June 27, 2024
“These
were their settlements. And they kept good family records.”[1]
Don’t
forget to look for the title which is embedded in the chronicle.
“Too Much Sass and Too Little Pay”
FAMILY ALBUM
Most of you have seen this photo before. Since I worked on the
Ballantyne booklet this week, and sent it out to three descendants of James and
Fanny (Holmes) Ballantyne for their input, I decided to choose this photo of
the (formerly known as) Brooklyn IOOF Cemetery, now known as the Brooklyn
Memorial Cemetery in Brooklyn, Iowa. James and Fanny are buried there, along
with their infant son. I found this picture ages ago on the internet.
James Ballantyne Find a Grave Memorial Number 59276052
Fanny Holmes Ballantyne Number 59091519
Infant (son) Number 81693397
GRATITUDE
Paula, Ann, and Carolyn did some editing for me. Without my
trusty editors, my writing would be a mess. Many thanks.
SUMMER BREAK
I took a break from Chronicles, but I certainly didn’t take a break from
genealogy. I’ve been very busy with my new manager’s role of the NBGS Facebook
page. I finally completed my rules. Facebook allows ten. I had seven. But then,
I found that each rule was limited to 500 characters, including spaces. So, now
I have ten. It took me a while, and I will probably be tweaking for a while,
but for now, that task is done. Now, I quickly police the group a few times a
day, and so far, all is well. There is lots of conversation going on. Every few
days I write a prompt that will hopefully get people talking, but in general,
the group maintains itself.
I also sent a sample of the James Hoyt Holmes line to cousin Grace, with
instructions. I’m looking for corrections and updates, and she had some for me.
This is a short line, and I wanted some feedback. I carry on, working on the
Descendants of Daniel and Charlotte. It is done, in essence, just revising to
my satisfaction. That is my evening work, when I feel like it.
I completed the indexing of Uncle Billy’s guest book and sent that off
to the webmaster. Now, I’m back (at a turtle’s pace) to indexing newspaper
obituaries of 1848.
Hopefully, after I get my brakes fixed, I’ll head up country for a stop
at the farm, the little store, and some cemeteries to “see” our folks.
MY GENEALOGY GOALS
- Chronicle
several times, and publish on Thursday morning.
- Keep
writing my next article for Generations, which is about the will of
Daniel Holmes.
- Spend
a bit of time on Moore family research: “Three Peas in a Moore Pod.”
- In
the evening, after chores are done, edit the Daniel and Charlotte family
genealogy.
- Index
old newspapers for NBGS.
- Manage
the NBGS Social Media Facebook page.
1924 to
1928
Those
are the years that our great or great-great grandparents spent renewing
relationships that had somehow fallen by the wayside but with organization,
letter writing, and challenging travel – by hook or by crook – they managed to
come together again. They reacquainted and rediscovered their family ties. And
then, one by one, they died, and many of those ties died with them.
2024 to 2028
One thing about genealogy is that it keeps changing. As I revise our family tree for the millionth time (or so it seems), I keep finding errors and new data. Errors, I have to keep watching for. It may be that I have made an error in recording; it may be that a new source pops up that refutes what I already have. Babies are born. People get married or become common law partners. People pass away. So, about the time I get the Daniel and Charlotte descendant genealogy done and emailed to you, it will be time to update it.
By sending the report
to Grace for review, I learned that there was still more to be learned. She
sent a double-spaced page of items to change, add, or delete. I hope, when I
send you your chart for review, that you will do so. You can trust that your
young’uns information will not go public. What I find about the living is
basically public knowledge that is available: directories, obituaries, etc. Sometimes
there are other people of the same name that are not correct, but I may have
added them anyway. So, it is important for you to give your input so there will
be as few errors as possible. It’s nasty to see your name in something and find
the information to be incorrect, or you might prefer to leave someone in the
closet – just doesn’t set right, somehow. Pretty soon, I’ll start sending these
charts out to you via email. You will only receive your line for correction
purposes, with the exception, perhaps, of a family genealogist. Family Tree Maker, a website I use
to print genealogy, gives an option that is invaluable to me - a Data Errors Report.
It is on the previous page. I have worked on this, but left some errors in
there so you can see this helpful report. The duplicate residences are simple
to remove. Some items puzzle me. And then, for example, is a very necessary
piece of information that I need to fix – see John Glocksen. I have him born in
1882. However, he was six months old in the 1880 census. Without this report,
I’d never have picked up on this faux pas. I will be changing his date of
birth. See also Rufus Holmes and Mary Bray Howitt. I highlighted them, but
it didn’t show up very well.
