Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 18 April 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #16 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Spring time ... that time when you can write a paragraph and look up to witness the changes taking place. Analogies have to do with word relationships. I use them as mental exercises. Analogies are resemblances in some particular way between things otherwise unlike. In this article I use it to mean two things which relate to the same subject but come from different sources nearly at the same time. Maybe I should use the word homology, which means a similarity often attributable to common origin. Everything is not spam..There are things that I would not know if I didn't read my mail. A friend of mine is winding down from a humungous project ... the compilation of information in a wonderful resource book. In her words, "the book Ohio Cemeteries: 1803-2003 is now in print". It lists the names, locations, conditions, ownership, maintenance, etc of the 14,609 known cemeteries in Ohio. Further reading in the same organization publication reminded me that recently I read an obituary about one member of a wonderful group of people ... the WASP. Women have always been the "backbone" of families. They have also been the ones to take the place of "men" when men were off getting themselves killed. In round numbers, 1000 women pilots flew 60 million air miles during WWII. They flew experimental jets, planes rejected due to safety factors. They also pulled the targets for inexperienced gunners to practice their shooting. It was a "dirty" job but someone had to do it. In my research I have found many of my ancestors of two hundred years ago making their "mark" on legal documents. Harper's Magazine estimated, prior to the Civil War, that four-fifths of the reading public were women. There is a long list of things that put women "down" so to speak. "Dower rights" were not something women were in control of totally. Or, take the societal requirement in Revolutionary Pennsylvania of single women with children "on the dole" to wear a red "P" on their sleeves. Another "Scarlet Letter". [Oh, the "P" stood for Pauper.] Well back to the Women Pilots. There were the Women Airforce Service Pilots [WASP]. They were called together by forceful women. In 1942, Eleanor Roosevelt said, "This is not a time when women should be patient. We are in a war and we need to fight it with all our ability and ever weapon possible. WOMEN PILOTS, in this particular case, are a weapon waiting to be used." The latest WWII Woman Pilot to take her Last Flight was LTCOL Yvonne "Pat" Pateman. From her obituary, "Aviation pioneer and author LTCOL Yvonne "Pat" Pateman died in her sleep April 4, 2004 near her home in Laguna Woods, CA. The cause was a stroke following a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. She was 84." She spent her career serving in three wars (WWII, Korea, and Vietnam). She retired in 1971 after 22 years service. She devoted her later years to bringing recognition to WASP and championing women military aviators through her public speaking and publications. She authored "Women Who Dared". Meanwhile, back on the frontier [200 and 300 years ago] my Ulster-Irish ancestors were always out on the "cutting" edge. Energetic, restless, and enterprising, they were not content to tarry long in "civilization". This no doubt accounts for the fact that it s very difficult to find descendants in 17thand 18th century locations. They were being beckoned by the opportunities in the form of trapping and big game hunting offered to the brave, bold and ambitious by wild frontiers. The men, often in small groups of three or maybe four, would leave their wives and families in a settlement, while they drove small herds out in search of new opportunities in new territories. They would often reach a prairie area with timber along about fall and "dig" in for the winter. During those winter days they would hunt and trap. As spring would approach they would tap maple trees for the sap to make sugar ... a prized commodity in settlements. In the spring the would return to their families laden with furs and sugar to market. That accomplished they would pack up their families taking them to the new locations. In another year or two, the process might repeat itself. <sigh> e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

I am researching my family from Johnson County, IL. The original family was Jacob Rebman and Matilda Jenkins arriving in Johnson County in the 1860s. If you are researching any of the names in the subject line (Rebman, Mizell, Davis, Elkins, Lambert, Fuller) all with ties to Johnson County, we might have a connection. Thanks for checking out the following information that I have collected. You will note that not all of it is 100% certain. If you think there is a connection, I can send a more in-depth report with my notes and verifications. Thanks, Susan Compton Carpenter Descendants of Jacob Rebman Generation No. 1 1. JACOB2 REBMAN (UNKNOWN1) was born 1838 in North Carolina. He married (1) MATILDA JENKINS. She was born 10 Oct 1841 in Tennessee, and died 29 Oct 1876 in Probably Johnson Co., IL. He married (2) MARGET. Children of JACOB REBMAN and MATILDA JENKINS are: 2. i. JOHN DANIEL3 REBMAN, b. Dec 1870, Johnson Co., IL; d. Aft. 1930. (My Great Grandfather) ii. VICTORIA-VICTORY REBMAN, b. 1862. iii. IDA OR ANN REBMAN, b. 1867. iv. LUTHER REBMAN, b. 1872. v. MARGET REBMAN (MATILDA DID NOT DIE UNTIL 1876), b. 1874. vi. JANE REBMAN (MARGET'S CHILD?), b. 1876. vii. KATIE REBMAN (MARGET'S CHILD?), b. Abt. 1880. Children of JACOB REBMAN and MARGET are: viii. JANE3 REBMAN. ix. KATIE REBMAN. Generation No. 2 2. JOHN DANIEL3 REBMAN (JACOB2, UNKNOWN1) was born Dec 1870 in Johnson Co., IL, and died Aft. 1930. He married ETTA ELKINS 19 Dec 1895 in Buncome, IL, daughter of RICHARD ELKINS and NANCY DAVIS. She was born 1872 in Johnson Co., IL. Children of JOHN REBMAN and ETTA ELKINS are: 3. i. ESTA JEWEL4 REBMAN, b. IL . (My Grandmother) ii. OPAL REBMAN, m. JOE MIZELL. Generation No. 3 3. ESTA JEWEL4 REBMAN (JOHN DANIEL3, JACOB2, UNKNOWN1) was born in IL. She married NORMAN ROBERT LAMBERT, son of EDWARD LAMBERT and AMANDA FULLER. He was born 1895 in IL. Children of ESTA REBMAN and NORMAN LAMBERT are: 4. i. WAVA JENNET5 LAMBERT, b. 13 Aug 1919, Joppa, IL; d. 20 Aug 1988, Oak Ridge, Anderson, TN. (My mother) ii. HELEN LAMBERT. still living iii. LLOYD LAMBERT. deceased

Mara, Thank you for trying to help. Linda

I have two Wall's in my file associated with Johnson Co families. William Wall m. Emily 'Pus' Dunsworth daughter of John Melvin Dunsworth (1800-1849) & Mary 'Polly' Carter. Samuel B. Wall m. July 22, 1824 Maury County, Tennessee Louisa 'Lydia' Gillespie her father Thomas L. Gillespie died in Johnson Co IL. Hope this might help some. Mara In a message dated 4/8/2004 8:56:44 PM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I am searching for any information on Laura Jane Henshaw b. 1871 in Stonefort, IL. She md. George Wall, Feb. 28, 1886, Williamson Co., IL. Thank you Linda

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 11 April 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #15 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, Massachusetts on the fifth of April in 1621, making a return trip to England. And, on that date in 1887, Lord Acton wrote, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Early in January 2004, with much pomp and ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II of the British Isles pushed a button which launched a "jeroboam" of vintage French Veuve Clicquot against the hull of the new RMS Queen Mary II. Nicknamed the QM2, she is the longest [1,132 feet], widest [135 feet], tallest [236 feet from keel to smoke stacks] ocean liner, and weighs 151,000 tons. This new ship boasts of 10 restaurants, 14 bars, 2000 bathrooms, 3000 telephones and 5000 stairs. Oh wouldn't my granddaughter love to verify that last statistic! She has always counted steps. :) Well, with a three stories high, two level restaurant, I'm quite sure that the price is well out of my reach. The QM1 is resting in Long Beach, California. The QM1 was built under the name of "hull 534". The Cunard-White Star Line intended for the name Victoria to be given the hull 534, following their tradition of naming their ship with ~ia endings. A story is preserved that Cunard asked King George V for permission to name the ship, a required formality, after "England's most illustrious queen", meaning, of course, Queen Victoria. The King was delighted with the suggestion, however, mistook that to mean Her Royal Majesty Queen Mary. The Queen consented to launch the ship named for her and did so on 19 September 1934. The QM1 showed a profit before WWII, so Cunard built a mate to the QM1. They named it the Queen Elizabeth. Though started in 1938 it didn't enter service until 1940. It was 27 September 1938 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, launched her. The Queen had not began her speech and the ship was slipping down toward the water. The quick acting Queen smashed the bottle of champagne across the bow and named her the Queen Elizabeth. Instead of becoming the running mate of the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth was destined to be temporarily outfitted as a troop ship. Sailing on the 3rd of March she arrived in New York four days later, followed a day later by her running mate, the Queen Mary. The Queen Elizabeth was painted gray and later both Queens were nicknamed "Grey Ghost" because no matter what the rumor of their being sunk, they always arrived at their destinations unscathed. Ah, for years this history buff called the two ships "sister ships". Which, in truth, is inaccurate. They were "running" mates. The two liners had great differences. The Queen Mary was of traditional design and had three funnels. The Queen Elizabeth was patterned after the Normandie and had only two funnels. The Queen Elizabeth's decks were clear of the apparatus found on the decks of the Queen Mary. The Queens were outfitted to carry 15,000 troops each. There were only two dining areas and two saloons; these were the only open spaces. Rooms were outfitted with "standee" bunks. These stretcher like canvas pieces slung between poles were arranged as high as six bunks. Sleep was arranged in two shifts with about 8000 sleeping at one time. The Queen Elizabeth was 83,673 tons when built. She was 1,031 feet long and 118 feet wide. Her draft was 38 feet of water. Her reported speed was 28.5 knots. Being reminded of the return to England of the Mayflower, and reading about the QM2 in the luxury travel section of my newspaper, I was reminded of the earlier Queens. In January 1942 the Queen Elizabeth returned American citizens, evacuated from Europe and Bermuda, to the New York Harbor. My sister, Skipper, was not yet four and I was not yet ten. Due to crowded conditions, Mother and Skip were birthed in a room of standee bunks that contained women and I in another containing men. Mom was as "seasick" as anyone I've ever known on this return trip and couldn't keep anything down that she tried to eat. I had to take my sister out on deck for daily exercise. Skip had to wear a leather harness with strap which I was keep a tight grip on at all times. Skip loved to lean out between the steel cable railings to look at the water rushing by. I prevented as much of that type of sightseeing as I could. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

