Happy Halloween, 1913 A doting Wood family aunt in Chicago, Illinois sent this cute holiday penny postcard to her nephew in Cleveland, Ohio. It was post-marked October 28, 1913. Still in my husband's family today! May you have all treats and no tricks on Halloween, 2026. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/happy-halloween-1913.html #ohio #chicago #cleveland #october #wood #still #may #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Lady Liberty Dedicated OTD in 1886 The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, with President Grover Cleveland and many dignitaries in attendance. The graceful statue was a gift from the people of France, and the pedestal was financed by the people of the United States. The sculpture was taken apart and shipped from France to New York City in crates, arriving in the summer of 1885, where it awaited the construction of a pedestal and then reassembly. Not just a tourist destination, I think many New York City-area children saw the statue on school trips. I sure remember being brought to the island with my classmates and walking up those steps inside the sculpture! And I remember Lee Iacocca's successful campaign to raise money for refurbishing the statue in advance of its big centennial in 1986. I've blogged before about which of my ancestors would have passed Lady Liberty on their way from Eastern Europe to a new life in New York City and beyond. All four of my grandparents were immigrants, but one arrived via Canada and one arrived before the statue was dedicated. Two would most definitely have viewed the statue when they were arriving in the Big Apple and being processed at Ellis Island. All the immigrants I remember were grateful to be able to start over in America and forge a new future for themselves and for their children. I salute their courage and appreciate how difficult it must have been to reinvent themselves in a new country. If they had not taken the bold step to start fresh, I would not be here today. Happy 140th birthday to the State of Liberty. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/lady-liberty-dedicated-otd-in-1886.html #ladyliberty #newyork #yorkcity #otd #statue #grovercleveland #france #leeiacocca #easterneurope #island #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Book Review: "Lunch On A Beam" Archivist Christine Roussel has written a terrific new book about the background and identification of the faces in an iconic Depression-era photo: "Lunch on a Beam" (shown on the cover, above). Being a native New Yorker, I was riveted (pun intended) by this photograph taken high in the sky in the heart of Manhattan, an image so familiar and yet associated with so many questions. Even the Wikipedia page may not have all the answers dug out by Christine Roussel, though it has some other wonderful photos from the time and place. Where, when, why, and who? Where? Atop Rockefeller Center's RCA building under construction. This complex was being constructed despite the incredible Depression-era financial collapse that took so many jobs away. This was way, way before my time, but many decades after the complex opened, I loved visiting Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree lighting, to see the high-kicking Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, to enjoy the dazzling skyline visible from the highest floors. When? The photo was taken in the fall of 1932 (exact date investigated and documented by the archivist). Maybe late September, maybe early October. And actually, there could have been more than one version of this photo, according to Roussel. Why? One word: publicity. The developer of Rockefeller Center needed to drum up enthusiasm for leasing the new building's commercial space. It was, after all, a business venture requiring enormous investment and therefore requiring a revenue stream at completion. Photos like this kept the project in the public eye and generated a lot of conversation. Who? So many theories have been advanced about the identities of the men shown lunching and chatting on this beam. A lot of families heard stories passed down about an iron-worker or riveter or other worker who was on the job site and was maybe in the photo. Were they true? Digging deeper to learn more With amazing access to Rockefeller Center archives and other major archives, the author offers a deep