WHERE IN
THE WORLD
are
Kristin Holmes and Trish Yee?
MUM’S MEMOIRS
Time frame: right after graduation in 1940
I
worked that summer where I had boarded. The lady was in bed so I had meals,
cleaning baking etc. Had never made bread before but I tried it. I’d mix some
flour and then take it upstairs to see what to do next. It was a long procedure
but we ate it! We had always had molasses cake when we were boarding so one day
I decided to make a white cake. I got scolded as nobody ate anything but
molasses cake. It surely went fast so I’d make a molasses cake for the lady
& different ones for us. One night I was invited to a friends house so
after my work was done I went down but I didn’t say when I’d be home (Didn’t
know). So when I came home about 10, one of the boys from school walked home
with me but I wouldn’t let him come all the way. When I went to go in the door
was locked & I had to wake them up. They wanted to know who I was with so
had locked the door. I did more house work at the
Humphries $2.50 a week and my board. Had one week end off (Jan – May). We had
visitors each week end 2 in one family 3 in the other. I earned my money. The
lady wanted me to wear a uniform but I knew I wasn’t going to be there long as
I had applied for work in Civil Service, so couldn’t afford to buy one. The son
was real good to me. I enjoyed him. One night he came from work & said he’d
made arrangements for me to go to Moncton to see Dad in the hospital, double
hernia. Mrs. Humphries wasn’t too happy as she was having a church group in
& wanted me to serve them lunch but he told her they were old enough to
serve themselves! I
got my notice to go for an interview in Moncton to work at #5 Equipment Depot
and went to work there the 24 May holiday 1942. Lived with Barbara & Fran
in an apartment at 28 Steadman St. one large bedsitting room & one “small”
kitchen – no frig, a sink & small stove. We were there several months then
moved into a small house at 8 Queen Street by this time Frances had gone to
Ottawa Civic to train for a nurse. Our family at #8 grew Leota Cameron &
Judy McCully came to live with us. We had lots of company. Phoebe stayed with
us for a week when she had her tonsils out. She left $7. in a box (this was
borrowed and repaid so many times but was still there when we split up.)
Oh yes I had my tonsils out after I was through high school was in hospital a
week & had to stay in Moncton a week after so stayed with Barbara &
Marie for that week – knit a pair of socks. Enjoyed work at #5. Quite a walk
but was fine except at noon time if a troop train crossed Church St. Only had
an hour noon hour.
FAMILY HISTORY LESSON
I am working away at the article
on Daniel Holmes. Sometimes, something stops me in my tracks, and I have to
take a rabbit trail. I’m working on the expenses that had to be paid in regards
to Daniel’s end of life care and funeral. One of the items was shrouding, which
cost $.72. I thought that a shroud was a sheet, but decided to google it and
make sure. Maybe, at one time, it was a sheet. According to Wikipedia, the
Shroud of Turin was a piece of linen cloth. But, in Daniel’s time, a shroud was
an inexpensive but rather elaborate shirt affair that covered the top of the
body down to the waist. This way, the deceased individual’s clothing could be
used by someone else, but the person still looked like they wore the fashion of
the day. Here
is my transcription of the bit of probate. The original took me some time to
decipher.
PROBATE
“The
Estate of the Late Daniel Holmes
To Charles R
Holmes and Abner Jones
Executors of
said Estate
To Paid Probate Expenses
Proctor $10.00,
Judge & Registrar $24.72 34.72
Witnesses fees
& Expenses of Executors 7.75 7.75
“ “
Funeral Expenses
Digging grave
3.50 Sermon 5.00 Casket 21.00 Shrouding .72 30.22
Sodding grave
4.00 4.00
“ “ Paid
for burying lot 4.00. Tombstone and Lettering 27.50 31.50
“ “ Removing
dead 4.00 Taxes 3.00 Mortgage cancelled 4.00 11.00
Advertising
Probate 3.50 P[ai]d 2.15 5.65
Weekly paper 3
y[ea]rs 3.00 Shoeing horse .80 3.80
Appraisers bill
8.00 Mortgage cancelled 2.00 10.00
. . . Abner Jones Assisting nursing 7.00 . . .
