ancestors
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Barbie Fashion
Jun 1
One special toy for girls for decades has been the doll 'Barbie'. It was started by Mattel in March 1959 and was designed by Ruth Handler. One item many people may not have known that the full name for Barbie is Barbara Millicent Roberts and she is 11 1/2 inches tall. Barbie was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara, and later the male doll...
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These Jobs No Longer Exist
May 31
As you go through US Federal or state census records you will come across jobs held by your ancestors that just do not exist any longer in America. So here is a look at some such jobs gone forever. Gandy Dancer is a slang term used for early railroad workers. Before machines became capable of laying and maintaining railroad tracks, that work...
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Lucky Penny Day
May 23
A children's rhyme about the humble one-cent piece (“Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck”) yet there are some groups who want to eliminate the penny from general currency. But note – May 23 is 'Lucky Penny Day'. While it’s true that pennies cost more to produce than they’re actually worth and fewer people th...
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Once Popular Given Names
May 21
Just like clothing styles, hairstyles, homes, – things do go out of style over a period of time. This is true of given names. For both females and males, some names were super popular for different reasons to name a baby and today, that name is hardly used for a newborn. Yet, as you do your family tree, you may well come across these old-fash...
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All Ancestors Have a Story – Every Voice Matters
May 19
We work on our Family Tree and do try to learn as much as possible about each individual. The individuals on our trees, we identify with them, get to know them and try to piece together their stories, whether they are cut short by tragedy or they live to a ripe old age. These ancestors need a voice, you are that voice, it’s up to us to ensure th...
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Painting Your Nails
May 17
Everyone remembers when they first had fingernail polish on their nails. Some parents may have forbidden it, and others allowed it at an early age. What is your experience? The practice of adding color to one's nails could go back thousands of years. The Chinese used bold colors on their nails made out of beeswax, egg whites, gelatin and vegeta...
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Things No Longer Done in a Kitchen
May 13
Cooking and preparing meals really has changed over the decades. You might recall some of these vintage things done in the kitchen that are just not done anymore. Baking food items, many times those items then had to cool. Today a cooling rack might be used but your ancestors usually had their baked goods cooled on the windowsill or on a table ...
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Clothing Styles of Our Ancestors
May 11
Everyone loves viewing vintage photos of our ancestors to not only see what they looked like but also their clothing styles. Some examples of fashion styles follow: Women wore a corset under their dress and around their wrist to pull in their wrist 1-2 inches. It was fashionable to have a silhouette figure of an hourglass. Men and ladies ...
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Playing Cards
May 9
Playing Cards are a global fun game whether it is Gin Rummy, Old Maid, War or a high bank poker game, cards have been popular for years. The cards are standard size and design now but they have changed over the years. It is estimated playing cards came about during the late 1300s and early 1400s in Europe. Yet similar early cards were in the 12...
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Mother’s Day
May 7
Anna Jarvis originated Mother's Day when, on May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia. In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May, as a national holiday to honor mothers. Although Jarvis, who started Mother's Day as a liturgical ...