gifts, like his and hers airplanes, or a Russian white mink jacket that is reversible to white leather. Here you will see a list of some of their past gift ideas for the wealthy.

When I was a Girl Guide leader, I saw a notice that there was a fashion exhibit at the McCord Museum in Montreal and I thought the girls would enjoy seeing beautiful and elaborate the old gowns.  We all loved it! Living in the country some of the girls had never been to the city, so we made a full day of it.  Fashions in the streets were just as interesting as the ones in the museum!

 

I thought of this when I came across this old 1899 Eaton's Catalogue at Internet Archive. Not quite what I would have worn in the 1960's, but definitely something my ancestors would have dreamed of buying.


 
T. Eaton Co, Toronto, Canada 1899 - 1900


The establishment of a national postal service, faster ships and updated railway systems all helped in the starting of the mail-order business of the early 1800's. Great for our ancestors that lived far from the cities. You can also find catalogues for furniture, seeds, school supplies, machinery, appliances, tack, carriages, beds, gifts, etc... just about everything! 

Before there were catalogues, there were Fashion Books with plates (illustrations) of the latest designs that a seamstress or tailor could make for their clients. My great grand aunt Cora Porter was a seamstress that lived in peoples homes all winter to make clothes for the family.  She probably used designs from fashion books or catalogues that her client procured. She also made all the linens, and took care of any mending that needed doing. There is also a master tailor in my ancestry, my 2x great grandfather Andrew Tait, who started his apprenticeship at the age of 13 in Glasgow. After he married he moved his family to Lancashire and, once gaining a few years experience and becoming a Master, Andrew opened his own shop on the corner of Broad and Green Streets in Bath sometime before 1881. I can imagine Andrew showing men's style books to the clients that frequent his shop.


 
 
 
Search Internet Archives using keywords:  catalogue + what you are looking for. Also look for other catalogues of the same sort by clicking on the subject link, or the same company by clicking on the publisher or author link, on the opening page.

Following are links to some fashion books and catalogues, and at the end I added a couple for jewelry. The first 2 are links to a video of the permanent ladies fashion exhibit at the McCord Museum.  If you poke around there, they have some interesting photos, and they also have an exhibit entitled "Clothes Make the Man".


Relevant Links:

McCord Museum "Form and Fashion" video in Flash

McCord Museum "Form and Fashion" video in QuickTime

T. Eaton & Co - Spring and Summer Catalogue - Toronto 1894 

T. Eaton & Co Catalogue - several issues

Simpson's Catalogue, Fall & Winter 1918-19 - Toronto

Les Robes de Paul Poiret - Paris designer fashion book 1908

The London & Paris ladies' magazine of fashion 1866

The World of Fashion and Continental Feuilletons - London 1829, 1833, 1836

Fashion Book: novelties, costumes, mantles, millinery, etc - London 1874

English costume and fashion from the conquest to the regency (1720-1820) 1884

Corset waists and brassieres: H & W Co, New Jersey 1914

Fox & Kelly's fashion catalogue illustrated: fall & winter 1888-89, NY

Fall and Winter, 1890-91 Fashion Catalogue / H. O'Neill and Co, NY

Bloomingdale's Illustrated fashion catalogue - summer 1890.  NY

Spring & Summer fashion catalogue 1898 / H. O'Neill & Co, NY

Frear's Troy Cash Bazaar (Troy, NY) - Spring & Sumer 1894

Puritan Garments - Gordon Mackay - Toronto 1900 

The Silent Salesman - Gordon Mackay - Toronto 1900

The Style Book - Gordon Mackay - Toronto 1914

Catalogue of infant's outfits and misses' and children's muslin underwear 1895, NY

Royal Canadian rubber footwear : supreme style : illustrated catalogue 1906

Guiterman Bros - Summit clothing for outdoor wear -  St Paul, MN 1915

Joseph H Rowe, Catalogue of genuine Cape Ann oiled clothing: Mass 1892

Jordon Marsh, Boston - Fall and Winter 1893-94

Dress: a magazine or men illustrating the styles for fall and winter: 1910-11

Illustrated almanac of fashion:  Charles Stokes & Co 1863 (also uniforms)

Men's Style Book - Hart Schaffner & Marx , US: fall & winter, 1905
 
Makeovers from Men's Suits  1943

Styles for men, NY : a book issued to show authoritatively what is fashionable and correct for fall and winter 1907-'08

Godey's Lady's Book (several volumes) 

Costume Institute Fashion Plates (pick a year on the left)

Women's Fashion Game - McCord Museum of Montreal

Royal Tailors junior sample book - 1916

Origin and History of the Fashion Plate, Project Gutenberg


JEWELRY

Tiffany's Blue Book

Ryrie year book, 1922:  Henry Birks & Son

Peace year catalogue 1919-1920 - A. W Smith & Sons, Ontario







Sunday 21 September 2014

Serendipity Sunday - Disclaimed Gentlemen



Think of the times you have purchased a new address book and in transcribing, you omit the people you have lost contact with for some reason. Anyone who is on FaceBook has come across a post of "cleaning out my friends list", the ones who are perhaps barely-known acquaintances or friends of friends get chopped. Well it seems the College of Arms did something similar in 1888. They culled their list of gentlemen!