Charles R Holmes nursing deceased 20.00”
Intrigued, I googled shrouding
in the 1800s. This, it seems, was big business in Boston and New York. I will
include a link, which includes a variety of articles; I will also include one
of the articles for those of you who like a short version of the chronicle. I
doubt that Daniel’s shrouding was that elaborate, but, who knows? I picture the
women having shrouding bees a couple of times a year. Do you suppose?
SEWING FOR THE DEAD
Girls Who make Good Wages and Are Contented in an
Undertaker’s Shop.
“Isn’t it lovely?” asked a young sewing girl, holding up for inspection
something of white satin and lace. “We are crowded with work just now, so I
brought this home to finish it to-night.” “You have a trousseau on hand, then?
I suppose that fancy garment, whatever it may be, is for a bride,” The sewing
girl opened wide her eyes. “We don’t make no trousseau,” said she. “Did you
think I worked at a dressmaker’s?” “Yes? Aren’t you with Mme. X.?”
“Not much! I left there a month ago. The madame gave me too much sass
and too little pay. I’m in Y___’s undertaking establishment and am earning half
as much again as I did at Mme. X___’s, who is the most awful crew in this city.
The season is longer, too, though of course there ain’t half the number of
girls employed where I know that there were at madame’s. When I worked there I
was laid off reg’lar three months in the year, while four weeks is the longest
that the girls at the undertaker’s are idle. When there is a full supply of
robes in stock they are put to making coffin linings, which most of ‘em like
because it isn’t fussy work, though, for that matter, none of their work is
half so fussy as what I had to bother with when I sewed for live people. Miss
B___ (she is our forewoman) used to have the same place at a dressmaker’s, and
she says she has grown ten years younger since she went into the robe making
business, because she has so much less worry of mind. She sometimes used to
have to keep her girls up till 12 o’clock Saturday night to finish a dress for
some rich customer, and early Monday morning here would come the dress back
again to be altered, and a sassy message long with it about its want of fit.
Now, there aren’t any particular fit about a burial robe as you can see by
this; it is made only to go over the corpse. Miss B___ says it is a great
comfort to her to know that them as wears ‘em don’t make no complaint , and in
the main they are becoming, which can’t be said of live dresses—I mean the
dresses live people wear.
“To see them in their coffins you would think they were completely
dressed, but really all their finery is on top. Even the men’s solid looking
black coats and smooth shirt fronts can go on and off without removing the
corpse. What I am making is for a young girl who died yesterday, and will be
buried to-morrow. She was to have been married next month, and her trousseau
was begun at Mme. X___’s before I left there. She will look just as sweet in
this robe I am making for her as she would have done in her wedding dress.
“Afraid of the coffins? Not after the first day. It would be a pity if
we were, as our sewing room is at the end of the loft where piles upon piles of
them are stowed away. We talk and laugh and sing, just as we did at Mme. X___,
and Miss B___ is an awful lot nicer than the freewoman we had there, because,
as I have already said, she isn’t being constantly worried out of her life by
fussy ladies; and, as it is piecework, she never has to scold the girls for
loafing. She says that what she can’t get used to is to have to go downstairs
and take orders for robes for folks that still have breath in their bodies.
Some people seem to be in an awful hurry to get their dead put underground.
When Miss B____
was downstairs today at noontime and the rest of us were eating lunch, one of
the girls had her chair break down under her, and, as there was no other to be
had, what did she do but go out and drag in a coffin to sit on! When we had
finished our lunch we took and laid her out in it and covered her with a robe,
and then we began to cry, and talk about the virtues of the deceased, and were
having a real jolly wake, considering there was no candles, when in come the
boss. We didn’t’ know but we’d all be fired out for meddling with the coffins,
but all he said was that it would be money in his pocket if we lazy loafers
were all of us in our coffins, as our custom would pay him better than our
work. The girl in the coffin—she’s awfully cheeky—jumped up and told him it was
playtime, as it was not yet half past 12, and then he said what as fun to us
would be considered death by most folks and with that he went out. One of the
girls said he was in a good humor because there was talk of the yellow fever
coming here this summer, but that wasn’t so. Undertakers ain’t no more
heartless than other men, and when it comes to paying their girls they ain’t
half such skins as some women.” New York Tribune. Huron Daily
Huronite [Huron, SD] 16 January 1890: p. 3
I’ll be back, but not next week.
Happy Canada Day July 1
Happy Independence Day July 4
This ends
week twenty-six of our centennial virtual celebration.
