The provenance of a hairbrush: Thievery and the family historian

For many, many years I have been collecting documents, photographs and artifacts related to my family tree. I was a young girl when I first became interested in the stories of my forebears. Although I have taken a few breaks from my genealogical efforts due to life getting in the way (in terms of years at a time), along the way I have compiled a nice assortment of items related to my family tree.

One of the events which I entered as a competitor in the 2008 Genea-Blogger Group Games was Cite Your Sources! In the process of going through fifty of my various sources (a small sampling, but the number needed for a "platinum medal"), I have waded through some interesting items and tried to determine how to cite them properly.

Here are a few I've cited:

• A newspaper obituary for a very young child
• An obituary mispelling the name of the deceased
• Newspaper accounts of a train explosion and a mine explosion
• A ship manifest for the family's immigrant ancestor arriving in New York harbor
• The Civil War pension file for my great-great-grandfather
• A gravestone marker for an unlikely three-some
• And more...

Perhaps my most interesting effort at creating a bibliographical reference was when I tried to cite my great-grandmother's ornate hairbrush and mirror set.



In citing my sources, I rely on Elizabeth Shown Mills' comprehensive reference Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. According to Mills' guide, a citation for an artifact (a set of grooming accessories in this case) normally includes provenance. The provenance "will typically include the identity of the current owner and how that owner came to acquire it".

Sounded simple. Until I started out with my citation...

Hairbrush and mirror belonging to Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey, Cowhey Family Collection; privately held by Lisa, [address for private use].

Now things got a little tricky. You see, the example from the book seems to indicate that the next portion, the provenance, would say something like this:

This hairbrush and mirror set was passed from Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey to [her daughter] to [her niece], from whom her daughter Lisa inherited it.

Problem: I didn't actually inherit it, I stole it.

Well, sort of.

Before you lose all respect for my family history methods (not to mention my character), let me explain.

As I child I often admired items around our home that had some sort of historical significance to our family: my grandfather's old business cards, needlework done by my grandmother, etc. My great-grandmother's hairbrush and mirror set was no exception.

One day, as a young girl (I'm not sure what age) admiring the set in my mother's bathroom, I took the liberty of moving it to my bathroom, thus "acquiring" the items for myself. They remained there for many years, until they later moved with me once I grew up and moved out on my own. Thankfully, my mother, who understands and appreciates my propensity toward genealogy, gave me her blessing and never returned the items to her bathroom. (So kind of you, Mom.)

As I set out to create a citation for these family artifacts, I didn't quite feel right about writing:

This hairbrush and mirror set was passed from Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey to [her daughter] to [her niece], from whom her daughter Lisa inherited it.

But this didn't quite sound right, either:

This hairbrush and mirror set was passed from Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey to [her daughter] to [her niece], from whom her daughter Lisa outright stole it.

So, getting a little creative with the art of bibliography, I considered this one:

This hairbrush and mirror set was passed from Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey to [her daughter] to [her niece], from whom her daughter Lisa proactively inherited it.

I felt I might have hit upon something here. Any of you genealogists out there ever "proactively inherit" a family artifact?

Actually, I finally settled on this description of the provenance of these family heirlooms, artfully avoiding the suggestion of my childhood method of acquisition:

This hairbrush and mirror set was passed from Agnes (Donnelly) Cowhey to [her daughter] to [her niece], to her daughter Lisa, the current owner.

It looks like Elizabeth Shown Mills might have a new citation format to consider adding to her revised edition of Evidence Explained, if she ever ends up doing one.

Watch for a new listing: "Basic Format, Family Artifacts, Provenance: Proactive Inheritance".

***

This story has been submitted as part of the 55th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. The topic is "Show and Tell!". Visit Jasia's Creative Gene for more stories about family heirlooms and other special items in family collections.

Getting to Know "Small-leaved Shamrock"

It has been more than a year since I began sharing my family history on my three blogs: my Irish side of the family at Small-leaved Shamrock (with an emphasis on my Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania roots) and A light that shines again (with an emphasis on my Boston and Quincy, Massachusetts immigrant ancestors) and my Hungarian/Croatian side of the family at 100 Years in America.

Read Getting to Know “100 Years in America” for a little more background on me and my interest in family history.

Inspired by my abundant and endlessly fascinating Cowhey family ancestors of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, I began Small-leaved Shamrock to tell their stories and the tales of the region that gave birth to many of them, to anthracite coal and to several well-known railroads. This area of Pennsylvania helped shape America into what it is today through the blood, sweat and tears of many immigrants (including numerous Irish). We owe a debt of gratitude for their hard work as laborers and their service to the nation during the Civil War.

