Archive for March 31, 2008

The Family Cars, 1955-1969: Part II–The Rambler

March 31, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

My dad had bought his first car, a 1953 Ford, in 1955 during his first assignment in the Army. The Ford had taken to Kansas City from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri several times; from Kansas City to Houston and back to KCMO; and from KC to Brooklyn. It came with us to Germany in 1958. In Germany, we’d taken the Ford on a couple trips to France.

In 1961, Dad was ordered to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He decided it was time for a new car, so before leaving Germany, he sold the Ford which he’d had for six years to another GI. In late August, 1961, we departed Germany aboard a commercial airliner and, after a refueling stop at Shannon, Ireland, landed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The next day, we were on a train headed for Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the American Motors Company factory there.

Dad had ordered a 1961 Rambler station wagon from the factory before we left Germany. The plan was to pick it up at the factory and drive on to Kansas City for a family visit, then on to our new home in Albuquerque.


Rambler Station Wagon built by American Motors Co. Pictured is a 1962 model, virtually identical to our 1961 model.

Kenosha turned out to be remarkably picturesque for an industrial town. It is on the western shore of Lake Michigan–which I had never seen until then. In Kenosha, we were given a tour of one of the town’s two American Motors assembly plants–quite a thrill for me and my next younger brother. I don’t think my four year old sister and youngest (3 years old) brother were quite as impressed. In fact, my sister said recently that she had no recollection of the factory trip at all!

The car wasn’t ready until the next day. Nobody in the family had ever had a brand new car. This one was custom-built to my dad’s preferences. The Rambler was blue with a white top. There was a luggage rack of sorts on top. The cargo area in back converted into another seat which faced to the rear–another thrill for me and my brother! There were no seat belts. The car had a “push-button” three-speed automatic transmission and whitewall tires.

As soon as the car was ready, Dad picked it up and brought back to the motel for loading. We headed south out of America’s Dairyland (as it said on our Wisconsin license plates). Our route would take us through Chicago, then southwest on U.S. Route 66 to Springfield, Illinois. This was the first of many times the Rambler would travel Route 66, either east to Missouri or west to California. We’d then depart Route 66 and head west to Kansas City.
Rainfall track of Hurricane Carla,
September 1961. Click to enlarge.

We hadn’t gotten very far past Chicago when a terrific rain began. Between Chicago and Springfield, the rain continued to get heavier. Before we got to Springfield, the Illinois State Police had stopped all traffic on the highway. It was too dangerous to go on. We were caught in the north-bound remnants of Hurricane Carla, one of two Category 5 storms during 1961, and at the time, the strongest storm on record in the Atlantic basin. We found a motel (no problem this time) to wait out the storm.

A day later, it was still raining, but the highway authorities had deemed the roads safe. The Rambler faced its first test and got us to Kansas City safely. After a few days with my mother’s family, we headed on to Albuquerque, eventually back on to Route 66.

We kept that Rambler for eight years. During that time we took it on two trips to California and two trips to Kansas City. On the California trips along Route 66, gasoline would jump to 40 cents a gallon soon after we crossed into Arizona. “Highway robbery!” Dad would exclaim. “There ought to be a law!”

On the California trips in 1966 and 1967, we also took a new passenger: our Siamese-Persian feline, Topcat. He had the cargo area almost to himself, since his litter box was in one corner and his food and water in the other corner. That meant four kids in the back seat and lots of luggage on the roof.

I don’t recall any major trouble with the Rambler until one afternoon in the summer of 1969 while Dad was in Vietnam. Mom had all four of us in the car and was backing out of the driveway when suddenly the right side of the car collapsed. Mom ordered us all out and I examined the car. The right front wheel was laying on its side about three feet away from the car. I couldn’t really tell what had happened. We were on our way to someplace we really had to be, so Mom enlisted the neighbors to take us. I also don’t recall what she did to get the car fixed. It turned out that the front axle had cracked (how? I don’t know!) in two places.

When Dad returned from Vietnam a few months later, it was the end of the line for the 1961 Rambler. It was replaced by a brand new 1969 Ford Torino Squire station wagon. I was actually sad to see the Rambler go. We’d had a lot of good times and memories in that car.

The demise of the Rambler coincided with the end of our time in the Land of Enchantment. As soon as the Ford station wagon was delivered, we packed and headed for life’s new adventures in California.