dive into the background of this photo and her years-long efforts to verify the names of the photographer and the men on the beam. No part of the photo is unexamined and explained in her quest to understand how this well-known image came about and who is pictured. Roussel even writes about who is not in the photo and why, social history that informs the story. She uses the same techniques used by family historians to analyze family legends and assertions about who may have been on that beam. She listens carefully to descendants, asks questions, examines any evidence (such as wardrobe, face/head similarites, published info, and contemporaneous photos), and researches additional documents (union records for instance) in her quest to verify decades-old claims that an ancestor is in the picture. No spoilers In the end, the author is able to identify 10 of the 11 men. For each, she explains not only her reasoning but also provides the names of others who, with "less evidence," are proposed to be that man. Although she does not feel confident enough in her identification to name the eleventh man, she does include the names of folks who were proposed to be him, "without much evidence." Even if you're not a New Yorker, you've probably seen this photo and wondered about the men. If you want to learn more, I recommend this book at the fascinating intersection of Depression-era history and the lore of many families whose ancestors might have been there. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/lunch-on-beam-examines-history-and.html #rockefellercenter #lunch #christineroussel #beam #book #newyorker #maybe #archivistchristine #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

Old Heirlooms May Take New Forms in New Lives Decades ago, when my grandma Minnie Farkas Schwartz left me a diamond-and-platinum cocktail ring in her will, she included a brief handwritten note that the setting was not to be changed. Grandma's wish It was Grandma's wish that the ring remain as it was when she bequeathed it, for me to enjoy for years and then maybe my descendants to enjoy as well. Looking back, I really wish she had included a story about how she came to have that ring, but she didn't. I was kind of young at the time, and the ring didn't fit any of my fingers. Plus the ring looked old fashioned to my eyes. It sat in a safe deposit box for a while (remember safe deposit boxes?!). When I got older, the ring still didn't fit any fingers, and I didn't like the setting. So I brought it to a reputable jeweler, had two of the three small stones removed, and had them set in white gold earrings shaped like stars. I wore those beloved earrings for all kinds of special occasions and passed them down to my niece, who wore them for her wedding. I'm hoping she will pass them down to her descendants. So parts of this old heirloom ring have new lives and more years ahead, just not in the same form that Grandma envisioned when she made the bequest. I'm glad that the ring lives on (in new forms), with new stories to tell. My wish My wish concerns the bedroom set ordered by my newlywed parents when they finally moved into an apartment in the Bronx. I inherited the lovely solid-wood mahogany set, refurbished in 1990, with so many memories attached. Ideally, I wish to pass the furniture down in my line, with stories. However, the folks who might inherit live thousands of miles away from me and from each other. Also, they have households of their own and tastes of their own. Realistically, one or more descendants might want to take a single piece of furniture each, rather than the entire bedroom set. Or descendants might give away some or all pieces, as they choose. It's their decision to do with the bequest as they wish, and whatever they choose to do is really fine with me. The set might survive but as single pieces in different households, and that would be okay. Maybe new stories as well will come out of this bequest. I've told the stories (in printed form, multiple times) so I feel good about the furniture being remembered as having been enjoyed by my parents, Daisy and Harry. Curate and plan safeguard family items and history Looking ahead, I have designated heirs who have said they are willing and able to safeguard many heirlooms, documents, photos, and more. The key items of family history I wish to keep safe will be in the hands of relatives who value their importance to our family's past. If I don't make the hard decisions about other items now, some things may end up in the trash or sold for pennies at a flea market. That is NOT my wish, so I'm planning ahead. I've made big progress in curating my collection and finding safe new homes, inside and outside the family, for some things my heirs do not want. I encourage you to curate and plan ahead so the most important wishes do come true. