Much has happened, but because of previous traffic, my entries will remain oblique, however meaningful to me.
Over last year's research:
A document that is the nearest thing to a lynchpin to my work that there is.
Photographed hard copies of non-microed (and thus, previously unexploited), 100-135 year old newspapers with some unique personal data of area pioneers, and cultural notes.
From these, discovered the anti-organized-religion views of a prominent local figure who believed they were writing safely under pseudonym.
Discovered 1890+ microed papers worth searching in Dayton.
Concretely established A's whereabouts circa Feb. 1877, which continues to shorten the window of the unknown between home and the stage.
Assisted in determining names of friends attached to a bracelet once belonging to A, sold at auction.
I'm re-engaged at creating the map, replete with extinct place-names and features, to better grasp the geography of the time.
I have the faith of my cohorts, and occasionally their direct assistance.
I'm just getting my research's first wind this year, as until recently, I've just felt I've been dragging last year into this. What I need to accomplish this year:
Contact the descendants of S. P., seeking photos, data.
Contact possible descendant of E. R., seeking photos, data.
Contact trustee, seeking info.
Search T. T. recs.
Rephoto missing bits of newspaper.
Acquire birth, death, and marriage mfms for research.
Complete transcriptions of GWC's writings; compile for publication.
Much to do; must do much soon.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Little victories.
Well, through some online sleuthing and some luck, I've conclusively established the fate of one of the A Bs, namely C. The problem is, this doesn't yet yield any definite answers on I. What seems apparent is that I was not in fact a brother to C. C appears to have been the eldest child in his family, and his brothers remained living under the shelter of their parents for some time. While he would marry, and have children, he may have died as early as 56 years old, but this last part has to be verified.
This leaves "Colonel I A" an open question. He doesn't appear in Australia until well outside the span of the A Bs, and well after C is safely retired from the Vaudeville circuit with a new and lucrative profession.
Time to dig into C's cause of death, if that's in fact when and where he died...
This leaves "Colonel I A" an open question. He doesn't appear in Australia until well outside the span of the A Bs, and well after C is safely retired from the Vaudeville circuit with a new and lucrative profession.
Time to dig into C's cause of death, if that's in fact when and where he died...
Thursday, April 4, 2013
The A Bs.
The A Bs are a point of intrigue with me, in no small part because it seems so little is known about them save that they were the marksmanship act to beat for years. I can find no photographs of them, but it's said that C A married A F, who'd been the leading lady of the B B C, and it is alleged that A went on to some fame beyond the combination, but I can't find for what, or if her marriage survived.
Meanwhile, on the trail of I A, I found records of a man going by that name ("Colonel I A") in Australia whose touted 1889 "Re-appearance after 4 years’ absence of America’s Greatest Rifleman” ended when his eyesight failed and he died May 9, 1908. The title and stagename were only for the stage. He served as an American military scout during the Civil War and achieved the rank of sergeant, but his real name was I P S. A recent excursion to Australia to find the graves of Civil War vets found his in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.
San Francisco Call, July 15, 1877 via The New York Clipper., Aug. 4, 1877
In other news, looking over my microfilms, the Gallipolis Bulletin is a political rag of little use, but the Gallipolis Journal which has advertisements for amusements including Robinson's Circus, may be more fruitful. That said, there are better avenues to search.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
A bit here, a bit there,
Well, just finally managing my intended schedule today. Got out for a 2.5 mile jog, and now winding down to sleep. Yesterday found some interesting pieces, though... A poster for "B & A" among others, and some information on F & A's publicity agent in 1888. Maybe more this evening. Must sleep.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Found some good data on SHB (and wife) this morning (it includes his physical description, but no photo of the man yet), worked on a "Little Nemo" mockup, separated a cel from its matting, and touched base with the Wentzels.
Didn't get a lot done today, but I also got some sleep. Mondays are always hard, 'cause you're resetting your sleep schedule. Tomorrow, the new routine:
Exercise after work.
Cool shower.
Sleep.
Wake and write (2 hrs.+?).
Research.
I won't say "research 'til work", because I suspect I'll be interrupted with a phone call tomorrow, but that's the ideal.
