EWGS member (Tony Birch) Spotlighted!

 

Tony Birch and his late wife, Janette, were the EWGS meeting greeters when we used to meet at the Central Library downtown. Cindy Hval, The Spokesman columnist, did a story on 5 June 2025 about Tony and his unusual collection of once-candy-filled-glass-toys.

A favorite gift in the late 1800s, glass containers filled with candy were a favorite for decades. In the 1950s, glass was replaced by plastic. Tony and Janette would haunt garage sales for these treasures and amassed quite a diverse collection:

Quoting from Hval's story: "I think the trains are my favorites," Birch said. "My father gave me my first one when I was about six," he recalled. "The best part is after the candy is eaten, you still have a toy," Tony shared. 

Thanks, Tony, for sharing your story!

What about YOUR ancestors' hobbies? What did they collect? What do you collect (and treasure) that you hope one of your kiddos will want and love? 

Clallam County Genealogical Society

 

The Clallam County Genealogical Society is really looking up! I visited their huge collection in May when I was in Port Angeles house/dog sitting for my kiddos.

A good part of the reasons why interest and membership is up are these:

·         They applied and got a grant for 7 brand new computer stations and 3 laptops.

·         A generous member donated a much-needed new roof.

·         Their library is a FamilySearch affiliate; in the library you can freely use Ancestry, FindMyPast, GenealogyBank, Newspaper.com, Fold3 and American Ancestors.

·         New members are stepping up to accept Board positions.

·         The society offers regular classes and great workshops.

·         They do have a Facebook page too.

Ginny (Virginia) Majewski is once again the president but no surprise; she’s such a mover and shaker in the group that they keep reelecting her.

The coolest big news from the group is that their building (which has lots of space for the library and meeting rooms) is getting an update. Port Angeles is known for its murals on buildings and the Board received another gift to paint a mural on their building! (Used to be the State Patrol office and was a rather dull-looking squatty building.) Won’t this be fantastic! There are easily 100 reasons to visit PA and the Olympic Peninsula but for genealogists, a visit to this library is a must!

P.S. Scrolling through their library catalog, looking for books on Maine, I had to laugh out loud. If it took a few extra seconds for that whirling circle to find what I wanted, these words would appear: “This might take a while…. We suggest you read a book………… or even write a book!”

 

Symbolism of Flowers

 

Since time immemorial, flower symbolism has been used to private correspondence and expressing unspoken feelings. People became especially fascinated by flower symbolism during the Victorian Era and books explaining "flower language" were nearly as common as the Bible in Victorian homes. Here are some common meanings of flowers:

        Daisy - new beginnings

        Sunflower - adoration, loyalty

        Iris - faith, trust, wisdom, hope

        Zinnia - thoughts of absent friends

        Rose - joy, happiness, love

        Poppy - remembrance of fallen soldiers

How about our Washington lilac?

For a complete list, go to Wikipedia, "list of plants with symbolism." 

4th of July Trivia Test

 

Were you awake in your high school history class? How much do you know about the celebratory founding day of our country?? Test your memory:

1. Where was the first celebration of Independence Day held?

2. Every Independence Day, how many times does the Liberty Bell ring?

3. What was the U.S. population on July 4th, 1776?

4. The 4th of July commemorates which document?

5. What is the proper way to fold the American flag?

6. Which American president was born on July 4th?

7. Which U.S. president was the first to host a 4th of July celebration at the White House?

8. How many stars and stripes does the U.S. flag have?

9. How many men signed the Declaration of Independence?

10. What food is most commonly consumed on the 4th of July?

11. What is the name of our national anthem?

12. Who gave the Statue of Liberty to the U.S.?

1. Philadephia, 1777

2. 13 times

3. 2.5 million people

4. The Declaration of Independence

5. In a triangular shape with specific ritual and etiquette.

6. Calvin Coolidge, born on July 4, 1872

7. Thomas Jefferson in 1801.

8. 50 stars and 13 stripes (and what do they represent??) 

9. 56

10. Hot dogs!

11. The Star-Spangled Banner

12. The people of France. 

Ice Cream Is America!

 

What's more American than ice cream?? "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" right?

According to an article in The Saturday Evening Post, July-August 2024, "... at any given moment, 87% of Americans have a tub of ice cream in the freezers, pushing the value of the U.S. ice cream market alone to more than $19 billion in 2024. 

Ice cream was what most people ate on Independence Day almost since the very first one; it forms the sweet, sticky bedrock of our childhood nostalgia. (What is YOUR favorite flavor???) 

According to Google ice cream ingredients typical include mild, cream, sugar and flavorings. Some recipes include eggs. Thomas Jefferson was the first U.S. president to serve ice cream to his guests. Here is his original, handwritten, recipe and transcription:

Will you be making homemade ice cream for 4th of July? What recipe do you use?????

Military Facts That May Surprise You

(SSBN-617 Alexander Hamilton; on which my husband served during Cold War)

Surely somebody in your family, or yourself, served America in a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. The scope and power of this group is truly fascinating. Consider:

1. The scope of our military is spread between six branches (Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard) and employs nearly 3,000,000 people with an annual budget of $700 billion. (All of this to keep you and me safe in our beds; do not forget.)

2. The Army is older than the country itself. George Washington led the first Continental Army in June of 1775.

3. The Department of Defense is the world's biggest employer with about 2.91 million employees; the Army with its branches is the biggest employer.

4. The Department of Defense owns over 30,000,000 acres of land (bases, testing, training).

5. The Army is responsible for mapping the entire United States. The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery were an army unit and traveled 4900 miles over two years, mapping the way.

6. There have been only five 5-Star generals; the rank didn't exist until 1944. It was retired in 1981 when Omar Bradley, the final recipient, died.

7. The Air Force used to be part of the Army. The U.S. Army Air Corps, formed in 1907, remained such for forty years until WWII and the need for an independent force was needed.

8. The Army is responsible for creating Ray-Ban sunglasses. In order to help Air Force pilots block the sun's rays to reduce nausea and headaches while flying, Lt. General John MacCready asked Bausch & Lomb to create special glasses for them to wear.

9. The military used submarines as early as the Revolutionary War. Most people think of submarines as fairly modern inventions; however, the world's first use of a submarine in warfare took place in 1776 when the American vessel The Turtle attempted to attach a time bomb to the bottom of the British ship Eagle in New York harbor. It was hand powered with only one person aboard; unfortunately the mission failed and the bomb blew up far away from its intended target. 

Cigar Store Indians

 

(Skaneateles, New York)

Have you ever seen a "real" cigar store Indian? Weren't they often seen in days of yore? 

The cigar store Indian was an advertisement figure, in the likeness of a Native American, used to represent tobacconists. The figures were often three-dimensional wooden sculptures measuring several feet tall. They are still used for their original advertising purpose but today are more often seen as decorations or advertising collectibles. 

Why wooden Indians to sell tobacco??? Because of general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems of figures to advertise their shops' wares; for example, barber poles advertise barber shops and the three gold balls represent pawn shops. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans. As early as the 17th century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops.

Don't we still today look for advertising images??? The Golden Arches? The Starbucks mermaid? The Nike swoosh?