Read Dead Fred's Relatively Speaking Online Newsletter

~Erma Bombeck, American Humorist

If you have a quote or anecdote for our Meditation Corner, send it to us at meditation@deadfred.com.

Found! Jack Allen's two aunts, Mattie and Lavina Woolford

Hello,

I wrote some time ago about picture 1725 of Ruth Allen who is my cousin. I've had a computer crash and quite a few health problems but am now back online. Much to my surprise, I have now found a picture of my two aunts (photo 1726 and photo 1727) Mattie and Lavina Woolford. Could you please tell me how to claim these photos? I would like to commend you in your efforts. Your site is only the second that I've ever got any info from concerning my ancestors. Keep up the good work. I am anxiously awaiting your reply.

Jack Allen

I noticed a DeadFred entry that claims that an electronic photo of Paul Aldridge Vanwicklin is available upon submission of an e-mail to you. My name is John Van Wicklin, and I manage an extensive web site of Van Wicklins (http://www.vanwicklin.com) and would love to receive a copy of this 1918 photo.

Thanks in advance,
John Van Wicklin

HI John,

Archive Photo #14042 Paul Aldridge Van Wicklin

I found that the image previous to this one was scanned into the wrong information packet. Go to my site at http://www.deadfred.com, type in Vanwicklin into the Surname search field and you can then right-click on it to save it to your hard drive.

Let me know if I can be of any further help,
Joe Bott

Thanks, Joe!

Much appreciated. I trusted you (:-) and opened the file and then saved it. I appreciate your responding so quickly to my request. There are quite a few VWs who will want to have a look at this.

Thanks again,
John Van Wicklin

Hello!

My name is Margaret Vinson Chapman, and I am the granddaughter of "Dead Fred." A friend sent me this web site after I told her the story of how my grandfather came to be the mascot of the Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, athletic teams.

My grandfather, Frederick Moore Vinson, was the most famous alumnus of Centre College. He went on to become a Congressman from Kentucky, Secretary of the Treasury and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. His old fraternity takes his velvet-wrapped portrait to all of the home football, baseball and basketball games. They call him "Dead Fred." He also attended the Vice-Presidential debate that was held at Centre College last year.

Your web site is very interesting. I'll make sure that all the genealogists I know are directed towards it.
Best of wishes and Happy New Year!

Dead Fred’s granddaughter,
Margaret Vinson Chapman

Hi,

I would like to e-mail the lady who had the pictures in your letter today from McGregor, Iowa. I used to live there in the late 70s and early 80s. My dad was superintendent of the schools, and I attended kindergarten there. I would like to know more about the pictures. The town was very small, and I bet my mom can still remember everyone who lived there.

Thanks for any help in advance,
Susan Pratt
Springfield, MO

Fred dear,

I have several photos posted on your site with my old e-mail address attached. Can you change them for me? I know, it's a hassle, but what can ya do? I really appreciate your service. Did you know you got big publicity in Ancestry magazine this month? Hopefully, I'll get more hits on my photos.

Thanks kid,
Penny Stewart

Whether you have a bone to pick or a eulogy to offer, send your thoughts to letters@deadfred.com.

Whether you have a bone to pick or a eulogy to offer, send your thoughts to letters@deadfred.com.

Pick & Shovel Highlights

Subject: RE: Welcome to DeadFred.com
Author: Patty Border (pattyb1956@aol.com)
Date: 1/1/2002 10:46 pm CST

Dear Joe,
Thank you for this web site and all the time and effort you put into it. I haven't had any luck finding pics of my ancestors, but your site is still fun to explore.
My family surnames are "BORDER, STAUB, TEEL/TEAL, RITTENHOUSE, HILL AND REHM." As far as helping you and your web site, send me an address to where I can send a check. E-mail me.

