City Directories: Directory of Names

City Directories: Directory of Names of Citizens, Firms, and Corporations

Continuing with my series on using city directories in genealogy and family history research, we will next look at the Directory of Names section. Using my R.L. Polk City Directory for Detroit, 1925-1926 as a reference, the name directory section starts on p. 509 and runs through p. 2014... this is a huge section, the largest in the book.

For genealogists, the Directory of Names is without a doubt the most popular section of a city directory. The street and avenue guide and directory of householders (which will be featured in my next post) would come in a close second. Together, these two sections can provide a wealth of information on your ancestors. And while they don't provide the exact same information as is found on a Federal Census form, there is some overlap of that data. Of course the bonus is that city directories were published annually (with some exceptions such as the city of Chicago, see "comments" ), making it oh so much easier to track our ancestors. Ya gotta love that!

The first page of this section is titled, "Polk's Detroit City Directory 1925-26". It then contains 4 subtitled sections of information: Abbreviations, Street Abbreviations, Abbreviations Given Names, and Abbreviations Firm Names. Unfortunately, I can't list all the abbreviations on this page in this post. But they are going to be very important to you when researching your ancestors so let's take a closer look at what kinds of abbreviations are listed. It will give you a snapshot of the type of information available to you about your ancestors.

Abbreviations This list covers abbreviated terms for the following categories: job titles (e.g. jwlr=jeweler), types of residences (e.g. apts=apartments), types of roads (e.g. Blvd=boulevard), religions (e.g. R C=Roman Catholic), and directions (e.g. se=southeast).

Street Abbreviations This lists specific street names that appear in abbreviated forms (ones with lengthy names). In my directory there are 18 street names listed. (e.g. Alexandrine Av=Alex Av)

Abbreviations Given Names This section lists the abbreviated forms for 29 first names aka given names. Besides giving you the abbreviations, this list also gives you a synopsis of popular names of Detroit residents at the time. Most of them wouldn't be found on a current list of abbreviated given names for the city of Detroit that's for sure! Some examples on this list include: Arch=Archibald, Eug=Eugene, Sol=Solomon, Theo=Theodore.

Abbreviations Firm Names This sections lists some abbreviated forms for some of the more popular businesses in Detroit in the 1925-26 time period. Sadly, a good many of these companies no longer exist. But if your family was employed at one of them or owned/managed one of them, this directory will give you at least some basic information about it. Some examples include: C M & Co=Crowley, Milner & Co, Hudson M C Co=Hudson Motor Car Co, Studebaker=Studebaker Motor Car Co.

That covers the title page for this section. Now let's look deeper into the section for a sample entry.

Poniatowski Adam autowkr h2834 Roosevelt av
" Anthony press opr r6639 Floyd av
" Frank mldr h6639 Floyd av
" John inspr h6403 Field av
" Jos clk r6639 Floyd av
" Jos lab h7184 Holmes av
" Jos soft drinks 3301 Poplar h3999 Tillman av
" Margt Mrs 3999 Tillman av
" Margt press opr r6639 Floyd av
" Walter chauf r6639 Floyd av

See where the list of abbreviations comes in handy? Let's apply them and see just what information we can glean from the entries under this one surname.

1. [auto=automobile, wkr=worker, h=house] Information: Adam Poniatowski works in the automobile industry and lives in a house at 2834 Roosevelt Avenue.
   
2. [opr=operator, r=renter] Information: Anthony Poniatowski works as an operator and is a renter at 6639 Floyd Avenue.
   
3. [mldr=molder, h=house] Information: Frank Poniatowski works as a molder and lives in a house at 6639 Floyd Avenue. Anthony (of the same surname) rents in this same building and given the same surname and residence we can at least strongly suspect they are related.
   
4. [inspr=inspector, h=house] Information: John Poniatowski works as an inspector and lives in a house at 6403 Field Avenue.
   
5. [Jos=Joseph, clk=clerk, r=renter] Information: Joseph Poniatowski works as a clerk and is a renter at 6639 Floyd Avenue. May well be related to Anthony and Frank Poniatowski who also live at this same address.
   
