Batsto Glass, Bottle, and Antique Fair 9/28/14

Today, Barb Solem and I went to the Batsto Glass/Bottle and Antique Fair.  What a beautiful Day!  We took the 1.8 mile hike along the lake afterward which was my favorite part of the day, as always.  Although I try not to buy anything any more, after two devastating attempts at de-cluttering and paring down my posessions, I did buy some small Halloween decorations, a few of which I will send to my daughter in Brooklyn.  
There were a good number of people at the Fair and walking around the village which is a marvelous place to visit and one I have made it a point to see every season throughout my life.  Fortunately, I have lots of friends who love hiking in the woods as much as I do.  
Barbara will be having her book launch and signing at Batsto on the 12th.  The book looks beautiful and I can't wait to buy my copy.  It will make a splendid Christmas gift too!.
Sadly, I missed the Greenwich Artisans' Fair again this year!  It was Saturday and my day at Winterthur on Friday, along with some family obligations made a simple day-at-home a necessity.  However, here are some coming up if you are interested:
Cape May Harvest Festival October 4th - 10:00 a.m.
Ocean City boardwalk sales same day
Sea Isle City Harborfest same day at 11:00
There is also a Festival at Wildwood on that day, so maybe you could actually visit all of them, if you are making the drive down to the seashore anyway!  
Happy Trails!  As always if you want to e-mail me, here is my e-m address - wrightj45@yahoo.com.. 

Rosh Hashana at Alliance!

Yesterday, a good friend and I drove to Alliance to attend the end of the Rosh Hashana service at the Alliance Brotherhood Synagogue in Woodbine, NJ.  We were actually going there to view the exhibits in the Museum in the below ground level of the synague, but having discovered it was Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish New Year, we decided to attend the last half hour of the service, my friend being Jewish.  
We were there for two reasons, we wanted to view the museum, which I had seen for the first time some years back when there wa a lecture on a book called "Utopia, New Jersey" by Perdita Buchan.  I was so impressed with this forgotten history of Jewish farming communities in South Jersey and with this book, that I couldn't wait to bring other friends.  The second reason we were there was that my friend, Barbara Spector, has relatives from the area and her great-grandmother was Married to a 'Bayuk' a famous family name in the area as the town of Alliance was pioneered by a handful of Russian Jews lead by a man named Moses Bayuk, or Moshe Bajuk.  We wanted to visit the cemetery there as well, as she has family buried there.
It was interesting because part of the New Year celebration is a look back at the yar gone by and also a look back at the family and a visit with the ancestors. 
There was also a photographic exhibit on a farm/school community on the German/Polish border, the Gross Breesen Project.  This school made it possible for hundreds of Jewish youth to escape the concentration camps for a time, but not forever.  Eventually, they were arrested and some survivied the camps, and some died in them. 
Along with the original Jewish settlers who were escaping pogroms in Russia in the 1880's, much later, came the surviving families from the concentration camps, who were being helped by the original Alliance settlers.  The original communities are very changed now and the history is almost forgotten except in the names of the towns and the museum, and the vibrant community still connected to the Alliance Brotherhood Synagogue.  The museum is open and free and I recommend it to anyone interested in New Jersey history.  You can always drive over to Parvin State Park for a hike afterwards!  For hours and other info, go to the web site:
http://www.thesam.org/
While there, I picked up ome newspapers with autumn festivals coming up, so in my next blog entry, more on that.  Now, I'm off on a Camden County College trip to Winterthur!
Happy Trails!
Jo Ann

