Genealogy and History Fan

A very talented and remarkable woman, Julia Ward Howe, is largely responsible for Mothers having a special day and also for writing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.  Julia Ward was born into a wealthy New York family on May 27, 1819. Her mother died when Julia was only five. Her education included literature, science, and math as well as French, Italian, German, Latin and Greek. She began writing professionally at the age of twenty.

Shortly before her twenty-fourth birthday Julia married the philanthropist and reformist Dr. Samuel G. Howe. Howe was the head of the famed Perkins Institute for the Blind. They were the parents of six children. Besides being an accomplished poet and playwright, Julia assisted her husband with his anti-slavery journal, the Boston Commonwealth.

In 1861, the Howes went to Washington to view a Union army parade. On their way back to Boston their group sang patriotic songs. After singing “John Brown’s Body”, a member of the group suggested that Julia should consider writing better lyrics for that tune. Later that evening Julia wrote the words to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Julia was paid $5.00 when the song was published in February 1862. The song became an inspiration for the Union soldiers fighting against slavery. I wonder if Julia could have imagined how beloved those words would become for countless people?

After the war Julia became interested in women’s rights and world peace. For eighteen years Julia served as president of the New England Women Suffrage Association. In 1870 she wrote a powerful article entitled Mother’s Day Proclamation. She translated this article into several languages and had it widely distributed. She successfully campaigned for an official holiday and celebration of Mother’s Day. (Mother and daughter Ann and Anna Jarvis also contributed to this crusade.)

Julia Ward Howe died on October 17, 1910. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother’s Day.

Julia Ward Howe was a grand lady and a great American!

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword,

His truth is marching on. (Chorus)

I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps;

The have built Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps,

His day is marching on. (Chorus)

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat.

Oh, be swift, my soul to answer Him, be jubilant, my feet!

Our God is marching on. (Chorus)

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

While God is marching on. (Chorus)

Chorus:

Glory, glory hallelujah! Glory, glory hallelujah!

Glory, glory hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

 Did you know that some perspective parents are paying baby name consultants large fees to help them decide on the perfect name?  Read the following article for some free and interesting advice for choosing a meaningful baby name. 

A Meaningful Baby Name

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Marie_Wilson]Marie Wilson

Having a baby is one of the most moving and meaningful moments in the life of a parent. Just think, when you go through the big changes that bringing a child into the world entails, your names change forever from the first name your parents gave you to “Mommy” and “Daddy”. In a lot of cases you and your spouse will even get in the habit of calling each other by those names which can become a habit for the rest of your lives, or at least until your names change again to “Grandma” and “Grandpa”.

So it’s not uncommon to want to give your newborn child a name that is rich with meaning as well. Most of the common names that reach great popularity do have a history that may go back centuries in cultures from around the world. So by finding a good book of baby names or a web site such as babynamesworld, you can have some fun looking for names that have special meaning.

However, in reality, you have to wonder how meaningful that name will be to your child. If you took 50 children into a room and asked them to tell the meaning of their names, you would probably be looking at 50 blank stares. And when it comes down to it, western people really don’t think about the origins or original meanings of their names. It is more a trivia game to know that Jane means God is gracious or that Alexander means defender of men or that George means earth worker or that Erin means from Ireland. It is hardly something that will form the character of a child.

So to select a baby name that is meaningful in a genuine way, its best to connect the name to something the child will come to value as he or she grows up. That is why giving your child the name of a revered grandparent or someone from family history is very meaningful. Despite the fact that sometimes they don’t act like it, family is important to children and if they feel a connection to their family history that gives them validation and meaning.

Similarly using your child’s name as a connection to their legacy can be very meaningful to a child. In ancient cultures, a child is born into a village that may have been there for centuries. There is a sense of national identity and social value that comes just from being “a Frenchmen”, “A German” or “An Irishman”. And even though in modern cultures there is patriotic pride, a connection to a child’s ethnic origins can have deep meaning for them over time. And a child’s name can have very rich ethnic meaning to him or her.

There are many sources of meaning that can make the naming of your child an event that touches something bigger and better than the child or even the family. Giving the little one the name of a famous figure from history or popular culture can provide a connection to an inspirational leader. Reagan, Kennedy, Lincoln or Washington are first names for both boys and girls that connect to leaders in our culture that have changed things for the better.

Biblical names or names from religious history have a similar power to put deeper meaning behind the name of a young person. Or if your family has a great appreciation for the arts, names from the world of painting, film making or music can also reflect your admiration for the greats of that genre and connect your child to that world in a very natural way.

