Happy New Year!

It’s the start of a New Year and the start of another year of ancestor gathering. I’ve been pretty absent the last few months, but I want to get more regular about my genealogy. The new year is a good time to think about how I can improve my research. Here are a few things I want to concentrate on in 2019.

• 52 Weeks of Ancestors: I came in late last year, and didn’t keep up once I started. But a new year of prompts has begun, and I’m hoping that by getting in on the beginning this year, I’ll be able to do a little better at keeping up with both my 52 Ancestors participation. Look for my first post later this week, when the prompt is, appropriately, ‘FIRST’. If you’d like to paticipate this year, or just learn more about the challenge, visit Amy Johnson Crow’s website here.
• NGS Conference: I attended my first genealogy conference last fall, This year I want to do my first big one, the National Genealogical Society Conference being held in St. Charles, Missouri. I’m a little confused by all the choices in classes, but I’m also excited to be going.
• Local genealogical society:  I’ve belonged to a few other genealogical societies in the past, and they helped me immensely, especially in the early days of my research. But I’ve never belonged to one that is close enough to me that I will participate in classes and meetings. I’m going to try something different this year.
• Podcasts: I have several genealogy podcasts I listen to somewhat regularly, but I want to try to make more time for listening.   They always get me thinking about what else I could be doing or how I could be doing it better. Some of my favorites are:
  

• The Genealogy Guys  
• Genealogy Gems
• Genealogy Cafe 

• Organization: I want to rethink the way I organize my genealogy. What I’m doing now works for me—kind of, but after listening to a podcast this week, I’m wondering if there is a better way. I plan to read Drew Smith’s book, Organizing Your Genealogy—commitment-free. If I don’t feel like it has something to offer better than what I’m doing now, I’ll keep up what I’m doing.
• Research: I’ve spent the past 2½ years researching my Italian line on my mother’s side, with only a few detours into other branches when something of interest. I’ve enjoyed the journey and learned a lot, and I’ll probably detour back to it more than once in the coming months, but I’m ready to give another branch the same attention I’ve given that one. I’m going to start the year researching on my paternal lines.​  

Happy New Yearand best wishes as you climb your family tree!

52 Ancestors in 2018 - Week 44: Frightening

 The word of the week this week is ‘Frightening’. That’s appropriate with Halloween falling this week! It’s also timely, because just this past week I was going through boxes of heirloom photos and documents that I’ve had stored for a decade or more, and came across this invitation that I’d never seen before.

 

This invitation to a Ghost Party certainly looks spooky with the skull and cross bones, and I like the drama of the black background with silver engraving. But what exactly is a ghost party? I did a search of NewspaperArchive.com to get some context. A 1902 article, ten years after the party above, from the San Pete Free Press, Manti, UT tells of the new fad of ghost parties, in which the room is darkened, candles lit, and ghost stories told. You can find the story here.

Found on Newspaperarchive.com

A second article a few years later, 1905, gives more details about a ghost party, Not only is candlelight part of the atmosphere, but the room is draped in black and decorated with creeping things like spiders and skulls! There are some ‘horror house’ touches; the hostess greets guests with a handshake, during which her ‘hand’ become detached (a glove filled with sand)! And of course, the guests take turns telling ghost stories! This article appeared in the Fort Wayne (IN) Gazette, in the same state where Ella Herrold, hostess of the ghost party in the invitation pictured above. I have to wonder if these parties may have evolved into the seances hosted by mediums that were so popular a decade or two later. You can find the story here.

Found on Newspaperarchive.com

Ella Herrold, the hostess of the 1892 party, was born circa 1871 in Indiana, probaby in LaPorte County near Michigan City. She married Julian Frank Hixon 3 Sep 1893, just little over a year after the ghost party took place, so it’s very possible he was one of the ‘ghosts’ in attendance. They raised their three children in Michigan City. Here is a picture of Ella and Frank sometime after their marriage.

To learn more about my 52 Ancestors in 2018 project, read my introductory blog post.