Tuesday’s Tip: Broida Family Research in Denver, Colorado Repositories

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1894c Gittel (Frank) Broida, cropped from a family portrait.
1894c Sarah Gittel (Frank) Broida, cropped from a family portrait.

Broida Family Ancestor

 

So much for a quick check of my email…

An email from GeneaBloggers Daily reported that Family Tree Magazine had listed the “75 Best Genealogy Websites for USA Research.” So of course I cruised onto the FTM website despite my meticulous list of all the things I needed to do today that did not include genealogy. I was excited to see that the article was titled, “75 Best Genealogy Websites for U. S. States in 2014.” There, in a state-by-state listing, were state repositories, rather than general lists that covered the whole country. It was exactly what I needed.

Gittel Frank Broida is one of our family brick walls. We were elated this past year to learn that her maiden name was Frank, and that a cousin had found her death certificate in Colorado, even though she was buried in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately the link no longer took us right to the certificate, as it might in many states. Since the time of finding the link, Colorado has apparently deemed it an invasion of privacy to put online a death certificate that is 114 years old. So I paid my money and sent lots of information, including a driver’s license image and a notarized statement that my husband wrote that he was requesting the death certificate of his g-g-grandmother. After a few weeks I finally got a message back that he was not eligible to receive the death certificate, as he had to be within 2 generations of the deceased, and the money I sent was taken as research fees. Sadly there is no one around 114 years later that fits the requirement of only 1-2 generations from the ancestor, so no death certificate for us. (A good reminder- save/make copies of what you find online- it may be even more ephemeral than paper!)

Seeing that there were two repositories listed for Colorado in the Family Tree Magazine article, I knew I had to do the searches. The Colorado State Archives was the first search, with 3 hits for “Broida”:

BROIDA, Sarah Gasse,  ID 195474, Death Record, Archive Location R90, County of Denver, and the date was 1901-APR-14

BROIDA, Theodore D., ID 1248579, Marriage License, (no county listed), 1916-Aug 20

CORONATION EMBROIDAY HOOP Co., ID 816923, Incorporation records, Archive Location S500, (no county listed), 1903-MAY-28

It took me a minute to realize why that third search result was in there- my mind read “Embroidery” but it was spelled differently and the name “Broida” was right in the middle.

The other two hits were great though.

I had forgotten that Gittel was listed with ‘Sarah’ as her first name in some of the burial records, but I have not heard the name ‘Gasse.’ Her maiden name was Frank, so it will be interesting to see where ‘Gasse’ came from, with further research. The death date and place were correct, however, so this is most likely our Gittel.

Years ago we were surprised to find Gittel and John in Denver, Colorado in the 1900 US Federal Census- initially thought it was a mistake, as they had lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for most of their lives after age 20 or so when they migrated to the US from Russian Lithuania. At first we assumed that the census taker found them in Denver during an extended visit with their son, but then realized John was employed and a number of people lived in the home. More recent research, however, told us that Gittel acquired ‘pulmonary tuberculosis,’ so they had probably moved to Denver in hopes of the cleaner mountain air helping her to breathe easier. Sadly, that was not to be, and she passed away 14 April 1901.  She was buried in Beth Hamedrash Hagodol-Beth Jacob Cemetery in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. (See the previous post, “Mystery Monday-Gitel/Gertrude (Frank) Broida.”)

Looking back at my ‘Mystery Monday’ post on Gitel (always review your previous research!), the light bulb went on- the name “Gasse” might be explained by the way Gitel was enumerated in the 1900 census- as “Gussie.” Gitel and John’s granddaughter, Gertude Broida Cooper, remembered her immigrant grandfather as having a very thick accent (she never knew her paternal grandmother)- Gitel probably did as well. So that may explain the names. One more mystery- SOLVED.

The next step was to get the record for Gittel from the Colorado State Archives, so I contacted the Archives via email. More on that later, and Theodore Broida, too.

 

Oh yes- I got so excited about what I found that I didn’t really mention a Tuesday’s Tip. Not sure if it should be:

1) Read a lot of genealogy blogs and follow up on the resources they mention; OR

2) Check out state repositories every now and then to see what new items are online; OR

3) Review your research at later times- something you just learned may make something else ‘click’; OR

4) Just ignore the “dumb-stuff-ya-gotta-do” and do genealogy as it comes to you.