My focus here is also to rejoice in the love of Ireland. I hope to continue to learn and share more about my family's origins in Ireland (in County Cork, Limerick and Tipperary) and the Irish culture in general. The inspiration for the name Small-leaved Shamrock came from this poem by an anonymous poet named only S.M.E. published in March 1921 in The Catholic World:

The Gift of Shamrocks

He took the small-leaved shamrock from his breast
As though it were a diamond-mounted crest
And gave with eyes grown deep with love and pride
And as I took the gift of mystic green I knew
He saw, not me, but fields brushed by the dew
That lay, so green, his mother's home beside.

And still each year I take from that kind hand
The dainty leaves sent from far Ireland
Though sorrowing time has come and stood between.
Still see the tear-dimmed eyes, the glance so true;
Through them behold the hills I never knew:
The Irish hills where grow the shamrocks green.

Small-leaved Shamrock is the home of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture, a compendium of “all things Irish” published every so often on many a topic. See a compilation of the first eight editions of the carnival and your invitation to attend the next one here.

To get a further introduction to Small-leaved Shamrock, you might enjoy reading the following. Inspired by Terry Thornton's "Getting to Know You" challenge, I've listed what I've chosen as the "brightest", "breeziest" and "most beautiful" articles here at Small-leaved Shamrock.

Brightest (my best work): A look back at Schuylkill County: 1908

Breeziest (best light-hearted article): The provenance of a hairbrush: thievery and the family historian

Most beautiful: To be born Irish

I choose not to write too much about myself on my various family history blogs. The preservation of the stories of my family's deeper history are usually my focus. However, you can learn a little more about me at The view from my corner of the world. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments, so please write!

Drumroll, please! Lisa's medal count

It has been a tough couple of weeks for this Genea-Blogger Group Games competitor. The hardest part for me has been the effort I have exerted toward fighting for free time to work on my events during waking hours and the endurance required of me to continue through some late nights and very, very early mornings. (Read more at my post Just call me a Michael Phelps wanna-be.)

I'm happy with my accomplishments and inspired to continue with some of the projects that I have started. (If only the games lasted a little longer!) I feel quite like an Olympian wondering how these "games" flew by so fast (it seems like the Opening Ceremonies started yesterday!) and wishing that it wouldn't be quite so long before the next will begin.

Here are the results of my efforts, and the resulting "medals" that I have earned in this, the first Genea-Blogger Group Games:

Category 1: Cite Your Sources

My goal: To cite as many sources as possible (documents, photographs, artifacts, letters, etc. that pertain to my family history).
Medal: PLATINUM
This is the one event that I got started on immediately, thinking that I could swiftly hit 50 source citations without much effort at all. It wasn't quite as easy as I thought, but I made it. Read my post The provenance of a hairbrush: thievery and the family historian for details on some of my efforts at turning my genealogy into bibliography.

Category 2: Back Up Your Data

My goal: To prepare a comprehensive back-up plan for both digital and hard copy materials, store both types in waterproof containers and backup all data.
Medal: BRONZE
I created my backup plan and got a wonderful start on storing photographs in waterproof containers, but I am far from finished with the task of protecting my family history research. More to come in this area but unfortunately, it will be too late to move up on the "medal stand".

Category 3: Organize Your Research

My goal: To organize the loose file for each of my ancestral homes and family surnames placing into its corresponding notebook the documents and other items of importance, to re-organize digital genealogy files (currently living on two hard drives) using the same surname and place system where appropriate, to organize photographs (which are in many different sizes and formats) by surname, and to begin scanning many of these photographs in bulk (instead of one or two at a time, which I have been doing).Medal: GOLD
This is an area that I could work on for awhile! I've had a nice start, but have a lot more work to do. Within the boundaries of this competition, I have scanned 20+ photos and documents (I lost count a long time ago), organized 20+ hard files and ancestral items (including a hairbrush, of all things!), and organized lots of photos into protective boxes (I'm guessing almost 100, and that's probably low). This has been a great exercise for me to get things organized. I am only at the beginning of the project. I'm on a roll now... Too bad the games have to end!