6. [Jos=Joseph, lab=laborer, h=house] Information: This Joseph Poniatowski #2 works as a laborer and lives in a house at 7184 Holmes Avenue.
   
7. [Jos=Joseph, h=house] Information: This Joseph Poniatowski #3 works in the soft drinks industry at the location 3301 Poplar and lives in a house at 3999 Tillman Avenue. Here's where a quick look into the next section will help us... looking up 3301 Poplar we find it listed just below the street name "Tillman av", which means it's at the corner of the intersection of Poplar and Tillman streets. The rest of the entry is: "Poniatowski Jos soft drinks". It doesn't give us a lot more information to go on except that Joseph probably lived just down the street from his place of business. A lookup at GoogleMaps or MapQuest could confirm this but for now let's move on.
   
8. [Margt=Margaret] Information: Margaret Poniatowski, "Mrs" isn't given as an abbreviation on the title page but I think it's probably safe to assume this indicates she's married. Given her same surname she's probably married to Joseph#3 of "soft drinks" fame who owns the house she's living in at 3999 Tillman.
   
9. [Margt=Margaret, press opr=press operator, r=renter] Information: This Margaret Poniatowski #2 works as a press operator and is a renter at 6639 Floyd av. She's probably related to Anthony, Frank, and Joseph Poniatowski who also live at this address.
   
10. [chauf=chauffeur, r=renter] Information: Walter Poniatowski works as a chauffeur and is also a renter at 6639 Floyd av along with Margaret, Anthony, and Joseph. The 4 of them are all renters at the home of Frank Poniatowski, probably all relations.

Whew! That's quite a bit of information from just one surname entry. But it gives you an idea about the value of using a city directory to look up your ancestors.

There's just one more thing I'd like to mention in this section of the directory and that is the last page of it. On p. 2014 there is a list of Polk's Publications. Besides the city directories they are best known for they also list their National publications: Bankers Encyclopedia (Directory) of the U.S. and Canada, Dental Register and Directory of the U.S. and Canada, Medical Register and Directory of the U.S. and Canada, the National Iron and Steel Blue Book, and Real Estate Register and Directory of the U.S. and Canada. This is followed by a state-by-state list of the city directories Polk published.

Coming up next: City Directories: Street Guide and Directory of Householders

Read my series of articles about city directories:

I Won the eBay Bid
What's In A City Directory
City Directories: The Introduction
City Directories: The Indexes
City Directories: The Statistical Department
City Directories: Chronological History
City Directories: Miscellaneous Information
City Directories: Directory of Names
City Directories: Street Guide and Directory of Householders
City Directories: Classified Business Directory
City Directories: Additional Information

29th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is Posted

The latest edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted at the footnoteMaven's blog. The topic for this edition was Moral or Legal Dilemmas in Genealogy and Genea-blogging, and Maven did a fabulous job of putting it together. As always, I'm impressed with the variety of well written articles submitted by the participants.

It felt good to me to be able to give voice to a dilemma that's been nagging me for some time now. And I'd like to say a special thank you to Nikki-ann, Bobbie, Robert, and Terry for their thoughtful and kind words of advice.

And now it's time for the Call for Submissions! The topic for the 30th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Genealogical Conferences/Seminars. Just to get you thinking, here are some things you might want to write about. Have you been to a conference you really enjoyed? Is there one you attend every year? Which would you recommend to others and why? Is there one you've always wanted to attend but couldn't? If you could design the "dream conference", what sessions would you have in it? Have you been on a genealogy cruise? What are your pet peeves regarding genealogy conferences? Those ideas should be good for a blog post or two but don't feel limited to them. If you've got something else to say on the subject, let's hear it! The next edition will be hosted by me here at Creative Gene and the deadline for submissions will be August 15th. You can submit your article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form.

See ya at the Carnival!

City Directories: Miscellaneous Information

Miscellaneous information... such a broad subject heading and yet it best describes this section of the city directory. It's jam packed with useful information for genealogists and family historians. Some of it will be helpful with ancestor research, much of it will provide detail for those writing up their family histories or writing historical fiction. Using my R.L. Polk City Directory for Detroit, 1925-1926 as a reference, let's take a look at the types of information presented in the Miscellaneous Information section which begins on p. 81 and runs through p.144.

