It looks like Ancestry.com is offering reduced prices for their US Deluxe and World Deluxe subscriptions again. I took advantage of this back in November and have been very pleased with it.
Go to this special Ancestry page to investigate or subscribe.
Back to the birthday party...
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Light posting this weekend
We are going to granddaughter Lauren's second birthday party today and Saturday, so I probably won't post more until Sunday.
In the mean time, go back in my Archives and read some of my other posts, or use my Blogroll on the right border of the page and read some of my fellow genea-bloggers.
Or go sign up for www.ancestry.ca for free - see my post here. I had good luck there yesterday, and I'll post about it soon.
Thank you, faithful readers, for stopping by.
In the mean time, go back in my Archives and read some of my other posts, or use my Blogroll on the right border of the page and read some of my fellow genea-bloggers.
Or go sign up for www.ancestry.ca for free - see my post here. I had good luck there yesterday, and I'll post about it soon.
Thank you, faithful readers, for stopping by.
Book Review - "Deep Ancestry"
I finally finished the book "Deep Ancestry - Inside the Genographic Project" by Spencer Wells (published by the National Geographic Society, 2006). The dust jacket includes:
"In this book, Spencer Wells (Project Director and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence) presents a detailed account of what we can learn from genetics, using specific case studies to show how DNA profiles help to answer such questions as: 'How did we end up where we are? When did we get there? Why do we display such a wide range of colors and features - and how did this distinctive diversity evolve so swiftly?'
"Wells translates complicated concepts into accessible language highlighted by a wide range of real-life examples, helpful analogies, and detailed diagrams and illustrations."
Wells does a good job of getting his arms around a complex scientific subject. There is some basic DNA science, but not too much. The description of the Genographic Project is helpful, and they are embarking on a broader range of testing in order to enhance the knowledge base.
The book goes through a number of specific cases that illustrate how the different haplogroups migrated. The maps show concentrations of many of the Haplogroups discussed. The Appendix of the book lists each Y-chromosome and mtDNA haplogroup and describes the migration patterns and the areas of high density of the group. In the early 21st century, there are small percentages of nearly every group on all continents.
I have not been tested yet, but I want to start a DNA study on my Seaver name. My guess is that I am in the Y Haplogroup R1 or R1B, since my patrilineal line is English. My guess is that my matrilineal line is the H mtDNA Haplogroup. But I may be wrong -- only if I get tested will I know if my visions of being present at the raising of Stonehenge and of Vikings ravaging maidens in Anglia are realistic (oops, too personal?).
"In this book, Spencer Wells (Project Director and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence) presents a detailed account of what we can learn from genetics, using specific case studies to show how DNA profiles help to answer such questions as: 'How did we end up where we are? When did we get there? Why do we display such a wide range of colors and features - and how did this distinctive diversity evolve so swiftly?'
"Wells translates complicated concepts into accessible language highlighted by a wide range of real-life examples, helpful analogies, and detailed diagrams and illustrations."
Wells does a good job of getting his arms around a complex scientific subject. There is some basic DNA science, but not too much. The description of the Genographic Project is helpful, and they are embarking on a broader range of testing in order to enhance the knowledge base.
The book goes through a number of specific cases that illustrate how the different haplogroups migrated. The maps show concentrations of many of the Haplogroups discussed. The Appendix of the book lists each Y-chromosome and mtDNA haplogroup and describes the migration patterns and the areas of high density of the group. In the early 21st century, there are small percentages of nearly every group on all continents.
I have not been tested yet, but I want to start a DNA study on my Seaver name. My guess is that I am in the Y Haplogroup R1 or R1B, since my patrilineal line is English. My guess is that my matrilineal line is the H mtDNA Haplogroup. But I may be wrong -- only if I get tested will I know if my visions of being present at the raising of Stonehenge and of Vikings ravaging maidens in Anglia are realistic (oops, too personal?).
