Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Middle Names

I almost always find it interesting when Randy Seaver suggests mining for details in our family tree databases for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  This week we're looking for middle names:

1)   It became tradition in English-speaking countries to bestow middle names on children during the 19th century and later.  Go back four generations in your ancestral families and list the middle names of the children in these families.  Do you know why those middle names were bestowed?

2)  Share your family middle names on your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or on social media like Facebook or Google+.

1.  Father:  Bertram Lynn Sellers, Jr. (1935– ):  Middle name is father's middle name.
Mother:  Myra Roslyn Meckler (1940–1995):  The R is for maternal great-grandmother's first name, Ruchel, but no idea why Roslyn for the American name.
Daughter:  Janice Marie Sellers (1962– ):  The M is for great-grandfather Moshe Meckler; Marie is supposed to be for a Catholic saint, probably Jesus' mother.
Son:  Mark Russell Sellers (1963– ):  Russell was the name of one of mother's old boyfriends.
Daughter:  Stacy Ann Sellers (1964– ):  Ann is for paternal grandmother.

2.  Father:  Bertram Lynn Sellers, Sr. (1903–1995):  Middle name was said to be for a "close friend of the family", but unknown whether middle or family name; story yet to be confirmed.
Mother:  Anna Gauntt (1893–1986)
Son:  Bertram Lynn Sellers, Jr. (1935– ):  Middle name is father's middle name.

3.  Father:  Abraham Meckler (1912–1989)
Mother:  Esther Lillian Gordon (birth name, later changed to Lillyan E.; 1919–2006):  Middle name is for paternal grandmother's middle name.
Daughter:  Myra Roslyn Meckler (1940–1995):  The R is for great-grandmother's first name, Ruchel, but I don't know why Roslyn for the American name.
Son:  Martin Herbert Meckler (1944– ):  The H is for maternal great-grandfather's middle name, Hertz, but no idea why Herbert for the American name.
Son:  Gary Steve Meckler (1951– ):  The S is for mother's sister-in-law's mother's name (that become complicated, didn't it?), Scheindel; Hebrew name is Sholem.  No idea why Sholem or why Steve for the American name.

4.  Father:  unknown, possibly Bertram Lynn
Mother:  Laura May Armstrong (1882–1970):  No known ancestor with this name.
Son:  Bertram Lynn Sellers, Sr. (1903–1995):  Middle name was said to be for a "close friend of the family", but unknown whether middle or family name; story yet to be confirmed.

5.  Father:  Thomas Kirkland Gauntt (1870–1951):  No known ancestor with this name.
Mother:  Jane Dunstan (1871–1954)
Son:  Frederick Cleworth Gauntt (1892–1910):  Middle name is maternal grandfather's middle name.
Daughter:  Anna Gauntt (1893–1986)
Daughter:  Bertha Gauntt (1895–1900)
Daughter:  Carrie Florence Gauntt (1896–1985):  No known ancestor with this name.
Daughter:  Mary Louise Gauntt (1899–1971):  No known ancestor with this name.
Daughter:  Edna May Gauntt (1902–1981):  No known ancestor with this name.
Son:  James Kirkland Gauntt (1905–1949):  Middle name is father's middle name.
Son:  Thomas Franklin Gauntt (1908–1991):  Middle name is possibly for Benjamin Franklin.
Son:  Elmer Gauntt (1912–1912)
Son:  John H. Gauntt (1914–1917)

6.  Father:  Joyne Gorodetsky (birth name; about 1892–1955)
Mother:  Sore Leibe Brainin (birth name; about 1890–1963):  No known ancestor with this name.
Son:  Sidney Gordon (1915–?)
Son:  Alexander Gordon (1917–1995)
Daughter:   Esther Lillian Gordon (birth name, later changed to Lillyan E.; 1919–2006):  Middle name is for paternal grandmother's middle name.