After the Historians Roundtable Sat. Sept. 20, 2014

The Burlington County Historians Roundtable met again yesterday, the first time I've attended since the sad death of Joe Lauffer, the county historian and a brilliant, talented and energetic man who gave immeasurably of himself to the historic community.  Still, Thank Heavens, the Roundtable is going again and I apologize for not noting the name of the new head - a very interesting new leader.  I'll look it up - Sorry, a good time spent searching did not come up with her name, neither did any of the papers handed out and although she left her card on the table, I missed picking up one on the way out.  Maybe next time, I'll be more on the ball with my pen and pad.
Anyhow, Upcoming EVENT to be held at Batsto Village on Sunday October 12 from 1 to 5 - at the Batsto Visitor Center.  There will be a lecture by Meet the Author Guest, Barbara Solem who has written a book on Baatsto Village. There will also be live music and light refreshments.  Brbara is the author of Ghosttowns and other Quirky Places  of the New Jersey Pine Barrens, a book that many lovers of the Pines carry in their cars at all times.
I apologize, the pen I finally found went dry and I wasn't able to get all the dates but there were events scheduled for Peachfields, White Hill Mansion in Fieldsboro, and in December the Battle of the Ironworks at Mount Holly. No doubt, a google search of these places could bring up the dates of their events.  The Armed Forces Heritage House Military Museum afhhm.org has acquired a mobile museum, what a great idea!  Check with their site to get more information on this.
Following the Roundtable, we were given a tour of Batsto Mansion by Wes Hughes the informative, charming, and always interesting volunteer and member of the Batsto Citizens' Committee.  
After the tour, I gave myself a walking tour of the village which I have visited seasonally since I was in my teens and to which I took my daughter every season throughout her childhood.  It is a wonderful place to visit, and to hike, and I strongly recommend it for EVERYONE and especially families.  Also, bring the dog and the hike the many wonderful trails!
Happy Trails and Happy Tails! 
Jo Ann - wrightj45@yahoo.com

Upcoming Historian's Roundtable

First, I want to say the guest lectuerer from the US Military College who presented on World War I last night was EXCELLENT.  I finally understand to some degree what started that war.  Like my understanding of the Civil War, there was a hazy, foggy impression in which a few names stood out in neon and that was it.  I knew that a Servian Anarchist had asassinated the Austro-Hungarian leader Franz Ferdiand, which was the spark that set the European world ablaze, but that's all I knew.  In another post, I'll talk more about that, but I wanted to let you know that the Historian's Roundtable will be held at Batsto.  Here is the text of the e-mail from the new head of the Roundtable.  I had blogged earlier this summer about the tragic death of Joe Laufer, the brilliant and charming former head of the group and Burlington's gifted County Historian.

"Hello.

  

The Roundtable will be held at Batsto Village.  The meeting will be approximately 45 minutes with a tour of Batsto  Village to follow.  They have a lot going on there and it will be great to see what they have been up to and learn more about this part of our County’s history.

If your organization has an event or program coming up that you would like to promote please send a digital file by September 17 and it will be included in the presentation.  Also, please bring any brochures/flyers/upcoming events that you would like to share.

Please RSVP by replying to this email.

Hope you can all make it.

Marisa Bozarth

Burlington County Division of Parks

609-265-5858/609-265-5476

mbozarth@co.burlington.nj.us

Also, here are the directions posted at the Batsto web site:

Historic Batsto Village is located on Route 542 in the Wharton State Forest, Washington Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. It is about 45 miles Southeast of Philadelphia and approximately 25 miles in a Westerly direction from Atlantic City. The nearest significant town is Hammonton, NJ 08037 which is about 8 miles to the West.

Directions from Philadelphia:

(Walt Whitman Bridge) 

Take Walt Whitman Bridge  to North/South Freeway, Route 42, to Atlantic City Expressway. Continue to Exit #28 (Hammonton). Exit to Route 54 & turn left.  Go to the 5th traffic light and turn right onto Route 30 East (White Horse Pike). Go to the 2nd light & turn left. Go the end of the road and turn left at the "T" intersection onto Route 542. Go 9 miles and the Historic Batsto Village is located on the left.

(Tacony Palmyra Bridge)

Take the Tacony Palmyra Bridge to Route 73. Continue to Route 30 (White Horse Pike and exit right to go East. Continue to a railroad overpass and then drive to the 4th traffic light (approximately 3 more miles), and turn left. Go to the next light & turn left. Go the end of the road and turn left at the "T" intersection onto Route 542. Go 9 miles and the Historic Batsto Village is located on the left.

Parkway Directions from South Jersey:

Take the Garden State Parkway North to Exit #50, exit to Route 9 North. Proceed to Route 542 & turn left. Follow signs about 12 miles to Batsto Village.