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/wishes-dont-always-come-true.html https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVDZwPAaDtmizLeVI9dRBHR08p7w1D7cEaul45b9nXswFv9j5jiCrvTafk3MWAzt4PG6D8eBBJIRmmbiIBGsKFz1XwbDV1h0g6RT7F5eKicW_WCeaHVmdjjp5X7aRcqTx6xhcG9A1TpX7mftcRQy0vbchW079o1BGqNqbjdvshfGazGW20f7xr2eM_=w200-h200 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjVDZwPAaDtmizLeVI9dRBHR08p7w1D7cEaul45b9nXswFv9j5jiCrvTafk3MWAzt4PG6D8eBBJIRmmbiIBGsKFz1XwbDV1h0g6RT7F5eKicW_WCeaHVmdjjp5X7aRcqTx6xhcG9A1TpX7mftcRQy0vbchW079o1BGqNqbjdvshfGazGW20f7xr2eM_=s72-w200-h200-c #newforms #newlives #may #farkasschwartz #minniefarkas #old #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

William McClure and Maggie Larimer, Married OTD 150 Years Ago On October 19, 1876, wedding bells rang in Wabash county, Indiana, for William Madison McClure (1849-1887) and his bride, Margaret Jane Larimer (1859-1913). They were my husband's great-grandparents. Redoing my newspaper research, I found that the weekday wedding was reported in the Goshen Times (Indiana) newspaper with this short item: Mr. Wm M. McClure, late of Wabash, Ind., and Miss Maggie [Margaret] Larimer, of Millersburg, this county [Elkhart], were married at the latter place on Thursday last, Rev. W. H. Ziegler, of this city, officiating. William was 26 years old, and Margaret was 17 (married with a parent's consent) when they were wed, as I could see from the official county documentation of this marriage. The couple had four children from 1877-1882. Sadly, the youngest child was only 5 when William died of typhoid fever at age 37. He was buried barely a week before what would have been his 11th wedding anniversary. Fortunately, he had $3,000 of life insurance to help his family cope with this loss. Margaret worked as a dress maker to supplement the family's income as her children grew older. She lived to see all 4 of her children married and established in life. Margaret died at age 54, due to diabetes and "la grippe." She and William are buried in historic Falls Cemetery, Wabash, Indiana, where hubby and I paid our respects when we visited a few years ago. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/william-mcclure-and-maggie-larimer.html https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwIxX7jKDJFVCBvNSYAkRMtz1YAe7TaHioExir2z58yWjcbWdT-Fx1F5cwZGecu3q2hbDs2Yn4b3H3qYPg6XcFA_Y5lK7n807muVQNvpsnUzML9aK1nQ8-vlp6wgU2cNT1TslBn9cJvrMojnIaNGcpyZWBTjJ9ssTMq8cOpczslI8NJfyEEDwz-KN https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwIxX7jKDJFVCBvNSYAkRMtz1YAe7TaHioExir2z58yWjcbWdT-Fx1F5cwZGecu3q2hbDs2Yn4b3H3qYPg6XcFA_Y5lK7n807muVQNvpsnUzML9aK1nQ8-vlp6wgU2cNT1TslBn9cJvrMojnIaNGcpyZWBTjJ9ssTMq8cOpczslI8NJfyEEDwz-KN=s72-c #yearsago #larimer #janelarimer #otd #indiana #william #missmaggie #margaret #mcclure #wabash #rss #feeds #linksharing #qwibbit

The Lewis Girls and Mom: Elusive in Two Census Counts 1940 US Census My mother's first cousin Eugene Albert Schwartz (1916-1983) married Dorothy Lewis (1919-1989) on Christmas Day, 1940. Constructing a timeline, I was recently tracing Dorothy, two sisters, and their widowed mother Mildred Weinberg Lewis back from Dorothy's marriage and forward from Dorothy's birth on December 12, 1919. For Dorothy, I had: Bronx birth certificate index (digitized original not yet available on New York City Municipal Archives site) 1920 US Census 1925 New York State Census 1940 marriage in New York City, Dec 25 1950 US Census 1989 obit in Arizona Republic newspaper Find a Grave memorial site with photo of gravestone Info from Eugene's and Dorothy's grandchildren about family life and their retirement to Sun City West, covering later years up to the 1980s Hey, where was Dorothy in the 1930 and 1940 US Census? Ancestry didn't find her or her mother and sisters in either of those two Census years. I tried a few different ways to search, but no