No more time to write.
Didn't get a lot done today, but I also got some sleep. Mondays are always hard, 'cause you're resetting your sleep schedule. Tomorrow, the new routine:
Exercise after work.
Cool shower.
Sleep.
Wake and write (2 hrs.+?).
Research.
I won't say "research 'til work", because I suspect I'll be interrupted with a phone call tomorrow, but that's the ideal.
No more time to write.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter.
Quiet Easter. Called family, left a message. Had dinner with Christina's family.
Found this article. It's worth a look for those considering whether Annie was a victim of sexual abuse. This has always been an open question and a point of conjecture among researchers and even her relatives living today. While I believe it to be an important question to ask, it's a dangerous one to try to answer with any certainty unless one has irrefutable proof. Even a hundred fifty years later, sexual abuse is a potent charge and can upset historians and living descendants (as is evident from a previous book on the topic, which shall remain unnamed, but took dramatic liberties with the story that annoyed the staff at The Garst).
And while the article notes Annie had no children of her own, and speculates thus from the possibility of sexual abuse that her marriage to Frank may have been an "asexual marriage of convenience" (a common notion which is too often used in a circular manner: "She was sexually abused, and the trauma kept her from having children." "How do we know she was sexually abused?" "Well, the fact that she had no children supports this likelihood."), this ignores her married (to Benjamin Grabfelder), childless elder sister Sarah Ellen, who only died in 1939 at the age of 81. She didn't live with "The Wolves." Is there something we should also draw from this? And though she died young at 26, another sister, Elizabeth, had none either with husband Martin Brewer. Nor sister Lydia with husband Joseph Stein, though she lived 'til she was 29-and-a-half. Can we really consider Annie's childlessness a distinct feature that tells us something about that chapter of her life, or does it tell us something about the nature of the Mosey daughters, or perhaps nothing at all?
Questions usually deserve to be asked. Some, however, do not warrant being answered when it presumes a knowledge no one has, and when other questions inspire answers of equal merit as alternatives.
Found this article. It's worth a look for those considering whether Annie was a victim of sexual abuse. This has always been an open question and a point of conjecture among researchers and even her relatives living today. While I believe it to be an important question to ask, it's a dangerous one to try to answer with any certainty unless one has irrefutable proof. Even a hundred fifty years later, sexual abuse is a potent charge and can upset historians and living descendants (as is evident from a previous book on the topic, which shall remain unnamed, but took dramatic liberties with the story that annoyed the staff at The Garst).
And while the article notes Annie had no children of her own, and speculates thus from the possibility of sexual abuse that her marriage to Frank may have been an "asexual marriage of convenience" (a common notion which is too often used in a circular manner: "She was sexually abused, and the trauma kept her from having children." "How do we know she was sexually abused?" "Well, the fact that she had no children supports this likelihood."), this ignores her married (to Benjamin Grabfelder), childless elder sister Sarah Ellen, who only died in 1939 at the age of 81. She didn't live with "The Wolves." Is there something we should also draw from this? And though she died young at 26, another sister, Elizabeth, had none either with husband Martin Brewer. Nor sister Lydia with husband Joseph Stein, though she lived 'til she was 29-and-a-half. Can we really consider Annie's childlessness a distinct feature that tells us something about that chapter of her life, or does it tell us something about the nature of the Mosey daughters, or perhaps nothing at all?
Questions usually deserve to be asked. Some, however, do not warrant being answered when it presumes a knowledge no one has, and when other questions inspire answers of equal merit as alternatives.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Research winding down, writing starting up.
I haven't been as mindful about keeping this blog as I should. I've visited and posted to it here and there, but rarely with any consistency. I mean to change that as of now. My genealogical research -- the portion that requires the most work and travel -- is slowly winding down. There are still some avenues to pursue: Contacting descendants of SP, EMR, and, of course, relatives of AO, to see what stones I've left unturned; but for the most part, the remaining research is getting properly acquainted with the era, the culture, technology, habits, etc. so the writing seems authentic.
