The Spiraling Chains: Kowalski - Bellan Family Trees
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To the Smug Genies...

7/25/2013

4 Comments

 
A few nights ago, a new season of Who Do You Think You Are? kicked off on TLC.  The episode featured singer Kelly Clarkson and her quest to learn about her 3x great-grandfather, Isaiah Rose.  Mr. Rose had a great American life story; he fought and was wounded in the Civil War as a young man, worked as a coal digger, became elected Sheriff and eventually a State Senator in Ohio.  I enjoyed the program and I found her journey interesting. Could have done with less commercials of course, but hey, the sponsors pay for them, right?

Yesterday evening a discussion arose in a genealogy-oriented Facebook group regarding the episode.  Several posters were appalled at Kelly's lack of historical knowledge.  "How could she have never heard of Andersonville?"  "You mean she had never heard of temperance?" "How could she possibly think the cause of the Civil War was slavery?" "I just can't forgive her for her ignorant comments."  Other posters on the discussion thread also criticized her personality and reactions to some of her findings, saying that "she was so phony" and "way too scripted."  Someone even said that her ancestor's story wasn't "all that important."

These comments made my blood boil.  I immediately dubbed these people 'smug genies' - defined as genealogists who think only certain people should have an interest in family history. If you don't know enough about history or documentation, you should not even try looking for your ancestors. Oh, and if your ancestors were nothing but coal diggers, they are not worth finding OR telling other people about.  

Do you know how much knowledge of history you need to begin looking into your family's past? ZERO!  Oh, sure, it can help a lot with the search, but you learn along the way.  I took AP American History in high school, got six college credits from it, and I don't remember hearing about Andersonville.  Would any average American really know about all the complicated states' rights issues that preceded (and caused) the Civil War?  No, and it's absurd to imply that a personal search for ancestors should only be done by someone who has full knowledge of our country's history.  By the way, criticizing a person's knowledge (or lack thereof) of history, or research sources, or documentation, etc. is the best way to keep people (especially, YOUNG people) away from genealogy.  So, let's keep that up genealogy community, and watch the numbers dwindle.

As far as the comments about Kelly's personality and reactions to the findings...I'm fairly sure that the people who commented negatively have never seen Kelly in other interviews or venues.  That personality she portrayed - that was the real her and if her reactions were maybe too honest for some people, well I don't feel like she should have to apologize for that.  Yes, I'm sure there was editing from the producers and probably some prompted discussions and responses, but, hey, that's TV for you.  

And the comments about her ancestor's life being too "boring" or "not super-special." Can we all agree that every ancestor of every person deserves to have his/her story told to the best of our abilities?  That's right; my immigrant factory-worker great-grandfather's life story is equally as important as your ancestor's story, even if that man might be Thomas Jefferson.

Thank you for reading my rant.  Fight the Power (of smug genies)!

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
4 Comments

Finding a Personal Connection

7/19/2013

0 Comments

 
Over this past Fourth of July weekend, I traveled back to the Cleveland, Ohio area for the holiday and my brother's wedding.  I had some free time on the morning of the fifth, so I dragged my husband to the Cuyahoga County Archives (my mom watched the kids).  I had never been there. From the website, I had a rough idea of the types of records available; admittedly, a lot of their holdings were for time periods before my ancestors even immigrated to America.  The property tax duplicate records helped me learn some stuff about some of the homes my great-grandparents owned and lived in, but that is a subject for different blog post.  

The Archives has naturalization records, such as Declarations of Intention, Petitions for Naturalization, and Oaths of Allegiance.  I had already collected these for most of my great-grandparents, but not for George Bellan, one of my maternal great-grandfathers.  We found his papers; from his Declaration of Intention, I learned exactly where and when he entered America, on which ship he traveled, and where he left from.  This document also gives me his home address in 1915, which I previously did not know.  Great stuff, right?  Everything most family history researchers need to know to continue their searches.  But then I saw this in the physical description section: 
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"Lame in right leg."  I read that as I stood in the parlor of the big mansion where the Archives are situated, and, I am telling you, I almost teared up right there.  If I were to fill out one of these forms, I would have to write the exact same thing (except for my left leg).  I obviously did not know this about him; I only have two photos of him, and, while he IS seated in one of them, there is no visible indication that he is disabled or deformed.  When he filled out this form, he was 41 years old, only 7 years older than me, so how did he become lame?  Was he hurt in an accident or a fall?  Was he born with a degenerative condition like I was?  (It is unlikely he had the same medical condition as me; KT syndrome is not genetic - it results when a fairly common gene mutates at a certain point in embryonic development.)  Did it cause him much pain?

In any case, I don't know, I just now feel connected to this person in my family tree who I never met, a man who passed away when my mom was only three years old.  Here is a person I would like to talk with about my day-to-day physical struggles - someone who would surely understand what it is like to have to do work around the house and raise children when, some days, just walking around is a struggle.  So, here's to you and me, George; put us together and we've got two normal legs ;-)

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
0 Comments

My First Blogiversary

7/11/2013

9 Comments

 
PictureSource: ArtisticZen; Wikimedia Commons
Today is the one year anniversary of my blog!  (Feels like it's been longer, though!)  I decided to create a family history blog during our 5+ hour drive to my family's house last year for the 4th of July holiday.  I had recently started a website through Weebly, for the purpose of posting family photos and documents so that all of my family members could have access to them.  I saw that Weebly allowed for blog creation as well, so I decided to give it a try.

