Incredible Stories of Incredible Women

I'm a pretty lucky gal. I have a lovely family, a nice home, a good life, really. I enjoy what I do, and I'm challenged by thoughts of what I could do. I have mentors in my field, I have people in my past that inspire me. And, I have people that I'm just getting to know, just reading their stories. Incredible, awe inspiring, jaw dropping stories.

If you are at all interested in the life of women in the Colorado Rockies from the Gold Rush (1859) through the turn of the century, here are a couple must read's:

• The Magnificent Mountain Women by Janet Robertson (University of Nebraska Press, 1990.)
• They Weren't All Prostitutes and Gamblers by Sandra F. Mather, PhD. (Summit Historical Society, 2009.)
• Doc Susie by Virginia Cornell. (Manifest Publications, 1991.)
• Women As Tall As Our Mountains, Collected Short Stories. (P.E.O. Chapter F.U. 1976.)

Four great reads.

We all know life was hard for our ancestors'. This very special collection of women makes that abundantly clear. This is by no means a comprehensive list, however, it is a good start to understanding the difficulties faced by the first female pioneers of this difficult country.

Book Review: Hey America, Your Roots Are Showing

Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak.

I'll start with a disclaimer: this book was not what I expected. However, the natural question to that is, "what did you expect?" and I'm not really sure about that either. I guess I thought it was going to be more like a reference text, versus stories.

I also have to admit, this is the first of her books that I've read.

I know! That must be some kind of crime, somewhere. But, I have a family, I have my own research to do, I have a blog to write... I just don't have a lot of time for books anymore. My other defense is that I have a very small local library with a very small selection of genealogy related books, and not a whole lot of time to work the inter-library loan system (see my first point in this paragraph). So, guilty. I will also defend myself with this: I have only been trying to "go pro" since January. Therefore, when I reached for a new book to read, I grabbed the one mostly recently released, most talked about, most "now".

Last confession: I've never written a book review before.

I'm 0 for 3 here. (This may be the only time you ever see a baseball reference in one of my posts.)

If you haven't read it yet, stop now. Go get it, read it, come back to my blog to share your opinions. I'm a firm believer in not reading a review of a book until after I've read it myself.

Ok, here goes.

whotalking.com

First of all, this was an easy read. What I mean by that is, it flowed well; the stories pieced together well; it was easy to follow even for a non-genealogist. In fact, in my opinion, it was not written for genealogists at all - it was written for those that think that we all sit in dusty back rooms staring at microfiche's for hours on end with no social engagement, nor the desire to engage. It was written to prove that our study, our search, can be exciting, invigorating, and engaging.

It's written to show that genealogy is more than names and dates; it's a story. These are real people we work with every day, real lives. Non-fiction. Real history, lived by every day people having every day lives.

As a genealogist, I think what I gained from it most was exposure to the new. New ideas, projects I was unaware of, different ways to go about gaining results. Although Mrs. Smolyenak touches very briefly and lightly on technique, I was still able to learn through her innuendos and by "reading between the lines."  A particular moment that caught me was her discussion of researching Mabel Calvin (pages 179-186). She uses the term "black sheep" and that really got me thinking about my own livestock (see my recent post: Baaaa... Black Sheep, inspired by this chapter.)

I also learned about www.UnclaimedPersons.org. I was truly intrigued by what the the author has done with coroner's offices, the FBI, and the Army. What a wonderful way to utilize your skill and passion! So of course, I'm now registered with the site and on Facebook. The grace and respect in her story telling came through every word, she obviously is very passionate about this work.

In short, getting a quick glimpse at the varying situations she has encountered during her career was a fun way to learn more about the "other side" of genealogy, where the grass is so green, and the opportunities that may still be out there for the rest of us. It was eye opening and, yes, inspirational to a point.

I'm giving this book five stars in my brains' "general reading" category, and four (out of five!) in my "genealogy" category. Simply because I stand by the idea that it wasn't necessarily written for genealogists - if it had, it would have included more technical information. If you are at all interested in family history, American history in general, or any other such area of study, pick up a copy and enjoy it.

Youth In Cemetery

Leadville Girl Scouts

 Are kids, our next generation, interested in genealogy?

Well, maybe not. But I think we can do something about that. For the past year, I have been working with a local Girl Scout Troop in Leadville, Colorado. I have three nieces in the group, and my sister is one of the leaders, so it was a pretty easy and natural thing for me to be involved, and to be excited about the chance to pass my passion on to someone else. Someone young.

