Once again I lost control and devoured something I had vowed to savor slowly.  I tried to pace myself by thinking of household chores to distract me.  "I'll empty the dishwasher at the end of this chapter. . . three chapters ago." Yes, Nathan Dylan Goodwin has done it again.  His latest mystery, The Dover Trunk Murder,  is another enthralling work of intrigue.  Nathan always does meticulous research, thus his books transport the reader to another place, another time, with engaging characters. Dover, England circa 1914 In The Dover Trunk Murder , the reader is transported to Dover, England in August, 1914, days before Germany invaded Belgium sparking what would become World War I.  Our main character is Edwin Dalloway, Detective Inspector, lately of Scotland Yard and now newly employed by the Dover Burrough Police Department.   www.oldmapsonline.org Edwin has barely set foot in Dover when someone finds a severed woman's arm on the sand next to the ...

  Different generations are often defined by the tragedies that shatter their collective innocence. The Hindenburg Disaster The Zeppelin LZ 129 Hindenburg catching fire on May 6 , 1937 at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey . For my father, the defining moment wasn't the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941—even though he was a high school senior at the time, and his two older brothers were immediately mobilized to train troops because of their military school experience. Instead, it was the unexpected shock of the Hindenburg crash in 1937 that left the deepest mark on him.   President John F. Kennedy Assassination The Polaroid photo taken by Mary Ann Moorman a fraction of a second after the fatal shot  For me, that loss of innocence came with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a man who represented a bright, optimistic future. I clearly remember that cold, sunny day, walking home for lunch a few short blocks from school. There was still ice...

  First Labor Day parade, September 5,1882--U S Dept. of Labor image Where was your laborer ancestor on September 5, 1882? If he was in New York City, he may have marched in the first Labor Day parade. A brief timeline of the Industrial Revolution shows us the progression from home production to mass production in factories. Factories needed workers and workers needed residences near the factories, thus cities grew. Many of our young, penniless immigrant ancestors found their first occupation in East Coast factories. Factory workers developed unions in an effort to improve working conditions but it also resulted in a social network of sorts. By the 1880s, concern for workers was more evident and the first "Labor Day" was suggested. On the morning of September 5, 1882, a crowd of spectators filled the sidewalks of lower Manhattan near city hall and along Broadway. They had come early, well before the Labor Day parade marchers, to claim the best vantage points from which to...

  "Light within all living beings," by Stefan Perneborg via Flickr; free to use. I bow to the light within you: namaste.  Before traveling to India to speak at a student conference a few years ago, I became aware of the Indian customary greeting, and what it meant. An Indian friend said, well, we don't think about the full meaning, it is just a respectful hello. However, while in India I felt deeply welcomed and respected by each person I met; many of them offering gifts upon meeting me. I treasure those gifts and the way each person made me feel.  I try to treat people like that, and life is generally better when I do. Over the past year, I've been trying to clean up my Ancestry tree, and since mulling over this practice of namaste, to see what "beginner me" was trying to accomplish years ago. I made lots of mistakes, but the repair project has taught me so much.  However,  I'm still struggling to honor the light within some of my ancestors and their re...

Vecteezy--"Night Starry Sky and Pink Clouds Sunrise" "Land, give me land, under starry skies above," "Don't Fence Me In" You probably recognize these words penned in a 1934 text by Robert Fletcher, a poet and engineer with the Department of Highways in Helena, Montana.  When Cole Porter was asked to write a "cowboy" song, he used the text and "Don't Fence Me In" quickly became the #1 song in 1944.  It was recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, by Kate Smith, and Roy Rogers used it in at least two movies. While the text and song may have been 1930s/1940s era and still popular today, the sentiment was anything but new.  The cry of "give me land!" has been heard in every corner of the United States since its birth in 1783.  "Give me land!" has been uttered in the language of every immigrant who ever set foot on our shores. The "don't fence me in" spirit was evident from the very beginning...

Before heading to the grocery store, I need to make a list, so I don't forget to pick up something we need, or worse, buy things we don't! I hate waste and overcrowding the 'fridge. It is even more important to plan both my schedule and my genealogy.  I learned how helpful this was some years ago, when we studied Research Like A Pro : A Genealogist’s Guide by  Diana Elder, AG with Nicole Dyer .  Thinking about my questions and goals before diving in, and carefully reviewing everything I know (or think I do) is critical to progress and eventual success. The GPS, Genealogical Proof Standard , was created to help us in our work, because building on a solid foundation helps us have confidence in our findings and enjoy the journey. I find planning more parts of my life helps me have more time for research too. I use Google calendar, but whatever tools you like will work, as long as you use them as a part of your daily routine.  So what's my latest plan? I just started on...