Category 4: Write, Write, Write

My goal: To rethink and possibly revise the blog summaries that I've written on each of my blogs, to participate in both the "I Smile for the Camera" Carnival and the Carnival of Genealogy, and to prepare a few posts as drafts to be published when things get busier for me in September. I've already signed up to host a future carnival (my very own Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture), so that one's taken care of.Medal: DIAMOND
Writing is often the first thing that I gravitate toward doing. In this case, I tried to put some of these tasks toward the end of the games in order to accomplish the more tedious jobs of a family historian. In the end, I almost ran out of time, but I did accomplish a few things. I submitted a post for the 54th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy at What's Past is Prologue (my article is entitled The Hungarian language and the poetry of my childhood). I also submitted a post to the 4th edition of the I Smile for the Camera Carnival at Shades of the Departed (see If only this photograph had musical accompaniment). I have signed up to host a future carnival: my very own Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture. (Read the most recent edition Looking into the heart of Ireland.) I have also begun a series of blog posts that will be published in the near future. (I'm not telling the subject yet!) I've also updated my Blogger Profile and my Facebook About Me page and written a post on each of my blogs entitled Who is Lisa and why the leaf? to give readers a little bit more background about me (well, just a little bit more).

Category 5: Genealogical Acts of Kindness

My goal: To complete my application for the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, comment on a few blogs that are new to me, join the blog networks of other genealogy bloggers, and invite a few other family historians to connect on Facebook (new to me just this week).
Medal: DIAMOND
My genealogical random acts of kindness for these games have included writing comments on a few genealogy blogs that are new to me, specifically Kathi Reid's Ancestor Search Blog, Midge Frazel's Granite in My Blood, Melody Lasalle's The Research Journal, and Sheri Fenley's The Educated Genealogist. I've also joined many genealogy blog networks on Facebook. (Check out my Facebook page to see them all.) I've invited a fellow blogging friend to join, too. My most time consuming task for this event, however, has been the process of completing my application for the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. Sort of a "this is your life" in paperwork, it was an interesting exercise to put together all of the documents to prove that I am a descendant of my great-great-grandfather. I've completed the application and plan to submit it at the next meeting.



In conclusion, my final medal count for these games is:

PLATINUM - 1
DIAMOND - 2
GOLD - 1
BRONZE - 1

Congratulations to all of you that competed! We are all winners for giving our best at these "games".

Special thanks to the organizing committee: Kathryn Doyle of the California Genealogical Society and Library, Thomas MacEntee of Destination Austin Family and Miriam Midkiff of AnceStories. Thanks also to footnoteMaven for creating the logo and medal designs.

See you all at the next Genea-Blogger Group Games, whenever and wherever they take place!

A decade has flown for Small-leaved Shamrock!

"Téann an saol thart mar a bheadh eiteoga air." - Irish Gaelic saying meaning Life goes by as if it had wings

Ten years ago today I created an account on Blogger.com, started a couple of blogs, and put out the word to the world that I was tracing my family tree and planning to share my family's stories with anyone who happened to click over.

I didn't know it at the time.

I thought I was reaching out to a few cousins who might read my blogs and be fascinated by our shared history. But it didn't quite go that way. The world found me, and my humble little blogs opened up connections that I had not expected.

Up to that point, my genealogical research project had been primarily a very personal project - a hobby that I pursued quietly on my own. The start of my blogs introduced me to other genealogists and a world of connections that have enriched my life and enhanced the search for my roots in a great many ways.

On this 10th anniversary of the date I started my blogs, I want to shout out to all my fellow geneabloggers who took the brave (or foolish!) step to jump out into the internet with their family stories! You continue to inspire my spirit and enliven my personal research journey.

I also want to give a round of applause to all of my family members - distant and not so distant - who made the effort to read my blogs, share what they know about our family, and spread the word to more cousins. Your interest in my work helps ensure that our ancestors will not be so quickly forgotten, but will become part of the collective memory of many more branches of our family tree.

It is a joy to see the way the stories I have shared on these genealogy blogs continue to touch others - those within my family (both in the United States and in my ancestral homelands), and those outside my family (wherever the internet can reach). Just yesterday a friend informed me that within a lesson on blogging in an online genealogy course she was taking, she found my familiar Small-leaved Shamrock listed as one of two blog examples. I continue to be surprised at where I find mention of my work and who has stopped over for an online visit.

For much of the past decade, I have not given the attention I had hoped to my genealogy blogs. But they have patiently remained waiting in the wings, ready for the time when I mosey back over and give them some new material. During this time, the stories I've shared have continued to receive new readers, many of whom I've connected with. I have spent the past several years using the genealogy time I have available to educate myself on research standards and to apply those standards to the work I thought I had done so well early on. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

My blogs continue to be an incredible resource for me - a easily accessible reminder of the work I have done on various family lines, the social history of the regions from which my ancestors emigrated, the questions I still want answered.