Miscellaneous Information starts off with a subsection on City Government which lists the name of the Mayor (in this case, John W. Smith) and other city officials, members of Common Council, the Board of Educators, the Board of Fire Commissioners (including the location of engine companies), the Department of Health, the Department of Police, and the Department of Public Works to name just to name a few of the departments. The subsection ends with information that is definitely important to genealogists researching ancestors in Detroit... New House Re-numbering System.

In all, there are 32 subsections within Miscellaneous Information. I can't go into detail on all of them here but I would like to highlight a few that I think would be of particular interest to genealogists and family historians.

• WARD BOUNDARIES - Includes a detailed description of the streets that make up the various ward boundaries within the city. Helpful when you have an address for your ancestor but can't find their census record by name. You need to know the ward boundaries to do a "reverse lookup" by address instead of by surname (on Ancestry.com for instance). This subsection also includes polling places so you can look up where your ancestor voted... family historians can include this information in family histories.


• CEMETERIES - Includes a list of all the cemeteries within the city at the time the directory was published. Good to know if you're trying to narrow down the cemetery your ancestor is buried in.


• CHURCHES - Listed alphabetically under a variety of denominations, addresses are included.


• HOSPITALS, HOMES, SANITARIUMS AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS - If your family passed down the name of an orphanage or institution where a family member resided this would be an excellent place to start your research. All facilities listed have addresses included.


• MOTOR BUS LINES - Fun facts to know when writing the family history or a historical novel... how did grandma get across town to visit her sister?


• DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS - look up the name of grandpa's elementary school, the name of the Principal of each school is given too. So if you wanted to relate a story about gramps getting sent down to the Principal's office you can accurately name the Principal!


• SOCIETIES, CLUBS, ASSOCIATIONS, BUREAUS, CHARITABLE AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, ETC. - If you remember hearing that great-aunt Sophie belonged to the Polish National Alliance, you can find out where the meetings were held here.


• STREET RAILWAY LINES (aka Street Cars) - Did the street car line run right smack dab down the middle of the street in front of your mom or dad's house? Here's where you can find out :-)

So often we get caught up in "going back one more generation" in our ancestor research that we overlook all the detail we could find about the generation that grew up right here. This is wonderful, colorful stuff to know about your ancestors, folks. Next time you have access to a city directory think about how much more information you can find besides just the location of your ancestor's house.

I know, I know, you still want to find out where Uncle Jozef and Aunt Malgosia lived. Well that's coming up in the next segment...

Coming up next: City Directories: Directory of Names

Read my series of articles about city directories:
I Won the eBay Bid
What's In A City Directory
City Directories: The Introduction
City Directories: The Indexes
City Directories: The Statistical Department
City Directories: Chronological History
City Directories: Miscellaneous Information
City Directories: Directory of Names
City Directories: Street Guide and Directory of Householders
City Directories: Classified Business Directory
City Directories: Additional Information

Przewrotne Parish Surnames 1784-1867

Przewrotne Parish Surnames 1784-1867
(Rzeszów District, Rzeszów Province)
by Robert W. Postula

In excess of 550 surnames were extracted from unindexed registers of baptisms and marriages (1784-1867) for the Roman Catholic parish in Przewrotne, district of Rzeszów, province of Rzeszów, Poland. (As of the January 1999 reorganization, the province is now known as Podkarpackie). Przewrotne lies on the road heading north from the city of Rzeszów to the town of Ranizów. It is found on the river Młynowka where it joins with the river Olchówka on its flow towards the river Łęg. On modern maps or atlases, Przewrotne may be found in southeastern Poland between highways #9 and #19, north of the city of Rzeszów, just southeast of Kolbuszowa.

