Brooklyn on Fire

Levy, Lawrence H. Brooklyn on Fire. New York: Broadway Books, 2016.

Mary Handley is a female private investigator. When her brother is arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, an actress, she sets out to prove his innocence. The plot quickly weakens as the author begins dropping names of New York's upper crust, even engaging Mary to George Vanderbilt. It simply is not believable even though some of the novel is based on real events, and those characters are included, including the investigative team of Mary Handley and Superintendent Campbell. With the exception of the believability factor, the mystery itself is plotted well enough. The final few chapters leave an opening that many of the characters will make repeat appearances in future installments, once again being interviewed by Mary in her investigations. This review is based on an Advance Review Copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Frontier in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado

O'Rourke, Paul M. Frontier in Transition: A History of Southwestern Colorado. Denver: Colorado State Office, Bureau of Land Management, 1980.

This government publication contains the following chapters:

1. The Natural Setting and Its Relation to Historic Development
2. The Ancient Ones
3. Exploration and the Fur Trade
4. The Great Reconnaissance and the Rediscovery of the Southwest
5. The Utes in Southwestern Colorado: A Confrontation of Cultures
6. Early Mining and Transportation in Southwestern Colorado
7. The Permanent Settlement of Southwestern Colorado
8. Transportation and Mining, 1881-1920
9. Ranching and Agriculture: The Economic Diversification of Southwestern Colorado
10. The Federal Government in Southwestern Colorado
11. Southwestern Colorado in the Modern Era

This volume is available at many Federal Depository libraries and online through the FDLP.

The Valley of Opportunity: A History of West-Central Colorado

Mehls, Steven F. The Valley of Opportunity: A History of West-Central Colorado. Denver: Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office, 1982.

Chapters in this government publication include:

The Natural Backdrop and Spanish Exploration
The Fur Trade and Government Exploration
Inter-racial Contact and Ute Removal
West-Central Colorado's Mining Frontier
The Transportation Frontier in West-Central Colorado
The Stockmen's Frontier 1880-1920
West-Central Colorado Farming 1880-1920
The Urban Frontier
The Federal Government in West-Central Colorado
Depression Decades
Mining Since 1920
The New Prosperity

This volume can be found in many libraries of the Federal Depository Library Program, online at the BLM website, or in the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy

Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy: The Revolutionary 1805 Classic. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2015.

It's difficult to review and rate a cookbook written for another time and place. As I read through the recipes, or perhaps I should call them receipts, I could not help but be thankful that much of the preparations that went into a meal at the turn of the 19th century are no longer required. We are able to go to the grocery store and pick up meat that has already been skinned, cut, and often deboned for us. Thanks to our transportation systems, foods that once were seasonal are often available year-round. This book must have been, as its title suggests, revolutionary for its time. It includes recipes that were inspired by the British West Indies and America. One can find recipes for haggis, moonshine, and lip balms, as well as the meats, vegetables, and sweets likely to be placed on the table. I could not help but think that Hannah Glasse must have been the Julia Child, or at least the Martha Stewart, of her time. This review is based on an e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Art from Simple Shapes

Curto, Rosa M. Art from Simple Shapes: Make Amazing Art from 8 Simple Geometric Shapes! Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2015.

Using just a few basic geometric patterns, children learn to draw many things. Most of the patterns require a few additional strokes to complete the design. Some designs are more difficult than others. It's a great book for teaching children the art of drawing. I received an advance e-galley of the book from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Exaggerated Claims

This morning I noticed a post in my Facebook feed. A person had written to a group focused on research in a single county about her new book. In the post she claimed to have "finished writing" the history of a well-known family in the county. While I have never personally researched that family, I know many people who have and know enough persons related to the family that I expected her book to be hundreds of pages. I clicked over to Amazon where the book was being sold, only to discover that her book was only 30 pages in length. My immediate thought was, "You have barely scratched the surface." The book was being sold at an inflated price for the amount of research put into it. I suspect anyone who pays attention to the number of pages in the book will give it a pass. After all, the title implies the author has researched the line all the way back to England, which would not have been in the recent past, knowing the family's deep roots in the region. I suspect that in a few days we'll see bad reviews of the book from the few people who actually are tricked into purchasing it. I would love to see the book just to see how she managed to write a complete history in 30 pages. Did she omit references? Did she not write complete sketches? Did she neglect land and property records? Did she consult wills and probate records? Is the book merely lists of names and dates? Unless I run across it in a public library, I'm unlikely to ever know. However, I am certain that I could write 30 pages on this particular family in almost no time with very minimal research, and most of it would be 20th or 21st century. This would not even begin to scratch the surface of the family and its legacy. It would not even begin to get to the generations that require a little more digging to produce proof that meets genealogical proof standard. I will not be funding the exaggerated claim of the author of the book that popped up in my Facebook feed. I evaluated it before I even saw it based on its length's ability to cover its claims. It did not measure up.