The Adventures of Benjamin Franklin Seaver - Part 9
This is the ninth post of a series concerning the adventures of Benjamin Franklin Seaver (1780-1814), who was a mariner, captured by the Moors in Morocco in 1806.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2, which introduced a series of seven letters published in the "Connecticut Herald" newspaper (published in New Haven CT, dated 20 January 1807 (Volume IV, Issue 169, Page 1), and posted the first letter, is here.
Part 3, which includes the second letter, is here.
Part 4, which includes the third letter, is here.
Part 5, which includes the fourth letter, is here.
Part 6, which includes the fifth letter, is here.
Part 7, which includes the sixth letter, is here.
Part 8, which includes the seventh and final letter, is here.
I accessed the images of these newspaper pages on the "America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1876" (provided by www.NewsBank.com) through the New England Historic Genealogical Society website, http://www.newenglandancestors.org/. They are also available through http://www.genealogybank.com/ (a commercial website).
The New-York Spectator, published in New York City, for 1 August 1807 (Volume X, Issue 1007, Page 3) provided some information on the outcome of Benjamin F. Seaver's adventures in Morocco.
-------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINE: Plymouth, Salem, Mogadore
TEXT:
In the brig Plymouth, arrived at Salem from Mogadore, came passenger Mr. Joseph Lee, of Marblehead. Mr. Lee was mate of the brig Indefatigable, Captain Seaver, of Boston, which was wrecked upon the Arabian coast about 18 months since, and the crew carried into captivity and sold by the Arabs. Captain S. and Mr. Lee were redeemed by their friends, and brought to Mogadore, whence the former had gone to London.
James Fenwick, native of Charleston, S.C. cook; Wm. Riggs, of Wilmington, N.C. half seaman; and Louis Gimbal, of Bordeaux, apprentice, had run away, and got safe to Mogadore. John Botle, of Norfolk, Wm. Black, of Portsmouth, John Scholts, of Boston, Robert Wise, of New York, Antonio Paccilege, of Ragusa, Edward Steedham, of Dartmouth, Eng. (seamen) and J.B. Berret, of New-Orleans, passenger, still remain in captivity; and Henry Long, of Charleston, S.C. was dead.
Capt. Seaver is son of the unfortunate Mr. Seaver, supercargo of the ship Commerce, which was cast away upon the Arabian coast in the year 1792, where he and many of his companions perished of hunger, as related in the Journal published by Daniel Saunders, of Salem.
-------------------------------------------------
This indicates that Mr. Lee and Captain Seaver were able to be ransomed, but Mr. Berret and some of the crew were still in captivity. I wonder if they were ever ransomed or rescued?
This is not the end of the adventures of Benjamin Franklin Seaver, mariner. He is mentioned one more time in history, and I'll deal with that in a future post.
As you might suspect, I transcribed these newspaper articles over time so that I could disseminate the information about a historical event with a distant cousin as an actor. I will put some of it in my family newsletter next Christmas, and will probably put it all on a web page sometime in the future.
Did you enjoy this series? I know it was long, but it shed light on one of the challenges faced by our young nation.
Part 1 is here.
Part 2, which introduced a series of seven letters published in the "Connecticut Herald" newspaper (published in New Haven CT, dated 20 January 1807 (Volume IV, Issue 169, Page 1), and posted the first letter, is here.
Part 3, which includes the second letter, is here.
Part 4, which includes the third letter, is here.
Part 5, which includes the fourth letter, is here.
Part 6, which includes the fifth letter, is here.
Part 7, which includes the sixth letter, is here.
Part 8, which includes the seventh and final letter, is here.
I accessed the images of these newspaper pages on the "America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1876" (provided by www.NewsBank.com) through the New England Historic Genealogical Society website, http://www.newenglandancestors.org/. They are also available through http://www.genealogybank.com/ (a commercial website).
The New-York Spectator, published in New York City, for 1 August 1807 (Volume X, Issue 1007, Page 3) provided some information on the outcome of Benjamin F. Seaver's adventures in Morocco.
