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Treasure Chest Thursday: Family Scrapbooks, Photo Albums, and Shoe Boxes

Section of page 2  in Edith Roberts' college scrapbook with sorority invitations. (Apologies for the poor copy- it was a photocopy in the days before scanners.)
Section of page 2 in Edith Roberts’ college scrapbook with sorority invitations. Edith was attending college about 1919- very few women were enrolled at the University of Iowa (in Iowa City) in those days. (Apologies for the poor copy- it was a photocopy back in the days before scanners.)

I recently read a great post that was linked on the Oct. 12, 2014 GeneaBloggers Daily by Gordon Belt: Scrapbooks: the Original Social Media. The article is by Katherine Hoarn, and her premise is intriguing:

“As a means of creating and communicating self, … scrapbooks operate in much the same way that popular forms of social media do for students today.”

Ms. Hoarn continues in her article to discuss how scrapbooks served the same purpose years ago as Facebook does now- to allow communication between family and friends and give a sense of who the person was at a certain point in their life.

Scrapbooking- and by extension the paper ephemera passed down that we family historians so cherish- is also an act of curation, Ms. Hoarn explains.

12 June 1892- Will McMurray's Graduation program from Newton High School, Newton, Iowa.
12 June 1892- Will McMurray’s Graduation program from Newton High School, Newton, Iowa.

She compares this collecting of text and images to Pinterest and Tumblr sites that showcase interests, passions, and events. Whether neatly organized onto boards on Pinterest or into a scrapbook, autograph book, photo album, diary, or even a shoebox, most of what we have inherited has been culled through generations to be the most important ephemera of a life. If we are lucky, we may even have commentary attached to give us more insight into a life.

"Heap good shot. Ketch plenty fish." Probably William Hanford Aiken.
“Heap good shot. Ketch plenty fish.” Probably William Hanford Aiken about 1910, when he was living in Florence, Colorado with his family.

Instagram, of course, is today’s electronic version of the photo album and if we are REALLY lucky, our old images will also be “tagged” with names, dates, and places.

Mabel Mulhollen is written on the back, Nov. '28 [1928] on the front.
Mabel Mulhollen is written on the back, Nov. ’28 [1928] on the front. Sadly no place clues for this photo.
A caption can touch our hearts or give us a giggle- sometimes both at the same time.

About 1929? Edward A. McMurray, from his own photo album in which he wrote the captions, created  in the late 1940s.
About 1929? Edward A. McMurray, from his own photo album in which he wrote the captions, created in the late 1940s as he was preparing to get married.

As one who laments the passing of paper and worries what treasures will be left for the next generations to cherish in their even more ephemeral electronic world,  I truly treasure the scrapbook, photo albums, and shoe boxes of photos and papers left by our ancestors. I am so glad that we do have ways of sharing the old-timey via new technology, though, so all can gain a bit more insight into those who have gone before.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1)  Geneabloggers Daily: http://paper.li/geneabloggers/1306385546

2) In the near long ago, boys graduated to long pants as they matured- a rite of passage that was longed for by many, much as our generation cannot wait until we can drive.

3) While searching for appropriate pictures for this post, I found the above image of Mabel- we have a younger picture of her that until this moment we thought was the only one- see Mystery Monday: Mabel Mulhollen. She may be more important in our family than we realized since there is more than one photo of her. We can also use this photo of her at an older age to compare to other family images from the same time period that include people we do not know. Is she family or part of the FAN Club? More research needed.

4) FAN Club= Friends, Associates, Neighbors; researching these folks can help us learn more about our ancestors.

5) The Newton (Iowa) High School Class of 1892 included Lillie Brown, Ella Clarkson, Marie Hass, Henry Jasper, Fred Kennedy, Belle Lambert, Artie McKinley, Willie McMurray, Hettie McCord, Fred Meredith, and Lillian Patten.

The Daughters of Joseph Baer Cooper and Helen Cooper

Ann Cooper, unknown date.
Ann Cooper, unknown date.

A previous post included pictures of the Joseph and Helen Cooper family through the years, including a great picture from about 1913 with the four siblings with Irving in his Indian costume- just adorable. Following is what we know about each of Irving’s sisters. We are hoping we can find more cousins to help us learn more about each of these women.

Ann Cooper

Irv’s oldest sister, Ann, was born on 03 Jan 1903 in Pennsylvania. She lived with her parents in Montgomery, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania where she is found in the 1910 and 1920 census with them. She married Joe Poser between 1920 and 1924, when their daughter Kathleen C. Poser was born. Joe died in 1926, and Ann Poser and her daughter are listed as living with Joseph and Helen in the 1930 US Federal Census in Montgomery, Pennsylvania.