The College of Arms in London is responsible for granting coats of arms and maintaining pedigrees and genealogies. The Heralds are the guys that do all that, under the King of Arms. The Heralds Visitation is when they go out to different counties and check out the pedigrees for coats of arms.

The other day I happened upon this book ...

"A List of persons who were disclaimed as gentlemen of coat-armour by the heralds at the visitations of the various counties of England" – published in 1888






Oopsie!  It seems the College realized that former Heralds didn't do a thorough background check and some "gentlemen" had no right to the Coat of Arms they were claiming. The Royal Proclamation of 1417 stated more or less: no man should assume arms unless he held them by right of inheritance or by the donation of some person who had the power to give them.

So the college had a list made up of "gentlemen" there were doubts about and issued this warrant...







It's a little more complicated than that, and I urge you to read the short introduction that explains the whys and wherefores. The gentlemen were from all occupations...






Following is the link to the book that holds the list of the "Disclaimers at the Heralds Visitations" (with a few A-C's addended in the back).  Also a link to books of Heraldic Visitations of early years that contain some genealogies. You can also get more information at the College of Arms, and at their website under the About Us/Officers of Arms tab, you can see where the different Heraldic offices are and the names of past Heralds.  (Looks like they need a Herald in Chester... anyone up for the job?)

A Heraldic Society in your country may tell you how to get your own coat of arms. 



Relevant Links

















Saturday 20 September 2014

Time to Vote





With the voting in Scotland this week, it brings to mind the first time I went to vote. An election official came door-to-door and took down everyone's name who was eligible to vote. They also explained to us the procedure, and where we would have to go. Near the voting time I listened to speeches on TV because, really, I knew nothing about politics, nor had I cared. But I felt so unprepared going to the polls, waiting my turn to make my mark. I was thinking... I have finally come of age. What I thought mattered. Then I knew that this was a big responsibility, so from then on I at least kept up with world affairs and took an interest in what was going on around me. The next election I could make an informed vote!

In the 1800's not many women were able to vote world-wide, and those that could, mostly had to be property owners. You may find your ancestor on a voters lists, electoral register or poll book. I have listed some below, and you may find more at the local archives.




The lists can be between census dates, and many are before any census available. The oldest poll book I found is for Aberdeen 1696.


Relevant Links:


Voters' list of Waterford, Ont 1894

Oxford, Ontario 1889

Township of Grey, Ontario 1877-1898

Augusta, Ontario 1850+

Goderich, Ontario 1874+

Huron County, Ont

Victoria, BC 1874 +

Several districts of British Columbia 1881-1882

Boston Listing Board - lists of residents 20 years of age and over

Brookline, Mass - list of voters

Township of Kennebec - 1878

Montreal Center 1867

List of voters in the St Antoine Ward, Mtl, 1880

List of voters for St Gabriel, Qc 1894

Poll Book of an election in 1739 - Burlington County, NJ

Brunswick County, Virginia Poll List 1748

Poll Books: Northumberland, UK 1898

Poll Books Newcastle upon Tyne 1859

The Poll for a knight of the shire for west Yorkshire 1849

The poll for knights of the shire - York 1807

Poll for Knights of the Shire - Norfolk 1768

Poll Book for Dorset 1857

The Poll Book for Sheriff, Chester 1818

Poll for election of a representative in Parliament for Univ. of Cambridge 1827

Register of voters for southern division county of Durham, Uk 1868-69

Register of voters, fifth district, Worcester County, MD 1914

Register of voters, 1884-1936 Prescott, Mass - Handwritten

San Francisco Great Register - 1866

Voters who produced evidence of naturalization to the City of Boston 1864-1871

Poll list for New York 1880

Poll list for elections for Middlesex, UK 1802

Poll Book for knight of the shire for Isle of Wright 1870

List of pollable persons within the shire of Aberdeen 1696

Electorial Lists - Toowoomba & District, Queensland 1899-1900

Early Wairarapa Electorial Rolls (at Helens New Zealand History)

List of votes Polled - Sept 1841 (Quebec?) - names, occupations and street

A compendious and impartial account of the Election at Liverpool - 1806

The Bath Toll Book 1833 (more years at Google Books)




Wednesday 17 September 2014

Glass Plate Negative





I have this glass plate negative of my grandfather and his mother. Although I also have the photo, I decided to see if I can get a photo from this.

I first scanned it with my Epson printer/scanner, then opened it in my really old Adobe Photoshop Elements program.