-------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINE: Plymouth, Salem, Mogadore
TEXT:
In the brig Plymouth, arrived at Salem from Mogadore, came passenger Mr. Joseph Lee, of Marblehead. Mr. Lee was mate of the brig Indefatigable, Captain Seaver, of Boston, which was wrecked upon the Arabian coast about 18 months since, and the crew carried into captivity and sold by the Arabs. Captain S. and Mr. Lee were redeemed by their friends, and brought to Mogadore, whence the former had gone to London.
James Fenwick, native of Charleston, S.C. cook; Wm. Riggs, of Wilmington, N.C. half seaman; and Louis Gimbal, of Bordeaux, apprentice, had run away, and got safe to Mogadore. John Botle, of Norfolk, Wm. Black, of Portsmouth, John Scholts, of Boston, Robert Wise, of New York, Antonio Paccilege, of Ragusa, Edward Steedham, of Dartmouth, Eng. (seamen) and J.B. Berret, of New-Orleans, passenger, still remain in captivity; and Henry Long, of Charleston, S.C. was dead.
Capt. Seaver is son of the unfortunate Mr. Seaver, supercargo of the ship Commerce, which was cast away upon the Arabian coast in the year 1792, where he and many of his companions perished of hunger, as related in the Journal published by Daniel Saunders, of Salem.
-------------------------------------------------
This indicates that Mr. Lee and Captain Seaver were able to be ransomed, but Mr. Berret and some of the crew were still in captivity. I wonder if they were ever ransomed or rescued?
This is not the end of the adventures of Benjamin Franklin Seaver, mariner. He is mentioned one more time in history, and I'll deal with that in a future post.
As you might suspect, I transcribed these newspaper articles over time so that I could disseminate the information about a historical event with a distant cousin as an actor. I will put some of it in my family newsletter next Christmas, and will probably put it all on a web page sometime in the future.
Did you enjoy this series? I know it was long, but it shed light on one of the challenges faced by our young nation.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Happy Birthday to Logan!
My grandson, Logan, is one year old today. He was a big baby - over 9 pounds when he was born, but caught pneumonia when he was 2 weeks old and was hospitalized for two weeks. He has thrived since and is now over 30 pounds - the same weight as his three year old brother, Lucas.
When we saw the boys at Christmas, they had colds (and I caught it just before New Year's naturally!), so in the picture below Logan has a runny nose. He is the happiest little guy - crawling a lot, standing and almost walking, making all sorts of sounds, and a lot of fun.
To Logan - a 14th generation native-born North American - I say Happy Birthday and hope he has many more!
When we saw the boys at Christmas, they had colds (and I caught it just before New Year's naturally!), so in the picture below Logan has a runny nose. He is the happiest little guy - crawling a lot, standing and almost walking, making all sorts of sounds, and a lot of fun.
To Logan - a 14th generation native-born North American - I say Happy Birthday and hope he has many more!
Ancestry.ca (Canada) Free for 3 Days
A note on one of the mailingl ists indicated that the Canadian part of Ancestry (www.ancestry.ca) is free for three days. You have to enter through http://www.CanadaRoots.com .
You do have to enter your name and email address if you don't have an Ancestry subscription account.
I was wondering what I was going to do for the next three days! I need to go look for my Hutchinson, Pickle, Sovereen and Kemp data, and maybe even the elusive Sephrona Fletcher.
You do have to enter your name and email address if you don't have an Ancestry subscription account.
I was wondering what I was going to do for the next three days! I need to go look for my Hutchinson, Pickle, Sovereen and Kemp data, and maybe even the elusive Sephrona Fletcher.
AncestorSpy Data Portal
One of the most promising genealogy data portal web sites I've found is www.AncestorSpy.com. The web page describes it as:
"AncestorSpy.com is a directory to family history and genealogy records such as census and vital records. Organized by locality it is simple and easy to locate records that may reveal information about your ancestors. We search the internet daily and provide links to genealogy records. Records are organized down to the county and town level so that you can go to the list of towns on the state page and click on the town and view the available titles. Come back often. This site is free for your use."