My “Tuesday’s Tip” should probably be all of the above. I wish 4) could happen more often.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) GeneaBloggers Daily. 22 Jan 2015. http://paper.li/geneabloggers/1306385546?edition_id=24394720-a2a3-11e4-8c49-0cc47a0d1605&utm_campaign=paper_sub&utm_medium=email&utm_source=subscription#!technology

2) Crume, Rick.  75 Best Genealogy Websites for US States in 2014. 20 Jan 2015.  Family Tree Magazine/FW Media. http://familytreemagazine.com/article/2014-best-state-genealogy-websites

3) Colorado State Archives: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/archives/archives-search

4) See my 25 Nov 2013 post, “Mystery Monday- Gitel/Gertrude (Frank) Broida at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/11/25/mystery-monday-gitelgertude-frank-broida/.

 

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“Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day” and Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray

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Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray, August, 1981
Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray, August, 1981

Helbling, McMurray Family

 

I just couldn’t let “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day” go by because it made me think of Mary McMurray.

First of course, who even knew there was such a day??? Not that we shouldn’t appreciate bubble wrap- it gives lots of people jobs to make it and sell it, and to wrap everything that ever gets mailed or moved. It keeps so many things from breaking, so I will admit a certain admiration for the product and its inventors, Marc A. Chavannes and Al Fielding. Back in 1957 they had devised a three-dimensional wallpaper, but had problems selling it. A trip on a small, propeller airplane caused the light bulb to go on in the head of Chavannes, as it seemed the fluffy clouds were cushioning the bumpy flight. He knew then that their hip wallpaper would be better suited to cushioning products being shipped, and the bubble wrap industry, now manufactured in 52 countries, was begun.

The need for a tactile, satisfying pop of the bubbles was probably realized very soon after, maybe even moments after the first of the bubble wallpaper was produced. Who knew it would also generate crazy things like a wedding dress made of bubble wrap, cameos in movies, a calendar to pop a bubble a day (thankfully, it does have additional bubbles if the user cannot stop at just one), or an app so that folks can pop the virtual bubbles on their computer or mobile device if the real thing is not at hand? There is even a book dedicated to it: The Bubble Wrap Book.

Bubble Wrap. Wikimedia Commons, Photo: Rainer Knäpper, Free Art License (http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/)
Bubble Wrap. Wikimedia Commons, Photo: Rainer Knäpper, Free Art License (http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/)

Which leads us to “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day”- how did that come about? Well, on the last Monday in January, in Bloomington, Indiana some years ago, a radio station received a shipment of new microphones. The broadcast button said “ON” but apparently the staff was unaware. Instead of the rustling sound of unwrapping the microphones, listeners heard the station staff forcefully popping bubbles. Apparently the noise was pretty loud, and of course unexpected; a new commemorative day was born.

While that sound is aggravating to people like me, and I regret the waste of resources because it will no longer function as it was designed, (yes, I am one of those tree-hugger environmentalists, and sometimes it can be recycled but probably is not), science has proven that the popping of bubble wrap can reduce stress and tiredness. (That last one is puzzling.) Bubble wrap can lead to aggression too, as the psychologist who did the study reported that she had seen professional people fight over who gets to pop the sheets of bubbles when a new package is opened. And then there is addiction- as Dr. Kathleen M. Dillon admitted about herself: “I have to pop all the bubbles.”

And that brings us to Mary McMurray- she would “… HAVE to pop ALL the bubbles.” It did reduce stress for her, and she really loved that popping sound and feel. One year I gave her a small gift in a box with a lot of bubble wrap- the wrap did not last as long as expected, but while there was still air in those plastic bubbles, she enjoyed it probably more than the other gift.

It’s always good to make someone happy. And if you can gracefully leave the room while all the bubbles are being popped, so much the better.

 

So go out and find yourself some bubble wrap to pop today- you will be in good company on “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.” Although, apparently, that would be ANY day.

!POP!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Barron, James. “Celebrating Half a Century of Loud, Soothing Pops. ” New York Times, Jan. 25, 2010. Website. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/25/celebrating-half-a-century-of-loud-soothing-pops/?_r=1

2) Green, Joey, and Tim Nyberg. The Bubble Wrap Book. Harper Perennial, 1998. Print. Quite a collaboration of intriguing uses for bubble wrap from authors who wrote about many uses for Spam (Green) and duct tape (Nyberg).