Too, I must get into a habit of writing. I long ago got out of the habit of doing any more with fiction than maintain my file of story ideas. Mostly when I write, the ideas are political, and that's something I must change. I tend to believe we are reflections of what we consume, and so, my regular habit of watching political news for hours every night must be quashed, and used for period reading, Jane Eyre first among these.
Also, for purposes both of productivity and health, I must establish a rigorous schedule for sleeping, writing and exercising. I suspect 1-1.5 hours of (serious, heated) exercise when I get home from work, a cool shower, sleep, 2-3 hours of writing immediately when I awake, and reading to take with to work. I believe this to be optimal. It's just a matter of maintaining it.
And, if I'm to maintain this blog with any regularity, I must find a window for it as well. I'll place that between exercise and sleep and limit it to 1/2 hour, giving basic mentions of recent accomplishments.
To that end: I've hunted through "The Gallipolis Bulletin" 1880 in months January and June 7 - early Oct. Nothing thus far. And nothing of note either in "The Dayton Daily Journal" 1882 around May - June. I'll still have all these rolls for most of a month, so I'll make good use of them, but I really need papers from Springfield and Milwaukee.
I need to get e-mails off to P. & F'm'n relatives, Ms. G, and some info off to Mr. H'y'n. I must also look into having the Sütterlin-esque docs translated, so I can offer something to the Pioneer Library.
That's all for now.
Too, I must get into a habit of writing. I long ago got out of the habit of doing any more with fiction than maintain my file of story ideas. Mostly when I write, the ideas are political, and that's something I must change. I tend to believe we are reflections of what we consume, and so, my regular habit of watching political news for hours every night must be quashed, and used for period reading, Jane Eyre first among these.
Also, for purposes both of productivity and health, I must establish a rigorous schedule for sleeping, writing and exercising. I suspect 1-1.5 hours of (serious, heated) exercise when I get home from work, a cool shower, sleep, 2-3 hours of writing immediately when I awake, and reading to take with to work. I believe this to be optimal. It's just a matter of maintaining it.
And, if I'm to maintain this blog with any regularity, I must find a window for it as well. I'll place that between exercise and sleep and limit it to 1/2 hour, giving basic mentions of recent accomplishments.
To that end: I've hunted through "The Gallipolis Bulletin" 1880 in months January and June 7 - early Oct. Nothing thus far. And nothing of note either in "The Dayton Daily Journal" 1882 around May - June. I'll still have all these rolls for most of a month, so I'll make good use of them, but I really need papers from Springfield and Milwaukee.
I need to get e-mails off to P. & F'm'n relatives, Ms. G, and some info off to Mr. H'y'n. I must also look into having the Sütterlin-esque docs translated, so I can offer something to the Pioneer Library.
That's all for now.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Creation vs. Consumption.
More and more my thoughts turn to the inertia I feel and the nearest I can put a finger on it beyond a wee bit of burnout is the lack of a creative community with which to interact. To the best of my knowledge, practically everyone I know, save for a couple of family members, are consumers, and create virtually nothing.
This rather depresses me.
I need creative people around me to feel energized. Not consumers who are taken in and consumed themselves by their chosen activities (most everyone in modern society absorbed in X new series on HBO or Y new MMORPG), and not re-enactors who take old material and relive it (community theater, Ren Faire folks and related). Where are all the people making new things, creating new ideas, and not just rotating around someone else's?
Sigh.
This rather depresses me.
I need creative people around me to feel energized. Not consumers who are taken in and consumed themselves by their chosen activities (most everyone in modern society absorbed in X new series on HBO or Y new MMORPG), and not re-enactors who take old material and relive it (community theater, Ren Faire folks and related). Where are all the people making new things, creating new ideas, and not just rotating around someone else's?
Sigh.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
The New Used Book.
It's always fun to get a new used book from somewhere. In this case, it was a library hardcover copy of the most well-researched book to date on my subject...
What's most delightful is when a previous owner or user of a book has left little notes written in the margins. They give you clues to the inner workings of their mind. Whoever wrote in this once-library volume seemed to have designs on writing something herself about the subject (the handwriting is characteristically female), and turned up a little bit of speculation that is only spoken of a few places, so I'm kind of impressed... Granted, they don't have the research I've done which makes pretty clear that particular bit of speculation about the ethnic origins of my subject's father are false. Still, it was nice to see someone else digging away.