The Rambler’s replacement: Ford’s Torino Squire station wagon.
Pictured is a 1968 model, essentially similar to our light-blue, wood-paneled 1969 model.
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Catholic Genealogy: Latin Lesson

March 30, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

I mentiopned the other day that I had found the records of St Joseph’s Church of Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, Family Search Labs’ Record Search site. Many of these records are in Latin. I never studied Latin formally; however, I became an altar boy at a very young age in the days when the Catholic Mass was in Latin. I also studied Spanish as a youngster. I’ve always been interested in linguistics and fortunately have been blessed with somewhat of an aptitude for languages.

So I’ve been applying those skills to translating some of the Prairie du Rocher church records that mention the Micheau family. A typical entry is this one:

Die 12a Julii 1900 obit Maria Emma Micheau uxor Georgii Micheau, annos circa 46 nata, ejusque corpus sequenti tumulatum est.

Actually, I think most genealogists could intuit this one. I translated it thusly:

Maria Emma Micheau, wife of George Micheau, died on July 12, 1900. She was about 46 years old. She was buried in the general burial ground.

Here’s a list of Latin terms likely to be found in Catholic records:

  • adnotationes: notations or comments
  • aetas: age or lifetime
  • Anno Domino: Year of Our Lord
  • annos: years
  • Baptismorum: Baptism
  • Confirmatorum: the sacrament of Confirmation
  • corpus: body
  • dies: day, date
  • defunctorum: death, deaths
  • Diocesis: diocese
  • Ecclesia: church
  • Eucharistae sacramentum: The Eucharist (Communion)
  • ex: literally, “out of;” used to denote parental relationship or sometimes hometown; for example, “Joseph Micheau ex G. Micheau,” would mean that Joseph is the son of G. Micheau. “Emilie Micheau ex Prairie du Rocher,” of course would indicate that Emilie is a native of Prairie du Rocher.
  • fil, fili: son
  • liber, libro: book
  • Matrimonium: The sacrament of Holy Matrimony; marriage
  • mensis: month
  • natum, nate, nata: birth, born
  • nigrini coloris: “of the color black;” sometimes abbreviated “n. col.,” designates African-Americans
  • nomen, nomina: name, names
  • obit, obitus: to die
  • patrini: literally, “patrons;” used to designate godparents in Baptism or sponsor in Confirmation
  • nativitatis locus: birth place
  • sacerdos: priest
  • sepultum: to interr or bury
  • sponsi: literally, “the promised one,” designates groom on marriage records
  • sponsae: designates bride on marriage records
  • testes: witnesses
  • tumulatum: to bury in a mound
  • uxor: wife

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The Family Cars, 1955-1969: Part I–The Ford

March 29, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

In 1955, my father bought his first car: a 1953 Ford sedan. And, of course, there’s a story to that.

I’ve mentioned before that in the mid-1950′s, we lived at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where my dad had his first assignment in the Army. He decided that he needed a car. A friend suggested that he should go to St Louis to find a good deal on a car, there not being much commerce around Fort Lost-in-the-Woods at that time. The friend said he’d accompany Dad and help out with the dealing. The friend’s presence was important for another reason: Dad had never actually driven an automobile! The plan was that they’d buy the car, and on the trip back to the Army post, the buddy would educate my father in the finer points of operating an auto.

On the appointed day, Dad took the train to St Louis. His friend had gone on ahead, and they would meet at the train station. When Dad arrived, however, his pal was nowhere to be found. Dad waited quite awhile. But he had limited time and had never been in St Louis before. So after some time as his friend had not appeared, Dad got on his cell phone and (oops, this was 1955!) Dad noticed a Ford dealer across the street from the train station.

The sales manager heard Dad’s story: he was 23 years old, in the Army, with a wife and two young sons. The sales manager said, “I’ve got the just the car for you. My wife’s been driving it and it’s over at the house. I’ll take you there.” They went to the man’s home where he showed Dad a 1953 Ford sedan. The wife served lunch and Dad and the sales manager made a deal for the car: $1100, [which seems to me a bit pricey for a two year old car in 1955] financed by the Boatmen’s National Bank of St Louis, and insured by the United Services Automobile Association. The car was a Ford Mainline sedan; maroon with a white top.

Dad then commenced his own drivers education on the trip back to Fort Leonard Wood.

We would have that car for the next six years. It took us many times between Fort Leonard Wood and my mother’s hometown of Kansas City. In April, 1958, we travelled to visit Dad’s family in Houston.

In September, 1958, Dad got orders to Germany. We would take the Ford. We had to drive to New York to meet our ship and drop off the car. We went first to see Mom’s family in Kansas City, then began the 11oo mile trip to Brooklyn. Dad, as usual, had carefully plotted out the route and scheduled stops. We’d travel across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. We’d stop just east of Cincinnati and get a good night’s rest. The next day, we’d take the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and then enter the New York metropolitan area, and end up at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

The first part of the trip went well. My brother and I had fun spotting different cars and license plates. My mother had my almost year old sister [and in utero brother] with her in the front seat. (This was in the days before seat belts and baby carseats). As we approached our stopping point in southeastern Ohio, the sun set and an autumn rain began to fall across the mid-Atlantic states.