joy. I wanted to fill out my timeline more completely. How could a widowed Mom and three daughters disappear? Try a different site, different index/transcription Then the lightbulb went on. I needed to try a site that indexes and transcribes the US Census differently. So I searched on FamilySearch for all three of the daughters, including Pearl Edith Lewis, who married George Frey in November, 1939. This was a winning research combo. I quickly found Dorothy with her mother Mildred Lewis and sister Jeanette Lewis on 119 Tudor Place in the Bronx in 1940. The entry directly below is Pearl Edith Lewis with her new husband George Frey. See excerpt from the Census at top. Success in 1940! Still no sign of them in 1930 Yet Millie and her family are nowhere to be found in 1930. I tried FamilySearch's 1930 US Census collection, MyHeritage's 1930 US Census collection, and Ancestry's US Census 1930 collection with the three daughters' names and/or their mom's name, collectively and individually. No joy. Millie remarried! Meanwhile, I looked closely at all three of the daughters in the 1950 US Census and discovered that Millie had indeed remarried after being widowed. She was with the head of household, Max Rabinowitz, and her daughter Pearl Edith and that family. It took 15 seconds to find the New York City marriage license for Millie Lewis and Max Rabinowitz in August, 1943. Millie and her second husband Max are both buried in Sharon Gardens Cemetery, Valhalla, New York. I've suggested an edit to Millie's Find a Grave page to link her and her second husband, and will continue to link her to more relatives over time. I'm so glad the timeline helped me flesh out the lives of these in-laws. This is my post for Amy Johnson Crow's prompt "What the Timeline Shows" in her long-running 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-lewis-girls-and-mom-elusive-in-two.html

Remembering Burton, Mom's 1st Cousin My Mom (Daisy Schwartz Burk, 1919-1981) had a lot of first cousins because both of her parents had a lot of brothers and sisters. On her Schwartz side, one of her first cousins in New York was Burton S. Wirtschafter (1914-1966), who sadly was lost to cancer on this day 60 years ago. Burton was the only son of Mary Schwartz Wirtschafter and Edward Avram Wirtschafter. He was a respected leader in the American handbag industry and very active in community affairs. Redoing my newspaper research, I discovered a few news items that told me a little more about Burton's background. From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), April 28, 1927, a report of his role as announcer in a radio broadcast of De Witt Clinton High School students, speaking on the subject of wild flower conservation. From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), May 21, 1934, an article indicating Burton's election as acting chair of the Assembly of Jewish Youth Organizations of Mount Vernon, his home town. From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), March 19, 1936, an article reported that he was one of the speakers at a YMHA forum about contemporary Jewish youth. His topic: "Youth Movements for the Interest of Youth." From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), March 27, 1936, a brief item about Burton as a cast member in a play produced at the YMHA in Mount Vernon, followed by a dance. From the Mount Vernon Daily Argus (New York), December 27, 1946, an article about Burton (a World War II veteran whose promotions were regularly reported in this newspaper) as cofounder of the local Westchester county American Veterans Committee and named chairman of the state legislative committee. I wish I could have met Burton, a special person in my Mom's family tree. Remembering him with affection and respect today. https://climbingmyfamilytree.blogspot.com/2026/10/remembering-burton-moms-1st-cousin.html https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGwOlMa_pERhlbvwfkZ_MAraq-R0XymfYff1M2y07pEkeVYsgFkdxYp0j3KmHhKYgXJ6Xo0rwZD3rkQVdDEmjUcwdArzgU50DkAkJqIJrX1SBvA0SoxKaiUigAsD49s8TziYzfWI7eyV3qKrUz4Fm6KEaInr8x6IBaLay_YO9KVadUSpUxMswuGrCm=w200-h174 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGwOlMa_pERhlbvwfkZ_MAraq-R0XymfYff1M2y07pEkeVYsgFkdxYp0j3KmHhKYgXJ6Xo0rwZD3rkQVdDEmjUcwdArzgU50DkAkJqIJrX1SBvA0SoxKaiUigAsD49s8TziYzfWI7eyV3qKrUz4Fm6KEaInr8x6IBaLay_YO9KVadUSpUxMswuGrCm=s72-w200-h174-c