Thanks again,
Patty Border

Subject: SHALTONIS family...
Author: Jamie (jaschem_24@yahoo.com)
Date: 12/27/2001 12:59 am CST

Is there anyone out there who knows anything about Albin Shaltonis? I am a Shaltonis, and I believe that Albin is a brother of my grandfather's that we never knew. My grandfather's name is Jack Shaltonis who was born in Michigan. The only thing I know about Albin is that he was born April 13,1912, and he died January 20, 1991, in New York. Not sure where he was born. It's very important that we find relatives of Albins, so I can find out if my grandfather DID have a brother that he never told us about. Please e-mail me at jaschem_24@yahoo.com if you have any information about Albin Shaltonis or information about the Shaltonis family. Thank you.

Subject: HELP WANTED! Photo Album Viewers!
Author: Joe (joe@deadfred.com)

Are you familiar with Shenandoah, PA, and the surrounding area? A while back, I purchased a c1900 photo album from a kind lady who believed the images in the photos were from Shenandoah, PA. The physical album itself was purchased in Pottsville, PA, and one of the parade photos in the album shows a banner with "Shenandoah" written across it.

My Grandmother Rose Mahon was raised in Shenandoah; her father was a Fire Boss for one of the many coal mines in the area. She was supposedly the only female to play in Jimmy & Tommy Dorseys - Fathers Band - St. Elmo's Band I believe it was called.

I just HAD to buy the album. It brought me closer to my grandmother's childhood. I look at the photos and imagine that the kids and adults in the photos somewhere at sometime knew my grandmother and her family - that they were friends maybe - and the brooks, fields and lakes shown here are the same ones she strolled through and around in her youth.

I sorted the album photos into the following sections:
1) Parade
2) Spring
3) Summer
4) Winter

If you type SHENANDOAH in the surname slot and click search, these sections will appear. Please look the photos over and see if you can tell where these were taken. Write me if you recognize anything at joe@deadfred.com.

But be ready; you're in for some absolutely wonderful viewing!

Finding the original meaning of your surname will help you in researching your ancestors.

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14073.jpg
Billie Wilson
Wichita, KS
United States
Comments = Contact Webmaster@deadfred.com

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14054.jpg
Gertrude McCrady
United States
Comments = Real Photo Postcard. Contact Webmaster@deadfred.com

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14425.jpg
Violet Carter
Virginia
Comments = This is a picture of my Grandmother Violet. She was born October 24, 1926, to Littleton Carter & Rosa Martin. She was born in Port Richmond, King William, Virginia. She was raised by Dick & Lula Alexander and legally changed her name to Alexander in August 1946. She married my grandfather Robert Atkinson in June 11, 1949. I am looking for info on my great great grandparents & why they were unable to raise my grandmother, etc.

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14446.jpg
Susie Trowbridge
Comments = SterioView Photo (Ref Susie Trowbidge Archive #14444) Individuals are not matched with names which are Beatrice, Tom & Susie Trowbridge and Elise Blessing. The men are not identified.

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14451.jpg
Bertha Ziernheld
Buffalo, New York
United States
Comments = This is a marriage photo of Bertha Ziernheld and John Fuchs. I'm trying to reunite this photo with its family. Please contact me at penkap1@attbi.com if you recognize this couple.

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14028.jpg
Comments = No Information.

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14044.jpg
State = NY
Country = United States
Comments = Real Postcard photo addressed to Molly E Goodfellow. Bates, Scho Co., NY - Best Wishes Aurta taken at Duncan Vill, South Cairo

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14080.jpg
Country = United States
Comments = On reverse: Also this of Robert give it to him. Contact Webmaster@deadfred.com

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14231.jpg
State = CA
Country = United States
Comments = on back of photo: here is the babys. Do they look Natural. Some fater the 4 one is their niegbhor girl she is on the left. This is Braydens Car. They are one show this to both of the effies has Jeraldene growed any does she look like Si, Write us often, Lillie how does bud look he sure has growed and so mean (typed as written)

http://www.deadfred.com/photos/14232.jpg
State = AR
Country = United States
Comments = Cecile and Eugene written on photo. Stamp on back has location as Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Here is yet another list for you. I hope you enjoy these links, and please remember, I would love to hear from you. Please submit any web site that you think is great or needs improvement.