7.  Father:  Moshe Meckler (birth name; about 1882–1953)
Mother:  Mushe Zelda Nowicki (birth name; about 1880–1936):  No known ancestor with this name.
Daughter:  Sore Meckler (birth name; about 1900–1980)
Son:  Simcha Meckler (birth name; about 1903–1968)
Son:  Hirschel Meckler (birth name; about 1905–1968)
Son:  Abraham Meckler (1912–1989)
Son:  Rubin Meckler (1914–1915)
Daughter:  Florence Meckler (1915–2005)
Daughter:  Elsie Meckler (1919–1974)

In these names I found:
• 2 where middle name is father's middle name
• 1 where middle name is great-grandmother's given name and unknown source of American name
• 1 where middle initial is for great-grandfather's given name and name is for Catholic saint
• 1 where middle name is mother's old boyfriend's name
• 1 where middle name is for grandmother's given name
• 1 where middle name is said to be for close family friend but unknown which part of name
• 1 where middle name is grandmother's middle name
• 1 where middle name is great-grandfather's middle name and unknown source of American name
• 1 where middle initial is for mother's sister-in-law's mother's name and unknown source of American name
• 1 where middle name is grandfather's middle name
• 1 where middle name is possibly for Benjamin Franklin

I believe I have a total of 36 names for the four generations.  Twelve had middle names from a known family member.  Seven had middle names of unknown origin.  For one I have only an initial for the middle name.  Fifteen have no middle names.  And one person I'm not actually sure what his name was (but I'm working on it!).

Treasure Chest Thursday: The Widow Emma Seeks a Pension

While the previous document I discussed for Emma is from 1917, this one leaps ahead to 1926.  (Maybe Emma didn't find anything in between worth keeping?)  This is a 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" postcard with a preprinted acknowledgement with some lines to fill out on the back and a mailing address and postmark on the front.  It's probably 10# cardstock, a yellowish-buff color (close to that in the bottom image above; I don't know why the top image scanned so much lighter).  Three corners have creases in them; the back has a rust mark at the top left by a paper clip.  In my transcription below I have underlined the information that was entered by hand or stamped on the card.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

UNITED STATES                                                               PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE TO AVOID
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR                        PAYMENT OF POSTAGE, $300
BUREAU OF PENSIONS
———              [postmarked Washington, D.C. 2-PM Nov 22 1926]
OFFICIAL BUSINESS

            Mrs Emma M La Foret
                       615 Indiana St   
                                Vallejo, Calif     
6-6441                              __________

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

RECORD DIVISION                                 3—837

——————

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF PENSIONS

WASHINGTON

  NOV 20 1926   [rubber stamped], 19

     The claim of   Emma Margaret La Foret         
                    Widow of                   
                    Jean L La Foret                    
late of Co. ____, ______ Reg't      U S Marine Corps         
for pension under the act of May 1, 1926, was received   Nov 8         , 1926 , and
numbered WO1560956          
     The claim will be considered when reached in its order, and the requirements, if any, duly communicated.  The number of the claim, as given above, and the soldier's name and service should be indorsed on every paper relating thereto which may hereafter be filed in this Bureau.
                    Very respectfully,

WINFIELD SCOTT [rubber stamped]

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE     6-6441                                           COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS.
M I S

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Probably the most important information to be learned from this is that Jean La Forêt died sometime between the issuance of Emma's 1917 passport and the application for a widow's pension for which this is an acknowledgment.  The "act of May 1, 1926" under which she applied was for veterans of the Spanish-American War.

Another fact gleaned from the postcard is that Emma was living in Vallejo again.  When she applied for her emergency passport, she said her permanent residence was in San Francisco, which must have been where Jean La Forêt was living, because she lived in Vallejo prior to moving to Missouri.  As this postcard is nine years after the passport and I have no documents between the two, I don't know (yet!) if she ever actually lived in San Francisco herself.

I was wondering what the "M I S" handwritten in the lower left corner of the back of the postcard meant.  I realized after looking at the rubber-stamped "WINFIELD SCOTT" that it's probably the initials of the person who actually filled out the postcard.