I am searching for any information on Laura Jane Henshaw b. 1871 in Stonefort, IL. She md. George Wall, Feb. 28, 1886, Williamson Co., IL. Thank you Linda

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 4 April 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #14 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, By the time that this sentence was finished it was "history". This past week contained the first day of April. There were and are plenty of jocularity on April Fool's Day. Yet, many wonderful things have happened on that day. On that date in the year 1816, Jane Austen responded to a letter from the Prince Regent of the British Empire suggesting that she write a romance novel. The famous author of "Sense and Sensibility" said that she couldn't do such a thing to "save" her life. One of the little facts attributed to her was that she wrote on small scraps of paper that could be hidden away quickly if she were interrupted while writing. Some folks are good for their word, even if it is tragic. Sylvania Milton, Governor of Florida during the WBTS. Governor Milton was a capable administrator and supported the Confederacy. Giving in to the stresses of his office, he addressed the legislature and is quoted as saying that "Yankees have developed a character so odious that death would be preferable to reunion with them." The Governor was 57 in 1865, when he put a pistol to his head. On April Fool's Day in 1877, prospector Edward Schieffelin began exploring for silver in southern present-day Arizona. His "buddies" taunted him saying that he would only find his own "tombstone". Well, a year later when he had found the extremely rich silver vein in the area, he named it the "Tombstone Lode". To "tout" his "smarts", he and his partners, after attracting vast amounts of eastern inventments, sold out in 1880-81 and departed for "civilized" localities. By that time the area had grown to more than ten thousand people, became the seat of Cochise County and the site where the Clantons and McLaurys met Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers at the OK Corral. They weren't the only "famous" in the area ... there was also, John Ringo .... William C Brocius .... and, Frank Leslie. Resting on its historic past glory, it has become the town "too tough to die", by catering to tourist attractions. On the Fourth of April in 1841, William Henry Harrison had been President of the United States for thirty one days, when he died of pneumonia at the White House. March 4th, inauguration day, was a bitter cold day. Harrison did not wear either coat or hat, made a two hour speech and attended at least three inaugural balls. Soon he developed pneumonia and the 4th of April became the date that John Tyler became the first individual in US history to reach the office of President through the death of a president. President George W. Bush imitated President Abe Lincoln by visiting his troops on the front line. At the invitation of General-in-Chief Ulysses S Grant, visited Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia. Lincoln thoroughly enjoyed his visit with Grant and General William T Sherman. He visited soldiers, and even chopped logs in front of the troops. On this day [4th of April] in 1865, Abraham Lincoln sailed up the James River to Richmond. While ashore, some workmen, recognizing him bowed to him. Lincoln, forever modest, said to them, "... kneel to God only, ...". April 4th, 1884 is the birthdate of Yamamoto Isoroku. He was absolutely correct that aircraft carriers would be very effective in long-range naval attacks. He was also correct in believing that Japan would lose any long drawn-out struggle with the United States. All in not ancient history to some of us. One of my favorite programs during the 1960s was the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. As funny as it was it was also a forum for irreverent political satire, no less than "Doonesbury" today. Their guests included Steve Martin, Sally Struthers, and Nelson Riddle. They were very popular comedians and singers, who spoofed everything from Mom's apple pie to religion, with politics in between. In 1969, on April 4th, the CBS network executives cancelled their show because they failed to submit an episode to them prior to broadcast. This cancellation provoked much comment about "free speech". On April 4th, 1939, Jack Benny, the perpetual "39" year old, was convicted of purchasing smuggled gems. Just a few months earlier, George Burns was convicted and fined for the same offense. Both comedians were given suspended jail-time sentences. Just one more .... In 1843, Yellowstone photographer, William Jackson, was born on April Fourth. These wonderful pictures of what became a National Park were taken in 1866. Can you imagine obtaining such wonderful works under very primitive conditions of that day? No longer would the "public" see these wonderful wonders through the eyes of painters. Here was "reality". e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 28 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #13 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Briefly mentioned in last week's article were wedding pranks like the one where the groom arrived in a canoe and after the ceremony, it was discovered that the canoe was missing. The wedding night was spent in a low and small one room cabin with the groom's new in-laws. Well, pranks are well ingrained into our culture. The British for all their "stiff" upperlip and straight- lacedness are well versed in large practical jokes and hoaxes. Even the Great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was suspected of a part in the Great Pittdown Man Hoax. Charles Dawson, during the period of 1908 and 1915, claimed to have discovered the fossil remains of the "missing" link [between man and ape]. The hoax remained active for a bit more than forty years. In 1953 it was determined by modern testing methods that the bones were but a couple hundred years old. In addition, they were from several different animals, including elephant and hippopotamus. Though Dawson was the prime suspect in the hoax, the list of suspects included Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit theologian and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Considered one of the light hearted days of any year, April Fool's Day probably got it's official start over the adoption of the "new" calendar ordered by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Ancient cultures, such as the Romans and the Hindus, celebrated the new year on the first of April. The new calendar was to begin the new year on the first of January. Well, not everyone got on this bandwagon right away. In France, particularly, many people either refused to accept the new date or in ignorance of the edict, continued to celebrate New Year's Day on the first of April. These traditionalists were made fun of and the act of sending them on "fool's errands" or tricking them became tradition. At least, so the "story" goes. Since no one really knows how April Fool's Day got started it does seem to be centered about a year's ending or beginning. In Rome there was a festival known as Hilaria, the end of the Celtic new year. This because the celebratiions of the Spring Equinox lasted until the first of April. In the land of my ancestors, Scotland, April Fools Day lasts 48 hours. The second 24 hours is known as Tally Day and pranks involving the posterior are played. The victim of the practical joke is referred to as "hunting the gowk". A gowk is an extinct cuckoo bird. In France, children enjoy taping a picture of a fish on the backsides of their friends and yelling "poisson d'Avril" [fish of April] when it is found. In Spain the Feast of the Holy Innocents [December 28th] is celebrated as their day for practical jokes. April Fool's Day is a "for-fun-for-sure" day. There are no presents or gifts to buy. You don't have to take the family out to dinner. It's not a holiday and no one gets off work [or school]. Just a "holiday" where one must be constantly vigilant that a sign saying "kick me" isn't pinned to your back side or someone tells you that your shoe string is untied when you wear velcro. There is a rule that no one should be harmed ... mentally or physically ... that the best jokes cause everyone to laugh ... including the victum. In 1752, Great Britain accepted the new calendar. At that point, we genealogists could stop figuring "double" dating. Remember the quite famous statement attributed to P T Barnum -- "There's a sucker born every minute"? Well, it was a partner of George Hull -- David Hannum -- who coined it ... Barnum just appropriated it. It all started in 1869 when New York cigar maker, George Hull had a block of gypsum carved into the likeness of a larger than ten