If you are new to Small-leaved Shamrock, here are a few highlights: some of the most popular articles and some of my personal favorites.

• "The long and stormy passage": The 1823 sea voyage of Patrick Cowhey and a spirited Irish priest
• Mother to 15, Widow at 38: My discovery of the photograph of my quietly heroic great-great-grandmother
• One-hundred and twenty years ago today: The death of Ann Cowhey, 1893
• Death comes in threes: The sorrows of Margaret Foley Cowhey, 1891-1895
• A horrifying end and a hero's farewell, November 1892
• Crossing the Potomac with William: A soldier's story
• Seeing double! Twins in the family and the need to study genealogical records with a careful eye
• The provenance of a hairbrush: Thievery and the family historian
• Irish women in America: Our grandmother's stories
• Coal region Catholics: The story of Pottsville's Church of St. Patrick
• A St. Patrick's Day miracle for the Irish/Hungarian genealogy blogger

Thanks for making a visit - I hope you find something here that inspires your own search for family history.

If you have an interest, stop over to the other two blogs I also started ten years ago: 100 Years in America and A Light that Shines Again. You can also find more about my work at my website: smallestleaf.com.

There is an Irish blessing that begins:

"May there always be work for your hands to do...". 

If you are a genealogist, that is certainly a given, and one of the reasons why I hope to keep these blogs going for many more years to come.

The best of 2008: Small-leaved Shamrock iGene Awards

It's that time of year again...time for the second annual Academy of Genealogy and Family History iGene Awards at the Carnival of Genealogy! Chosen by the author from the blog articles published over the past year, I have awarded "prizes" for the following categories:

Best Picture - Best old family photo that appeared on this blog

Best Screen Play - The family story that would make the best movie

Best Documentary - The best informational article about a place, thing, or event involving my family's history

Best Biography - The best biographical article

Best Comedy - The best funny story, poem, joke, photo, or video

Special Mention - Other articles of note

Best Picture Award

Little light of the Cowhey household, 1915

"What a beautiful proverb and a beautiful picture of your ancestor! Thanks for sharing." ~ Taylortales-Genealogy

This little babe has a very special place in my heart and I'm so thankful to have a copy of this portrait of her as an infant. Little Anne Cowhey must have been a true joy to her parents.

Best Picture Runner-up

Crossing the Potomac with William: a soldier’s story

Not a photograph, but an image of the actual handwritten account that my great-great-grandfather's brother wrote about an experience during their time as Union soldiers in the Civil War, this is a true treasure. I was so happy to discover this document amidst the pension file for William Cowhey. His brother Thomas tells in his own words and his own handwriting (with lots of creative spelling) about their suffering as they crossed the Potomac River, crossed back over again, and spent a miserable night in wet clothing.

Best Screen Play Award

November 1892: PA train explosion makes NYC headlines

(for more of the story see Riding the rails: The life and death of William Cowhey, The 1892 Pottsville train explosion: How and why?, The New York Times - November 15, 1892, and Reading engine no. 563: The lone survivor?)

"Not only is the story of Lisa’s 2nd great-grandfather’s untimely death interesting, but her post reminds us of alternate sources of information we can use to learn more about the lives (and deaths) of our ancestors." ~ Donna Pointkouski, What's Past is Prologue, Donna's Picks Week of February 24, 2008

The story of the life and death of my great-great-grandfather William Cowhey is made for the movies. A man shaped by his times, he was a Union Civil War veteran who had worked his way up to Engineer for the Reading Railroad. Riding another engineer's train home from his shift one night, he died because of a violent engine explosion, leaving his wife and twelve children behind. These articles tell the story of the accident that took his life in 1892, which sadly, occured only a few years before major changes were made in railroad safety.

Best Screen Play Runner-up

Three-generation-old questions about a coal miner’s life and The brothers Donnelly: Tragedy in the Pennsylvania coal mines

"Great post... I guess we all may find a black sheep in our lines." ~ Colleen McHugh, Orations of OMcHodoy

Many questions remain regarding the life of my great-great-grandfather John Donnelly. Was he truly the John who died in this horrible boiler explosion at the Bear Ridge Colliery mine in 1893? Is he linked with the infamous Mollie Maguires of Schuylkill County? More research remains to be done, but the story as I've unearthed it so far has the potential to make quite an exciting movie - a tragedy that speaks of the sufferings and risks that late 19th-century miners and their families faced every day.