http://www.givethanksamerica.com/event.htm
This is a wonderful site. Compaq, Sorenson Media, Digital Island and the Department of Defense have come together to allow the families of U.S. service men and women to send video messages via e-mail. The general public is welcome to send 30-second messages of thanks for the firefighters, police personnel and those recently sent abroad.

http://jenngen.0catch.com/
This is a very interesting site that JennGen has created. She has a lot of information and links for those interested in New England, Ireland, Quebec and France. Check it out!

http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5283/genekids.htm
This a neat site for kids who are interested in genealogy but don't know how to get started. This web site provides the necessary information on what they will need in order to do their research, how they can get started and how to do the research.

http://www.calendars.com
Visit this web site if you haven't bought yourself a calendar for this year. They have a wide selection of calendars. For example: antique maps of the world, the Civil War, African-American history and World War II. Check it out!

If there are any web sites that you would like Claire to review, please e-mail them to claire@deadfred.com.

GENTECH 2002
25-26 January 2002
Boston, MA
Check out http://www.gentech.org for details.

National Genealogical Society's Conference in the States
15-18 May 2002
Milwaukee, WI
Check out http://www.ngsgenealogy.org for details.

Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2002
7-10 August 2002
Ontario, CA
Check out http://www.fgs.org for details.

Let's Play Charades!

Take a moment to study this photograph closely. The three women pictured are trying to convey a message. What do you think they are trying to tell us?

The older woman on the left is either kneeling or sitting and holding a jar of some sort—perhaps for medicine or candy—in her left hand. In her right hand, she seems to have a ball that she is passing to the woman in the middle of the trio.

The middle woman is wearing a measuring tape around her neck, holding her right hand out to accept the ball and cutting material with her other hand.

The sitting woman on the right has a Mona-Lisa-esque smirk and is holding a kitten in her lap.

Joe thinks he has a pretty good answer to the riddle, but we'd like to know what you think. Write jeannette@deadfred.com with your ideas. We'll compare answers next month.

When I was a young girl I hated my name. When I thought of "Claire," I envisioned an old woman in a rocking chair, knitting a sweater for her grandkids. "Claire" was a boring, dull name. It was a very common name when I was growing up in England. There were at least four other Claires in my class, and they each spelled their name in a different way.

It was not until I came to America did I learn to like my name. In my high school with at least 1,500 students (my graduating class was a little more than 600 students), I was the only Claire in the school. I felt unique with my unique name.

When you become a parent, choosing your child's name is a very big decision. The web site at http://www.babycenter.com/babyname/popnames.html reveals the most popular names of the year. This year, the number one name for girls is Emily and for boys, Jacob. I think they are pretty names, but I personally do not want my children to experience what I did when I was growing up. I want my children to have a name that is as special as they are.

The other day I discovered an interesting article:

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011213/od/tires_dc_1.html

Attention Dunlops: 'Tired' of Your Name?

TORONTO (Reuters) - In a move that raises corporate branding to new levels, a North American tire maker is offering $16,000 to people willing to alter their family name and embrace the company’s Dunlop-Tire moniker as their own.

"This has never been done before," said Jane Wilcox, a spokeswoman with the tire company. The firm has mailed 1,000 information packages to families with the name Dunlop across Canada.

To win a portion of the $16,000 offer, a Dunlop must legally change his or her name to "Dunlop-Tire" at a cost of some $125, which the company will reimburse.

If 50 people sign up, each gets $315. But a sole signatory would hit a $16,000 jackpot.

"I think it's a bit ridiculous," said Toronto-area Lisa Dunlop, who heard about the offer from a Reuters correspondent. "I guess anybody would do anything for a dollar, but I'm not one of them."

A statement from the tire company said a poll of 2,000 Canadians conducted by Decima Research showed that 37 percent of Canadians would be willing to trade their family name for a corporate brand name -- if the price was right.

Men were far more willing than women to adopt a name change for cash, the pollsters found.

Wilcox acknowledged that the tire company’s campaign, which is open only to Dunlops in Canada, should be taken with a pinch of salt and conceded there was nothing to stop the winners changing their names back after raking in the cash.

