LOVE

#52Ancestors

      I'm a little late with this story due to my son and I not feeling well.

     For week 7 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge the theme was "Love", a perfect prompt for Valentine's Day which was actually last week.
     I have no story about strolling down Lovers' Lane hand in hand or taking a romantic boat ride through the Tunnel of Love.  I'm writing about a love of education, a love of children, and a dedicated schoolteacher who was loved by all.

                                                

     Anna Devine was my 2nd great-grandmother, Teresa Devine's first cousin.  On 11 March 1888, during the Great Blizzard of  '88, Anna was born in Rifton, NY.  She was the only child of John Devine and Mary Jane Corby.  According to her obituary, she attended St Peter's School in Rosendale, NY and graduated from the New Paltz Teachers' College in 1911.
     Anna never walked down the aisle to matrimony.  Her love was her students and the community.  She taught in a one room schoolhouse in Rifton called the Rock School for about 43 years.  When a larger school was built next to the Rock School and named in her honor, Anna taught there for another 5 years then continued as a substitute teacher after her retirement.
     Besides teaching, Anna started a 4-H Club, a drum corp, and directed plays and operettas that were performed at the Rock School or sometimes at the Village Hall.  In 1953,  her students wrote and published a book about local history called Rifton, Our Past and Present.  I guess she gave a copy of this book to her cousin, Teresa who passed it down to her granddaughter, Eleanor.  I now own that book along with photos that had belonged to my grandmother, Eleanor.  This book is amazing just like the teacher who assigned this project to her students.
     Anna Devine,  a local legend in Rifton and loved by the community, died at the age of 84 on          15 May 1972.  She is buried near her mother in St Peter's Cemetery, Rosendale, NY.  


                     REST IN PEACE           
                                              

~ Surprise ~

#52Ancestors


     It is week 6 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge and this week's prompt is "Surprise."
     When I first started genealogy, I did not have a computer and there was no internet so I wrote everything on paper and drew a pedigree chart.  Years later,  I finally had a computer and although I didn't have a subscription to Ancestry.com I did create a username/password and started a tree.  Without a subscription I did not get hints nor could I view many records.  Sometimes there would be weekend specials where records would be free to view such as military records for the military holidays or Irish records for St Patrick's Day.  I didn't have a printer at the time and couldn't attach the record to the tree as a non-subscriber so I wrote down what I found.  One of the records that was available for free was the 1930 federal census.  I typed in my grandmother's name and found only one Eleanor Davis close in age but was listed as 'granddaughter'.  I clicked on the record and although this Eleanor Davis was listed as 12 years old and not the 10 year old I was looking for I knew she was my grandmother because of the other names listed with her.  In 1930, my grandmother, "MaMa', was living with her maternal grandmother, Teresa and her two uncles.  I thought if she was living with her grandmother instead of her mother then it might have been because her younger sister had died three years earlier so maybe her mother had a breakdown... I have no idea.  I also thought if MaMa was listed as a 12 year old in the 1930 census then the census taker's math was wrong or her grandmother simply forgot her age.  I spoke to my mother about this and she remembers her great-grandmother, Teresa as being sharp and certainly not forgetful.
     Fast forward a few years from the day I saw that 1930 census to a day when I was doing laundry and watching the St Patrick's Day parade.  I had decided that I wanted to learn more about my Irish ancestors.  I also wanted to start a blog.  I finally paid for a subscription to Ancestry.com and couldn't wait to dive in and start searching.
     I found my great-grandparents, Samuel and Josephine Davis in the 1920 federal census.  They were living in Manhattan, NY with their 3 year old daughter, Eleanor and infant son, Daniel.
     What???  How is my grandmother listed as a 2 year old in 1920?  That is her year of birth.  I tried ordering her birth certificate from New York City but received a reply stating no record found.  I received the same reply from Albay.  At the time that I ordered these certificates I didn't know if MaMa was born in NYC or upstate in Poughkeepsie where her paternal grandparents lived.  I ordered a copy of the application for a social security card and found her year of birth.
     My maternal grandmother, Eleanor Francis Davis was born 2 June 1917.  Why she changed her year of birth we will never know but it certainly was a surprise when I found out.

                                                                Eleanor Francis Davis
                                 

At the Library

#52Ancestors


     I'm a week behind schedule due to my son not feeling well.  This is for week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge and this week's prompt is "At the Library."
     When I first started this hobby of genealogy there was no internet or if I remember correctly then it might have still been very new but I didn't have a computer anyway.  I made plenty of visits to the local public library and checked out all the genealogy books they had.  I checked out two books at a time on these visits, read them thoroughly, took notes, then went back for more.  The library offers a wealth of information and resources including classes for those researching their ancestors.
     Once I finally dived into cyberspace and stalked my ancestors online, I was able to make great progress.  When I found out from census records that my great-grandmother, Josie attended a school for the deaf I wanted to learn more about that school.  When I looked up the name of the school online I found an article about a murder that took place in 1896 before Josie was a student.  This was a New York Times article and because I didn't subscribe I was unable to view.  That's okay because I had the Library of Congress at my fingertips.
     I found the website for the Library of Congress and searched old newspapers.  I followed the murder investigation through detailed articles I read and I'm thankful these newspapers are available for viewing.
     I've been helping a friend with her genealogy and need to visit the local library in this town that I've moved to.  The library here is amazing and I love their research room.
     I've told my son how important libraries are.  I told him that you can't always go on the internet and  'Google' everything.  Sometimes you need to step outside for a breath of fresh air and visit a library in person.

                                        Library of Congress