When I saw the name Winfield Scott I first thought of the general after whom Fort Winfield Scott (first the installation now known as Fort Point and later an artillery post on the San Francisco Presidio) was named, but it couldn't be him, as he died in 1866.  Perhaps it was one of his descendants.

World War I MIAs, Holocaust Eyewitnesses, Pullman Porters, and the 1916 Rising

The first two appeals for assistance below are coming up fairly soon.  I hope this helps the word get out a little more.

The Doughboy MIA Project will be visiting the National Archives in College Park, Maryland from March 29 to April 1.  They need volunteers to help them review the 300 boxes of records of American soldiers from World War I still listed as missing.  Contact project founder Rob Laplander at rlaplander@wi.rr.com if you are interested in helping.

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This year is the 100th anniversary of Ireland's 1916 Easter Rising, a rebellion fomented by proponents of Irish independence to end British rule in Ireland and establish an independent Irish republic.  With that in mind, the Digital Repository of Ireland and the Inspiring Ireland project are asking people in Ireland and the Irish diaspora and anyone with a connection to the Rising to bring mementos, letters, family stories, and whatever else you have to one of the scheduled collection days.  Items that are brought in will be assessed by experts and then digitized so they can be added to the archive and exhibition of 1916 memorabilia.  Three collection days are coming up:

• March 18 in London, England
• April 17 in New York City, New York
• May 14 in Belfast, Northern Ireland

It is necessary to register for a collection session.  Irish Central has an article with more information and examples of some of the items that have been brought to previous collection events.

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The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is preparing for a new exhibition on Americans and the Holocaust, planned in conjunction with the museum's 25th anniversary in 2018.  For this new exhibition, the museum is seeking artifacts from survivors (or their descendants), liberators, and other eyewitnesses who have lived in the United States.  If you have items you are willing to donate, please contact the museum at (202) 488-0456 or americans.holocaust@ushmm.org.

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The Pullman Porter Museum is creating an online database of black railroad workers.  When it is launched visitors to the museum's Web site will be able to read submissions from across the country.  The museum is also inviting former railroad employees and their relatives to add their information to the database.  A Chicago Tribune article has some background about how the project started and its plans for the future.

Wordless Wednesday

The Miracle Baby

Lily Gordon, circa 1935

Family stories are always interesting, but are they accurate?  My grandmother Esther Lillian Gordon, whom I always called Bubbie (Yiddish for grandmother), was born March 6, 1919.  One of the stories I heard many times while I was growing up was how it was a miracle she had been born and survived.

The story goes that Bubbie's mother, Sarah Libby (Brainin) Gordon, was pregnant with her when Sarah's brother, William Brainin, came home from the Army with influenza during the 1918 pandemic.  He infected his sister, who became gravely ill.  She had to go to the hospital and have a lung removed, while still pregnant.  Everything was touch and go, and there were serious questions as to whether either or both of Sarah and the baby would survive.

Somehow, Sarah recovered and gave birth to my grandmother.  Both of them were healthy, and Sarah's father, Rabbi Mendel Herz Brainin, was so overjoyed he went dancing in the streets. As an epilog to the story, Bubbie also said that her Uncle Willie had died before she was born.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

So far, the only part of this story that I've attempted to research is Uncle Willie's death.  My first clue that he didn't actually die before my grandmother was born was that I found him, or someone who certainly appeared to be him, in the 1920 U.S. census with his parents in Manhattan.  After that discovery, I searched for him in the New York City death index and found a likely listing with a death date of January 26, 1920.  I ordered the death certificate and confirmed it was indeed for the brother of my great-grandmother.  Obviously, I was very lucky in that he lived long enough to be enumerated in the census!