By the time we got to the motel, the rain was heavy and steady. Dad got out and went to register. He was back quite quickly. He started the car and pulled back onto the highway, as my mother looked at him quizzically. Hours later through the rain, we stopped at a motel in Pittsburgh. Years later, I learned what had happened at the Ohio motel: We don’t take your kind. Better keep on driving, boy. I don’t care if your wife’s pregnant; didn’t you hear me? We don’t let you people . . . .[The first and only time this happened in our extensive travels; my careful parents didn't expect it in Ohio!].

The next day we made it to Brooklyn without further incident. We stayed at the now-defunct Fort Hamilton while Dad drove the Ford to the port. Two days later, we were on a ship bound for Germany.

We went to Frankfurt, Germany, where Dad was assigned to the NATO courier service, carrying secret documents between European capitals. The Ford arrived a few weeks after we did and Dad took the train to Bremerhaven to pick it up.

My youngest brother was born in Frankfurt. After eighteen months there, Dad was transferred to Karlsruhe, Germany. We drove to the new duty station in the Ford. On the way, it began to snow and soon we were driving through a major blizzard.

Dad and the Ford got us safely to Karlsruhe. The city is near the French border and we took the car on several weekend adventures in France while we were there. My dad was in charge of special services (now called Morale, Welfare and Recreation or “MWR”) in the U.S. military community around Karlsruhe. On weekends, he sometimes took us in the Ford to visit some of the facilities in the area for which he was responsible. We also visited other towns and cities in southwestern Germany.

In 1961, Dad was ordered to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He decided it was time for a new car, so before leaving Germany, he sold the Ford to another GI. In late August, 1961, we departed Germany aboard a commercial airliner and, after a refueling stop at Shannon, Ireland, landed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The next day, we were on a train headed for Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the American Motors Company factory there.

This photograph is [probably] not the automobile my dad brought, but it looks exactly like it (including the colors)! This car is purportedly a 1954 model, while our car was a 1953. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Next: The Rambler

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A Great Find! Thanks, Kimberly!

March 28, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

Kimberly Powell‘s blog at About.com is part of my daily reading. Recently she spotlighted FamilySearch’s Record Search. I had registered for and used Record Search some months ago. I liked it then, but for some reason, I hadn’t signed on in a while. So I was interested in Kimberly’s perspective. Her post included a list of new collections at Record Search. One of these–records from the Catholic Diocese of Belleville, Illinois–particularly caught my eye.

Last summer, we took a research trip to Missouri, which included a side trip to southern Illinois. There, we explored the town of Prairie du Rocher and St Joseph’s church there, looking for information on our Micheau family. We met the priest, who gave us a lot of history on the town. He also said that awhile ago, he had begun transcribing old church records, but lost them in a computer meltdown. He thereafter abandoned the project.

Well, it turns out that Prairie du Rocher is within the Diocese of Belleville and many of the St Joseph parish records are in the Record Search collection! The records are not indexed and seem to be in French (a few) and Latin (most of them). But within a very brief period last evening, I was able to locate, transcribe, and translate (the Latin mainly; the French, not so much!), a number of Micheau family records. This is a major research breakthrough!

Thanks, Kimberly, for pointing the way to a great find!

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Blogger Kudos

March 28, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

The site ScanMyPhotos.com has presented “The 2008 Artistry of Genealogy Awards.” The winners were selected by customers of ScanMyPhotos.com. The “Best Personal Genealogy Blog” appears to be shared by Miriam Robbins Midkiff”s Ancestories: The Stories of My Ancestors and Renee’s Genealogy Blog by Renee Zamora. The Best Ongoing Family History Story was Jasia’s Creative Gene.

I highly recommend all three! Check out the ScanMyPhotos blog for more great sites of use to genealogists.

And speaking of Jasia, her great work in originating and sponsoring the Carnival of Genealogy is recognized in the current issue of Internet Genealogy. Well-deserved!

Finally, in the blogosphere, Shades of the Departed has debuted. Under the artistic guidance of The Collector (photonym of the footnoteMaven), we view parts of an extensive collection of photographs and learn about analysis, dating, and other things. Highly recommended.

