Time Travel Tuesday – Heritage Ramblings

When we think of time traveling, especially as genealogists, we tend to think of traveling back in time, to the past. This was discussed in a post a couple of weeks ago, “Where- and When- Will Your Family History Research Take You?” at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/12/10/time-travel-tu…earch-take-you/

Of course, there are also those who look to the future- space travel and life on distant planets intrigues them. Making memories today for those to have in the future is an important part of life, too. As we have children and grandchildren, even great-grandchildren if we are lucky to be here with them, we think about making the time count more and more.

Have you ever thought about making memories for others you don’t even know? How about providing them with the means to have memories that will be cherished throughout their future, and a way they can time travel to the early 21st century when they are old and living in a space station revolving around the Earth? The way that I love to do this is by making handmade greeting cards that get sent to our troops overseas. Since there are no Hallmark stores in the mountains of Afghanistan and other remote places our troops serve, these handmade cards are for many occasions- birthday, anniversary, thinking of you, thanks, Christmas, etc. The cards are decorated on the front and are blank or have a sentiment inside, so that our troops can write home to their families on special occasions- or just any day of the week that ends in “y.” 😀 It is a great way for families to keep in touch, but more importantly, a way for them to keep those memories throughout the years- something that cannot easily be done with our electronic communications today. Deployed troops and their family members have written notes to the various organizations and said how much they treasure a love letter from a spouse in these cards, and how fun it is to send a Halloween, Way to Go, Birthday, etc. card to their children back home. (Click the links below to read heartfelt thank yous from our troops.)

There are a number of groups that collect cards from cardmakers, package them up in boxes with no duplicates and for a variety of occasions, and then send cases overseas to military units around the globe. The cards can be found by our troops in Chaplain’s offices, chow halls, etc.- anyplace they can gather and write a note. One Chaplain even carried them in the many pockets of his fatigues, to hand out to servicemembers he met out in the field. Our troops are able to mail the cards home for free- no stamps needed. Some units even use the cards to give to those deployed on their birthdays!

Probably the biggest group that sends cards to our troops is Operation Write Home (OWH). They have sent over 2.5 million cards since 2007. They also send “AnyHero Mail”- these are cards made or purchased, a note, or even a coloring page by kids, with a ‘thank you’ note written in by folks here at home. “AnyHero Mail” goes to any service member- they are given out to troops who may not receive much mail, or those who need a lift, or just someone passing by who would appreciate a note of thanks for their hard, dangerous, work. “AnyHero Mail” is a great project for schools, companies, church groups, and Scouts. (Our BSA troop really enjoyed it, and some of the boys really got into writing a note to a service member thanking him or her for such unselfish service.)

My favorite group, though, is smaller but still sends a lot of boxes of cards to our military: From Our Hearts in Jefferson City, Missouri. They had sent 380,000 cards overseas by Nov. 4, 2013. They also collect supplies and have a big ‘garage sale’ for crafters, with the proceeds going to pay for mailing supplies, postage, etc.

Please make sure that if you choose to make cards, that you follow the guidelines for each group- it is very important to not use glitter on any mail sent to our troops, because if it gets on their uniforms, the enemy may be able to see them at night. Additionally, strong adhesives are needed because of the heat in the desert, deadlines must be followed to allow time for the cards to get to the troops and then mailed home before a holiday, no parts of commercial cards may be used, etc.

If you don’t want to make cards but want to help make memories, any of these groups would be very grateful for donations, even very small ones- you know how much postal rates and supplies have increased!

Please visit one of the links below, or find a local group that makes cards to send to our troops. Being old enough to remember the horrible way our Vietnam Veterans were treated when they returned to the US, I am so happy to be a part of something that helps to honor our troops and their families, and the sacrifices they all make to protect our precious freedoms and those of people around the world. It is wonderful to be able to time travel into the future, knowing that a card I made with love was sent with love by a service member to family or friend. That card may be stashed in a box of treasured items that will always be held close to heart, for many years, and many generations, to come.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Operation Write Home: http://operationwritehome.org

2) From Our Hearts: http://www.fromourhearts.info

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

John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. — John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

One of my most favorite places visited was Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. At one of the taverns, there was a gentleman portraying an elderly resident of Williamsburg- he looked like Benjamin Franklin. He was probably in his seventies, and surprisingly got out of character a bit with the kids. He told them that when a young boy, his elderly neighbor had told him stories of the Civil War that he witnessed growing up. The neighbor’s parents had told their son stories of the American Revolution they lived through- and here this reenactor was, just 2 skips from the founding of our country, telling our children of those days in the voice of a Colonial Williamsburg resident. It made me realize that I was closer to my ancestors than it sometimes seemed.

