How'd My Mother[-in-law] Get So Smart?

My mother and my mother-in-law are both bright women, each in their own ways. But in keeping with my theme of praising mothers-in-law, we'll leave my mother-in-fact for another day.

My mother-in-law is a descendant of the French Negroes of Illinois. Her father, Joseph Perry Micheau, was born in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, in 1888 and married Edna Julia Lewis in 1913.
Joe Micheau probably went to the school for black children in Prairie du Rocher which was run by the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, an order of Catholic nuns. Later, when the Adorers left Prairie du Rocher, Joe's wife Edna became the teacher for the black children.

Joe Micheau was an extraordinarily literate man. After leaving school, he continued to educate himself. He had intended to become a priest, until he met his future wife.

My mother-in-law and her three siblings benefited from their parents' interest in education and particularly in reading. My mother-in-law, born in St Louis, Missouri, about fifty miles west of Prairie du Rocher, attended the public Sumner High School for a year, then transferred to St. Rita's High School, a Catholic girls school, from whence she graduated.

Her innate curiosity, however, is what makes her so smart. At age 50, despite not knowing how to drive or even owning a car, she took an automotive repair course, just because she "wanted to know." The same impulse led her to learn how to make soap and glass.

She reads everything she can get her hands on. Sometimes she reads labels in the grocery store just to learn about a product even without wanting to buy it.

She's quiet and she listens. Those traits make her seem shy, but they're the key to what makes her smart.

Give Another Mother A Hug

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my families and yours!

I want to deal today with that most complex of subjects--the mother-in-law. Simply put, they don't get no respect. Even Rodney Dangerfield dissed them ("I wanted to do something nice, so I bought my mother-in-law a chair. Now they won't let me plug it in . . . ."). That one-hit wonder, Ernie K-Doe, scored a Billboard No. 1 hit in May 1961 with his song "Mother-in-law" that proclaimed his mother-in-law "the worst person I know. . . .Her name ought to be Satan." The song was still popular when Huey Lewis and the News covered it decades later. The greeting card industry's "Mother-in-Law's Day" didn't start until 2002 and is relegated to the spooky fourth Sunday in October (although this source says it was first celebrated on March 5, 1934 in Amarillo, Texas). By the way, check out this Mother-in-law's Day Gift Guide.

The New York Times on December 10, 1923, on page 19 ran this headline: HOMEWRECKING ACE IS MOTHER-IN-LAW. The story's lede was:

The mother-in-law, joke or no joke, is still the most potent force in breaking up marriages in America. Officials of the Legal Aid Society pronounced this judgment yesterday, with forty-seven years of providing law help to the poor as the background of experience for their statement.

You can read the rest of the story (for $3.95 from Times Select) here.

But consider that every Satan of a mother-in-law is someone else's saint of a mother. Mothers-in-law are mothers. They deserve to be honored today not only by their children-in-fact, but by their children-in-law as well. After all, for better or worse, who would your sweetie be if not for his/her mother? So, for today, set aside the jokes and grievances (real or imagined) and give your mother-in-law (or someone else's, if you haven't one) a hug.

Lynne "Angel" Harvey, 1916-2008, Good Day!

As both my regular readers know, I'm an old radio guy--that is, an old guy who used to be on the radio (more than thirty years ago!). So I was especially saddened to read the following press release from Washington University in St Louis.

Following in bold type is Washington University Press Release

May 6, 2008 -- Legendary news producer Lynne "Angel" Cooper Harvey, wife of broadcaster Paul Harvey, died Saturday, May 2, at the couple's home in River Forest, Ill., following a long battle with leukemia. She was 92.

"Angel Harvey was a distinguished Phi Beta Kappa alumna of Washington University in St. Louis and also the recipient of an honorary doctor of humanities degree," said Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. "She was a role model and inspiration for our students and graduates, and her stellar achievements in the field of journalism and broadcasting are equaled only by her love for education and by a deep concern for the arts and for those in need.

"She was a woman with a gracious, generous heart and she will be missed by this community," Wrighton added. "Washington University extends its deepest condolences to her husband, Paul Harvey, and their son, Paul Harvey Jr."

Born and raised in St. Louis, Angel — as she was universally known — earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in English from Washington University. Hired to develop a program on education for St. Louis radio station KXOK-AM, she soon met Paul, then a young reporter at the station. On their first date he proposed and the couple married in 1940.