There are links for each US state and for some record types (census, marriages, maps, and immigration). On each state page there is a list of counties and links for state resources. For each county there is a list of the different types of resources available for that county, and sometimes al ist of cities with links to information.
The links are to www.Ancestry.com databases, USGenWeb databases, published books, CD-ROMs, etc.
Unfortunately, the web site is incomplete. While some states and counties are well populated, others are not. I was surprised to see so much information for San Diego County (CA). I was disappointed that there was not a page for each Tennessee county. The Texas birth and early marriage index links are not included on the main page, but are included on some of the county pages (but the later marriage index and the death index are not included at all).
Still, it is a great finding aid for sorting out what might be available, especially on Ancestry.com. It has tremendous potential if it could be populated well and kept up to date. However, don't use it as a sole data portal since it is incomplete.
"AncestorSpy.com is a directory to family history and genealogy records such as census and vital records. Organized by locality it is simple and easy to locate records that may reveal information about your ancestors. We search the internet daily and provide links to genealogy records. Records are organized down to the county and town level so that you can go to the list of towns on the state page and click on the town and view the available titles. Come back often. This site is free for your use."
There are links for each US state and for some record types (census, marriages, maps, and immigration). On each state page there is a list of counties and links for state resources. For each county there is a list of the different types of resources available for that county, and sometimes al ist of cities with links to information.
The links are to www.Ancestry.com databases, USGenWeb databases, published books, CD-ROMs, etc.
Unfortunately, the web site is incomplete. While some states and counties are well populated, others are not. I was surprised to see so much information for San Diego County (CA). I was disappointed that there was not a page for each Tennessee county. The Texas birth and early marriage index links are not included on the main page, but are included on some of the county pages (but the later marriage index and the death index are not included at all).
Still, it is a great finding aid for sorting out what might be available, especially on Ancestry.com. It has tremendous potential if it could be populated well and kept up to date. However, don't use it as a sole data portal since it is incomplete.
Some Free Courses at Heritage Genealogical College
During the discussion about Genealogy Education on the APG mailing list, Jeannette Daniels posted a note listing the courses offered at Heritage Genealogical College - listed at http://genealogy.edu/moodle/.
The College offers a multitude of courses, and Associate and Bachelor degree programs. It appears that the courses in the first five semesters can be taken online, in an intensive one-week course, or in-person in Salt Lake City.
There are seven free courses available at the bottom of the course list, under the heading "Public Service." These can be taken online, but you have to register for them. The courses available for free include:
* LDS Sunday School Course GEN 90 - no credit (Section 1 - Internet)
* Boy Scouts of America Genealogy Merit Badge GEN 91 - no credit (Section 1 - internet)
* Writing Life Stories from Research GEN 92
* Pre-1850 Research GEN 93
* Beginning Genealogical Research Course GEN 94
* Using Census Research GEN 95
* Reading Old Handwriting GEN 96
Click on the blue circle (with an "i" in it) on the right side of the line on the web page for a summary of each class. There may be certain times for each class. For example, the summary for GEN 94 says:
This course has no credit. It is provided free of charge to Public School teachers, Genealogical Societies or other groups. The course has six lessons that quickly cover how to verify information the students have. It covers looking for mistakes or fraud, the sources needed to be successful in verifying genealogical information as well as how to plan for future research. Although this course is free, the teacher or group instructor will need to register the class so that a separate section will be created for that class. Without a separate section, all students in all of the groups will be blended together. Please email HGC with the dates that your class will begin and end, etc. Prerequisite: None.
If you are a beginner interested in learning about genealogy research, the Beginning course above might be useful. If you want to pursue a degree in Genealogical Research, this college may be an opportunity to pursue it.
The College offers a multitude of courses, and Associate and Bachelor degree programs. It appears that the courses in the first five semesters can be taken online, in an intensive one-week course, or in-person in Salt Lake City.