BACKGROUND: Przewrotne was founded about 1553 in the area of a royally owned forest preserve. Its founder was the castellan Jordan from Kraków who was also the lord squire of the royal village of Zagłobień. Jordan built the parish church and supported the local pastor. Later Przewrotne became the property of Count Andrzej Tarnowski in 1581, when the church originally built was annexed to the church in Kołaczyce. The church was restored in the 1600’s. In 1657 Rakoczy and his army invaded Poland when Przewrotne was sacked and all the parish records were lost in the fires. The present brick church was built in 1823. At that time there were 368 houses with 1,933 inhabitants. It was predominantly Roman Catholic, with 7 Protestants and 24 Jews. There were 2 large estate farms in Przewrotne. One estate consisted of 6 houses and 75 inhabitants, of which 57 were Roman Catholic, and 18 Jewish. The small settlement of Smolen was located on its ground. The estate totaled 513 morgen of farms (1 morg is the equivalent of 2.116 acres), 84 morgen of meadows and gardens, 32 morgen of pasture land, and 798 morgen of forest. The second estate consisted of 2,157 morgan of farmland, 562 morgan of meadows, 286 morgen of pasture and 221 morgen of forests. Przewrotne and its estates were surrounded by pine forests on two sides and resided on a sandy plane, bordering Stykanie on the south, Hucisko on the west, and Gwizdów on the north. For the time frame included in these records the area was known as Galizien (Polish (Galicia) as part of the Austrian partition of Poland. The Family History Library has two rolls of microfilm containing these vital records which were filmed March 2, 1971 at the Archives in Warsaw from a copy of the original records. Film numbers are #0766043 and #0766044. Data for these vital records were originally recorded on fixed forms and are in Latin and include separate registers for Gwizdów, Hucisko, and Klapówka. Entries are also included for Pogwizdów. (1)

The author reviewed the film during research for data on his grandfather Marcin Gaweł born in Przewrotne. Family names appearing in this film include; Brudz, Dziubek, Gaweł, Kaczor, Kołodziej, Kramarz, Laskus, Osetek, Pastuła, Pokryfka/Pokrywfka/Pokriwka, Susek and Wilk.

Those interested in doing further research on surnames from this article need to visit their local Family History Center (FHC). The microfilm listed above can be rented at a local FHC for a three (3) week period for a nominal fee of approximately $3.50. Extending the rental period for another period would require payment of an additional $3.50. After the second renewal (i.e. cumulative rental fees of $10.00) the FHC will usually allow the film to remain at the FHC on an indefinite loan. Information on available records for the locality of Przewrotne, including the microfilm numbers, can be found in the LDS Locality Catalog (on microfiche or on computer CD ROM disk), under the catalog heading of:

Poland, Rzeszów, Przewrotne (Rzeszów) - Church Records
or Austria, Galizien, Przewrotne - Church Records

(1) An excellent reference for learning to interpret these records is "POLISH PARISH RECORDS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Their Use and Understanding in Genealogical Research" by Gerald A. Ortell. GENUN PUBLISHERS, 789 South Buffalo Grove Road, Buffalo Grove, Illinois 60090.

Part One (Adamczyk-Mózga)