foot man and buried it buried in on the farm of William Newell. Hull arranged that it should be discovered by some workmen. The discovery was heralded as a great geological petrified man. This was heralded as proof of the Bible verse from Genesis, "There were giants on the earth in those days...". Hull charged people twenty five cents to view the phenomenon. Hull refused to sell it to P T Barnum so he had a copy made, declaring Hull's to be a phony. Both men finally admitted their hoax, however, Barnum's fake drew more people than Hull's. The Cardiff Giant, as it became known, can be seen in Cooperstown, NY and Barnum's can be viewed in Farmington Hills, Michigan. How about the MicroSoft hoax which began ... "your friends, Bill Gates and Walt Disney ..." Well, if you are not aware of it, stick around, it is bound to come around again. It has several times already and remains one of the most distributed hoaxes on the internet. The clue to this hoax was "Bill Gates and Walt Disney, JR". Have you read or seen the movie "The Education of Little Tree"? The story of a Cherokee orphan brought up by loving grandparents in the American Appalachians in the 1930s. It is written as a memoir. After a million or more copies were sold, a historian discovered that the author, Forrest Carter, was not what he pretended to be in the book. He was an active member of the KKK and was at one time a ghost-writer for George Wallace. The publisher deleted "A true story" from the cover of the book. Probably one of the dramatic hoaxes of the last century was by Orson Welles, who with his Mercury Theatre Company, created mass hysteria on 30 October 1938 with their presentation of H G Wells' "The War of the Worlds". The radio broadcast was in a news-broadcast format. Even Welles was surprised by the total reaction it created. There have been some clever American commercial hoaxes. Like Taco Bell buying the Liberty Bell from the Federal Government and renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Or George Plimpton's article in Sports Illustrated, April 1, 1985 titled, "The Curious Case of Sidd Fitch", the man who could throw a baseball so fast that it would knock his catcher three feet backwards. He also was reported to have such "pin-point" accuracy that it would hit the catcher's glove ... a necessity since the throw was so fast that the catcher couldn't see it. Fifteen days later Sports Illustrated admitted it was all a hoax. The sub-heading of the article read: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd's deciding about yoga -- and his future in baseball." If you take the first letter of each word in the sub-heading, what do you have?? The last five words were not included in the clue, yet they also spell something a bit strange. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Black Swamp Heritage Articles Bill Oliver (c) 21 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #12 ISBN: 1542-9474 Good Evening from the Black Swamp of NWoHIo, Marriage in any society joins not only two individuals, but also two immediate and extended families. Our varied rituals and traditions have deep roots. For example, the ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a direct conncection to a person's heart. This is where our wedding bands are worn. The throwing of rice [now the enviromentally correct bird seed] signals the wish for the couple's fertility. While recently working on my genealogy, it came to me that many of my female ancestors married quite young. The records often made mentioned where the ceremony was held. Occasionally in the home of the groom's parents; occasionally in the home of the officiating person's home or office; but, mostly in the home of the bride. Whenever the chosen day, it was a full one. In the morning the groom and his close friends would begin assembling at the home of his parents. After proper preparations they would leave for the house of the bride. This journy could be made on horseback, by wagon or cart, or even on foot. By any mode, it was always a merry journey, often aided by good Scottish tradition of sharing a jug of liquid refreshments. Since frontier and early settlement weddings were community affairs, the wedding was followed by a "fine supper" and dancing [usually until the break of dawn]. Sometime during the dancing the bride's attendents [or close friends] would "steal" her away. At a specified time later, the groom's friends would ceremonmiously escort him to the wedding "apartment" and place him in bed next to his bride. The color of the wedding dress as white [for purity] is of modern origin. In medieval and renaissance weddings, the dresses were simply a more elaborate version of a bride's best dress and certainly not of any particular color. The dress was transformed by embellishment with jewelry, embroidery, laces, bows, tassels, ribbons, beads, and anything else available and handy. Any color could be used, including black, particularly if the groom was a widower. In Biblical tradition, white symbolized joy, while blue represented purity. Anne of Brittany wore white for her wedding in 1491 and again for her second wedding in 1527. However, it took nearly another century and a half for white to become the predominant color of tradition. The elaborate gown of modern styles was introduced by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III in 1853. The words trousseau and wedding armoire came from the French. Trousseau means bundles of linens, clothing. The wedding armoire is more commonly known as the bride's "hope chest. Hope chests were made by fathers and given to their daughters at an early age. During the years following, it would be filled with clothing and items for her new life and home. These have led to our modern tradition of the "bridal shower". The groom not viewing the bride before the wedding is also of recent vintage. Transplanted from Eurocultures, the groom called upon his bride on the wedding day and escorted her to the church or chapel. Sometimes it became a procession, with musicians leading the parade, and friends and guests following behind the wedding party. Also, brought across the "big pond", by Euro-traditions, was the blocking the route of the intended couple, thus symbolizing the solving of obstacles and problems which the couple must now overcome together in their new life. Many wedding pranks are the outgrowth of this tradition. A Chiverie/Shivarie is another form of performing wedding night pranks to interrupt the wedding night. A crowd would gather clanging pots and pans, ringing bells, and sounding horns. The newlyweds were expected to become hosts [in their wedding clothes] and provide treats for their tomentors. During the middle ages, guests brought cakes to the wedding celebration and they would be stacked in a pile as high as possible. The challenge was for the bride and groom to kiss over the cakes without toppling the pile. This was to symbolize their future prosperity. Tossing the bride's bouquet and garter are set in the belief that pieces of her attire would bring good luck to those who received them. In some cultures, the couples to be joined together stood beneath a canopy, or veil, which symbolically became the modern bride's veil. The canopy or veil was to protect the couple from any intended malice. Veils are also used in the baptism of children for the same purpose. In some Slovak/Ukraine cultures women would "unshoe" her betrothed. It was the practice of the bride to remove the boots of her new husband on their wedding night. The groom, to bestow something special on his bride and her mother, would give them "red" boots. This is getting quite lengthly, so just one more from the annals of our southern traditions, sent to me by a cousin: >From the Marion [Illinois] Daily Republican newspaper - October 4, 1920 "A unique wedding custom was once practiced in America. The "run-up" wedding was an innovation to marriages, unknown in any part of the world except in southern Mississippi, but no longer than 23 years ago, it was the way in which most Southern Mississippians of means were married. "Some time before the wedding the groom began to choose from among his best friends those who should ride with him. It was considered a great honor to be thus chosen. Horses were carefully groomed and be-tasseled for the occasion, the long, luxuriant mustaches worn in those days were waxed and twisted and particular attention was paid to every detail of the rider's appearance. On the given date the groom and his riders met at some secluded spot, a mile or two from the bride's home, and at a signal from the groom, dashed away at top speed, hats waving and voices shouting. Around the bride 's house a cordon of outriders were placed to warn of the approach of the groom and his party. A cloud of dust announced their nearness, the outriders went out to meet them, whirling about running with them. On the porch of the bride's home her party strained their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the riders. The sounding of the herald's horn set all hearts fluttering. In a whirl of dust the groom appeared snatching up his bride and riding on ahead a short distance with her in front of him on the saddle, then wheeling back and dismounting for the ceremony, for which the minister stood waiting. Then came the wedding breakfast." e-la-Di-e-das-Di ha-WI nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/OH-NW-HERITAGE/ http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/BlackSwamp/intro.htm 

