The Great Thanksgiving Listen

Today in the United States it is Thanksgiving, a national nondenominational day to gather with friends and family and give thanks in appreciation of what we have.  I hope you are having a good and happy Thanksgiving and are able to spend it with people you care about.

Tomorrow is The Great Thanksgiving Listen, launched by StoryCorps in 2008 (originally called the National Day of Listening).  It was deliberately scheduled on the same day as the (now infamous, as far as I am concerned) Black Friday, a day of rampant commercialism that officially used to kick off the pre-Christmas spending season (but that seems to have crept all the way into August at this point).

The Great Thanksgiving Listen, or just The Great Listen for short (#TheGreatListen), is a day when you are encouraged to talk with family, friends, and community members and record their stories.  An old proverb, attributed to multiple cultures, says that when an elder dies, a library turns to the ground.  If we don't record people's stories and share them, those stories disappear when the person passes away.

So set aside some time tomorrow to interview a relative or friend and record that person's story.  Use a mobile phone, digital camera, videocamera, cassette tape, the StoryCorps app, or whatever you have handy.  Write it down if you have to!  (StoryCorps does have recommendations for questions, equipment, and resources for people to conduct their own interviews.)  If you are with more than one family member, make it a family event and have multiple interviews.  Save those family stories and share them with other family members.  If you interview a community member, share the stories with that person's family and maybe the local library.  Make sure your family's and friends' stories are not forgotten.

StoryCorps has several specific "initiatives" focused on oral histories from particular segments of the population.  Visit the site to learn about the Stonewall Outloud (LGBTQ), Memory Loss, Military Voices (service members), and Griot (Black Americans) initiatives, in addition to others.

The Great Thanksgiving Listen 2019

This week the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving, when people gather together in appreciation of their families and friends.  And as a genealogist or family historian, this is a particularly special time because all those family members and friends are gathered together in one spot, making it the perfect time to sit down and share stories, one of the most precious things you can collect.

In 2008, StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history project begun in 2003, launched the National Day of Listening, when Americans are encouraged to record the stories of family members, friends, and community members.  StoryCorps designated the Friday after Thanksgiving as the Day of Listening as a deliberate contrast to the commercial perspective of Black Friday.  This year the event has been rebranded as The Great Thanksgiving Listen, with a tag of #TheGreatListen (plus the organization has a new logo!).  And if you pledge ahead of time to participate, you will receive e-mails during the week to prepare you with ideas and tools.

Set aside time this Friday to interview a relative or friend and record that person's story.  Use a mobile phone, digital camera, videocamera, cassette tape, the StoryCorps app, or whatever you have handy.  Write it down if you have to!  (StoryCorps does have recommendations for questions, equipment, and resources for people to conduct their own interviews, since you have time to plan ahead.)  If you are with more than one family member, make it a family event and have multiple interviews.  Save those family stories and share them with other family members.  Make sure your family's and friends' stories are not forgotten.

After Thanksgiving, if you have time and are in one of the right locations, StoryCorps has recording booths in some cities in the United States and also conducts mobile tours, where people can come and record interviews.  These must be reserved ahead of time.  One of the benefits of doing a StoryCorps interview is that the recording is preserved in the Library of Congress with the rest of the collection.

StoryCorps has several specific "initiatives" focused on oral histories from particular segments of the population.  Visit the site to learn about the Stonewall Outloud (LGBTQ), Memory Loss, Military Voices (service members), and Griot (black Americans) initiatives, in addition to others.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Thanksgiving, Genealogy Edition

We're getting into the Thanksgiving spirit early here for Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!

Here is your assignment, should you decide to accept it (you ARE reading this, so I assume that you really want to play along; cue the Mission:  Impossible! music!):

(1) Think about the answers to these questions about your thankfulness for genealogy:

a.  Which ancestor are you most thankful for and why?

b.  Which author (book, periodical, Web site, etc.) are you most thankful for and why?

c.  Which historical record set (paper or Web site) are you most thankful for and why?

(2) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook post.  Please leave a link in Comments to your own blog post or Facebook post.

Okay, here are mine:

a.  The ancestor for whom I am most thankful is my maternal grandmother, Lillyan E. (Gordon) Meckler (1919–2006).  Not only did she spark my initial interest in family history because she (along with my mother) related stories about family members all the time while I was growing up, she had four big boxes of photographs along with many more photos that were displayed in her home.  I convinced her to identify all the photos and allow me to label them, luckily before she had a stroke and was functionally blind, and she could no longer see the photos to tell me who was in them.

b.  The author for whom I am most thankful is David L. Gauntt, who wrote Peter Gaunt 1610–1680 and Some of His Descendants, a very well documented 583-page book about the Gaunt/Gauntt family, beginning with Peter Gauntt in Lancashire, England.  This is my paternal grandmother's family and has wonderful information about so many generations.

c.  The historical record set for which I am most thanksful is FamilySearch.org, which provides all of its information for free for everyone to use.  The records cover the basics used in genealogy — censuses and birth/marriage/death and related records— along with military records, pension records, land records, family histories, and so much more.