Adamczyk	Antonik	Babiarz	Bajek	Bandaslewicz
Albus	Augustyn	Bacek, Baczak	Baton	Baran
Barcak, Barczak	Cząba	Ganczrz	Jarecki	Kurdziel
Barczok	Czochara	Gajowski	Jarochowicz	Kus, Kuś
Barnarz	Czuplch	Gałgon	Jarosz	Kustra
Barnas, Barnaś	Czyż	Gaweł	Jez	Lanier
Baron	Danuszewski	Gawlik	Jędzejek	Laskus, Lauskus
Barski	Daren	Gerzelnik	Jumer	Leśnowski
Barzon	Dąbrowski	Gil	Kabała	Lelazowski
Batug	Demitraszek	Glosner	Kabasiewlcz	Lis
Bazan, Bazon	Deremak	Gniawek	Kachnicki	Litwin
Bąk	Deroń	Gniewek	Kaczor	Locki
Bełza	Dezen	Gniwek	Kaiber	Luboch
Bebenek	Dimitawszek	Gołębiowski	Kalecki	Lukowskli
Bernas	Dobek	Godek	Kaptetyn	Lusek
Beskur	Dobrowolski	Gola	Kaslek	Łabierzewski
Betzo	Dolinski	Golema	Kasprzik	Łącki
Bezkur	Dolski	Golla	Kasprzyk	Łacek
Będzinskl	Domibuszek	Gorzelan	Kawa	Łacki
Białas	Domitraszek	Goula	Kidowlcz	Łaskus
Bielen, Bielin	Doreń	Górski	Klecek, Kleczek	Łelazowski
Bigdon	Dorst	Graboski	Klodnicki	Łocki
Blat, Bhąd	Dragan, Dragon	Grabowski	Klodniski	Łyczek
Blot, Blott	Drąg, Drąk	Grabowy	Kluska	Łasek
Błach	Drobszeński	Gragon	Kluziński	Machonik
Błoniar	Drozd	Granat	Kłeczek	Mady
Błott	Drozdoski	Granos	Kniewek	Makusak
Bojanoski	Drozdowski	Grądziel	Kniwek	Makuszak
Borowiak	Drozodowski	Grochala	Kołodzlej	Malczyńska
Bruc, Brudz	Drzał, Drzoł	Günter	Kocek	Markis
Brzuch	Duiski	Gurski	Kocha	Marsał
Bucak, Buczak	Dworak	Gut, Gutt	Kogut	Marschał
Buczek Bujak	Dydo	Halicki	Kolanko	Marsoł
Burawiak	Dydowicz	Hara	Kolicki	Marszal
Buriak	Dzał, Dział	Harac, Haracz	Koenig, Konig	Marszał
Cabalski	Dziuba	Harmanowski	Kopyczek	Marszewski
Cablaski	Dziubek, Dzubek	Heller	Kosekowski	Marszoł
Cebula	Dzlubinski	Hermanoski	Koslek	Martin
Chmiel	Dzubinski	Hermanowski	Kostra	Marut
Chmielawicz	Estynska	Hesel	Koterbski	Marzocha
Chucher	Fabian	Hrzałkowski	Kozicki	Mazur
Chuchro	Famer	Huchonik	Kozieł	Medlarski
Chumińskl	Faryniarz	Huchro	Kozik	Mendlarski
Ciak	Fatęcki	Huher	Krajewski	Męczarz
Ciepłak	Fiłuszinski	Huhro	Kramarz	Miasga, Miazga
Ciesilnski	Flak	Huminski	Krason, Krasoń	Michalik
Cloch	Franek	Hybre	Krawiec	Michałek
Ciszek	Frizel, Friz	Incerta	Krepel	Michna
Cochara	Fryzoł	Iż	Krepla	Mihalik
Cubulski	Fronc, Frąc	Jagodzinski	Krypel	Mihelski
Cwik	Frąnc	Jamro	Kryper	Mikołajczyk
Cybula	Fuhrmann	Janusz	Krzyszlatowicz	Miszek
Czachor	Furman	Jarasz	Kudłacik	Mitros
Czachora	Górski	Jarechowicz	Kulicki	Mózga

Part Two (Mroczka-Zygora)