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 21 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #12 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Marriage in any society joins not only two individuals, but also two immediate and extended families. Our varied rituals and traditions have deep roots. For example, the ancient Romans believed that the fourth finger of the left hand had a direct conncection to a person's heart. This is where our wedding bands are worn. The throwing of rice [now the enviromentally correct bird seed] signals the wish for the couple's fertility. While recently working on my genealogy, it came to me that many of my female ancestors married quite young. The records often made mentioned where the ceremony was held. Occasionally in the home of the groom's parents; occasionally in the home of the officiating person's home or office; but, mostly in the home of the bride. Whenever the chosen day, it was a full one. In the morning the groom and his close friends would begin assembling at the home of his parents. After proper preparations they would leave for the house of the bride. This journy could be made on horseback, by wagon or cart, or even on foot. By any mode, it was always a merry journey, often aided by good Scottish tradition of sharing a jug of liquid refreshments. Since frontier and early settlement weddings were community affairs, the wedding was followed by a "fine supper" and dancing [usually until the break of dawn]. Sometime during the dancing the bride's attendents [or close friends] would "steal" her away. At a specified time later, the groom's friends would ceremonmiously escort him to the wedding "apartment" and place him in bed next to his bride. The color of the wedding dress as white [for purity] is of modern origin. In medieval and renaissance weddings, the dresses were simply a more elaborate version of a bride's best dress and certainly not of any particular color. The dress was transformed by embellishment with jewelry, embroidery, laces, bows, tassels, ribbons, beads, and anything else available and handy. Any color could be used, including black, particularly if the groom was a widower. In Biblical tradition, white symbolized joy, while blue represented purity. Anne of Brittany wore white for her wedding in 1491 and again for her second wedding in 1527. However, it took nearly another century and a half for white to become the predominant color of tradition. The elaborate gown of modern styles was introduced by the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III in 1853. The words trousseau and wedding armoire came from the French. Trousseau means bundles of linens, clothing. The wedding armoire is more commonly known as the bride's "hope chest. Hope chests were made by fathers and given to their daughters at an early age. During the years following, it would be filled with clothing and items for her new life and home. These have led to our modern tradition of the "bridal shower". The groom not viewing the bride before the wedding is also of recent vintage. Transplanted from Eurocultures, the groom called upon his bride on the wedding day and escorted her to the church or chapel. Sometimes it became a procession, with musicians leading the parade, and friends and guests following behind the wedding party. Also, brought across the "big pond", by Euro-traditions, was the blocking the route of the intended couple, thus symbolizing the solving of obstacles and problems which the couple must now overcome together in their new life. Many wedding pranks are the outgrowth of this tradition. A Chiverie/Shivarie is another form of performing wedding night pranks to interrupt the wedding night. A crowd would gather clanging pots and pans, ringing bells, and sounding horns. The newlyweds were expected to become hosts [in their wedding clothes] and provide treats for their tomentors. During the middle ages, guests brought cakes to the wedding celebration and they would be stacked in a pile as high as possible. The challenge was for the bride and groom to kiss over the cakes without toppling the pile. This was to symbolize their future prosperity. Tossing the bride's bouquet and garter are set in the belief that pieces of her attire would bring good luck to those who received them. In some cultures, the couples to be joined together stood beneath a canopy, or veil, which symbolically became the modern bride's veil. The canopy or veil was to protect the couple from any intended malice. Veils are also used in the baptism of children for the same purpose. In some Slovak/Ukraine cultures women would "unshoe" her betrothed. It was the practice of the bride to remove the boots of her new husband on their wedding night. The groom, to bestow something special on his bride and her mother, would give them "red" boots. This is getting quite lengthly, so just one more from the annals of our southern traditions, sent to me by a cousin: >From the Marion [Illinois] Daily Republican newspaper - October 4, 1920 "A unique wedding custom was once practiced in America. The "run-up" wedding was an innovation to marriages, unknown in any part of the world except in southern Mississippi, but no longer than 23 years ago, it was the way in which most Southern Mississippians of means were married. "Some time before the wedding the groom began to choose from among his best friends those who should ride with him. It was considered a great honor to be thus chosen. Horses were carefully groomed and be-tasseled for the occasion, the long, luxuriant mustaches worn in those days were waxed and twisted and particular attention was paid to every detail of the rider's appearance. On the given date the groom and his riders met at some secluded spot, a mile or two from the bride's home, and at a signal from the groom, dashed away at top speed, hats waving and voices shouting. Around the bride 's house a cordon of outriders were placed to warn of the approach of the groom and his party. A cloud of dust announced their nearness, the outriders went out to meet them, whirling about running with them. On the porch of the bride's home her party strained their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the riders. The sounding of the herald's horn set all hearts fluttering. In a whirl of dust the groom appeared snatching up his bride and riding on ahead a short distance with her in front of him on the saddle, then wheeling back and dismounting for the ceremony, for which the minister stood waiting. Then came the wedding breakfast." e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 14 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #11 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, A reader of these articles commented on the Woodmen of the World marker article and sent me into a [re]searching frenzy. The question asked was perhaps a common one: "Is DNA testing a good thing?" On the surface it seems just an ordinary simple question which deserved a simple "yes" or "no". However, it is a subject about which I have only a surface knowledge. Three very popular Television shows have exploded the American consciousness about DNA analysis. These are CSI, CSI Miami, and NCIS. All three deal with criminal forensics. However, I suspect the person questioning me was not thinking entirely about this aspect, for I read recently about DNA being matched to a child that was presumed dead in a fire some years ago. This case brings up many facets, but it is not my purpose here to attempt any judgment in this particular case. On a much brighter note concerning DNA testing ... it has proven a valuable tool for attaching both blame and innocence to crimes. Many convicted felons are grateful to be declared innocent of the crime in which they were found guilty. The area which is probably of interest to family researchers and genealogists is the DNA testing of either the Y-Chromosome or the X-Chromosome being promoted by family groups. I am only looking at the DNA in the Y-chromosome within males, which can be complicated enough. This is one of the sex chromosomes and is responsible for maleness. All males have one in each cell and copies are passed down, discounting occasional mutations, unchanged from father to son every generation. Therefore, the Y-chromosome test is solely for males, and can point toward a cousin, brother or other male relative. This was the case when some males were tested for Thomas Jefferson's descendants ... there was no conclusive proof the relationship could not be from some other closely related Jefferson. If one end of the Y-chromosome is pulled it can start to unravel into the familiar double-helix structure of DNA. This is made up of two corkscrew-like structures connected by lots of smaller cross-links. If they are untwisted and flattened onto a flat surface it would resemble a simple ladder-like structure. When DNA is studied, it is only the rungs of the ladder which are looked at, and then only one side of the ladder is written out because rungs compliment each other. So we can rewrite the DNA in a form such as: A G A C G A T C T G T A C C T C T etc. When it is said that the Y-chromosome is passed from father to son, this actually means the sequence of letters remain the same. From this point of getting results to comparing them with others of the same surname, it becomes much more complicated [in my opinion]. There is just not enough room in these short articles to discuss it all. Plus, since we often have no DNA from any of our ancestors, comparing DNAs of two people can answer the question that they are indeed related and have a common ancestor somewhere in the past. This does become useful in comparing research data to trace people and locations to a logical common source. Still, without an actual DNA report of an ancestor, we are still, to some degree, speculating. DNA testing could work for me. For example, my Father's family came from Williamson and Johnson counties, Illinois, arriving there about 1850s. They migrated from Christian county, Kentucky and were known to be there before 1820. It is suspected that they were in the Pendleton District of South Carolina prior to this. There is another Kentucky OLIVER researcher whose family was in Kentucky about the same time in a more western county. His ancestors migrated from Fauquier County, VA (and Maryland before that). I have absolutely no knowledge that our ancestors were related. However, it might assist us both to know that answer. Y-DNA testing would confirm or eliminate the idea of these two families being related. And if OLIVER males in America would do likewise and add their results to an Oliver Y-DNA Surname Project, that would serve the grouping of other Oliver lines in America in the late 1700s. One of the downsides of these projects is the cost of testing. For a twenty-five marker analysis cost a bit more than $150.00. Then there are X-DNA tests available for both males and females. All in all, I can honestly say that I'm pleased for the reality that DNA is not the final answer to genealogical research. I would not want to give up the totally absorbing hobby that allows for accurate research in some of the most fascinating places. To wit: dusty, moldy courthouse basements and attics and cemeteries overgrown with vines and briars. Or, the absorbing logic necessary to piece together [human] jig-saw-puzzles. In short, I like to reconstruct the "meat on the bones", and I meet some of the most wonderful people in the process. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 7 March 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #10 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, My mind was certainly jumping around, making quantum leaps in several directions this week. On one of my e-mail lists there was some discussion of effigy markers and Woodmen of the World [WOW]. In another direction I enjoyed several hours [well, a couple anyway] looking through historical memorabilia of Maumee, Ohio with a collector who just happened to be conncted to the Modern Woodmen of America. [I was in search of material for a history book on two of the city's divisions.] Thirdly, I have worked with the Chair of cemetery identification for the Ohio Genealogical Society, Mrs Lolita Guthrie, and I remembered some earlier readings about tombstones which would apply to effigy markers. And, coincidentally, some new correspondence concerning Barb's X-great Uncle, Civil War General William Sooy Smith, arrived. The General, though living and dying in the State of Washington was brought back to Chicago, Illinois for interment, but without a marker until West Point Alumnus installed one a half century later. For effigy tombstones or freestones, I rather like the Knight's Templar ones. There in church yards "lyeth diuers portraitures of men & women cut in stone amongst others, ... in their Armour with Sheilds very auntient with their coats on them." Most of them are clear out of my reach due to the time period they were made, thus their location. Most of these are total stone tombs with slabs on top with carved full sized likeness' of the person within. Many fine examples of these effigy tombs are found well preserved because they are located in the interior of the churches in existence during and following the Crusades. Those that were erected out side the church or removed from the church have not faired as well. The "Old Burial Ground" in Southold Township, a one acre plot, is the original burial ground of the town of Southold, NY and contains the graves of the original settlers. Supposedly this is the oldest English settlement in New York, thus containing the oldest graveyard. The Reverend John Youngs organized the Church and town in October of 1640. There was no separation of Church and State here for originally only church members were allowed to vote at town meetings or hold any office. [The Church functioned as the town meeting house, their fortress of defense and their temple of worship.] The majority of grave markers here are made of slate. Their decoration varies from plain to highly incised tablets with intricate deathsheads and crossbones. Some later stones had urns and willows and wreaths in their iconography. Back to the discussion. The Modern Woodmen of America was founded in 1883 in Omaha, Nebraska and was named in honor of the pioneering woodmen who cleared the forests to build homes and communities and to provide security for their families. Joseph Cullen Root formed a fraternal society built on the same spirit to clear away family financial difficulties. Members of this organization or relatives often have various types of tombstones, including those that look like tree stumps and/or logs, but the marker has an indication that the person buried there had a connection with the organization. If while walking through a cemetery, you spot a marker resembling a tree-stump, observe if it has an inscription such as "Here Rests a Woodman of the World". Sometimes the stones are in the shape of logs laying on the ground. And, other markers may just have a circular design on them with a log, a dove, an axe, maul, and wedge. An inscription "DUM TACET CLAMAT" confirms that the person buried there had a connection with the Woodmen of the World. One of the benefits of belonging to the original fraternal society was that upon death, the other members would pass the hat to collect money for the widow and children. Later, with the frequency of the hat being passed around, Mr Root began to sell insurance to members, thus making it fraternal benefit society. Since the Woodmen were all male, a women's auxilary was organized called the "Royal Neighbors of America". After a "falling" out within the ranks, two other insurance companies were formed: The Woodmen of the World, and the Woodmen of the World, Pacific Jurisdiction, each with a women's auxiliary. Up until 1935, when a member died, the society would donate $100.00 towards the funeral expenses if the family allowed the society's emblem and/or wording to appear on the grave marker. Originally the gravestones were to be of uniform design. However, personal preferences and individuality of the stone cutters, not to mention their creativity, resulted in varied, often unique designs. The emblem adorning the Woodmen stump symbolizes equality and commonwealth. Some other symbols are a dove with an olive branch [symbolizing the peace of Heaven] and an axe, beetle and wedge, which symbolize workmanship and progress. Many of the tree monuments stand five foot high with sawed and broken limbs. Flowers, ferns or vines often are carved at the base. This type of monument became very popular, so that all tree stump and log stones are not for Woodmen of the World ... only those with the WOW emblem or words inscribed on them. I'm often asked how can a person's grave be found? It can be difficult. I know, for I have an ancestor who died in Massac county, Illinois and his grave has yet to be found. However, the most popular resources to clues to interment are obituaries, SSDI, death certificates, funeral homes, coroner's records, cemetery offices, societies and/or record holders. And, last, but certainly not least ... post a query. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 29 February 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #09 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, They say that the Bible is the most oft read literature. If that is so, then the second most oft read literature lies in the second section of my daily newspaper ... it is the Obituary Page(s). Clarence Darrow is credited with saying: "I have never killed a man but I have read many obituaries with a lot of pleasure." Sure, an' I don't know that I can make this one humorous. For forty-two years I have taken notes and have written the woes, triumphs, mistakes, secrets and shortcuts of researching family history. My mind is "right-brained" and my "organized" files are in piles stacked everywhere. There was a time when I could go to the right pile, reach down and grab the exact piece of paper I wanted or needed. That ability has slowly begun to erode and I'm left with the feeling of doing things standing in a hammock. Come to think about it, sometimes just walking, I feel that way. Obituaries are written for history and posterity, but they can also be written for the entertainment of the living. And, since I have written a few these past several years I can say with all honesty they are a sobering way to spend a day. It most certainly reminds one of their own mortality. When one is young, obituaries are most often skipped. A few short decades later and one begins to read them "religiously". They come in all styles. A former Detroit News reporter, Dorothy Jones Kilpatrick, often clipped humorous ones from newspapers and mailed them to her friends. Once obituaries were just a bit more than death notices. Then they developed into semi-biographical notes with a touch of nice character attributes. It would be so nice to have written obituaries for such people as Tom Sopwith, the plane-maker, the aviation pioneer .... the inspiration for "Snoopy's no-wing doghouse". Or, the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, writer and mathematician. He had an interest in logic purely from the humorous and playful nature of it, rather than its uses as a tool. We better know this person as the author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll. If you would like to refresh your memory of his humor reread his poem "Jabberwocky". A work full of nonsensical words made from word combinations. We family historians could learn a lot about how to do our research from obituary writing. The newspaper obituary writer of today is made up of the beginning journalist and the most experienced newspaper journalist. Obituaries are all about reporting, interviewing, accuracy, and captivating the average reader. There are biographical obituaries and there are feature obituaries. Jim Nicholson of the Philadelphia Daily News became a master of the latter type. He once wrote "15 inches" about a guy who fixed toilets. He wrote about a mother who smacked her kids for "making the nuns upset". He also used such phrases as "skinny as a lead pencil". He also said of his obituary work, that it was laminated and hanging on walls. Under these circumstances, obituary writing is an "art form". Over time I have noticed that there are more and more self-styled obituaries appearing in my daily newspaper. The sad part is that the families are being charged a fee to put them into the newspapers. Oh, well, this is the 21st century after all. Some of these self created obituaries are earnest, sincere, and probably quite honest. Some are quite macabre. One thing is for sure .... writing one's own obituary you get to say your "piece". My mother-in-law wrote her own. It was filled with life's accomplishments and doings. I wrote my Father's and our Daughter's obituaries ... I wish I had been less sober in my tone. At least, their