Author and family with the
Cose family marker.

We started last summer by taking the girls to the Evergreen Cemetery in Leadville. We had a local history buff tour us through the headstones, and she was wonderful and full of information. She showed them different kinds of graves, different areas of the cemetery (i.e. The Elks, I.O.O.F.), and told a lot of entertaining stories. About half way through though, she lost her audience. The girls just stopped listening. They wanted to either be entertained or entertain themselves.

After the "official" tour, I stepped in. I talked to the group about headstone rubbings, and we practiced on a few newer graves. They had over sized paper and a crayon. They were pretty happy for about ten minutes. Most of the kids started to filter home at this point, and that was okay. They were done.

I had something else completely in mind for my nieces however. There was a headstone I needed to find. At the time, they were 7 and 9 years, so I told them we were going on a scavenger hunt. That perked them right up! I gave them a general area of the cemetery, which we found using the map I brought along, and set them loose. They were excited because they were in charge, and they had a goal. We'd been at the cemetery for over two hours at this point, and no other goal had been established for the group. I think that was mistake #1.

We did find who I was looking for, even though I ended up actually finding her, and not the girls. Catherine J. (Daniels) Cose, 1858-1941. She was the sister of my 2nd great aunt, and I had just recently made the connection to the Leadville area.  I could not believe how excited they were to find her and her family! To them, it was real. It wasn't just names on paper with dates and random stories about a person they'll never meet, it was there, in front of them. For the first time, we had evidence that someone else in our family had lived in Leadville; we had always thought that my sister's family were the first to be in the area. And here was someone that was in their town. 


The question is, "is the next generation interested in genealogy"? Yes, I think they are. You just have to make it real. Leading the group through the genealogy project this year, I started bringing a picture of the same guy every time; Oscar F. Brown, my 2nd great grandfather. Every time I met with them, we would start with holding him up, and saying "hello" to Oscar. We would repeat what we knew about him...  he lived in Nebraska, he fought in the Civil War... they were engaged. That brings them to being interested about the topic of the day, whether its different kinds of records, geography, or family crests.

Jennifer Holik, genealogist and author, will be releasing Branching Out: Genealogy for 1st-3rd Grade Students very soon. I'm excited. Very excited. You can see her other publications and blog at http://www.generationsbiz.com/. You should also check out her blog post on Archives.com, "Connecting Children With Their Past" for great tips on getting started: http://www.archives.com/experts/holik-urban-jennifer/kids-genealogy.html.

Headstones

There are numerous resources available on the iconology of headstones, and even more websites. I prefer to use the tried and true... here are a couple good ones:

Stories Told In Stone: Cemetery Iconology by Gaylord Cooper (MOTES Publisher, 2009)
Stories in Stone: A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography. Keister, Douglas (photographer) (Gibbs Smith Publisher, 2004).

In my experience, you shouldn't be surprised at anything you see in a cemetery. Headstones are often designed to reflect the life of the deceased, or the emotions of those in the family left behind. Here are some typical and not so typical examples I have come across.

The lamb is typical of a child's grave.

Standard and simple flat headstone 

 

One example of a photo headstone.

Full grave marked by a headstone and a toe stone.

Ornate and large marker. This example is about 6 feet tall.

The rock. Often used in mountainous environments.

Another rock example.

Engraved picture, personalizing the marker.
This one with a snowboarder image.

The gates typically represent the entrance to heaven.

Military marker.

Older military marker.

Religious symbolism.

Heart shape on pedestal.

This is much more unique, designed to look
like a BLM marker. 

Top of BLM style marker.

One plaque, three names, with a rock to represent each individual. 

Headstone and "assumed" toe stones,
with a large gap in between and a drainage ditch of sorts.
The grave does not appear to extend from one side to the other. 

Another rock, but this one is quite large.
Approx. 4 feet across, and 2 feet high.

One of the few wooden markers I have seen with  surviving inscription.

A bench near a family plot, without engraving.
Intended just for sitting and remembering -
an invitation to those left behind.

Engraved bench memorial.

(All of the photos were taken at Valley Brook Cemetery, Breckenridge, Summit, Colorado. Photographer: Jen Baldwin. Copyright 2011, published.)