Learning that Uncle Willie had died in 1920, not before Bubbie's birth in March 1919, does seem to poke a fairly large hole in my grandmother's story.  Unfortunately, the other avenues of research aren't particularly viable.  The odds on any hospital records from 1918–1919 surviving are very small, and even if they existed, I probably wouldn't be permitted to view them, because medical records of any type are considered sacrosanct in this country, and New York is especially well known for being unfriendly about allowing researchers access to records (yes, even 100-year-old records that are supposed to be available).

A slightly — only slightly — better angle would be to research Uncle Willie's time in the Army.  He apparently did serve, because there was a photograph of him in his uniform that my grandmother identified.  It disappeared several years ago, but he was an enlisted man.  About 80% of Army enlisted personnel records for soldiers discharged between 1912 and 1960 were destroyed in a fire in 1973 at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  So the chances of his records having survived are low.  I do need to try requesting them, though, because that's still a 20% of being successful.  If his records did survive, I might be able to find out if and when he was sent home with the flu.  (It's on my [long] list of things to do for my own family research.)  If he did have the flu, and if he went home between about June 1918 and February 1919, maybe the story is true after all!

The ZichronNote February 2016 Issue Has Been Published

The most recent issue of ZichronNote, the quarterly journal of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society (and the publication for which I recently won an editing award) was e-mailed and mailed out to SFBAJGS members before the month of February ended (thank heavens for that leap day this year!).  Deborah Cohn's lead article focused on the detailed personal information you can find in newspapers, one of my favorite resources.  Susan Steeble discussed how she had to use two different Web sites to find online naturalization forms from the State Supreme Court of Kings County (Brooklyn), New York.  Judy Vasos and her husband took a trip to Eschau, Germany to visit the home of his ancestor.  And Judy Russell, the Legal Genealogist, reviewed Israel Pickholtz's recently published book on endogamy and DNA research.

Do these articles sound interesting to you?  Well, to receive ZichronNote when it is published, all you need to do is join the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society!  If you join at our very affordable annual membership rate, you not only will have the journal when it's hot off the press, you will be helping fund the research projects that the society supports and supporting a pastime that you enjoy.

There is another way to get a copy of ZichronNote:  You could contribute an article!  I could be promoting your fine prose here!  If you have had a breakthrough in your family history research, solved a family mystery through painstaking work, discovered an innovative way to use resource materials, or contacted a "tenuously, absurdly distant" cousin to learn more about your family, we would love to read about it.  If you are interested in writing for ZichronNote, send me a message, and we can discuss!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: An Internet "Bucket List" Meme

I was surprised at this week's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun from Randy Seaver.  I had seen this going around Facebook and pretty much ignored it:

1)  A "Bucket List" meme went around Facebook several weeks ago where you put an "X" in the box if you have done it!  

2)  Copy and paste it into your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or on Facebook or Google+ and fill it out (erase my entries and insert your own).

3)  Put a comment on this blog post to tell me where I can read all about you!

So here's the list I've been ignoring for a while and my responses:

(X) Shot a gun
(X) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Visited Canada
(X) Visited Hawaii
(X) Visited Cuba
(X) Visited Europe
(X) Visited Las Vegas
(X) Visited Central America

(  ) Visited Asia
(  ) Visited Africa
(X) Visited Florida
(X) Visited Mexico
(  ) Seen the Grand Canyon in person
(X) Flown in a helicopter
(X) Served on a jury
(X) Been lost
(X) Traveled to the opposite side of the country
(X) Visited Washington, D.C.

(X) Swam in the ocean 
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Played cowboys and Indians
(  ) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang karaoke
(X) Sang a solo or duet in church
(  ) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some beverage came out of your nose

(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(  ) Had children
(X) Had a pet
(X) Been skinny-dipping
(X) Been fishing
(X) Been boating
(  ) Been downhill skiing
(X) Been water skiing
(X) Been camping in a trailer/RV
(X) Been camping in a tent