The New Empire of the Rockies: A History of Northeast Colorado

Mehls, Steven F. The New Empire of the Rockies: A History of Northeast Colorado. Denver: Bureau of Land Management, 1984.

Chapters in this government publication include:

1. The Natural Setting
2. Exploration and the Fur Trade
3. The Pike's Peak Gold Rush and After
4. The Ranchers' Frontier
5. The Sodbusters Arrive
6. Early Mining in Northeastern Colorado
7. The Transportation Frontier in Northeastern Colorado
8. The Urban Frontier
9. The 1890s, a Time for Change
10. The Early Twentieth Century
11. Depression Decades, 1920-1940
12. Northeastern Colorado Since 1940

This volume is available at many libraries associated with the Federal Depository Library Program or online through HathiTrust Digital Library.

Remember the Sabbath Day . . .

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20: 8 (KJV)

We memorized these words as children. It is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. While the Jews observed their Sabbath on Saturday, the seventh day, Christians celebrated a sabbath principle on Sunday which is often referred to as the Lord's Day.

In recent years many no longer observe this commandment in any shape or form. Choirs for ages three through high school presented a program called "Songs of the Season" at our church yesterday. One of the parents came in Sunday morning. His daughter's soccer practice had been moved from two to four until five to seven. The choirs were meeting in the five o'clock hour for their normal rehearsal. The performance was at six. He was trying to figure out just how long his daughter could stay at soccer. It was clear the parent considered soccer more important than the rehearsal time.

When I was growing up, the parent would have told the daughter that she was going to church and not to soccer. Of course, the soccer coaches in the 1970s, if soccer was even played in our area then, would not have scheduled a practice during what was certain to be a conflict with church services.

It made me reflect on what we are communicating to today's children. Are we showing them the importance and priority of God in their lives when we won't prioritize Him over secular activities?

I work at a Christian university which has also quit observing the Sabbath principle. Facilities such as the library which once were shuttered on Sunday are now open, even during times where church services are being held. This same institution wants its employees to be involved in church activities and leadership, yet they make it difficult for employees who must work to keep these facilities open to do so. Are we teaching students the importance and priority of worship? Are we teaching them the principle of a Sabbath rest?

It is time for Christians to rethink their priorities in the light of Biblical teaching. We need a few more parents standing up to tell their kids coaches that their sons and daughters will be at church. We need a few more Christian employers to follow the lead of Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby by being closed on Sunday. We need to spend more time with family and in worship of a truly awesome God.

Take out Your Pencils and Number Your Paper from 1 to 20

Like clockwork, students heard these words on the day of the spelling test. Did you think I was kidding on Monday when I said a test would be given Friday? Let's see how well you remember your spelling and vocabulary terms this week. You will use each word one time to complete one of the sentences.

1. You will find my 7th great grandmother listed on my ____________________ chart.
2. Typically four or five generations will be included on a ______________ chart.
3. The slave was granted a _________________ by his owner.
4. I am a ___________________________ of my grandfather.
5. The man told Bob and Ben his wishes for the distribution of his estate but did not write it down; therefore, it is a _____________________ will.
6. Jill gave an _______________________ used in the court case.
7. The census taker recorded all the families in his ________________________ district.
8. Pappaw is buried in the ____________________.
9. A ______________________ DNA test pertains to the mother's mother's mother's line.
10. A Y-DNA test provides results for the ____________________________________ line.
11. Only males have a Y _____________________.
12. He is not in my direct line but he is a ________________________ relative.
13. A dictionary of place names is called a _____________________________.
14. ____________________________ is the practice of marrying within a small population group such as the Amish.
15. The study of family history is also known as ________________________.
16. A person's _____________________ reveals his family history and is sometimes placed on a web site of a major corporation bearing the same name.
17. A person who left no will is said to die ____________________.
18. A privilege or right called an ____________________________________ is often passed along in a deed.
19. An ______________________ DNA test reveals cousins from all branches of one's family as long as they have tested with the same company or provided results to a site such as GEDmatch.
20. Your ___________________ line comes from your mother.

Spelling and Vocabulary Test on Friday

This morning as I was reading Facebook I moaned as I saw the (misspelled) word "cementaries" materialize in a post. I immediately thought of the usual misspelling of the word which omits the "n" in the above misspelling and of the various misspellings for the word "genealogy" itself.

I reflected on school days when each Monday we were given a list of about 20 words that we were expected to spell correctly by Friday. As we got older, we were also expected to use them in a sentence or define them as well. I then realized that many new genealogists (and perhaps a few who have a little more practice) might benefit from such a spelling and vocabulary test focused on genealogical terms.