 

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Suffrage Saturday: 1893 Letter with List of Registered Women Voters, Colchester, NY, Part 1

This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series 1893 Colchester NY List of Women Voters
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21 Oct 1893: Women Registered, Election Dist 1 Colchester NY letter; envelope- address
21 Oct 1893: Women Registered, Election Dist 1 Colchester NY letter; envelope- address
21 Oct 1893: Women Registered, Election Dist 1 Colchester NY letter; envelope- address-reverse
21 Oct 1893: Women Registered, Election Dist 1 Colchester NY letter; envelope- address-reverse

➡ Women’s Suffrage

I recently acquired a letter on eBay that has a list of the women registered in Election District 1, Colchester, New York. I wanted to post it here with a transcription, so that some researchers might be able to find their ancestors. The letter is written on legal-size pages, front and back, and notes which of the women are teachers or ex-teachers.

Ray LaFever, the Delaware County [NY] Historical Association Archivist, informed me that women gained the right to vote in 1880 for school elections in New York state. He has seen some records of this in Delaware County.

21 Oct 1893 Women Registered, Election District 1, Colchester, NY- Letter, p1a
21 Oct 1893 Women Registered, Election District 1, Colchester, NY- Letter, p1a
21 Oct 1893 Women Registered, Election District 1, Colchester, NY- Letter, p1b
21 Oct 1893 Women Registered, Election District 1, Colchester, NY- Letter, p1b

Transcription:

Name Address
Ex-teacher X Miss Nettie Warren Downsville
X Mrs. Maggie     “
   “ Jennie Wilburn Colchester
X    “ May Young
X    “ Susan Francisco
 X    “ Phebe Young
   “ Marian Gregory
    “                “
    “                “
Teacher Sara A. Conlon
Teacher    “ Phebe H. Conlon
Teacher Mrs. Mary E. Wolcott
Ex-Teacher X    “ Lucy Bull
X    “ Addie Horton
X    “ Minda Radeker
X    “ Myra G Radeker
Ex-Teacher X    “ Laura Radeker
X    “ Elizabeth Hoyt
   “ Ann Hawks Downsville
   “ Louissa Fuller
X    “ Frances Suttle
X    “ Annis Fuller
X    “ Rachel Fuller
X    “ Augusta Fuller
X    “ Rosetta Baxter
   “ Elizabeth Bogard
Teacher X Miss Mary L. Conklin
Mrs. Lottie Green

Next Saturday- Part 2

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Letter in possession of author, purchased on eBay. Seller stated that she bought it from a woman who bought a lot of old furniture in New England/New York, and the letter was found in an old desk. She listed it under ‘woman suffrage.’ It would be so interesting to know what the letter written to these women was about. Many of the local election groups went on to work for state or federal suffrage for women, but this could also have been about a particular issue important to teachers as well as mothers that was coming up for a vote. Looks like more research is needed.

2) Yes, I do need to learn how to stitch together scans- it’s on the list. I have been struggling with getting tables to work properly in WordPress instead (which are really needed for transcriptions), and as you can see by the formatting in the post, tables are still not working properly. This is plug-in number four for tables that I have tried- the first three were even worse. It looked great in my preview, as did the others, but changed when published. I thought of just adding an image of my MSWord document, but then the names would not be picked up by search engines, so this will have to do. Sorry- if any part is unclear due to formatting, please contact me.

 

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Friday’s Faces from the Past: Big Four School in Marquand Missouri

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Big Four School in Marquand, Missouri, c?
Big Four School in Marquand, Missouri, c?

Whitener Family

 

Front row, sitting:

Second from left- John Newton Whitener

Third from right- Byrde Caroline Whitener

 

Standing:

Third from right- Hazel Marie Whitener Sigler

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Whitener Family photo collection.

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.

Wordless Wednesday: Unknown Lee? on a Boat

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Unknown girl at a lake or the beach with boat in background. In with Lee-Alexander-Aiken-Brandenburger papers and photos.
Unknown girl /woman at a lake or the beach with boat in background. In with Lee-Alexander-Aiken-Brandenburger papers and photos.

Lee Family?

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Image in with Lee family photos and papers, in a photo album. This woman could also be an Aiken, Russell, Alexander, Schoor, or Brandenburger. If you know who this woman is, please let us know!

 

 

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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

 
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.