Once you open up the world of meaningful baby names, you may have trouble narrowing down just the right name for your child. Use normal common sense when using a meaningful name such as how well the name works with your last name and whether the name will be pronounceable and workable in an every day sort of way as well.

But by adding layers of meaning to the name of your child, you provide history, culture, family connection and role models whose shoes any child would do well to grow into and in a way, you are starting the task of molding that child to live up to that meaningful name in their future as well. And that is a good calling for any young person to live up to.

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I view a lot of census records and other historical records and I often wonder why some people would name a precious baby such a name as Hogg Rhodes, Envy Burger or Tuna N. Fish. These names were on 1930 U.S. census records. Have you found an unusual name in your research? I would love to hear some more “rare ones”. Send them to me please.

Marriage records are such a vital part of family history research. It’s also fun and very exciting to find an unknown maiden name. That new found name opens up a whole new family line! Read the following article to learn more about marriage records.

Using Marriage Records In Your Genealogy Searches

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mike_Selvon]Mike Selvon

Building a family tree involves trying to locate as many marriage records, birth records, and death records as possible as these three types of documents are integral to genealogical searches.

Generally, these three events are commonly included in a family tree. They are important to follow a woman’s paths through time as she usually changed names to use the surname of their husband after marriage.

Since marriage records are vital to compiling an accurate family tree, these records should be near the top of your genealogical research list. How to gather them will depend on the particular period and location of each marriage.

Modern marriage records are usually compiled by the state, city and/or county through the vital records department. Many genealogical sites online offer one click searching of vital records databases, or you can visit each location’s vital records department website.

Depending on each department’s policy, you may be able to order full copies of them online, or you might need to send a written request accompanied by a small fee.

In modern times, we safeguard our information and records as much as possible by backing up and archiving computer files to prevent loss. In earlier times, security of written documents wasn’t as easy, and many marriage records may have been destroyed.

While people attempted to protect information and store it in safe places, fires could wipe out the documents of a whole town. Also, persecuted individuals or groups may have had their documents destroyed or records simply were never completed.

Some genealogical societies have compiled their own databases of early ones, as well as birth and death records. These databases generally consist of information that has been submitted by member researchers.

While they strive for accuracy, inconsistencies or guesswork may creep in. Take advantage of these excellent resources, but be sure to document your sources. If you hit a dead end or false trail, you may need to consider that the information you obtained might not perfectly accurate.

Marriage records can provide more information about your ancestor than simply the date on which he or she married. They often document the names of the couple’s parents, social security numbers, pre-marriage addresses and other pertinent information. Therefore, it is important to get a full copy of the original document if possible.

Marriage records can be difficult to track down for unions that happened a long time ago. However, it is worth taking the time to do so. Along with birth records and death records, they are among the most critical documents that you can find when researching your ancestor and his or her daily life.

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The subject of marriage records made me think about wedding attire. I remember reading that the first wedding veil was worn by George Washington’s step- granddaughter. In 1799, Eleanor Custis, decided to wear white lace over her face on her wedding day. Her fiance inspired this when he told her how beautiful her face looked through a lace window curtain.

“At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

Plato (427- 347 B.C.)

When my husband and I were newly married we rented a small apartment in our hometown, Terre Haute, Indiana. Our landlord told us to be prepared to have twins. He said he had rented to quite a few young couples through the years and that each couple who lived there had twins.

The next year I gave birth to one baby girl. My husband called our landlord to give him our news. He was very surprised and probably disappointed to hear that we only had one baby. But he said that he was still confident that we would have twins in the future.

We soon were able to move to a home. Our now former landlord told us to call him as soon as we had our twins. I told him I didn’t think I would ever have twins, but we would let him know if by chance I did. Lo and behold, 14 months later my husband called him to announce that I had given birth to identical twin boys! At the time they were the largest twins to have been born at Union Hospital in Terre Haute (7lbs 2ozs & 7lbs 10ozs).

Identical twins occur in about 1 in 250 births. We soon found out that our twins were also  mirror image. This results from a late spilt of the fertilized egg. It is a rather rare happening in humans. So my boys are a rare breed in many outstanding ways!

But what mattered most to our former landlord was that we had not broken the tradition! He said we could thank his apartment for our twins. I’m not sure about that, but I am very thankful for my twin boys and my two daughters who thoughtfully came one at a time.

I hope to hear from anyone who had larger twins or ones that are mirror image.