In this week's Roundup: How WWI shaped the U.S. economically, socially and culturally; an 86-year-old woman visits the cabin she grew up in, now on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and reflects on what life was like as a youth; plus much more.
This quarter, I awarded a grant to the Westside Cemetery Preservation Association to support their work of restoring and cleaning up the gravesites of enslaved African Americans and their descendants, found in cemeteries that have become overgrown and are largely hidden in secluded woods near sugar cane fields in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Click through to the post for more details and to see how you can join me in supporting the work the WCPA is doing.
Lots to explore this week: an abandoned hotel in the Italian Alps, a branch of the underground railroad you might not have heard of before, a shopping list that hints at "the management of the households of the wealthy" in the 17th century, a soldier missing from the Korean War returning home, and more.
This week: An orphaned heirloom returns to its roots, an app that will let you take a selfie with a deceased ancestor, an African American Colonel who has traced his family history back to 1634 and shared, "I needed to know my own family history to motivate me to do the things in my life. You need to know where you come from. This is something that I can pass onto my children and grandchildren," WDYTYA goodies, and much more!
This week, explore two stories concerning WWI Medal of Honor recipients, secret gems hiding in well-known places like the Eiffel Tower and Trafalgar Square, a few of the 200+ synonyms for being tipsy published by Benjamin Franklin, and much more!
This week: Commemorating the 125th anniversary of Annie Moore and Ellis Island, a hoard of gold found inside a donated piano, two genealogy-themed TV series to air soon, and much more!
This week, explore Pitcairn Island, a new online index to Oklahoma births and deaths, slang, Barack Obama Plaza, and a project to mark the 100th anniversary in 2016 of the start of the first Great Migration.
On January 1, 1892, 17-year-old Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland became the first immigrant to ever arrive at Ellis Island, so both Annie and Ellis Island celebrated their 125th anniversary on January 1, 2017. Now is an especially relevant time to reflect on the Annie Moores in our own family trees – those pioneers who made a leap that so drastically altered the trajectories of their descendants’ lives for the better.
Lots of great reads this week: a true WWII POW escape story, a most intriguing tombstone, and news from the Library of Congress. We finish up with an interesting interview with a photographer commissioned by the National Park Service, who, when asked why the assignment was important, responded, "Because I think a lot of people forget about where we came from all too easy. It’s what shapes us. It’s how we know where we got to.”
In this week's Roundup: Discover Central Park before it was Central Park, when the site housed a village where African-Americans "had a rate of property ownership four times as great as New Yorkers as a whole". Also enjoy the story of the 75th baby in his family to wear a baptism gown made from his great-great-grandmother's wedding dress!