There are seven free courses available at the bottom of the course list, under the heading "Public Service." These can be taken online, but you have to register for them. The courses available for free include:
* LDS Sunday School Course GEN 90 - no credit (Section 1 - Internet)
* Boy Scouts of America Genealogy Merit Badge GEN 91 - no credit (Section 1 - internet)
* Writing Life Stories from Research GEN 92
* Pre-1850 Research GEN 93
* Beginning Genealogical Research Course GEN 94
* Using Census Research GEN 95
* Reading Old Handwriting GEN 96
Click on the blue circle (with an "i" in it) on the right side of the line on the web page for a summary of each class. There may be certain times for each class. For example, the summary for GEN 94 says:
This course has no credit. It is provided free of charge to Public School teachers, Genealogical Societies or other groups. The course has six lessons that quickly cover how to verify information the students have. It covers looking for mistakes or fraud, the sources needed to be successful in verifying genealogical information as well as how to plan for future research. Although this course is free, the teacher or group instructor will need to register the class so that a separate section will be created for that class. Without a separate section, all students in all of the groups will be blended together. Please email HGC with the dates that your class will begin and end, etc. Prerequisite: None.
If you are a beginner interested in learning about genealogy research, the Beginning course above might be useful. If you want to pursue a degree in Genealogical Research, this college may be an opportunity to pursue it.
A Research Success Finding Living People
As CVGS Research Chairman, I was asked by a local cemetery correspondent to help a couple who were looking for information about the wife's father, who had died in San Diego and was buried in the cemetery. The couple were looking for ways to contact the children from her father's first marriage, and hoped to find information about the father's ancestry. I contacted the couple, asked some questions about the family, and agreed to help them.
For privacy reasons, I'm going to use "Seaver" as the surname in question here, and false names for each person. The actual surname is probably a bit more common than "Seaver."
This was a typical 20th century research problem - the father was born in 1920 in Texas (according to the California Death Index and SSDI) and died in 1987 in San Diego County. His mother's maiden surname was given as "Landers." There were no obituaries printed in the local newspapers. There were several entries in the San Diego city directories and telephone books in the 1980 to 1986 time frame that reflected "Mr. Seaver's" second family, and provided his home address.
There were four key factors in solving this problem and finding contacts for my correspondent.
1) The Texas Birth Index provided an entry for the birth of Mr. "Seaver" on the same date, but in 1919 in a certain county. It also listed three given names for Mr. "Seaver" (e.g., "James Turner John Seaver"). However, no parents names were listed in the birth index. The full name was critical (and lucky) to solving the problem.
2) The 1920 US census showed a "Seaver" family living in Texas in the same county with parents named "Thad" and "Sandy" and a 4 month old male child named "Baby". The 4 months corresponded to the difference between the known birth date of "James" and the date the family was enumerated in the 1920 census. Was this the right family? Maybe. This provided possible given names for the parents, ages and birthplaces. There was no listing of any of these people in the 1930 census.
3) In the Texas Birth Index, four children were born to "James Seaver" and his wife "Sharon Hunter" between 1940 and 1960 in a neighboring county - and one of the records in the index listed the father as "James Turner John Seaver." This data provided the names of the children (three boys and one girl), and the youngest son was named for his grandfather - "Thad Seaver." The given name "Thad" was so unusual, that it was apparent that this was probably the right "James Seaver." The other given names were more common, so I thought that I would try to find "Thad Seaver" in current "living people" online resources.
4) I tried a number of the "People-Search" services - most of them will give you a tease - "we have listings for 'Thad Seaver' in our databases - please pay money." The most useful resource was www.Ancestry.com database for "U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002." This listed "Thad Seaver" at several addresses by year, with phone numbers. The latest address and phone number were also in the "U.S. Public Records Index" database on Ancestry, and named his family members and their birth years.