(X) Driven a motorcycle
(  ) Been bungee-jumping (ripcord jumping)
(X) Gone to a drive-in movie
(X) Done something that could have killed you
(X) Done something that you will regret for the rest of your life
(  ) Rode an elephant
(  ) Rode a camel
(X) Eaten just cookies or cake or ice cream for dinner
(X) Been on TV  
(  ) Stolen any traffic signs

(X) Been in a car accident
(X) Been in the hospital in past 24 months
(X) Donated blood 
(  ) Gotten a speeding or any other type of ticket in the past 12 months
(X) Gotten a piercing
(X) Gotten a tattoo 
(X) Driven a manual transmission vehicle
(X) Ever owned your dream car
(  ) Been married
(  ) Been divorced

(X) Fell in love
(X) Fell out of love
(  ) Paid for a stranger's meal
(  ) Driven over 100 mph
(  ) Been scuba diving
(X) Written a published book/story/poetry
(X) Eaten snails

Apparently my life has not been quite as sheltered as Randy's!

Treasure Chest Thursday: Emma La Forêt's Emergency Passport

Last week I posted Emma la Forêt's application for an emergency passport to leave Europe in 1917.  This week we get to see the passport itself (yes, this is the real thing!).  It is a buff-colored 12" x 17 1/4" piece of paper, watermarked with the seal of the U.S. Department of State.  It has three impressed seals and one rubber-stamped seal of the American Embassy in Paris, France on the front.  On the back, there are, in succession, an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Algiers, Algeria; a rubber-stamped seal of the Département d'Alger Sûreté Départementale (Algeria Regional Police); an impressed seal of the American Consulate in Marseilles, France; a rubber-stamped seal from the Commissariat in Marseille, but I can't read most of it; and a rubber-stamped seal from the Ministère de l'Interieure (Minister of the Interior) in Bordeaux, France.  As usual, I have underlined the information that was entered onto the preprinted form.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Photo of Emma and Rosita                          This document expires Dec 14. 1917 unless
E. La Foret [signature]                                 renewed.  The holder has applied to the
[impressed Paris Embassy seal]                   Department of State for a regular passport

[rubber stamp of Paris Embassy seal]

Good only for

six months from date.

                                                                  The person to whom this passport is issued
                    printed Great Seal                 has declared under oath that he desires it for
                    of the United States              use in visiting the countries hereinafter named,
                                                                  for the following objects:
                                                                  Algeria  (name of country)    Residence (object of visit)
                                                                  France  (name of country)    en route (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)    United (object of visit)
                                                                  ———  (name of country)     States (object of visit)

This passport is not valid for use in other countries

except for necessary transit to or from the countries

named, unless amended by an American

diplomatic or principal consular officer.

Embassy

of the

United States of America,

at

    Paris, France   

To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting;

The undersigned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

of the United States of America,

hereby request all whom it may concern to permit

— Emma La Forêt — ———

Description                                                  a Citizen of the United States accompanied
Age 50 Years ______                                   by her minor child Rosita safely
Stature 5 Feet 7 Inches Eng.                       and freely to pass and in case of need to give
Forehead   high                                             them all lawful Aid and Protection.
Eyes     blue grey   
Nose    regular                                                            Given under my hand and the
Mouth    medium                                                         Seal of the Embassy of the
Chin    round                              [impressed                        United States
Hair    dark brown                         Paris                       at   Paris, France    
Complexion    fair                       Embassy                   the  14th  day of September
Face    oval                                    seal]                       in the year 1917 and of the
                                                                                     Independence of the United States
                                                                                     the one hundred and forty second
Signature of the Bearer.
  Emma La Foret.   [signature]

CANCELED [rubber stamped diagonally]

No. 1704

Wm G. Sharp [signature]