National Day of Listening 2018

This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, when people gather together in appreciation of their families and friends.  And because all those families and friends are gathered together in one spot, it's the perfect time to sit down and share stories, one of the best things you can collect as a family historian or genealogist.

In 2008, StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history project, launched the National Day of Listening, when Americans are encouraged to record the stories of family members, friends, and community members.  StoryCorps designated the Friday after Thanksgiving as the Day of Listening as a contrast to the commercial perspective of Black Friday.

Make the time this Friday to interview a relative or friend and record that person's story.  Use a mobile phone, digital camera, videocamera, cassette tape, the StoryCorps app, or whatever you have handy.  Write it down if you have to!  (StoryCorps does have recommendations for questions, equipment, and resources for people to conduct their own interviews, since you have time to plan ahead.)  If you are with more than one family member, make it a family event and have multiple interviews.  Save those family stories and share them with other family members.

After Thanksgiving, if you have time and are in one of the right locations, StoryCorps has recording booths in some cities in the United States and also conducts mobile tours, where people can come and record interviews.  These must be reserved ahead of time.

StoryCorps has specific "initiatives" focused on oral histories from particular segments of the population.   Visit the site to learn about the Griot (black Americans), Historias (Latino Americans), Military Voices (service members), and Teachers initiatives, in addition to others.

National Day of Listening 2016

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, when people gather together in appreciation of their families and friends.  And because all those families and friends are gathered together, it's the perfect time to sit down and share stories, one of the best things you can collect as a family historian or genealogist.

In 2008, StoryCorps, a nonprofit oral history project, launched the National Day of Listening, when Americans are strongly encouraged to record the stories of family members, friends, and community members.  StoryCorps designated the Friday after Thanksgiving as the Day of Listening, which is tomorrow, so you have one day to get ready!

Make the time tomorrow to interview a relative and record that person's story.  Use a mobile phone, digital camera, videocamera, cassette tape, or whatever you have handy.  Write it down if you have to!  (Although StoryCorps does have recommendations for equipment and resources for people to conduct their own interviews.)  If you are with more than one family member, make it a family event and have multiple interviews!  Save those family stories and share them with other family members.

If you have time to plan ahead after Thanksgiving, StoryCorps has recording booths in some cities in the United States, and also conducts mobile tours, where people can come and record interviews.  These must be reserved ahead of time.

StoryCorps has specific "initiatives" focused on oral histories from particular parts of the population.   Visit the site to learn about the Griot (black Americans), Historias (Latino Americans), Military Voices (service members), and Teachers initiatives, in addition to others.

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Friendly Fill-Ins for Thanksgiving

This week for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver has given us something like Mad Libs for Thanksgiving.

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission:  Impossible music, please!):

1) This is a fun meme cohosted by McGuffy's Reader and 15 and Meowing (thanks to Suzanne McClendon on the P.S. Annie blog for the links).

2)  Fill in the blanks for these four statements:

1. One Thanksgiving tradition I have is __________________________.
2. Black Friday ______________________________________________.
3. The best part about Thanksgiving Day is _______________________.
4. One Thanksgiving, _________________________________________.

3)  Tell us in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.  Be sure to drop a comment to this post if you write your own blog post and link to it.

Here's my contribution:

1.  One Thanksgiving tradition I have is trying to watch all three NFL games played.  (I'm old enough to remember when it was just one game on Thanksgiving!)  Unlike Randy, I don't try to keep up with my blog at the same time.

2.  Black Friday is one of the ugliest examples of American consumerism ever created.

3.  The best part about Thanksgiving Day is sharing the day with family and good friends.

4.  One Thanksgiving, I received one of the highest compliments ever on my cooking.  I made my version of Thanksgiving dinner for my roommate and a friend of hers:  Cornish game hens with a rice dressing.  My roommate and her friend were both Japanese-American.  After we ate, the friend told me that my rice was excellent.  I was more than a little proud (still am!).

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Thanksgiving Memories

I suppose it shouldn't be much of a surprise that this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is about Thanksgiving, as it was only two days ago.  Randy Seaver is usually very topical:

1) We just celebrated Thanksgiving in the USA, and many of us have celebrated it every year for decades.  For this SNGF, please share a favorite Thanksgiving memory; it can be sentimental, humorous, reflective, etc.