During World War II Paul joined the Army Air Corps and Angel moved to his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she took a job with the local CBS affiliate. There she became one of the first women in the nation to run an entire radio broadcast, spinning records and reading the news from 4 p.m. to midnight.

In 1944 the Harveys moved to Chicago and soon launched "Paul Harvey News" on ABC affiliate WENR-AM. With Angel as producer, the program quickly became the most listened-to newscast in Chicago and helped pioneer the 10 p.m. newscast, which soon became a national standard.

In 1951 the ABC Radio Networks began broadcasting "Paul Harvey News and Comment" on stations coast-to-coast and in 1976 expanded "The Rest of the Story" — a long-running feature on "News and Comment" — into its own broadcast. Both shows would reach an estimated 25 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations as well as 400 Armed Forces Network stations around the world.

In 1968 Paul and Angel launched "Paul Harvey Comments," a nationally syndicated television series that ran for 20 years. It was soon joined by "Dilemma," a prototype for the television talk-show genre. In 1997 Angel became the first producer inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and in 2001 received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Women in Radio and Television.

A dedicated alumna of Washington University, Harvey was a Life Member of the William Greenleaf Eliot Society's Danforth Circle and a member of the Phoenix and Chicago Regional Cabinets. In 1997 she received a Founders Day Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2001 received the Robert S. Brookings Award for her support and advocacy on behalf of the university.

In 1999 Harvey established the Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Chair in English, held by Wayne Fields, professor of English and director of the American Culture Studies Program, both in Arts & Sciences. In 2000 she created the Lynne Cooper Harvey Fellowships, which support graduate students in American Culture Studies, and in 2003 created the Lynne Cooper Harvey American Culture Studies Scholars program, which supports undergraduate students.

The annual Lynne Cooper Harvey Writing Prize, awarded for outstanding writing about American Culture Studies, is named in her honor. In 2004 Harvey dedicated the June S. Courson Courtyard, part of the university's new Earth & Planetary Sciences Building, in memory of her sister.

-30-

What a remarkable woman! I was raised on Paul Harvey News and Comment on the ABC Radio Networks. Every day when we came home for lunch, Dad would already be there for his lunch and Paul Harvey was always on. We heard him on KDEF, 1150 AM in Albuquerque. [Note the images from a bygone era--Dad home from work, kids home from school, all for lunch; no TV on, just the radio]. And we had no idea that a woman played such a key role in that program. Even later as a radio guy myself, I did not comprehend the full extent of her talents. As Paul might say on another of their programs, "Now you know the rest of the story."

Condolences to Paul Harvey and son, Paul, Jr. (himself a radio producer). And may the "Angel" of the airwaves rest in peace.

A Loving Legacy

Mildred Delores Jeter, born in 1939 or 1940, grew up in Central Point, near Bowling Green, Caroline County, Virginia. It was a small town where of course everybody knew everybody else. By the time Mildred was eleven or twelve years old, she was smitten with the handsome, blond, older boy with the curious name, Richard Loving. A friend of Mildred's family, Richard must have liked her, too, because they became sweethearts.

When Mildred turned 18, Richard asked her to marry him. There was just one problem: Mildred was not blonde like her sweetheart. Mildred was the daughter of two parents who were part black and part Indian. The Commonwealth of Virginia prohibited mixed race marriages under its 1924 "Racial Integrity Act." So Richard and Mildred drove about 90 miles north to Washington, D/C. They picked the name of a minister from the D.C. phone book, and got married. Then they drove back home.

Five or six weeks later, the Caroline County sheriff rousted Mr. and Mrs. Loving from their bed at 2:00 a.m. "Whose this woman you're sleeping with?" he demanded of Richard.

"I'm his wife," Mildred replied. The sheriff handcuffed them both and took them to jail. They were charged with illegally "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth" in violation of the Racial Integrity Act, a felony.

At their trial, the Lovings pled guilty. Judge Leon Bazile said, "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix."

The judge sentenced them to one year in jail, but suspended the term for 25 years on condition that the Lovings leave Virginia and not return. Upon their release, they moved to Washington, D.C. On appeal, the Virginia Supreme Court upheld the convictions, but pointedly reminded the trial judge that they should have been sentenced to prison, not jail.