I'm sure you know the routine. You memorize the spelling, look up the words in a dictionary, and then write a sentence using them. Don't forget! A test is coming on Friday.

1. genealogy
2. cemetery
3. ahnentafel
4. collateral
5. chromosome
6. autosomal
7. mitochondrial
8. ancestry
9. descendant
10. enumeration
11. gazetteer
12. intestate
13. appurtenance
14. nuncupative
15. matrilineal
16. affidavit
17. manumission
18. pedigree
19. patrilineal
20. endogamy

I hope you will all make A's on the test on Friday!

Murder by Matchlight

Lorac, E. C. R. Murder by Matchlight. Mineola, New York: Dover, 2015.

This reprint from the Golden Age of Mysteries features the death of a man known as John Ward on a bridge. Although witnesses catch a glimpse of the murder, his identity is unknown. A small pool of suspects, most of whom reside in the house with the man known as Ward, are interviewed by Inspector MacDonald and his colleagues. Evidence points to "John Ward" being an assumed name and another identity is found for the man which begins to yield motives in the group. While some of the characters could have been a bit more developed, others are sufficiently developed. Although it is not a particularly complicated mystery, it is enjoyable. Dover Publications is doing a great service providing better access to this and other mysteries of the Golden Age. This review is based on an Advance Readers Copy provided by the author through NetGalley with the expectation a review would be written.

Land of Contrast: A History of Southeast Colorado

Athearn, Frederic J. Land of Contrast: A History of Southeast Colorado. Denver: Bureau of Land Management, 1985.

Chapters in this government publication include:

1. The Natural Setting
2. The First Europeans
3. An American Invasion
4. The New West Is Explored
5. Early Agricultural Settlement
6. Pike's Peak or Bust
7. Confrontations: Removal and Transition
8. A Period of Transition: Into the 1870's
9. A Time of Building, 1870-1880
10. Into Maturity, 1880-1900
11. A Period of Change: 1900-1920
12. Hard Times: 1920-1940
13. From War to Prosperity: 1940-1980

It's available at many Federal Depository Library Program libraries and at HathiTrust Digital Library.

An Isolated Empire: A History of Northwest Colorado

Athearn, Frederic J. An Isolated Empire: A History of Northwest Colorado. Denver: Colorado State Office, Bureau of Land Management, 1976.

This useful government publication contains the following chapters:

1. Northwestern Colorado Prior to Exploration
2. The Fur Trade
3. Exploration in Northwestern Colorado
4. Mining and Transportation in Early Western Colorado
5. Confrontations: Settlement Versus the Ute Indians
6. Settlement in Middle Park and the Yampa Valley
7. Development of the Cattle and Sheep Industry
8. Mining and Transportation 1890-1920
9. The "Moffat Road" and Northwestern Colorado, 1903-1948
10. Development of Northwestern Colorado 1890-1940

It can be found online in the HathiTrust Digital Library or in many Federal Depository Library Program libraries.

Learning from Facebook: Camp Crossville

A former professor at the university where I worked is now employed by a larger state university. He recently shared the following Q & A as his status:

Q: Why are there so many German and Italian surnames in Crossville, TN?

A: Because during WWII, captured German and Italian officers were held at the POW camp there. Some "trusties" were released to work on local farms. Locals came to the fence and bartered with them. The folks of Crossville were so kind that when the war was over, many of the prisoners went back to Europe, got their families, and moved to Crossville.

I found this interesting from a genealogical standpoint.

I learned through comments on the blog post that the camp is now a 4-H camp.

The professor also linked to an interesting and well-documented article entitled "'To Win Our War with Butter and Beefsteaks': Camp Crossville and the Treatment of Axis Prisoners of War" written by Gregory Kupsky.

The most interesting comment of all was by the daughter of one of the Germans held there who returned to Germany and moved to the United States after taking five years to convince his wife about how kind Americans were.

Falling Behind

Sometimes life just sort of catches up with you. I'd been trying to keep posting ahead with the blog so I wouldn't fall behind, but now I'm behind because my life has outpaced the scheduled posts.

I spent Thursday and Friday of last week in Nashville. I spent Saturday in Winston-Salem. Sunday was spent at church. Yesterday, I spent time with the kittens, then participated in a song service at a retirement home, then worked until late.

Hopefully I will get this blog back on track, but the posts may be sporadic until I can build up a few posts!

Did the Ridings family live in Smith County, Tennessee?