I passed all of this information (plus info on the births, marriages, deaths and children of "Thad" and his siblings) to the couple. They contacted "Thad Seaver" and confirmed that this was the correct family - that he knew about the second family of his father, and provided more information, including details of the family and an older brother's phone number.
This turned out pretty well - my correspondent was satisfied with the effort and has made contact with the family. If they want more research on the ancestry of "James Seaver" I will pursue that also.
I used only public records available online for this research. A private detective (which I would have recommended if my search was unsuccessful) could have probably found the family members quicker. There is also the issue of "invasion of privacy" here - the phone call to the family was a risk.
There was also the issue of luck - California and Texas birth, marriage and death indexes are in online databases (some available for free, some in subscription databases). If it had been other states that don't have online VR databases, my search would have probably been unsuccessful.
My purpose in writing about this is to show that this type of search can be successful, although there is the luck factor involved. After sampling the free side of the "People-Search" web sites, I will definitely use the www.Ancestry.com databases first in the future.
What is your experience with this type of research? I am leery of the privacy issues, and would appreciate you opinions about that issue too.
For privacy reasons, I'm going to use "Seaver" as the surname in question here, and false names for each person. The actual surname is probably a bit more common than "Seaver."
This was a typical 20th century research problem - the father was born in 1920 in Texas (according to the California Death Index and SSDI) and died in 1987 in San Diego County. His mother's maiden surname was given as "Landers." There were no obituaries printed in the local newspapers. There were several entries in the San Diego city directories and telephone books in the 1980 to 1986 time frame that reflected "Mr. Seaver's" second family, and provided his home address.
There were four key factors in solving this problem and finding contacts for my correspondent.
1) The Texas Birth Index provided an entry for the birth of Mr. "Seaver" on the same date, but in 1919 in a certain county. It also listed three given names for Mr. "Seaver" (e.g., "James Turner John Seaver"). However, no parents names were listed in the birth index. The full name was critical (and lucky) to solving the problem.
2) The 1920 US census showed a "Seaver" family living in Texas in the same county with parents named "Thad" and "Sandy" and a 4 month old male child named "Baby". The 4 months corresponded to the difference between the known birth date of "James" and the date the family was enumerated in the 1920 census. Was this the right family? Maybe. This provided possible given names for the parents, ages and birthplaces. There was no listing of any of these people in the 1930 census.
3) In the Texas Birth Index, four children were born to "James Seaver" and his wife "Sharon Hunter" between 1940 and 1960 in a neighboring county - and one of the records in the index listed the father as "James Turner John Seaver." This data provided the names of the children (three boys and one girl), and the youngest son was named for his grandfather - "Thad Seaver." The given name "Thad" was so unusual, that it was apparent that this was probably the right "James Seaver." The other given names were more common, so I thought that I would try to find "Thad Seaver" in current "living people" online resources.
4) I tried a number of the "People-Search" services - most of them will give you a tease - "we have listings for 'Thad Seaver' in our databases - please pay money." The most useful resource was www.Ancestry.com database for "U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002." This listed "Thad Seaver" at several addresses by year, with phone numbers. The latest address and phone number were also in the "U.S. Public Records Index" database on Ancestry, and named his family members and their birth years.
I passed all of this information (plus info on the births, marriages, deaths and children of "Thad" and his siblings) to the couple. They contacted "Thad Seaver" and confirmed that this was the correct family - that he knew about the second family of his father, and provided more information, including details of the family and an older brother's phone number.
This turned out pretty well - my correspondent was satisfied with the effort and has made contact with the family. If they want more research on the ancestry of "James Seaver" I will pursue that also.
I used only public records available online for this research. A private detective (which I would have recommended if my search was unsuccessful) could have probably found the family members quicker. There is also the issue of "invasion of privacy" here - the phone call to the family was a risk.
There was also the issue of luck - California and Texas birth, marriage and death indexes are in online databases (some available for free, some in subscription databases). If it had been other states that don't have online VR databases, my search would have probably been unsuccessful.