"First and foremost, this is about having fun," she said. "If there are people who don't appreciate what we're doing, well, I think they probably just don't have a sense of humor."

The article fascinated me. I wondered what the implications would be in regards to genealogy. I did a lot of wondering, but then I had to laugh. As a girl, I would have jumped at the opportunity to change my name to anything besides Claire, but now I am happy and proud to be Claire Bott. I am sure the money will be helpful to those who do decide to become "Dunlop-Tires." I am also sure that whoever does decide to do this not only has a sense of humor but a sense of bravery. I couldn't imagine explaining this one to my family over Thanksgiving dinner.

The following excerpts are from an article by Megan Smolenyak that appears in the January / February 2002 issue of Ancestry magazine, The Family History Source from http://www.Ancestry.com:

Finding Homes For Your Orphan Photos
By Megan Smolenyak

Who among us doesn't have a few mystery photos stashed away in a closet or old scrapbook somewhere? And how many of us have winced to find some family's treasured photos for sale in an antique store or flea market? As more of us immerse ourselves in family history, it's not surprising that we are discovering stashes of these photos in our own possession. Others of us may be dismayed to learn about the collection of family photos that a distant cousin sold in an estate sale five years ago, wishing we could get a look at those missing treasures. I call these unidentified and wandering pictures "orphan photos."

In recent years, there's been a groundswell of people interested in reuniting stray pictures with their families of origin (or at least, with someone with a genuine connection and interest). These casual detectives acquire photos that have nothing to do with their own families, and find a way to get them back into the right hands.

Fortunately for all of us, the Internet is providing a growing set of tools for these mystery-solvers and now each of us can help out. A little Web surfing reveals a crop of sites that will allow you to share your own photos and search through other photos that are homeless.

Self-Serve Photobases
The sites discusses here are general purpose sites that accept old photos of all kinds. It should be noted, thought, that there are also specialized photobases such as Genealogy.com's Virtual Cemetery of tombstone photos at <http://www.genealogy.com/vcem_welcome.html>.

Ancient Faces (http://www.ancientfaces.com)
This site provides easy uploading of family, military, and mystery photos. Over 8,000 photos portraying more than 11,000 people are already searchable by name or place. To search all categories at the same time, choose the "all sections" option at the top of the home page.

The uploading process is quick and you'll have the pleasure of seeing your photo almost immediately. Registering with Ancient Faces will allow you to edit your submissions at a later date. Appealing extras include the ability to e-mail others when you upload a photo, or to arrange to be notified when new photos are uploaded for names you are seeking.

Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive (http://www.deadfred.com)
The colorfully named Dead Fred Web site focuses on pre-1960 photos and contains over 10,000 images representing about 4,000 surnames. To thoroughly search the site, you'll want to search under the "Search Now" and "Mysteries" options of the Photo Archive. Searchable fields include last name, first name, town, country, photographer, and photographer's state.

Photos can be submitted online or through the mail, but all photos sent through the mail are considered donations and become the sole property of Dead Fred's Genealogy Photo Archive. (Exceptions can be arranged.) The site notes that "all digitally contributed photographs and relating information are owned by the actual contributors, not the Archive."

If you choose to submit online, your photos will usually appear within a day. Searchers who think they might have a connection to you may obtain your e-mail address from DeadFred, with your approval. The site also houses a lost-and-found message board called "Pick and Shovel" and offers a monthly newsletter that includes all recently added surnames, as well as other articles and photos of interest.

GeneaNet (http://www.geneanet.org)
GeneaNet, the largest genealogical database in Europe, functions primarily as a hub to other Web sites with desired data or images (some 48 million entries involving 150 million individuals). The site also allows users to upload images directly through its separate portraits and postcards databases.

While representing just a fraction of its content, there are more than 1,400 photos in the portraits database and almost 5,000 images in the postcard database. Users are also encouraged to help identify mystery images at <http://portraits.geneanet.org>. The main index of 48 million should be included in your search, as entries there may direct you to sites with photos of interest to you.