Best Documentary Award

Black cats, lucky pennies and troublesome fairy folk

"As always, fascinating post and great links to read. Thanks. I recently freaked when my youngest tried to open an umbrella inside. LOL" ~ Colleen Johnson, CMJ Office Blog

In this article, I've introduced to you the complicated system of superstitious beliefs long held by the Irish people. "Earning a daily wage and putting bread on the table were hard for the Irish people for centuries. Added to that was the difficulty of having to avoid actions, places and dates that held superstitious warning. Don't forget the work of the fairy folk. They seemed to always be causing trouble." Want to introduce yourself to the lot of superstitions - both warnings and good luck charms - that originated in Irish tradition? This is a good place to start.

Best Documentary Special Mentions

The Celtic blessing: Food for the soul

"I am quite overwhelmed by John O'Donohue's wisdom. Yes, take some time to slow down and enjoy the beauty of life." ~ Barbara, Our Carroll Family Genealogy

The real Annie Moore remembered at last

"What an achingly beautiful tribute. It is so moving - thank you for sharing this story. This is one of the reasons why I love your blog. It is visually inviting and full of information everything Irish." ~ Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski, In My Life

Irish women in America: our grandmothers’ stories

"Thank you for dedicating this post to the women of Erin." ~ Barbara, Our Carroll Family Genealogy

Cóbh: The last goodbye to Ireland

"I am one of those who has not yet pinpointed where and when my ancestor left Eire. But, this center is symbolic for all of us. A must for my eventual first trip over to Ireland." ~ Barbara, Our Carroll Family Genealogy

Ready for battle: history for kids

Hard black coal and a lady in white

Best Biography Award

A look back at Schuylkill County, 1908

"Great post, Lisa. Both sets of my ancestral grandparents were born in...the anthracite coal region." ~ Colleen McHugh, Orations of OMcHodoy

Not so much a personal biography as it is a biography of a place and a family, this article is a reminiscense of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania one hundred years ago and the many descendants of William Cowhey who lived their lives there.

Best Comedy Award: Story

The provenance of a hairbrush: Thievery and the family historian

"I died laughing. So funny!" ~ footnoteMaven, Shades of the Departed

"I love it. I can see a whole new book: 'Evidence Explained for the Rest of Us'.... 'Story obtained by Aunt Mary, who told it under the condition that Uncle Joe never find out the true circumstances surrounding Grandpop's death.' LOL" ~ Donna Pointkouski, What's Past is Prologue

We all have our collection of family treasures. This article tells the story of how I acquired a beautiful set that once belonged to my great-grandmother - and the struggles I faced trying to write a source citation for the items because of the way in which I had "proactively inherited" them from my mother's bathroom. This is a must-read for every treasure-seeking family history collector like myself.

Best Comedy Award: Poetry

A limerick for the love of Ireland and
A poem for Patrick

"Lisa, you do Pat Cowhey a great service with your lovely poem." ~ Janice Brown, Cow Hampshire

What would the Small-leaved Shamrock iGene Awards be without a little bit of poetry? Just for fun I responded to Terry Thornton's limerick challenge last year and wrote a few of my own: one to represent myself as the author of Small-leaved Shamrock and one to honor Patrick Cowhey, the patriarch of the Cowhey family.

Special Mentions

To be born Irish

"Very lovely Lisa. Being Irish is also something that I could not relate to 100%. With my family also, we were proud, but no one seemed to want to pass anything down to us. That makes that down the line, a part of me wants to return and discover something of my family in Ireland one day. To bridge a liitle bit this gap." ~ Barbara, Our Carroll Family Genealogy

A personal essay on my feelings about learning of my Irish heritage, this article looks at the perspective that various generations in my family may have had regarding their "Irishness". My concluding thought: "My hope is that I have inherited at least a small portion of [my ancestors'] stubborn tenacity, their undaunting hope and the joy in the very simple things in life that got them through the obstacles that they faced because God had ordained that they were to be born Irish."

Signed "Your Cousin"

"That is beautiful. I know the feeling, having found a branch last year. It is one of the rewards for a genealogist." ~ Barbara, Our Carroll Family Genealogy

A look at the joy of finding a new cousin in the family tree - particularly one who shares the joy of the genealogical search! Part "thank you", part pondering the discoveries of genealogy, this article is something that many family historians can relate to, or wish they could.

Special thanks to Jasia of Creative Gene for hosting the iGene Awards at the Carnival of Genealogy. Also, thank you to footnoteMaven for a the awards poster and a little inspiration in my presentation. See you at next year's event!