My purpose in writing about this is to show that this type of search can be successful, although there is the luck factor involved. After sampling the free side of the "People-Search" web sites, I will definitely use the www.Ancestry.com databases first in the future.
What is your experience with this type of research? I am leery of the privacy issues, and would appreciate you opinions about that issue too.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Romance on Valentine's Day
NOTE: This is a "genealogy-free" post!
What a wonderful tradition that Valentine's Day is. What a challenge for a fellow to get just the right gift for the love of his life. For me, it is even more challenging, since I proposed to Angel Linda on Valentine's Day, and we have to celebrate that event. My reason wasn't solely romantic - I figured I would be able to remember it! And would need only one gift to cover both events!
Over the years, the gifts have rarely changed - candy, flowers, and jewelry from me to her, and books, candy and computer ink for me. But we look forward to the evening out for dinner, and the special times afterwards (this means I won't have a blog post tonight, I think).
Was it always so? I went looking for old newspaper articles about Valentine's Day and, among the sparse offerings on "America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1876" (found on Newsbank through my NEHGS subscription) concerning Valentine's Day was the following (selected paragraphs):
In the Salem Gazette (Salem MA), published 10 October 1828, Volume VI, Issue 81, Page 1.
Headline: THE TWO VALENTINES
.............................by Miss Mitford
Text (selected):
Valentine's Day is one of great stir and emotion in our little village. In large towns - especially in London - the wicked habit of quizzing has entirely destroyed the romance and illusion of that tender anniversary. But we in the country are, for the most part, uninfected by the over-wiseness, or "over-niceness" ... and are content to keep the gracious festival of love-making and billets doux, as simply and confidingly as our ancestors of old.
I do not mean to say, that every one of our youths and maidens pair on that day, like the "goldfinch, bullfinch, greenfinch and all the finches of the grove" - Heaven forbid! Nor that the spirit of fun hath so utterly evaporated from us that we have no display of innocent trick or harmless raillery on that licensed morn: all that I contend for is, that in our parts, some truth may be found lurking amidst the fictions of those annual rhymes - that many a village beau hath so broken the ice of his courtship - and that many a village belle hath felt her heart throb, as she glanced at the emblematic scroll, and tried to guess the sender, in spite of the assumed carelessness, the saucy head-tossings, and the pretty pouting with which she pretended to veil her real interest.
In short, there is something like sincerity amongst us, even in a Valentine: as witness the number of wooings begun on the Fourteenth of February, and finished in that usual end f courtships and comedies - a wedding - before Witsuntide. Our little lame clerk, who keeps a sort of catalogue raisones of marriages, as a companion to the parish register, computes those that issue from the bursting Valentine bag of our postman, at not less than three and a half per annum - that is to say, seven between two years.
But - besides the matches which spring, directly or indirectly, from the billets commonly called Valentines - there is another superstition concerned with the day, which has no small influence on the destinies of our country maidens. They hold, that the first man whom they espy in the morning - provided that each man be neither of kin to them, nor married, nor an inmate of the same house - is to pass for their Valentine during the day; and, perhaps, (for this is the secret clause which makes the observation important) to prove their beloved for life. It is strange how much faith they put in this kind of sortes vigiliani - this turning of the living leaf of destiny; and how much pains they will take to cheat the fates and see the man they like best first in spite of the stars!
One damsel, for instance, will go a quarter of a mile about, in the course of her ordinary avocations, in order to avoid a youth she did not fancy; another shall sit within doors, with her eyes shut, half the morning, until she hears the expected voice of the favorite swain; whilst, on their part, our country lads who care to place themselves each in the way of his chosen she; and a pretty lass would think herself overlooked if she had not three or four standing round her door, or sauntering beneath her window, before sunrise.
The story goes on (and on and on) about a girl with two beaus and she has to choose between them, based on their Valentine billet.
Did you ever hear of these traditions in school? What a surprise to me! It explains some of the strange things that happened to innocent Randy and shaped his views about love and marriage for a lifetime.
