Blog Content
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Unusual Features of Old Homes
Jan 17
You may have grown up in a vintage older home that had special features not found in more modern homes. Here are some examples, see if you or your parents or other relatives had such touches in their homes. In the early decades of the 20th century, a special new feature was to have a telephone. But built into the home then was a Telephone Nook,...
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Fruit Fashions of the Early 1960s
Jan 15
It was in the early 1940s that the singer, dancer, actress, Carmen Miranda made waves with her fruit cap piled high with berries and bananas in the musical 'The Gang’s All Here' and it later became her trademark costume. But in the early 1960s, fashion designers, started by Charles W. Davis, began creating lady's dresses, jewelry and hats wit...
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Polly Pocket Toy
Jan 13
The original tiny sets of Polly Pocket Toys were sold for less than a decade, first licensed by small toy company Bluebird in England. The Bluebird company was founded in 1980 with toy creator Torquil Norman’s genius ideas, the first of which was the plastic lunchbox. The first Polly Pocket was created by Chris Wiggs for his young daughter out o...
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Early American Skyscraper
Jan 11
The early skyscraper constructed in Manhattan, New York was named the 'Singer Tower', for the well-known sewing machine company. It was a 612-foot structure, completed in 1908 and the tallest in the world. The architect was Ernest Flagg, with the unique feature of light entering into the center of the skyscraper. He included Old World craftsmanshi...
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Changes for Ladies
Jan 9
During each historic period, there have been styles in hair, appearance and clothing that were demanded. So it was difficult for your female ancestors to meet the norm, no matter how much money was in the family. Here are some examples of what females had to go through to be proper for their time frame. You, your mother or grandmother, for s...
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Gibson Girls of 1900 – With a Zest for Life
Jan 7
You more than likely had female ancestors, aged about 20 years old in 1900. Not all such young ladies, but many took a new look at their life and wanted to be more independent. A new century (20th) and a new 'zest for life' developed. Young women of 1900 were energetic, engaged in their friendships and adventures, more so than young ladies duri...
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Lollipops
Jan 5
The lollipop was created when cavemen collected honey from beehives and ate it off a stick. The ancient Chinese, Arab, and Egyptian peoples ate honey mixed with fruit and nuts off sticks. In the Middle Ages, nobles ate boiled sugar with a stick. Then in 17th century England, an early version of the modern lollipop emerged as a popular London stree...
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Old One-Room Schoolhouses
Jan 3
Many of our ancestors may have attended an old-fashion one-room schoolhouse. Several grades would be in one room with one teacher. Individual desks or a row of desks for the students would have been used. There was a chalkboard on the wall, and some type of stove to keep youngsters warm on cold days. The one-room schoolhouse was usually in rural a...
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Men’s Shirts
Jan 1
Very popular at one time were loops on the back of men's shirts. It began sailors in the Navy. They didn’t have closets to hang their shirts in, so they had their clothing fitted with loops so they could just slide it onto a hook on a wall. This was apparently a regular household thing to do as well, including hanging them from their loop on wir...
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New Year’s Eve Traditions Today
Dec 31
New Year's Eve has been either a random night on which everyone agrees to celebrate per the modern Gregorian calendar, OR it's a festive opportunity to have a party, attend a party, toast your loved ones and bid the past year goodbye to welcome the promise of a fresh start. For present times, the years 2020 and 2021 have been a challenge with C...
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The Parachute Wedding Dress
Dec 29
During World War Two, many American military personnel were trained to jump from an airplane wearing a parachute. There are many photos and videos showing soldiers coming from the sky with their parachutes open – that was especially true with the landing of Americans during D-Day, June 6, 1944 in France. Parachutes were fire-resistant, strong...
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Christmas Years Ago
Dec 27
Looking at our ancestors who were early pioneer settlers, no matter what decades usually had very simple Christmas celebrations. Children of settlers were often limited to receiving simple gifts, things that in the modern world might not even be considered as gifts at all. For many children, the only gifts they might have gotten were in their stoc...
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Upside Down Christmas Tree
Dec 25
The practice of turning a Christmas tree upside down with the wide portion at the top and narrow at the bottom goes back to the 7th century. According to legend, Boniface, a Benedictine monk in Germany used the ‘v’ shape of the fur tree to explain the Trinity to German pagans. The tradition continued into the 12th century in central and eas...
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Christmas Ceramic Trees
Dec 24
This will bring back memories – Ceramic Lighted Christmas Trees. Back to the late 60s or early 70s, you probably remember a ceramic Christmas tree with twinkling lights sitting on your mantle, top of the TV, dining table, or tabletop. Some of those trees even played music. These mass-produced objects were flooding homes, so the desire to have so...
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How Safe was the Brooklyn Bridge when Opened in 1883?
Dec 23
There are interesting events related to the opening of the famed Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. The bridge connects downtown Manhattan to downtown Brooklyn and over the years is very famous. Your ancestors may have crossed the Brooklyn Bridge many times. The bridge was originally designed in 1869 by John A. Roebling but was completed by his son, Washi...
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