BatstoVillage 

I have registered and will be going.  I usually take the Pike, but I'll be putting it in my gps and following that.  It is free and you don't need to be attached to an organization to attend.  If you want to know what is going on in some of the state's most interesting historic places, you should drive to Batsto and join us!  Hope to see you there!  You could add a fine hike in the early autumn woods to the day's adventure.  That's what I'll be doing!

Happy Trails!

Peace!

Jo Ann

Family History Military History

When you stop to think of it, if you do family history, you find that a good deal of your family history is tied up with military history in one way or another - even your personal and present day history.  For example, I lived in Europe for 3 years, two of them in Germany, because I was married to a Lt. in the army in 1967.  At the same time that we were in Germany, my brother, Joseph, was in Vietnam.  My father served in the navy in World War II and my childhood was spent enraptured by popular series Victory at Sea on tv.  WWII was my father's big research project during his life. 

Last night I took a class in a 15 week course at Camden County College, on Wednesdays with Dr. Pesda at Madison Hall.  It is FREE, and even though it has already begun, I'm sure you could come if you wanted.  I know next to nothing about World War I though I believe my Great Grandfather's only son died as a result of lung damage from the war.  His stone is beside his father's stone in one of the cemeteries I visited in Philadelphia, Fernwood.

My sister and I were in the car today and we both said that neither of us could remember a thing we learned in History in school, and neither of us could even remember our History teachers.  I do remember two courses in college:  Supreme Court Cases that Changed History (EXCELLENT) and History and Growth of Scientific Ideas (Life Changing class).

So, anyway I am about to begin a chapter on milityar family history for my Family History Christmas Project, and I must say I know next to nothing about the conflicts for which I have family photos of my male ancestors:  On the Mexican Border 1916, World War I, but I have been studying both the Civil War for the last 5 years, and World War II most of my life, though in a very casual fashion.  Today, I'm going to write a Family History Chapter on the subject beginning with the Cheesman ancestors, several of whom served in the American Revolution, then in the War of 1812, which is where Major Peter T. Cheesman (whose namesake road runs beside Camden County College) got his officer's stripes. 

The course at Camden County College features guest lecturers, always a fascinating addition to their courses, as well as movies (Last night's movie was Paths to Glory).  I hope you can join us!  Last night the class was half full 
(Room 210 an amphitheater room) and then when the movie began, there was standing room only - 90 attendees!  Pretty good draw.  And it is nice that it is a mix of ages.  
Next week the course moves to the Connector Bldg for our guest lecture by Prof. Neiberg, Center for the Study of War and Society, Univ. of Southern Mississippi.  

Keep your powder dry and make sure you aren't third on a match!
Jo Ann

Thinking of beginning a family history search?

If you are thinking of beginning a family history search, go to Friend's Village in Woodstown, tomorrow night, for the Genealogical Society of Salem County Meeting.  There will be a lecture on how to use the free research web site Family Search.org.
I plan to be there with a friend of mine who is just starting out on her journey and we are both looking forward to learning something.  Here is the address and I use my gps, which is what I'd recommend for you or google maps - I'm afraid I'm not familiar enough with the area to give directions.

Genealogical Society of Salem County

I copied this little blurb from their web site:

September 97:00 p.m.

"Using FamilySearch 2014" presented by Cam Casper

Come learn how to use FamilySearch.org, the free genealogy website, at our first meeting of the year! Dr. Wm. Camron Casper will be speaking on Family Search-2014, the free genealogical website. Family Search has over eight million hits per day, three million+ users and over three billion searchable names. Come learn how to search for your ancestors using familysearch.org. The public is welcome to this free event. For more information, please contact Esther Pierson at programs@gsscnj.org or 856-299-9051. 

 

Happy Hunting!

Jo Ann

The 78 Project

On Friday, Sept. 5th, I, along with my sister Sue, took the train from 30th Street Station in Phila., to Washington D.C. to see the screening of the documentary my daughter co-created with Alex Steyermark.  Their presentation was the kick
-off to a series called the "Botkin Lectures" at the Madison Building of the Library of Congress, the Folklife Center.