2)  Share your Thanksgiving memory with us in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or on Facebook or Google+.

I don't remember any specific Thanksgiving from when I was growing up.  I do recall that when my family still lived in Southern California, my mother's "sister" (my mother didn't have a sister of her own, so her close friend filled that role) usually came over for Thanksgiving.  Sam liked ham (not green ham, though!), so along with the turkey, we always had ham.  (And Sam usually celebrated Christmas with us, so we had turkey and ham then also.)  My mother was not the greatest of cooks and not particularly adventurous at that time, so the accompaniments were the traditional green bean casserole, yams with marshmallows, mashed potatoes, and canned cranberry sauce.

My favorite parts of the turkey are the neck and the tuchus, or pope's nose.  If my grandmother was celebrating with us, she got the neck and the tuchus.  So I was always torn between happy to have her with us but not getting the parts I wanted.  Now that she's passed, I think about her when I do have the neck.

I hated the yams.  They were mushy, and they tasted nasty, and I didn't even like the marshmallows.  One year my mother conned me into eating some by telling me they were "candy."  When I had a bite, I realized I'd been tricked and yelled at her, "They're yams!"  She smiled and said, "Yup, candied yams!"  Talk about ruining your faith in your parents!

The first big holiday meal I cooked in the house I'm living in now was for Thanksgiving in 1993.  My housemate and his mother (who was living in the house with us at that time) were there.  My aunt and uncle drove in from the San Joaquin Valley, and my friend Joe came.

My most important Thanksgiving was in 1994.  My mother was terminally ill with cancer, so all three of us children went to Florida to be together with her before she died.  Not the happiest of holidays under the circumstances, but it was good to know we were able to see her.

This year a friend invited me over for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a small gathering, only six of us, but the food was delicious, and we had plenty of wine to go with it.  I educated my friend's "lady friend" about the joys of watching "football tushies" on TV, and we closed the day with a rousing game of Cards against Humanity.  That's a lot to be thankful for.  What more could anyone want?

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: What Did Your Mother Love To Do?

For this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, Randy Seaver picked another topic that I felt an immediate affinity for:

1) What did your mother really like to do in her work or spare time?  Did she have hobbies, or a workshop, or did she like cooking, or reading, or watching TV?

3)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.

In her spare time, my mother really enjoyed watching television.  As soon as she walked into the house, on went the TV.  Her favorite programs to watch were sports (just about anything, even golf), game shows, mysteries, and Westerns.  Later, soap operas were added to the list.  She was a big fan of Hollywood.  Well before the age of tabloids, she kept track of celebrities and knew who had been married to whom (how else would I have known when I was a kid that Ken Berry was married to Jackie Joseph?) and even which big-name stars were gay.  She was excellent at recognizing actors by their voices.

My mother also loved to travel.  As often as she was able to, she would visit her parents and other relatives.  We went to Las Vegas on a regular basis because that's where my grandparents lived.  She took her three young children (aged 4, 5, and 6) with her to go to a cousin's wedding in Florida.  Once she visited me in Los Angeles for Thanksgiving, and we went to the big buffet at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  She told me once that she really wanted to travel around the world without any luggage, just buying new clothes in each place she visited and leaving them behind, to buy new again in the next city.

Kind of part and parcel with travel, my mother loved to go out to eat and to try different foods (except for beets!).  When visiting relatives on her side of the family we often had Chinese food.  Living in Southern California, there was lots of Mexican food.  Going to Vegas meant all the great buffets at the casinos.  In Australia, we learned to appreciate Indian food.  We also had rabbit, mutton, and other things not common at the time in the U.S.  When the area we lived in Florida became home to many Vietnamese refugees, she probably tried Vietnamese food at the restaurants that opened soon after.

My mother, not exactly the epitome of domesticity, enjoyed working outside of the home.  When I was young, for a while she worked a graveyard shift inspecting circuit boards.  When my family lived in Australia, she worked at a delicatessen owned by a nice Greek man.  When we returned to the United States, one summer she worked at a fruit and vegetable stand.  Later she had her own freelance bookkeeping business.  I can't think of a time my mother did not have a job, even if I can't remember all of them.  She did not have a college education (the one semester she attended Florida State University, she flunked all of her classes except physical education; I've gotten the impression she was a party girl), but she was very intelligent.

I can't think of many hobbies my mother enjoyed, although she did crossword puzzles for years.  Painting premade ceramics caught her attention for a while, and everyone in the family received a zodiac wall hanging.  (I think I still have mine.)

Hmm, kind of scattered impressions of a person, not a very cohesive picture.  I obviously need to collect more stories from other relatives.  I can use this as a springboard to have other family members add their memories.  But it's a start!

Wordless Wednesday