I've been feeling just a shade lonely in my own peculiar way lately, and this song's been on my mind a lot... Thought I'd share.
What's most delightful is when a previous owner or user of a book has left little notes written in the margins. They give you clues to the inner workings of their mind. Whoever wrote in this once-library volume seemed to have designs on writing something herself about the subject (the handwriting is characteristically female), and turned up a little bit of speculation that is only spoken of a few places, so I'm kind of impressed... Granted, they don't have the research I've done which makes pretty clear that particular bit of speculation about the ethnic origins of my subject's father are false. Still, it was nice to see someone else digging away.
I've been feeling just a shade lonely in my own peculiar way lately, and this song's been on my mind a lot... Thought I'd share.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Bear's Mill
Wild. I visited this mill last year, and walked back to the Vietnam memorial and paid my respects, but I didn't know the manager's connection, nor the fact that the gazebo was made from the dome of the old Darke County Court House...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsZUdXRLZHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsZUdXRLZHU
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Fancy that...
There are more blogger blokes on blogspot that I know than I knew. Sweet. If you should happen to stumble over here, I bid you all hail and welcome. This is just a little place to organize some thoughts and findings of mine pertaining to a project that has absorbed me for two years now, and for occasional interjections of things that evoke a "feel" I'm shooting for with some upcoming work as the story (or stories) emerge. Not exactly exciting for most, but it's part of what I'm working on. Hopefully end projects will prove more interesting. Be well.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Darke County Infirmary...
This is a picture of Darke County Infirmary as it looked when Annie stayed there, years before it burnt down and they replaced it with the one identified in a postcard in a previous posting.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
An article on Annie's Dorchester Home.
Widely regarded as the only existing home Annie used as a primary residence, her home in Cambridge, Maryland was featured recently in a Washington Post article.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
With luck...
...I'll be going back to Ohio soon.
...I'll be looking for assessed tax discrepancies in chattel holdings in Eaton for a family of interest.
...I'll be conducting at least 1-2 interviews in person.
...I'll be revisiting an interesting home... ...maybe.
...stopping by Blair County, PA, for research.
...I'll meet up with fellow researchers and telling them, perhaps, which of the things they've been seeking that I've since found.
...contemplating how to secure an historic home for preservation and restoration.
...scanning pictures, if they exist.
...and more. :)
...I'll be looking for assessed tax discrepancies in chattel holdings in Eaton for a family of interest.
...I'll be conducting at least 1-2 interviews in person.
...I'll be revisiting an interesting home... ...maybe.
...stopping by Blair County, PA, for research.
...I'll meet up with fellow researchers and telling them, perhaps, which of the things they've been seeking that I've since found.
...contemplating how to secure an historic home for preservation and restoration.
...scanning pictures, if they exist.
...and more. :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
So...
It's been altogether too long since I've updated this thing, but I've been insanely busy after my research vacation. So much to be thankful for on that trip -- meeting new contacts and such -- but here's a little tidbit I'll elaborate upon later:
^ That's my guy.
^ That's my guy.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Pics.
The following are postcards from the area and near the era I'm studying. They prove invaluable points of reference for understanding what ones' characters might be seeing and hearing...
Above is the Darke County Infirmary in Greenville, OH. The original measured but 48' X 80', and was expanded, doubling its capacity. It burnt down and this was built in it's place, and a separate Children's Home was built to better serve the population.
The present structure occupying the site bears no resemblance to the original, nor to the one pictured here.
Greenville City Hall pictured above.
Broadway, looking north to City Hall off in the distance.
Arcanum is a small town in Twin Tmp. once fed commerce via the Dayton & Union Railroad. The D & U long since dissolved, Arcanum has fallen into disrepair. People still live there, but it's littered with abandoned buildings and an empty church not yet modified for residence. Elsewhere nearby, you can find at least two churches that have been converted to residences as the population base that once sustained them dissipated, likely following employment into larger urban centers. It is the primary cause of most modern "Ghost Towns".