I am so glad that I did.  Writing about photos and documents makes them come alive and helps to extract the stories hidden within them - stories about our relatives.  Writing about my own memories of relatives who I have had the opportunity to know has been an emotional and fulfilling endeavor.  And I have learned that I actually LIKE writing (Shhh, don't tell my 16 yr old math-and-science-oriented self who cringed every time I had to write a paper for school).  

Some people write family history blogs with the intentions of someday writing and publishing a book about their family; that's not in my plans right now.  I enjoy sharing the stories of our ancestors and learning about the times and places in which they lived and worked.  I enjoy writing about the genealogy research process, my research triumphs and dead ends. And I enjoy interacting with the other family history bloggers I have met through my blog and other social media.  My blog has put me back into touch with cousins who I've lost touch with over the years and it has helped me 'meet' other cousins who I didn't even know were out there.  


Thank you to those of you who have read my blog posts.

©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder

9 Comments

Tombstone Tuesday: George and Ursula Bellan

7/8/2013

6 Comments

 
This is the gravestone of two of my maternal great-grandparents, George and Ursula Bellan.  George (born Beljan) and Ursula (born Benicki) were born in  the 1870s in Croatia, which was at that time a part of Austria-Hungary.  They came to America in the 1890s and settled in Cleveland, Ohio.  They had eight children, three of whom unfortunately died as teens and young adults.  Ursula passed away in 1946 and George followed in 1954.  They are buried in Cleveland's Calvary Cemetery.

I requested a photo of this gravestone through FindAGrave.com.  I was quite surprised when I saw it.  My great-grandfather's first name is spelled 'Juraj,' which is the Croatian equivalent of George. (It is prounouned YOO-rahy.)  On every census form, children's birth record, immigration document, obituary, etc. he is 'George,' so I find it interesting that his gravestone says 'Juraj.'  What is even more interesting is that his Croatian first name IS engraved, but NOT his Croatian surname, Beljan.  Did he choose this form of his name to be engraved?  He passed away after his spouse, and since they oftentimes do the majority of a stone's engraving all at once, it IS possible that he chose this name.  Also of note is that Ursula's birth year on the gravestone is incorrect according to other sources, such as her death certificate and census forms.  The stone lists her birth year as 1874, whereas her death certificate and census forms put her birth year more at 1876-1877.
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George and Ursula Bellan Gravestone, Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio
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Photo Source: Findagrave.com, photographed by volunteer runner9.
6 Comments

Wedding Wednesday: Family Photos at Weddings

7/2/2013

1 Comment

 
Today is my and my husband's ninth wedding anniversary.  I thought about just posting some wedding photos from that day, but recently I've been trying to write more family history blog posts that attempt to help other family historians and give them tips about researching and archiving.  So, today I'm going to share some photos that (I think) should be mandatory at every wedding.  My husband and I didn't realize it during the reception, but our photographer went to every table and took a photo of the guests seated there.   I remember getting the proofs back, seeing these photos, and saying to myself, "What a great idea!"  Now, almost a decade later, I look back at these photos and I am extremely grateful that our photographer did this for us.  A few of these family members have passed away and it's great just to see smiles on their faces.  Some are family members who we didn't get to see very often, so it's great to have photos and be able to show my kids, "That's your great-great aunt." or "Those are Grandma K's godparents."  The kids in the photos - oh my goodness, the kids have grown up SO much!.    So, if you or someone you know is getting married anytime soon, suggest that they ask their photographer to do this and I guarantee they will thank you for it!  (These are just a few of ours!)
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1 Comment

Dominik Kowalski: Fourth of July Citizenship

7/2/2013

0 Comments

 
In 1912, my great-grandfather, Dominik Kowalski, immigrated to America from Poland and settled in Cleveland, Ohio.  Like several of my other immigrant ancestors, I found his Oath of Allegiance certificate and Naturalization Card from April of 1932:  
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Dominik Kowalski Oath of Allegiance
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Dominik Kowalski Naturalization Card
With my other immigrant ancestors, finding these forms has been the final step in learning about their citizenship process.  However, thanks to GenealogyBank, I found out a little bit more about Dominik's citizenship experience.  On July 4, 1932, Dominik's name appeared in The Cleveland Plain Dealer as one of 1,500 immigrants who were to receive citizenship diplomas at Cleveland's Edgewater Park.  I like to think that Dominik DID attend the ceremony, but there is no way to know for sure.  Maybe his wife and children even came with him to watch.  In any case, after a lot of searching, I'm pretty sure it was the only time he ever made it into the 'big city' newspaper, and it's just another great reminder that MY citizenship as an American really began the moment he received his citizenship in 1932.
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Cleveland Plain Dealer, 4 Jul 1932
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©2013, copyright Emily Kowalski Schroeder
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    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

    Emily Kowalski Schroeder

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