Mroczka	Płok	Sałuja	Susek	Wiąćkowski
Najowicz	Płasinski	Sata, Salach	Suski	Wianicki
Nels	Podgorski	Salzman	Susock	Widras
Nieculski	Pokriwka	Samojeden	Sylwiak	Wiennek
Niemiec	Pokryfka	Samojedny	Synec, Syniec	Więcek
Niewólka	Pokrywka	Sarama	Szalony	Wika
Niewielkewicz	Polisalki	Sącej	Szczepański	Wilg, Wilk
Niewolkiewicz	Politalski	Sąndej	Szczepanski	Winicki
Niewólka	Poliźalski	Scholl	Szczygieł	Winnicki
Niezgoda	Pomykała	Sczygieł	Szeliga	Winterlich
Nikodem	Porada	Selaroski	Szelwach	Wiącek
Noęak	Posłuszny	Selwa	Szmuda	Wojciechowski
Nowakowski	Potocki	Sembor	Szopa	Wojcik, Wojczyk
Ofsański	Próchnik	Serafin	Szospanski	Wojlaszek
Olszowy	Probola	Serwałka	Szula	Woychiecha
Organisciak	Prochnik	Siekira	Szutylas	Wrobel
Orzech	Próchnik	Slembor	Szwed	Wroblewski
Orzóg	Pruchnik	Sikora	Szymbor	Wrzon, Wrzos
Orzulski	Prucnal	Sitarz	Szytarz	Węglowski
Oslenski	Przygoda	Sitka	Swiątek	Wyka
Ostanski	Pruhnik	Siłuja	Tamor	Zabierzewski
Ostenski	Prylski	Siębor	Teborski	Zając
Oszezeński	Przybyło	Skóra, Skura	Tęca, Tęcza	Zapata
Ośtynski	Przygoda	Skusek, Skutek	Tęz	Zarórski
Ozóg	Ptah, Ptak	Slaszonoski	Tokarz	Zawacki
Ozimek	Ptaszynski	Słoniec	Trautman	Zawaclo
Pałega	Purcz	Słonina	Trela	Zawadzki
Pacek	Pyrc, Pyrcz	Słubczakoski	Tybura	Zawiskak
Pacina, Pacyna	Raca	Sołtys	Tyburski	Zelazoski
Palisalski	Raczaj	Sochara	Wacław	Zelazowski
Panek	Rakus	Soja	Wacławski	Zelizoski
Panuszewski	Redzoń	Sokolski	Wadawski	Zeluzoski
Parachewicz	Reguła	Soltys	Wadz	Zeluzowski
Pasek	Rębisz	Sondej	Wagłaszek	Zięba, Ziemba
Pastuła	Rochniak	Sowa	Wajnar	Zmiązkiewicz
Patęga	Roczniak	Stański	Walc	Zmuda
Pawłoski	Rodan	Staniec	Walczyk	Zochara
Pawłowski	Rodzoń	Staracz	Walewander	Zuba
Pelka	Rogósz	Staszewski	Walkowicz	Zuber
Peż	Romanek	Staszonski	Walz	Zumor
Piłak	Rosol, Rosoł	Staszoski	Warzocha	Związkiewicz
Pieconski	Rothaug	Staszowski	Watras	Zygar
Piekło	Rudłacik	Stokowski	Wawrzeniec	Zygo
Piekarz	Rumak	Stras	Wąc	Zygora
Pikór, Pikur	Rusin	Stuszowski	Wąsik
Pilak	Rutkowski	Styś	Weglaszek
Piątek	Rycek, Ryczek	Sułaja, Sułuja	Weglinski
Pisula, Pissula	Rypkowski	Suchya	Welc
Piwa	Rządzki	Sudoł	Węgloski
Piwoński	Rzczusko	Suleja, Sułaja	Węglowski
Płach, Płoch	Rzepka	Suluja	Wesołowski
		Sałata

This article appeared in the Polish Genealogical Society of Michigan's Journal, The Polish Eaglet, May 1999, p. 78-81. It is reprinted here with permission from the family of Robert Postula and the PGSM.

Include? Omit? Justify? Defile? Do Time?

I'm having a bit of a problem with writing the family history for one branch of my family. There is one individual on the family tree who presents a real dilemma for me. I'll refer to her as Bernice (not her real name). The problem with Bernice is essentially this... I don't have anything nice to say about her. All the family stories I've heard about Bernice are just plain awful, from her being lazy and bossy to her being psychotic and prone to acts of extreme violence. I've asked a few people to tell me about her and each person I've asked either doesn't remember her, refuses to tell me anything, or says only negative things about "that one".

I don't know if I ever met Bernice or not. She died when I was 3 years old. I have no personal memories of her. I have a couple of pictures of her and she looks like a nice enough person. But I just don't know what to write about her. She's a pretty significant person in the family and it would be quite awkward to leave her out of the family history. Sure, I can mention the objective things I know about her, her height, hair color, etc., but I'll be writing entire chapters about each of her siblings. So it will seem odd to write only a few paragraphs about Bernice.