Ann married __ Hesselson between 1930 and 1940. She lived at 567 Riverside Ave. in Elmira, Chemung, New York by 1935 and was still there in 1940 per the US Federal Census. She was again listed as a widow and as head of household, working as a ‘saleslady’ in retail women’s ready to wear. Her daughter Kathleen Poser was living with her, and Ann’s brother-in-law, Abe Hesselson, shared the household. Ann died in November, 1981 in Richmond, Henrico, Virginia.

Rose Cooper
Rose Cooper

Rose Cooper

Rose was born 10 Mar 1904, also in Pennsylvania. She too is found with the family in the 1910 and 1920 US Federal Censuses. By 1930, however, she had been trained as a nurse and was working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in a hospital. She lived in a boarding house with nine other women, eight of them nurses (one still a student nurse) plus a woman who was a hospital supervisor.

In 1935, Rose was living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but by 1940 she had moved to New York City, where she worked for Greenpoint City Hospital as a Registered Nurse. She must have lived in a very large apartment complex- four pages of census entries include 160 persons who worked in the hospital.

The 1940 census also notes that Rose had worked 52 weeks in 1939 during the depression, and her salary was $1190 for the year 1939. Rose was one of the persons asked supplemental questions that year, and they included whether she had been married more than once (no) and her age at first marriage (25). This explains the fact that she was listed as divorced, and had apparently married originally around 1929. The supplemental questions also asked the language spoken in her home when she was young, and her reply was “Jewish.” Additionally she was asked if she had a Social Security card, and did not. (The Social Security Act was passed in 1935 and amended in 1939.)

Rose married Ruby Gale on 3 Feb 1952 per The Cooper Clan Chronicle of June, 1952. She died in Richmond, Virginia, on 22 Jan 1988.

Rose & Loretta Cooper
Rose & Loretta Cooper

Loretta Cooper

Loretta was the youngest of the three girls, born about 1907 in Pennsylvania. She too is found living with their parents in the 1910, 1920 censuses, plus the 1930 US Federal Censuses for Montgomery, Pennsylvania.

Loretta married Delmas Mayer Ribakow, born about 1906, an upholsterer in Baltimore, Maryland in 1930. They had one son, Harold R. Ribakow, born 24 Jul 1935, and died 02 Jan 2008. This is all we know about the family, but are hoping to learn more since we have been recently contacted by a descendant of this line. (Hooray! Blogs DO work as cousin bait!)

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Sibling Saturday: Siblings of Irving Cooper Through the Years. http://heritageramblings.net/2014/11/08/sibling-saturday-siblings-of-irving-cooper-through-the-years/

2) 1910 US Federal Census for Joseph Baer Cooper and family:  Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Montgomery, Lycoming, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1372; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0058; FHL microfilm: 1375385. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Accessed 11-8-14.

3) 1920 US Federal Census for Joseph Baer Cooper and family:  Source Citation: Year: 1920; Census Place: Montgomery, Lycoming, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1599; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 59; Image: 32. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Accessed 11-8-14.

4) 1930 US Federal Census for Joseph Baer Cooper and family:  Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Montgomery, Lycoming, Pennsylvania; Roll: 2074; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0033; Image: 1086.0; FHL microfilm: 2341808. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Accessed 11-8-2014.

5) 1940 US Federal Census for Anna Hesselson: Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: Elmira, Chemung, New York; Roll: T627_2514; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 8-53. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Accessed 11-8-14.

6) 1930 US Federal Census for Rose Cooper: Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 2134; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 1053; Image: 835.0; FHL microfilm: 2341868. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Accessed 11-8-14.

7) 1940 US Federal Census for Rose Cooper: Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, Kings, New York; Roll: T627_2583; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 24-1440.  Accessed 11-8-14.

8) Delmas Ribikow: R. L. Polk City Directory for Baltimore, Maryland, 1930. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Accessed 11-8-14.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

Copyright 2013-2014 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.

Sibling Saturday: Siblings of Irving Cooper Through the Years

The Cooper Children. Irving Cooper standing in Indian costume. Girls, from left: Loretta, Rose, and Ann Cooper, c1913.
The Cooper Children. Irving Cooper standing in Indian costume. Girls, from left: Loretta, Rose, and Ann Cooper, c1913.

Irving Israel Cooper was the youngest of the four children born to Joseph Baer Cooper (1873-1955) and Helen Freda Cooper (1878-1934). [Helen’s maiden name was Cooper- they were second cousins. See previous Cooper posts listed below.]

Joseph Cooper and His Children, from left: Ann, Rose, Irving, and Loretta, with Joseph in front center
Joseph Cooper and His Children, from left: Ann, Rose, Irving, and Loretta, with Joseph in front center, c1930s?

Irving had three older sisters:

Ann Cooper, born 1903.

Rose Cooper, born 1904

and

Loretta Cooper, born 1907.