Lavinia and Alex, using  1930's and 1940's recorders called the Presto, record live on the spot 78 rpm records of contemporary musicians singing and playing traditional songs that have some meaning for them from their personal history.  Sometimes it is a song taught by an ancestor, sometimes a song picked up while the musician was growing up or a traditional song learned from a work setting.  I was reminded of the oral history project down at Bivalve where they recorded the work songs of the oyster shuckers as they worked and the memories of their descendants who once lived in the  ghsottown Shellpile.

Anyhow, at this presentation, they were introduced by the FolkLife Center then they screened their documentary, then, they recorded a choral group singing a Ukrainian song from the Lost village of Chernobyl, and a song from the Republic of Georgia.  We were all thrilled when they played back the 78 recording of the folk singers.  The clarity and integrity of the recording were stunning.

The choral group spoke of the music they were singing, then Alex and Lavinia took many enthusiastic questions from the audience of about 50 people, many of whom were experts in folklore, music, recording technology, and 78 records.  Some were musicians and others were field recordists in their own right.  It was a varied and interesting audience.

It was fun to ride the train, as any of you who have followed this blog would know, I am a train enthusiast (not an expert, mind you, simpy a person who loves trains - among many other interests) but I hadn't been on a train in years and I took great interest in the stations as well:  30th Street Station to Union Station. 

There are no words to describe my joy and pride in my daughter's accomplishment.  It was a big risk for her to quit her job at ASCAP and take this big leap of faith into creating a work of art and raising the money on their own, but they did it and now they are starting off on another tour.  They have already screened their film at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, a music and film festival in Nashville, and in Boston.  For more, please visit their website.  Next stop for them is LONDON!

https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=372ui2erfumpd

If for some reason the link doesn't work, simply go to The 78 Project for recordings as well as the screening tour schedule. 

Genealogy-Your family history

Friday morning was a super storm of chaos at my house - the phones were ringing from the juggling of auto repair garages and arrangements for my dead car, the dog was barking, the new cat was infected by the electric current of stress and he was knocking over lamps and books and anything in his wild way.  In the midst of all this clamour, Bonnie Beth Elwell, president of the Genealogical Society of Salem County, was working on my laptop cleaning up my ancestry.com files and helping me with standardizing my listings such as dates:  12 Nov. 1945 as opposed to 11/13/45.  
Bonnie works as a genealogist and she had done some research on her own after our last meeting, and more research at my house on a mystery branch of my family tree, the Goldy family, but more on that another time.
Family history is an endlessly fascinating subject and the further you go into it, the more engrossing and mysterious and satisfying it gets.  
If you don't know where to start, get a simple form off the internet, begin with yourself, then your parents, and their parents, birth and death dates and where they were born.  Also, you can hire someone like Bonnie to help you get started or get you out of a stuck spot or, as I did recently, help you get a frame-able attractive family filled out.  
This year for Christmas, I am giving each of my 4 siblings, a photo collage made of pictures that go back to the 1880's and stretch to the 2000's, plus a copy of that family tree I mentioned.  I had the photo collage scanned and printed at Bellia's Copy Center in Woodbury, and the family tree copied there as well.  Then I bought frames at the Columbus Flea Market and at yard sales and framed them all.  The last one will be completed today when I get back from the dog park.
Along with the framed photo collages and the framed family trees, I'm writing a chapter book on the journey of finding all this information.  It will run 12 chapters and I will have it photocopied and spiral bound at Bellia's Copy Center in Woodbury - very good quality copy center and good prices, helpful staff.
Anyhow, the reason for thi blog today is that I just got the Fenwick Colony Gazette and here are some dates you might find helpful if  you decide to begin a family history search:
All events are at at the John Fenwick Auditorium at Friends' Village, Woodstown, NJ at 7:00 pm and they are free, though you may wish to join the society for additional events, information and because they are a great group of people.  The lectures are invaluable.
September 9 _ How to make the best use of FAMILY SEARCH with Cam Casper  
September 30  Workshop on how to ue the Society's new website and help for beginners and networking. (great place to start your journey!)

the website is:
www.gsscnj.org 

 Also, Bonny Beth Elsweel is a genealogist, historian and author.  To contact her for for her rates to help you on your family history search, e-mail - bonnybonnybeth@gmail.com

Happy Trails!  Jo Ann
ps.  My family names are:  Cheesman, Garwood, Goldy, Lyons, Wright