Did the Ridings family who moved to Monroe County, Mississippi live in Smith County, Tennessee prior to their arrival? Plenty of online genealogies say that they did. Most say their children were born there from about 1816 to 1826. I only got to spend about 3.5 hours yesterday afternoon in the State Library and Archives. I mostly used abstracts for the county which are plentiful due to hard work of the Works Progress Administration employees involved in the Historical Records Survey Project for Tennessee. (I am sure many researching other states wish their state librarian at that time had been Mrs. John Trotwood Moore. I know when I work in another state's records I become even more appreciative of her foresight to have so many records abstracted for use.) I utilized not only the WPA records but other published abstracts for the county. My main focus was on court records, land records, and wills/probate records. I knew I needed to get to the tax records, but I put those off. I kept my focus on the years 1800 to 1840, even though I knew the family was probably only there a few years on the other side of the range of the children's births. I was also looking for two other allied families as I was researching the records.

What were my findings? I did not discover a single Ridings family in all the abstracts. I suspected one of the allied families (Anglin) might not be present in that county. I thought it possible that another might show up in an occasional record since they were allegedly in a nearby county in the early years of that same period. I did find records with this surname (Sheppard/Shepherd) in the county, but I am unable to link these persons with my ancestral family at the present time.

It does not currently meet the standards for a reasonably exhaustive search. I need to look at those tax records, and I may need to eventually go back through the records themselves for this period to see if names were omitted in the abstracts. Legislative petitions also need to be checked.

So did they live in Smith County? Yes. How do I know? Because he appears in the 1830 census for Smith County. [1830 U.S. Federal Census, Smith County, Tennessee, p. 112 (written), line 22, James Ridings; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 Nov 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M19, roll 181.] The maiden name of James Ridings wife is sometimes seen as Tubb or Tubbs, but most records place a question mark at the end of it. If this is her surname, I did spot references to persons with the Tubbs and Tibb or Tibbs surnames (which could be typographical errors because of the proximity of the i and u on a keyboard). Several Tubbs families are enumerated on the same page. I need to do a more exhaustive search of that name in the county as well. In my rush to create a research plan at the last minute after discovering a few hours would be available to research, I neglected to include that surname on my list. So many records, so little time!

The Pony Express

Fike, Richard E. and Headley, John W. The Pony Express Stations of Utah in Historical Perspective. Salt Lake City: Bureau of Land Management, Utah, 1979.

This government publication focuses on the Pony Express in the state of Utah. It is filled with maps and photographs to help readers understand the location of each station in the state.

Today, the Pony Express has a national museum in St. Joseph, Missouri. The website offers short biographies in its historical notes, a timeline, and a list of riders which may be of interest to genealogists.

The Pony Express National Historic Trail spans eight states--California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The website contains information on the history and culture of the trail and a bibliography for those seeking additional information on the Pony Express.

Veterans Day

Veterans Day is one of the holidays I remember from childhood. I was always confused because most of my family members still referred to it as Armistice Day.

An armistice was signed November 11, 1918 which put a stop to action in World War I until the Treaty of Versailles was signed the following year. The first celebration of Armistice Day was held in 1919. Congress adopted a resolution in 1926 to make it annual, but it did not become a federal holiday until 1938. Its name was changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954. (As I pointed out earlier, many in my family still referred to it as Armistice Day more than a decade later.)

In the early 1970s, they tried to observe it the 4th Sunday of October. I lived in Mississippi which continued to observe it on November 11. Many other states followed suit and soon Congress was forced to return the holiday to the day on which the Armistice was signed.

"Pappaw," my paternal grandfather, was a World War I veteran, fighting in France, where he earned a purple heart.

Super Genes

Chopra, Deepak and Tanzi, Rudolph E. Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being. New York: Harmony Books, 2015.

Genetics is a rapidly evolving field of study with so many discoveries that one must be dilligent to keep up. The authors have shown that they are well-versed in recent discoveries, even reporting on the recent epigenetics discovery that one's ancestors memories may be etched in our DNA. The first section with its focus on the science behind DNA and epigenetics is by far the most interesting. The authors attempt to apply the research to lifestyle choices in the second part. Unfortunately the authors seemed to be guided by and promoting New Age philosophies in this section and in the third section which focused on evolution. I would prefer to read a book on genetics that was a bit more neutral and did not promote Eastern religions and philosophies. The appendices were more interesting than the last two parts of the book. This review is based on on Advanced Review e-galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes.

Happy Anniversary, Levi & Barbara

Levi Lance } to } Barbara Yoder }

I solemnized the marriage of Levi Lance and Barbara Yoder I vow the 9th day of Nov 1837. Jacob Bowman J.P.

Wayne County, Ohio marriage records, volume 4A, p. 167, Levi Lance-Barbara Yoder marriage, 9 Nov 1837; Wayne County, Ohio courthouse, photocopy in possession of Lori Thornton.

The above marriage record and transcription belongs to my great-great grandparents, Levi Lantz and Barbara Yoder. They were married on this day 178 years ago.