The Adirondacks did not disappoint, even with the rain we had one day. I was up near Fourth Lake, just outside Old Forge proper. It was a nice couple of days spent with family members I do not get to see as often as I would like. It was peaceful, and restful-just the break I needed from the city.
Back home, and time to write this week’s blog. The topic is Birthdays. I do not share a birthday with anyone I have researched in my family, although one of my great-grandmothers is two days after me (obviously in a different year!). One fun fact is my mother, her mother, and I, were all born at seasonal changes. Three out of four of my grandparents were born in June. My parents were born within six weeks of one another.
Newspapers provide great resources for finding information. This is not just for current events, but for family events from years gone by.
I have an article about my great-uncle Wesley, half-brother to my great-grandfather. Born in Canada, he celebrated his 95th birthday in Wisconsin, where he had lived for most of his life. It is also helpful as it lists his five children, including the married names of the daughters.
The Batavia Daily News, dated 26 May 1926, has an article entitled “Interesting Genesee County Facts Relating to the Older Residents”. At the time, only one person alive had celebrated her one hundredth birthday. Her name was Mrs. Nancy Miller, a Seneca Indian and member of the Bear clan.
My great-great grandfather, Martin Freeman Barber, was 92 in 1926. He, at the time of his death in October 1925, was the oldest person in the Town of Elba. Writing this blog has me thinking about an article I believe exists about his 90th birthday. I will be taking time this week to look for it.
The religion I was raised in does not celebrate birthdays. I had a couple parties as a child since my father was not of the same religion as my mom’s family. Regular celebrations did not happen until I left for college. There have been lively celebrations and quiet ones. One of the best was my 50th. I went to Dublin and celebrated by touring the Guinness Factory. I followed that up with pizza and apple pie. Those three things make up my perfect birthday celebration – beer, pizza, and apple pie.
Social aspects, such as writing up birthday celebrations in the media, seem to only be about celebrities. It is great when you see a news story about a birthday for a person turning 100. What is wonderful about genealogy is we still have a way to document celebrations outside of those milestones. This blog has allowed me to publish what I did for my 50th. I look forward to writing about more celebrations in the future.
Have a wonderful week!