I was not the only one realizing that those times were closer. About ten years ago, Maureen Taylor, who specializes in old photos and deciphering their clues, realized that there were photographs of persons who lived during the Revolutionary War! Photography was invented in 1839, so anyone over 80 years old by then would have been an adult during the Revolution; those who were children during the Revolution would have been at least 50 years old when he or she sat for a portrait after 1839. There were even surviving widows of Revolutionary soldiers in the 20th century: Esther Sumner was just 21 when she married 75 year old Noah Damon, and she died in 1906. So there are more close connections than seems possible, and Maureen has gathered some of this information and many photos into two books:

The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation, by Maureen Taylor

The Last Muster, Vol. 2: Faces of the American Revolution, by Maureen Taylor

Maureen is also working on a documentary called “Revolutionary Voices”: A Last Muster Film. See her website, http://www.maureentaylor.com, for details about this project, as well as her books that can help you learn more about your family through their photographs.

The idea for this post came about during my internet ramblings- a fascinating article called, “‘Rasputin Was My Neighbor’ and Other True Tales of Time Travel” by Robert Krulwich is on the NPR website. The website includes a video of an elderly man who was attending Ford’s Theatre the fateful day that President Abraham Lincoln was shot. Yes, a video- that is just amazing!

Thinking about our ancestors, and what they witnessed in their lives, is a way to time travel while still enjoying indoor plumbing and air conditioning ;). A diary or letter, even a photo, can help us go to times past. Adding a timeline to family history research will help us to understand the story of their struggles and their lives, and if older relatives are still around, may be a springboard for stories not yet heard.

During the 1970s, as a young college woman, I was working for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.). My grandmother kept up with current events and watched PBS regularly for the news shows. (She did love the gardening shows too.) One day I realized that she had been a young college woman during the time that the 19th Amendment, ‘giving’ women the right to vote, was passed and ratified. I was excited about our parallel lives and couldn’t wait to get the opportunity to ask her what she remembered- did they have a support group at college, did she write letters, debate, or even march? What did she think of the women who were beaten, jailed, starved, and force-fed because they were protesting that 51% of the American population-women- did not have civil rights?

Suffragette and banner used to picket the White House and Capitol, demanding the right to vote for women in 1917-1918. NARA photo via wikipedia.

I was dumbstruck when my incredibly hard-working, frugal, level-headed grandmother answered, “I don’t even remember that. I was so busy with my sorority and dances and clubs. And I was always having to ask my father for more money for clothes and other expenses.” Years later she showed us her college scrapbook, full of dance cards, programs, and other mementos of her busy college life that didn’t include momentous political changes.

I must say though that she DID study- and earned a degree in biology in 1922, highly unusual for a woman at that time. So she worked for equality in her own way.

So do your time travel through wonderful historical sites, like Colonial Williamsburg, but also try to place your own ancestors in the time and place they lived their ordinary lives. Try to decipher the small clues in photographs- maybe a house number on a door, or official documents such as a draft registration or passport application that gives details about color of eyes and hair, and build. Walking the farmland they ploughed, the streets they tarried on as they chatted with neighbors, and stepping foot into that one-room schoolhouse or the actual home they lived in will give you insight into what they experienced. It will bring you one step closer to their lives, and a big step closer to understanding who you are and how you became that person.

Notes, Sources, and References:

1) Maureen Taylor’s website: http://www.maureentaylor.com

The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation. Kent State University Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2010) ISBN-13: 978-1606350553

The Last Muster, Volume 2: Faces of the American Revolution. Kent State Univ (July 8, 2013) ISBN-13: 978-1606351826

2) “‘Rasputin Was My Neighbor’ and Other True Tales of Time Travel” by Robert Krulwich

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/02/07/146534518/rasputin-was-my-neighbor-and-other-true-tales-of-time-travel

3) 19th Amendment:

http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=13&title.raw=19th%20Amendment%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Constitution:%20Women’s%20Right%20to%20Vote

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/

4) Sadly, women in the United States do not yet have equal protection under the law, as they do in most democratic countries- even third world countries. The Equal Rights Amendment was written by Alice Paul, a suffragist leader, right after ratification of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, but the US Constitution still did/does not offer women equal protection under the law. (And no, “men” is NOT meant to include ‘women’- if it did, women would have had the right to vote Mar 4, 1789 when the Constitution went into effect.) The Equal Rights Amendment has been introduced into Congress every year since Alice Paul wrote it, with passage in 1972 but ratification fell short 3 states in 1982. In August, 2013, a slightly altered version of the law was introduced to Congress. An excellent website concerning this issue is http://www.equalrightsamendment.org. While on that website watch the video for the upcoming film “Equal Means Equal” – it is an insightful video for this generation to understand the void in our Constitution.

Category: Time Travel Tuesday

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