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"Open" State Vital Records: The Bad and the Ugly

March 26, 2008 Craig New York

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

Previously, we spotlighted several states that are particularly “genealogy-friendly” concerning access to state vital records. Now we wade into the swamp of vital records-access horribles.

At the edge of the swamp are states that have unreasonably long (100 years or more for birth records; more than fifty years for death records; or any period for ordinary marriages and divorces) confidentiality periods. These states include:

  • Alabama: 125 years for birth records!
  • Alaska: 100 years for birth records; fifty years for marriage records
  • Arkansas: 100 years for birth records
  • Delaware: 100 years for birth records
  • Hawaii: 75 years for death and marriage records
  • Idaho: 100 years for birth records; 50 years for marriage and divorce records
  • Iowa: 75 years for death, marriage and divorce records; even then, records are simply open for inspection and copying; no copies issued by the state except to persons of a certain relationship.
  • Louisiana: 100 years for birth records
  • Michigan: 100 years for birth records (on the other hand, anyone can have access to Michigan death records).
  • New Jersey: 50 years for marriage records
  • New Mexico: 100 years for birth records, but not prior to individual’s death (but see below).
  • New York: 50 years for marriage records AND both husband and wife are known to be deceased.
  • Oregon: 100 years for birth records
  • Rhode Island: 100 years for birth records
  • Wyoming: 50 years for marriages and divorces

Vital Records Access Hell

  • Georgia: Birth certificates appear to be available only to (1) the person whose record of birth is registered; (2) either parent, guardian, or temporary guardian of the person whose record of birth or death is registered; (3) the living legal spouse or next of kin or the legal representative of the person whose record of birth or death is registered; (4) a court of competent jurisdiction upon its order or subpoena; or (5) any governmental agency, state or federal, provided that such certificate shall be needed for official purposes. This is my reading of Georgia Code section 31-10-26(a) & (e). The law appears to prohibit the issuance of informational or uncertified copies of birth certificates and even abstracts or indices of birth records. If I’m reading this incorrectly, will some Georgia genealogist or lawyer please set me straight.
  • Indiana: Birth and death records are closed to the public and may be disclosed only (1) to an applicant having a direct interest in the matter recorded; (2) when the information is necessary for the determination of personal or property rights or for compliance with state or federal law; or (3) in any extraordinary case that the state registrar determines is a direct tangible and legitimate public interest. That’s my interpretation of Indiana Code section 16-37-1-10. If I’m reading this incorrectly, will some Indiana genealogist or lawyer please set me straight.
  • Kansas: One of the worst! “Currently, the Office of Vital Statistics does allow requests for genealogical research. Pre-1940 records may be requested by an individual related as at least a cousin. Post 1940 records must be requested by an immediate family member.” Kansas Department of Health and Environment vital statistics website (viewed 3/27/2008)
  • Mississippi: “Vital Records are not considered public access documents. Certified copies of records in the custody of the Department of Health may be obtained by persons having a legitimate and tangible interest in such records.” Mississippi State Department of Health Vital Records Rules and Regulations (viewed 3/27/2008). The statute says:
    • Records in the possession of the Mississippi Department of Health, bureau of vital statistics, which would be of no legitimate and tangible interest to a person making a request for access to such records, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983; provided, however, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any person with a legitimate and tangible interest in such records from having access thereto. Miss.Code 1972, 41-57-2 (1983).

  • New Mexico: “New Mexico Vital Records are restricted access records and are only issued to immediate family members or individuals who demonstrate tangible legal interest,” so says the New Mexico Department of Health’s website. But, that seems to contradict the statute, which says that records may be disclosed 100 years after birth (but not before person’s death) and 50 years after death. See N.M.Stat. 24-14-27. So the Land of Enchantment makes the hell list not only for being unreasonable, but for confusing people as well.
  • Pennsylvania: Vital records are not open to the public. Eligible requestors are (1) person named on a birth record; (2) legal representative of decedent’s estate; (3) immediate family members; (4) extended family members who indicate a direct relationship to the decedent. Pennsylvania Department of Health vital records website (viewed 3/27/2008).

  • South Carolina: Entitled recipients: (1) the person named on a birth certificate (if eighteen (18) years of age); (2) the parent(s) named on the birth certificate; or the guardian, or a legal representative of one of these persons. On the other hand, any applicant may be provided a statement that a death occurred, including the date and county of death. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control vital records website (viewed 3/27/2008).

There are several states (some listed here, some not) that say that records are open to persons with “a direct and tangible interest,” or a “legitimate interest,” or words to that effect. Without some mitigating factors, this should be enough to consign a state to Vital Records Access Hell. These phrases frequently have no definition, leaving a requestor to the whims of a vital records clerk. It certainly seems to me that genealogical research is a “legitimate,” “direct,” or “tangible” interest!