personality was included. Many folks who know that they are dying write their own obituaries. My cousin, who died very recently, wanted to say some things to her loved ones and friends so she wrote her wishes in a poem. In part it said, "...Don't speak of me with tears, But Laugh and talk as if I were beside you." She experienced several recurrences of bone cancer before she finally succumbed. Another note that I saved because it was a "family" surname was written by a Mark Reiman. He said, "My body, my earthly shell, finally gave out after fighting and living with ALS [Lou Gehrig's disease] ...." "I drained every quality minute I could from my body and it was a wonderful, beautiful, incredible life filled with love, learning, adventure and some mighty challenges." Now that obituary has quality to move any reader who had the chance to read it. Putting your words about how you'd like to be remembered to paper puts two sides of a coin to view. First, have I done that? And, second, what do I want to do with what remains of my time? Either side of that coin can make the writer fall victum to the allure of grandstanding on a final soapbox. :) Whether you want to put your own spin on what you are remembered for, or you want the last laugh, remember that there must be honesty included in the obituary. They are, after all, written for history and posterity. Oh, before I close ... there are other cultures with other views about obituaries. In Mexico and some other Latin American countries there is the "Dia de los Muertos" [Day of the Dead]. This is a remembrance day in those cultures. For this day, toy skeletons are bought. Calavera poems are written about celebrities [humorous obituaries about people yet living]. After all, jokes must be played at the expense of Death because ultimately Death always has the last word, but not necessarily the last laugh. To be dead sure that you get the last word ..... write your own obituary! I'm off to do mine now, while I have maybe two or three decades above ground. I can always update it every two years. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 22 February 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #08 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Michael Howard Phillips [3 February 1962 — 16 February 2004] When I was a boy we would on occasion visit some cousins whose Father and Uncles were in the construction trades. These ironworkers would fit I-beams together to build tall buildings. These men were Mohawk and they were at "home" walking high above the ground. Never to my knowledge did any of them ever lose their footing. The last occupation that my Grandpa Oliver had was as the operator of a crane. He was a man of great height, strength and ingenuity. He made several improvements to his crane which allowed him to "sling" railroad ties onto railroad flatbed cars with greater safety. He was a "safety" minded man and was diligent toward that end. A distant Grand Uncle of my wife's was a Civil War General of the Calvary. However, he was a Structural Engineer by training and built bridges following that tragic period of our history. And, you wonder, what this has to do with heritage. Well, it is a long stretch, but this past week a 100 ton custom constructed crane came crashing to the ground. It was a small miracle that only three workers lost their lives and five more were "injured". One of these men who lost their lives was the son of a first cousin. This tragedyfollows so closely to our own daughter losing her battle with Sarcoma cancer and makes it that much "closer to home". I wonder what General William Sooy Smith would think of modern bridge construction. He was an innovator himself. Born on the 22nd of the wonderful month of July 1830 in Tarlton, Ohio, General Smith's life was well connected to Ohio, Illinois and Nebraska. He graduated from Ohio University in 1849 and then attended the US Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point sixth in his class of 1853. After a year of service, he resigned to work with Colonel James D Graham, of the United States topographical engineers. In 1855 he moved to Buffalo, New York where he was the principal of a high school. Two years later he made the first surveys for the international bridge crossing the Niagara river. Then he was elected engineer and secretary of the Trenton Locomotive works, in Trenton, New Jersey. At that period of our country's history this company was the major iron-bridge manufacturing company in the United States of America. He remained with this company until 1861 and traveled to Cuba, among other places. Also, while working for the Trenton Locomotive works he introduced improvements to sinking cylinders pneumatically to build the Savannah river bridge. With the Civil War commencing, William S Smith returned to Ohio to accept a commission as Lieutenant-Colonel.and served as assistant adjutant-general at Camp Denison. Upon being promoted to full Colonel he was given command of the 13th Ohio regiment and participated in the West Virginia campaigns. He was present at Shiloh, Perryville and took part in the Vicksburg campaign as commander of the 1st division of the 16th corps. He was made chief of cavalry of the Department of the Tennessee, and was attached to Generals Grant and Sherman, until September 1854 due to impaired health he resigned his commission, retiring to his farm in Maywood, Illinois. Returning to civil engeneering, in 1867 he sank the first pneumatic caisson in building the Waugoshanee light-house at the western entrance of the Straits of Mackinaw. Since he had been largely engaged in the building of bridges it should be noted that he built the first great all-steel bridge across the Missouri river at Glasgow, Missouri. In Nebraska he was involved with the constructioin of the Omaha and the Leavenworth bridges, as well as the bridge over the Missouri river at Plattsmouth, Nebraska. By 1890, General Smith, by virtue of his expertise in foundations and structural engineering, was part of the building of every tall building being built in Chicago during this period of time. An example of his work was the Chicago Public Library, now the Chicago Cultural Center. His foundations were so accurate in this building that there has been no appreciable settling in the building. General William Sooy Smith retired to Medford, Oregon, where he died on March 4th, 1916 at the age of eighty-six. He is buried in the Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Park, Cook County, Illinois. His grave was unmarked until the West Point Society of Chicago placed a monument in his memory in 1969. This week, to divert my mind to other things I chose to write some family heritage. Yes, Mike Phillips, you are in good company in an honorable profession and you are sorely missed by family and friends. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 15 February 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #07 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Valentine's Day is a "romantic" day, and, in my pre-teen and early teen years there was just a tiny bit of historical romanticism in me. Well, maybe it was more like fantasy and daydreaming. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, Roger's Rangers, and the Leatherstocking Tales were my inspirations. In those days of my youth I lived among the Loblolly Pines and along the New Bern River. There in an old flat bottom swamp boat and a paddle I would sit in the bow and paddle my "canoe" exploring the river banks. There I would fantasize getting into my canoe in Fort Pitt and floating all the way to New Orleans. During the first century of colonization of this continent, our forebears were limited to coastal settlements. George Washington had his daydreams also. He dreamed of a network of roads and canals. His dreams, however, were very slow in materializing. Think of it ... a trip from Baltimore to Philadelphia took as long as five days by stagecoach. It was an overnight trip from East Toledo to Maumee, Ohio in the mid-eighteen hundreds. Before the Revolution, it was quicker, timewise, to travel to Europe from New York than it was to travel from there to the Appalachians. Philadelphis, New York and Boston could be reached by Concord Coach, horseback, or by boat. The quickest was by schooners known as the "Apple Tree Fleet", so called because they took their bearings on the orchards along the shores. Government and commerce were hobbled by a poor transportation system. Of necessity America utilized its greatest natural resource — its inland waterways. This system was not new. The First Americans had from time immortal used water transportation. Before the American Revolution the trappers and fur traders followed the way of the Indian. After the Revolution, settlers crossed the mountains and followed the waterways. The population of the United States of America increased 500% during the first sixty years of Nationhood. This expansion spilled over in the only direction possible from the east coast --- westward. After the War of 1812, canals were the frenzy and for a very short time they were "super" highways for settlers and commerce. Almost before the canal could be finished it was replaced by the "iron horse". Yet, the canals did cut the travel time from New York to Buffalo from twenty to six days. The early freight canoes were made in the style of the native canoes. They were called canots maitre and it is said that no better vehicle was invented to travel the rivers and lakes and yet be portaged when necessary. These canoes were about thirty-three feet over the gunwales, and six foot across the beam. They were nearly three feet deep amidships and weighed about six hundred pounds, wet or empty. Amazingly these boats were so strong and flexible that they could survive white water runs. They were sleek, fast and maneuverable. The frame was make of cedar and spruce. The covering was the bark of the white [paper] birch. When we hold a piece of this in our hands we can't envision amazing strength, flexibility and durability of this native material. It withstood the bruising of logs and rocks. Further it held its strength during