There I selected the photo and went to Image adjustments - invert, and got this...

 

 
 
It is actually a little more blue looking.  I then went to Enhance Colour and removed all colour. Then I played with the colour variations and brightness levels until I got a sepia look to the photo.
 
 
 
 
Not knowing anything technical about photography (I'm a point and shoot photographer) I wasn't expecting very much, so I am very pleased with the result.
 
I am intrigued that the photo must have been taken through some sort of frame?





Monday 15 September 2014

It's Music to my Ears





Music was a big part of my life growing up.  My Granny lived in a small 4 room cold-water flat in Verdun, but still made room for her piano. Granny went to school at a convent and was taught to play piano by the nuns. She played piano during hymn-sing for her ladies church group. When I was about 6-7 Granny gave her piano to my Mom, and the next fall I started Royal Conservatory piano lessons. My teacher was very strict, rapping my hands with her pencil every time a made a mistake. My mother also took piano lessons, and my older brother took accordion lessons.  When my little brother was old enough he started piano lessons too, and that year at the annual recital we did a piano trio. When I became a teenager I wanted to learn the songs on the radio and my teacher was appalled!  So I quit the lessons after Grade 7 and figured out my favourite songs myself on our piano at home. I painstakingly put every note on the staff, changing this one or that one, until I got it written down just right. Our piano sat in a nook off the living room, beside a floor to ceiling window and it was a haven for my emotional ups and downs during my teen years, putting it all in the music. I also learned from a friend how to play the ukulele, and this I would play on long family trips in the car.



When my grandparents came to visit, Granny would play the piano and I loved listening to her sing.  Everyone would gather around and sing along, especially Grampa with his big booming voice.  She started off with her favourite hymns then went to my Grampa's and Mom's favourite war songs. Sometimes my parents' friends would come over and then it would be old English pub songs. What a time we had!

On my Dad's side of the family, his 2 brothers both played the piano. When they were young they lived upstairs from a piano teacher who gave them lessons. My grandfather played the Banjo, apparently very well, but I don't remember hearing him play. My Dad always wished he could play an instrument, but he just didn't have the knack. His talent was carpentry. Every year around Christmas time the Seale's would get together and after eating we would all gravitate to the piano and start with singing Carols, and move on to the popular songs. 

I inherited the ear for music, but unfortunately not the discipline or the talent. That means I can hear mistakes but can't help making them *sigh*. At my grade 6 exams I barely passed the practical, while getting First Class Honours on the theory. If you have an ear for music, you can probably learn languages easier, which I always like to do.


Do you have an ancestor that attended a music school? Following are a few links to music schools and programs, many having a roll of students in the back. You can also check for info on historical music schools at the local library.


UPDATE:  After writing this article in preparation to upload on Monday, I learned today (Friday) that the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music has received a gift of $2.8M for training teachers to teach music in schools. FABULOUS! Read about it here.


Relevant Links

The Montreal Conservatory of Music 1899

Toronto Conservatory of Music Year Book 1914

Yearbook - Royal Conservatory of Music 1918 and 1920 

Graduates, 1881-1953 Philadelphia Musical Academy

School of Music - Wallace College - Berea, Ohio 1908

Ward-Belmont School Conservatory of Music Catalogue 1929

Alabama College Bulletin: School of Music 1924

Alabama Technical Institute and College for Women Bulletin: Proceedings of the First Annual Music Conference for the State of Alabama, Feb 1920 

The School of Music of Ripon College, Wisc 1910

Brigham University Music Program 1948

Bulletin of School of Music, Saint Clara College, Wisc: 1910

School of Music, Northwestern University, Evanston, ILL

Lebanon Valley College Catalogue: Department of Music Bulletin - PA

Calendar and Syllabus:  Toronto College of Music - 1909

Catalogue of the Oxford College of Music, Ohio 1910

Hardin College and Conservatory of Music - Mexico, Missouri 1911

Southern Presbyterian College and Conservatory of Music Catalogue - NC 1910

Music Bulletin, Loyola University, New Orleans

Ontario Ladies' College and Ontario Conservatory of Music and Art, Whitby 1911

Yearbook, Philadelphia Conservatory of Music - 1947

Undergraduate Students of the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music IN- OPUS

New England Conservatory of Music - The Neume

American Theatre's carnival for Britain organized by the American Theatre Wing of the British War Relief Society, Incorporated : Radio City Music Hall – 1941

Souvenir programme : Grand Festival, Carnival, Kermesse and Concert held at Mechanics Pavilion, San Francisco, February 25th to March 2d, 1895 : for the benefit of the New French Hospital


The history of the Royal Academy of Music w/ biographical sketches

Royal Normal College and Academy of Music for the Blind (1873 and +)

Opera singers : a pictorial souvenir, with biographies of some of the most famous singers of the day – 1901





Related Post: School's Out
        

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