The Lovings might have, at that point, lived the rest of their lives in blissful obscurity. But Mildred missed her mother and Richard didn't think it right that he could not raise his family in the place where he grew up and called home.

Mildred wrote to then-U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy in 1963. He referred them to the American Civil Liberties Union. With ACLU lawyers, the Lovings began fighting their convictions and banishment in both state and federal court.

On April 10, 1967, the case came before the United States Supreme Court. You can hear the argument yourself right here. The issue was whether Virginia's ban on interracial marriage (and similar laws in 17 other states) violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Court announced its decision two months later, on June 12, 1967. Chief Justice Earl Warren, speaking for a unanimous Court, said the Virginia law was simply "invidious racial discrimination" which was "odious to a free people." The law was unconstitutional. Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967).

Justice had prevailed for the Lovings and many others.

Richard and Mildred moved back home and quietly raised their three children.

Richard Perry Loving died the victim of a drunk driver in 1975.

Mildred Jeter Loving passed away last Friday, May 2, 2008.

June 12 is celebrated by mixed race couples and their friends and families as "Loving Day."


Audio of oral argument and text of case provided by The Oyez Project, under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license.

Catholics, Mormons at Odds Over Genealogical Records?

Well, a day has come that I hoped would not. Kimberly Powell reports that the Vatican has ordered Catholic dioceses not to allow access to their records for microfilming or digitizing. Here are my sudden and unorganized thoughts:

1. As both of my regular readers know, I am a Catholic, and there are a number of Catholics in the GeneaBlogosphere, including Kimberly Powell, Jasia, and Donna Pointkouski, to mention just a few.
   
2. I don't think any Catholic blogger or genealogist has ever denigrated the LDS faith. Indeed, most of us are quite grateful for the tremendous service the Mormons have provided us and everyone.
3. The LDS Church has been more than generous in sharing their extremely costly research endeavors with the world at little or no cost. I would hope that my church, had it been in their shoes, would be as magnanimous. In fact, what the Mormons have done is downright Christian.
4. Catholics and our faith are actually strengthened in a way by knowing and understanding our past and appreciating our ancestors. Curiously, we have the Mormons to thank for that.
5. Of course, there are fundamental doctrinal differences between the two churches that might never be bridged. But we can still practice charity toward each other.
6. In the comments to Kimberly's report, I detect some strong animosities towards both Catholics and Mormons. Let's not go there. We each as groups and individuals have had enough persecution for our beliefs.
7. I rarely have been as excited as I was a few weeks ago when I discovered that the LDS-affiliated FamilySearch Labs had digitized and placed on-line the records of the Catholic Diocese of Bellevile, Illinois. I found a treasure trove of information about the Micheau family that I'm researching. I, for one Catholic, am very grateful for the LDS efforts.
8. I can appreciate my LDS friends without endorsing or condemning their faith. Please no comments about the theology of that statement.
9. If the Mormons want to claim some of my family as theirs, I'm not offended.
10. All being said, this is a most unfortunate turn of events for all. When it comes to genealogy, we all need each other.
    

UPDATE: Register of U.S. Army Enlistments

Well, I am both gratified and chastened! In the comments to the original post below, Chad Milliner points out what should been obvious to me. That is, essentially, that the Register of U.S. Army Enlistments includes only original federal enlistments. Chad reminds us that in the 18th and 19th
centuries, American wars were fought largely by troops raised by the States. The Regular Army was very small. So the database is complete as to the years it covers for the enlistments in the U.S. Army.

And you'd think an old National Guardsman like me would have remembered that! (Don't tell anybody how badly I blew this one--they'll revoke my retirement and order me back into uniform for remedial training!).

Thanks, Chad, for keeping us straight!

Carnival is Back!

The 47th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is posted at Jasia's Creative Gene. The theme this time was "A Place Called Home," and thirty-two writers have described places that their ancestors called home. The submissions are very diverse, ranging from the now-extinct Markham Township, Ontario, to Weaver's Creek Bottom, Mississippi, to towns in Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland.

I didn't play this time because of time constraints. But I have been planning for awhile to do a series on places.

All of the Carnival articles this time are very informative and well-written. I would urge each writer to consider taking the basic facts of their piece and creating or adding to a Wikipedia article.