portages, as well as the weight of the freight being carried in them. If the skin should be damaged, repairs could be made on the spot with a bark patch attached with spruce root and gum. Bark was stripped rom the birch tree in large sheets. Seams and joinings were caulked with the cooked gum of the black spruce mixed with powdered charcoal and a bit of animal fat. The frame was lashed together with the strong and very flexible roots of the black spruce. It is not very difficult to understand that these boats were constructed by contract with the experts of the continent, mainly the Iroquois. The outbound cargo consisted of everything imaginable for use on the frontiers. Included were axes, shot, gunpowder, gun tools, lead, flints, awls, firesteel, powder horns, knives, fish line and hooks, kettles, pans, net twine, tomahawks, hatchets, needles, thread, vermilion and ochre, wax, chains, hammers, nails and trinkets such as garters, mirrors, rings, combs, blankets, and even hair pieces. In addition were food rations and personal property of the crewmen. These were covered and lashed down with canvas tarpaulins eight by ten feet. All toll, the freight, supplies and crew would add up to eight thousand pounds to the canoe. Though I grew up with the rocking of a Pullman Car and the clicking of the rails, I still dream of drifting down the Ohio, past Paducah, Kentucky and Metropolis, Illinois. At Cairo, turning up the Mississippi to the Mighty Missouri and up that river to its source. Today, I would probably add an outboard motor to the canoe to make it a bit easier "upstream". After all, I'm not as young as my dreams. <grin> e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

There will be a reunion of the descendants of JAMES BARNEY DUNN on Saturday June 12, 2004 in So. Illinois. Please contact Connie McKenzie at [email protected] for more information. Descendants of James Barney Dunn Generation No. 1 1. JAMES BARNEY1 DUNN was born Abt. 1808 in North Carolina, and died March 11, 1870 in Johnson Co, Illinois. He married MARY "POLLY" BARRETT Bef. 1836 in Unknown. She was born Abt. 1807 in North Carolina or South Carolina, and died Aft. March 23, 1870 in Prob. Johnson Co. Illinois. Children of JAMES DUNN and MARY BARRETT are: 2. i. JOHN "JACK" RICHARD2 DUNN, b. July 02, 1836, Henderson Co. TN. ii. BENJAMIN C. DUNN, b. Bet. 1840 - 1841, Tennessee; d. Abt. 1865. 3. iii. GEORGE R. DUNN, b. Abt. 1843, Henderson Co. Tennessee. iv. MARY DUNN, b. Abt. 1845, Tennessee. 4. v. STEPHEN THOMAS DUNN, b. February 04, 1847, Henderson Co, Tennessee; d. September 21, 1928, Reevesville, Johnson Co. Illinois. 5. vi. WESLEY L. DUNN, b. Abt. 1851, Henderson Co. Tennessee. vii. OMA DUNN, b. Unknown. viii. ROSA DUNN, b. Unknown. ix. ELIZA "VIZ" DUNN, b. Unknown; m. (1) LARRY WHITEHORN; m. (2) JIM EASTWOOD, Unknown. x. ISHAM "ISIAH" DUNN, b. Unknown. xi. WILLIAM R. DUNN, b. Unknown. Generation No. 2 2. JOHN "JACK" RICHARD2 DUNN (JAMES BARNEY1) was born July 02, 1836 in Henderson Co. TN. He married (1) AMANDA HARRISON REED OR REID 1855 in Mifflin, Chester Co. Tennessee. She was born January 09, 1841 in Tennessee, and died December 25, 1882 in Johnson Co, Illinois. He married (2) MARY ISOBEL WHITE November 10, 1884 in Johnson Co, Illinois, daughter of HOSEA WHITE and MARIE WILLIAMS. She was born Bet. 1863 - 1864, and died 1940. Children of JOHN DUNN and AMANDA REID are: i. GEORGE ARGO3 DUNN, b. September 04, 1876, Cache Township, Johnson Co. IL; d. February 26, 1947, Metropolis, Massac Co. IL; m. AGNES ELIZABETH MARBERRY, May 25, 1902, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. September 09, 1879, Johnson Co, Illinois; d. January 1960. ii. JAMES BARNEY DUNN, d. Near Anna, Union Co. IL. iii. OSCAR DUNN, b. Abt. December 25, 1882, Johnson Co, Illinois; d. Died in infancy, Johnson Co. IL. iv. THEODORIA DUNN, d. Died in infancy. v. JOHN WASHINGTON "WASH" DUNN, b. Bet. 1857 - 1864, Henderson Co. Tennessee; d. 1899; m. (1) EANES; m. (2) MARTHA C. DAUGHTRY OR DOURGHTERY OR DOUGHERTY, November 29, 1877, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. Bet. 1857 - 1862. vi. ELLENDER "ELLEN" CATHERINE DUNN, b. February 11, 1865, Illinois; d. December 25, 1923; m. SAMUEL PATTEN WHITE, January 21, 1884, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. June 10, 1864; d. May 24, 1914. vii. WILLIAM "BILL" SHERMAN DUNN, b. Bet. 1865 - 1866, Illinois. viii. MINERVA EMMELINE "EMMA" DUNN, b. May 1867, Illinois; m. GEORGE T. FAIN, September 14, 1890, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. March 1864, IIllinois. ix. ISAAC "IKE" WESLEY DUNN, b. October 27, 1871; d. October 30, 1912, Johnson Co, Illinois; m. SARAH IRMA EFFIE JANE EVANS; b. January 30, 1875; d. December 07, 1948, Johnson Co, Illinois.. x. THOMAS FRANKLIN DUNN, b. January 29, 1873, Cache Township, Johnson Co. IL; d. July 16, 1943, Unk; m. FLORENCE BEOUD OR BLAND, April 30, 1899, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. January 22, 1882, Big Sandy, Stewart Co. Tennessee; d. July 03, 1968, Houston, Texas. xi. AMANDA ELIZABETH "LIZZIE" DUNN, b. February 26, 1878, Johnson Co. IL; m. WILLIAM J. STOKES, January 10, 1899, Johnson Co, Illinois. xii. ADDIE BELLE DUNN, b. March 11, 1880, Johnson Co. IL; m. GEROGE W. VINES, October 27, 1897, Johnson Co, Illinois. Children of JOHN DUNN and MARY WHITE are: xiii. WILLIS GRANT3 DUNN, b. November 21, 1888, Johnson Co, Illinois; d. January 08, 1955, Johnson Co, Illinois; m. DIMPLE D. CREWS; b. January 24, 1894; d. May 1969, Massac Co. Illinois.. xiv. ELI DUNN, b. April 1886, IIllinois, probably Johnson Co.. xv. GARRAET HOBERT DUNN, b. January 1897, IIllinois, probably Johnson Co.; m. ETHEL MAY SPRAGGS OR BRAGGS, August 24, 1922, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. Abt. 1904. xvi. GEARTIE OR GURTIE DUNN, b. August 1895, IIllinois, probably Johnson Co.; m. GEORGE TURNER; b. Abt. 1883; d. Abt. September 20, 1961, Cypress, Johnson Co. IL.. xvii. BERTHA DUNN. xviii. CALVIN DUNN, b. Bet. 1900 - 1902, Johnson Co, Illinois; m. (1) DELCIA "DELCIE" MORRIS, August 25, 1920, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. Bet. 1903 - 1905; m. (2) LOLA L. CHOATE, August 29, 1953, Johnson Co, Illinois. xix. S.E. DUNN, b. April 06, 1886; d. January 15, 1953, Johnson Co, Illinois. 3. GEORGE R.2 DUNN (JAMES BARNEY1) was born Abt. 1843 in Henderson Co. Tennessee. He married MARY JANE TUCKER. She was born Abt. 1851 in Arkansas. Children of GEORGE DUNN and MARY TUCKER are: i. SARAH P.3 DUNN, m. WILLIAM H. SHOURD, December 19, 1880, Johnson Co, Illinois. ii. CHILD DUNN, b. Bef. 1878. iii. MARY DUNN, b. Bef. 1878. iv. CHILD DUNN, b. Bef. 1878. v. FLORENCE MAY DUNN, b. August 31, 1878, Johnson Co, Illinois. vi. OSCAR DUNN, b. February 02, 1885, Johnson Co. IL. 4. STEPHEN THOMAS2 DUNN (JAMES BARNEY1) was born February 04, 1847 in Henderson Co, Tennessee, and died September 21, 1928 in Reevesville, Johnson Co. Illinois. He married (1) CATHERINE PARTHENA WHITEHORN March 18, 1869 in Johnson Co. Illinois. She was born Abt. 1850, and died May 30, 1875 in Johnson Co. IL. He married (2) SARAH ALBERTINE WHITE February 13, 1876 in Johnson Co, Illinois, daughter of HOSEA WHITE and MARIE WILLIAMS. She was born December 17, 1857 in Moscow, Johnson Co. Illinois, and died July 20, 1919 in Near Reevesville, Johnson Co. Illinois at the home of her daughter Josie Edna DUNN FARQUHAR.. He married (3) MARY J CUMMINS February 20, 1923. She was born Unknown. Children of STEPHEN DUNN and CATHERINE WHITEHORN are: i. THODAS CALVIN3 DUNN, b. Aft. 1871, Johnson Co. IL. ii. CONIA "CANEY" "CONNIE" LEROY DUNN, b. Aft. 1871, Johnson Co. IL. iii. ADOLPHIS ADOLPHUS "DOLPHIS" "DOLPH" B. DUNN, b. July 1872, Johnson Co. IL; d. 1955; m. SARAH CATHERINE JONES, April 02, 1905, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. November 15, 1888; d. May 29, 1921, Johnson Co, Illinois.. Children of STEPHEN DUNN and SARAH WHITE are: iv. STEPHEN THOMAS3 DUNN, b. Aft. 1876, Johnson Co. IL; d. Johnson Co. IL during infancy. v. ROSA BELLE DUNN, b. January 11, 1877, Johnson County, Illinois; d. January 28, 1956, Cypress, Johnson County, Illinois in her home.; m. WILLIAM JOSEPH JONES, March 31, 1895, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. September 26, 1876, Cypress, Johnson Co, Illinois; d. March 06, 1965, Cypress, Johnson Co, Illinois. vi. JOHN WESLEY DUNN, b. December 31, 1878, Johnson Co. IL; d. January 10, 1962, Probably Johnson Co. IL; m. DORA BELLE JOLLY, August 17, 1903, Johnson Co, Illinois; b. February 24, 1885; d. April 03, 1950, Johnson Co, Illinois.. vii. MARTHA JANE "MATTIE" DUNN, b. July 06, 1880, Johnson Co. IL; m. WILLIAM H. TRIPP, May 07, 1899, Johnson Co, Illinois. viii. WILLIAM HESIA OR HOSEY DUNN, b. March 12, 1882, Johnson Co. IL; d. Johnson Co. IL during infancy. ix. PHILIP DORDRIDGE DUNN, b. January 14, 1884, Pleasant Grove, Johnson Co. Illinois; d. February 19, 1898, Pleasant Grove, Illinois. x. MARY ELLEN DUNN, b. February 22, 1886, Johnson Co. IL; d. Aft. 1970; m. WILL GAGE, Unknown. xi. MAGGIE ANN DUNN, b. July 1890, Johnson Co. IL; d. April 16, 1950; m. COMER. xii. JOSIE EDNA DUNN, b. October 1892, IIllinois, probably Johnson Co.; d. May 23, 1935, Paducah, McCracken Co. Kentucky in Paducah Hospital at 10:30 P.M. on a Wednesday night.; m. IRA FARQUHAR. xiii. OMA MAE DUNN, b. November 22, 1895, Johnson Co, Illinois; m. (1) KING, Unknown; m. (2) ROSS FRAZIER, Unknown. xiv. LESTER FRANKLIN DUNN, b. August 1899, Near Vienna, Johnson County, Illinois; d. February 21, 1939, Talmage, Mendocino County, California. 5. WESLEY L.2 DUNN (JAMES BARNEY1) was born Abt. 1851 in Henderson Co. Tennessee. He married (1) MARTHA CANTRELL. He married (2) SUSANA A. CAMPBELL August 17, 1874 in Johnson Co, Illinois. She was born Abt. 1858 in Robertson Co. Tennessee. Child of WESLEY DUNN and MARTHA CANTRELL is: i. WILLIAM THOMAS3 DUNN, b. Abt. 1877; m. LUCINDA M. JOHNSON, June 17, 1900, Johnson Co, Illinois. Children of WESLEY DUNN and SUSANA CAMPBELL are: ii. CHILD3 DUNN, b. Bef. 1880. iii. CHILD DUNN, b. Bef. 1880. iv. MARY ELIZABETH DUNN, b. January 08, 1880, Johnson Co, Illinois. v. CHILD DUNN, b. Bef. 1883. vi. JULIA ANN DUNN, b. June 06, 1883, Johnson Co, Illinois.