An old Opera House from Arcanum in its heyday.
Here's how it appears today.
I plan to pick up more postcards, especially of the RPPC (Real Photo Post Card) from neighboring Lewisburg, and the surrounding area if I can find them. They're not only great pieces of Americana themselves, but great reference for the historical writer to get their head in the proper time/space.
Above is the Darke County Infirmary in Greenville, OH. The original measured but 48' X 80', and was expanded, doubling its capacity. It burnt down and this was built in it's place, and a separate Children's Home was built to better serve the population.
The present structure occupying the site bears no resemblance to the original, nor to the one pictured here.
Greenville City Hall pictured above.
Broadway, looking north to City Hall off in the distance.
Arcanum is a small town in Twin Tmp. once fed commerce via the Dayton & Union Railroad. The D & U long since dissolved, Arcanum has fallen into disrepair. People still live there, but it's littered with abandoned buildings and an empty church not yet modified for residence. Elsewhere nearby, you can find at least two churches that have been converted to residences as the population base that once sustained them dissipated, likely following employment into larger urban centers. It is the primary cause of most modern "Ghost Towns".
An old Opera House from Arcanum in its heyday.
Here's how it appears today.
I plan to pick up more postcards, especially of the RPPC (Real Photo Post Card) from neighboring Lewisburg, and the surrounding area if I can find them. They're not only great pieces of Americana themselves, but great reference for the historical writer to get their head in the proper time/space.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Acquisitions.
I’ve doubled-down on my research investment, purchasing several items, including a surprisingly clean copy of a rare atlas from 1875. There's a lot more to it than what historicmapworks.com shows, and I really can't be arsed to get to NYC or Philly (if Philly even has a copy) just to get glimpses at the data I want. Besides, they have all sorts of limitations on the material's use, but now that I have an original copy, I can decide my own limitations, and have all rights. It cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it. It falls neatly between Federal Census years, and lists landowners, names of businesses and restaurants, and has a number of other intriguing details to help fill out the portrait...
An idea of how rare this atlas is? I have it, but ancestry.com does not, and I come up empty when Googling for auctions for it. The crazy stuff you'll turn up on ebay on a lark. :)
I also picked up a copy of "Missie" (1947) by Annie Fern Swartwout -- a niece of Annie Oakley's who traveled with her for a time as her assistant. It's said to be fact and myth in equal measure, but it may provide some good flavor. I'd tried to get a cheap copy, but someone sniped me, so I bit at a signed copy w/dustjacket. Probably didn't get any other bids because the seller labeled it poorly, not even mentioning Annie Oakley in the heading, so even if it's absolutely horrible, I can turn it around for an easy $25-50 dollar profit when I want, likely more. Similar copies have gone for more than twice what I paid, so I'm pleased.
I’d only received Walter Havighurst's book the week prior but it has probably proved the most useful when looking for a style from which to take inspiration. The man's got a way with words and really nails dialect and accent. Plus, he cites Annie talking about a family she’d stayed with in terms I’d not heard before, reminding me that there’s still some personal writing of hers I’ve got to track down.
An idea of how rare this atlas is? I have it, but ancestry.com does not, and I come up empty when Googling for auctions for it. The crazy stuff you'll turn up on ebay on a lark. :)
I also picked up a copy of "Missie" (1947) by Annie Fern Swartwout -- a niece of Annie Oakley's who traveled with her for a time as her assistant. It's said to be fact and myth in equal measure, but it may provide some good flavor. I'd tried to get a cheap copy, but someone sniped me, so I bit at a signed copy w/dustjacket. Probably didn't get any other bids because the seller labeled it poorly, not even mentioning Annie Oakley in the heading, so even if it's absolutely horrible, I can turn it around for an easy $25-50 dollar profit when I want, likely more. Similar copies have gone for more than twice what I paid, so I'm pleased.
I’d only received Walter Havighurst's book the week prior but it has probably proved the most useful when looking for a style from which to take inspiration. The man's got a way with words and really nails dialect and accent. Plus, he cites Annie talking about a family she’d stayed with in terms I’d not heard before, reminding me that there’s still some personal writing of hers I’ve got to track down.
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