Special Place in Hell for Online Records Sites

This series has not been focused on online records. A state can earn kudos without having online acess to its records. But if a jurisdiction is going to have on-line access, it should be convenient and affordable. Alas, such is not the case with the Caddo Parish (La.) Clerk of Court’s office, so they are awarded this year’s SPIHFORS. The Caddo clerk’s online marriage records search function frequently doesn’t work properly. And then there’s the matter of fees for the other databases: a $100 “setup” fee and $30.00 a month to view images! Outrageous! Just about fifty miles west of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish, in Gregg County, Texas (much smaller in population than Caddo Parish), the County Clerk provides free online access to some of the same types of documents for which Caddo wants exorbitant fees.

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Open State Vital Records: Some of the Best States

March 26, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

I’ve made a brief survey of state vital records laws and here present some of the “best” states in terms of “openness.” These determinations are based on several factors: whether law provides that vital records are “open” or “public”; whether reasonable “confidential periods” are imposed; whether reasonable fees are required; whether procedures for obtaining records are uncomplicated, and whether in my sole judgment, the state is more user-friendly than not when allowing access to vital records.

A note about some terms used by states to describe their records policies: some states say that they are “open” or “public” records states, while others say they are “closed” records states. Do not put too much emphasis on these self-descriptions. The fact is that states use these terms without much consideration. As a result, some so-called “open” records states may have, in practice, more restrictive access than so-called “closed” records states.

In my view, a confidentiality period longer than fifty years for death records or seventy-five years for birth records is unreasonable. And any confidentiality period for ordinary marriage records is unreasonable.

Now, some of the best states for access to vital records:

  • Arizona: supposedly a “closed” records state. Allows public access to non-certified copies of birth records after 75 years, death recotds after 50 years. What else makes Arizona great: the Arizona Dpeartment of Health Services has placed birth and death records online.
  • Illinois: Uncertified birth records after 1916 available after 75 years; uncertified death records after 20 years. What else make Illinois great: very good website; no images but easy to search.
  • Wisconsin: Uncertified copies of birth and death records are available to anyone who applies. Caveat: No birth record is public concerning (1) a child born to unmarried parents when paternity has not been established, or (2) a child born to unmarried parents when paternity was established by court order.
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APG Open Records Summary

March 25, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

The Association of Professional Genealogists position paper on open records contains the following summary:

  • No proof that open records significantly contribute to ID theft or terrorism.
  • ID thieves rarely use public records, relying instead on stolen or fraudulent data.
  • Public benefits of access to records far outweighs their threat.
  • Open records allow genealogists and others to do their jobs.

The APG paper recognizes that certified copies of vital records need not be made available to the public, but that non-certified informational copies are sufficient for public purposes.

The APG calls on the private sector and government to do a better job protecting confidential information.

I agree with the the APG paper.

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APG Pushes for Open Records

March 24, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

Coincident with our series of posts about open government records, the Association of Professional Genealogists has released a position paper entitled “The Case for Open Records.” Appropriately, it was a project of APG’s Sunshine state [Florida] chapter.

Last Friday, APG issued a press release about the position paper, which has also been endorsed by the National Genealogical Society, The Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.

I’ll have more on the position paper later this week.

Note: Mention of this APG press release and position paper first appeared in DearMyrtle’s blog, on Friday, March 21, 2008.

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FOIA Spotlight: The U.S. Department of State

March 24, 2008 Craig Uncategorized

One of Several Posts about Open Government Laws and Genealogy

Last week, as we noted, was Sunshine Week, focused on open government, and open records in particular. Although the commemoration has passed, we’ll continue in the next few posts to focus on open records. After all, every week should be Sunshine Week!

Our FOIA Spotlight today is on the U.S. Department of State. A common request made by genealogists is for passport records. So I requested the records of my grandmother, Jessie Beatrice Bowie.

The State Department handled the initial phase of the request pretty well. Their FOIA web pages are easy to read and understand. And they have a user-friendly “FOIA Request Generator.” Within hours of making the request, the State Department had replied acknowledging the request. That’s great for a FOIA office! Then, the FOIA Office called me (at 7:30 am PDT!) to say that their first e-mail was in error and they were sending a second, corrected, e-mail. As far as I could tell, the “error” involved some irrelevant administrative info. But, again, this is platinum class service from a government agency.

So we’ll see what happens next!

Some observant readers may be saying, “Didn’t he request these same records once before?” Well, sort of. We’ll explain later in the week what happened with that request.

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