Not surprisingly, this Web site is heavy on French and other European content, but all users are encouraged to search the site or upload their own references and images. Those users wishing to upload must register, but images will appear instantly. Searches can be done by family name, year ranges, town, region, country, and other options, but may require a little patience since European structure is used. Entries for the state of Ohio, for instance, were found when the abbreviation "Ohi" was entered in the region code field. Plan on experimenting for a few minutes to become accustomed to the system, especially if you want to search by location.

Web Site	Formats	Accepted Maximum Size	Means of Submission	Time Until Image Appears
AncientFaces	.jpg or .gif others via e-mail	100 KB	self-serve upload; can e-mail photos in other formats	immediate; searchable within 24 hours
Dead Fred	.jpg only	images scanned at 72 dpi	self-serve uploadU.S. mail	site says within 3-5 days but some appear within hours
GeneaNet	.jpg or .gif	100 KB	self-serve upload	immediate
Ancestor Photo Genealogy Archive	.jpg	60 KB	e-mail	several hours to 1 week
Photographs from the Past	prefers .jpg, but sometimes accepts other formats	images scanned at 100 dpi or less	e-mail; U.S. mail	a couple of days to 1 week
Lost Leaves Photos	.jpg or .tif	150 KB	e-mail; U.S. mail	N/A

Spread The Word
The sites discussed above provide a valuable service to the family history community as a whole, and the more we use them (both as contributors and searchers) the more useful they will become to us. If you haven't already done so, take a few minutes to post some of the family history treasures you've plucked from local flea markets so others will have a chance to discover them. And if you're one of the lucky ones whose orphan photo has found its way back home to you, consider repaying the rescuer by making a small donation to one of these volunteer sites so that others may experience the pleasure of a reunion in the future.

Megan Smolenyak, author of In Search of Our Ancestors, companion book to the 2000 PBS series, and the forthcoming Honoring Our Ancestors, can be reached through <http://www.honoringourancestors.com>.

A Good Thing

We all know who Martha is; however, for those of you who don't know her by her first name, I am talking about Martha Stewart. I just love Martha. I love to watch her daily show, her special shows, her stuff at Kmart and I just love her magazine, Living. In this month's edition, besides the delicious dessert of the month, Dessert Crepes, the pictures, recipes and directions on how to make the unique birthday cakes and the informative article about vintage cards, the feature-working article on page 60, "Photo-Jewelry Designer," intrigued me.

It's about a young woman, Jen Smith, who has combined her love of photography and jewelry and, in the process, created an exquisite form of art. She makes Victorian-inspired jewelry using antique portraits.

The process is quite time-consuming, but the jewelry is absolutely beautiful. The process begins with Jen Smith reducing the portrait photographically, and then she creates the jewelry around the photo or photos. She can make bracelets, earrings and, my favorite, family tree-inspired necklaces.

"The setting serves as a frame, and the photo takes the place of a jewel," she says. She embellishes the necklaces, earrings, brooches and stickpins with garnets, labradorite, and carnelian, which enhance the rich hues of hand-colored prints; she often uses seed pearls to highlight the silvery tones of black-and-white photographs."
Martha Stewart Living
January 2002, p. 60

What an extraordinary and unique way to preserve your family history. Read this article in the January 2002 issue of the magazine Martha Stewart Living.

Send your questions or comments about this story to claire@deadfred.com.

False
Surnames were used long before they were commonly recorded. You will probably not be able to trace back to when surnames were first used. (There are some exceptions; for example—the early Dutch in America.) So how your ancestors got the name will not help you find them.

Before this century, spelling was not important, most people could not write and foreign names were mangled or contorted. Over the many years since your ancestors first started using a surname, it could have changed in ways you could not know. For these reasons, saying something like, "Our Elliotts have always spelled it with two L's and two T's" may mean you'll miss some important clues.

And don't forget that the surname you have is not the surname of all your ancestors. It is, in fact, your least reliable line, but often the one pursued most vigorously by men (yes, men) who are newcomers to genealogy.

Go to http://www.witsend.org/gen/gentest.htm to take a more in-depth genealogy test.

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