Joyce Spilled Jelly on the Table Cloth

When a person’s life is long and well lived with many family members and associates, a researcher can gather bits of information here and there to piece together a life story. Those with lengthy lives may marry, raise children, purchase property, create wills, serve in the military, participate in organizations, and create court records. Think of all you do and all the records you create. This will be available to future generations who wish to learn about your life.

Then there are those whose lives are short lived. My Uncle Dick Dollen was one of those people. He was born in 1932 and passed away in 1952. Dick was unable to reach many milestones in his mere twenty years of life. Those who knew and loved him best have passed on as well.  His cousin, Joyce, is the only remaining living link to his life. This story offers up Dick’s one treasured sentence.

Doris and Dick Dollen

Joyce was sitting at the dining table with her cousins Doris and Dick Dollen during a family gathering when young Dick blurted out, “Mom, Joyce spilled jelly on the tablecloth!” This one treasured sentence has been retold over and over warming the hearts of my grandmother, my mother and her cousin, Joyce, giving them the opportunity to enjoy that little tattletale each time it was spoken.

Play Ball

 In 1950 there was a team of talented young baseball players who became the undefeated Champions of the P.S.L. in Chicago, Illinois. I have searched for the meaning of P.S.L. and my best guess would be either Parochial School League or Private School League. Chicago did have a Chicago Public League (C.P.L.); which began in 1920 and continues today in the form of Little League.

This patch belonged to my uncle, Dick Dollen. I never that the good fortune of meeting my uncle, but my mother told me he attended Luther High School in Chicago. As it turns out Dick’s school was Luther Institute. Dick playing ball in a Parochial School League makes complete sense.

Luther Institute was located at the corner of Wood Street and Park Avenue in Chicago. The school opened its doors in 1909 with just two teachers. Luther Institute remained at that location until the early 1950s at which point it split into two separate schools: Luther North and Luther South.

Dick Dollen most likely graduated from Luther Institute in 1950. Dick was born in 1932 making him the perfect age for a 1950 high school graduate. He most likely won the P.S.L Tournament in his senior year.

This championship patch never made it onto his team jacket. It is all that remains of a young man’s undefeated championship baseball season. I wonder what position he played.

Wordless Wednesday

Busy, Busy, Busy

Last year at this time, I was receiving my first lessons in distance education. With a mere three years of research experience, I had enrolled in the Boston University Genealogical Research Program. I was a fish out of water. Today if you asked me about last winter, I respond this way, “What Winter!” Really and truly, I do know that last winter was a terrible one with record snowfall here in Chicago and on the East Coast but during that time I was glued to my desk, sweating out my homework assignments, and trying to keep up with my talented classmates. I proudly completed the course work and received an A-.

Reflecting back, I am so happy that I did it and cannot tell you how much I miss my teachers, classmates and discussions. This class opened my eyes to a larger genealogical world. By the end of the course, I had set several goals that I am happy to say I have met. My goals related mostly to reaching out to the genealogical community. I have joined two national organizations and a local genealogical society.

Today, I am co-program chair of the North Suburban Genealogical Society. My partner and I have just completed our 2012 Program Calendar and it feels good. I am so happy to connect with other genealogists in my area.

This blog is also an outgrowth of my distance learning experience. I must also credit my sister-in-law, Carol Koke Meyer, for she inspired me with her own writing. And so, I continue learning and sharing.

Linda

Tune in Tonight

Tonight is the first episode of Who Do You Think You Are?.  Pop your popcorn and tune into NBC tonight at 8:00 /7:00 central time. This evening we will learn about Martin Sheen’s ancestry that goes back in time to Dublin, Ireland and Madrid, Spain. There is something about social justice in his Spanish ancestral line. I hope you can watch!

Dear Family and Friends,

Some people live exciting lives. Some live ordinary lives. How do you define yourself?  How do you define your ancestors? Whether you view your life as exciting or ordinary or somewhere in between, I believe we all have a story to tell and I would like to hear yours!

I challenge you to write your story or an ancestor’s story. As family and friends we share grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors and friendships. Yet for all our commonality, we are still unique, on-of-a-kind creatures. What has happened in your life? Maybe you have recovered from an illness. Or maybe you have accomplished a challenging task. What makes you tick? Regarding our ancestors' stories: A story that I have heard may not be the one you heard. Or better yet it may be totally different!

My Uncle Paul Meyer recently shared his story with me. “Korea …My Story,” tells of my uncle’s personal experiences during the Korean War. Here is an excerpt from his introduction:

            “My grandchildren and great-grandchildren may one day want to know

about the experiences their grandpa had serving our country during

this least remembered war in Korea. This is for them.”

Will you please share your story? Please, please, pretty please! Don’t worry about punctuation or spelling. Just write and let your thoughts flow! Tell your story for the simple reason that you are special. If I am interested in your story, it is likely others are too!  

Let me know when your story is complete!

Happy Writing!

Linda

Preserving Family Photographs

My “Grandmotherly Love” photograph of January 26th was damaged by years of neglect. I suspect it was put into a magnetic album with adhesive pages and stored in the basement.

Photography is a hobby of mine that seems to run in my family. My brother and his wife are hobbyists too though at a much more advanced level. Dick is my go-to-guy for all my photographic needs.

One thing I know for sure is that people neglect their photographs! I have received photos that are scratched, torn, written on, spilled on, and moldy! Beware of the moldy ones and store them separately for mold can spread to your treasured images! These photogrpahs have been stored in basements and attics where temperature and humidity fluctuate dramatically. My husband’s family lost many of their treasured photographs in a flooded basement.

For those who have photographic prints, might I suggest making notations gently on the back of the photographs. These quick notes might help some future family historian. I have a stack of unknown photographs just waiting to be recognized. I fear they will remain unknown.

 In a nutshell:

·      Please do not store your precious photographs in basements, attics or any place where temperature and humidity dramatically change.

·      Please do not use magnetic albums with adhesive pages!

·      Please identify your photographs by gently writing in pencil on the back of the image.

·      Please store your photographs in polypropylene sleeves and acid free/lignin free boxes or albums. A stable environment is the best storage location such as an interior closet.

·      Please make copies of your image when framing. Store the original for future generations.

Maureen Taylor is a great source for learning about photographic preservation. I have several of her books including Preserving Your Family Photographs.  You can learn more about this photo detective by visiting her website at http://www.maureentaylor.com.