Having just done it a few weeks ago, I know that Wikipedia writing may not appeal to everyone, but for those who find it doable, it would be a great service to other researchers.

Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: Mom, how'd you get so smart? We'll examine our mothers' education. What schools did your mom attend? Did she graduate high school or attend the school of hard knocks? Did she attend a one room school house or was she home-schooled? Was she the first in the family to attend college? Maybe your mom took self-study courses or was an avid reader. Tell us all about how a mother figure (mother, grandmother, mother in law, godmother, etc.) in your life became so brilliant! The deadline for submissions is May 15th.

Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Genealogist, Heal Thyself

Family historians and genealogists spend their time looking for folks who have long since passed away. Often, the lack of records or knowledge about where to find them creates frustration (or excitement for those who love the thrill of the chase!). But have we each asked ourselves whether future generations will be able to find us? More importantly, have we made the right plans so that those in the present can handle our passing without unnecessary complications?

Take some time today to ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have a will?
• Where is my will?
• When was my will last updated?
• Is there someone I trust who knows where my will is?
• Is there someone I trust who has access to my will?
• Have I preplanned (and prepaid) my final disposition?
• Do my loved ones know what my wishes are for my final disposition? [IMPORTANT: Don't put these instructions in your will and do not keep them in a safe deposit box!].
• Have I made adequate financial plans for my survivors?

These are simple questions that can save your surviving loved ones from many complications at your death. Seek legal advice or financial planning advice if necessary. It will be well worth it.

Research Note: Don't Overlook the Simple Way

Chris Dunham at The Genealogue has made genealogical "challenges" a somewhat regular feature of his blog. These are quite interesting, fun, and test one's rapid research skills. I enjoy them a lot, because I always learn something, either about the particular subject or about some research resource I may have not known about before. I always have to work fast if I want to post an answer because the East Coast folks have a time zone advantage!

Sometimes, a Challenge is so complex or obscure that it takes days and many folks working to figure it out. Sometimes they are disarmingly simple.

A few days ago, Chris's Challenge #126 was set up about "Stephen and Emilie Preen, who lived in Newark, New Jersey, in 1900." There was this link to a discussion thread about Preen family history. The Challenge was to discover Who was their very famous step-grandchild?
The link gave some important clues. [Don't look at the comments to Chris's Challenge #126 yet if you want to learn what I learned!]

The Challenge went unanswered for an unusually long time. I really didn't have time to do it, but I took a shot anyway. I first used some of the clues in the discussion thread along with census records to determine the names of the Preens' children. Then using census records and birth and marriage databases, I tried to determine their grandchildren. I had to check each of the children. A couple were quickly eliminated, and I soon focused on Sydney David Preen as the likely step-father. The somewhat unusual spelling of his first name likely came from the fact (found in the discussion thread and confirmed in census and passenger records) that Stephen and Emilie Preen had lived in Australia in New South Wales for several years. Indeed, their two oldest children, though not Sydney, had been born in Australia.

I then tracked Sydney to California and this made sense because perhaps the step-child was in the entertainment industry. Well, I wrestled with Sydney's records for quite awhile before giving up, partly because, as I said, I really didn't have time, and in part because I was now convinced that the answer could be found only by using some obscure database or research technique.

But the next day, I noticed in the comments that someone had come up with the right answer. Unfortunately, she didn't describe how she got there. [Don't look yet!]. But I discovered that knowing what was in the discussion thread or even just the question itself, a good thinker could come up with the answer in just a matter of minutes.

Try it yourself. Take the information in the question itself and find the name of their famous step-grandchild in fifteen minutes. Go ahead, we'll wait here.

--Fifteen Minute Interval--

Now, how long did it really take you to come up with John Wayne?

Here's how to do it: Look up the names of the Preen children in the 1900 census. "Google" each one in turn. For Charles Preen, you'll get about 98 hits, which you can click through quickly with no mention of anyone famous. For Albert Preen you get nine hits; again, not seeming to lead to anyone "famous." Now for Sydney Preen, you'll get five hits; again nobody of special notoriety. But then, the thinking researcher would decide that "Sydney" is not the only way, nor the typical American way, to spell that name for a male. So now you search Google for "Sidney" Preen, and guess what? The first two of five mentions refer to John Wayne's autobiography. Time elapsed: less than fifteen minutes.

Lesson: don't overlook the simple ways!