Joseph Cooper and children, Mar 20 1949. From left: Irving Cooper, Ann Cooper Hesselson, Joseph Cooper, Rose Cooper Gale, and Loretta Cooper Ribakow.
Joseph Cooper and children, Mar 20 1949. From left: Irving Cooper, Ann Cooper Hesselson, Joseph Cooper, Rose Cooper Gale, and Loretta Cooper Ribakow.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Cooper family photos.

2) Previous posts about this Cooper family:

Wedding Wednesday: Joseph Baer Cooper and Helen Cooper may be found at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/12/04/wedding-wednesday-joseph-baer-cooper-and-helen-cooper/

Silly Sunday: Joseph Cooper Family in Swimsuits : http://heritageramblings.net/2014/01/19/silly-sunday-joseph-cooper-family-in-swimsuits-c1912/

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

Copyright 2013-2014 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.

 

 

Happy Birthday to Heritage Ramblings!

Gertrude Broida Cooper and her husband Irving I. Cooper with their grandchildren in 1966.
Gertrude Broida Cooper and her husband Irving I. Cooper with their grandchildren in 1966. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Our blog is one year old this week!

This is blog post number 135.

(That is an average of about 1 post every 3 days- now I know where my time goes.)

Our Home Page has been viewed 1,074 times.

The most views we have had in one day is 92.

The post with the most views had 68.

We have had 162 spam comments. (Dealing with that is a BIG time-waster, even if it is just a few clicks.)

We don’t want to say how many revisions a few of the posts have had- finding more information, fixing typos (wish I had taken typing in school), and being a perfectionist who doesn’t always get it perfect due to time constraints and distractions makes it challenging, but we keep striving to make this blog better.

We found two distant cousins. (Cousin bait is one of our reasons for blogging.)

We have had two persons with associated artifacts or a link to a person mentioned in the blog (not family) contact us.

The curator for the Healdsburg Museum found us through Ancestry.com but then saw the blog and liked it. She asked me to write an article on Edward B. Payne for their journal that accompanied an exhibit on Altruria and other Sonoma County, CA Utopian colonies- that was pretty exciting. The exhibit is over but they are planning a virtual exhibit of “Visionaries, Believers, Seekers and Schemers” in the near future. More posts to come with the Altruria story.

Two tombstones have had transliterations done from the Hebrew/Yiddish by kind persons who found us, and who recommended JewishGen’s Viewmate service for future items that need translating.

 

Not too bad for 365 days.

 

From an idea between two family members inspired by Legacy Family Tree Webinars on starting a blog (Thanks, Dear Myrt and Geoff Rasmussen!) and wanting to share the wonderful family history stories we have uncovered, we finally got it together and actually created one. We continue to be challenged concerning the mechanics of the blog- still trying to figure out how to add the lead photo of a post to subscriber emails, as I have it set up that way but it still does not do so- and finding the time to blog is almost impossible lately. Seems like each blog post requires a bit more research to fill in the blanks as one writes, as getting it down on paper- er, in pixels?- helps one to see what is missing. So the posts take longer than expected, but they really do help to put ancestors in the right context and clarify mysteries.

We do hope that you will stay tuned for more family stories- and we have some very exciting things in the works too!

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Photo is from family treasure collection.

2) The post with the most views is “Those Places Thursday: Witebsk, Belarus and The Mother of Abraham Green or Rose (Brave) Green.”

3) Healdsburg Museum, Sonoma Co., California: http://www.healdsburgmuseum.org

 

Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image.

Copyright 2013-2014 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.

Matrilineal Monday: 1938 Broida Memorials

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Broida Family Reunions
1938 Broida Reunion News, page 3. (Click to enlarge.)
1938 Broida Reunion News, page 3. (Click to enlarge.)

 

Broidas are a part of our matrilineal line, so today is a good day to post the remaining two pages of the 1938 Broida Reunion News, as it contains memorials for those who had passed away since the previous reunion. The memorials are for Myron Broida (d. 26 Aug 1937), Joseph Hirsh (d. 25 Jan 1938, husband of Libbie Broida), and Kate (Broida) York (d. 14 Apr 1938).

Page four of the issue suggests memorials for those who have recently passed on, plus some Association information. The 1937-1938 officers of the Broida Reunion Committee were Isaac Rogow, Myron Broida, John Serbin, Joseph Hirsh, and Leonard Broida, but two had the sad circumstance that  “…Long Life failed them.”

1938 Broida Reunion News, page 4. (Click to enlarge.)
1938 Broida Reunion News, page 4. (Click to enlarge.)

The Broida ladies finally get a little press as the ‘Local Secretaries’ for the Reunion Committee: Martha Smith, Mrs. Morris Broida, Anita Broida, Frances rothfield, Sylvia Collins, Mrs. Julius Broida, Anna Shapiro, Jean Hirsh, Sylvia Pollock, Sarita Snyder, Eva Goldstein, Pearl Blumenthal, Lillian Gefsky, Leah Broida, and Minnie York.

 

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Family ephemera.

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.

Copyright 2013-2014 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.