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

CONSULATE OF THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA, AT ALGIERS, ALGERIA.
                     October 4, 1917.
 GOOD
~~~~~~            A. C. Frost [signature]
  BON           Consul of the United
                      States of America.
Service No. 214
(No fee)
[impressed           I hereby certify that
Algerian              the bearer of this
Consulate            passport is the wife
seal]                    of Jean L. La Forêt
                           Vice Consul of the
                            United States of
                            America at Algiers,
                            Algeria.
                                 A. C. Frost [signature]
                                 Consul of the
                    United States of America.


No 3454.
Vu à la PRÉFECTURE d'Alger
Bon pour se rendre = en Amérique
via Marseille - Bordeaux - New. York
Objet du voyage = rentre dans son pays.

Alger, le 4 Octobre 1917
POUR LE PRÉFET,
Le Chef de la Sûreté Départementale délégué.
[rubber-stamped
Algeria Regional Police                Imaranos(?) [signature]
seal]


BON  Consulat Général des États - Unis
          d'Amérique à Marseille, France.
          Vu le 9th of October 1917
          Le Consul Général des États- Unis
                         d'Amérique:
No fee
Service No. 838.                  John Q.(?) Moody(?) [signature]
[impressed
Marseille
Consulate
seal]


COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL DES PORTS
VU [illegible]
Marseille, le 9 [illegible] 1917.
Giraud(?) [signature]

COMMISSARIAT SPECIAL
[illegible] la Préfecture
                  VU au départ pour les
Marseille, le 9/10/17    Etats-Unis
[rubber-stamped      Pour le Préfet           via Bordeaux
Marseille                 et par délégation
Commissariat          Le Commissaire Spécial
seal]                              Morelli(?) [signature]


VU pour se rendre à New. York
Bordeaux, le 12/10/ 1917 .
P. LE PRÉFET DE LA GIRONDE,
La Commissaire Spécial délégué.
[illegible signature]
[rubber-stamped
Minister of the Interior
seal]

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Wow!  I think this passport is very cool, and I am lucky to have it, even if it isn't for a member of my own family.  It's fairly straightforward; most of the information came directly from the passport application Emma submitted September 7.  It was processed very quickly, being dated September 14 in Paris.

The two sentences that were struck through on the front of the passport were probably for standard emergency passport procedures.  As Emma seemingly did not plan to travel again, they were not relevant for her.

The back of the passport has the same types of stamps that one might see in a passport today, and we can see Emma and Rosita's route from Algeria to Marseille to Bordeaux to New York.  I wish I could read the French signatures better, but c'est la vie!

My guess is that the "Canceled" stamp was put on the passport after Emma and Rosita arrived in New York.  As there is no date by the stamp, however, that is only a guess.

I have noticed that Emma consistently does not use the accent on Forêt.  (I wonder if that bothered Jean?)  As the passport was processed in Paris, I'm not surprised that they did include it.

When I received this gift of documents, the passport was folded and in the envelope in which it appears to have been sent:

This is pretty easy to read, so I won't transcribe it, but in the upper-right corner is a note in pencil:

Left Alger Oct 7/17

This was the only part of Emma and Rosita's trip not present on the passport.  So they left Algeria three weeks after the passport was dated.  There's no indication when they received it.

A second notation in the upper-right corner is "103" in pen.  This isn't the passport number, and no other number on the passport matches it.  It's a mystery what it refers to.

The other item that was in the envelope was Jean La Forêt's business card:

Jean L. La Forêt

Vice Consul Américain à Alger

6, Rue Henricet                 St. Eugène (Alger)

The reason it was included was because of the handwritten note on the back:

Passport

———

Emma La Foret

and minor child Rosita.

———

Issued by Embassy of

the United States at

Paris, France, on

Sept. 14-1917, for

three months, to go

from Algiers to New

York via France.

No. 1704.

——

Signed = Wm. G. Sharp

————

This writing looks similar to that of Emma's handwritten narrative, and the name of Wm. G. Sharp bears no resemblance to the signature on the passport.  So Emma wrote a short note describing the passport, even though all of the information she wrote was included on the passport itself.  I know documentation is good, but I don't understand the purpose of her note.  On the other hand, it's nice to have one of Jean La Forêt's Vice Consul business cards.

Wordless Wednesday