I could relate the stories I've been told about Bernice but morally that seems just plain wrong to me. I could try to rationalize or justify her unsavory behaviors when I write about her but since the stories I've heard about her amount to hearsay I hesitate to try to do that (granted I've heard the same stories from a couple different and what I consider reliable sources but it still feels like I'd be passing on gossip). And when it comes to Bernice, it would be hard for me to come up with much neutral stuff. I just don't have much to go on. Here's the gist of what I've been told...

Bernice came to America, she annoyed everyone around her (so they've told me), she married a nice man and made him miserable (so they've told me), she had two children who no one trusted her to be alone with because she'd tried to kill them (so they've told me), she was something of recluse who rarely went to family functions and preferred to stay at home alone (so they've told me), she never worked outside the home, she died at the age of 67.

Both of Bernice's children are deceased. Her grandchildren have asked me to tell them what I know about her because they were so young when she died they don't remember her. I've tried my best to change the subject when that happens because I don't want to tell them what I've heard. So do I lie and say I don't know anything about her? Do I virtually leave her out of the family history rather than say unsavory things about her? Do I write what I've been told and have everyone who reads the family history think of her that way? Do I write, "Here's what's been said about Bernice..." and leave it up to the reader to decide if they want to believe it or not? And do I risk being accused of libel with no way to prove the validity of the stories I've been told?

How do I write this family history? What do I say about Bernice?

Take A Walk, It May Help You Remember

Alzheimer's Disease is one of the genealogist's most dreaded enemies. It robs our loved ones (as well as ourselves in some cases) of precious family memories... stories that are lost even while our loved ones are still with us in body and spirit. Clues to our heritage, stories about old photographs, memories of eras gone by... all are lost to us when dementia takes hold of the mind and destroys those precious memories. There is no cure for the ravages of Alzheimer's but there is something you can do to help support the individuals who suffer from it and their loved ones who suffer as well.

From the Alzheimer's Association web site:

The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® is the nation's largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research. Since 1989, Memory Walk has raised more than $225 million. Held annually in hundreds of communities across the country, this inspiring event calls on volunteers of all ages to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer's. This year, more than 200,000 participants will be on the move to end Alzheimer's.

I will be one of them.

I first got involved with this event last year. I wish I had gotten involved in it sooner. In the last 6 months I have lost two loved ones to this heartbreaking disease; my dear friend Bob Postula and my own dear mother. I know first hand the pain of watching someone once vibrant with life become a shell of the person they once were. It's a very hard thing to go through and the Alzheimer's Association is a wonderful resource to turn to for support in those difficult times. I believe in supporting this very valuable organization and I encourage you to support it too. Together we can help find the cure for this disease and preserve those precious memories a little longer... allowing us to have more time with our mentally competent loved ones and giving them more quality of life in their later years.

So why am I bringing this subject up now? The Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk® takes place on different dates throughout the country. The vast majority of walks take place between August 25th and October 31st, so they aren't that far off. You can find out when a walk near you is taking place here. It's not too early to start thinking about getting involved. Consider getting a team together... family, friends, co-workers, or neighbors... and you'll have a really great time while supporting a very worthwhile organization.

I can't speak for walks in other areas but the one here in metro Detroit is held at the Detroit Zoo. So the venue is a fun one to begin with. The organizers arrange to have booths from a variety of sponsors at the finish line and the amount of food, freebies, and fun is unbelievable. It's a huge party! In spite of the very serious cause for getting together, the spirit is absolutely festive, rain or shine. If you have participated in a Memory Walk near you, please leave a comment and let me know what your experience has been.

If you haven't yet gotten involved in this event, please give it serious consideration. You just never know when you or one of your loved ones will become afflicted by this dreaded disease... how heartbreaking it will feel when they can't remember your name or you can't remember theirs... and how much family history will be lost. You won't get a warning that it's coming, you'll write it off to "old age" when it first does, and before you know it, it will be too late to retrieve those memories you thought would still be there when you got around to recording them. Do something now while you can still make a difference. Take a walk, it just may help you remember.

To get creative making team (family) t-shirts for the walk, check out Family Walkin' Shirts on my other blog.