March 1846, Port of Bremen, Germany. My greatgreat- grandfather, Christian Beckman, is fearful of being drafted into the German army. He hides in a large wooden trunk that has been in the family for three generations, and his brothers load him onto the ship Westphalia. Once at sea, Christian gets out of the trunk. Fifty days later, he lands in America.
We’ve all heard it—“put on a coat, or you’ll catch a cold.” But was Grandma just spouting clichés or did she have some inside insight into human biology? See for yourself:
Fish is brain food. Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, important to brain function. But you can have too much of a good thing.
Like it or not, there isn’t a hobby out there you can jump into without a little investment of time and money. Genealogy is no exception. But before you get that expensive new camera, before you invest in a trunk-load of new software, before you add a room to your house to store all of your great finds (trust us, these will come in time), take the advice of someone who’s been there.
What happens if you try to name your son “Friday” in Italy, “4Real” in New Zealand, “Metallica” in Sweden, or “@” in China? You risk running afoul of the law.
Italy is one of a number of countries with laws on the books intended to prevent parents from giving children names that might subject them to shame or ridicule.
When I traveled to Italy on my honeymoon, I expected to dig up a trove of information from my great aunt and great-uncle who still resided in the old family house. I learned a lot. But I also discovered there was so much I’d never know.
When I arrived in Italy, I asked my Great-uncle Domenico to show me the family land. He pointed behind the house to a patch where corn used to grow.
Maybe the most personal thing any of us owns is our name. But when we started asking around for tales of people who went through life with first names other than those they had been given, we opened a whole closet full of folks who weren’t who they—or others—always thought they were. Sometimes a name change is a choice. Sometimes it’s an accident.
So your surname is Smith, or Walker, or Anderson—think your family history search is doomed because of your common last name? If you’re lucky, there may be hope, because nothing narrows down a search like a unique first name.
Take, for example, the surname Smith. A search through the historical records at Ancestry.com yields 9,895,391 results. That’s more than a little daunting.
What happens when you think you know their name, but the official data doesn ’t seem to agree with you? A pair of family historians set the records straight.
As with many others researching German ancestors, I have grown accustomed to the difficulties surrounding the various ways German surnames can be spelled.
Even our ancestors had to earn a living. To really understand how they spent their days, try creating a resumé for them. Start by organizing all you know about your ancestor’s work experience in chronological sequence.
In the 1890s, immigrants were streaming from Ellis Island into New York City’s Lower East Side. One block might house 2,000 newcomers. Pushcarts, shoppers, and children filled the streets with clamor.
Docent Barry Feldman tells the story to visitors sitting in the main sanctuary at the Museum at Eldridge Street, formerly the Eldridge Street Synagogue.