FYI, my favorite song is "I Love How You Love Me" by the Paris Sisters, from 1962. I will play it tonight for, and sing along with it to, my Angel Linda.
What a wonderful tradition that Valentine's Day is. What a challenge for a fellow to get just the right gift for the love of his life. For me, it is even more challenging, since I proposed to Angel Linda on Valentine's Day, and we have to celebrate that event. My reason wasn't solely romantic - I figured I would be able to remember it! And would need only one gift to cover both events!
Over the years, the gifts have rarely changed - candy, flowers, and jewelry from me to her, and books, candy and computer ink for me. But we look forward to the evening out for dinner, and the special times afterwards (this means I won't have a blog post tonight, I think).
Was it always so? I went looking for old newspaper articles about Valentine's Day and, among the sparse offerings on "America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1876" (found on Newsbank through my NEHGS subscription) concerning Valentine's Day was the following (selected paragraphs):
In the Salem Gazette (Salem MA), published 10 October 1828, Volume VI, Issue 81, Page 1.
Headline: THE TWO VALENTINES
.............................by Miss Mitford
Text (selected):
Valentine's Day is one of great stir and emotion in our little village. In large towns - especially in London - the wicked habit of quizzing has entirely destroyed the romance and illusion of that tender anniversary. But we in the country are, for the most part, uninfected by the over-wiseness, or "over-niceness" ... and are content to keep the gracious festival of love-making and billets doux, as simply and confidingly as our ancestors of old.
I do not mean to say, that every one of our youths and maidens pair on that day, like the "goldfinch, bullfinch, greenfinch and all the finches of the grove" - Heaven forbid! Nor that the spirit of fun hath so utterly evaporated from us that we have no display of innocent trick or harmless raillery on that licensed morn: all that I contend for is, that in our parts, some truth may be found lurking amidst the fictions of those annual rhymes - that many a village beau hath so broken the ice of his courtship - and that many a village belle hath felt her heart throb, as she glanced at the emblematic scroll, and tried to guess the sender, in spite of the assumed carelessness, the saucy head-tossings, and the pretty pouting with which she pretended to veil her real interest.
In short, there is something like sincerity amongst us, even in a Valentine: as witness the number of wooings begun on the Fourteenth of February, and finished in that usual end f courtships and comedies - a wedding - before Witsuntide. Our little lame clerk, who keeps a sort of catalogue raisones of marriages, as a companion to the parish register, computes those that issue from the bursting Valentine bag of our postman, at not less than three and a half per annum - that is to say, seven between two years.
But - besides the matches which spring, directly or indirectly, from the billets commonly called Valentines - there is another superstition concerned with the day, which has no small influence on the destinies of our country maidens. They hold, that the first man whom they espy in the morning - provided that each man be neither of kin to them, nor married, nor an inmate of the same house - is to pass for their Valentine during the day; and, perhaps, (for this is the secret clause which makes the observation important) to prove their beloved for life. It is strange how much faith they put in this kind of sortes vigiliani - this turning of the living leaf of destiny; and how much pains they will take to cheat the fates and see the man they like best first in spite of the stars!
One damsel, for instance, will go a quarter of a mile about, in the course of her ordinary avocations, in order to avoid a youth she did not fancy; another shall sit within doors, with her eyes shut, half the morning, until she hears the expected voice of the favorite swain; whilst, on their part, our country lads who care to place themselves each in the way of his chosen she; and a pretty lass would think herself overlooked if she had not three or four standing round her door, or sauntering beneath her window, before sunrise.
The story goes on (and on and on) about a girl with two beaus and she has to choose between them, based on their Valentine billet.
Did you ever hear of these traditions in school? What a surprise to me! It explains some of the strange things that happened to innocent Randy and shaped his views about love and marriage for a lifetime.
FYI, my favorite song is "I Love How You Love Me" by the Paris Sisters, from 1962. I will play it tonight for, and sing along with it to, my Angel Linda.
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