Robin, I've contacted you before, my aunt was Mary Elizabeth Loless Camden,I believe she was from Williamson County. The story I was told by my cousins was that the original name was Lawless, there was an ancestor that was waorking as a law enforcer and he changed the name because it sounded inapropriate for his field of work. --- Linda --------- Original Message --------- DATE: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 01:01:28 From: "holt" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Cc: > >Hello and I am searching anyone related to the Lawless family, there are various spellings of this name in the area and 3 alone on our census for my clan. My family first settled just across river from this area of ILLinois in Livingston county KY around the middle 1800's or so. We have never been able to find out about our relatives and connections in Southern Illinois and I have been searching for years. We know they are related but cannot find out how so I am hoping someone might be able to shed some light on our set. My grandmother recently passed away and has told me often she remembers her father wondering if any of his relatives were still over in the ILL area before he died. If you are related to this family please feel free to email me, I have some census info and perhaps something will ring a bell. Thank you Robin Holt Mccracken county KY > > >==== ILJOHNSO Mailing List ==== >Visit the Official Johnson Co IL ILGenWeb Site! >http://www.rootsweb.com/~iljohnso/ > > ____________________________________________________________ Find what you are looking for with the Lycos Yellow Pages http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10

Hello and I am searching anyone related to the Lawless family, there are various spellings of this name in the area and 3 alone on our census for my clan. My family first settled just across river from this area of ILLinois in Livingston county KY around the middle 1800's or so. We have never been able to find out about our relatives and connections in Southern Illinois and I have been searching for years. We know they are related but cannot find out how so I am hoping someone might be able to shed some light on our set. My grandmother recently passed away and has told me often she remembers her father wondering if any of his relatives were still over in the ILL area before he died. If you are related to this family please feel free to email me, I have some census info and perhaps something will ring a bell. Thank you Robin Holt Mccracken county KY

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 08 February 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #06 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Hanging in my bedroom is a cross-stitch sampler done by my Grandmother Oliver about 1895 or so. If my memory holds, she said she was about 12 years old and that would make it 1897. It has a picture of a house and trees, and in large letters is stitched the words, "God Bless Our Home." Somewhere there is another sampler or hers displaying the more traditional alphabet and unicorns. I mention samplers because someone mentioned them and remarked that they are becoming more popular again. This used to be an activity taught to young girls for practical reasons, such as mending and making clothes and quilts, and such. The word Sampler comes from the Latin word exemplum, meaning an example; a pattern [to be followed]. Of course, a pattern is something to be followed, and samplers were the training ground for one of the life tasks for young ladies. But, that is not the way it always was. Sampler beginnings are lost in antiquity. They most likely existed long before the oldest one on record. There is one dated in 1598 made by one Jane Bastocke of England to celebrate the birth of a relative, which is thought to have possibly been a daughter or niece. This embroidery is housed in the Victoria and Albert museum located in South Kensington, London, England. It is a "sampling" of motifs using a variety of stitches. It includes metal threads, pearls and beads. As hinted above, early samplers were probably not sewn by young girls/ladies, but mainly by women. They were probably intended as examples, both of designs as well as different stitches. And, here I go out of my "depth" when I list such stitches as eyelet, Algenian eye, Holbein long armed cross, besides the "common" cross stitch that I am familiar with. These early examples were long strips or bands containing alphabets and designs. These long bands might have been elaborately stitched scrolled designs of various icons, symbols or pictures. Some motifs were done in silk, designed to be cut out and appliqued onto other cloths, such as bed hangings. During the seventeenth century, with printing available, printed pattern books became common. Samplers, as reference works, faded in existence. By mid-eighteenth century, especially in America, it became the practice for young girls to stitch samplers as "home schooling". Needlework was, after all, a major part of domestic duties. The samplers that we are probably most familiar with had decorative borders and motifs of alphabets, animals, flowers, houses and very often sayings. Such is the one hanging in my bedroom. The more affluent often used icons/motifs as marks of identification of the household linens. Pious verses and/or religious symbols were popular items. Some elaborate samplers had some educational value, such a maps and multiplication tables. Victorian samplers are more pictorial and they became artifacts to be hung on walls of homes. Many turn of the century [1900] walls had elaborate designs containing many different stitches. However, later samplers usually contained what we know today as the "cross stitch". I've seen Amish hex signs done in cross stitch. Today, I see craft makers and children stitching using plastic grid sheets. So, I guess the art hasn't disappeared for sure. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: Other sites worth visiting: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html

Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 01 February 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #05 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Fifty years ago last Thursday, 29 January 1954, I caught the "brass ring" when Barb and I were married in our then Church. She was an excellent domesticated person with a great sense of family, etc. As we lived together we developed a much more equal partnership type of relationship. We went through the "usual" rocky periods, ups, downs and tragedies. None to be relived, traded or sorry for, as they have all contributed to who we are today. However, I noticed in one of our local libraries this week a display soliciting for a historic presentation and display of "aprons". Having a very acute sense of humor it didn't take long for a thought to cross my mind. In the 1960s, women proclaimed freedom from domestication and began burning some bras. In that process, this question formed in my mind: In burning their bras, what did women shed? Yep, you got it!! APRONS!! This brought me to articles and editorials of recent days about "candidates wives", even though having a separate and independent" persona from their husbands, they are being forced "politically" back into the role of "housewives" ... using their "married" name rather than their maiden or business names. Thus, I decided to do this article on the history and place of the "apron" in American culture. However, I am not alone with this idea. As mentioned above, one of my local libraries is having an historic presentation about aprons. There will be styles as well as famous aprons included. Aprons to be displayed, among others, at the Way Library in Perrysburg, Ohio will be aprons belonging to Mamie Eisenhower, Lucy Hayes, and Hope Taft. Mamie everyone knows, Lucy most folks know to be the "First Lady" of Rutherford B Hayes, and Ohioans will recognize Hope, the wife of the present Governor of Ohio, Robert Taft. Growing up in the 1930s, my Grandmothers, all their sisters and daughters[-in-laws], wore aprons. There were aprons to cook in, and aprons to meet guests in, and aprons to serve food in. And, now that I think about it, there were aprons to do "housework". I guess the place to start the history of aprons is with the idea that aprons were the "practical" side of wearing clothing. Women didn't have "wash and wear" fabrics or extensive wardrobes. Extensive washing of dresses wore them out much more quickly than was practical. Before my time clothes were washed in large tubs with the use of "scrubbing" boards quite common. Well, even as I was growing up these items were still "common". During the late 1930s and beyond, "wringer" washers were becoming popular, but clothes were hung outside on lines to dry. Every piece of clothing had to be "ironed", there was not yet permanent press and "dryers".. Thus, aprons served a very practical purpose ... that of covering and protecting the dress beneath. This did save on washing, for dresses were washed once a week, while aprons could be washed two or even three time a week. Aprons were not restricted to the domestic duties of housewives, for school teachers, children, shop- keepers, and secretaries wore various styles of aprons over other clothing. One should not forget that men also wore aprons ... just picture the blacksmith as an example, or shopkeepers. Every re-enactor in historic pageants wears an apron, usually a full apron reaching nearly to the floor. Along the way, the ingenuity of folks began to decorate these garments for seasons and purposes. For some reason, the word Victorian pinafore associates with decorative aprons in my mind. I remember ruffles on the shoulder straps [No, not potato chips.] which buttoned at the waist in the back. Ties fastened in the back to form a bow and pockets in front were added. Further decorations were along the bottom or borders. As the purpose for wearing the apron progressed from the kitchen to receiving guests aprons became more fanciful and less "full". Lighter material and laces were often used. As far as the true history of aprons go, one has to but read the first book of the Bible, Genesis, in Chapter three, where it says that they "sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons". All dirty and dangerous work has utilized aprons for protection. Still in use today by butchers, waiters and welders. Aprons became so much a part of our culture that during the 1950s one hardly saw women in newspaper, magazine, television ads, or television shows not wearing one. >From Biblical mention to the middle ages aprons were not used seriously. Metalsmithing and blacksmithing utilized leather aprons for protection. Also, by then fishermen learned that they could protect their clothing from much of the "fishy" smell if they used wool aprons. Women began using aprons to protect their clothing in the early 1700s; maybe earlier. Aprons not only served as protection, but could be used as a tool also. For example, it could become a gathering basket for produce, eggs, etc and used as a cleaning cloth to wipe up things. Also, I watch my Grandmother use her apron as protection for her hands when taking hot things out of the oven or off the stove. Color developed as an identifying instrument. For example stonemasons wore white aprons, which traditionally are still used in the Masonic fraternal society. British barbers wore checked aprons and were known as "checkered" men. Blue has been used for gardeners, spinners, weavers and garbage men. Butlers wore green; butchers wore blue stripes; cobblers wore black. Masons were not the only ones to use white to identify their use, for don't we associate white with maids and servants? Service industries, such as servants and maids, wore long aprons, the upper panel was pinned to the dress. This of course has gone out of style and only the "half" apron is now used. For the today's macho [male], there are genderless and simple aprons for barbecues, etc. Though I have seen some imprinted with "humour". Most modern worker aprons are canvas style, with pockets for pens and pads. >From Victorian times the apron took on ornateness with the addition of lace and embroidery. These were used by "proper house matrons", not to protect their underclothing, but as to distinguish themselves from servants and maids. Since most women in those days made their own lace, etc, these aprons became a true craft that were worn with pride. As we move historically into the 1920s, following the World War, women began to move outside the home for work and/or social causes. The apron became less used for symbolic purposes and remained only for its practical use. I found mention of a "Hooverette" style which must have been the loose, wrap around apron of the late twenties. During the great depression of the 1930s, due to the lack of funds and materials, aprons were being made from scraps of clothing material and food sacks. How about those flour sack aprons with the advertising? From here the new freedom of design and materials led to aprons of calico. In addition, with the advent of home sewing machines the apron again took on the aura of symbolic pride. At the end of World War II, there was a return to the more traditional role for women as homemakers. Men returned to their jobs, and the home was promoted as paramount, fostered heavily by early televison. You might remember "Ozzie and Harriet", "Leave it to Beaver", and "Father Knows Best". Oh, Yeah, that last one!! "Gone are the days"!!! e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: For those interested in the Way Library presentation: What: Apron Event: Style Show & History When: Saturday, Feb 7, 2004, 1:00pm Where: Perrysburg, Ohio, Way Library Memories of Aprons are requested. What you remember about aprons — yours, your mother's, grandmother's, or your dad's. You may turn your thoughts into the library at www.way.lib.oh.us or 419/74-31135 ext 109