Think you can learn just how your ancestor celebrated a holiday—175 years ago? You may be on to something.
There I was, by the dawn’s early light, poking about the Internet looking for another patriot ancestor, or, rather, seeking information to prove I had the right Jacob.
It was 1946 and I could not be at home for the holidays. My husband had just returned from overseas. He had seen the end of World War II from the deck of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Japan. With the promise of the G.I. Bill, we left our home in Mississippi and went to Texas to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
The earliest inhabitants of America ate what was available. That may have been an impromptu meal of wild greens or a slice of pemmican carefully stored away months before in anticipation of lean times. Today, we still eat what’s available. That may be an expensive salad of baby greens or a can of soup purchased months ago discovered in the back of the cupboard.
The term “Easter egg” in computer software refers to a small program hidden within a larger software package. The Easter egg does not interfere with the software and often goes unnoticed by even experienced users. It’s usually meant as a secret message by the creator of the software and can give even the most serious user a good laugh.
Heard of the seven daughters of Eve?
Maybe it’s time to make room for the five daughters of Fluffy. A recent study of the mitochondrial DNA of the common house cat found that the felines roaming the streets and sunning themselves in front windows today can all be traced back to just five mother wildcats.
The advent of the steam engine made transporting goods much faster, but the nature of the trains’ goods may surprise you. Some traveled westward carrying as their primary—and most precious—cargo, children. Nearly 200,000 of them.
When I was a little girl I loved to help my mother cook, especially at Christmas. One of our family favorites is fruitcake—yes, my family really does like fruitcake. This recipe is from my grandmother, Myrtle Waits Jesse (1884–1963).
Grandma was a fantastic cook, and every year at Christmas, she made this cake as a special treat for the family.
What force of nature makes us shun attainable goals and propels us toward the single family line that just seems so impossible?
Most people have black sheep in their family trees. I have a black hole.
Here’s the story:
One day, my father’s father disappeared.
Sometimes getting past that difficult family history hurdle means enlisting someone other than family.
My grandparents’ farmhouse stood outside North Branch, New Jersey, a village settled by the Dutch. Its thick Dutch-brick walls reputedly hid several walk-in fireplaces. Its hand-fashioned windowpanes offered rippled views of the old water pump and outhouse in the back.
How the death of a firstborn baby reveals a family’s struggle and the story behind potters’ fields.
They arrived on a wave of hope, my husband’s great-grandmother and her husband.
